ConsolidatedQ A 2009 10 dm.doc

CONSOLIDATED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS REGARDING

Solicitation No.2009-10-dm, “Student/Resident Experiences and Rotations in Community Health (SEARCH).”

PAST PERFORMANCE/NAICS CODES

· On page 37 please consider paragraphs #1 and #2. It appears as if paragraph #2 should be explaining who we should be sending the letters for past performance to. However, paragraphs #1 and #2 are two distinct tasks (#1 – have 5 letters from organizations that have contracted with us, #2 – list all past and recent contracts we have received whether or not we ask for a letter from them). Is this what you intended?

· On page 37 please consider paragraphs #1 and #2. Will you confirm who we are to send the past performance questionnaire to? The two paragraphs appear to present two distinct yet related ideas?

· On page 37 paragraph #2, 2nd sentence, will you please define commercial concerns? Can this include grant agreements with defined outcomes/deliverables?

· Page 37 D.A Past Performance Proposal Instructions – The RFP states “A list of the last five (5) contracts completed during the past three (3) years and all contracts currently in process that are similar in nature to the solicitation work scope.” What does HRSA consider to be a contract? Does HRSA consider a grant a contract?

· 2. For the Past Performance Questionnaire and Letter section, are there guidelines on what constitutes work that is "similar in nature". For example in our AHEC network we have some grants for community based interventions that do not involve students or residents, but do involve community health centers. Should this type of work be considered similar enough to include in the Past Performance evaluation?

· The first paragraph refers to at least 5 recent and relevant previous clients. Can that include entities with whom the organization has a working relationship other than a contract?

· The second paragraph refers to the last five contracts completed during the past three years and all current contracts that are “similar in nature to the solicitation work scope.” In regards to work scope, are you looking for experience in academic-community relationships, recruitment of providers, linkages between medical students and health centers?

· The information required for each contract includes a NAICS Code. What if we do not know the NAICS code for our past and current contractors?

· The NAICS code is listed as 611310, “Colleges, Universities and Professional Schools.” Will entities other than colleges, universities and professional schools be considered for the SEARCH contract award?

· When listing last 5 contracts completed in the business proposal, it asks for NAICS codes for the contractors. We deal with grantors, not contractors. We don’t have NAICS numbers. Can we submit the grantor list without the NAICS codes?

· The RFP states that the contractors shall independently and not as an agent of the Government provide all necessary services, etc. Does this mean that state government entities are not eligible for this opportunity?

· (Omitted) has been funded for the SEARCH program previously. Can HRSA provide a reference for our previous SEARCH contract to include in the Past Performance section? If so, to whom should we send the Past Performance questionnaire?

ANSWERS TO PAST PERFORMANCE QUESTIONS

Relevant Past Performance is what should be evaluated by those entities who complete the questionnaires. In addition to being a Contractor, that performance may be as a Grantee, a participant in a Cooperative Agreement or in a formal Peer to Peer relationship. Health Care Education relationships and functions would be the most relevant considering the scope of this Solicitation. Previous HRSA contracts or grants can be used as a basis for a questionnaire. If your organization participated in the SEARCH contracts during FY 05 through FY 08, the contract file itself is proof positive of acceptable Past Performance.

The NAICS code requirements listed in the Solicitation can be disregarded. State and Local Government offices are encouraged to submit proposals as well Primary Care Associations, Area Health Education Centers or Health Networks in addition to “Colleges, Universities and Professional Schools”. It is also not mandatory to provide the NAICS code for those who complete the Past Performance Questionaires.

ADMINISTRATIVE AND DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS

· What is the rationale for releasing this as a contract instead of a grant or a cooperative agreement? Answer: In the best interests of the Government.

· It states that “Your proposal should be received by the Contracting Officer no later than at 10:00 AM. local prevailing time on 20 July 2009. If I overnight the package on Friday, July 17th – UPS shows it will arrive on Saturday, July 18th at 8:00 am. Is this enough time for the package to get through security? Answer: Delivery to the Contracting Office by the required time of 10:00 AM EDT on Friday, July 17 will be considered “timely”. See FAR 15.208 for additional information.

· The project period is listed as one-year, with two-possible extensions. In addition, the narrative accompanying the RFP indicated that contracts would be awarded prior to the end of the current Federal Fiscal Year. Might we infer that the project period would correspond to fiscal years, beginning roughly 10/1/09? Answer: There is no fixed start date for the Award. The Period of Performance for the Base Year of a potential award could start in FY 09 or FY 10.

· As a potential awardee of this contract are we considered a “First-tier subcontractor”? Answer: No.

· Page 17, Section H.6, Homeland Security Presidential Directive: Is the work to be performed by SEARCH personnel considered as requiring access to sensitive data, and therefore are SEARCH personnel in need of security clearance? Answer: No. There is Federal Security clearance required for Contractor staff or SEARCH participants.

· On the “Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of Offerors or Quoters”, Item 3, Primary Care Associations and the partners we expect to partner with such as Area Health Education Centers, medical and other health professional schools, Community Health Centers do not qualify as any type of small business. Is this a disadvantage for the solicitation proposal? Answer: No. This Solicitation does not have Small Business Set-Aside requirements.

