Indian Health Service Scholarship Program Payment Service

This is a sources sought notice only. This is not a solicitation announcement. No contract will be awarded from this announcement, and no reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this announcement. This is market research, for written information only, to identify contractors who possess the capabilities to support the Indian Health Service Scholarship program (IHSSP) as outlined in the attached draft Statement of Work. In particular, the IHSSP is interested in potential Small Businesses (SBs), Non 8 (a) Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDBs), SBA 8 (a) Program Businesses, HubZone Businesses (HZBs), Service disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) and/ or Women owned Small Businesses (WOSBs), but all submissions will be reviewed. In addition, if an interested party currently holds a GSA schedule to provide services similar to this requirement, please provide the GSA schedule number. The respondent shall demonstrate the capability of providing the requested payroll/ tax services by providing the Contracting Officer a list of clients, either past or present, and/ or examples of electronic, data processing interface programs used by the respondent to extract employee data, prepare payroll and tax files and return said file to the client for payment. A Draft Statement of Work associated with this requirement can be found below. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 541511. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COST PROPOSAL. Interested parties may submit a brief capability statement, no more than twenty (20) pages, demonstrating how they are capable to meet this requirement. Standard brochures will not be considered. The capability statement should include the following: (1) Name of Vendor; (2) Contact Information (address, telephone, facsimile, e-mail, website address); (3) Technical description of ability to meet the requirement which includes a list of clients, either past or present, and/ or examples of electronic, data processing interface programs used by the respondent to extract employee data, prepare payroll and tax files and return said file to the client for payment; (4) staffing or experts employed by your company who can assist in the completion of this requirement (1-2 paragraphs per person, listing capabilities and/ or experience); and (5) DUNS number, business size and classification. Businesses must be registered on Central Contractor Registration (CCR) in order to receive a contract with the Federal Government. Businesses shall submit electronic copies of their capability statements to the Contracting Officer (CO), Michellee Edwards at medwards@psc.gov no later than September 10, 2008. Capability statements will not be accepted after the due date. Teaming arrangements are encouraged. Responses including teaming arrangements should include the above cited information ((1) through (5)) for each entity on the proposed team. No contract will be awarded on the basis of responses received. BASED ON THE RESPONSES TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE, THIS REQUIREMENT MAY BE SET-ASIDE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, PROCURED THROUGH FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION, OR CONDUCTED AS A GSA SCHEDULE ACQUISITION. Responses to this announcement will not be returned, nor will there be any ensuing discussions or debriefings of any responses. Information obtained as a result of this announcement may be reflected in the subsequent solicitation, and HIS may contact one or more respondents for clarifications and to enhance the Government's understanding. This announcement is Government market research, and may result in revisions in both its requirements and its acquisition strategy based on industry responses. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions. DRAFT PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT A. System Infrastructure Work Elements. The contractor shall perform the following system infrastructure work elements required. A.1. Initial System Setup - Performance Requirement - The Contractor shall be responsible for establishing the necessary information system infrastructure and user interface and maintain the necessary technological and personnel resources to ensure the payment of scholars and schools throughout the nation and providing electronic reporting of financial data at the individual and appropriation level. - Performance Standard o The user interfaced should be web-based using modern tools according to accepted information technology applicable standards, such as security of data. It must allow for different levels of roles and responsibilities. Data that affects pay status may be self-entered, such as change of pay address or W-4 withholdings, and with a final approval of the information by the Government. This will occur with an email of notification and then final confirmation to the Government Analyst and then final notification to the individual/institution. o The Contractor shall assist and facilitate with any new interface requirements as they are mandated. It is expected that the Contractor will keep the application current with the latest releases of the software being used, with timely notification to the Project Officer. The Contractor shall ensure any changes to the application software meet industry standards as mandated by the Government and/or IHS. The Contractor shall provide all software licenses required for the operation at their site. o The contractor shall provide services that will be able to handle the collection of source documents, determination of all payment categories, gross to net calculations, and interface with all the internal and external systems required to ensure the accurate tracking and disbursement of funds and maintenance of all related IT systems. Once successfully implemented, the data must be kept current for both routine payments and for changes to pay calculations. The data shall be able to be viewed by individual and institution only as it pertains to them. The Contractor shall keep track of all earnings, payments on behalf of scholars, and taxes and maintain a historical record of all activities in accordance with Government records retention regulations, policies, and procedures. - Performance Measure - The Contractor will process all activities to ensure that stipend and ORC payments are made no later than the 7th of each month, for the prior month's payment. The Contractor shall provide printable files for EFT transactions to banks and tax entities. The Contractor shall provide checks and balances for all EFT transactions that will notify within 5 working days if the EFT data is incorrect. The Contractor shall ensure any changes to the application software meet industry standards as mandated by the Government and/or IHS. The Contractor shall provide all software licenses required for the operation at their site. A.2. HHS UFMS Interface (Please see Attached Functional Design document for detailed explanation of this section) - Performance Requirement - The Contractor shall be responsible for modifying the Contractor's proprietary commercial software, testing and implementing new updates to the Contractor's software that will interface properly and correctly with the HHS UFMS system in accordance with the HHS UFMS Invoice Interface to UFMS - Functional Design. The Contractor shall assist and facilitate with any new interface requirements as they are mandated. - Performance Standard - The Contractor will ensure that the UFMS interface provides the payment of scholars and schools throughout the nation and provides electronic reporting of financial data at the individual and appropriation level. It is expected that the Contractor will keep the application current with the latest releases of the software being used, with timely notification to the Project Officer. - Performance Measure - The Contractor's attainment of performance will be measured by successful completion of all UFMS Integration and User Acceptance Tests in accordance with the HHS UFMS Invoice Interface to UFMS - Functional Design and that any changes to the application software meet industry standards as mandated by the Government and/or IHS. A.3. W-2 Preparation and Reporting - Performance Requirement - The Contractor shall display an earnings statement on the web that shows each element of stipend pay, both current and year-to-date; indicate whether it is taxable or non-taxable, and each deduction and the gross pay. This will also include the ability to see the status of payment for stipend, ORC, and tuition and fee invoices. Before the end of January of each year, individuals should view a printable copy and be provided a hard copy W-2 if required. IHS must be able develop standard and ad hoc reports using commercially available software packages. - Performance Standard - The Contractor will ensure that each W-2 is completed in accordance with the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) guidance and regulations. - Performance Measure - The Contractor's attainment of performance will be measured by successful completions of all W-2 to all students by the date established by the IRS.