U--Geriatric Scholar Coaching

1. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial services/items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6 in conjunction with FAR Part 13, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a separate written solicitation will not be issued. 1.a. Project Title: Geriatric Scholar Coaching 1.b. Description: VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System is seeking a contractor to provide expertise in Quality Improvement to support the VA Geriatric Scholars Program. 1.c. Project Location: VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, 11301 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90073 1.d. Solicitation Type - Number: Request for Quotes (RFQ) - 36C26220Q0103. 1.e. Set Aside: This solicitation is issued as a Small Business set aside. 1.f. Applicable NAICS code: 611710, Educational Support Services. 1.g. Small Business Size Standard: $15 Million 1.h. Type of Contract: Firm Fixed Price 1.i. Period of Performance: Base Year with Four (4) Option Years 2. Statement of Work 2.1. Objective. VA Greater Los Angeles is seeking an expert in Quality Improvement to support the VA Geriatric Scholars Program. 2.1.a. Background. The Geriatric Scholars Program is a national VA workforce development project that is funded through the VA Office of Rural Health with the program s administrative Hubsite at the Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System Geriatric Research Education Clinical Center (GRECC). The VA Geriatric Scholars Program is a longitudinal multi-modal blended format educational program with mandatory requirements of attending intensive courses in quality improvement and in geriatric medicine, pharmacy or rehabilitation therapy and initiating a quality improvement program in their home primary care setting, as well as individually tailored learning for continuous professional development. Group coaching is conducted over about a six-month period by telephone conference and by one-to-one interactions with each learner in a group of 12-20 primary care providers. Group coaching is an essential component of the program to assure that primary care providers are able to consistently implement best practices in geriatrics and gerontology. The purpose of the grant and of this intensive educational program is to improve knowledge and skills in providing healthcare for older Veterans. The Geriatric Scholars Program is part of the VA initiative to improve care and retain staff in rural areas, to deliver Patient-Centered Care in Patient Aligned Care Teams, to fill gaps in access to healthcare and to meet VA strategic goals. 2.2. Required Services. VA GLA requires an expert with experience consistent with academic faculty for education, supervision and evaluation in a postgraduate training program to coach VA rehab therapists in developing and implementing quality improvement projects to enhance care for older Veterans. 2.2.a. Task One. Initiate the experiential learning component following >40 hours of Continuing Medical Education/Continuing Education in Quality Improvement Workshop (EES-sponsored) and in the Geropsychology Review Course (EES sponsored). This activity includes organizing and contacting the Geriatric Scholars during breaks in the intensive course (April 27 thru May 1, 2020 in Palo Alto) to provide discussion and feedback on incipient and developing Aim Statements for quality improvement projects with the goal of assuring that these projects will be consistent with the principles of Quality Improvement. 2.2.b. Task Two. Organize and conduct monthly group coaching calls on the topic of quality improvement for participating VA Geriatric Scholars. Calls will address the practical necessities of completing a VA Geriatric Scholars Quality Improvement project and follow the educational curriculum established by the VA Geriatric Scholars Program for consistent progress in implementing quality improvement and completing an initial and final report on the project within 6 months. 2.2.c. Task Three. Evaluate progress on completion of quality improvement projects through the required written reports and oral reports during coaching calls, provide feedback to meet quality expectations consistent with highest standards for academic peer review. 2.2.d. Task Four. On a continuous basis, respond as needed via email to participant inquiries on quality improvement, on application to geriatrics and gerontology, and on required report elements during the period of QI coaching. 2.2.e. Task Five. Enhance the quality improvement curriculum on the 6 monthly conference calls with topical information on key issues in geriatrics. These issues cannot be pre-specified, should reflect the interest and projects being undertaken by the learners and therefore require a broad knowledge base. 2.3. Minimum Qualifications. Potential candidate must have: 2.3.a. Broad knowledge bases such as a certificate in quality improvement. 2.3.b. At least 5 years of experience as a clinician practicing in field of gerontology and geriatrics. 