283-16-0490_BHSIS_Questions_and_Answers_-_Issued_2016.06.06.pdf

Questions and Answers – Issued June 6, 2016 283‐16‐0490 Behavioral Health Services Information System (BHSIS)

Q1. Is there an existing System of Records Notice that can be updated and augmented?

Answer: This is to be determined after the Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) process.

Q2. Is this a follow‐on contract? If yes, is the incumbent contractor eligible to bid on this contract? Does the contractor that worked on the specifications for Behavioral Health Services Information System (BHSIS) have an unfair advantage if eligible to bid on this contract? Is there an inherent conflict of interest for the contractor that worked on BHSIS specifications included in the RFP?

Answer: Yes, this solicitation is a re‐compete of an existing project that was previously competed under the SAMHSA IDIQ contracts.

The incumbent contractor is: Synectics for Management Decisions, Inc. (SMDI).

Task Order Number: HHSS283200700048I/HHSS28342001T.

The incumbent contractor is not eligible to bid on this contract as a PRIME contractor.

However, SMDI is not prohibited for participating on this contract as a subcontractor.

While SMDI may have the normally‐occurring advantage that any incumbent may possess as the result of its experience under a government contract, this advantage does not rise to an “unfair competitive advantage” nor has SAMSHA determined that there is an inherent conflict of interest for SMDI to be proposed as a subcontractor on this project.

SAMHSA is committed to providing as much information to potential Offerors to ensure that they have all the necessary information to compete.

Q3. Where is the I‐BHS hosted? The diagram indicates Amazon Web Services (AWS) but is this through a contract with SAMHSA or with the incumbent?

Answer: The production servers are currently located at CoreSite in Reston Virginia.

Developmental work is located at the contractor site. All IT functions must have an Authority to Operate (ATO) of a “moderate” level.

Q4. What is the estimated level of effort for this contract?

Answer: SAMHSA estimates that the level of effort for this contract will range from approximately 76,000 to 111,000 hours annually, depending on the year of the contract.

However, it is the Offeror’s responsibility to propose a level of effort that it determines necessary to accomplish that work required and is appropriate for its proposed technical approach.

283‐16‐0490 BHSIS Q&As – June 6, 2016

Q5. The labor tabs include an area for entering; Description, Hours, and Rate for IT Labor. It is assumed that the prime contractor’s and each subcontractors’ IT labor should be included in this area. Please confirm that the pricing template can be modified if necessary to reflect the contractor’s estimating system. [Ref: RFP_283‐16‐0490_Attach15_IT_ Worksheets_(Fillable)]

Answer: Yes, you may modify the worksheet by adding additional rows and/or modifying the formulas in the cells as needed to reflect a contractor’s estimating system.

Q6. OMB clearance shall be obtained prior to programming and printing of the 2019 N‐SSATS beginning approximately in January 2019. Can the government clarify what is beginning in January 2019 – the programming and printing process or the fielding process? (Ref: Page 14 of 70 in the SOW, #4)

Answer: The OMB clearance for N‐SSATS typically is for three years. The OMB approval for the 2019 N‐SSATS needs to be obtained by approximately December 2018‐January 2019 to allow time for programming and printing of the 2019 N‐SSATS prior to fielding of the 2019 N‐SSATS which will go into the field on the last working day in March 2019.

The approval must be in place before programming begins and last until the survey is out of the field. Any other timeframe for the approval process would cut short the time needed for the entire cycle of the survey.

Q7. The end of this item is missing language. Can the government please provide the missing information? (Ref: Page 27 of 70 in the SOW, #5)

Answer: That sentence (bullet #5) should read as shown below. The PWS has been revised to reflect this edit. See last page for summary of all PWS edits.

5. The contractor shall facilitate discussions among key collaborators (e.g., SMHAs/SSAs, NASMHPD/NASADAD, and CBHSQ/CMHS) to assess the strengths and shortcomings of each of the client-level data reporting strategies In addition, the contractor may participate in discussions and assist in soliciting stakeholder input.

