National Administrative Support (Overarching Support Contract) for Network of Quality Improvement and Innovation Contractors (NQIIC)

Background: For more than 40 years, the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has executed the federally mandated Quality Improvement contracts. These organizations are accountable for providing technical assistance for quality improvement to healthcare delivery organizations including hospitals, nursing homes, End Stage Renal Disease Networks, primary and specialty care practices serving both large and small, rural and medically underserved communities. In achieving this work nationally, CMS has provided support to national contracts to facilitate achievement of the program aims. CMS is now preparing for the next award these 5 year programs of work through the Network of Quality Improvement and Innovation Contractors (NQIIC). Please note this contract will NOT be part of the NQIIC IDIQ. Description: This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE to determine the availability of Small Businesses to serve as an Overarching Support Contractor that has the capability to perform national administrative support work to the National Strategic Leadership (NSL) awardee, which provides overarching national strategic improvement development and management leadership for the NQIIC. This Sources Sought Notice serves as a means of conducting market research to identify companies capable of providing direct technical services and the resources to support the NSL effort for the overarching NQIIC program The result of this market research will contribute to determining the method(s) of procurement. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to this procurement is 541618. Other Important Considerations: There is no solicitation at this time. This request for capability information does not constitute a request for proposals; submission of any information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary; the government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred. It is anticipated that a Request for Proposals (RFP) will be issued at a later time. Capability Statement: Interested small businesses should provide a response that includes the following information in accordance with the eligibility requirements as follows: Submission Instructions: If your firm is a Small Business, Small Disadvantaged business, certified HUB Zone, 8(a), Woman-Owned Small Business, Veteran Owned Business or Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business and your organization has the potential capacity to perform these contract services, please provide the following information: 1. Organization information including name, point of contact, address, website address, telephone number, size and type of ownership. 2. Identification and verification of the company's small business status. Based upon the NAICS code specified herein, indicate whether your firm is classified as a large business, small business, small disadvantaged business, 8(a) concern, women-owned small business, HUB Zone small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business and whether the firm is U.S. or foreign owned. Please note that non-profit organizations are classified as "other than small" businesses and should not submit a response to this sources sought. 3. Capability statements addressing the particulars of this effort, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. Indicate experience performing or completing all of the capability requirements stated above and in accordance with Attachment 1 (provide specific examples where experience is similar or equivalent to the CMS requirements, reference scope (breadth and depth) and where and when the work was completed, and provide the applicable contract number and value). If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements. Include information on the lead's prior experience as a prime contractor, experience with teaming arrangements, and prior teaming experience with the specified partners, if applicable. Work must have been self-performed (or 50% self-performed) to qualify as experience. 4. Please briefly discuss any potential conflicts that may preclude your company from performing any such work under this requirement. All interested Small Businesses, Small Disadvantaged Businesses, certified HUBZONE, 8(a), Woman-Owned Small Businesses, Veteran Owned Small Business or Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business contractors who consider themselves qualified to perform the above-listed services are invited to submit a maximum 7 page response to this Sources Sought Notice by 2:00 PM (local time) on August 1, 2018. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be emailed to Irina.Perl@cms.hhs.gov and copied to Kimberly.Tatum@cms.hhs.gov. Disclaimer and Important Notes: Based on the responses to this sources sought notice/market research, this requirement may be set-aside for small businesses or procured through full and open competition. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions. Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s). If you have any questions concerning this opportunity please contact Irina Perl at Irina.Perl@cms.hhs.gov. Attachment 1: Overview and Eligibility Requirements Overview The National Administrative Support contract provides a broad range of healthcare quality improvement services involving support of the national data-driven initiatives to optimize health outcomes for persons and families while supporting clinicians, providers, and communities in improving health and healthcare of the population they serve. The work under this contract will support the Network of Quality Improvement and Innovation Contractors. The administrative support work is part of a larger quality improvement infrastructure. Most tasks will be large-scale in nature (state, regional, or national level) with others on a smaller scale. The work under this contract will require significant collaboration and timely responsiveness in particular to the National Strategic Leadership awardee, the Impact Evaluation Contractor, and with the NQIIC contract awardees. Purpose and Objectives The contractor shall support the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) and network community by developing and adapting materials and methods to support meeting the initiative's goals. The contractor will support the spread of evidence-based best practices on a national scale by coordinating closely with the awardees and fellow support contractors focused on achieving the Aims. The contractor will provide administrative support to the national strategic leadership awardee as they identify targeted improvement strategies for, and provide specific technical assistance to, those organizations in action to improve and generate results. The contractor will share accountability with the national strategic leadership awardee for national success by supporting a national learning network of stakeholders seeking to improve quality, safety, and value. The broad-ranged overarching tasks will include the following: 1. The contractor shall assemble a team that provides administrative support to lead significant and measureable program results. 