The Science of Public Reporting Coordinating Center

INTRODUCTION "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." This is strictly market research; therefore no questions regarding this market research will be entertained. BACKGROUND The Program Support Center (PSC) is the shared-services provider for the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). Created in 1995 to reduce duplication in federal administrative support services, PSC provides support services to the department, its component agencies, and other federal agencies on a competitive fee-for-service basis, allowing the agencies to focus on their core missions. Support services include administrative operations, financial management, human resources, strategic acquisition, and federal occupational health. The Program Support Center (PSC) at HHS wants to identify viable sources that can establish a Public Reporting Coordinating Center (Center) for the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ). For the purpose of this Sources Sought document, public reporting refers to any effort to provide a broad audience of health care consumers with information that allows rating or comparison of providers according to certain standards of quality and resource use performance. Public reporting is a process that may involve voluntary or mandatory data collection from a combination of health care providers, plans, payers, and consumers; processing of that data into measures and comparison to standards of quality and resource use; and final dissemination to a public audience. Consumers are any actual or potential recipient of health care services. Providers include any person, organization, or facility directly involved in the delivery of health care services, including, but not limited to, individual or groups of physicians, nurses physician assistants, pharmacists, home health professionals, hospitals, nursing homes, dialysis facilities and pharmacies. There are numerous public reports from the Federal to the State and local levels, but most have failed to attract a consumer audience due to poor design, irrelevant content, and inadequate dissemination. The Coordinating Center will help facilitate the development of a health care system in which every consumer has ready access to reports that allow meaningful comparison of providers based on measures of quality and resource use. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES This requirement is intended to establish a Public Reporting Coordinating Center (Center) in fiscal year 2013. The objectives of this Center include providing program support, technical assistance, and the translation and dissemination of research; and conducting an evaluation. The Center's primary role is to serve as a link between public reporting research and producers of public reports, to speed the translation of research into practice. The Center will connect principal investigators of AHRQ-funded public reporting research through annual meetings and more frequent telephone and electronic communication. The Center will also serve as a resource for public report sponsors, policymakers, the media, and health care purchasers and payers, making the latest research results readily available for implementation. As part of this role, the Center will coordinate and communicate with stakeholders active in the public reporting field, including Federal public report producers such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, public and private report producers at the national, state, and local levels, and consumer and employer representatives familiar with public reporting initiatives. PROJECT REQUIREMENTS The Contractor shall engage in a range of activities including research and evaluation, research dissemination and communication, and delivering technical assistance, with the specific aim of assisting public reporting stakeholders. In order to respond to this notice, interested firms should address the depth and breadth of their professional and technical capabilities, as well as past performance in meeting AHRQ's objectives. The Contractor must be able to clearly convey his/her experience and ability to perform the following services: 1: Provide general planning and administration, including developing and implementing quality control methods to ensure that tasks are completed in an orderly and efficient manner. 2: Develop work plans, including communications and dissemination strategies. 3: Coordinate meetings, travel, and lodging for up to 100 people at the AHRQ Annual Meeting in 2013, 2014, and 2015, and coordinate multiple additional meetings throughout the year for up to 50 people. 4: Establish a Technical Expert Panel that consists of up to 20 individuals with academic and technical expertise in public reporting. 5: Establish and support stakeholder groups for public reporting to maximize the implementation of advances in the science of public reporting into active reporting practice. 6: Provide support for an inter-agency Public Reporting Workgroup at the Department of Health & Human Services. 7: Design and convene focus groups and produce reports. 8: Design, convene, and evaluate a Webinar series. 9: Provide technical assistance to stakeholder groups including federal users, public reporting grantees, state Medicaid groups, emerging stakeholders and existing stakeholders. 10: Develop and produce multiple white papers and other communications materials. 11: Track, collect, and organize public reporting research & reports. 12: Conduct environmental scan of new evidence in the public reporting literature and analyze existing public reporting initiatives. 13: Produce and disseminate a variety of communications materials to increase awareness and use of public reports. 14: Represent AHRQ at conferences, meetings and other venues. 15: Develop a survey instrument, study design, and implementation plan. 16: Conduct an ongoing assessment of customer needs and self-evaluation of performance to ensure that the support contract is providing services needed. 17: Submit OMB applications for clearance for interviews, survey implementation, and web design if necessary. 18. Produce all communications materials in compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (accessibility regulations). ANTICIPATED PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The anticipated period of performance is for a base period of 12 months with two twelve month option periods. IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS 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 ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT CAPABILITY STATEMENTS. INFORMATION SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS This notice is for PSC's planning only. 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. 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. 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. 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). Interested small business firms are highly encouraged to respond to this notice. However, firms should understand that generic capability statements are not sufficient for effective evaluation of their capacity and capability to perform the work required. Responses must directly demonstrate the company's capability, experience, and ability to marshal resources to effectively and efficiently perform the objectives described above. The written response to this notice should consist of the following items: 1. A statement describing their capabilities to provide required services 2. Information about their experience in providing these services 3. DUNS number 4. Organization name and address 5. Technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses 6. Size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HUBZone, etc) pursuant to the applicable NAICS code 7. 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 8. Do you have a Government approved accounting system? If so, please identify the agency that approved the system This information should be provided electronically in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format to the e-mail address of the Contract Specialist /Contracting Officer listed in this announcement. Responses must be submitted no later than 12 Noon EST on February 16, 2012. Capability statements will not be returned and will not be accepted after the due date. Interested sources possessing the capabilities to meet the project requirements should submit a cover letter along with a capability statement not to exceed ten pages. As previously stated, the Government will not entertain questions regarding this Market Research; however, general questions may be forwarded to the Contract Specialist/Contracting Officer listed in this announcement.