Q8. Is #1 duplicative of Task VII, part 4? (Ref: Page 35 of 70 in the SOW, Subtask F)

Answer: Because the production of the URS tables is essential to the project, this work was placed in its own TASK (Task VII). Because analysis dataset/analytic files are also to be produced, this section was also (mistakenly) placed into the “Reports and Files” TASK. The URS tables/analysis dataset/analytic files need to be produced only once. The PWS has been revised to delete Subtask F. See last page for summary of all PWS edits.

Q9. Please confirm that the Past Performance is to be provided in the Business Volume and not the Technical Volume per page 51 of the RFP. (Ref: Page 51 of the RFP)

Answer: Confirmed. The Past Performance information is to be submitted as part of the BUSINESS proposal volume.

Q10. Please clarify the number of past performance references that are required from the prime and how many from each subcontractor.

Answer: Per page 52 of the RFP, Offerors (Primes) must submit “[a] list of the last three

(3) contracts and subcontracts completed during the past THREE (3) years and ALL CONTRACTS currently in process that are similar in nature to the solicitation work scope.” Major subcontractors will be required to submit the same.

Q11. Should offerors provide a narrative for each of the IT resources proposed and an IT Technical Approach for accomplishing the tasks described in the PWS (page 50) in both the Business Volume and Technical Volume or just in the Business Volume?

Answer: The IT resources narrative and IT Technical Approach narrative that is described on page 50 of the RFP is part of the Business Volume and is meant to accompany the IT Worksheets. It is not necessary for an Offeror to include this information in its Technical Volume unless an Offeror wants the information to be evaluated as part of its Technical Volume.

Q12. With regards to the 50 pages allotted to Exhibits and Appendices, will all data (as the data will be referenced in the technical volume) be evaluated?

Answer: Yes, the data provided in Exhibits and Appendices are evaluated. The Exhibits and Appendices section (maximum 50 pages) shall be used to supplement or complement the Technical Proposal with information that may not necessarily flow well with the narrative in the Technical Proposal—for example, large charts, graphics, past work examples, etc.

Q13. On page 25 of 61, Section H.16.m, the RFP states, “(a) The Contractor shall use an earned value management system (EVMS) that has been determined by the Cognizant Federal Agency (CFA) to be compliant with the guidelines in ANSI/EIA Standard ‐ 748 (current version at the time of award) to manage this contract. If the Contractor’s current EVMS has not been determined compliant at the time of award, see paragraph (b) of this clause. The Contractor shall submit reports in accordance with the requirements of this contract.” How will the Government determine if an offeror is capable of supporting an EVMS at the time of the award?

Answer: Please submit artifacts or templates and procedures currently used within your EVMS process which allow you to monitor and control work cost, schedule, and scope elements for optimum project completion. A review will be done to ensure your capabilities.

Also, please refer to the HHS OCIO IT Earned Value Management Processes and Procedures at http://www.hhs.gov/ocio/policy/2005‐0004p.html. The expectation is that you would be certified compliant within 120 days of CED.

Q14. On page 45, Section L.2.b, the RFP states, “Any Appendix to the technical proposal shall not exceed 50 pages in length. Exhibits and Appendices must be labeled and numbered. Appendices are separate from the technical proposal page count and should either follow the technical proposal or be separate from the technical proposal.” Please provide more instructions on the use of the Appendices. What is the Government’s intent for these documents?

Answer: See response to Q12.

Q15. On Page 45, Section L.2.b, the RFP it notes that “All pages must be numbered.” Does the Government want all pages numbered consecutively within the Technical Volume (including appendices, resumes, letters of commitment) or just within each section, as appropriate?

Answer: All pages should be numbered consecutively.

Q16. In Section L.2.b. (pages 46‐48 of 61) the RFP lays out the order of sections within the Technical Discussion as: Objectives, Approach, Schedule, Management Plan, Key Personnel, Corporate Capabilities, and Other Considerations, while in Section M.2.a. (pages 56‐59 of 61) the RFP lays out the order of sections as: Understanding the Problem/Technical Objectives, Technical Approach, Key Personnel, Project Management and Utilization of Personnel, and Corporate Experience. Which is the preferred order? If the layout in Section M is preferred, where should the Schedule section be addressed?

