Technology Test and Evaluation Division (TTED) Technology Evaluations Support Services

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This solicitation is for a multiple-award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to provide Technology Test and Evaluation Division (TTED) Technology Evaluations Support Services. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is procuring these services to support its mission of advancing measurement science, standards, and technology to enhance economic security and improve quality of life. The services will support cross-division technology evaluations, measurements, and research for TTED.

The contract will be used for NIST requirements, with task orders issued by warranted NIST contracting officers. Task orders will detail specific requirements, but general tasks may include:

• Creating and refining topic statements, queries, and descriptions.

• Assessing content quality, accuracy, and authenticity.

• Evaluating human-produced and technology-generated content.

• Recruiting individuals for human-technology interaction tasks, interviews, and surveys.

• Usability testing of systems.

• Supporting Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-12 requirements for on-site work.

• Contract Type: Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ)

• Task Orders: Firm-fixed-price

• Period of Performance (IDIQ): Five (5) years, from September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2031.

• Minimum Order Amount: $5,000.00 per IDIQ contract holder.

• Maximum Order Amount: $7,400,000.00 over the five-year ordering period.

• The solicitation uses a two-phase evaluation process.

• Phase 1: Focuses on Demonstrated Prior Experience. Quoters will be notified if they are likely to proceed to Phase 2.

• Phase 2: Assesses Mock Task Orders, IDIQ Management Approach, and Price.

• Quotes must be submitted electronically by May 26, 2026, 10:00 AM ET.

• Evaluation factors are listed in descending order of importance: Demonstrated Prior Experience, Mock Task Orders, IDIQ Management Approach, and Price.

• This acquisition is set aside 100% for Small Business.

• NAICS Code: 541990 (All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services)

• Size Standard: $19.5M

• Contractors shall not be paid for the costs of preparing task order quotations.

• The government intends to award up to three IDIQ contracts.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is an Excel spreadsheet containing pricing worksheets for a potential Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. It includes sections for IDIQ labor category rates and mock task order pricing.

• IDIQ Labor Category Rates: A table listing various labor categories (e.g., Program Manager, Senior Developer, UX Researcher) with columns for "Year 1" through "Year 5." Offerors are to assume "Year 1" begins 09/30/2026 and "Year 5" ends 09/29/2031. This section is intended for quoting fully burdened hourly labor rates.
• Mock TO 1 Pricing: Details pricing for a mock Task Order (TREC Retrieval Augmented Generation). It includes columns for IDIQ Labor Categories, Level of Effort by Task (Task 1: Training, Task 2: Decision Assessment), Total Level of Effort, Fully Loaded Hourly Labor Rate, and Total Price Amounts. The total for this mock task order is currently $0.0.
• Mock TO 2 Pricing: Details pricing for a second mock Task Order related to "AI Privacy Guardian in Digital Identity Wallet." It includes IDIQ Labor Categories, Level of Effort by Task (Tasks 1-6 covering sampling, recruitment, study sessions, compensation, data delivery, and reports), Total Level of Effort, Fully Loaded Hourly Labor Rate, Total Price Amounts, and Other Direct Costs (ODCs). The total for this mock task order is also currently $0.0.

This pricing worksheet is crucial for bidders to understand the expected labor categories, the structure for pricing task orders under the potential IDIQ contract, and the timeframes for labor rate escalation. Bidders will need to use this template to provide their own pricing for labor categories and task orders if they intend to bid on the opportunity.

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document provides responses to vendor questions regarding the solicitation for an IDIQ contract, clarifying various aspects of the requirements, submission process, and evaluation criteria.

• Task Order Examples: Representative examples of task orders for Usability Testing IDIQ have been provided.
• Subject Matter Scope: The subject matter falls under the general domain but may include specialized domains.
• Resumes: Named and live resumes are required.
• Level of Effort: The level of effort for task orders will be proposed by the individual contractor as part of a firm-fixed-price task order.
• Proposal Page Limits: Phase 1 (Technical Volume I) is strictly limited to a maximum of nine (9) pages, with three (3) pages for project descriptions and six (6) pages for responses to questions. Excess pages will not be evaluated.
• Labor Categories: The pricing worksheet has been updated to align with the SOW labor categories, and the "Senior Associate" category has been changed to "Project Manager."
• NAICS Code: The applicable NAICS code is 541990 with a size standard of $19.5M.
• Evaluation Factors: Non-price factors are significantly more important than price. The evaluation of Phase 1 and Phase 2 will be independent.
• IC Experience: The "intelligence analysis" requirement for key personnel applies only to the Program Manager.
• Participant Compensation: Participant compensation should be priced separately as an Other Direct Cost (ODC) line item.
• IRB/PRA Approvals: The Government is willing to extend the Period of Performance (POP) if IRB/PRA delays consume the available timeline.
• Contract Types: Only firm-fixed-price type task orders are anticipated under the IDIQ contract.