· The FAR clauses include requirements to post certain notices, such as employee rights regarding payment of union dues. Does this requirement extend to subcontractors? Answer: No.

· Since FAR 52.204-7 is listed in the solicitation, please clarify why there is an option regarding the “Annual Representations and Certifications”. Answer: It is a requirement that a potential Contractor be registered with www.ccr.gov (Central Contractor Registration). If not registered already, you must register at once. There is sufficient time to register prior to the Due Date for responses to this Solicitation.

· 3. On page 36, (1) on the lower portion of the page, "If applicable, the point of contact, name, and address of the cognizant Government audit agency."Is this applicable to our application? If so, what would the cognizant Government audit agency be in this case? Answer: It is applicable only if you have been the subject of a financial audit by a Federal agency.

· Is all language of subcontractors (specifically as stated bottom of page 34) referring to major subcontractors? Answer: See FAR 52.244-2 (Subcontracts) for a complete description of definitions and requirements for Subcontracting.

· Is color acceptable in the submitted proposal? Answer: Yes.

BUSINESS PROPOSAL ISSUES

· * What is the approximate amount of funding available for the SEARCH program and how many contracts do your intend to award?

· * What is the range of award amounts per contract?

· * What is the average dollar amount of spending per SEARCH learner? Answer: There is no fixed or set amount; an average historical figure is not available.

· Would it be possible to get some fiscal parameters (perhaps from existing, funded contracts) to include things like the average size of the contract, the number of expected contracts to be funded, the total amount of funding available nationwide for this work, etc?

· Page 34 – Business Proposal Can letters of support be included as attachments to either the business or technical proposal? Answer: Yes

· What is considered a copy of “actual payroll records”? Answer: Self-evident, personal identification data may be redacted if required or desired.

· Is there any requirement to price labor at “prevailing wage rates”? If so, does this also apply to subcontractors? Answer: No. Actual wages and salaries are required for this Solicitation as it is a Cost Plus Fixed Fee award.

· Please explain what a “CASB Disclosure Statement” is. Answer: Cost Accounting Standards Board Disclosure Statement, in your case, in the format of CASB DS-2

· The solicitation guidance states that “fixed-price type contracts” will result. Are there available guidelines for the “fixed-fee” line item on the Cost Proposal Format? Answer: No.

· Is pre-proposal technical assistance available for offerors who are not completely familiar with the expected formats and tables so that sufficient information is presented in the correct form? Answer: No. The Solicitation itself and this consolidated response to questions will be the only direct assistance provided prior to the Proposal Due Date.

· Page, 42 under M.1 Award Criteria, states that “This is a best value procurement.” Question: Based on this statement we would like to know: 1) how much funding was available in the most recent prior federal fiscal year that SEARCH grants were awarded; and 2) how many SEARCH grants were awarded during that fiscal year?

· the RFP doesn't provide information on the available funding or expected award per contractor. Are you expecting one contractor per state, or at this time are you seeking a vendor(s) to manage the program nationally and/or regionally? How much funding is available and what dollar amount should applicants use in preparing the budget?

· The RFP indicates that the Technical Proposal should not exceed 30 pages including attachments and resumes. What is the page limit for the Business Proposal?

ANSWERS TO BUSINESS PROPOSAL QUESTIONS

From September 2004 until June 2008, there existed 21 awards to various entities under the SEARCH program. The average award size for the final 12 month period was $354,600 per Contractor. The range of award size for the final 12 month period was from a low of $ 233,000 to a high of $ 506, 900. During the first year of the SEARCH contract program (FY 05), the average award per 12 month period was $184,000. Obligated funding for the base year under the current Solicitation is approximately $4.6 M. Since only the Base Year has obligated funding, no information about funding in the Option periods can be provided at this time. Both the number of awardees and geographic areas of scope will be determined by the proposals received as well as during the Technical and Business review processes. There is no limit on the length of the Business portion of a proposal, however; only the information required by the Solicitation is to be provided in your Proposal.

For the Option periods, you should use the same assumptions and calculations that you utilized for the Base Year regarding the Tasks and Deliverables. You may take into account any established or projected increases in salary or other costs for the Option periods but you must identify the specific rationale for these cost increases.

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL ISSUES

· With pharmacy in such great demand, would SEARCH consider piloting programs for pharmacy student rotations in underserved locations? A: No, that does not fall under the requirements of this solicitation.

· Question: What would a Laboratory Director or Medical Director do to enhance the SEARCH program? Question: As I write my proposal, should I refer to staff as the titles you have listed – Project Director, Laboratory Director, Medical Director and coordinator? Or can I use the current titles staff already has? Section G.2, Key Personnel: Must the four positions listed (Project Director, Laboratory Director, Medical Director and Coordinator) all be filled for the SEARCH Program? It does not seem that a Laboratory Director or a Medical Director are essential positions for this program. Answer: Only one Key Person is required to be identified, that of the Project Director. Any and all others are optional.

