TDRAW_2nd_Draft_RFP_Questions_and_Responses_1-31-18.pdf

TDRAW 2nd Draft RFP (November 27, 2017)

HT9402-17-R-0001

Government Responses to Industry Questions

TDRAW 2nd Draft RFP Questions & Responses Page 1 of 19

SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION SEE FAR 2.101 & 3.104

No: Draft Solicitation Citation

Industry Question/Comment Government's Response

1 N/A Would DHA be willing to release any data before the submission of the final RFP in order to give bidders more time to analyze the issues regarding TDRAW pricing? Typically, a minimum of 60 days is required to fully analyze the data provided to provide competitive pricing.

The Government will release the data when the solicitation is posted to Federal Business Opportunities (fbo.gov) to ensure all offerors have the same time to prepare their proposals.

2 N/A Please provide data on the capability and capacity of the MHS Dental Treatment Facilities.

The Government will be providing the Active Duty Service Member (ADSM) claims data. In addition, the eligible ADSM data will indicate if the ADSM is in a DTF area or a remote area. See Section J, Attachment J-24.

3 N/A Will OCONUS require supporting languages other than English?

Yes. See Section J, Attachment J-4a, paragraph 5.10.

4 Sections L and M, Factor 2

We respectfully request that the agency clarify that the term “parent” when used in the solicitation means the “ultimate parent company” of an offeror reports. We believe this will help clarify many of the instructions under which the agency is seeking information about an offeror’s overall organization.

The term “parent” will be revised to ensure consistency between Sections L and M, for Factor 2, PAST PERFORMANCE.

5 Section C, Paragraph C.3.1.11(a)(3)

"5% or less telephone calls blocked at all times, measured hourly" What does this mean? Does this mean abandonment rate?

It means the caller cannot get through to the call center. This does not mean the caller abandoned the call while on hold.

6 Section C, Paragraph C.3.1.11(b)

95% of customers …."Somewhat satisfied" - Is this on a 3 or 5 point satisfaction measurement scale?

The current DHA satisfaction survey has 7 levels of satisfaction from which the customer may choose. Section C.3.1.11(b) will be revised to add the seven levels to the standard.

7 Section C, Paragraph C.3.1.4.

Access standards in RFP may be different from conventional practices; e.g., rural dental work for orthodontia (general dental provider vs.

orthodontist). Would DHA consider measuring adequate access to facilities providing services instead of a specific provider (e.g., access to orthodontic services vs. an orthodontist)?

No. The standards will not be changed to measure adequate access to facilities providing services instead of a specific provider. Note that the standards apply nationally, not by individual location.

8 Section C, Paragraph C.3.3.3.

Please describe how this C.3.3.3 performance standard will be measured.

The performance standard will be measured as stated. The system shall be available 99% of the time 24 hours, 7 days a week (excluding downtime for scheduled maintenance).

Government Responses to Industry Questions

TDRAW 2nd Draft RFP Questions & Responses Page 2 of 19

SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION SEE FAR 2.101 & 3.104

9 Section H, Paragraph H.4.2.

Please clarify the network provider retention requirements as described in H.4.2 apply to CONUS and not the OCONUS providers?

There are no OCONUS network providers. TOPDs are not considered to be network providers. Clarification will be added in Section H.4.2 and Section J, Attachment J-4a.

10 Section J, Attachment J-2a, Paragraph 1.2.3.

Will the program allow payments to Advanced Dental Therapists or Dental Therapists if the state in which they practice allows for the provision of such services under their scope of licensure and state law? This would be consistent with allowing services by a hygienist if such services are allowed under the scope of their licensure and state law.

Section J, Attachment J-2a, paragraph 1.2.3 will be updated to allow for payments to Advanced Dental Therapists or Dental Therapists if the state/country in which they practice allows for the provision of services under their scope of licensure and state/country law.

11 Section J, Attachment J-2a, Paragraph 14.1.18.

Is the reference to a vendor incorporating sales tax inclusive of those states who have assessed a provider tax, which is not considered by state law a sales tax?

Yes. This includes any tax. See Section I, FAR Clause 52.229-3.

Section J, Attachment J-2a, Paragraph 14.1.18 will be revised to state this applies to any assessed tax.

12 Section J, Attachment J-3a, Paragraph 1.1.

Malpractice in many countries does not exist, dentists may be insured or bonded; and to hold them to the US malpractice standards of $1M/$3M would not be feasible for dentists practicing out of country. Please clarify this requirement applies to CONUS only.

