These are questions that businesses frequently ask concerning how to do business with NOAA. ProTech has compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions categorized by questions related to our Program.
Question 1: What is ProTech? Question 2: What are the benefits of ProTech?
Question 3: How will NOAA line and staff offices, and the Department of Commerce (DOC) agency and other DOC bureaus access ProTech?
Question 4: How does the ProTech Program Management Office (ProTech PMO) assist government program officials?
Question 5: Who oversees the ProTech Program?
Question 6: Who oversees the ProTech domain IDIQ contracts?
Question 7: How can interested companies be added to a ProTech domain IDIQ contract?
Question 8: Who are the ProTech domain IDIQ prime contract holders?
Question 9: Where can the ProTech domain IDIQ contract clauses be found?
Question 10: Who assigns a contracting officer’s representative (COR) for a ProTech task order (TO)?
Question 11: Who manages a ProTech task order (TO) after it has been awarded?
Question 12: Are terms and conditions tailored at the task order (TO) level?
Question 13: How is the small business “reserve” at the ProTech domain IDIQ contract-level utilized at the task order (TO) level?
Question 14: When task order (TO) requirements span multiple ProTech domain IDIQ contracts, how will the government determine which domain to procure under?
Question 15: Can Service Contract Act (SCA)-covered labor categories be added at the task order (TO) level?
Question 1: What is ProTech?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Acquisition and Grants Office (AGO) Corporate Services Acquisition Division (CSAD) established the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (ProTech) Program in 2016. The Program includes the ProTech Branch and the ProTech Program Management Office (PMO).
The ProTech Program includes a suite of multiple award, Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts, providing professional, scientific, and technical services to NOAA, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), and DOC bureaus (where applicable). The PMO includes Administrative Contracting Officers and Account Managers / IDIQ-level Contracting Officers Representatives (CORs), assigned to each Domain.
ProTech is organized into four Domains that align with NOAA’s primary mission areas: Satellite, Fisheries, Oceans, and Weather. ProTech contract vehicles are mandatory-use for NOAA line and staff offices, and mandatory-use for DOC Bureaus where appropriate. The original ProTech Program total ceiling amount is $3B, and is shared by all four Domains. The follow-on “ProTech 2.0” Program total ceiling amount is $8B, shared by all four Domains.
Question 2: What are the benefits of ProTech?
ProTech provides integrated professional, scientific, and technical services that allow for the full range of contract types (e.g. fixed-price, cost-reimbursement, time & material, labor hour, or hybrid) at the task order (TO) level, including commercial and noncommercial requirements. It will facilitate NOAA, DOC, and DOC bureau initiatives such as managing high-risk contracts, encouraging performance-based contracting, providing transparency and data analytics under strategic sourcing, streamlining the acquisition process, and maximizing opportunities for small businesses.
See also Question 4, which describes how the ProTech Program Management Office can assist a program or TO CO at all stages of the acquisition lifecycle.
Question 3: How will NOAA line and staff offices, and the Department of Commerce (DOC) agency and other DOC bureaus access ProTech?
NOAA Line and Staff Offices (Program Offices / Requirements Owners) use the Contracting Officers in their assigned Acquisition Divisions to conduct acquisition planning and Task Order competitions. NOAA Line or Staff Office personnel or NOAA Contracting Officers / Contracting Specialists can reach out to the ProTech PMO at any time, with questions or for guidance.
The ProTech public website provides ProTech PMO points of contact, an ordering guide, and other useful information. The ProTech internal website (Government-access only) provides some training slides, templates that government program officials may use to develop their task order (TO) purchase requisition (PR) packages, other resources and procedures to effectively use the ProTech contracts.
Government program officials (outside of NOAA) should reach out to their established contracting officer point of contact at their DOC agency or bureau, and then contact the ProTech PMO for guidance.
Question 4: How does the ProTech Program Management Office (ProTech PMO) assist government program officials?
Upon request of the government requiring activity or the task order contracting officer (TO CO), the ProTech PMO is available to offer guidance and assistance in the following areas:
- Market research and acquisition planning, scope review and capability analysis reports;
- Assist the requiring activity with the development of the requirement document (statement of work (SOW)/performance work statement (PWS)/statement of objectives (SOO));
- Independent government cost estimate (IGCE);
- Source selection planning and evaluation factors;
- Recommendations for the TO contract type (fixed-price, cost-reimbursement, time & material, labor hour, or hybrid), as well as "Best-Fit" analysis if the client is unsure which Domain may be the best solution for them;
- Overall support of the requiring activity’s preparation of the work products necessary to complete the purchase requisition (PR) package; and
- Training any client on the ProTech Program processes
Question 5: Who oversees the ProTech Program?
The ProTech Program Manager (PPM) is the government’s central point of contact for all technical matters arising at the ProTech domain IDIQ contract-level. The PPM also serves as the liaison between the ProTech domain IDIQ contract-level contracting officers and account managers and the NOAA program and line offices for technical issues. Other aspects of the PPM’s role are as follows:
- Maintain program integrity that prevents or mitigates contractual or programmatic issues;
- Solicit feedback from requiring activities and NOAA Acquisition and Grants Office (AGO) division, Department of Commerce (DOC), and DOC bureau contracting officers, and provide continuous process improvement; and
- Provide guidance and assistance to requiring activities, NOAA AGO division, DOC, and DOC bureau contracting officers, and prime contractors in the use of the ProTech domain IDIQ contract vehicles.
Question 6: Who oversees the ProTech domain IDIQ contracts?
