MACPAC IDIQ RFP FY26-35_SOW_Attachments A and B.pdf

MACPAC Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity Contract for Fiscal Years 2026–2035 Request for Proposals

Introduction

We appreciate your interest in the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission’s (MACPAC) request for proposals (RFP) for this indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract for services. The intent of this IDIQ is to provide MACPAC with a list of approved vendors and terms to allow MACPAC to quickly issue subsequent task orders or subordinate requests for proposals to contractors under the IDIQ. Accordingly, MACPAC intends to make multiple IDIQ awards to cover the anticipated needs within the scope of this contract. The anticipated number of awards is between 25 and 30 contracts, although MACPAC reserves the right to make fewer or more awards if deemed in its interest to do so.

Section 1: Contract Details and Statement of Work

1. Services and Prices/Cost

1.1 Contract Type

1.1.1 This is an IDIQ contract against which MACPAC intends to issue firm fixed price (FFP) task orders. Time and materials (T&M) task orders may be also issued under this contract when conditions warrant their issuance. The contracting officer (CO) will determine task order type on a case-by-case basis. Services will be defined and priced through individual task orders. In the performance of task orders, the contractor shall use firm fixed hourly rates for labor categories in accordance with Section 1.3 (Fully Burdened Labor Rate Schedule and Other Direct Costs (ODCs) for Base and Option Periods) below in their price proposals.

1.2 Period of Performance

1.2.1 The period of performance for this contract is a base period of five years and five one-year option periods, covering fiscal years (FY) 2026 through 2035 (Table 1). The period of performance, including all options, is as follows:

TABLE 1. Period of Performance

Period Start End

Base period October 1, 2025 September 30, 2030

Option year 1 October 1, 2030 September 30, 2031

Option year 2 October 1, 2031 September 30, 2032

Option year 3 October 1, 2032 September 30, 2033

Option year 4 October 1, 2033 September 30, 2034

Option year 5 October 1, 2034 September 30, 2035

1.3 Fully Burdened Labor Rate Schedule and Other Direct Costs for Base and Option Periods

1.3.1 The offeror must propose fully-loaded, fixed hourly rates for all personnel potentially assigned to tasks under this contract for the five-year base period. The offeror does not need to propose rates for all labor categories if the offeror does not have employees that fit into every category. In advance of option year one, the CO will request the labor rates for the five option years. MACPAC may use its discretion when executing each individual option period whether or not to keep a contractor on this IDIQ. The contractor must sign the necessary paperwork for each option year it elects to remain part of the IDIQ.

Each offeror's rates will depend on how personnel and positions are classified within each offeror's human resources structure or classification system. Offerors should use the following labor categories as guidance on how individuals should be classified to facilitate MACPAC's review of proposals. Offerors must map its proposed rates to the following labor categories and use the provided Excel spreadsheet in Attachment E to input their hourly rates by labor category. The offeror’s proposed staff should reflect the years and type of experience as specified below:

a. Project Manager: responsible for the day-to-day management of the project and direction of offeror project staff. The project manager shall have at least ten years of relevant experience researching Medicaid or State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) issues and a minimum of five years' experience in the management of contracts of this type, which involves multiple tasks, changing priorities, and timely action.

b. Supervising Programmer, Supervising Analyst, or Lead Investigator: shall have at least ten years of relevant experience and at least five years of experience as the manager or supervisor of other programmers or analysts or researchers. Researchers should have an advanced degree in a relevant field and a proven track record researching Medicaid or CHIP issues.

c. Senior Programmer, Senior Analyst, or Senior Research Scientist: shall have at least five years of experience, of which at least three years must involve work directly relevant to Medicaid or CHIP.

d. Policy Analyst (mid-level): with a master's degree or higher, shall have at least three years of experience conducting policy research and analysis related to Medicaid or CHIP.

e. Research Assistant (entry-level): with a bachelor's degree in public health, public policy, economics, statistics, or related discipline, shall have one to three years of work experience.

f. Programmer (mid-level): shall have at least three years of data processing experience;

experience with Medicaid or CHIP data preferred.

g. Programmer (entry-level): shall have one year of data processing experience or a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, statistics, computer science, or a social science research discipline.

h. Actuary: must possess a current Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) designation from the Society of Actuaries or a similar designation from another actuarial certifying body. The actuary must have a minimum of five years of experience providing actuarial services regarding Medicaid or CHIP.

i. Senior Information Technology Specialist: shall have at least 10 years of experience in information technology software and computer support services.

j. Information Technology Specialist: shall have at least three years of experience in information technology and computer support services.

k. Subject matter expert: shall have at least 10 years of experience directly relevant to Medicaid or CHIP, typically with deep knowledge in a particular topic area, who is bid on a task order proposal in an advisory capacity.

l. Administrative support staff: as needed.

