R499--Evidence Based Clinical Practice Guidelines Recompete RFI

DISCLAIMER This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. This Sources Sought/Request for Information (SS/RFI) is for market research purposes only and issued in accordance with FAR 10.002. This market research is issued for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation nor does it restrict the Government as to the ultimate acquisition approach. Additionally, there is no obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any services described in this SS/RFI. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This is not a solicitation for quotes, neither unsolicited proposals nor any other kind of offers will be considered in response to this SS/RFI. There will be no contract award from this SS/RFI. There will be no reimbursement for any costs associated with providing information in response to this SS/RFI or follow-up information requests. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Strategic Acquisition Center (SAC), in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on behalf of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), is seeking to gain knowledge of potentially qualified contractors that can assist the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD) with Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines (EBCPG) development/updates. The result of this market research will contribute to determining the method of procurement. Based on the information gathered from this RFI, a determination shall be made by the contracting officer, if a solicitation will be issued and the most applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code. At this time the suggested NAICS code assigned to this procurement is 541990. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES: The contractor shall produce written materials necessary to document the CPG development process, culminating in the production of a full CPG including algorithms, recommendations, evidence tables, bibliographies, appendices, as well as an in document digital enriched media content navigation menu and clickable buttons with associated hyperlinks for a digital web experience CPG summary, CPG provider reference tools (such as Pocket Cards), and patient summary in a format established by the VA/DoD Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline (VA/DoD EBCPG) Work Group. The Contractor will train and supervise all staff, subcontractors and agents regarding all aspects of this project and will use appropriate safeguards to prevent disclosure of any confidential information gleaned as result of work performed under this contract as detailed in the attached draft Statement of Work (SOW). RESPONSE: If your organization has the potential capability to provide the services, please provide the following information: Organization name, address, email address, website address, DUNS number, telephone number, business size (i.e. large business, small business, service disabled veteran owned, veteran owned, woman owned, disadvantaged, HUBZone, 8(a) small businesses) for NAICS code 541990, and whether another NAICS code is more appropriate and why. Prior experience developing evidence based clinical practice guidelines. Please provide an example of a previous evidence based clinical practice guideline developed. Prior experience with working with groups of subject matter experts. Opinion on USPSTF (US Preventative Services Task Force) vs GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation). What are the benefits of each in evaluating evidence and developing recommendations for care? Describe contractor s approach to grading quality of individual studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. Describe contractor s approach, staffing, and experience in Facilitation of process (including F2F, web-based and distance approaches). Describe contractor s approach, staffing, and experience in editing of documents. Describe contractor s approach, staffing and experience in developing print ready documents (ex: InDesign). How are differences in evidence grading resolved among participants (assuming this was not discussed above). Please describe your organization to include fiduciary responsibilities and controlling interests. Experience with implementation research. Staff experience (facilitating physician)), Program management, population health, epidemiologists, clinical reviewers, etc.) In the past, what were the greatest challenges/difficulties experienced in developing clinical practice guidelines? Provide any foreseeable impacts of requirements of the draft SOW or any suggested changes/revisions. Questions Questions regarding this RFI must be received by this office on or before 12:00 PM EST on December 14, 2022. Submit responses to kristal.hall@va.gov, Subject: Evidence Based Clinical Practice Guidelines- RFI. RESPONSE SUBMISSION Responses must be received by this office on or before 12:00 PM EST on January 6, 2023. Submit responses to kristal.hall@va.gov, Subject: Evidence Based Clinical Practice Guidelines- RFI. Each RFI response will receive a confirmation email within 48 hours. Failure to include the subject line may result in a missed response to the SS/RFI. VA reserves the right not to reply to any emails, responses, and/or materials submitted.