2.3.c. Experience and expertise in quality improvement and/or implementation science focused on older adult population. 2.3.d. At least 4 years of Quality Improvement coaching. 2.3.e. Working knowledge of VA policy and practices as related to the delivery of quality improvement services, and, as these services relate to care of older adults with common geriatric syndromes, such as cognitive impairment. 2.4. Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure 2.4.a. The preliminary and final deliverables, and all associated working papers, application source code, and other material deemed relevant by VA which have been generated by the contractor in the performance of this contract, are the exclusive property of the U.S. Government and shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer at the conclusion of the contract. 2.4.b. The Contracting Officer will be the sole authorized official to release, verbally or in writing, any data, draft deliverables, final deliverables, or any other written or printed materials pertaining to this contract. No information shall be released by the contractor. Any request for information relating to this contract, presented to the contractor, shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer for response. 2.4.c. Press releases, marketing material, or any other printed or electronic documentation related to this project, shall not be publicized without the written approval of the Contracting Officer. 2.5. Period of Performance. The period of performance will be a base period from April 1, 2020 - March 31, 2021, with four option years. 2.6. VA Information and Information System Security/Privacy Language for Contracted Personnel. 2.6.a. General. 2.6.a.1. Contractors, contractor personnel, subcontractors, and subcontractor personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks as VA and VA personnel regarding information and information system security. 2.6.b. VAAR 852.273.75 - Security Requirements for Unclassified Information Technology Resources. 2.6.b.1. The contractor and their personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards and VA policies as VA personnel, regarding information and information system security. These include but are not limited to Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), Appendix III of OMB Circular A-130, and guidance and standards, available from the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This also includes the use of common security configurations available from NIST's Web site at: http://checklists.nist.gov. 2.6.b.2. To ensure that appropriate security controls are in place, Contractors must follow the procedures set forth in "VA Information and Information System Security/Privacy Requirements for IT Contracts" located at the following Web site: http://www.iprm.oit.va.gov. 2.6.c. Access to VA Information and VA Information Systems. 2.6.c.1. A contractor/subcontractor shall request logical (technical) or physical access to VA information and VA information systems for their employees, subcontractors, and affiliates only to the extent necessary to perform the services specified in the contract, agreement, or task order. 2.6.c.2. All contractors, subcontractors, and third-party servicers and associates working with VA information are subject to the same investigative requirements as those of VA appointees or employees who have access to the same types of information. The level and process of background security investigations for contractors must be in accordance with VA Directive and Handbook 0710, Personnel Suitability and Security Program. The Office for Operations, Security, and Preparedness is responsible for these policies and procedures. 2.6.c.3. Contract personnel who require access to national security programs must have a valid security clearance. National Industrial Security Program (NISP) was established by Executive Order 12829 to ensure that cleared U.S. defense industry contract personnel safeguard the classified information in their possession while performing work on contracts, programs, bids, or research and development efforts. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not have a Memorandum of Agreement with Defense Security Service (DSS). Verification of a Security Clearance must be processed through the Special Security Officer located in the Planning and National Security Service within the Office of Operations, Security, and Preparedness. 2.6.c.4. Custom software development and outsourced operations must be located in the U.S. to the maximum extent practical. If such services are proposed to be performed abroad and are not disallowed by other VA policy or mandates, the contractor/subcontractor must state where all non-U.S. services are provided and detail a security plan, deemed to be acceptable by VA, specifically to address mitigation of the resulting problems of communication, control, data protection, and so forth. Location within the U.S. may be an evaluation factor. 