Transformation and the Psychiatric Workforce Pilot Implementation

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) intends to negotiate with the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare Inc. on a sole source basis, to help train psychiatrists with a curriculum designed to develop and enhance the effectiveness of community psychiatrists in public sector policy and service settings. The period of performance will be September 30, 2008 - September 29, 2009. The Government intends to negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1). This procurement is under the Simplified Acquisition threshold and will be awarded as a Simplified Acquisition. The psychiatric workforce of today receives minimal training in the realities of community-based, recovery-oriented practice. Psychiatric residency training continues to be primarily inpatient-focused when the majority of adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disorders and families can and are being served in community settings. Recovery, evidence-based practices in community settings, quality improvement processes, leadership and management of empowered teams of clinical and paraprofessional specialists, collaboration across human service systems and knowledge and understanding of public sector financing are covered only briefly, if at all, in psychiatric residency programs. As a consequence, promising young psychiatrists are often overwhelmed and disillusioned when faced with the challenges of practice and leadership in the public sector. Through a previous purchase order, CMHS tasked the National Council with developing a curriculum for community psychiatrists that is designed to develop and enhance the effectiveness of community psychiatrists in public sector policy and service settings. The curriculum builds on the existing knowledge and practice in established government, university and business leadership development programs. The curriculum presents a series of didactic, case based, mentorship, and skills-based interventions over the course of year. Participants meet regularly with fellow participants, as mentors, and project directors, both in person, and online in order to maximize the acquisition of new skills, as well as opportunities for application. An initial group of psychiatrists are now being trained in this curriculum and participating in the mentoring and leadership offerings presented by the Contractor. All of the psychiatrists enrolled in the program voluntarily applied and all program participants work in a community-based mental health and/or substance abuse setting and have the support of their employer. Participation in the program does not exceed one year and is structured to allow enrollees to continue in their current position with the employer granting limited time for participation in the project. This contract supports the recruitment and training for a second cohort of 12 psychiatrists to participate in the year-long training program. This project builds upon an existing effort that was initiated by SAMHSA. NCCBH solely qualifies to continue this work through the existing curriculum developed in phase 1 and the ability to access this particular group on providers. This project is solely accomplishable through NCCBH and the unique position it maintains in the provider community. They have proprietary rights in the use of the baseline data related to this project and are the sole entity that can perform the scope of this contract. The purpose of this synopsis is to determine whether there may be other sources with the necessary expertise, qualifications, and experience to perform the work described above. Any source capable of performing the work should submit a statement of capabilities with documentation supporting its ability to meet the Governments requirement as articulated above. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotes. No solicitation document is available. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Capability statements should be submitted by 11 am July 28, 2008 to keith.austin@psc.hhs.gov.