U--Colposcopy Training Program

1. Title: Colposcopy Training Program for Women's Healthcare Providers2. Solicitation Reference Number: VA-101-09-RQ-0001 3. Description: This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Responses reflecting availability of the service as described are requested in the form of a written technical and price quotation. This solicitation is being issued as a request for quotation (RFQ). The NAICS code is 611710 (Educational Support Services) with a small business size standard $7.0M. All responsible sources may submit a quotation that, if timely received, shall be considered by the agency. Questions in response to this solicitation are due October 6, 2008 NLT 4:00 PM EST. The due date for quotations is October 17, 2008 at 4:00 PM EST. Quotations shall be submitted electronically via email to Shaundra J. Duggans at contact@example.gov. The solicitation title AND reference number shall be included in the subject line of ALL correspondence. 4. Statement of Work: (As a result of character limitations, only an excerpt of the Statement of Work (SOW) has been provided. Interested Offerors shall contact both Shaundra J. Duggans AND Priscilla Lee via email for copies of the SOW. Telephone requests will NOT be accepted.) The purpose of this statement of work is to acquire a certified colposcopy training program for women health care practitioners. Colposcopy is currently available on a limited basis within the VHA, few women health care providers (NPs/PAs/MDs) are certified to perform these screening and surveillance examinations. Successful completion of this training program will result in an increase in the services provided as well as reduce the current wait times to have the colposcopy procedure performed. This training will also ensure more rapid diagnoses and optimal health care treatment. The practitioners receiving this training will have a minimum of 2 years experience in women's health care. Additionally, a minimum of two practitioners (total of 80 practitioners shall be trained) from each Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) will participate in this training program. Within the Veteran's Health Administration (VHA), limited numbers of nurse practitioners (NPs), physician's assistants (PAs) and MDs are certified to perform screening and surveillance examinations to women veterans. Information from VHA front-line providers has documented gaps in staffing and insufficient equipment to meet the needs of the growing number of women veterans who are seeking VHA services. Many VHA women veteran health clinics are without adequate equipment or services necessary to provide care to a rapidly increasing number of women veterans. These inadequacies will only increase in the near future. In FY 2007, a total of 255,374 women veterans utilized VHA healthcare. With increases in the number of women in active duty military service relative to men, the proportion of the veteran population that is female is also projected to increase steadily. Services and equipment are urgently needed to address existing gaps in medical clinics, radiology gynecology services provision, nurse education, and care coordination for women veteran who seek care from VHA. Approximately 39.9% of Operation Enduring Freedom/Operations Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) returning veterans are women who utilize VHA. The sexually transmitted Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the key risk factor for cervical carcinoma. Sexually transmitted infections are more prevalent in persons under 30 years of age. Since the 67% of returning female OIF/OEF veterans are under the age of 30 the vulnerability of this population indicates the need for colposcopy and certified practitioners to perform this procedure. These statistics coupled with the anticipated increase of women veterans in the years to come, creates an immediate need for colposcopy training. The successful Contractor shall provide a comprehensive colposcopy training program for approximately 80 nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, physician assistants and physicians. The Contractor's training program shall, at a minimum, meet the following requirements: 1. Training course shall be certified/accredited by either the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Medical Association (AMA); 2. The training shall address, at a minimum, the following: a. Describe the anatomy, cytology, histology, and colposcopic findings of the normal and abnormal cervix, vagina, and vulva; b. Discuss the challenges of colposcopy and management of cervical neoplasia for selected patient populations, women infected with HIV, underserved women, and pregnant women based upon best available practices; c. Perform appropriate cytologic sampling, colposcopic evaluation, and biopsies (including endocervical sampling), and become familiar with instrumentation and necessary supplies, d. Provide hands-on sessions for the colposcopy procedure and biopsy techniques; and e. The Contractor shall submit a program evaluation after the completion of each training class. All training shall be administered and completed no later than September 30, 2010. Type of Contract: Firm Fixed Price. Task 1: The contractor shall convene a "Kick-off" meeting at the contractor's training location within 10 workdays from contract award. At the kick-off meeting, the contractor shall provide a project plan, clearly identifying all subtasks necessary to complete the required training of 80 VA employees in accordance with the contract. Deliverable 1: Project Plan (with subtasks and milestones) Task 2: Within 10 workdays of approval of the Project Plan, and in accordance with the Project Plan developed under Task 1, the Contractor shall design and develop the initial Learning Objectives (LO). Each Learning Objective shall be measurable, behavioral, and comply at a minimum with the Cognitive Knowledge section of Bloom's Taxonomy on Learning and in concurrence with the objectives listed under Section A.4 Scope of Work. Deliverable 2: Learning objectives and Alignment Document. Task 3: Within 10 workdays of approval of the Learning Objectives and Alignment Document, the Contractor shall develop and deliver storyboards, brochures or other documentation that visually describe instructional activities for the course. Deliverable 3: Documentation describing instructional activities of the course. Task 4: The contractor shall provide training to approximately 80 designated VA healthcare providers. This training is to be accomplished with 4 or more training sessions to be completed by September 30, 2010. The contractor shall provide a report of the training within 5 workdays of the training conclusion. The report shall include an overall assessment of the participant, any particular general weaknesses of the participants, and any plans for revising the training curricula or approach based upon the training assessment. Deliverable 4a: Schedule of training of VA healthcare providers. The schedule shall be provided within 10 working days of approval of Deliverable 3. Deliverable 4b: Reports of each training session. 