Yes. US malpractice standards apply only to CONUS network providers. Section J, Attachment J-3a, paragraph 1.0 will be revised to reflect requirements only for CONUS providers. Section J, Attachment J-4a, paragraph 5.0 will be revised to reflect requirements only for TOPDs.

13 Section J, Attachment J-3a, Paragraph 4.3.

Please provide data on the volume of current requests and appointments made both CONUS and OCONUS?

The Government only tracks ADSMs' CONUS appointments. This data will be provided per Section J, Attachment J-24.

14 Section J, Attachment J-3b, Paragraph 10.1.4.

Typical commercial standards allow for one level of appeal, however second level appeals are occasionally allowed. Would the requirements under TDRAW allow for 2 levels of appeal?

Three levels of appeals are allowed as stated in Section J, Attachment J-3b, paragraphs 10.1.2, 10.1.3, and 10.1.4.

15 Section J, Attachment J-3c, Paragraph 4.1.2. and C.3.1.4a)

If 25% or more than 200 enrollees in a 5-digit zip code cannot get periodic or initial exam within standards, then vendor is noncompliant and requires payment at provider fees. This is an issue if in a rural area access to two dentists for these services in 21 days is not available. For example, if two children in a family of six cannot get in for initial or nonemergency care to the one or two practitioners in a rural area in 21 days, we must pay at charges is not reasonable. If for all persons

This is a requirement of 32 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Section 199.13 (e)(3)(ii), and will not be waived.

Government Responses to Industry Questions

TDRAW 2nd Draft RFP Questions & Responses Page 3 of 19

SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION SEE FAR 2.101 & 3.104

living in that zip code the availability for new or existing appoints is eight weeks, TDRAW is expecting their members to have priority over all other residents (despite age or condition) to dentists or the vendor must pay full charges for care; this appears unreasonable. Will DHA consider revising to include any accommodation or waivers of penalties for network access standards in rural areas where no licensed practicing dentists exist within 35 miles of a place of residence?

16 Section J, Attachment J-3e, Paragraph 3.1.

To aid in staffing and cost projections, please provide historical data on the number of beneficiaries who present with an ICD10 code for pregnancy and diabetes.

ADSMs’ claims data will indicate if the member is diabetic and/or pregnant (See Section J, Attachment J-24). Currently the data for family members and Reservists is not tracked by claim. Section J, Attachment J-24 will be updated to state the family members and Reservists data will indicate the number of prophylaxes provided to pregnant and diabetic enrollees and the number of scaling and root planing services provided to diabetic enrollees.

17 Section J, Attachment J-4a, Paragraph 1.2.

Current commercial practice does not require international dentists to accept contracted payment as payment in full. Please consider allowing offerors to apply standard local prevailing practice in international locations to encourage network provider participation.

TOPDs are not considered to be network providers. However, the TOPD agreement must allow for collecting only the applicable cost-share amount from the beneficiary in order to protect the beneficiary from unauthorized charges. Section J, Attachment J-4a will be revised. See response to #9.

18 Section J, Attachment J-4a, Paragraph 5.2.

TOPD requires primary verification of licensure but J-3a1.0 - states licensure of local areas and yet states that only the 1st claim is paid and the rest are denied - is vendor to suspend all out of network claims to review for licensure prior to payment? Is the first claim a reference to the first claim of the member at that dentist or the first time that dentist submits a claim on any member?

Yes. The contractor is to suspend all claims from non-network and non-TOPDs that do not have a verified license. See response to question #12.

The first claim is for each beneficiary from that provider. Paragraph

1.0 Section J, Attachment J-4a will be revised to “If a non-TOPD license cannot be verified, then only the first claim for each beneficiary will be paid and all subsequent claims will be denied.

The contractor shall notify the beneficiary, by a means that verifies receipt of the notification, that any future claims from the provider will not be paid due to the provider’s failure to provide licensure information required by local national law. The contractor shall include in the notification a minimum of one available licensed provider (TOPD or non-TOPD) in the local area from which the

Government Responses to Industry Questions

TDRAW 2nd Draft RFP Questions & Responses Page 4 of 19

SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION SEE FAR 2.101 & 3.104

beneficiary may receive care.” Payment of the first claim when licensure cannot be obtained is only allowed on non-TOPDs because licensure can be verified on CONUS providers.