2.6.c.5. The contractor or subcontractor must notify the Contracting Officer immediately when an employee working on a VA system or with access to VA information is reassigned or leaves the contractor or subcontractor s employ. The Contracting Officer must also be notified immediately by the contractor or subcontractor prior to an unfriendly termination. 2.6.d. VA Information Custodial Language 2.6.d.1. Information made available to the contractor or subcontractor by VA for the performance or administration of this contract or information developed by the contractor/subcontractor in performance or administration of the contract shall be used only for those purposes and shall not be used in any other way without the prior written agreement of the VA. This clause expressly limits the contractor/subcontractor's rights to use data as described in Rights in Data - General, FAR 52.227-14(d) (1). 2.6.d.2. VA information should not be co-mingled, if possible, with any other data on the contractors/subcontractor s information systems or media storage systems in order to ensure VA requirements related to data protection and media sanitization can be met. If co-mingling must be allowed to meet the requirements of the business need, the contractor must ensure that VA s information is returned to the VA or destroyed in accordance with VA s sanitization requirements. VA reserves the right to conduct on site inspections of contractor and subcontractor IT resources to ensure data security controls, separation of data and job duties, and destruction/media sanitization procedures are in compliance with VA directive requirements. 2.6.d.3. Prior to termination or completion of this contract, contractor/subcontractor must not destroy information received from VA, or gathered/created by the contractor in the course of performing this contract without prior written approval by the VA. Any data destruction done on behalf of VA by a contractor/subcontractor must be done in accordance with National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements as outlined in VA Directive 6300, Records and Information Management and its Handbook 6300.1 Records Management Procedures, applicable VA Records Control Schedules, and VA Handbook 6500.1, Electronic Media Sanitization. Self-certification by the contractor that the data destruction requirements above have been met must be sent to the VA Contracting Officer within 30 days of termination of the contract. 2.6.d.4. The contractor/subcontractor must receive, gather, store, back up, maintain, use, disclose and dispose of VA information only in compliance with the terms of the contract and applicable Federal and VA information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies. If Federal or VA information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies become applicable to the VA information or information systems after execution of the contract, or if NIST issues or updates applicable FIPS or Special Publications (SP) after execution of this contract, the parties agree to negotiate in good faith to implement the information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies in this contract. 2.6.d.5. The contractor/subcontractor shall not make copies of VA information except as authorized and necessary to perform the terms of the agreement or to preserve electronic information stored on contractor/subcontractor electronic storage media for restoration in case any electronic equipment or data used by the contractor/subcontractor needs to be restored to an operating state. If copies are made for restoration purposes, after the restoration is complete, the copies must be appropriately destroyed. 2.6.d.6. If VA determines that the contractor has violated any of the information confidentiality, privacy, and security provisions of the contract, it shall be sufficient grounds for VA to withhold payment to the contractor or third party or terminate the contract for default or terminate for cause under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 12. 2.6.d.7. The contractor/subcontractor must store, transport, or transmit VA sensitive information in an encrypted form, using VA-approved encryption tools that are, at a minimum, FIPS 140-2 validated. 2.6.d.8. The contractor/subcontractor s firewall and Web services security controls, if applicable, shall meet or exceed VA s minimum requirements. VA Configuration Guidelines are available upon request. 2.6.d.9. Except for uses and disclosures of VA information authorized by this contract for performance of the contract, the contractor/subcontractor may use and disclose VA information only in two other situations: (i) in response to a qualifying order of a court of competent jurisdiction, or (ii) with VA s prior written approval. The contractor/subcontractor must refer all requests for, demands for production of, or inquiries about, VA information and information systems to the VA contracting officer for response. 