· Question: What disciplines are included in the definition of primary care? Answer: Physicians (MD or DO) in the following specialties: family medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, general internal medicine, geriatrics, general pediatrics, or general psychiatry; Primary Care Certified Nurse Practitioners (NPs) who specialize in adult, family, pediatric, psychiatry/mental health, geriatrics, or women’s health; Certified Nurse-Midwives (NMs);Physician Assistants (PAs) who specialize in Primary Care; General Practice Dentists (DMD or DDS); Pediatric Dentists

· Question: What disciplines are included in the definition of mental health? Answer: Physicians (MD or DO) specializing in general psychiatry; Health Service Psychologists; Licensed Clinical Social Workers; Psychiatric Nurse Specialists; Marriage and Family Therapists; Licensed Professional Counselors

· Question: The RFP states “The Contractor shall document in its progress report how the community, clinical and mentoring relationships have helped participants to strengthen systems of care in HPSAs.” Are the “participants” the students? How are they expected to strengthen systems of care? Answer: The students are the participants. It is up to you to explain the methods and metrics to measure how SEARCH can strengthen care.

· Question: Will our assessments that we have done of sites be usable or have to been redone? The assessment tool we have been using was patterned after previous SEARCH requirements and they appear to be similar to current requirements. Answer: Previous assessments are acceptable for this Solicitation.

· This paragraph states that any external publication, audiovisual, exhibit or public affairs services produced through this contract must have HRSA clearance which takes approximately 4 weeks. Would this include any brochures, applications, etc. that are produced for the SEARCH program? If so, a four-week clearance process would seriously impair the ability to get the program started quickly. This paragraph requires that printing of publications developed under a SEARCH contract be done by the Government Printing Office. Is that true for printing informational brochures and applications for the program? A section refers to needing approval by the congressional Joint Committee on Printing in order to bypass the Government Printing Office when producing documents/publications. Would this section apply to SEARCH contracts as far as the printing of brochures, applications, etc.? Answer: The clearance requirement for publications and communications applies only to items funded by this contract. You may use other funding sources for these types of marketing and communication means.

· This section requires that the Contractor state on all reports required by the contract that data used to compile the reports were collected pursuant to a contract with DHHS/HRSA Healthcare Systems Bureau, Division of Transplantation. Does this section apply to SEARCH contracts? Answer: No. You may be disregard.

· Is there opportunity to submit invoices electronically? Answer: No. Although payments will be made electronically, invoicing must be submitted hard copy per the Solicitation.

· Question: What definition (federal or State) for Rural and Frontier is being used for this Request for Proposal and subsequent quarterly reporting? Answer: The Federal definition.

· Question: Should there be a broad plan for the program concerning logistics, travel and communication; then narrow the plan for the student concerning the clinical rotation. Answer: Yes

· P. 48, Task 4: What precisely is requested by: Contractor shall submit a list of participants for the SEARCH program. We take this to mean potential students/residents with an interest in SEARCH placements- a listing of our supply of specific students “ready to go.” Answer: That is correct.

· What is meant by allied health? A: Although there are more disciplines commonly defined as allied health professionals, for purposes of the SEARCH program, only Dental Hygienists and Social Workers are considered Allied Health professionals.

· What is meant by implement classroom learning in a clinical site? What depth is required in the education experience? Answer : During clinical rotations, clinical preceptors (on-site clinical educators) will routinely ask participants to draw on topics learned during the didactic portion of their training. This information and training will be put to practical application. The depth of the education required is dependent on the type of clinical experience that is being proposed by the Offeror. The Offeror should take into account the student or resident’s year in their program and their discipline when proposing a program.

· What are the expectations of work in multidisciplinary teams? A: Students and residents are taught early in their respective health professional education programs that there are many component parts that make up a health care team and these component parts come from different disciplines. Additionally, these different disciplines are necessary to improve health outcomes of patients. It is expected that the team will work together for the benefit and well being of the patient.

· Could telemedicine be included in the project to include Frontier areas which are not currently served by multidisciplinary teams? A: Telemedicine may be one component of a SEARCH participant’s training, but the primary purpose of this Program is on-hands clinical training.

· There is reference to preference being given to program participants who are NHSC Scholars is there a process by which the contractor can learn of NHSC Scholars currently serving in the field? A: The NHSC is currently revising its personally identifiable information (PII) policies to include access to this information by SEARCH contractors. Additionally, SEARCH contractors may be able to access this information through Residency Directors, Rotational Supervisors, and Faculty at universities and colleges who know of NHSC Scholars and can pass along information.

· pg.47 in RFP - Task 2 and 4 - What is precisely meant by "Faculty Preceptorship" A: A faculty preceptorship is when a health professional faculty member from an accredited college or university provides clinical instruction and offers mentorship to students and residents who are chosen for the SEARCH Program.

· It states that Contractors will give priority to clinicians who mentor that are current NHSC clinicians, ambassadors and alumni. How will this information be disseminated, as in the past there are privacy issue that precluded NHSC from sharing this information. A: The NHSC is currently revising its personally identifiable information (PII) policies to include access to this information by SEARCH contractors. A list of NHSC Ambassadors by State is currently available online at http://www.nhsc.hrsa.gov/ambassadors/directory.asp.

Posted July 2, 2009

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