This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items; FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures, and FAR 37.101, Nonpersonal Health Care Services, in which the contractor is an independent contractor. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; therefore, a written solicitation will not be issued. The Billings Area Indian Health Service (IHS) intends to award a Firm Fixed Price Commercial Item contract in response to Request for Quotation (RFQ) 10-16-013-RDJ. The solicitation documents and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-86-1. The solicitation is issued on an unrestricted basis. The associated North American Industry
Classification System code is 561421 and the small business size standard is $15.0 million. Potential contractors are asked to propose all-inclusive hourly rates. Quotations should be prepared in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Items (OCT 2015).
PRICE SCHEDULE – AFTER HOURS TELEPHONE ANSWERING / TRIAGE SERVICES: Potential contractors must provide an all-inclusive hourly rate when submitting a quote.
Unit of
Description Quantity Issue Unit Price Total Amount Base Year 5698 HR $__________ $______________
Option Year One 5698 HR $__________ $______________
Option Year Two 5698 HR $__________ $______________
Option Year Three 5698 HR $__________ $______________
Option Year Four 5698 HR $__________ $______________
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Base Year: April 4, 2016 to March 30, 2017, with four 12-month options. The government may exercise the option to extend the contract per the authority of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (MAR 2000).
PURPOSE OF THE CONTRACT: The purpose of this acquisition is to contract for After Hours Telephone and Triage answering services for the Wind River Service Unit, PHS Indian Health Center, Fort Washakie and Arapahoe, Wyoming.
WORK SCHEDULE:
Weeknights (Monday – Friday) 5:45 pm to 8:00 am 2nd Thursday of each month 8:00 am to 12:45pm
Last Thursday every other month 8:00 am to 12:45 pm
Weekends: Friday 5:45 pm to Monday 8:00 am Clinic Closures: 24 hour coverage x 5 (estimated) days Federal Holidays: 24-hour coverage
Federal holidays observed under this contract.
New Year’s Day 1 January
Martin Luther King’s Birthday Third Monday in January Presidents Day Third Monday in February
Memorial Day Last Day in May
Independence Day 4 July
Labor Day First Monday in September
Columbus Day Second Monday in October
Veterans Day 11 November
Thanksgiving Fourth Thursday in November
Christmas Day 25 December
STATEMENT OF WORK (MAJOR DUTIES): Serve as an afterhours and weekend answering and triage service for the patients served at the Wind River Service Unit, PHS Indian Health Centers, Fort Washakie and Arapahoe, Wyoming. Services would be provided when the clinics are closed either afterhours, weekends, and holidays. The contractor shall complete a telephone assessment of patient’s complaint using established telephone triage criteria, and document using a SOAP format (Subjective Objective Assessment Plan) including dispositon and plan for
patient.
KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED BY THE POSITION: Associate or Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing. Nurses providing service must be licensed by the State of Wyoming to provide services for our patients. Medical knowledge to give medical advice and document the algorithmic approach to medical care. Knowledge of professional nursing care principals, practices, and procedures in order to assess patient’s needs, which also involves consideration of the physical, emotional, spiritual, and socio-cultural aspect of health care. Requires planning and providing care to patients. Knowledge of customs of the ethnic group within the area ability to appreciate cultural differences and their effects on health care delivery providing cultural sensitivity to patients. Alertness and skill in providing care in reacting promptly to emergency situations such as treatment of accident victims. Ability to provide individual and family counseling, guidance, and health instruction to help patients understand how to prevent disease and maintain good health.
GUIDELINES: Using established phone triage criteria with complete and full documentation. Fulfilling AAAHC requirements. Virtual Private Network (VPN) access to the Service Unit Electronic Health Record (EHR) will need to be accomplished by the contractor. The Contractor will be required to abide by all the rules and regulations that govern the Privacy Act, the Indian Health Service, and the Department of Health and Human Services. All new employees are required to take HIPAA and Information Systems Security Awareness (ISSA) within a few days after receiving their award letter, notice-to-proceed, access and annually thereafter. Computer access will not be granted until the ISSA training is complete. The contractor will complete all
mandatory Indian Health Service, Wind River Service Unit trainings annually. All contractors will be required to utilize the RPMS Electronic Health Record to document the patient’s problem (IPL), patient progress notes, patient orders (lab, x-ray, and pharmacy), appropriate CHS/PRC referrals and encounter coding. The contractor will be required to process all EHR notifications in a timely manner. The contractor will be required to attend Electronic Heath Record training with the Clinical Applications Coordinator. All documentation in the Electronic Health Record must be done in a timely manner per IHS policy.