5. Instructions: In order to be considered responsive, the offeror's Technical Quotation must provide sufficient information to demonstrate the offeror's corporate capabilities and the approach that will be utilized to fulfill the requirements of the Colposcopy Training Program. Offers shall be submitted in two separate volumes as follows. Volume I, Technical Quotation (limited to 10 pages) shall be divided into four general areas as follows: (1) Quality of Training Plan/Approach (didactic and hands-on) Relative to the scope of this project, the offeror shall provide a written narrative that 1) describes the training approach, methodology and tools used in providing the training; 2) demonstrates training experience and expertise in providing colposcopy training; and 3) demonstrates effectiveness of the training approach; (2) Program Recognition Offeror shall provide sufficient information to demonstrate its ANCC and/or AMA certification/accreditation to provide the required training; (3) Corporate Capabilities and Personnel Relative to the scope of this project, the offeror shall describe its overall organizational capabilities and identify the key personnel that will be assigned to this project. Resumes shall be submitted for key personnel assigned to perform this effort and shall contain documented experience and credentials directly applicable to the functions to be performed. These prior work experiences shall be specific and of sufficient variety and duration that the employee is able to effectively and efficiently perform the functions assigned. The offeror shall also address its corporate experience and that of any subcontractor and consultants, emphasizing the extent of their experience relevant to the operation; and (4) Past Performance The Offeror shall identify three (3) contracts/task orders with the Federal Government and/or commercial customers that demonstrate recent and relevant past performance. Recent is defined as within the last three years. Relevant is defined as work similar in complexity and magnitude of the work described in the Statement of Work. Include the following information: Project title, Description of the project, Contract number, Contract amount, Government Agency/Organization and Point of Contact, and phone number/email address. Each reference shall include information that evidences customer satisfaction with products and services provided and demonstrate an offeror's compliance with a fulfillment of the requirements of previous contracts on both a technical and budgetary basis. The Government may also consider information obtained through other sources. Past performance information will be utilized to determine the quality of the contractor's past performance as it relates to the probability of success of the required effort. Volume II, Price Quotation (limited to 5 pages) - Offerors shall submit a Firm Fixed Price per each of the four (4) tasks following the structure identified in the Statement of Work. 6. Terms and Conditions: This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-26. FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial (JUN 2008), applies to this acquisition. The following clauses are included as an addendum to FAR 52.212-1: VAAR 852.270-1 Representatives of Contracting Officers (JUN 2008) The contracting officer reserves the right to designate representatives to act for him/her in furnishing technical guidance and advice or generally monitor the work to be performed under this contract. Such designation will be in writing and will define the scope and limitation of the designee's authority. A copy of the designation shall be furnished to the contractor. FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation--Commercial Items (JAN 1999), applies to this acquisition. Paragraph (a) is supplemented to include the following technical evaluation criteria listed in descending order of importance: Quality of Training Plan/Approach, Program Recognition, Past Performance, and Corporate Capabilities and Personnel. Quality of Training Plan/Approach is the most heavily weighted evaluation factor; Program Recognition and Past Performance are equally weighted; and Corporate Capabilities and Personnel is the least weighted evaluation factor. Technical evaluation criteria when combined are more important than price. Offerors shall include a completed copy of the provision at FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications--Commercial Items (JUN 2008). FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions--Commercial Items (FEB 2007), applies to this acquisition. The following clauses are included as an addendum to FAR 52.212-4: FAR 52.204-9 Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel (SEPT 2007), FAR 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services (NOV 1999), FAR 52.227-17 Rights in Data--Special Works (DEC 2007), VAAR 852.203-70 Commercial Advertising (JAN 2008) The bidder or offeror agrees that if a contract is awarded to him/her, as a result of this solicitation, he/she will not advertise the award of the contract in his/her commercial advertising in such a manner as to state or imply that the Department of Veterans Affairs endorses a product, project or commercial line of endeavor; VAAR 852.237-70 Contractor Responsibilities (APR 1984) The contractor shall obtain all necessary licenses and/or permits required to perform this work. He/she shall take all reasonable precautions necessary to protect persons and property from injury or damage during the performance of this contract. He/she shall be responsible for any injury to himself/herself, his/her employees, as well as for any damage to personal or public property that occurs during the performance of this contract that is caused by his/her employees fault or negligence, and shall maintain personal liability and property damage insurance having coverage for a limit as required by the laws of the State of [ ]. Further, it is agreed that any negligence of the Government, its officers, agents, servants and employees, shall not be the responsibility of the contractor hereunder with the regard to any claims, loss, damage, injury, and liability resulting there from. FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders--Commercial Items (JUN 2008), applies to this acquisition. Of the additional FAR clauses cited in this clause, the following are applicable: 52.219-6 Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside (JUNE 2003), 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting (DEC 1996), 52.219.28 Post Award Small Business Program Representation (JUNE 2007), 52.222-19 Child Labor--Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies (AUG 2007), 52.222-21 Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (FEB 1999), 52.222-26 Equal Opportunity (MAR 2007), 52.222-36 Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities (JUNE 1998), 52.222-50 Combating Trafficking in Persons (AUG 2007), 52.225-3 Buy American Act--Free Trade Agreements--Israeli Trade Act (AUG 2007), 52.225-13 Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (JUNE 2008), and 52.232-34 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer--Other than Central Contractor Registration (MAY 1999). 7. Point(s) of Contact: Primary - Shaundra J. Duggans, Contract Specialist, phone: +1 (555) 000-0000, fax: +1 (555) 000-0000, E-mail: contact@example.gov.