1.3.2 In order to facilitate the negotiation of task orders, the contractor shall propose a fully burdened FFP rate (hourly rates that include wages, overhead, general and administrative expenses, and profit) for each labor category proposed. The fully burdened labor rate schedule and other direct costs must be included in the offeror’s business management and cost/price proposal. The rates shall be fixed for the base period and each option period. In order to aid MACPAC in its evaluation of the proposed rates, all offerors shall complete Attachment E and provide a narrative explanation and supporting rationale for how each proposed rate was determined, including references to other contracts where the labor categories have been priced similarly. Travel expenses shall not be included in any rates that are proposed as part of the establishment of the base IDIQ contract(s). Travel costs will not be requested or considered until the task order stage, and at that time shall be based on the rules outlined below in Section 1.3.3.

1.3.3 Travel. All required travel must be approved in advance by MACPAC. No local travel (within a 50-mile radius of Washington, DC or within 50 miles of the contractor’s primary place of performance) will be reimbursed. Approved, non-local contractor-furnished domestic travel required as part of a task order will be reimbursed in accordance with MACPAC’s travel policy and supported by invoice. Economy class air fares will be reimbursed at actual cost up to amount listed under the City Pair Program fare. Lodging and/or per diems for meals and incidental expenses will be reimbursed, as appropriate, in accordance with the General Services Administration's (GSA) per diem rates available on GSA’s website. Travel costs will be paid exclusive of fee or profit, and only up to the amount approved in advance by MACPAC. In the performance of task orders designated as T&M, the contractor shall propose a total cost estimate using loaded labor rates agreed to in the contract and other direct costs on an actual cost basis. No labor hours shall be billed for any time spent in travel status.

2. Statement of Work

2.1 Purpose

The statement of work (SOW) describes the types of projects for which MACPAC anticipates to be performed during the term of this contract. The contract will provide MACPAC with an expeditious and flexible mechanism for undertaking short- and long-term defined projects on a potentially wide range of topics related to Medicaid and CHIP.

2.2 Agency Background

MACPAC is a non-partisan legislative branch agency that provides policy and data analysis and makes recommendations to Congress, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the states on a wide array of issues affecting Medicaid and CHIP. The U.S. Comptroller General appoints MACPAC’s 17 commissioners, who come from diverse regions across the United States and bring broad expertise and a wide range of perspectives on Medicaid and CHIP.

MACPAC serves as an independent source of information on Medicaid and CHIP, publishing issue briefs and data reports throughout the year to support policy analysis and program accountability. The Commission’s authorizing statute, 42 USC §1396, outlines a number of areas for analysis, including:

• payment;

• eligibility;

• enrollment and retention;

• coverage;

• access to care;

• quality of care; and

• the programs’ interaction with Medicare and the health care system generally.

https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-a-trip/transportation-airfare-rates-pov-rates-etc/airfare-rates-city-pair-program https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates

MACPAC’s authorizing statute also requires the Commission to submit reports to Congress by March 15 and June 15 of each year. In carrying out its work, the Commission holds public meetings and regularly consults with state officials, congressional and executive branch staff, beneficiaries, health care providers, researchers, and policy experts. Additional information on MACPAC and its work can be found at www.macpac.gov.

The Commission’s deliberations and recommendations draw from MACPAC staff analysis and research, including work done by contractors under the direction of MACPAC staff. This research can be quantitative (e.g., claims or survey data analysis) or qualitative (e.g., literature reviews, collecting first-hand information via site visits, stakeholder interviews, or expert roundtables). MACPAC meets publicly and is required to regularly consult with states in carrying out its duties and ensure that input from states is taken into account and represented in MACPAC’s recommendations and reports. MACPAC is also required to examine the federal and state budgetary implications of its recommendations and consults with the Congressional Budget Office on budget estimates.

MACPAC staff also oversee external research contracts that provide additional technical expertise, data collection, and analytic support. Most staff and contractor work is focused on specific policy questions;

contractors may conduct and support the analytical work but do not provide recommendations to the Commission. When the Commission meets publicly, it considers the results of staff research, presentations by policy experts, and comments from interested parties; they discuss policy issues and formulate recommendations.

2.3 Objective

2.3.1 MACPAC seeks to identify and contract with a group of organizations that possess the skills and knowledge to complete projects on a wide variety of topics the Commission addresses on Medicaid and CHIP. Offerors should demonstrate competence in three or more of the categories referenced in Section 2.5 (Discussion of Project Types and Tasks) below.

2.3.2 MACPAC's goal is to assemble a group of contractors possessing complementary knowledge and skill sets to facilitate MACPAC access to a range of expertise commensurate with the array of issues that the Commission must address. MACPAC does not seek to limit the contractors chosen as a result of this solicitation to a predetermined number, nor does it have a preference for contractors who demonstrate competence in any particular category referenced in Section 2.5.

MACPAC is seeking contractors who demonstrate competence in a minimum of three of the five project type areas described in Section 2.5.