2.6.d.10. Notwithstanding the provision above, the contractor/subcontractor shall not release VA records protected by Title 38 U.S.C. 5705, confidentiality of medical quality assurance records and/or Title 38 U.S.C. 7332, confidentiality of certain health records pertaining to drug addiction, sickle cell anemia, alcoholism or alcohol abuse, or infection with human immunodeficiency virus. If the contractor/subcontractor is in receipt of a court order or other requests for the above-mentioned information, that contractor/subcontractor shall immediately refer such court orders or other requests to the VA contracting officer for response. 2.6.e. Security Incident Investigation 2.6.e.1. The term security incident means an event that has, or could have, resulted in unauthorized access to, loss or damage to VA assets, or sensitive information, or an action that breaches VA security procedures. The contractor/subcontractor shall immediately notify the VA Point of Contact and simultaneously, the designated ISO and Privacy Officer for the contract of any known or suspected security/privacy incidents, or any unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, including that contained in system(s) to which the contractor/subcontractor has access. 2.6.e.2. To the extent known by the contractor/subcontractor, the contractor/subcontractor s notice to VA shall identify the information involved, the circumstances surrounding the incident (including to whom, how, when, and where the VA information or assets were placed at risk or compromised), and any other information that the contractor/subcontractor considers relevant. 2.6.e.3. With respect to unsecured protected health information, the business associate is deemed to have discovered a data breach when the business associate knew or should have known of a breach of such information. Upon discovery, the business associate must notify the covered entity of the breach. Notifications need to be made in accordance with the executed business associate agreement. 2.6.e.4. In instances of theft or break-in or other criminal activity, the contractor/subcontractor must concurrently report the incident to the appropriate law enforcement entity (or entities) of jurisdiction, including the VA OIG and Security and Law Enforcement. The contractor, its employees, and its subcontractors and their employees shall cooperate with VA and any law enforcement authority responsible for the investigation and prosecution of any possible criminal law violation(s) associated with any incident. The contractor/subcontractor shall cooperate with VA in any civil litigation to recover VA information, obtain monetary or other compensation from a third party for damages arising from any incident, or obtain injunctive relief against any third party arising from, or related to, the incident. 2.6.f. Liquidated Damages for Data Breach. 2.6.f.1. Consistent with the requirements of 38 U.S.C. - 5725, a contract may require access to sensitive personal information. If so, the contractor is liable to VA for liquidated damages in the event of a data breach or privacy incident involving any SPI the contractor/subcontractor processes or maintains under this contract. 2.6.f.2. The contractor/subcontractor shall provide notice to VA of a security incident as set forth in the Security Incident Investigation section above. Upon such notification, VA must secure from a non-Department entity or the VA Office of Inspector General an independent risk analysis of the data breach to determine the level of risk associated with the data breach for the potential misuse of any sensitive personal information involved in the data breach. The term 'data breach' means the loss, theft, or other unauthorized access, or any access other than that incidental to the scope of employment, to data containing sensitive personal information, in electronic or printed form, that results in the potential compromise of the confidentiality or integrity of the data. Contractor shall fully cooperate with the entity performing the risk analysis. Failure to cooperate may be deemed a material breach and grounds for contract termination. 2.6.f.3. Each risk analysis shall address all relevant information concerning the data breach, including the following: 2.6.f.3.1. Nature of the event (loss, theft, unauthorized access); 2.6.f.3.2. Description of the event, including: 2.6.f.3.2.a. date of occurrence; 2.6.f.3.2.b. data elements involved, including any PII, such as full name, social security number, date of birth, home address, account number, disability code; 2.6.f.3.3. Number of individuals affected or potentially affected; 2.6.f.3.4. Names of individuals or groups affected or potentially affected; 2.6.f.3.5. Ease of logical data access to the lost, stolen or improperly accessed data in light of the degree of protection for the data, e.g., unencrypted, plain text; 2.6.f.3.6. Amount of time the data has been out of VA control; 2.6.f.3.7. The likelihood that the sensitive personal information will or has been compromised (made accessible to and usable by unauthorized persons); 2.6.f.3.8. Known misuses of data containing sensitive personal information, if any; 2.6.f.3.9. Assessment of the potential harm to the affected individuals; 2.6.f.3.10. Data breach analysis as outlined in 6500.2 Handbook, Management of Security and Privacy Incidents, as appropriate; and 2.6.f.3.11. Whether credit protection services may assist record subjects in avoiding or mitigating the results of identity theft based on the sensitive personal information that may have been compromised. 