Mortuary Services

The National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center is conducting a Request for Information to assist in determining innovative and state-of-art procedures for procuring Mortuary/Burial along with Autopsy/Transport Support Services within the Clinical Center for our patients (adults and children). The Government is interested in tapping into the industry to see whether our current structure of the services requires update of procedures and methodology in our acquisition requirements for these services. The Request for Information extends to all qualified vendors who can provide the standards to improve the current Statement of Work procedures that will be included as part of this Sources Sought announcement. This Request for Information is not a request for proposals and the Government is not committed to award a contract pursuant to this announcement. The information from this RFI is for planning purposes only that will provide the Government a more detailed requirement and strategic approach in acquisitioning of these services for the National Institutes of Health. The Government will not pay for any cost incurred in the preparation of information for responding to this Request for Information. The Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health currently has a requirement in place for Mortuary/Burial Services which include Autopsy and transportation Services. These commercial services are required for both adults and children to include the (1) picking up and delivery of bodies (2) preparation of the body; (3) embalming; (4) cosmetics; (5) dressing of the body; (6) placement of the casket in specified burial facilities local burial plots; (7) providing caskets and procuring all necessary local permit/certifications; (8) cremation services, formal services; (9) flowers; (10) selection of services; (11) domestic/foreign shipment of bodies. The applicable North American Classification System (NAICS) code is 812210. The current Statement of Work for the services is posted as separate file on the Federal Business Opportunity website. The vendor responses must be demonstrate their expertise in ALL of the areas specified to provide standards, which accommodate patients and their families during this sensitive phase, and allows the Government to meet up-to-date requirements of standards and compliance issues under these services for the vendors. The vendor's responses shall be in sufficient detail to allow the Government to assess the standard approaches to provide these services more efficiently. The vendor response must specifically address each of the following areas: 1. Detailed description of facilities in relation to removal, preparation, visitation, chapel/church services and transportation (inclusive of parking and adequate vehicles; 2. What is the standard in regards to transporting remains post autopsy and whether there is a difference in what the vendor does in cases when a body has been previously embalmed; 3. Cremation and shipment procedures; 4. Procedures for domestic and foreign shipment of bodies; 5. Company experience/qualifications and compliance standards for the mortuary facility; 6. What is the procedure in providing burial plots when requested and the cemeteries in which the vendor has an agreement. In case the family may not wish to bury the individual at the agreed upon facility, what additional arrangements does the vendor provide to accommodate the place of the family choosing? 7. How are children handled vs. adults and address and in unusual cases what procedures are used; 8. How are burials handled in cases of religious preference; 9. What process is used to obtain permits/certifications; 10. Describe an emergency plan of operation for holidays, inclement weather and during any state of emergency; 11. What policy does the vendor have if an occurrence takes place with any of the services listed within the Statement of Work and the resolution for those occurrences; The vendor responses shall also include any additional considerations relevant to this Request for Information that will enable the Government to determine further strategic approaches that will enhance the Statement of Work, which shall improve the implementation of this service. Interested organizations must demonstrate and document concisely the extensive experience and recommendations to improve the Statement of Work as part of this announcement. Any proprietary information should be clearly identified as - proprietary information. Vendors must send written capability responses along with information to update the current Statement of Work by May 28, 2009 to the Contracting Officer at the following e-mail address dbritton@cc.nih.gov For any questions, please contact Deborah Britton at 301-594-5914.