2.3.3 Offerors should clearly indicate which of the project types described in Section 2.5 they seek consideration for in their IDIQ technical proposal and document their expertise in these areas through proposed staff and corporate experience. Offerors should provide qualifications for all types of tasks for which they have appropriate expertise. MACPAC may, at its discretion, request contractors chosen as a result of this solicitation to submit updated staff and corporate qualifications.

2.3.4 For purposes of qualifying for the IDIQ award, only qualifications of the prime bidding organization and its staff will be evaluated. After award, an IDIQ contractor may use subcontractors to fulfill specific task orders. When bidding on specific task orders, organizations may propose working with subcontractors of their choosing (including other prime contractors on this IDIQ) to strengthen their team for specific tasks. In evaluating proposals received for specific task order RFPs, qualifications of the full team, including subcontractors, will be considered in scoring.

2.3.5 All proposals must demonstrate sufficient understanding of the role of MACPAC and the political and regulatory context in which it operates. Based upon the types of projects in which the offeror has identified an interest, proposals must demonstrate that the offeror has the requisite substantive knowledge, technical capacity, and experience to complete such projects and corresponding tasks. Substantive knowledge and technical expertise can be in any or all areas related to Medicaid or CHIP policy, including understanding state programs and state operations, having experience at both the federal and state levels.

http://www.macpac.gov/

2.3.6 Where quantitative skills are necessary (e.g., conducting data analysis, sampling for surveys), proposals must demonstrate that ability. Likewise, for projects where qualitative skills are more relevant, (e.g., convening expert panels, conducting focus groups) relevant abilities and experience must be demonstrated.

2.3.7 Attachment B contains the criteria by which proposals will be evaluated. MACPAC intends to make award to a pool of contractors with demonstrated expertise and reasonable pricing that represent the best overall value to the government. In doing so, MACPAC will consider technical expertise, past performance, and price in making award decisions. MACPAC may use different scoring criteria for task orders issued during the course of this IDIQ award. The scoring criteria that will apply to any specific task order will be provided to bidders as part of the invitation to bid on that task order.

2.3.8 The decision to pursue any of the identified project types will be made solely by MACPAC’s staff and described in each task order SOW. MACPAC cannot guarantee that each awardee under this RFP will in fact be chosen to complete a project under the IDIQ contract. Unless otherwise specified in a specific task order RFP, contractors for specific tasks will be selected based on best value to the government, which depends on the type of project at hand and the contractor's demonstrated technical expertise in that project area and proposed price. When responding to an RFP, IDIQ contractors will submit separate technical and business proposals and tasks will be awarded based on MACPAC evaluation of the proposals received. A contractor is not obligated to bid on any task order RFP if it chooses not to.

2.4 Description of Services

2.4.1 The contractor(s) under this IDIQ shall be able to implement three or more of the listed types of projects, as described in Section 2.5 (Discussion of Project Types and Tasks) below. A description of MACPAC's objectives related to these types of projects is contained in Section 2.3 (Objective) above.

2.4.2 The contractor(s) selected under this IDIQ should anticipate working closely with MACPAC in the execution of project tasks. For example, MACPAC staff typically review and provide comments on all draft deliverables, participate in stakeholder interviews, and guide the direction of the research.

2.4.3 Under MACPAC’s current IDIQ contract, between October 2020 and March 2025 there have been 51 IDIQ tasks awarded to the current 29 IDIQ contractors. Awards ranged from approximately $2,500 to $340,000 per task and are generally awarded for periods of one year or less. The average award amount during this period was approximately $130,000. In some cases, tasks may be modified to include additional related tasks (e.g., a task order to compute data from national surveys that is modified to produce additional data runs as needed); such modifications may require additional funds to be added.

2.5 Discussion of Project Types and Tasks

2.5.1 The offeror must demonstrate expertise and experience in three or more of the following areas.

Offerors will not be penalized for demonstrating expertise and experience in only three or four of these five areas, nor will extra consideration be given to offerors who demonstrate expertise and experience in all five.

2.5.1.1 Convening, soliciting, and analyzing information from stakeholders. Offerors must demonstrate capabilities and expertise in collecting and synthesizing information from experts and stakeholders through a number of mechanisms (e.g., site visits, structured interviews, and expert roundtables), including identifying and soliciting participants, developing interview or discussion guides, scheduling and facilitating interviews and roundtables, taking and verifying meeting notes, recording and producing transcripts, and analyzing and communicating themes and findings.

2.5.1.2 Conducting environmental scans and information syntheses. Offerors must demonstrate capabilities and expertise in collecting and synthesizing information from a variety of sources (e.g., published or grey literature, state and federal policies, state plan amendments, waivers, case studies, evaluations, managed care contracts) including identifying relevant sources, developing templates or frameworks for organizing information, collecting and validating information, and writing summary memos and issue briefs.

2.5.1.3 Conducting limited surveys and focus groups. Offerors must demonstrate capabilities and expertise in conducting limited surveys (e.g., state officials, beneficiaries), facilitating focus groups, or using other methods to gather individual-level data, including identifying participants and securing their participation, developing interview or discussion guides, scheduling and facilitating sessions, developing templates or frameworks for organizing information, and analyzing and communicating themes and findings.