19 Section J, Attachment J-4a, Paragraph 5.2.

Many countries do not have licensure, as primary verification is not available. Will vendor be allowed to conform to the professional norms of the country for credentialing standards?

Yes. As stated in Section J, Attachment J-4a, paragraph 5.2, and Section J, Attachment J-3a, paragraph 1.0, licensure requirements must be verified and in compliance of the OCONUS locality in which the services were rendered (See Section J, Attachment J-3a, paragraph 1.0). See response to #12.

20 Section J.

Attachment J-4a, Paragraph 8.1.

Is the vendor required to use a specific reference rate for conversion of local currency to US dollars?

The conversion rate is based on date of service. Section J, Attachment J-4a will be revised.

21 Section L, Paragraph L.1.

Table L.1, Volume I, 3rd column: Please confirm the government intended to say "Hard Copy Only" vs. "Financial Data Only" for the submission instructions of Financial Data (L.5.8).

Table L.1. will be revised to instruct offerors to submit 3 electronic copies of Section L.5.8. data.

22 Section L, Paragraph L.1. and L.4.2.1.

Table L.1, Please clarify the instructions in Table L.1 which says 1 electronic PDF for Volumes I-thru IV to better align with the instructions in L.4.2.1 which asks for a single PDF for each volume for a total of four files.

Table L.1. will be revised to instruct offerors to submit a single PDF for each volume.

23 Section L, Paragraph L.2.4.4.

This section notes that offerors should provide the CO with any information of previous or ongoing work that is in anyway associated with this solicitation. Will service or participation in programs that TDRAW anticipates assuming during this contract's period of performance cause a conflict of interest?

DHA cannot comment on hypothetical scenarios. See FAR 9.5, as supplemented, and Section L.2.4. Please note the list provided is not exhaustive, and each offeror shall use its sound business judgment and determine the significance of any OCI.

24 Section L, Paragraph L.5.8.3. and L.5.8.1.

Please clarify that the documents required in L.5.8.3 are the same as those required in L.5.8.1.

It is unclear if the government wishes offerors to refer between these sections or submit documentation differently.

Section L.5.8.1. through L.5.8.5. are all subparagraphs under L.5.8.

Financial Viability. L.5.8.3. lists the specific documents the offeror will submit to provide the financial data as described in paragraph L.5.8.1.

25 Section L, Paragraph L.5.8.4.

Please provide additional clarification on what types and for what specific conditions to which L.5.8.4. applies. As currently worded and for Offerors with a parent company and/or affiliates in multiple states, this requirement could potentially result in the submission of hundreds of

Section L.5.8.1. states in part, "This data shall be submitted on the parent corporation, on the subsidiary offeror, and on any recent or prospective significant merger candidates who will participate or provide oversight/resources in performing the TDRAW requirements."

Government Responses to Industry Questions

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SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION SEE FAR 2.101 & 3.104

pages of documentation likely outside of the scope of, and with no impact to, the requirements under this solicitation. We respectfully ask the government to consider narrowing the scope of this requirement to only dental product lines so as not to unduly burden offerors, and subsequently evaluators, with the impact of superfluous information. Additionally, please clarify that L.5.8.4 only applies to the offeror and its affiliates who will perform work under this contract.

26 Section L, Paragraph L.6.1.1.

Please provide an illustrative example of how an of feror can "clearly describe and explain how the offeror will meet these proposed standards." It is unclear how the government defines a clear description that explains.

Unless defined otherwise in the solicitation (including the FAR, DFARS, and TRICARE manuals), offerors shall use the common US English definition for the terms in the Solicitation. Section L.2.3.

states in part, "The offeror shall provide a clear explanation that addresses how the offeror intends to meet the requirements. Offerors shall assume that the Government has no prior knowledge of their facilities, capabilities and experience. The Government will base its evaluation on the information presented in the offeror’s proposal, plus any additional past performance information or pricing data obtained by the Government from other sources."

27 Section L, Paragraph L.7.1.2.

Will offerors have an opportunity to review and rebut information the government receives from other sources?

Yes. See Section M.5.3.

28 Section L, Paragraph L.7.2.

Offerors are required to provide "its company's total number of covered lives and total number of claims processed." Should offerors assume this information is requested for dental services only or all health services?

Does this apply to offeror itself, its parent, a subsidiary, or a combination of all of the above?

The offeror may provide information on medical services, dental services, or both.

