Technical Services for ASPE, AHRQ and ONC

This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. Background: The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Secretary (OS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), Office of Disability, Aging, and Long-Term Care Policy (DALTCP) leads special initiatives on behalf of the Secretary, and provides direction for HHS-wide strategic, evaluation, legislative and policy planning. Integral to this role, ASPE conducts policy research and evaluation studies, develops policy analyses and advice, and estimates the cost and benefits of policies and programs under consideration by HHS or the Congress. DALTCP intends to utilize indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts to enable staff to continue their work on the development, coordination, research, and evaluation of HHS policies and programs that support the independence, productivity, health and security of people with disabilities, including children, working age adults, and older persons. Purpose and Objectives: The purpose of these indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts is to provide services to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), and specifically to the Office of Disability, Aging, and Long-Term Care policy within ASPE, the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), in an effort to help achieve Office and HHS missions in a timely manner. These IDIQ contracts will contain the two technical areas below: 1. Disability, Aging and Long Term Care Policy and Data Analysis Provide expertise in policy development and analysis; demonstration and evaluation design; program assessment and evaluation; and data infrastructure development and modeling. 2. Health Information Technology, Electronic Health Records, and Health Information Exchange Provide expertise in policy research and planning, development, and analysis; pilot demonstration, program implementation, and evaluation; program implementation, management, and evaluation; and information and dissemination activities. Project Requirements: Technical Area 1: Disability, Aging and Long Term Care Policy and Data Analysis Work under the first technical area will support ASPE, and specifically the Office of Disability, Aging, and Long-Term Care Policy's, planning, policy research, and evaluation activities (DALTCP). DALTCP is responsible for the development, coordination, research, and evaluation of HHS policies and programs that support the independence, productivity, health and security of people with disabilities, including children, working age adults, and older persons. DALTCP is also the lead office within HHS/OS for policy research and analysis related to international disability, aging issues, mental health issues, substance use disorder issues, and long-term care. Policy areas that DALTCP staff work on include: disability measurement and analysis of trends; housing, health, income supports, education, training and employment needs of people with disabilities; financing, delivery, and quality of services and supports for individuals with mental illnesses, substance use disorders, or intellectual disabilities, population aging and aging-related services; long-term care and personal assistance services, including informal caregiving; post-acute care; palliative care; long-term rehabilitation services; home and community-based services and supports, linkages between the acute, post-acute and long-term care systems; long-term care quality; employment supports for individuals with disabilities including mental health-related disability; private long-term care insurance, saving, and financing issues. Activities in these areas routinely require policy planning, policy and budget analysis, regulatory review, formulation of legislative proposals, data development and analysis, and policy research and evaluation. Substantive Areas of Interest to the Office of Disability, Aging and Long-Term Care Policy The following broad areas are representative of work to be undertaken under this ID/IQ task order contract; however, these substantive areas are neither exhaustive nor mutually exclusive, and work may logically fit into two or more categories: - Disability Measurement - Disability and Aging-Related Services Policy Development and Analysis - Long-Term Care Policy Development and Analysis - Medicare Post-Acute Care Policy Development and Analysis - Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Policy Development and Analysis - Disability, Aging, Mental Health, Substance Use Disorder, and Long-Term Care Data Infrastructure - Disability, Aging, and Long-Term Care Modeling and Forecasting Services to be Provided Within the Disability, Aging, and Long-Term Care Policy and Data Analysis technical area, the Contractor shall provide expertise in the following domains: - Policy Development and Analysis - Demonstration and Evaluation Design - Program Assessment and Evaluation - Data Infrastructure Development and Modeling The work in each of these domains is neither exhaustive nor mutually exclusive, and work may logically fit into two or more domains. In conjunction with these services, the Contractor shall provide organizational and logistical support for conferences, meetings, and other events to assist in the development and dissemination of the deliverables produced under this technical area. Logistical support may entail making travel arrangements, securing hotel accommodations and meeting space, editing and report formatting, and providing technical expertise in support of conferences (e.g., agenda setting, recruitment of expert presenters, and preparation of conference papers and materials). An individual