BARDA Collaborator Portal Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• The BARDA Contract Officer Representative (COR)/Point of Contact (POC) will request access on behalf of designated external partner(s). Once you have been assigned to a contract/collaboration folder, you will receive a registration email which will include training materials for setting up your account. 
  • You may need to check your spam/junk folder for the registration email.

• Invitations to the Collaborator Portal expire after 15 days. If you are receiving the error “Invalid Code”, that indicates the code has expired. Please reach out to BDR_Admin_Inbox@hhs.gov to generate a new invitation. 

• After logging in, navigate to the “Collaborator Portal Home” via the BDR Portal landing page. All contract records you have access to will be listed. Select the relevant contract number and click into the folder you want to upload files to and select the “Add files” icon. This action will initiate a pop-up window where you will be able to locate and choose file(s) to upload.

• Adding folder(s) to the root folder is not permitted.
• You can add new sub-folder(s) within the five existing standard folders by clicking into the relevant folder and selecting the “New folder” icon. This action will initiate a pop-up window where you will be able to name and create the folder. 
• We strongly recommend coordinating with your BARDA COR/POC on the creation of additional subfolders.

• At present, moving folders and files and editing names of folders and files is not an available functionality. As such, we recommend users coordinate with their BARDA COR/POC on the creation and naming of subfolders.
• If you must move or rename a folder/file, please contact BDR_Admin_Inbox@hhs.gov. Please note that your BARDA COR/POC is not able to perform this action. It must be completed by a BDR administrator. 

• Deleting files/folders is not permitted.
• If you need to add a new version, the recommendation is to designate the file with v2, the date, or similar.
• If you made an error uploading an incorrect file and it should be removed, please contact BDR_Admin_Inbox@hhs.gov. Please note that your BARDA COR/POC is not able to perform this action. It must be completed by a BDR administrator.

• All eRoom files have been migrated; however, they are not visible to external users. Your BARDA COR/POC has access to these records. We request users please do not re-upload these historical files to the portal as duplicate records will be created.

• No, please do not send BARDA COR/POC links from the Collaborator Portal. BARDA staff access folders and documents uploaded through the Collaborator Portal in a different way; therefore, these links will not work for BARDA users and will create confusion. 

• Use of periods and/or special characters such as ( ) ! @ “ # % * : ; ? < > / \ | $ + [ ] ' + = , . & ^ ~ { } are not permitted in file and folder names.
  Example of accepted file or folder name:
  Test_upload01012023
  Example of unaccepted file or folder name:
  Test%upload01.01.2023
• Please review file and folder names to ensure the absence of periods and/or special characters.
• If you have confirmed that periods and/or special characters are not present and are experiencing issues with files or folders, please contact the BDR_Admin_Inbox@hhs.gov for assistance.

• If possible, we recommend breaking the file into smaller documents. If this is not possible, please contact your BARDA COR/POC to discuss options.

• Passwords must be reset every 60 days. You will be prompted to reset your password when logging into the BDR Portal. To avoid losing access to your contract files, you must reset your password before it expires.  

• After attempting to sign into the BARDA Collaborator Portal, select the “Forgot your password?” icon. Next, enter the email associated with your BDR Portal account. The system will send a password reset email with instructions to your email.

• If your contract files are no longer accessible, your password may have expired, or you may have been removed from the contract file/folder. Contact your BARDA COR/POC. 

• Accounts must be accessed at least once in every 60 days. Accounts not accessed during a 60-day period will be deactivated per HHS cybersecurity regulations (see above: I’ve lost access to my contract files. How do I gain access again?).

• If you require additional assistance/training, please email the BDR support inbox: BDR_Admin_Inbox@hhs.gov

• Please send your organization name and contract number to the BDR support inbox: BDR_Admin_Inbox@hhs.gov