Answer: Proposals should be submitted following the order specified in Section L.2.b.

Q17. On page 50 of 61, Section L.2.c.2.h, the RFP states, “IT Proposed Resources: In addition to the IT Total Estimate Cost Sheets (see Attachment 15), Offerors must submit a budget and a narrative for each of the IT resources proposed and an IT Technical Approach for accomplishing the tasks described in the PWS.” Is it the Government’s intent to include a narrative for each of the IT resources proposed and an IT Technical Approach for accomplishing the tasks described in the PWS in the Business Proposal and the Technical Proposal? Would it be appropriate for offerors to cross reference with the Technical Volume?

Answer: See response to Q11.

Q18. On page 52 of 61, Section L.2.c.11.c, the RFP states that, “The offeror should also submit comparable information on all subcontractors that the offeror proposes to perform a major subcontract under this effort.” Can the Government clarify what “comparable information” entails? Should all major subcontractors submit information on previous contracts, as noted in Section L.2.c.11.a (“the last 3 contracts and subcontracts completed during the past 3 years and all contracts currently in process that are similar in nature”) AND client letters, as noted in Section L.2.c.11.b?

Answer: Yes, all major subcontractors should submit the same information. See response to Q10.

Q19. Re: Attachment 1, pages 14 and 22: Will the contractor be responsible for preparing the materials required to obtain OMB approval for the major pretests mentioned for N‐SSATS and

N‐MHSS?

Answer: Yes. While the planning of any changes in the survey instruments will be done in collaboration with SAMHSA, the actual materials needed for submission to OMB will need to be prepared by the contractor.

Q20. On page 58 of Attachment 1, the RFP states, "A draft IT plan should be submitted as part of the proposal." On page 1 of Attachment 2, the RFP notes that the draft IT Plan is due, “Within 60 days of CED.” Does the Government require a draft IT Plan to be submitted with the proposal? If so, in which volume should the plan be?

Answer: The draft IT Plan is required and must be submitted with the proposal. This Plan is a living document and will be reviewed by DTM as changes occur to ensure compliance with DTM standards. The IT plan can be attached as its own document.

Q21. The Pre‐solicitation notice and the FBO listing shows the BHSIS RFP as “Set Aside for Small Business under NAICS Code 541519, Other Computer Related Services.” However, the RFP package posted to the FBO site, contains no explicit mention that this procurement is a small business set‐aside. Please confirm that only bidders who meet the small business criteria for NAICS Code 541519 are eligible to submit primed responses to this solicitation. (Ref: Cover Letter)

Answer: The Pre‐Solicitation notice and FBO listing are accurate. The RFP page 27 includes FAR 52.219‐6, Notice of Total Small Business Set‐Aside. The RFP page 32, FAR 52.204‐8 states the applicable NAICS code and size standard. SAMHSA confirms that this procurement is a total small business set‐aside: only concerns meeting the small business size standard under NACIS Code 541519 are eligible to submit a proposal as a Prime contractor.

Q22. Task Order Year 1 activity for I‐BHS and TEDS/MH‐TEDS is listed as “build systems.”

Please confirm that the hardware and software environments currently supporting I‐BHS and TEDS/MH‐TEDS under the incumbent’s BHSIS contract will remain in service and be supported by the incumbent contractor as part of their “transition out” scope during the nine months of Task Order Year 1. (Ref: Attachment 1 PWS: Page 6 and 7)

Answer: Yes, the incumbent will maintain full operations for the I‐BHS and TEDS/MH‐ TEDS systems during the nine months of Year 1 of the contract. It is expected that the new contractor will be fully operational on day 1 of Year 2 (Option Year 1) of the contract.

