SPECTRA: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

No, there is not a Proposers' Day scheduled for this program. Instead, we will post a downloadable Overview Brief for each Technical Area (TA).

• What: TA Overview Briefs are supplemental resources to the solicitation documents (found on SAM.gov) to help answer questions.
• Where: Documents will be available for download directly from the SPECTRA program page, under the Solicitation Overview heading.
• When: Each new TA Overview Brief will be made available around the time the ARPA-H Solutions site opens for each TA. Please reference the key dates listed in the solicitation for the most up-to-date information.

Questions? If you have additional questions that aren't addressed in the briefs, the solicitation documents, or on this page, please submit them to the Ask a Question form (sign-in required).

A Technical Area Overview Brief is a supplemental resources to the solicitation documents to help answer proposer questions.

Yes, there will be a brief for each TA. Briefs will post to the SPECTRA program page around the time that the ARPA-H Solutions site opens for each TA. Look for them under the Solicitation Overview heading.

You can submit questions any time while the ISO remains open using the Ask A Question form (sign-in required) or the email provided in the solicitation documents. Responses will be posted publicly on this page. Please note, per SPECTRA ISO section 6.5, we will not answer questions about the following:

1. Which Technical Area a given team or concept should address 
2. Whether a specific idea or approach falls within SPECTRA's scope 
3. Preferred or recommended teaming arrangements 
4. Requests for ARPA-H's position on topics beyond the requirements of this solicitation
    

An individual can be named as a prime performer for one TA submission, and as a subperformer on as many submissions as desired. We heavily discourage redundancies across proposals and this will be negotiated out. Please ensure that a distinct submission is made to each TA, at the time each TA opens for submission. We will not accept submissions attempting to combine their proposed solutions for multiple TAs.

We cannot estimate the time commitment for developing a full proposal, this depends on the solution being proposed. ARPA-H has actively managed contracts and expects regular engagement and collaboration with the program manager and other teams. 

Yes, per ISO section 4.1, ARPA-H is primarily interested in proposals from:

• commercial performers, 
• academic institutions, 
• and non-profit organizations. 

Note: Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and government entities, including federal employees, are not permitted to respond to this ISO as a prime or sub-performer.

Any and all justifiable assessment modalities of the person’s biological state are allowed.

No. Sensory sensitivities are real, and they differ from person to person. SPECTRA is deliberately technology-agnostic. We are pursuing the full range of assessment approaches, which includes contact-based options like wearables for people who are comfortable with them, and contactless options such as AI-based video, audio, and ambient sensing for those who are not. 

Participant comfort and choice are design requirements for the program, not afterthoughts. The aim is assessment that fits into everyday life without asking anyone to tolerate something they find distressing, and any technology developed under SPECTRA will need to show that the people who would actually use it find it acceptable.

At this time, we are unable to accommodate requests for meetings to discuss the program and solicitation requirements, nor are we able to provided specific feedback on any particular approach or technology. 

Proposers may submit technical questions via the ARPA-H solution site or to the email provided in the ISO. All responses will be posted publicly on the SPECTRA FAQ. 

However, per SPECTRA ISO section 6.5, we will not answer questions about whether a specific idea or approach falls within SPECTRA's scope. That said, the best way to receive feedback from a PM is to submit a solution summary. Each submission will be evaluated on the unique characteristics of the proposed technology.

The goal of this program is to fund original or additional research, not scale existing programs.

This is an important topic but out of scope for this program.

The phenotype characterization is focused on humans.

TA4 develops technologies that generate assessment data as a byproduct of everyday use and validates them in real-world use. It is not a clinical trial; controlled intervention testing sits in TA3. There is no fixed volume of preliminary data required. Preliminary data should be sufficient to establish feasibility and to make your predicted performance and adoption targets credible. Performers propose the numeric targets, and they are fixed at award.

Yes, a TA4 Overview Brief is available for download directly from the SPECTRA program page, under the Solicitation Overview heading.

Instructional technology, such as tutoring systems and other tools that teach academic content or drive academic achievement, is out of scope for TA4. Classroom measurement of behavior, occupational and daily-living skills, and communication is in scope, especially around IEP goals and plans.

Once contracts are awarded, TA-4 performers will work with TA-2 to integrate their data streams into the new frameworks.

No. A single proposed solution does not need to be applicable to all ages. Proposed solutions may target a defined age range or life stage for their technology, provided they justify that scope and state where on the developmental continuum the approach applies.

On the target, dimensional identification of elevated autistic characteristics is acceptable and is often the more appropriate objective in infancy, where a categorical diagnosis is not yet stable. TA4 Early Identification is not limited to predicting diagnostic threshold-crossing. Proposals should tie their dimensional measure to a meaningful later outcome, such as subsequent diagnostic status or functional trajectory, so the signal reflects something consequential. On the sample, a selected high-familial-likelihood sample is acceptable for early validation. As a tool moves toward real-world screening use, performance should also be shown in a more representative sample, because predictive accuracy depends on how common autism is in the population tested. The validation sample should match the intended use.

TA4 is focused on embedded assessment, meaning technologies that assess communication and function continuously and ecologically as a byproduct of ordinary use. A blood-based diagnostic is a point-in-time laboratory test, not an assessment of function in everyday life, so it is not a fit for TA4.

At this time, there are no plans to share budget information about the program. Please propose the most reasonable costs for your technical approach when submitting a solution.

Per Attachment A1- TA4 Solutions Summary Model Section 5, a Basis of Estimate (BOE) is required that encompasses all costs and resources for the entire proposed project team. The BOE should include direct labor, materials, supplies, equipment, travel, profit/fee, indirect costs, and any other relevant costs associated with the proposed project. See Attachment A1 for exact format and instructions for the BOE.

An in-person kickoff meeting will be held soon after the performers’ period of performance start date. Additionally, two annual program- wide in-person meetings and one annual TA-specific meeting will be held in each of the 4 years of the program. Proposers should plan for 2-day events at which, at the very minimum, the Project Lead (PL) and leads for each TA are expected to attend, alternating between Washington, DC and San Francisco, CA. 

Note, these locations are tentative and shared for budgeting purposes. All other program meetings will be held online.

Adhere to HHS guidelines for salary cap limitations. Salaries must be proposed below the rate limitation, which usually changes annually.