Technical Assistance for the Rural Health Network Development Planning Program

THIS IS A PRESOLICATION NOTICE ONLY- THE Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Federal Office of Rural Health Policy is planning to issue a solicitation for Technical Assistance for the Rural Health Network Development Planning Program. The solicitation will be issued as a total small business set-aside with a period of performance of a base period of 10 months with four (4) twelve (12) month option years. The Government intends to issue a solicitation on or about May 19, 2015. The required services will be procured in accordance with FAR Part 15 - Contracting by Negotiation. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 541611 and the size standard is 14.0M. Description The purpose of this contract is to develop, conduct, and implement a Rural Health Technical Assistance Program to plan for and provide technical assistance to Network Planning grantees. The Network Planning grants are non-categorical; meaning the focus of the funded project is focused on the composition of a rural health network but the ultimate focus of the network is determined by community need. Due to the broad nature of the project proposals and multifaceted requirements for building and sustaining a successful network, the technical assistance needs of Network Planning grantees can vary from minimal assistance to more complex assistance. Technical assistance activities should provide Network Planning grantees with the expertise and skills needed to maximize their performance in developing and sustaining strong linkages and partnerships to address health care needs and access challenges faced by people living in rural communities. The TA provided shall focus on several areas of need that may include but are not limited to: community needs assessment, self-assessment, community engagement, network/consortia management and organizational capacity, continuous quality improvement, sustainability, leadership development, workforce recruitment and retention, developing unconventional community partnerships, Affordable Care Act and health reform, fiscal management, return on investment, meaningful use and stakeholder engagement. Additionally, due to updates to the funding opportunity announcement, it is anticipated that a significant portion of Network Planning proposals will plan to address and mitigate the negative impact of hospital closures and loss of ambulatory services on rural communities. The contractor shall work with each Network Planning grantee organization, FORHP Program Coordinator (PC), and FORHP Project Officers (PO) to identify the nature of the technical assistance needed by the grantee, how technical assistance should be delivered and assess the effectiveness of the technical assistance. The technical assistance providers shall coordinate with the Project Officer and grantee organizations in facilitating the exchange of information about program strategies, successes, and issues confronted and resolved. Services provided by the contractor will be implemented and may vary as determined by the needs of the grantees. The awarded entity will be responsible for creating tangible materials, developing sustainability modules, conducting program related workshops and webinars, and hiring an external evaluator to assess the TA process and the overall capabilities of the contractor. The tangible materials include but are not exclusive to a sourcebook and a directory of all grantees in the program each year. All future information regarding this acquisition, including the solicitation and any amendments will be distributed solely through the FedBizOpps website (www.fbo.gov). Copies of the solicitation document and its related documents, ass appropriate, will be posted at this website. Interested parties are responsible for monitoring the FedBizOpps website to assure that they have the most up-to-date information regarding this acquisition. The Government will not reimburse interested parties for any cost associated with responding to this notice.