Q23. Task Order 1 shows the incoming vendor assuming full responsibility of N‐SSATS, N‐MHSS, MH‐CLD, and UTS tables by 10/1/2016. Based on the anticipated contract start date of 09/16/2016, this results in responsibility being transferred to the incoming vendor within a two‐ week period. Considering the vast amount of documentation to be reviewed and years of artifacts to be taken over, this time period is very aggressive. Since the surveys or annual files/tables for these components are not due until a later time, what are SAMHSA’s expectations for work to be completed by 10/1/2016? Are there specific deliverables that will need to be completed by that date for these components? (Ref: Attachment 1 PWS: Page 6 and 7)

Answer: Because of the responsibility to be transferred to the incoming vendor and the timelines that must be met (N‐SSATS advance letters must be mailed by mid‐February and the questionnaire must go into the field on March 31, 2017; N‐MHSS advance letters must be mailed by mid‐March and the questionnaire must go into the field on April 28, 2017; MH‐CLD and URS by December 1, 2016, with reminders to states prior to that date), it is necessary that the contractor begin work immediately upon award to have their systems in place by the data collection timeline date. While a specific deliverable may not be required by October 1, 2016, work must be progress to meet the actual deliverables later in the contract year. It is expected that bidders understand the project and the extent of inter‐connectedness and magnitude of the effort prior to bidding.

Q24. Number 3 in the list states: “The Contractor shall operate a toll‐free telephone line to facilitate communication between State representatives regarding updates to the I‐BHS…” There are other sections of the PWS that indicate additional requirements for telephone support.

Please provide anticipated call volumes and anticipated peak times across all help line services, so offerors can size help line operations accurately. (Ref: Attachment 1 PWS: Page 12)

Answer: For the surveys: Typically 2,000 calls for each survey are received each yearly cycle; peak times tend to be in the morning and after any mailing that lists the telephone number. Generally, very few calls are received from late November through mid‐February when the surveys are not in the field.

For the I‐BHS/locator: Approximately 60‐100 calls are received monthly. Calls generally increase following a locator update or when we are getting ready to freeze the file prior to survey administration and have asked states to review their facilities in the I‐BHS.

Q25. This section states “The Contractor shall be responsible for operating and enhancing the Data Submission System (DSS), a web‐based on‐line system for use by States in pre‐editing, quality control, visualizing, and submitting TEDS data to the Contractor, currently in the testing stage.” Is the incoming contractor responsible for deploying new hardware/software for continued testing of the DSS, or will the current environment, in the testing stage, be made available to the new BHSIS contractor? (Ref: Attachment 1 PWS: Page 25, #7. TASK V: Treatment Episode Data Set and Mental Health Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS/MHTEDS), Subtask A ‐ Connectivity for TEDS Operations.)

Answer: The first version DSS is currently being implemented with states. It is expected that the transition of DSS will be similar to the transition of all other IT components of the contract.

Q26. This section states “The Contractor shall be responsible for operating and enhancing the Data Submission System (DSS), a web‐based on‐line system for use by States in pre‐editing, quality control, visualizing, and submitting TEDS data to the Contractor, currently in the testing stage.” Please provide technical specifications on the “in testing” DSS, so offerors can configure and price the production hardware/software environment accurately. (Ref: Attachment 1 PWS:

Page 25, #7. TASK V: Treatment Episode Data Set and Mental Health Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS/MHTEDS), Subtask A ‐ Connectivity for TEDS Operations.)

Answer:

Virtual Machine size 100 gigabytes of Disk, 8 gigabytes of RAM CentOS 7.2 64 bit operating system PostgreSQL database 9.4.6 Java version 1.8.0 org.rosuda.REngine ‐> REngine 2.1.0 org.rosuda.REngine ‐> Rserve 1.8.1 Java Play Framework version 1.4.1 play module‐> secure play module‐> deadbolt 1.5.4 commons‐validator 1.4.0 commons‐net 3.3 org.apache.commons ‐> commons

HTML/CSS

Javascript/Jquery json‐smart 1.2 jxl 1 OpenLDAP

Q27. The TEDS/MH‐TEDS column does not show a date for the incoming contractor to take responsibility for system operation. At what date would the successful bidder be expected to assume full responsibility for routine operations of the TEDS/TEDS‐MH system? (Ref:

Attachment 1 PWS: Page 6 and 7)

Answer: It is expected that the incoming contractor will take full responsibility for the TEDS/MH‐TEDS system operations on day 1 of Year 2 (Option Year 1) of the contract.