Yes. This applies to both the offeror and newly formed/re-organized companies referred to in Section L.7.4.

29 Section L, Paragraph L.7.2.

We believe the instruction contained within L.7.2 which states, "The Table of Contents and tabs separating section of the volume will not be counted towards the proposal page limit as long as they do not contain proposal content" apply to all Volumes and would be more accurately contained in L.4.3. Please clarify.

The instruction will be moved to Section L.4.4.

Government Responses to Industry Questions

TDRAW 2nd Draft RFP Questions & Responses Page 6 of 19

SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION SEE FAR 2.101 & 3.104

30 Section L, Paragraph L.7.2.1.

We recommend the sentence be amended to state “if the offeror has no covered lives, or processes no claims, but intends to rely on a parent, affiliate, or subcontractor to perform one or both of those aspects of the solicitation, the totals be for the parent, affiliate, or subcontractor as appropriate.”

Section L.7.2.1. will be revised to state, “If this is a newly formed or re-organized company, the totals shall be that of the parent corporation, affiliate, or individual entity/entities of a joint venture provided the parent corporation, affiliate or individual entity/entities will be involved in the management and/or operations of the offer for the most recent 12-month period available (See Section L.7.4).

31 Section L, Paragraph L.7.3. and L.7.5.

Please clarify that in L.7.3 and L.7.5 the sentence “[t]he offeror shall not include contracts from its own subsidiaries, subcontractors, or other team members” is intended to instruct offerors not to provide for past performance review a contract or contracts between the offeror and one of its own subsidiaries, team members or subcontractors. As now written it appears to prohibit the submission of the past performance of a subsidiary or team member even if the subsidiary or team member will in fact perform important aspects of the statement of work.

The text “[t]he offeror shall not include contracts from its own subsidiaries, subcontractors, or other team members” will be deleted from Section L.7.3. Offerors may submit past performance contracts of a subsidiary, subcontractor, or team member if the subsidiary, subcontractor or team member will perform important aspects of the statement of work.

Section L.7.5. will be revised to state, “[t]he offeror shall not complete past performance questionnaires on its own subsidiaries, subcontractors, or other team members.” The Government believes this gives the appearance of a biased opinion on the past performance history.

32 Section L, Paragraph L.7.4.

The instructions in L.7.4 seem to amend the instructions in L.7.2 should the offeror meet the criteria in L.7.4. We believe the government intends for the response submitted for L.7.4 include the information as required in L.7.2 but L.7.4 states, "The offeror shall document in its Past Performance Narrative (See L.7.2)..."

[emphasis added]. Please clarify.

Section L.7.4.1. will be revised to state, “The offeror shall include in its Past Performance Narrative…”

33 Section L, Paragraph L.7.4.

Please provide an example of "evidence and adequate explanation demonstrating the connection or commitment of resources…" as included in L.7.4.

It is the offeror’s responsibility to substantiate the direct correlation between the entity with relevant past performance and the entity that will be performing the work, such as who is providing oversight and/or who is providing the resources.

34 Section L, Paragraph L.7.4.

We respectfully suggest amending this section to state “if the offeror, or its first-tier subcontractor(s), was formed or is being re-organized for the purpose of proposing on this solicitation, or otherwise lacks relevant past performance, and the offeror or subcontractor’s parent corporation, affiliate, or individual entity/entities of a joint venture has

The purpose of Section L.7.4. is to address the lack of relevant past performance history of the offeror and/or its first-tier subcontractor.

Therefore, the Government does not see the need to add the suggested language.

Government Responses to Industry Questions

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SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION SEE FAR 2.101 & 3.104

relevant past performance and will be involved in the management and/or operations of the offeror;

then the offeror shall submit the same information that is required in L.7.3 and L.7.5 for the applicable entity/entities.

35 Section L, Paragraph L.7.8.

If offerors submit past performance information in accordance with Section L.7.4 or L.7.6 (i.e.

from a parent, affiliate or subsidiary), are those same offerors prohibited by this section from submitting key personnel? Or should offerors do so in the event the agency determines the explanations of involvement by such affiliates, subsidiaries, and/or the parent are not sufficient to warrant evaluation?

Offeror’s shall submit key personnel information only when they do not have any relevant past performance. If an offeror submits past performance information under L.7.4. or L7.6., it shall not submit past performance on key personnel. L.7.8. will be revised to state "Offerors with relevant past performance history shall not submit key personnel information as stated in L.7.7.

