Comprehensive Health Programs to Address Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Tobacco Use in the Workplace

Title: Comprehensive Workplace Health Programs to Address Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Tobacco Use in the Employee Population This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation No. 2011-N-13420 is issued as a request for proposal (RFP). This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-51. This procurement is a Total Small Business Set Aside . The associated NAICS code is 541612. The total period of performance under this contract shall be 24 months from date of award. The is a Fixed Price Award Fee contract with cost reimbursable travel. Proposal Instructions Your submission should include three separate proposals, Technical, Business, and Past Performance. The following attached documents are an integral component of this synopsis/solicitation: 1. Contract Line Items 2. Evaluation Criteria 3. Terms and Conditions 4. Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan with Performance Requirements Summary 5. SF 3881, ACH Vendor/Miscellaneous Payment Enrollment Form 6. Deliverables Questions regarding this requirement shall be emailed to Gordon D. Barritt at contact@example.gov by June 30, 2011, 2:00 pm EDT. Follow-up/additional questions will not be accepted after this date. Answers to submitted questions will be posted to FedBizOpps by July 5, 2011. Please send one 1) hardcopy and three (3) Compact Disc (CD) copies of the technical, business, and past performance proposal to: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ATTN: Gordon D. Barritt 2920 Brandywine Road Atlanta, GA 30341-5539 Proposals in response to this requirement are due on or before August 8, 2011, 4:30 EDT. Facsimile and email proposals are not authorized. 1. Technical Proposal The Contractor shall limit the technical proposal to 50 single-sided pages (not including appendices and exhibits), 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper of 12-point font. Pages exceeding the specified limit will be removed and not forwarded for evaluation. The narrative plan must include a technical approach & plan of operation, staffing & management work plan, proposed deliverables, and key deadline dates. In addition, the Contractor must provide a description of corporate qualifications and past/similar experience to demonstrate the company's ability to successfully complete assignments of comparable size and complexity. Proposals which merely offer to conduct a program in accordance with the requirements of the Government's statement of work will not be eligible for award. The technical proposal should be in as much detail as considered necessary to reflect a clear understanding of the nature of the work being undertaken. The technical proposal must not contain reference to cost; however, resource information, such as data concerning labor hours and categories, materials, subcontracts, etc., must be contained in the technical proposal so that the Offeror's understanding of the work can be evaluated. 2. Business Proposal The price proposal shall include the total price for the entire project, and shall be broken down by the task activities as set forth in the statement of work. Pricing shall be a firm fixed priced, with a cost reimbursable Travel Line Item, and an Award fee determined by the Government.. The budget should be included as an appendix in an Excel spreadsheet, with an itemized budget per task, including itemized budgets for any subcontracted work. Budgets, staff hours, and other direct costs should be organized around the tasks and related deliverables described in the SOW. Offerors shall propose a payment shcedule with invoices based on completion of defined milestones or specified deliverables. Invoices shall not be based on level of effort expended, time frames, or percentage of completion. 3. Past Performance Information Offerors shall submit the past performance as a separate volume. The Offeror should include 2 contracts with similar requirements as described in the statement of work completed during the past three years and all contracts currently in process for both the Offeror and all proposed major subcontractors. Additionally, the contractor shall include any contracts discontinued within the past three years and reasons for discontinuation. Contracts listed may include those entered into by the Federal Government, agencies of state and local governments, and commercial customers. Offerors that are newly formed entities without prior contracts should list contracts and subcontracts as required above for predecessor companies, corporate officers, proposed key personnel who have relevant experience, or subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirement. The following information should be included in each contract: - Name of the contracting organization; - Contract number; - Description of services provided under the contract and the ways the services performed are relevant to the services required under this solicitation; - Names, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail address (if known) and the facsimile numbers of the Contracting Officer and the Project Officer for all Government contracts. Names, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail address (if known) and the facsimile numbers of private sector contacts equivalent to a Federal Project Contracting Officer and Project Officer (operations manager); - The dollar value of the contract; - Contract type (firm-fixed, cost-plus-fixed-fee, etc.); - Period of performance; - Place of performance; - The number and type of personnel assigned in the performance of the contract; - Information on problems encountered on the identified contracts and the Offeror's corrective actions; - Copies of the most recent Past Performance Evaluation issued to the Offeror under each contract listed. The Government will evaluate the quality of the Offeror's past performance as it relates to accomplishing the requirements of the Performance Work Statement. Evaluation of past performance will be a subjective assessment based on a consideration of all relevant facts and circumstances. By past performance, the Government means the Offeror's record of conforming to specifications and standards of good workmanship; the Offeror's