Air Force Patient Safety Program (PSP)

Notice of Intent to Award Sole Source for Patient Safety Program Management THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS - THIS IS A NOTICE OF THE GOVERNMENT'S INTENT TO AWARD SOLE SOURCE. The Air Force Medical Service (AFMS) has a requirement for 94 qualified full-time equivalents (FTEs); Patient Safety Program Managers, Data Analyst (PSDA), Program Assistants (PSPA) and Quality Support Contractors (PSQSC) to provide services for world-wide medical and overall program support at 74 Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs) and support at the program office located at Joint Base San Antonio. A culture of patient safety is inherently about working and communicating in collaborative teams, with the patient at the center; this must be an inter-professional endeavor. Patient safety can only be advanced through a team effort which addresses various contributions of each member, the various aspects of the care processes and the many transitions for any given patient in the system. Patient safety proactively and retroactively identifies potential and actual risks to safety, identifies underlying causes and makes the necessary improvements to reduce risks. It establishes processes in response to sentinel events by identifying risks through Root Cause Analysis (RCAs) and acting to make improvements. Patient safety, in collaboration with other activities including performance improvement and risk management, promotes a culture of safety in which errors are proactively identified and reported freely without retribution. Effort is made to reduce variability and vulnerability for error in processes. The Air Force Patient Safety Program (PSP) is rooted in the daily operations of the healthcare organization where proactive risk identification, assessment and control are the foundation for safe and effective healthcare. The Clinical Quality Management Division, Air Force Medical Operations Agency (AFMOA), Office of the Surgeon General, San Antonio, Texas, has responsibility within the AFMS for managing the Air Force PSP. The Chief, Clinical Quality Management Division is responsible for delegating management of the program to the AF Patient Safety Program Manager (PSPM). The AF PSPM requires contractor expertise and assistance in accomplishing the PSP objectives within AFMOA, AF Major Commands (MAJCOMs) and MTFs. The AFMS, under direction of Department of Defense Directive 6025.13-R, "Clinical Quality Assurance in the Military Health System," June 2004, established a PSP. This required Program Management (PM) and Program Integration (PI) services to be contracted for the PSP. Sites for this service were contingent upon size of facility, risk assessment and AFMOA input. Under the 2008 Capabilities Review and Risk Assessment (CRRA), PS was identified as the number one shortfall. Consequently, funding was approved to place PS staff at each MTF. Due to the limited time available before the end of the Patient Safety Management Program Contract on 31 Oct 2016, the Air Force intends to negotiate a "bridge" contract with the Patient Safety Program Management incumbent contractor under the authority of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302-1. This acquisition is anticipated to be for 12 month to enable transition of services to a follow-on contract of the same nature by the 773 Enterprise Sourcing Squadron (773 ESS). It is unrealistic, from a technical and contractual perspective, to expect any other potential source to provide continued services for this short period of performance prior to the start of the follow-on contract. Because of the nature of this requirement, and the impracticality and substantial costs the Government would incur and not recover through competition, this will be procured on a sole source basis. Utilizing full and open competition to obtain these services would result in unacceptable delays in fulfilling the Air Force's requirement for a patient safety program, medical systems infrastructure review, design, installation, modernization, and overall program support and will cause a major disruption to the AFMS mission. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals and no solicitation is available. Capability statements are not required; however all responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency. If any interested responsible party believes it is equally or otherwise uniquely capable of meeting the requirements described herein may submit a capability statement (to include contact information, size status under NAICS 541611, DUNS Number, and CAGE Code) at no cost to the Government. Performance Work Statement (PWS) dated 16 July 2015 is provided for your review. All responses must be provided in writing to the Contracting Officer not later than 10:00 AM Local San Antonio, Texas time (Central) on 17 Jun 2016. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract "bridge" is solely within the discretion of the Government. The Government will not be responsible for any costs incurred by responding to this notice. This notice in no way obligates the Government to award any modifications to the existing contract. For specific questions, please contact the 773rd ESS/PKB Contracting Officer, Mrs. Trichelle Mayfield-Flagg, at trichelle.mayfield-flagg@us.af.mil or by telephone at 210-395-9393, or the Contracting Specialist, Tracey Brooks, at tracey.brooks@us.af.mil or by telephone at 210-395-9395.