2.5.1.4 Analyzing survey and administrative data. Offerors must demonstrate their capabilities and expertise in using Medicaid and other administrative data to support policy analysis.

While MACPAC has separate task order contracts for Medicaid administrative and survey data analysis, contractors on this IDIQ may also be selected to compete for tasks that involve analysis of survey and administrative data. MACPAC is interested in learning about sources of data that offerors have access to, while noting that for most MACPAC data analyses, national datasets are preferred.

2.5.1.5 Modeling, actuarial analysis, and policy simulations. Offerors must demonstrate capabilities in actuarial modeling of Medicaid policies and simulations of changes in Medicaid policy.

2.6 Contractor Labor Resources

2.6.1 Personnel Qualifications

2.6.1.1 Contractors shall provide qualified personnel with all necessary certifications and competencies to perform the requirements as specified in this contract and resulting task orders at the performance start date(s).

2.6.1.2 Offerors shall propose an IDIQ project director who will be responsible for overseeing the performance of all task orders awarded under this contract and be considered key personnel on this contract. Offerors may propose an alternate point of contact for correspondence related to the contract who will not be considered key personnel. The IDIQ project director does not need to be the project director on specific task orders awarded under this contract but will retain responsibility for overseeing performance and quality control on all task orders.

2.6.2 Personnel Maintenance

2.6.2.1 See Standard Terms and Conditions, Attachment D.

2.6.3 Replacement/Substitution

2.6.3.1 See Standard Terms and Conditions, Attachment D.

2.6.4 Financial Management – Cost Controls

2.6.4.1 Contractors shall demonstrate effectiveness in forecasting, managing, and controlling contract and task order costs. Contractors shall provide total accountability, accuracy, disclosure, control, forecasting, estimating, and overall management of all efforts at the task order level. This is a FFP contract. Consequently, contractors assume risk for changes in costs over the life of the IDIQ. Demonstrating effective cost controls is necessary to ensure contractors can reasonably perform at the contracted rate for the term of the contract.

2.7 Task Order Requirements

2.7.1 General Information

2.7.1.1 Contractors shall provide services and perform tasks in accordance with separately issued task order assignments as specified therein. Contractors shall not start performance on any requirement until the contracting officer issues a task order. The contracting officer may designate a contracting officer’s representative (COR) for each task order, who shall be the authorized representative of the contracting officer and will provide technical direction and monitoring of task order performance on a day-to-day basis.

2.7.2 Content

2.7.2.1 Requests for task order proposals will be prepared by MACPAC and may include a detailed description of the goals to be accomplished and desired outcomes, in the form of a SOW; security instructions, if any; any required MACPAC inputs; expected completion date(s); a list of deliverables; and additional information and data, as appropriate, to assist the contractor in understanding the task. For firm fixed price tasks, dollar amounts will be assigned to each deliverable based on the contractor’s proposal.

MACPAC typically sends out individual task order RFPs to the entire IDIQ via email.

MACPAC may, at its discretion, send out an RFP to a subset of vendors on the IDIQ, or it may sole source directly with an IDIQ vendor if MACPAC determines a sole source is justified.

2.7.2.1.1 Some task orders include a required or optional task to produce accessible documents in accordance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-112, as amended). Bidders should confirm in their technical proposal that they have the capability to produce 508 compliant publications.

2.7.3 Standard Terms and Conditions (STCs)

2.7.3.1 Attachment D contains the standard terms and conditions (STCs) that will govern all IDIQ task orders. MACPAC may, at its discretion, update the STCs at any time and will notify all IDIQ contractors when such updates are made. Contractors who elect to continue on this IDIQ contract with the updated STCs will sign a document agreeing to be bound by the new STCs. Contractors who do not agree to the new STCs will be removed from the IDIQ contract. Any update to the STCs will only apply to task orders issued after the updated STCs are issued; in-progress task orders will be subject the version of STCs that was in use when the task order was awarded.

2.7.4 Changes/Deviations

2.7.4.1 Changes to task order contents, estimated costs, schedules and deliverables shall be documented by a modification to the task order or sub-task. Only the contracting officer may authorize changes to any resulting task order awarded under this contract.

2.7.5 Performance Expectations

2.7.5.1 Throughout the life of the contract, the contractor will be evaluated on the basis of the performance measures delineated in each executed task order. Each task order will include a SOW detailing the services required. The contractor will be evaluated on the performance measures and must provide acceptable quality work to continue services under the contract. All work described in the SOW to be delivered under each task order is subject to final inspection and acceptance by the CO or COR.

2.7.5.2 The performance expectations are described below in Table 2.

TABLE 2. Performance Expectations

Performance area Required service

Performance indicator

Monitoring method

Accuracy/ completeness/ technical proficiency

All work products must be complete, accurate, and conducted with techniques commensurate to the task.