COMPLEXITY: The contractor shall complete a telephone assessment of the patient’s
complaint and document using a SOAP format including disposition and plan for patient. Phone calls may be of minimal complexity i.e. colds and flu to high complexities i.e. chest pain or trauma.
SCOPE AND EFFECT: The contractor will provide to the service unit user population a more efficient, complete and AAAHC compliant answering service telephone triage that not only gives our patients good advice but documents this for medical follow up on the medical home model and for better utilization decisions. The contractor shall complete a telephone assessment of the patient’s complaint and document using a SOAP format. The contractor will
communicate with the Service Unit assigned triage nurse if an appointment is needed for a patient either same day or next day. The contractor shall make a verbal report to a government physician if needed and shall further make a written consultation on the patients Electronic Health Record. The written consultation shall include the finding, impression, and
recommendations about the management.
PERSONAL CONTACTS: Chief Medical Officer / medical staff supervisor, Director of Nursing, assigned triage nurse and utilization R.N.’s. Personal contacts are with patients, their families, and clinic personnel.
PURPOSE OF CONTACTS: To provide telephone triage for patients after clinic hours for health care needs. Eventually would like to have triage service enter phone calls directly into the Indian Health Service EHR record through VPN access. Until this is accomplished, the
contractor will provide written notes and the notes will be scanned into the Service Unit EHR. PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The work requires expert knowledge of medical triage services. WORK ENVIRONMENT: Contractor will be required to provide telephone triage for all age groups.
COMPUTER SECURITY: Pursuant to the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA), the contractor will be required to complete a course in Computer Security Awareness Training (CSAT). This training must be completed annually by all employees
including contractors, volunteers, students, and summer externs. The Contractor will be required to comply with the Federal Information Processing Standards Publication (FIPS PUB) Number 201, "Personal Identity Verification of Federal Employees and Contractors," and the associated Office of Management and Budget (OMB) implementation guidance for personal identity verification for all affected contractor and subcontractor personnel. VPN access to the Service Unit electronic medical record system will need to be accomplished by the contractor for access / clearance to all pertinent computer systems, including completing the Rules of Behavior Forms, Security training, and if necessary, a Business Partner Interconnection Security Agreement (BPISA).
CONTRACTING OFFICER AUTHORITY: Authority to negotiate changes in the terms, conditions or amounts cited in this contract is reserved for the Contracting Officer.
CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE (COR): The COR shall be responsible for: (1) Monitoring the Contractor's technical progress, including surveillance and assessment of performance and recommending technical changes; (2) Interpreting the Statement of Work; (3) Technical evaluation as required; (4) Technical inspections and acceptance; and (5) Assisting the Contractor in the resolution of technical problems encountered during performance of this contract.
INVOICE SUBMISSION AND PAYMENT: The Contractor shall submit its invoice to the Billings Area Financial Management Office with a courtesy copy to the Service Unit. The Contractor agrees to include the following information on each invoice: (1) Contractor’s name and address; (2) Contact name, title, and telephone number; (3) Contract Number; (4) Invoice number and date; (5) Description, quantity, unit of measure, unit price, and extended price of supplies delivered or services performed; (6) Remit to Address; (7) Taxpayer Identification Number (Employer Identification Number or Social Security Number); and (8) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number (to ensure payment is made to the correct bank account) and vendor mailing address, as provided in the System for Award Management (SAM), formerly known as the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database. Payment shall be made by the Billings Area Financial Management Branch, P.O. Box 36600, Billings, Montana 59107. SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS: Contractors cannot serve as expert witnesses in any suit against the Federal Government. Many of the IHS patients receiving services may only speak a native language and/or reside on a Native American Reservation, therefore, the
Contractor must demonstrate sensitivity to cross-cultural and language differences. The Privacy Act of 1974 mandates that the Contractor maintain complete confidentiality of all administrative, medical and personnel records, and all other pertinent information that comes to his/her attention or knowledge. The Privacy Act carries both civil and criminal penalties for unlawful disclosure of records. Violation of such confidentiality shall be cause for adverse action. All IHS
regulations and policies applicable to these Acts shall be enforced.
PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES: The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition. FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors Commercial Items, and 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications Commercial Items are incorporated by reference. The provision at 52.212-2 applies to this acquisition and is provided in full text. FAR 52.212-2 EVALUATION -
COMMERCIAL ITEMS (OCT 2014): (a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. THE CONTRACTOR SHALL PROVIDE EVIDENCE Of, OR SUMBIT A WRITTEN RESPONSE TO THE
FOLLOWING TECHNICAL EVALUATION FACTOR. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:
(1) PAST PERFORMANCE = 100 POINTS. The offeror must demonstrate its record of successful performance in past contracts and/or jobs, Government and/or commercial. Each offeror will be evaluated on its performance under existing and prior contracts/jobs. The offeror must list at least three contracts/jobs and include the following information. (1) Name of
Government agency/Company; (2) Contract number, if applicable; (3) Dates of
duties; (6) Contracting Officer/Company Manager and telephone number; (7) Program Manager and telephone number, if applicable.
Technical and past performance, when combined, are considered approximately equal to cost or price. (b) Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). (c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer's specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.
The following FAR and Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR) clauses are applicable: 52.212-4 Contract Term and Conditions-Commercial Items. 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items. (b) 52.203-6, 52.204-10, 52.209-6, 52.209-9, 52.219-8, 52.219-28, 3, 21, 52.222-26, 52.222-35, 52.222-36, 52.222-37. 52.222-40, 52.222.50, 52,222-54, 52.223-18, 52.225-13, 52.232-33. 4, 7, 9, 13, 16, 17, 18, 52.204-19, 52.215-5, 52.217-8, 52.217-9, 52.223-5, 52.223-6, 52.232-18, 52.224-1, 52.224-2, 52.227-14, 52.227-17, 52.228-5, 52.237-2, 52.237-3, 52.237-7, 52.242-15, 52.242-17, 352.201-70, 352.202-1, 352.203-70, 352.215-1, 352.215-70, 352.222-70, 352.223-70, 252.224-70, 352.227-252.224-70, 352.231-71, 352.239-72, 352.239-73, 352.242-73, 352.270-2, and 352.270-3. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will provide full text copies of the FAR and HHSAR provisions and clauses. The provisions and clauses may also be accessed electronically at https://www.acquisition.gov
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: The Contractor shall provide evidence of, or submit a written response to, the technical evaluation factors in FAR 52.212-2. In addition, the Contractor shall submit a completed copy of FAR 52.212-3 with its offer. Contractors intending to conduct business with the Federal Government must register with the System for Award Management (SAM). SAM replaces the Department of Defense’s Central Contractor
Registration (CCR) database. SAM is now the primary Government repository, which retains information on Government contractors. You may register via the Internet at www.sam.gov. All responsible offerors may submit a proposal, which shall be considered by the Agency. Offers shall be submitted to the Billings Area Indian Health Service, 2900 Fourth Avenue North, Room 304, Billings, Montana 59101, no later than 2:00 p.m., on March 23, 2016. The offer must be submitted in a sealed envelope, addressed to this office, showing the time specified for receipt, the solicitation number, and your company's name and address. Offers will also be accepted by e-mail at Ron.Juneau@ihs.gov or by fax at (406) 247-7108.
ACCEPTANCE PERIOD: Your proposal must stipulate that it is predicated upon all the terms and conditions of this RFQ. In addition, it must contain a statement to the effect that it is firm for a period of at least 90 days from the date of receipt by the Government.