record of forecasting and controlling costs; the Offeror's adherence to contract schedules and terms, including the administrative aspects of performance; the Offeror's reputation for reasonable and cooperative behavior and commitment to customer satisfaction; and generally, the Offeror's business-like concern for the interest of the customer and the degree of quality of deliverables and performance. Performance Work Statement Background & Need: The workplace and the health of the workers within it are inextricably linked. Ideally, workplaces should not only protect the safety and wellbeing of employees but also provide them opportunities for better long-term health and enhanced quality of life. Effective workplace programs, policies, and environments which are health-focused and worker-centered have the potential to significantly benefit employers, employees, their families, and communities. As the nation's premier public health agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) helps protect the health and safety of all people in our schools, communities, homes and workplaces through prevention. The workplace can specifically protect and promote health through programs, policies, and practices that have the potential of reaching millions of workers, retirees, and their families. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 elevates prevention as a priority providing unprecedented opportunities for health promotion and disease prevention. For example, it establishes the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council, involving more than a dozen federal agencies, will develop a prevention and health promotion strategy for the country.; creates the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF) to support evidence and practice-based community and clinical prevention and wellness strategies; and requires new plans to cover recommended preventive services at no cost. Increasing health care costs and health-related decreases in worker productivity are leading American businesses to examine strategies to improve employee health and contain health costs that are largely driven by chronic diseases and related lifestyle choices. Employers are recognizing the role they can play in creating a healthy work environment and providing their employees with opportunities to make healthy lifestyle choices. They increasingly look to CDC and other public health experts for guidance and solutions to combat the effects of chronic diseases on their employees and businesses. Workplace health programs not only benefit individual employees but also make good business sense. A top concern for many employers is health care costs: - In 2007, private health insurance obtained through the workplace for individuals less than 65 years of age was the major source of insurance covering 157.9 million people or 61.6% of the population. - In 2007, private health insurance paid for 36% of personal health expenditures, which include services such as physician visits, hospital care, dental care, prescription drugs, and nursing home care. Together these personal health expenditures account for 84% of national health care expenditures in 2007. - Since 2000, average health insurance premiums for a family of four have increased by 114% proving costly for both employers and employees. - In 2010, average annual premiums for employer-sponsored coverage were $5,049 for single coverage and $13,770 for family coverage. The costs of health insurance can be even more of a burden for small employers as can the cost of premiums for their employees. - Sixty-eight percent of companies with fewer than 200 employees offered health insurance to their workers in 2010. - Fifty-four percent of small companies (3-199 employees) that do not offer coverage reported the high cost of health insurance as the reason for not offering health benefits in 2010. - While workers' contributions for single coverage in small (3-199 employees) and large (200 or more employees) companies was fairly similar in 2010 ($865 annually vs. $917 annually), employees of smaller employers paid substantially more annually than those of larger employers for family coverage ($4,665 compared to $3,652). The Impact of Chronic Disease on Health Costs. Each year in the United States, chronic disease such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes cause 7 in 10 deaths and account for about 75% of the $2 trillion spent on medical care. - In 2010, the economic costs of cardiovascular diseases and stroke were estimated at $444.2 billion, including $272.5 billion in direct medical expenses and $171.7 billion in indirect costs. - In 2007, medical costs attributed to diabetes included $27 billion for care to directly treat diabetes, $58 billion to treat diabetes-related chronic complications attributable to diabetes, and $31 billion in excess general medical costs - In 2008, the estimated health care costs related to obesity were $147 billion Indirect costs for employers associated with poor employee health, including absenteeism, presenteeism, disability, or reduced work output, may be several times higher than direct medical costs. Productivity losses related to personal and family health problems cost US employers $1,685 per employee per year, or $225.8 billion annually. Preventing health problems is one of the few known ways to stem rising health care costs. When employers pay more for insurance and employee health care, they have less money to invest in the company and may be forced to pay lower wages or shift health care costs to their employees. The ACA aims to control health care costs for individuals and employers through evidence and practice-based prevention and wellness strategies that will lead to specific, measureable health outcomes to reduce chronic disease rates. The promise of this strategy would keep workers healthier for longer periods of time, help protect their economic security, reduce health care related burdens and expenditures, and improve disability and productivity outcomes. For most employers, chronic diseases-such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, obesity, and diabetes-are among the most prevalent, costly, and preventable of all health problems. Much of the illness, disability, and death associated with chronic diseases are avoidable through known prevention