12-250-SOL-00107 PCCr.docx

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Public Health Service

Health Resources and Services Administration Office of Acquisitions Management and Policy 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 13A-55 Rockville, MD 20857

May 14, 2012

Dear Offerors:

You are invited to submit a quote in accordance with the requirements of FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures under Request for Quote (RFQ) 12-250-SOL-00107. This requirement will support the operation of the National Control Poison Centers with after hours on-call telecommunications assistance for the national toll-free phone number. A firm fixed price order under NAICS Code 541611 is anticipated. See the SF 18 and Attachment A for specific proposal instructions and evaluation criteria. This is a Total Small Business Set-Aside.

One (1) original and three (3) copies of your proposal must be received no later than 10:00 am EST by May 30, 2012 at the following address:

Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Office of Acquisitions Management and Policy Parklawn Building, Room 13A-55 5600 Fishers Lane Rockville, MD 20857 Attn: Chris Hager

RFQ: 12-250-SOL-00107

Questions must be submitted in writing (fax or email) by 10:00 am EST, May 22, 2012. Questions submitted after the due date will not be accepted.

This RFQ does not commit the Government to pay any costs for the preparation and submission of a proposal. It is also brought to your attention that the Contracting Officer is the only individual who can legally commit the Government to expenditure of public funds in connection with this proposed acquisition.

Your proposal must provide a contact name and number, your company name and complete address, including street, city, county, state, zip code, Tax Identification Number (TIN), and Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS). Please note that FAR 52.204-6 Contractor Identification Number Date Universal System (DUNS Number) requires you to submit a DUNS number for your company along with your offer. If you do not have a DUNS number, you are requested to contact Dun and Bradstreet Information Services at 1-800-333-0505 to obtain one. Please include this information on the first page of your business proposal. If the address is different from the address to which payment should be mailed you must also include the complete payment address.

Request for any information concerning this RFP should be addressed to Mr. Chris Hager, Contract Specialist at Chager1@hrsa.gov or at (301) 443-5131.. Discussion with any other individual outside of the Office of Acquisitions Management and Policy may result in rejection of a potential Offeror’s proposal.

Sincerely, Francis R. Murphy Contracting Officer

Attachment A: Statement of Work

ATTACHMENT A: STATEMENT OF WORK

A. Background

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Poison Control Program (PCP) was established in February 2000 under the Poison Center Enhancement and Awareness Act. Funds were appropriated in FY 2001 to carry out the purposes of the Act. The program was reauthorized in 2003 under the Poison Control Center Enhancement and Awareness Act, Amendments of 2003 and reauthorized again in 2008 under the Poison Center Support, Enhancement, and Awareness Act of 2008. The PCP administers the national poison toll-free number to access poison control center (PCC) services, provides grants to PCCs to enhance their services and infrastructure, encourages collaboration among PCCs and public health organizations, and implements a national public information campaign to promote the national toll-free number.

The vision of HRSA’s PCP is to ensure universal access to quality poison control and prevention services. The mission of this program is to ensure that the residents of the U.S. and the territories it serves have access to high quality poison control services by providing funds to improve PCCs across the U.S. and facilitating collaboration among PCCs and other health care partners.

The national poison toll-free number, 1-800-222-1222, was launched in January 2002. The number is designed to provide universal access to the 57 poison centers across the Unites States. When using the toll-free number, callers are directed to the closest PCC in their region. This contract will ensure access to PCC services, troubleshoot problems on the toll-free hotline, handle emergency and non-emergency routing changes, and provide reports on the hotline usage during non-business hours. Currently, there is a government telecommunications team in place whose role is to ensure access to PCC services, troubleshoot problems on the toll-free hotline, handle emergency and non-emergency routing changes, and provide reports on the hotline usage. The telecommunication team operates during normal business hours. This contract will continue to ensure 24/7 access to the national toll-free number by providing these services after normal business hours..

B. Purpose and Scope This requirement is for the purpose of ensuring continued access to poison control center (PCC) services through the national poison toll-free hotline, 800-222-1222. The contractor will troubleshoot problems on the toll-free hotline, handle emergency and non-emergency routing changes, and provide reports on the hotline usage during non-business hours. Non-business hours are defined as 6:30 pm to 8:30 am EST Monday through Friday, and 24 hours per day on weekends and Federal Government holidays. Applicant may be asked to perform tasks outside hours specified in this contract to cover for unscheduled leave and vacations. Covered vacation times shall not exceed 2 weeks per contract year. The contractor will also function as a liaison between the PCCs and HRSA’s telecommunication vendor; maintain a toll-free hotline tracking system; and modify the routing tree as needed. The contractor must possess knowledge of the PCC toll-free routing tree and backup mechanisms, the ability to troubleshoot call volume interruptions, and a working knowledge of the telecommunication software used to generate usage reports for grantees (Verizon Network Manager)

C. Scope of Work/Description of Task

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

All work done under this contract shall be conducted under the general guidance and monitoring of the Contracting Officer’s Representative. The Government shall supply the contractor with a cellular phone, air card, and laptop with internet and virus protection. The contractor shall provide the necessary supplies, materials, and equipment, not otherwise provided by the Government under the terms of this contract. Specifically, the contractor shall fulfill the objectives of this contract by performing the tasks listed below during the hours of 6:30 pm to 8:30 am EST Monday through Friday, and 24 hours per day on weekends and Federal Government holidays (a list of Federal Government holidays are available upon request). Applicant may be asked to perform task outside hours specified in this contract to cover for unscheduled leave and vacations. Covered vacation times shall not exceed 2 weeks per contract year. In addition, on rare weekdays, applicant shall provide coverage over a period of 24 hours. Such coverage will not exceed 5 days over the course of the current year.

