Patient Hotel Lodging

The National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center is conducting a Sources Sought Notice to help determine the availability and qualifications of qualified businesses that can accommodate hotel lodging for patients and their families as they participate in clinical research protocols at the Clinical Center. The Government is seeking sources in order to adequately provide accommodations to our patient and family population. This Sources Sought notice is not a request for proposals but an announcement requesting offerors interested in this type of requirement to provide a detailed package that specifically addresses information provided in this notice for review. The information from this Sources Sought notice is for planning purposes and will assist the Government in planning its acquisition strategy. As stated above the purpose of this Sources Sought notice is to find qualified businesses in which the Government can establish Blanket Purchase Agreement with multiple contractors to provide lodging accommodations for the Clinical Center (CC) patients. The lodging accommodations for our patients and their families should be affordable and conveniently accessible to our facility. The applicable North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code is 721110. The primary objective of this announcement is for offerors to provide an extensive package to include: - Lodging that is suitable for patients and their families that are going through very sensitive clinical protocols and may require various accommodations; - Quality standards of the facility (Hotel standards); - Discounted rates that will not only meet the Federal Government standards, but for the patient if they pay direct and or rates that can be passed on to the patient; - Location of the hotel facility within the radius recommended in this announcement; - Special needs for accessibility for patients who have major or minor health restrictions; - Reservation processes; - Transportation - (In this announcement the Government has made recommendations, but would ask the offeror to provide how they would handle patient transportation when requested; - Short Term and Long Term stays ( example not to exceed 30 days); - Accommodations that include a kitchenette or refrigerator for medications or dietary needs. The Government will conduct site visits at the locations to address customer service and what it entails and hotel quality standards. The Government does not want to limit the requirement to just what is suggested in this announcement. Therefore, in addition to the required information, offerors are being asked to include the best overall processes that will suitably assist the Government in providing satisfactory services for patients and their families during their stay. Background: The Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health, located in Bethesda, Maryland, is America's clinical research hospital and the world's largest hospital dedicated totally to clinical research. Through clinical research, promising discoveries in the laboratory are translated into better health and health care for all. At the Clinical Center, clinical research participants'more than 350,000 since the hospital opened in 1953'are active partners in medical discovery, a partnership that has resulted in a long list of medical milestones. Currently there are about 1500 clinical research studies in progress. About half are studies of the natural history of disease, especially rare diseases, which often are not studied anywhere else. The NIH is involved in the enrollment of persons worldwide in the clinical research protocols. Since these patients are a critical part of the NIH mission, corresponding travel may be in part paid for by the NIH. These patients come and go to the NIH Clinical Center (Building 10). There are approximately 100,000 outpatient visits per year, which creates the NIH requirement for lodging accommodations for patients and their families as they participate in clinical research protocols at the Clinical Center. The Clinical Center is a unique facility in that all patients are on a research protocol and over 50% of patients are from across the country and are often here for extended stays. The needs of this type of patient population differ from a community or academic medical center that draws from a more local based population. Patients may be more anxious, often they are alone, or do not have as many visitors, of family members for support. That has made caring for the patient a value that is highly held in the Clinical Center. The lodging accommodation experience is one aspect that affects the patient's experience, and as such it is important that it is a positive experience. Lodging Requirements: 1. The lodging accommodations must be compliant with the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) and be within per diem allowance for Washington DC Metropolitan area; 2. The lodging must be available for transient and extended stay (up to 30-days'some patients are here for months). 3. The lodging must be Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) compliant rooms at or below per diem rates with flexible terms. 4. Provide accommodations for smoker and non-smoker based on hotel regulations. 5. There is also a need for patients that require accessibility to lower level floors for wheelchairs, and animals that provide assistance to patients, i.e., seeing eye dogs. 6. Set-aside lodging accommodations that meet acceptable quality standards requirements. 7. Provide kitchenette and/or refrigerator for storing medications or special dietary, if needed. Location Accommodations: To accommodate the various patients needs the location of the lodging accommodations can vary. 1. Located within a 30 mile radius of the National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center for very sick patients. 2. Located within 20-25 miles depending on local transportation arrangements of National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center for ambulatory patients. 3. Lodging accommodations that are located within walking distance and/or near to amenities such as stores, restaurants, pharmacies, banks, bus stops, metro stations are preferred. 4. Proximity to local airports may also be considered. Rate Requirements: 1. Provide the Federal employee government per diem rate or comparable. 2. Provide same negotiated price throughout the calendar year; not a seasonal rate. 3. Provide bill rate that will allow a low rate for patients and their families. 4. What type of rate is negotiable for rooms that are canceled? This is due to the fact the patient travel may change due to their medical condition and the cancellation maybe necessary. Payment Requirements: The Government is looking for discounted rates that are affordable and comparable with per diem standards. Those pricing arrangements should be included when addressing the requirement in the Sources Sought announcement. There are times when the patient may obtain lodging directly and the Government shall deem that those rates be in line with discounts and rate scale of Federal Government per diem for the patients. Reservation Requirements: 1. What are the alternative reservation options to patients who do not have credit cards if paying directly? Would the Clinical Center have a payment option under these circumstances? 2. What is the reservation process that allows patients and the Clinical Center to make reservations and still receive a negotiated patient rate? 3. What would be the reservation process that ensures that only the appropriate government officials can make reservations? 4. Determine reservation process that validates individuals as Clinical Center patients and how would the hotel handle? 5. Determine reservation process that accommodates requests made during the day and night. Shuttle Requirements: - Provide scheduled shuttle service for patients on Mondays through Fridays from ____________ AM to _________PM. When the offeror addresses these items, the list below is suggested by the Government but would consider recommendations on the hotel processes: - Provide on demand shuttle services on Saturday, Sunday, including Government holidays. - Provide on demand shuttle services during Government closures, i.e. for weather related closures. The Clinical Center does not close when the Federal Government closes since it is a hospital. The shuttle services would still be required. - Provide on demand shuttle service to accommodate varied patient appointment schedules. The contractor can state what they have available in reference to transportation services and how it may assist our patients and families. (The patients will range from incapacitated, very sick to those who are ambulatory but need minor assistance). The information requested in this Sources Sought shall be due on by close of business May 25, 2010 at 10:00AM local time. Include in your package the following: Name, address, phone no, fax, email, point of contact, all reference material listed in this announcement and send to Ms. Deborah Britton, Senior Contracting Officer, 6707 Democracy Blvd., Suite 106; Bethesda, Maryland 20892; Phone No. 301-594-5914 and email dbritton@cc.nih.gov.