Analytic exercises and literature reviews must be free of errors and sufficiently comprehensive; accounts of site visits, interviews, and expert panels must accurately reflect content of proceedings.

Logistical arrangements (e.g., site visits and panels) must be conducted without disruptions.

Draft and final work products are complete and accurate and conducted in a technically-competent and appropriate manner.

Work is appropriately cited, neutral in tone, and final deliverables incorporate feedback from the MACPAC COR.

MACPAC COR’s review of work products may include external peer review of deliverables. MACPAC reserves the right to perform any inspection and audit as deemed necessary to assure that the contractor’s services conform to prescribed requirements.

Timeliness All work products, both interim and final, must be completed on schedule in order for MACPAC to use them most effectively.

Contractor deliverables are provided on schedule as indicated in the task order contract unless modified by the

MACPAC CO.

MACPAC CO and COR will review task deliverables with respect to the schedule defined in the task order.

Responsiveness The contractor shall be responsive to requests for clarifications on submitted work products or to refinements to the task work based on changing needs of MACPAC (within the scope of work).

The contractor is able to provide requested information or make adjustments in task work without undue delays.

MACPAC COR will review the contractor's ability to adjust task work in response to changing conditions, needs, and unexpected circumstances. Adjustments may require the MACPAC CO to complete a modification to the task order contract.

Communication The contractor shall proactively keep MACPAC apprised of all issues related to the conduct of the task including, but not limited to, progress of work, any issues that affect the contractor's ability to meet schedule requirements, unforeseen logistical issues, changes to the contractor's internal operations (e.g., personnel changes) relevant to the work, etc.

The contractor provides regular updates on the progress of work under the task order and notifies the COR of any unanticipated circumstances that affect the analytics and logistics of the project, the project schedule, or any other relevant aspect of the work.

MACPAC COR will review both regular and ad hoc status reports on the applicable task order.

MACPAC COR should have the ability to brief MACPAC CO and executive staff on the status of the task order project at any point in the conduct of the work.

Performance area Required service

Performance indicator

Monitoring method

Cost The contractor shall ensure that work conducted under the task order is completed within the limits of the specified budget, unless otherwise negotiated with and approved by the MACPAC

CO.

Work is completely and accurately performed within budget.

MACPAC COR will regularly review progress toward final deliverables at each significant milestone in the task order work. The COR shall approve deliverables in writing and sign off on invoices only for work which has been accepted as complete.

Notes: CO is contracting officer. COR is contracting officer’s representative.

2.7.6 Inspections and Acceptance of Deliverables

2.7.6.1 See Standard Terms and Conditions, Attachment D.

2.7.7 Potential Remediation for Failure of Contractor to Meet Acceptable Level of Quality

2.7.7.1 Contractors will have an opportunity to correct nonconforming services at the expense of the contractor, within a time period specified by the contracting officer’s representative, before MACPAC makes an equitable adjustment to the contract through a modification to the contract.

2.7.7.1.1 MACPAC reserves the right to refuse deliverables or a work product that is deemed to be deficient in one or more areas specified in the above measures (Section 2.7.5.2).

2.7.7.1.2 MACPAC reserves the right to obtain remuneration from the contractor for work deemed to be unusable as a result of poor quality.

2.7.7.1.3 Written acceptance, conditional acceptance, or rejection of deliverables will be sent to the contractor via email.

2.7.8 Unsatisfactory Work

2.7.8.1 Performance by the contractor to correct defects found by MACPAC as a result of quality review and by the contractor as a result of quality control shall be at the contractor’s own expense and without additional reimbursement by MACPAC. Unless otherwise negotiated, the contractor shall correct or replace all nonconforming services or deliverables no later than the time and date granted by the contracting officer’s representative.

2.7.9 Quality Control

2.7.9.1 The contractor shall have a quality control approach to ensure that tasks performed under this contract are accurate, complete, and timely. The IDIQ project director and other contractor staff with appropriate seniority shall provide oversight of quality control for all work conducted under this contract.

2.7.9.2 The contractor may be asked to submit a quality control plan as part of a task order proposal, which may include the following:

2.7.9.2.1 Specifics as to the scope of reviews conducted (e.g., data quality, deliverable content, statement of work compliance), frequency of reviews, and role/title of quality reviewers.

2.7.9.2.2 A description of the methods to be used for identifying and preventing defects in the quality of services performed.

2.7.9.2.3 A description of the records to be kept to document quality reviews and corrective or preventative actions taken.

2.7.9.3 All records of inspections performed shall be retained and made available to MACPAC upon request throughout the contract performance period of individual task orders, and for the period after contract completion, until final settlement of any claims under this contract.

2.7.9.4 MACPAC will evaluate the contractor's performance in following the method of surveillance specified herein. When an observation indicates less than satisfactory performance, the contracting officer or other designated representative will immediately notify the contractor, in writing, of such finding(s) and will request correction of the noted discrepancy. Any action taken by MACPAC as a result of surveillance will be according to the terms of the contract.