delivery order may require expertise in only one area of expertise or a combination of areas. Technical Area 2: Health Information Technology, Electronic Health Records, and Health Information Exchange Work under the second technical area will support the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) policy development, research and planning; health services research, demonstration, implementation and evaluation of programs and technical options; and information dissemination activities related to health IT, EHRs, and HIE. ASPE, AHRQ, and ONC are responsible for planning, developing, coordinating, managing, implementing, and/or evaluating, many of the HHS policies and programs, including policies and programs to accelerate the use, interoperable exchange and re-use of health information to support the independence, productivity, health and security of the American people including vulnerable populations such as persons with various physical and mental health conditions, including children, working age adults, and older persons. Electronic health information exchange, including interoperable health information exchange, is increasing in response to provisions in HITECH and the Affordable Care Act. Activities are being undertaken to extend, evaluate, and further support widespread implementation of interoperable health information use and exchange across the care continuum, including through the use of electronic health records (EHRs) and other health IT applications, to enable improvements in care coordination, quality of care, and efficiencies in service delivery, payment, and eligibility determination. These activities are being undertaken and encouraged at the federal, state, local, provider, and/or consumer levels. Generally, ASPE, AHRQ, and ONC will engage in a range of policy, program, and health services research, planning, implementation, evaluation, and information dissemination activities to support and accelerate the widespread adoption and use of health IT, EHRs, and health information exchange (including interoperable HIE) to improve health care quality. These activities span a range of HHS, other federal, state, and private sector programs; providers across the care continuum, and public and private sector payers. These activities may focus on the delivery of care in traditional fee-for-service and/or service delivery and/or payment environments undergoing transformation. The work undertaken by ASPE, AHRQ, and ONC in this technical area is described below in the following broad areas. However, these substantive areas are neither exhaustive nor mutually exclusive, and work may logically fit into two or more categories. Substantive Areas of Interest to ASPE, AHRQ, and ONC - Refinement and Expansion of Nationwide Health Information Technology (IT) Infrastructure - Accelerating Interoperable Health Information Exchange - Analyses of the Health IT Infrastructure, Health IT and Health Information Exchange and their Ability to Improve Health Care Quality - Disseminating Information and Evidence Services to be Provided Within this Health Information Technology, Electronic Health Records, and Health Information Exchange technical area, the Contractor shall provide expertise in the following domains: - Policy Research, Health Services Research, and Planning, Development, and Analysis - Pilot Program Demonstration, Implementation, and Evaluation - Program Implementation, Management, and Evaluation - Information Dissemination Activities The work in each of these domains is neither exhaustive nor mutually exclusive, and work may logically fit into two or more domains. In conjunction with these services, the Contractor shall provide organizational and logistical support for conferences, meetings, and other events to assist in the development and dissemination of the deliverables produced under this technical area. Logistical support may entail making travel arrangements, securing hotel accommodations and meeting space, editing and report formatting, and providing technical expertise in support of conferences (e.g., agenda setting, recruitment of expert presenters, and preparation of conference papers and materials). An individual delivery order may require expertise in only one area of expertise or a combination of areas. Anticipated period of performance: The anticipated period of performance is five years. Capability statement/information sought: Respondents must provide, as part of their responses, a capability statement, which addresses the following: 1. Information regarding respondents': (a) staff expertise, including their availability, experience, and formal and other training; (b) current in-house capability and capacity to perform the work; (c) prior completed projects of similar nature; (d) corporate experience and management capability; and (e) examples of prior completed Government contracts, references, and other related information. 2. Respondents must include their DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HUBZone, etc) pursuant to the applicable NAICS code. Include technical and administrative points of contact, including names, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses. 3. Respondents should indicate the applicable technical area (1, 2, or both) of capability. Submissions should be sent electronically to James Horkan, Contract Specialist, at james.horkan@psc.hhs.gov. Please include the solicitation number (HHS-OS-ASPE-SBSS-14-001) in the subject line of your email. Responses are due August 19, 2014 by 2:00 pm. Responses will not be accepted after the due date. Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. 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).