Request for Information/Request for Industry Comments and Market Research Employee Assistance and Work/Life Programs

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION/REQUEST FOR INDUSTRY COMMENTS AND MARKET RESEARCH EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE AND WORK/LIFE PROGRAMS PART 1 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION BACKGROUND Federal Occupational Health (FOH), a component of the Program Support Center (PSC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has provided occupational health programs for Federal employees for nearly 65 years. FOH operates under the principles of Public Laws 99-750 and 79-650 (5 U.S.C., Section 7901). These laws established Federal agency responsibility for developing and maintaining prevention, intervention and rehabilitation programs and services for Federal employees who have alcohol, substance abuse and/or other problems. To fulfill this mission, FOH provides various occupational health services including workplace-based behavioral health and work/life services to promote and maintain the physical and emotional health of Federal employees. FOH's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Work/Life Program both complement each other and help Federal agencies manage and retain employees. FOH enters into agreements with customer organizations and contracts with qualified vendors capable of providing direct services. FOH provides technical oversight to ensure delivery of professionally sound, cost-effective services and consults with federal agencies on developing programs and services that meet their unique needs. This formal announcement specifically identifies a Part 1 - Request for Information/Request for Industry Comments and Part 2 - Market Research (specifically directed to socioeconomic businesses). Two separate and distinct responses to the umbrella subject matter which will serve a twofold purpose. HHS/PSC/Strategic Acquisition Services is soliciting industry comments to give thoughtful and constructive feedback, current marketplace best practice, innovative ideas and solutions regarding delivery performance and strategic measures and viability regarding the following descriptive services which shall include: (1) A comprehensive, integrated Employee Assistance and Work/Life program (2) An Employee Assistance Program (3) A Work/Life program The FOH EAP currently provides services to almost 800,000 federal employees while the Work/Life program provides services to approximately 723,000 federal employees. FOH provides services to customer agencies throughout the United States including the Pacific Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, as well as in international locations wherever customer organizations' employees are located. Currently, services are provided through approximately 400 agreements with federal agencies. SCOPE OF SERVICES I. STAND ALONE EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM The FOH EAP is a comprehensive service designed to empower employees in their efforts to resolve personal problems that may adversely impact work performance. A. Call Service Center, Telephone and On-Line Access The EAP shall be accessible, regardless of where callers are located worldwide through the use of FOH's dedicated toll-free telephone numbers (including TTD). (1) A centralized call service center shall answer and screen telephone calls, provide information, and connect callers to the appropriate resource. (2) An efficient, accessible management information system shall enable the Contractor to quickly identify the client's organization and the services available to the client. (3) Qualified counselors must be available at the call service center at all times to immediately and directly interact with the caller. (4) Emergency calls shall be responded to immediately. (5) The Contractor shall have the ability to warm transfer a client directly to the Work/Life call service center (for stand-alone Work/Life program). (6) The Contractor shall describe the categories for which they offer on-line services (e.g., assessment, consultation, counseling and education), modality, and methods (e.g., email, interactive group, real time access). The Contractor shall also describe the methods by which it ensures client confidentiality (e.g., HIPAA, Privacy Act, etc.) for on-line users. B. Professionally Staffed EAP The Contractor shall provide on- and off-site and on-line assessment; counseling/ problem solving (up to eight sessions); educational and motivational activities; referral; monitoring; behavioral health consultation; and follow-up services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year at secure, smoke-free locations accessible to the physically challenged. Currently, FOH has EAP counselors in 77 field offices located in federal buildings throughout the country. The Contractor shall demonstrate that its affiliate counselor network is sufficient to meet the additional needs of program. C. EAP Services Industry consultants and experts shall describe the manageability of the following: - Supervisory referrals - Management coaching/consulting - Critical Incident Stress Management interventions - Supervisor and employee orientations - Health and wellness presentations - Legal and financial services - Services for law enforcement personnel - On-line counseling and related on-line services D. Website The contractor shall design, maintain, host, and support an on-line EAP website. (1) The website shall maintain 99% availability 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days a year from any computer or other device with internet connection, worldwide. (2) The website shall be interactive with access to multiple self-assessment tools, information and research. (3) The website shall be accessible through a