The domain IDIQ contract-level contracting officer (CO) has the overall responsibility for the administration of the ProTech domain IDIQ contracts. The domain IDIQ contract-level CO is the only authorized individual to take actions on behalf of the government to amend, modify, or deviate from the contract terms, conditions, requirements, specifications, details, or schedules within the domain IDIQ contracts. The domain IDIQ contract-level CO is responsible for the overall administration and final closeout of the contracts and, when necessary, shall:
- Provide scope oversight;
- Serve as liaison between ProTech domain IDIQ prime contract holders and NOAA;
- Assist in expediting task orders where practical;
- Ensure compliance with contract requirements;
- Issue the CO’s final decision and handle all domain IDIQ contract-level disputes under the Contract Disputes Act;
- Provide the administrative procedures for placing task orders, contract administration, and issuing contract modifications;
- Designate the domain IDIQ contract-level contracting officer representative (COR); and
- Track and report domain IDIQ contract-level metrics.
Question 7: How can interested companies be added to a ProTech domain IDIQ contract?
In regard to contractor teaming arrangements, companies involved normally form a contractor team arrangement before submitting an offer. However, they may enter into an arrangement later in the acquisition process, including after contract award.
In regard to potential competition refresh, the government reserves the right to award additional contracts if it is determined to be in its best interest. The competition refresh process may be used to maintain a sufficient number of contractors for the work contemplated under the program. The government shall have sole discretion to determine when and how many additional contracts shall be awarded. The competition refresh will be announced in the designated government wide point of entry, System for Award Management (SAM.gov). Contracts awarded under the competition refresh will share in the ceiling and period of performance established for the ProTech program and relevant domain IDIQ contract and such awards shall not result in changes to existing contracts.
Question 8: Who are the ProTech domain IDIQ prime contract holders?
ProTech’s website maintains a copy of the IDIQ prime contract holders on each of the domain-specific pages. See the "Contract Holders" link on each domain page. Each entry has the company information, contract number, a designated point of contact (e-mail address and phone). This information is provided so companies that are not ProTech prime awardees can contact any of the ProTech Prime awardee companies to propose "teaming-on-the-fly" arrangements for task order competitions.
The Prime Awardee teaming information is kept on the ProTech internal website (Government employee access only).
Question 9: Where can the ProTech domain IDIQ contract clauses be found?
The Domain Master Contracts are located on the ProTech public website, which includes the clauses. See the “Master Contract” link on each domain page.
Question 10: Who assigns a contracting officer’s representative (COR) for a ProTech task order (TO)?
The requiring activity must provide a certified COR as part of their purchase requisition (PR) package for a TO. Services will be procured via TOs issued by a TO contracting officer (TO CO) from within NOAA’s Acquisition and Grants Office (AGO) divisions, Department of Commerce (DOC), or DOC bureaus. All warranted COs across the DOC agency and bureaus are authorized TO COs and must follow the ProTech ordering guide procedures accordingly. The TO CO appoints the certified COR for each ProTech TO.
Question 11: Who manages a ProTech task order (TO) after it has been awarded?
The TO contracting officer’s representative (TO COR) is responsible for the day-to-day monitoring of performance under that TO and conducts all delegated TO administration activities as required by the TO COR appointment letter. The TO COR is not authorized to make any representations or commitments of any kind on behalf of the TO contracting officer (TO CO) or the government, unless specified in the appointment letter. The TO COR does not have authority to alter the contractor’s obligations or to change the specifications, pricing, terms or conditions of the contract. If, as a result of technical discussion(s), it is desirable to modify requirements or the specification, changes will be issued in writing and signed by the TO CO.
Question 12: Are terms and conditions tailored at the task order (TO) level?
ProTech TO level terms and conditions are dependent upon the contract type. ProTech allows for TOs to be issued on a fixed-price, cost-reimbursement, time & material, labor hour, or hybrid basis. Task Orders can also be tailored by adding custom labor categories. See also Question 15.
Question 13: How is the small business “reserve” at the ProTech domain IDIQ contract-level utilized at the task order (TO) level?
In the original ProTech Program – for each of the four domains, approximately 75% of the IDIQ awards were intended to be to be made to small business concerns, including those to the socio-economic categories.
This reserve is conducted in accordance with 13 CFR 125.2(e)(4). Therefore, if there are two or more ProTech domain IDIQ contract awards to any one type of small business concern, the government may compete any ProTech TO solely amongst the specified types of small business concerns if the “rule of two” or an alternative set-aside requirement provided in the small business program have been met.
If there are several ProTech domain IDIQ contract awards to several different types of small businesses, the government may compete any TOs solely amongst all of the small business concerns if the “rule of two” has been met. If there is only one ProTech domain IDIQ contract award to any one type of small business concern, the government may issue TOs directly to that concern for work that it can perform.
For the “ProTech 2.0” program, some domains are being competed as total small-business set-asides at the IDIQ level. Once decided, that information will be released.
Question 14: When task order (TO) requirements span multiple ProTech domain IDIQ contracts, how will the government determine which domain to procure under?
The determination will be made by the Task Order (TO) contracting officer based on market research conducted at the TO level. At minimum, the preponderance of the TO work must fall within the NAICS code and scope of the selected domain. The ProTech PMO can assist any TO contracting officer with conducting market research or providing a “Best-Fit” analysis which can recommend the Domain with the most suitable scope for the task order, and provide insight into possible set-aside competition strategies.
Question 15: Can Service Contract Act (SCA)-covered labor categories be added at the task order (TO) level?
Yes. Some ProTech TOs may require services that do not correspond to the labor categories included in the domain IDIQ contract as awarded. Accordingly, if permitted by the TO solicitation, the contractor may propose appropriate labor categories and labor rates necessary to meet the requirements of the solicitation.