Q28. This section states “The five (5) BHSIS systems are maintained through separate contractual agreements between the current BHSIS contractor and each of the state substance abuse agencies and state mental health authorities. This contract will continue the consolidated management of individual state subcontracts.” For budgeting purposes, please provide the number of TEDS agreements and the number of TEDS‐MH/CLD agreements along with the total amount to budget for payments to states/territories for both sets of agreements combined.

Answer: There are currently 52 state agreements with state substance abuse agencies (50 states, DC, and PR) and 59 agreements with state mental health agencies (50 states, DC, 6 Pacific jurisdictions/territories, 2 Atlantic territories).

For budgeting purposes, consider $7.5 Million for MH payments and $3.9 Million for SA payments. Please note that these costs should be included only in OY1 through OY4 (contract years 2‐5). Offerors will not be responsible for these payments in the base period (first nine‐months of the contract).

Q29. The diagram depicts the primary BHSIS environment as being deployed in a Co‐Location (Co‐Loc) facility. (Ref: Attachment 1 PWS: Page 43)

Two questions related to this Co‐Loc environment:

1. Where is the Co‐Loc facility physically located?

2. Is the existing Co‐Loc agreement between SAMHSA and the Co‐Loc facility or between the incumbent contractor and the Co‐Loc facility?

Answer: Currently, the Co‐Loc facility is located at CoreSite, Reston, Virginia. The incumbent contractor is responsible for maintaining any agreement with the Co‐Loc facility.

Q30. The diagram includes a number of servers at both the internal and Co‐Loc facility.

Are all hardware components depicted in the diagram dedicated to the systems listed in the BHSIS RFP or do some components also host other systems (i.e., Shared)? (Ref: Attachment 1 PWS: Page 43)

Answer: All systems are used exclusively for BHSIS activities. They do not host non‐ BHSIS activities.

Q31. This section states that the contractor must “Develop all managed user applications built within SAMHSA’s mobile platform as a service (PaaS) environment fully using MBaaS (Mobile backend as a service)…” What is the technology used in the existing MBaaS platform? (Ref:

Attachment 1 PWS: Page 64)

Answer: SAMHSA Division of Technology Management (DTM) is in the process of evaluating vendor products and a decision will be made by July 5, 2016. Prior to developing new mobile applications, the vendor shall discuss with SAMHSA DTM on MBaas platform requirements.

Q32. The “special note” under the Business Proposal Instructions (page 48) requests “a 12 month budget for each year of the contract…” Other references within the RFP documents define a base period of nine months plus four 12‐month option periods (cover letter; table page 3; table page 6 of Performance Work Statement). Please reconcile. (Ref: Section L Instructions, Page 48)

Answer: The first “year” of the contract is for only 9 months. Offerors are only required to provide a 9‐month budget for the first “year” of the contract.

Q33. The following is listed under B.4 “Objectives: Planning and designing N‐MHSS data collection instruments and procedures” Has SAMHSA finalized the questionnaire for N‐MHSS for 2017? (Ref: Attachment 1 PWS: Page 4)

Answer: While there will most likely be question “tweaking,” the N‐MHSS questionnaire for 2017 is or will be, for all practical purposes, finalized. The incumbent contractor will develop a draft of the 2017 N‐MHSS questionnaire as part of the OMB clearance review package which will already be in progress when the new contract is awarded; no new questions will be added and no other major revisions will be made.

Q34. The RFP states “the TEDS/MH‐TEDS subsystems to be supported also include the STSS and the new Data Submission System (DSS), currently in the testing phase.” When does SAMHSA expect to have the DSS finalized and available for use by the BHSIS contractor? (Ref: Attachment 1 PWS: Page 5)

Answer: The basic DSS is currently in the process of being transitioned into use. A few states are being invited to begin using it. Throughout the year, all states will be encouraged to begin using DSS for data submission. Further major development is not expected to continue during the final transition year of the existing contract.

