Hospital Consumer Assessment and Hospital Provider Systems (HCAHPS) for Quentin N Burdick Memorial Health Care Facility in Belcourt, ND

Sources Sought: Hospital Consumer Assessment and Hospital Provider Systems (HCAHPS) for Quentin N Burdick Memorial Health Care Facility (QNBMHCF) in Belcourt, ND

Sources Sought Notice Number: IHS-SS-26-1521825

This Sources Sought Notice is for informational and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation, an obligation or commitment by the Indian Health Service.

This notice is intended strictly for market research to determine the availability of Indian Economic Enterprises (IEE), or Other Small Businesses.

Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. The anticipated applicable NAICS code for this acquisition is 541910, Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling with a small business size standard of 22.5 million dollars - other relevant NAICS codes will be considered based on responses received (such as conference centers, etc.)

1. BACKGROUND

The IHS is an agency within the Department of Health & Human Services and is responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The Indian Health Service provides a comprehensive health service delivery system for approximately 1.9 million American Indians and Alaska Natives who belong to 567 federally recognized tribes, in 35 states. The Indian Health Service Headquarters is located in Rockville, MD and then divided into twelve (12) physical areas: Alaska, Albuquerque, Bemidji, Billings, California, Great Plains, Nashville, Navajo, Oklahoma, Phoenix, Portland, and Tucson.

The Great Plains Area Office (GPAO) works in conjunction with 19 Indian Health Service Units and Tribal Managed Service Units to provide health care to approximately 130,000 Native American located in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa.

QNBMHCF falls under the GPAO and provides medical care to approximately 14,550 tribal members living on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. The Service Unit was built in 1967 with renovation and clinic expansion completed in 1992, to provide an expanded level of outpatient health care services specifically designed to meet the needs of our population. Services include: 24 Hour Emergency Services, Laboratory, Radiology (CAT Scan & Mobile MRI) and 24-Hour Pharmacy Services, Optometry, Dental, Clinic, Emergency, Podiatry, Same Day Clinic, and Behavioral Health.

1. OBJECTIVE

This sources sought notice is issued for market research purposes only, in accordance with FAR Part 10, to identify vendors capable of providing hospital care quality information based on consumer perspective surveys for the Quentin N. Burdick Memorial Health Care Facility in Belcourt, ND.

1. SCOPE

The contractor will provide mail-only inpatient Hospital Care Quality information from the Consumer Prospective (HCAHPS) surveys for the Quentin N. Burdick Memorial Health Care Facility, which requires submitting quarterly per Centers for Medicaid and Medicare (CMS). The HCAHPS surveys are a core set of questions that can be combined with a broader, customized set of Hospital-specific items. HCAHPS survey items complement the data hospitals currently collect to support improvements in internal customer service and quality related activities. The contractor will charge an annual fee and then charge per survey for the first and second mailing of the HCAHPS surveys. The organization must be CMS certified to process the surveys.

The Contractor will send out the first mailing of the surveys to qualify patients that had been admitted at the Quentin N. Burdick Memorial Health Care Facility, which also includes a cover letter explaining what the survey is for to the patient. Three weeks after the first mailing of the survey, a second mailing is sent out to the patient for those who have not responded yet to the first mailing. Ideally the patient should have about 6 weeks to respond to the survey.

There are 27 questions that are required in the survey. We do, however, have the opportunity to add additional questions if there are any other topics that the facility would like to collect data on (at no extra charge). These can also include open-ended questions asking the patient for a written response.

Reports are processed and completed at the end of each quarter and emailed via secure email to our contact person. National, state and agency benchmarks comparisons are included in the reports. Typed comments are sent to us at the end of each quarter and if there are any negative comments they receive are faxed daily or as they receive them.

1. CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS/ AND PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS

Contractor must understand the Guideline set by Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) and the Privacy Act. The agency must understand the proper use of the information and its disclosure. The agency must have established safe guards and use them to protect the secure information of all patients (Quality Net). Agency must provide services with secure email and/or communication tools, so that information from contact person and agency is freely reviewed. Review of HIPPA guidelines can be performed at www.HCAHPSonline.org under quality insurance guidelines.

1. TYPE OF ORDER

This is a firm fixed price.

1. ANTICIPATED PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The anticipated period of performance will consist of a base year of twelve (12) months, followed by four (4) twelve-month option periods, for a potential total period of performance of five (5) years, contingent upon continued need, contractor performance, and availability of funds.

1. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Quentin N Burdick Memorial Health Care Facility

1300 Hospital Loop

Belcourt, ND 58316

1. REPORT(S)/DELIVERABLES AND DELIVERY SCHEDULE

N/A

1. PAYMENT

Payment will be rendered once all supplies are shipped and accounted for and invoice is uploaded into IPP to be paid.  

10.0     Capability Statement/Information:

Interested parties are expected to review this notice to familiarize themselves with the requirements of this project. Failure to do so will be at your firm’s own risk. The following information shall be included in the capability statement:

1. A general overview of the respondents’ opinions about the difficulty and/or feasibility of the potential requirement, and any information regarding innovative ideas or concepts.

2. Information in sufficient detail of the respondent’s (a) current capability and capacity to perform the work; (b) prior completed events of similar nature/size; (c) organizational experience and management capability; and (d) examples of prior completed Government contracts and other related information.

3. The respondents’ UEI number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HUBZone, etc.) Pursuant to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code: 541910, Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling, or comparable NAICS.

4. Any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the requirements of the potential acquisition.

5. The capability statement shall not exceed 10 single-sided pages (including all attachments, resumes, charts, etc.) presented in single-space and using a 12-point font size minimum, in either Microsoft Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), with 8-1/2 by 11-inch paper size, and 1 inch top, bottom, left and right margins.

6. All proprietary information should be marked as such. Statements should also include an indication of current certified small business status; this indication should be clearly marked on the first page of your capability statement (preferably placed under the eligible small business concern’s name and address). Responses will be reviewed only by IHS personnel and will be held in a confidential manner.

11.0   Closing Statement

Point of Contact: Farrah Azure, Purchasing Agent, at contact@example.gov  

Submission Instructions:

Interested parties shall submit capability via email to Farrah Azure, at contact@example.gov . Must include Sources Sought Number IHS-SS-26-1521825 in the Subject line. The due date for receipt of statements is February 4, 2026, 12:00 p.m. Central Time.

All responses must be received by the specified due date and time in order to be considered.

This notice is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of IHS.

IHS does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses nor otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted. As a result of this notice, IHS may issue a Request for Quote (RFQ).

THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. However, should such a requirement materialize, no basis for claims against IHS shall arise as a result of a response to this notice or IHS’s use of such information as either part of our evaluation process or in developing specifications for any subsequent requirement.

Disclaimer and Important Notes. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in SAM.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.

Confidentiality. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response.