Several sections of the solicitation have been revised based on these questions, including the pricing worksheet, NAICS code, page limits, and labor categories. Bidders should ensure they are referencing the most up-to-date versions of these documents.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This solicitation is for a multiple-award Indefinite-Delivery Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract to provide Technology Evaluations Support Services to the NIST Technology Test and Evaluation Division (TTED). The contract will support cross-division technology evaluations, measurements, and research.

The contract will involve various tasks, including but not limited to:

• Creating and refining topic statements, queries, and descriptions.

• Assessing the quality and accuracy of content.

• Determining content authenticity and tampering.

• Evaluating human-produced and technology-generated content.

• Recruiting individuals for human-technology interaction tasks, interviews, and surveys.

• Conducting usability testing, including participant recruitment, facilitation, and data analysis.

• Supporting Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-12 requirements for on-site work.

• Type: Multiple-award IDIQ contract.

• Period of Performance: Five (5) years, from September 30, 2026, to September 29, 2031.

• Task Orders: All task orders issued under this IDIQ will be firm-fixed price.

• Minimum Order: Not specified.

• Maximum Order: The total for all orders under the IDIQ contract shall not exceed $7,400,000.00 over the five-year period. The individual ceiling for each order is $2,000,000.00.

• Contractually Obligated Minimum: $5,000.00 per IDIQ contract holder.

• Solicitation Number: 1333ND26QNB770088

• Solicitation Issue Date: April 09, 2026

• Offer Due Date: May 07, 2026, 10:00 AM ET

• Submission Method: Electronic Quotation (PDF format, virus-free, readable).

• Evaluation Process: Two-phased approach.

  • Phase 1: Demonstrated Prior Experience (Technical Volume I).
  • Phase 2: Mock Task Orders (Technical Volume II) and IDIQ Management Approach (Technical Volume II), and Business/Pricing Quote (Business Volume III).

• Evaluation Factors: Factors 1, 2, and 3 are considered equal in importance and more important than Factor 4 (Price).

• Inquiries Due Date: April 16, 2026, 10:00 AM ET.

• This acquisition is 100% set aside for Small Business.

• NAICS Code: 541990

• Size Standard: 541519

• Offerors must submit quotations in accordance with the detailed instructions provided in the "Instructions to Offerors" section.

• Key Personnel: Supervisor/Program Manager is the only key personnel required at the base IDIQ contract level.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is an Excel spreadsheet titled "Attachment 2 - QA Template.xlsx". It appears to be a template for Quality Assurance (QA) purposes, likely intended for vendors to use in documenting their quality assurance processes or responses related to the opportunity.

The "Sheet1" within the spreadsheet contains columns for "Attachment Title", "Page #", "Section", and "Question". This structure suggests it's designed to track specific QA-related questions or items tied to different parts of a solicitation or contract.

Bidders should review this template to understand the expected format for any Quality Assurance documentation required as part of their proposal or contract performance. It may guide how they structure their QA plans or responses to specific inquiries.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is an Excel spreadsheet containing pricing worksheets for various task orders under an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. It provides templates for bidders to detail their proposed labor rates, level of effort, and total pricing for specific task orders.

• IDIQ Labor Category Rates: A sheet to establish base IDIQ ceiling fully burdened hourly labor rates for various labor categories across five years.
• Task Order Pricing Sheets: Multiple sheets (Task Order 1, Mock TO 1, Mock TO 2, Task Order 2, Task Order 3, Task Order 4, Task Order 5, Task Order 6, Task Order 7) provide templates for calculating firm-fixed prices for specific task orders. These include sections for IDIQ labor categories, level of effort by task, total level of effort, fully loaded hourly labor rates, and total price amounts.
• Other Direct Costs (ODCs): A section within some task order sheets for including other direct costs.
• Travel and Per Diem: Includes fields for travel and per diem costs, with a note that G&A is applied to these costs only if applicable.

Bidders must use these worksheets to develop and submit their pricing proposals for the base IDIQ contract and any subsequent task orders. The "Year 1" for pricing purposes is defined as beginning September 30, 2026, and "Year 5" ending September 29, 2031. Accurate completion of these pricing sheets is critical for proposal evaluation.