2. The contractor shall provide proactive and meaningful administrative support across the NQIIC awardees as they design, plan, and execute direct technical assistance. The administrative support may include, but is not limited to, one-on-one assistance distribution of agenda and compiling notes, drafting and reviewing resources and tools content. 3. The contractor shall provide meaningful summaries from improvement campaigns using workshops, conferences, webinars, and other diverse methods. The contractor shall at CMS' request also provide review and formatting in compliance with 508 regulations. 4. The contractor shall provide administrative support to the national strategic leadership awardee in the execution of national communication to include: drafting written messages that may be shared via email or posted to the web; active participation and capturing materials and other guidance provided in meetings with the federal team and the national strategic leadership awardee, and the NQIIC awardees; support of topic based affinity groups; and support of planning and execution of virtual meetings and events. 5. The contractor shall contribute administrative support to the review and refinement of working papers and articles for publication. This shall include literature reviews and identification and distribution of best practices across the network for inclusion. 6. The contractor shall work to facilitate support in the management of processes to facilitate participant access to CMS and Community based data systems. 7. The contractor shall facilitate administrative support in providing travel planning and reimbursement to requested individuals in support of achieving the aims of the national program. This shall include resources to support active engagement of patient and families at all levels; national faculty and improvement coaches engaged in identifying local best practices through site visits; and consumer leaders serving on advisory councils and those participating in national learning events and national expert panels. The contractor may also provide staffing to support the local and regional events. All travel shall be approved by CMS prior to execution. Eligibility Requirements The contract requirements will be crafted with the expectation to achieve bold aims through innovation, broad reach, and data-driven methodologies suitable for spread that demonstrate value to Medicare beneficiaries, providers, and the CMS Quality Program qualitatively and/or financially. The responses to the sources sought will be reviewed to determine whether there is demonstrated capability in achieving the tasks. A determination will be made. Applicants will not be provided individual responses from CMS. Applicants should not send requests for review findings. If a Request for Contract is developed and executed for this work, it will be posted in FedBizOpps. The national support contractors are encouraged to collaborate in order to strengthen the application, reach, and scope of services being provided to NQIIC contractors. It is required that the National Administrative Support contractor meet the eligibility criteria in providing a national comprehensive administrative support approach. The support contractor(s) is required to bring unique extensive expertise and experience in order to strengthen the overall strategy in the provision of direct technical assistance. This work requires an approach that will be addressed by the organizational requirements but not limited to the below: National Administrative Support Applicants should describe their capabilities to support several administrative services in collaboration and partnership with nation quality improvement entities. Requirement 1: Demonstrated ability and experience accessing claims data. Requirement 2: Demonstrated ability and experience in collaborating with healthcare teams in the management of national and state based on-site quality improvement learning events. The events described should have the magnitude of 500 or more participants as it relates to healthcare quality improvement activities. Demonstrated experience in healthcare QI tools that lead to large scale change and improvement including healthcare QI processes. Demonstrate experience supporting quality improvement by incorporating lessons-learned and best practices. Requirement 3: Demonstrated ability and experience managing contracts with communication entities that provide web based platform for conducting webinars and Pacing Events as it relates to healthcare quality improvement activities. The experience should demonstrate abilities that include federal standards for captions, ensuring operator assistance during calls for enabling responses from participants, having calls recorded for posting, and facilitating on-line pre-registration for events. Demonstrated ability in support of creation and revision of working papers and articles for publication. Requirement 4: Demonstrated knowledge and experience in support of national and state based healthcare quality improvement programs. Demonstrate experience supporting the development of learning communities that include patients/beneficiaries, families and community leaders as key participants and advocates in their healthcare system. Requirement 5: Demonstrated experience in supporting Learning and Action Networks, continuous Internal Quality Improvement programs. Proven experience synthesize the lessons learned from different local improvement interventions and practices' use of EHR, care management, lessons learned from the patient experience and processes to improve clinical outcomes.