2.7.10 Expected Quantity of Task Orders

2.7.10.1 Under this IDIQ, the minimum number of task orders MACPAC may issue is zero. Even if MACPAC issues a task order under this IDIQ, there is no guarantee any specific contractor will receive a task order.

2.7.10.2 The maximum number of task orders expected under this IDIQ is not to exceed 150, not including option years. During any given option period, the maximum number of task orders is not to exceed 30.

3. Questions Concerning the Request for Proposal

Questions regarding this Request for Proposal (RFP) must be submitted via Google form no later than Friday, May 16, 2025, at 5:00pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) via https://forms.gle/wkh6xeRKXs9GyHWaA. MACPAC will work to answer all questions as expeditiously as possible to assist offerors with preparation of their proposals. Responses to questions posed by offerors will be issued as an amendment to the solicitation and posted no later than May 22, 2025, at 5:00pm EDT on https://sam.gov/.

4. Proposal Submission

Separate technical proposals and business management and cost/price proposals must be submitted in electronic format (either MSWord or .pdf) by no later than Tuesday, July 1, 2025, at 5:00pm EDT via MACPAC’s secure submission portal:

https://macpacgov.app.box.com/f/024eff06a3a44cc69056d5ac677e7732. Proposals received after this date and time will be deemed late and not considered for award. Emailed proposals will also not be considered.

All proposals will be kept confidential. Offerors will not be able to view or access any other proposals in our submission portal. Each submission to our document storage system will be timestamped. Larger files may take longer to upload, so please plan accordingly. If you would like to set up a test of the submission process in advance of the submission date, please email contracts@macpac.gov.

https://forms.gle/wkh6xeRKXs9GyHWaA https://sam.gov/ https://macpacgov.app.box.com/f/024eff06a3a44cc69056d5ac677e7732 mailto:contracts@macpac.gov

Section 2: Attachments

Attachment A: Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors: Single or Multiple Awards

Based on its needs, MACPAC intends to award between 25 and 30 contracts under this IDIQ selection process.

The awards are dependent on the quality of the proposals. There is no predetermined number of qualified offerors that MACPAC will select. As stated in Section 2.3.8 above, MACPAC cannot guarantee that each individual and entity awarded a contract under this request for proposal (RFP) will in fact be chosen to complete a project under the contract.

1. Instruction to offerors

a. The following instructions establish the acceptable requirements for the format and content of proposals. Offerors’ special attention is directed to the requirements for technical and business proposals to be submitted in accordance with Sections 3.0 (Technical Proposal Format) and 4.0 (Business Proposal Format and Instructions) of this attachment.

2. General instructions

a. Any resultant contract will include MACPAC’s standard terms and conditions (STCs) applicable to the selected offeror's organization and type of contract awarded. See Attachment D. There are separate STCs for university-based firms and others. The STCs are included as part of this RFP by reference.

b. The proposal shall be in two parts: 1) technical proposal and 2) business management and cost/price proposal. Each part shall be separate and complete in itself so that evaluation of one may be accomplished independently of, and concurrently with, evaluation of the other. The technical proposal shall not contain reference to costs; however, resource information such as data concerning labor hours and categories, materials, subcontracts, etc., shall be contained in the technical proposal so that the offeror's understanding of Section 2.0 (Statement of Work) may be evaluated. Page limits specified for each section are binding; font size is not prescribed, but should be sufficiently large as to permit ease of reading (10pt or higher). Any pages exceeding the stated maximum will not be reviewed or evaluated.

c. The proposal shall be signed by an official authorized to bind the offeror’s organization, including all content contained within the offeror’s proposal.

d. Proposals shall be submitted to MACPAC by 5:00pm EDT on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Submit separate technical and business proposals to:

https://macpacgov.app.box.com/f/024eff06a3a44cc69056d5ac677e7732.

e. MACPAC shall evaluate proposals in accordance with the evaluation criteria set forth in Attachment B of this RFP.

f. Offerors' proposals must disclose the technical approach in as much detail as possible, including, but not limited to, the requirements specified in Section 3.0 (Technical Proposal Format) of this attachment. In addition, offerors must comply with the requirements of Section 4.0 (Business Proposal Format and Instructions) of this attachment.

g. Offerors must identify and provide the name, title, email address, and phone number of its proposed IDIQ project director on the cover sheet of its technical and business proposals. If there is a separate point of contact for contracting matters, this individual’s name, title, and contact information must also be listed on the cover sheet of the proposals. Proposals should provide a short description of these individuals’ roles and responsibilities in the management plan section of the technical proposal.

h. It is understood that the offeror’s proposal shall become part of the official contract file.

i. Offerors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) at time of offer submission, and remain registered throughout the entire contract period after award. Offerors must confirm in their business proposal their active registration, and include their unique entity identifier (UEI) and address.

j. The RFP does not commit MACPAC to pay any cost for the preparation and submission of a proposal.

