USDA Medical Unit RFP QnA.pdf

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Operations (OO)

RFP 12314421R0009

Question & Answer (Q&A)

1. SOW Pages 23-24: It states in the overview of the solicitation that the Contractor is to staff and operate the USDA Medical Unit as an onsite medical clinic, however in the Terms and Conditions section of the SOW, it states that the Contractor “must provide their own office and medical supplies, tools, and equipment” and “must maintain valid health care facility licenses, permits, and certification in compliance with all state and federal health and safety regulations, which set forth minimum standards for the delivery of care.” It is recommended to remove the contradicting statement in the Terms and Conditions as it is noted in the overview that the Contractor would be working out of an USDA Medical Clinic.

A: There is no contradiction here. The sentence that contains the first phrase can’t be taken out of context with the paragraph and the section in which it is contained. The SOW has been updated: “To meet these objectives, the contractor must establish and operate the USDA Medical Clinic as their own utilizing the space provided by USDA.”

2. SOW Pages 20: Does the contractor need to be a CLIA-approved lab, or can the samples be sent out to a contracted CLIA-approved lab?

A: Yes, the sample can be sent out a CLIA-approved lab. Change to the SOW to reflect this has been made.

3. SOW page 23: How many FTE of each required labor category are required to fulfill the three clinics?

A: This should be determined by the contractor. Changes to the SOW has been made to make this clear.

4. SOW Pages 23-24: Does USDA already have a EHR and scheduling system in place that could be used moving forward with this contract?

A: No.

5. SF 1449 Pages 1-2 and SOW Pages 24: As this is a 100% Small-Business set-aside, having 13 contracts as an in-network service provider with the requested 13 insurance companies is rare. How does the USDA plan on working around this contractual issue?

A: No, the requirement is valid.

6. Instruction for quote submittal Page 56: In the Submission Requirements section of the SOW, it is stated that the “offeror shall submit documentation that identifies the offeror as meeting licenses requirements for medical facilities in both Washington D.C. and Maryland.” Please clarify that all services are being provided in USDA Medical Clinics, which would make this statement irrelevant.

A: The requirement is still valid. The SOW had been modified to reflect this.

7. Instruction for quote submittal Page 56: In the Submission Requirements section of the SOW, it is stated that “the offeror shall submit documentation that identified the offeror as meeting credentialing requirements as a Magnet recognized organization designation through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANNC).” It is recommended to remove that statement, as many small businesses are not Magnet recognized organizations.

A: This requirement has been removed from the evaluation criteria.

8. In conjunction with question 4a, in the Submission Requirements (page 56-57); would the USDA reduce the contractors contract performance from three (3) years to one (1) year of direct experience?

A: USDA will keep the three (3) year past experience requirement.

9. Is there a preferred preference on licensure [MD or NP] to complete the pre-employment physicals, return to work physicals, or physicians?

A: There is no preference, if the NP has the credentials for the jurisdiction in which the services are performed.

10. How are the services referred to the clinic? For example, if drug and alcohol screening is order for an employee how will the clinic receive that order.

A: Orders for drug and alcohol screening are normally coordinated through Office of Human Resource Management and the employee’s supervisor. Most other services are self-referred.

11. Are there any reporting templates for reporting data back to USDA?

A: Not at this time. But at least assume an Excel based solution. SOW has been updated.

12. How often is the clinic expected to provide reporting data back to USDA?

A: Per the SOW on ‘a quarterly on an ad hoc bases’.

13. Would the contractor be responsible for building maintenance?

14. Are the potential contractors permitted to do site visits between now and July 2?

A: Pictures will be attached of the USDA Whitten Building and South Building Health Unit. The GWCC location in Beltsville, MD is currently under construction. We only have the floor plan that is located in the attachments section of the RFP.

15. If the clinics can be operated with the Nurse Practitioner onsite with a Physician offsite serving as a backup is this permissible? Or is it mandatory that both a Physician and Nurse Practitioner be always onsite during daily operation?

A: The clinics can be operated with the Nurse Practitioner onsite with a Physician offsite serving as a backup as long as they are licensed in the two jurisdictions.

16. Can a Physician Assistant be used in place of the Nurse Practitioner?

17. Must the Physician and Nurse Practitioner have a license in both MD and DC, or can they have a license for just one of those areas?

A: They must be licensed in the state/District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) where they will be preforming their duties.