Q35. TASK V: Treatment Episode Data Set and Mental Health Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS/MHTEDS). How many states/territories currently submit mental health‐related data via MH‐TEDS and MH‐CLD? (Ref: Attachment 1 PWS: Pages 24‐27)

Answer: MH‐TEDS: 6 states currently submit data, 3 additional states are testing files to submit data, 9 additional states are considering changing over to submit MH‐TEDS data, and 10 additional states are building capacity (building their capability to submit data) for MH‐TEDS.

MH‐CLD: 40 states/territories currently submit MH‐CLD data. It is expected that 9 of these will be changing to the MH‐TEDS system.

During the past year, 5 million individual cases were submitted into the MH‐CLD system.

Currently, the MH‐CLD system contains five years of data and 20 million unique IDs.

Q36. Task II.C.6, within the Delivery Schedule, Recording/transcription of CATI Calls. Please provide an estimated number of recordings and transcripts requested per cycle. (Ref:

Attachment 2 Delivery Schedule: Page 2)

Answer: For the 2015 surveys, for N‐SSATS, there were a total of 130,086 calls made and for N‐MHSS, there were a total of 203,157 calls made. Some of these calls included no answer, busy, answering machine, etc. Because it is unknown when a call is placed if it will result in an answer or a busy signal, all calls would need recording.

Transcription would be necessary primarily when there are problems that arise.

Experienced/well‐trained callers/interviewers typically result in fewer problems;

therefore, there would be fewer actual transcriptions needed with well‐trained callers.

These recordings/transcriptions are in place primarily for the monitoring and protection of the interviewers, the contractor organization, and SAMHSA.

Q37. Task III.A.2, within the Delivery Schedule, Recommendations for N‐SSATS questionnaire revisions. The reference date for the N‐SSATS TO Year 1 is March 2017—the date when the N‐SSATS questionnaire needs to be made available during the base period. Assuming that the latest reference date in March (March 31, 2017) seven (7) months before the survey reference date using calendar vs. business days would be September 2, which is two weeks prior to the contract award date of September 16. Would SAMHSA consider a slight modification to this timeline? (Ref: Attachment 2 Delivery Schedule: Page 2)

Answer: The survey reference date is and will remain the last working day in March (in 2017, that is March 31, 2017). There can be no modifications to the timeline.

Q38. Is the incumbent allowed to bid?

Answer: See response to Q2.

Q39. How much storage is the current system using?

Answer: The survey (N‐SSATS/N‐MHSS) component currently uses approximately 214 GB disk space. The rest of the BHSIS system has 51.27 TB space with 36 TB actual used space.

The I‐BHS currently has about 63,000 active and inactive facilities, with a total of approximately 120,000 total facilities (includes those that have been closed, not eligible, etc.) No facility can ever be actually deleted to prevent accidental contact with those deemed not eligible for the surveys for a variety of reasons. This number will continue to grow as facilities open and close, and through annual augmentations.

TEDS contains 35,373,294 records for admissions and 26,559,190 records for discharges/updates. This number will continue to grow as more data comes in.

NOTE: The Performance Work Statement (PWS) has been revised/edited and is included as an attachment to Amendment #2 of RFP No. 283‐16‐0490.

All edits are highlighted in yellow.

Summary of edits are as follows:

1. Page 27 of 70 – Bullet #5 – Add “input” as last word of sentence.

2. Page 29 of 70 – Incorporated text from deleted Subtask F—Produce URS Tables into Task VII.

3. Pages 34‐35 of 70– Deleted Subtask F—Produce URS Tables as this task is covered under Task VII.

4. Page 35 of 70 – Renumbered Subtask G—Design and Maintain Web‐Based Displays of BHSIS Data to Subtask F—Design and Maintain Web‐Based Displays of BHSIS Data.

5. Page 64 of 70 – Remove reference to “Government Printing Office Style Manual.”

6. Page 65 of 70 – Add paragraph to explain the SAMHSA website modernization effort.