3. Technical proposal format

a. To facilitate technical proposal evaluation, the offeror shall submit a separate enclosure entitled, "Volume I, Technical Proposal". To expedite evaluation of submitted proposals, each offeror's technical proposal shall contain the following major sections in the order listed:

1) Executive summary

2) Understanding of MACPAC’s mandate and need for contractual services

3) Management plan

4) Proposed personnel qualifications

5) Organizational qualifications and past performance

6) Appendix A: Resumes for all proposed professional personnel

7) Appendix B (optional): Work samples

b. To assist in preparing each section of the proposal, offerors are furnished the following information:

1) Executive summary

This section shall consist of a brief summary of the major elements of the offeror's proposal, including a list of which areas listed in Section 2.5 the offeror will specifically address in its proposal. This section may also provide a brief, general background on the offeror’s organization.

This section shall not exceed two pages.

2) Understanding of MACPAC’s mandate and need for contractual services

a) This section should describe the offeror’s understanding of MACPAC’s role in advising Congress, the types of projects that may be conducted under this contract, and its understanding of MACPAC’s role in informing Medicaid and CHIP policy.

This section shall not exceed two pages.

3) Management plan

a) This section shall describe the structure of the organization or portion of the organization that will be primarily responsible for responding to task order requests under this contract, including lines of authority and responsibilities of key staff members.

b) Describe how the offeror manages and coordinates tasks, including how staff would be chosen and assigned to projects under the contract and the offeror’s procedures for ensuring that tasks and deliverables for proposed projects are successfully completed within required time frames.

c) Describe the offeror’s approach for working with MACPAC staff, including how effective communication and interaction will be maintained between contractor staff and MACPAC staff, and how MACPAC staff will be updated on a regular basis.

d) Describe how subcontractors or consultants are managed and effectively integrated into projects. Offerors should describe their general process for overseeing a subcontractor, particularly how prime contractors ensure the quality, accuracy, and timeliness of all work performed on a task order contract, including any work performed by subcontractors. Specific subcontractors may be named but do not have to in this IDIQ proposal; they must be named in any task order proposals.

e) Describe how potential risks or problems on task order projects will be identified and mitigated, including risks to timely completion and quality of work products. This description should demonstrate an understanding of the nature of the tasks and potential problems and how issues will be identified in a timely manner and at the proper level of authority.

f) Describe the offeror’s approach to quality assurance, including processes in place to ensure the accuracy and completeness of interim and final deliverables in task orders.

g) As stated in Section 2.7.2.1.1., offerors should confirm they have the capability to produce 508 compliant publications.

h) All offerors are expected to have appropriate computer hardware and software, and telecommunications equipment to support the type of task orders anticipated under this contract, but if the offeror proposes to use specialized hardware, software, or equipment, the offeror shall describe it here. Offerors should also describe their use of project management tools (e.g., transcription software, analysis software such as NVivo, etc.).

i. All offerors should also describe how they currently use or may use technology or software tools (e.g., artificial intelligence (AI)) in the execution of task order proposals.

This includes project management functions and in project work, including but not limited to, tasks such a developing stakeholder selection lists, interview protocols, synthesizing themes and findings, and writing of reports or other deliverables. Offerors should describe how they ensure the quality and accuracy of any work done with the assistance of technology and/or software. Offerors should note limits in the STCs, Attachment D, on the use of AI.

ii. For offerors bidding on project types 2.5.1.4 analyzing survey and administrative data and 2.5.1.5 modeling, actuarial analysis, and policy simulations, they must describe their approach to data security to the extent that data are protected by federal legislation (e.g., Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA, P.L. 104-191);

Privacy Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-579)).

i) The offeror shall disclose any known and/or perceived organizational conflicts of interest that have or may have the potential to impact work conducted for MACPAC under the terms of this IDIQ. For any known and/or perceived conflicts of interests identified, the offeror should provide a strategy for mitigating each identified conflict and eliminating any potential associated risks. If the offeror is unaware of any known or perceived conflicts of interest, they should include a statement to that effect.

j) The offeror shall state whether or not acceptance of a contract for this project shall impact performance of other federal government contracts. If "yes," indicate the nature and extent of the impact.

k) The offeror must provide the name and a brief summary of the qualifications and role of the proposed IDIQ project director, the key staff person responsible for oversight of all tasks issued under the contract. (This is distinct from the information requested in Section 4, "Proposed Personnel Qualifications," which asks for information on all of the offeror's staff who could be potentially assigned to tasks issued under this contract.)

l) This section shall not exceed five pages.