18. Does USDA currently have an EHR system? If not does USDA want the contractor to develop and implement an EHR system?

A: The contractor must establish and maintain a certified Electronic Health Recordkeeping (EHR). The SOW has been modified to make this clear.

19. Are the health facility licenses, permits, and certifications current or have they lapsed since the clinic has been closed?

A: The facility currently does not have any licenses, permits, or certifications.

20. The RFP states the contractor will provide a “full-service medical unit” to support Government employees “or others” while at the USDA facilities or on the grounds. This is further defined as Extended/Urgent Care. (Page 16 of 64 Service Description).

A: Question wasn’t clear, question is described as a statement.

21. Is the contractor required to establish a traditional Urgent Care Clinic/Center that meets the criteria of the American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine and/or the Urgent Care Association of America? Please define. (Page 19 of 64 Extended / Urgent Care).

A: The contractor is required to establish a traditional Urgent Care Clinic/Center that meets the minimum LEVEL IV classification as defined by the National Urgent Care Center Accreditation with certain exceptions and additional requirements as define in this solicitation.

22. Under the SOW “Trends and Data”: the government included workload data for 2019 but none for 2020. It also states that “currently there are no medical staff on board.”

a. Have the clinics been closed since 2020?

A: The clinic was closed late 2019; early 2020.

b. Will the Government please identify the incumbent contractor(s) in 2019?

A: There is no incumbent contractor for this requirement.

23. The usage data for 2019 identifies over 3000 encounters for “medical assessment.”

(Page 17 of 64).

a. Will the Government please define this category, and A: Medical Assessment is some type of illness and impairment.

b. Are services provided under this category paid by the government?

A: At that time, yes.

24. Physical examinations for pre-employment and return-to-work are included under Basic Care Services and Extended/Urgent Care. (Page 18 of 64). Will the Government please clarify who pays for the services?

A: USDA will pay for these services for FED Employees only under Basic Care Services.

For non Federal employees the services will be paid for by the employee or their insurance provider under Extended Care services.

25. Does the Government have an onsite CLIA-Waived Laboratory? (Page 20 of 64 (Lab Test)).

A: No. The contractor must establish an on-site CLIA lab or subcontract with an offsite CLIA lab to provide test results.

26. Will the government pay for the routine annual wellness physicals for DOT and security detail staff? (Page 21 of 64).

A: No. All Extended Care Services are paid for via the employee’s health care insurance provider.

27. Obtaining approval by insurance companies as “in-network providers” could take several months to a year depending on the insurance plan. Will the Government allow for a transition period to meet this requirement? (Page 24 of 64 In-network service provider requirement).

A: The contractor should already have these relationships. The USDA Medical Unit would just be an additional location. Although they are providing services at the USDA locations, they should have the capable to bill insurance providers through their existing relationships.

28. Will the Government please confirm that there currently exists no government furnished supplies, tools or equipment (GFE) for the clinics? If there exists GFE for the clinic will the government please provide a listing of the available GFE? (Page 59 of 64 Request for Pricing Start-Up Costs).

A: USDA shall provide basic office furnishing and equipment (desk, chairs, telephones, computers, printers, file cabinets, etc). The contractor shall provide any and all other specialized medical tools and equipment necessary to fulfil the obligations of the contract.

29. Will the Government please confirm that there currently exists no government furnished office furniture or equipment or please provide a listing of any existing or available furniture or equipment? (Page 59 of 64 Request for Pricing Start-Up Costs).

A: See question 28 above.

30. May the offeror assume that start-up cost associated with building the clinic infrastructure including equipment, supplies, tools and an electronic health record system for billing/coding are allowable direct charge expenditures to the government?

(Page 59 of 64 Request for Pricing Start-Up Costs).

A: Yes. However, general office supplies are considered consumable products covered under operation costs. They are not considered a capital expense associated with start-up cost. Any capital expense necessary to stand-up the facility would be an allowable direct charge expenditure to the government under the Request for Pricing Start-Up Costs.

31. Will the Government be providing IT support for connection/wiring of the Clinic and Office equipment to the necessary USDA IT infrastructure? (Page 59 of 64 Request for Pricing Start-up Costs).

A: USDA will provide all IT infrastructure services and support including internet connectivity, wiring, computers, network security, data storage, etc.

32. The Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) is $7.5 million. Will the government please clarify whether this estimate includes the cost of the base period plus all 4 option years as well as the cost of the base period start-up? (Page 56 of 64 IGCE).

A: Yes. This is only the Government’s estimate, doesn’t necessary mean the procurement will end up being valued at this amount.