measures such as: - Practicing a healthy lifestyle (e.g., regular physical activity, healthy eating, and avoiding tobacco use); and - Timely and appropriate access to clinical preventive services that can prevent disease, detect risk factors for a disease, and/or diagnose a disease in its earliest stages when it is easier to treat (e.g., screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers, diabetes and its complications, and depression). Narrowing the tremendous gap between what we know is effective and what employers do to improve the health, well-being, and productivity of their employees represents an important opportunity for improving the health of working adults. Health-related programs, policies, and benefits proven to prevent disease and promote health are available to employers. The Guide to Community Preventive Services (www.thecommunityguide.org) summarizes many effective health interventions applicable to worksite settings. However, studies suggest that many employers are not purchasing or implementing these evidence-based interventions. Possible reasons include cost, lack of understanding of health issues and effective interventions, inadequate staffing or capacity to implement programs, and a lack of publicly available tools and resources. Many of these reasons are particularly relevant for small- to medium-sized companies. Furthermore, the strategies companies use to address employee health vary by available resources, management and employee needs and interests, and by which health issues are a priority for them. CDC is committed to utilizing sound science to improve the health of working adults while addressing the major concerns of today's employers. Within CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, the Workplace Health Initiative serves as the focal point for worker health. It includes promoting the following public health goals: - Creating the standard for what employers should do; and how to measure progress. - Increasing the number of employers that provide workplace health promotion programs. - Improving the quality of employer's efforts. The Workplace Health Initiative promotes the following comprehensive approach to health promotion and disease prevention for working adults. Comprehensive Workplace Health Programs Building a workplace health program should involve a coordinated, systematic and comprehensive approach. A coordinated approach to workplace health results in a planned, organized, and comprehensive set of programs, policies, benefits, and environmental supports designed to meet the health and safety needs of all employees. A comprehensive approach looks to put interventions in place that address multiple risk factors (e.g., overweight, poor nutrition, lack of physical activity) and health conditions (e.g., diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, heart disease and stroke) concurrently and recognizes that the interventions and strategies chosen influence multiple levels of the organization including the individual employee and the organization as a whole. An integrated approach to total worker health Workplace health promotion programs are more likely to be successful if occupational safety and health is considered in their design and execution, In fact, a growing body of evidence indicates that workplace-based interventions that take coordinated, planned, or integrated approaches to reducing health threats to workers both in and out of work are more effective than traditional isolated programs. Integrating or coordinating occupational safety and health with health promotion may increase program participation and effectiveness and may also benefit the broader context of work organization and environment. The systematic process of building a workplace health promotion program emphasizes four main steps: 1. an assessment to define employee health and safety risks and concerns and describe current health promotion activities, capacity and needs 2. A planning process to develop the components of a workplace health programs including goal determination; selecting priority interventions; and building an organizational infrastructure 3. Program implementation involving all the steps needed to put health promotion strategies and interventions into place and making them available to employees 4. An evaluation of efforts to systematically investigate the merit (e.g., quality), worth (e.g., effectiveness), and significance (e.g., importance) of an organized health promotion action/activity Statutory Program Authority This program is authorized by section 1703(a)(2) and 1703(a)(4) of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 U.S.C.300u-2). Program Overview and Strategy CDC is aware of the limitations among individual employers particularly small to medium-sized employers for implementing effective workplace health programs such as resource constraints, lack of understanding of health issues and effective interventions, inadequate staffing or capacity to implement programs, and a lack of publicly available tools and resources. The funds released through this mechanism are intended to support the establishment of a core workplace health program in small and large worksites. The focus of the workplace health program will be to build worksite capacity for sustained program continuation that introduces interventions that target the workplace environment and policies as well as employee lifestyle behaviors including those related to physical inactivity, poor nutrition, and tobacco use that lead to increased risk for chronic disease. Specifically, the Contractor shall recruit cohorts of either small or large employers to participate in the program. The Contractor will plan, develop, and administer a core workplace health program in each participating worksite within the cohort forming a national network of employer cohorts (herein referred to as the national network). The Contractor will participate in activities including technical assistance and training, communications, networking/mentoring, partnership/coalition development, and a national evaluation of the program to provide broad-based support to the national network. This initiative will use evidence-based and best practice workplace programs, policies, practices, and environmental supports to maximize employee engagement and