4) Proposed personnel qualifications

a) This section (in narrative form), together with the appendix (resumes), shall contain sufficient evidence to permit evaluation of the qualifications of the proposed project staff for each of the project types described in Section 2.5 that the offeror is choosing to bid on. For additional information, consult Attachment B, Evaluation Factors for Award.

b) In this section, the offeror shall discuss the qualifications of the proposed personnel. The offeror shall describe experience, education, specific scientific or technical accomplishments, highlighting how skills would align with the needs of the particular project types proposed and the relevant experience with the Medicaid and CHIP programs. Offerors should clearly state for each proposed person which of the project types described in Section 2.5 that person may work on and their relevant qualifications. The proposal shall include (in Appendix A) resumes for these personnel and the IDIQ project director. Each resume shall not exceed two pages.

c) Resumes contained within Appendix A should be no more than two pages each. Only publications, presentations, and previous relevant work (including methodological work such as statistical modeling or survey design that may not be related to Medicaid policy but may be relevant for demonstrating expertise in the proposed project type areas) to this contract should be included.

d) This section shall not exceed seven pages (not including resumes).

5) Organizational qualifications and past performance

a) This section shall describe the offeror’s general background, experience, qualifications, and past performance, including organizational experience with the skills, techniques, and substantive areas required to successfully complete the work for each of the project types described in Section 2.5 that the offeror is choosing to bid on. The offeror should also discuss its past experience with other government-related projects, particularly for agencies such as MACPAC. For additional information, consult Attachment B, Evaluation Factors for Award.

The offeror must clearly identify the project type(s) relevant for each past experience example discussed within this section, including examples of organizational qualifications relevant to that project type. Offerors should include a summary table by project type and past experience example to demonstrate this.

b) In particular, examples of previous relevant experience from the past 5 years (i.e., FYs 2020 to 2025) shall be furnished to demonstrate the offeror’s capacity to fulfill the objectives of the Statement of Work. Experience may have been with federal or state government, commercial or nonprofit organizations. This information shall include a summary of the project scope, period of performance, key staff, and the names of contract and technical supervision officers.

c) This section shall not exceed eight pages.

d) Offerors may also submit no more than three relevant Medicaid- or CHIP-related work samples, prepared within the last three years, to illustrate relevant organizational qualifications and past performance. Work samples should be no more than 15 pages each.

Only one set of work samples may be submitted per proposal, not per project type. Work samples should be included in Appendix B of the offeror’s proposal.

e) Offerors must have two past performance questionnaires submitted by 5pm EDT on July 1, 2025 to https://macpacgov.app.box.com/f/024eff06a3a44cc69056d5ac677e7732. Offerors should send the questionnaire to previous or current clients (may include federal and state governments, think tanks, and academic institutions), to be filled out by the client and sent directly to MACPAC. Offerors should not pre-fill or otherwise influence the client’s assessment in the questionnaire in any way. MACPAC is not responsible for failure to submit timely past performance questionnaires.

6) Appendix A: Resumes for all proposed professional personnel

a) There is no page limit for this section. However, note that each resume shall not exceed two pages as stated in Proposed Personnel Qualifications. Resumes should highlight relevant project experience in each of the applicable project types listed in Section 2.5.

7) Appendix B (optional): Work samples

a) Appendix B should be no longer than 45 pages, as it shall not include more than three separate work samples, each of which should be no more than 15 pages. Work samples should illustrate relevant organizational qualifications and past performance, relate to Medicaid or CHIP, and be prepared within the last three years. Work samples may be included here in full or by reference (i.e., providing a web link to the sample).

4. Business proposal format and instructions

a. To facilitate proposal evaluation, the offeror shall submit as part of the proposal a separate enclosure entitled "Volume II, Business Management and Cost/Price Proposal". The business proposal will be evaluated for compliance with the government’s requirements, reasonableness of the proposed rates, and financial capacity of the offeror. The offeror should also complete Attachment E, “Labor Categories and Hourly Rates”, as described in Section 1.3 and submit it as an Excel document in addition to the business proposal.

b. General Instructions:

1) These instructions are to assist offerors in submitting information that is required to evaluate the reasonableness of the proposed cost/price. Compliance with these instructions is mandatory and failure to comply may render an offeror’s proposal ineligible for an award.

2) All information relating to an offeror’s proposed cost/price must be included in the section of the proposal designated as “Volume II, Business Management and Cost/Price Proposal”. Under no circumstances shall this cost/price data be included elsewhere in the technical proposal. Data beyond that required by these instructions shall not be submitted, unless it is considered essential to document or support the proposed costs/prices.

3) Note that unreasonably low or high proposed costs/prices, initially or subsequently submitted, may be grounds for eliminating a proposal from this source selection competition. The elimination of a proposal will be based on either an offeror's lack of understanding of MACPAC’s expressed requirement and/or the submittal of unreasonable costs/prices.

4) List any exceptions taken to the cost/price requirements stated herein and provide any cost/price assumptions. Offerors shall provide complete rationale for exceptions taken and assumptions made.

c. Volume Organization

1) The “Volume II, Business Management and Cost/Price Proposal” shall consist of the following sections:

1. Table of Contents

2. Fully Burdened Labor Rate Schedule and Other Direct Costs

3. Exceptions/Assumptions and Rationales

4. Financial Statements

2) Attachment E “Labor Categories and Hourly Rates” shall be submitted as a separate Excel file.

d. Pricing Information

1) The cost/price information for this…