2.6.f.4. Based on the determinations of the independent risk analysis, the contractor shall be responsible for paying to the VA liquidated damages in the amount of $37.50 per affected individual to cover the cost of providing credit protection services to affected individuals consisting of the following: 2.6.f.4.1. Notification; 2.6.f.4.2. One year of credit monitoring services consisting of automatic daily monitoring of at least 3 relevant credit bureau reports; 2.6.f.4.3. Data breach analysis; 2.6.f.4.4. Fraud resolution services, including writing dispute letters, initiating fraud alerts and credit freezes, to assist affected individuals to bring matters to resolution; 2.6.f.4.5. One year of identity theft insurance with $20,000.00 coverage at $0 deductible; and 2.6.f.4.6. Necessary legal expenses the subjects may incur to repair falsified or damaged credit records, histories, or financial affairs. 2.6.g. Training 2.6.g.1. All contractor employees and subcontractor employees requiring access to VA information and VA information systems shall complete the following before being granted access to VA information and its systems: 2.6.g.1.1. Sign and acknowledge (either manually or electronically) understanding of and responsibilities for compliance with the Contractor Rules of Behavior relating to access to VA information and information systems; 2.6.g.1.2. Successfully complete the VA Privacy and Information Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior training and annually complete required security/privacy training; and 2.6.g.1.3. Successfully complete any additional cyber security or privacy training, as required for VA personnel with equivalent information system access 2.6.g.2. The on line training courses are located at the following web site: https://www.ees-learning.net/ or if the user is provided a TMS account at the following web site: https://www.tms.va.gov/plateau/user/login.jsp. 2.6.g.3. The contractor shall provide to the contracting officer and/or the VA Point of Contact a copy of the training certificate and certification of signing the Contractor Rules of Behavior for each applicable employee within 1 week of the initiation of the contract and annually thereafter, as required. 2.6.g.4. Failure to complete the mandatory annual training and sign the Contractor Rules of Behavior annually, within the timeframe required, is grounds for suspension or termination of all physical or electronic access privileges and removal from work on the contract until such time as the training and documents are complete. 2.6.h. Contractor Personnel Security 2.6.h.1. Background Investigations and Special Agreement Checks (SAC) 2.6.h.1.1. All contractor employees are subject to the same level of investigation as VA employees who have access to VA Sensitive Information and VA information systems. The level of background investigation commensurate with the level of access needed to perform the statement of work is: low risk level and National Agency Check with Written Inquiries. This requirement is applicable to all subcontractor personnel requiring the same access. 2.6.h.1.2. The contractor employee is required to submit all requested paperwork to appropriate VA staff for the background investigation within requested timeframe. 2.6.h.2. Contractor Responsibilities. 2.6.h.2.1. The contractor shall bear the expense of obtaining background investigations. If the investigation is conducted by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) through the VA, the contractor shall reimburse the VA within 30 days. 2.6.h.2.2. Background investigations from investigating agencies other than OPM are permitted if the agencies possess an OPM and Defense Security Service certification. Security and Investigations Center staff will verify the information and advise the contracting officer whether access to the computer systems can be authorized. 2.6.h.2.3. The contractor shall prescreen all personnel requiring access to the computer systems to ensure they maintain a U.S. citizenship and are able to read, write, speak and understand the English language without the use of an interpreter. 2.6.h.2.4. The contractor, when notified of an unfavorable determination by the Government, shall withdraw the employee from consideration from working under the contract. 2.6.h.2.5. Failure to comply with the contractor personnel security requirements may result in termination of the contract for default. 