unique Uniform Resource Locator (URL) customized for FOH (NOTE: FOH owns the URL FOH4You.com, which is used for the EAP). (4) All content that is delivered over the web, as well as on each web page, shall be branded exclusively for FOH. This branding includes the display of the current FOH logo, color scheme, and use of cascading style sheets to ensure that the site has the same look and feel as the FOH public website. The Contractor's logo and branding shall not be displayed anywhere on the site. (5) The Contractor shall provide technical support for the website. (6) The Contractor-owned, Contractor-operated IT system shall be able to demonstrate Federal Network Information Security and Technology (NIST) compliance, including authorization to operate, certification/ accreditation with another Federal worksite. E. Program Promotion and Communication The Contractor shall provide information regarding their approach to program promotion and communication. F. Record-Keeping and Record Ownership (1) An efficient, user-friendly, fully secure case management and reporting system shall be utilized to confidentially maintain case management data and to provide agency utilization and programmatic reports. (2) The Contractor shall describe its record keeping policies and procedures and how it will maintain FOH's records, electronic and paper. NOTE: The government owns the records; however, the Contractor is the custodian responsible for secure storage, archiving and record destruction, which must comply with government regulations. (3) In a format specified by FOH, the Contractor shall provide monthly data export to an FOH system, so that FOH maintains a backup copy of all data records utilized to generate reports. G. Quality Assurance/Evaluation It is requested that industry comment and describe how it manages quality assurance and evaluation, including, at a minimum, the following: - End-user client satisfaction - Agency utilization reports by location, if applicable - Composite utilization reports - Counselor record review - Office reviews - Call service center access statistics/reports - Complaint tracking and response - Quality improvement activities H. Innovative EAP Services Industry is being asked to describe their innovative EAP methodologies and service offerings. II. STAND ALONE WORK/LIFE PROGRAM FOH's Work/Life program, WorkLife4You, provides services for life events including: adoption; becoming a parent; newborn and child care; college and technical schools; relocation; career development; financial planning; legal assistance; convenience services; retirement planning; elder care and geriatric care management; and other services for adults with disabilities and illnesses. A. Service Call Center The Work/Life program shall be accessible, regardless of where callers are located, through the use of FOH's dedicated toll-free telephone numbers (including TTD). (1) A centralized call service center shall answer and screen telephone calls, provide information, and connect callers to the appropriate resource. (2) An efficient, accessible management information system shall enable the Contractor to quickly identify the client's organization and all services available to the client. (3) Qualified specialists must be available at the call service center at all times to immediately and directly interact with the caller. (4) Emergency calls shall be responded to immediately. (5) The Contractor shall have the ability to warm transfer a client directly to the EAP. B. Professional Specialists The Contractor shall provide 24/7 access to bachelor and master's-level Work/Life consultants who have expertise in areas such as child development, education, finance, law, and gerontology. Work/Life consultants find child and elder care, and other resources, which meet the specific needs of the employee, including location, cost, and confirmed availability. The Contractor shall have the ability to identify mental health-related issues and to warm transfer clients directly to the EAP (for stand-alone EAP services) when appropriate. C. The Geriatric Care Management Program The Contractor shall provide Geriatric Care Management Program, which may include in-home assessments, facility reviews, post-hospital assessments, and ongoing care coordinators. D. Wellness Services The Contractor shall provide information regarding the delivery of wellness services such as Health Risk Appraisals (i.e., Wellness Profiles, Health Assessments), seminars, on-line lifestyle management, and tracking tools, etc. E. Educational Kits The Contractor shall describe any informational packets that are used or sent to employees. F. Website The contractor shall design, maintain, host, and support a custom on-line Work/Life website. (1) The website shall maintain 99% availability 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days a year from any computer or other device with internet connection, worldwide. (2) The website shall be interactive with access to multiple self-assessment tools, information and research. (3) The website shall be accessible through a unique Uniform Resource Locator (URL) customized for FOH (WorkLife4You.com). (4) All content that is delivered over the web, as well as on each web page, shall be branded exclusively for FOH. This branding includes the display of the current FOH logo, color scheme, and use of cascading style sheets to ensure that the site has the same look and feel as the FOH public website. The Contractor's logo and branding shall not be displayed anywhere on the site. (5) The Contractor shall provide technical support for the website. (6) The Contractor-owned, Contractor-operated IT system shall be able to demonstrate Federal Network Information Security and Technology (NIST) compliance, including authorization to operate, certification/ accreditation with another Federal worksite. G. Program Promotion and Communication The Contactor shall provide information regarding its approach to program promotion and communication. H. Statistical Reports (1) The Contractor shall provide a standard, comprehensive statistical report on each customer agency, and a congregate report, on a quarterly basis. (2) The Contractor shall describe its capabilities for offering an integrated database for managing and storing work/life and wellness case management data, including offering integrated reporting to customer agencies. (3) In a format specified by FOH, the Contractor shall provide monthly data export to an FOH system, so that FOH maintains a backup copy of all data records utilized to generate reports. I. Quality Assurance/Evaluation Specifically, industry is asked to describe its quality improvement program. J. Innovative Work/Life Services Specifically industry shall describe their innovative Work/Life methodologies and service offerings. III. INTEGRATED EAP AND WORK/LIFE PROGRAM The Contractor is requested to describe an integrated EAP and Work/Life program that takes into account the requirements identified above. Overall, industry is strongly encouraged to provide comments that could potentially generate an integrated EAP and Work/Life program with wellness services, including fully integrated reporting tools and services. The Contractor shall describe the benefits and advantages of an integrated EAP and Work/Life program (e.g., single call center, reduced costs, improved coordination, increased utilization, etc.) as well as any potential disadvantages. In addition, industry is being asked to describe their innovative EAP and Work/Life methodologies and service offerings. IV. REQUEST FOR INFORMATION/REQUEST FOR COMMENTS (RFI) SPECIFICATIONS This RFI is not a Request for Proposal (RFP). No solicitation is being issued at this time. This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Any information provided to the Government as a result of this RFI Notice is voluntary. Responses will not be returned. No entitlement for payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of contractor submission of responses or the Government's use of such information. All submissions related to Part 1 above must specifically address the information/request for comment regarding the specific scope of services listed above. The Government is specifically interested in understanding from industry any current marketplace best practices, innovative ideas and solutions that relate all or in part to the above scope of services and any thought regarding the questions presented above. Generic corporate marketing materials, which do not address the requirements set forth above, will not be considered responsive to this market survey. PART 2: MARKET RESEARCH I. INTRODUCTION This formal announcement includes an invitation regarding market research. This SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE is to determine the availability of potential small businesses (e.g., 8(a), service-disabled veteran owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, veteran-owned small business, and women-owned small business) that can provide above services listed in Part 1 of this RFI. The information gathered from this market research will assist the Government in determining an acquisition strategy. Please be sure to indicate if you have a GSA schedule contract, a contract on GSA 8(a) STARS, or a contract on GSA VETS GWAC. THIS IS STRICTLY MARKET RESEARCH, THEREFORE NO QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS MARKET RESEARCH WILL BE ENTERTAINED. II. RESPONSE INFORMATION In order to respond to this notice, firms must be able to clearly convey its experience and/or ability to perform the services listed in Part 1 of this RFI. Each response should include the following Business Information: a. DUNS; b. Company Name; c. Company Address; d. Current GSA Schedules appropriate to this Sources Sought. If applicable e. Do you have a Government approved accounting system? If so, please identify the agency that approved the system. f. Type of Company (i.e., small business, 8(a), woman owned, veteran owned, etc.) as validated via the Central Contractor Registration (CCR). All offerors must register on the CCR located at http://www.ccr.gov/index.asp g. Company Point of Contact, Phone and Email address Teaming Arrangements: All teaming arrangements should also include the above-cited information and certifications for each entity on the proposed team. Teaming arrangements are encouraged. III. GENERAL INFORMATION This Sources Sought Notice is for information and planning purposes only and should not be construed as a commitment by the Government. This is not a solicitation announcement for proposals and no contract will be awarded from this Notice. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this Notice. Respondents will not be notified of the results of this evaluation. Capability statements will not be returned and will not be accepted after the due date. As previously stated, the Government will not entertain questions regarding this Market Research; however, general questions may be forwarded to the following: Firms that meet the requirements described in this announcement are invited to submit their email responses to Charles R. Hicks, Contracts Specialist at the following email address: Charles.Hicks@psc.hhs.gov. All information must be received no later than 5:00 pm EST on Thursday, November 18, 2010. Capability statements will not be returned and will not be accepted after the due date. Interested firms may not exceed 20 pages for Part 1 and 5 pages for Part 2. The maximum number of pages combined for submission should not exceed 25 pages. Firms can respond to either Part 1 or 2 or both.