Task 1. Teleconference with Project Officer (PO)

The contractor shall:

a. Teleconference with the project officer within 10 business days of the contract award for a kick-off session. This teleconference will be determined at a specific date and time between the project officer and the contractor.

b. Attend monthly teleconference with PO to discuss day to day operations.

Task 2. Poison Help Hotline Help Desk Liaison

The contractor shall control the help desk during the hours of 6:30 pm to 8:30 am EST Monday through Friday, 24 hours per day on weekends, and Federal Government holidays (a list of Federal Government holidays are available upon request). Applicant may be asked to perform task outside hours specified in this contract to cover for unscheduled leave and vacations. Covered vacation times shall not exceed 2 weeks per contract year. The duties include but are not limited to:

a.. Perform routing transactions upon request;

b. Participate in Poison Control Program quarterly teleconferences;

c. Troubleshoot with telecom team members as necessary in order to solve problems proactively;

d. Troubleshoot with Verizon to resolve routing and service issue or any other issues affecting public access to PCCs;

e. Communicate with PCCs to initiate routing changes or resolve routing issues;

f. Create and provide call and usage reports weekly from Verizon software.

For estimation purposes for this solicitation, 20 requests for assistance (a,b,c,d and e) per month can be used. This number is neither a minimum or maximum level of assistance that shall be provided under an award.

Government Property to Be Provided: Cellular Phone, Laptop & Air Card with Internet Access and Virus Protection

D: SCHEDULE OF DELIVERABLES

E: GENERAL PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

This award is anticipated to be for a Base Period of 12 months with two Option Periods of 12 months each. The Offeror shall propose a Firm Fixed Price quote for each 12 month period which will be invoiced monthly per the instructions on the SF 18 for this solicitation. Section C lists Government Property that shall be provided free of charge to the Awardee for duties defined under this requirement. Payment instructions are included on Page 2 of the SF 18, Numbers 1 through 5.

E : TECHNICAL PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

Offerors proposals should, at a minimum, address the following major areas.

Understanding and Statement of the Intent and Functions of the Project

The proposal shall demonstrate, in the offerors own words, the technical approach to meet each of the requirements specified under the Statement of Work, including the following items:

1. A tailored statement of the purpose and scope of the project to demonstrate complete understanding of the intent and requirements project;

2. A detailed description of the content of each task to be performed to achieve the project objectives. Relevant questions and variables stemming from the statement of work should be discussed; and

3. A discussion of the methodology to be used for scheduling of times for each task.

Technical Approach

The proposal shall specify the types of qualifications (in terms of training, professional experience and specific technical accomplishments essential to the performance of the project) that are relevant to the requirement. A resume and a description of key functions proposed for carrying out the project shall be provided. The offeror shall document the following related experience:

1. Historical and current knowledge and experience in working with toll-free numbers;

2. Knowledge of creating telephone routing trees and extracting and sorting telecommunications data;

3. Demonstrated experience identifying, mobilizing, and troubleshooting with technical consultants and vendors;

4. Demonstrated experience producing toll-free data call and usage reports for national dissemination; and

5. Recognition and basic understanding of the importance of the hotline as it relates to poisoning health outcomes.

Management Plan

The offeror shall include a narrative work plan that will ensure continued access to PCC services during the assigned time periods identified in this solicitation. .

F. PRICE QUOTE INSTRUCTIONS

The Offeror’s price quote shall be a Firm Fixed price amount for the Base Year and for each Option Period.

The price quote shall include the following sections on the Standard Form 18, Request for Quotations:

Block 8 Name and address of your organization

Block 11 Enter the Tax ID number and the DUNS number for your organization

Block 13 State the name and contact information for additional communication regarding the quote.

Block 14 Signature of a person authorized to commit the organization to the quote.

Block 16 Printed name of a person authorized to commit the organization to the quote.

F. EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

The proposal will be evaluated utilizing the following criteria and weights as they relate to the Technical Proposal Instructions:

Criteria Weight

Understanding & Statement of Intent...… ……..…….……..…………… 40%

Technical Approach………………………….…………..…………..…….40%

Management Plan………………………………………………………….20%

100%

The evaluation of quotes will use “Best Value Criteria” as defined in FAR 15.204-5(c)). The Best Value is the most advantageous offer, price and other factors considered, and consistent with the Government’s stated importance of the technical evaluation criteria.

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