2.6.h.2.6. The contractor will be responsible for the actions of all individuals provided to work for the VA under this contract. In the event that damages arise from work performed by contractor provided personnel, under the auspices of this contract, the contractor will be responsible for all resources necessary to remedy the incident. 2.6.h.3. Government Responsibilities. 2.6.h.3.1. The VA Security and Investigations Center (07C) will provide the necessary forms to the contractor or to the contractor's employees after receiving a list of names and addresses. 2.6.h.3.2. Upon receipt, the VA Security and Investigations Center (07C) will review the completed forms for accuracy and forward the forms to OPM to conduct the background investigation. 2.6.h.3.3. The VA facility will pay for investigations conducted by the OPM in advance. In these instances, the contractor will reimburse the VA facility within 30 days. 2.6.h.3.4. The VA Security and Investigations Center (07C) will notify the contracting officer and contractor after adjudicating the results of the background investigations received from OPM. 2.6.i. Internet/Intranet 2.6.i.1. The contractor shall comply with Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Directive 6102 and VA Handbook 6102 (Internet/Intranet Services). 2.6.i.2. VA Directive 6102 sets forth policies and responsibilities for the planning, design, maintenance support, and any other functions related to the administration of a VA Internet/Intranet Service Site or related service (hereinafter referred to as Internet). This directive applies to all organizational elements in the Department. This policy applies to all individuals designing and/or maintaining VA Internet Service Sites; including but not limited to full time and part time employees, contractors, interns, and volunteers. This policy applies to all VA Internet/Intranet domains and servers that utilize VA resources. This includes but is not limited to va.gov and other extensions such as, .com, .edu, .mil, .net, .org, and personal Internet service pages managed from individual workstations. 2.6.i.3. VA Handbook 6102 establishes Department-wide procedures for managing, maintaining, establishing, and presenting VA Internet/Intranet Service Sites or related services (hereafter referred to as Internet ). The handbook implements the policies contained in VA Directive 6102, Internet/Intranet Services. This includes, but is not limited to, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), Web pages, Active Server Pages (ASP), e-mail forums, and list servers. 2.6.i.4. VA Directive 6102 and VA Handbook 6102 are available at: Internet/Intranet Services Directive 6102 http://www1.va.gov/vapubs/viewPublication.asp?Pub_ID=409&FType=2 Internet/Intranet Services Handbook 6102 http://www1.va.gov/vapubs/viewPublication.asp?Pub_ID=410&FType=2 2.6.i.5. In addition, any technologies that enable a Network Delivered Application (NDA) to access or modify resources of the local machine that are outside of the browser's sand box" are strictly prohibited. Specifically, this prohibition includes signed-applets or any ActiveX controls delivered through a browser's session. ActiveX is expressly forbidden within the VA while .NET is allowed only when granted a waiver by the VA CIO *PRIOR* to use. 2.6.i.6. JavaScript is the preferred language standard for developing relatively simple interactions (i.e., forms validation, interactive menus, etc.) and Applets (J2SE APIs and Java Language) for complex network delivered applications. 2.7. Additional Notes. 2.7.a. The C&A requirements do not apply for this contract, and a Security Accreditation Package is not required. 2.7.b. No VA sensitive information will be used or transmitted in the conducting of this project. 3. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2019-05, dated 8/13/2019. The following provisions and clauses apply to this solicitation and can be found in enclosure 2. 3.a. FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors Commercial Items 3.b. FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation -- Commercial Items 3.c. FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions -- Commercial Items 3.d. FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes Or Executive Orders -- Commercial Items 3.e FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services 3.f. FAR 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract 3.g. FAR 52.233-2, Service of Protest 3.h. VAAR 852.233-70, Protest Content/Alternative Dispute Resolution 3.i. VAAR 852.233-71, Alternative Protest Procedure 4. Submit written offers in accordance with the following instructions, as well as Addendum to FAR 52.212-1, Instruction to Offerors. Oral offers will not be accepted. Complete and submit enclosure 1 via email no later than 10am PDT Monday November 21, 2019 to contact@example.gov. Ensure the following are completed and/or included in the quote packet: 4.3.a. Vendor Information 4.3.b. Acknowledgement of amendments 4.3.c. Concurrence/non-concurrence with solicitation terms, conditions, and provisions 4.3.d. Schedule of services 4.3.e. FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications -- Commercial Items