participation; raise employee awareness and education around health; and establish a work environment to change unhealthy behaviors and lifestyle choices to reduce employee risk for chronic disease while ensuring that employees are protected against potential discrimination. Possible execution strategies include conducting health risk assessments, lifestyle counseling and coaching, tobacco free campus policies, creating worksite access and opportunity for physical activity. Performance Objectives: The purpose of this request is to obtain the services of a firm with the expertise, capacity and reach into the employer community on a regional basis to engage and recruit 7 groups of 10-15 employers (herein referred to as cohorts) and lead the cohorts through the process of building a core workplace health program (WHP) in each worksite within the cohorts which includes the following components: assessment of employer and employee needs, interests and existing capacity; a planning process resulting in a workplace health improvement plan to guide the worksite through program development; implementation and evaluation of programs, policies and practices to address employee lifestyle risk factors related to physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco use; building a program infrastructure within each worksite for long-term sustainability including evaluation, wellness committees, and leadership (CEO/C-Suite) support; and participation in activities facilitated by CDC to lend broad-based support to the national network. The following performance objectives have been established for this request: 1) Recruit and secure the commitment of employers forming 7 cohorts of 10-15 employers each to participate in the program; 2) Demonstrate organizational commitment and support of worksite health promotion at all levels of management in each employer in the cohort; 3) Create a work environment in each worksite setting in the cohort that promotes and supports positive work organization and health opportunities for employees and their family members; 4) Establish baseline data for each worksite setting in the cohort to enhance the sustainability of the workplace health program over time; 5) Implement all elements of a core workplace health program that are evidence-based, sustainable and replicable in all worksites in the cohort, while ensuring compliance with all applicable federal and state laws, including, but not limited to, the nondiscrimination provisions included in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) of 2008; 6) Promote peer to peer healthy business mentoring among participating employers in the cohort; 7) Participate in activities to bring broad-based support to the national network, facilitated by CDC, which includes technical assistance and training, communications, and a national evaluation of the program. Desired Outcomes: At the end of the project period, the Contractor will be considered successful if the following outcomes have been achieved: - Participating worksites have a functional core workplace health program in place - Participating employers have created a viable work environment that supports a culture of health. - The Contractor has captured and reported key success drivers involved in the establishment of a core workplace health program including elements from assessment through evaluation. - Participating employers and employees have raised their level of knowledge and awareness of healthy lifestyle behaviors targeting physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco use as well as workplace and community resources that support healthy lifestyles. - Participating employers and employees have increased their access and opportunity to engage in healthy lifestyle activities through the workplace and surrounding community. - The Contractor maintains and complies with defined requirements, is effective managed, and is fully functional. Description of Work: The Contractor shall develop and implement a comprehensive workplace health protection and promotion program plan to recruit employers into cohorts and establish and administer a comprehensive workplace health program at worksites within the cohort that addresses key employee lifestyle risks including physical inactivity, poor nutrition, and tobacco use. The plan shall reflect the appropriate use of evidence-based and promising workplace health programs, policies, and practices to reach all employees in a given worksite. A detailed description of the tasks and deliverables to be accomplished during the project period is outlined below. General requirements include the following: - The Contractor will furnish all necessary labor, materials, supplies, equipment, and services to perform the work set forth below. - The Contractor will secure all necessary clearances such as the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approvals related to data collection. - The Contractor must possess the national capacity and reach as well as expertise that will allow it to effectively recruit employers of various sizes and industry sectors and work with them to develop, implement, and administer workplace health programs of similar complexity and scope across the national network. Task 1: Program Kick-Off and Regular Communications The Contractor will meet with CDC staff within two weeks of the Effective Date of the Contract in a kick-off meeting in order to gain a thorough understanding of the Comprehensive Workplace Health Programs to Address Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Tobacco Use in the Employee Population; review procedures/guidelines for support of the national network; review the strategy, goals, objectives, and associated tasks related to this program; and form a cohesive group of program stakeholders that includes representatives from CDC, a national program evaluator, and other partners. Following the kick-off, the Contractor will participate in regular biweekly teleconference meetings that will guide the development of the cohorts and national network. CDC will provide the names and contact information for the project team members. The Contractor will work with CDC to establish a communication system for the program using, as appropriate, e-mail, conference calls, and face-to-face meetings to work with the CDC program team. Task 2: Identify, Select, and Recruit Seven Employer Cohorts to Participate in the National Network The Contractor shall produce an employer recruitment and marketing plan that includes the following components: 1. Determination of the 7 geographic region(s) - where the Contractor will establish employer cohorts. Each employer cohort will be confined to a localized geographic area such as a town, city, or county ensuring participating employers easy access to and hands on involvement with Contractor staff at the worksite and opportunities for networking and mentoring among employers in each cohort such as having regional offices and staff in or near localities where cohorts are established. The Contractor shall ensure that the 7 employer cohorts are distributed across the country according to HHS Region Map (http://www.hhs.gov/about/regionmap.html). The Contractor shall establish 1 cohort representing HHS Regions 1-3; 1 cohort representing HHS Region 4; 1 cohort representing HHS Region 5; 1 cohort representing HHS Region 6; 1 cohort representing HHS Regions 7-8; 1 cohort representing HHS Region 9; and 1 cohort representing HHS Region 10. Given that all employers in the each cohort must reside in the same localized geographic area, the Contractor will need to select the specific locality within the multi-state HHS Regions where the workplace health programs will be established. For example, the Contractor could choose to establish a cohort in Travis County, TX home to Austin, TX and representing HHS Region 6. 2. Selection of the composition of the 7 employer cohorts. Each employer cohort will consist of 10-15 individual employers. Each cohort will either consist of small employers (100 or less full-time employees), mid-size employers (101-250 full-time employees) or large employers (more than 250 full-time employees). The Contractor must strive for diversity within the cohort with respect to the industry sector of the individual employers as well as localities with high population prevalence of obesity and/or tobacco use, or other known or health disparities (identified through a population health database). Eligible employers must have the following characteristics: - Demonstrated leadership commitment and support from the CEO/C-Suite including a commitment to allow employees to fully participate in voluntary workplace health protection and promotion program activities such as by allowing flexible scheduling of program activities - Cannot currently have in place a workplace health program that consists of a majority of the interventions described in Task #5and will expand existing efforts by implementing interventions, as described in task #5, not currently in place as part of their worksite health promotion. - Only Domestic employees and worksites will participate - For the largest employers (those with 500 or more full-time employee), the ability of the employer to invest a matching amount of funds, equal to those provided by the Contractor $50,000, into the company's workplace health program. This can include staff time related to the workplace health council or committee or support for additional interventions implemented during the project period. CDC desires to work with approximately equal numbers of small, medium-sized, and large employers across the 7 cohorts representing multiple industry sectors. For example the Contractor may propose to establish three cohorts of small employers each consisting of 10 companies (30 total); 2 cohort of 15 mid-size employers (30 total); and 2 cohorts of large employers each consisting of 12 companies (24 total). 3. A recruitment protocol including the employer identification and engagement strategy including prioritization selection strategies for high levels of employer demand, and marketing and advertising materials including actual copies of all advertisement materials that will be used to recruit employers. Such materials include but are not limited to, flyers, videos or audio presentations regarding the comprehensive workplace health programs and national network and the final copy of printed advertisements. CDC will review recruitment methods and materials in order to ensure that such materials/methods are non-coercive and do not unduly influence employers to participate or the Contractor to recruit ineligible prospective employers. COTR will review for compliance and respond to the Contractor within 5 business days. a. The recruitment protocol must include information that the Contractor will use to explain to prospective employers the elements of the core workplace health program; the expectations of the participating employer and the benefits of participation, as well as a letter of support for the employer CEO/C-Suite to sign indicating commitment to the program and working with the Contractor over a 24 month project period. 4. The Contractor shall document the all steps involved recruiting employers to participate including any challenges or key success drivers of interest to the national evaluation and include these in their monthly, year-end, and project-end progress reports. Task 3: Engage CEO/C-Suite Leadership in Participating Worksites and Conduct Baseline Worksite Assessment through Worksite Site Visits The Contractor shall develop and execute a site visit and assessment plan that includes the following components: 1. The Contractor will ensure that the data collection tools and methods used during the assessment phase are coordinated with the national evaluation of the program such as consistent use of instruments allowing for comparison among and between employer cohorts. 2. Conduct a site visit and kick-off meeting for participating employers. The purpose of the site visit would be to engage employers and employees through structured meetings with the organization's leadership (CEO/C-Suite) to outline goals and expectations for the workplace health program; gaining input and feedback from employees, managers, and senior executive leaders on their health and safety needs, concerns or interests; begin to understand what health and safety risks are present, how are they monitored?, and what is currently being done to address them?; and begin to develop a trusting relationship with the employer and employees in order to garner high voluntary participation rates. 3. Conduct assessment activities to ga...