36 Section L, Paragraph L.8.8.

Can the government confirm that the Offeror's proposed rates for individual CLINs X009, X011, and X013 should be exactly the same; and the proposed rates for family CLINs X010, X012, and X014 should be exactly the same?

The paragraph numbers in Section L were corrected. Section L.8.8.

is now L.8.10.

Yes. All single premiums (CLINs X009, X011 and X013) shall be priced the same for an option period; and all family premiums (CLINs X010, X012, and X014) shall be priced the same for an option period. See Section L L.8.11. and L.8.12.

37 Section M, Paragraph M.5.2.1.

We recommend this section be amended to read “The Government will assess an overall Relevancy Rating for each recent contract submitted for past performance as well as for the Past Performance Narrative provided in accordance with Section L.7.2.”

The Government will assess a Relevancy Rating for each individual contract with a "Summary Description of Each Contract," not on the offeror's "Past Performance Narrative." The Past Performance narrative will be evaluated in accordance with Section M.5.4.2., which states, "the Government will use an offeror’s Past Performance Narrative to develop a Past Performance Confidence Rating."

38 Section M, Paragraph M.5.4.

What are the sources of "its own internal records and sources" as described in this paragraph?

These documents include, but are not limited to, any contract administration documents. For example correspondence, deliverables, and other contract documentation.

39 Section C, Paragraph C.3.1.2.

What eligibility data will we receive for ADSMs and Reserves? Will the government provide the technical specifications for the dental DEERS query?

See Section J, Attachment J-24 for a listing of data that will be provided. Yes. The DEERS technical specifications will be provided. This is also listed in Section J, Attachment J-24.

40 Section C, Paragraph C.3.1.2.

Do non-enrolled ADSM’s need to be enrolled when a DTF refers them to the network?

No. An ADSM that is referred by a DTF is not considered to be remote. See Section J, Attachment J-3b.

Government Responses to Industry Questions

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SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION SEE FAR 2.101 & 3.104

41 Section C, Paragraph C.3.1.4.

Section C.3.1.4. notes that geography designations are determined as follows:

• “Rural” is defined as less than 1,000 residents per square mile.

• “Suburban” is defined as 1,000 to 3,000 residents per square mile.

• “Urban” is defined as more than 3,000 residents per square mile

The Network Adequacy Standards for Rural/Suburban/Urban are based on concentration of “residents” but Performance Standards are based on concentration of “ADSM, Reservists, family, etc.” Is the government using US census counts to determine the number of residents per square mile?

Yes. Offerors should use the most current US Census data. In the event that US Census data is not available or applicable, it is the offeror’s responsibility to define “residents” for purposes of establishing a network in the absence of US census data. It is up to the offeror to define the area.

42 Section C, Paragraph C.3.1.9.

Is there a requirement for an external review for appeals process?

External reviews are required if the contractor denies the service.

See TRICARE Operations Manual, Chapter 12; and Section J, Attachment J-3b.

43 Section L, Paragraph L.6.1.1.

In the last sentence of the paragraph it says “Offerors shall refrain from using any formatting or symbols to bring attention to any portion of the proposal.” Can the Government please describe an example of unwanted formatting attention in the proposal?

Examples are bolding words when describing/explaining a technical aspect; adding graphic symbols such as blue ribbons, light bulbs or other symbols in the margins. Bolding of paragraph headers and tables is acceptable.

44 Section L, Paragraph L.6.1.1.

The RFP states “Offerors shall refrain from using any formatting or symbols to bring attention to any portion of the proposal. Please confirm offerors may collect relevant content supporting a position in a table or box.

Yes. Content may be presented in tables and/or boxes. See Section L.4.2 for information concerning Joint Photographic Experts Group images and searchable content.

45 Section L, Paragraph L.6.1.2.

The last 2 sentences of the paragraph read “The Government will count the pages upon receipt of proposals beginning with the first side of the first piece of paper of Volume 2 of the technical

Section L.6.1.2. was deleted. Section L.4.3. addresses the font and spacing requirements. Section L.4.4. addresses the page limitation requirements. Section L.4.4. was revised to include “The Table of Contents, tabs/title pages separating sections of the volume, lists of

Government Responses to Industry Questions

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SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION SEE FAR 2.101 & 3.104

proposal, which shall be regarded as page one.

Pages in excess of 110 (starting at page 111) will be destroyed without review. The Table of Contents and tabs separating sections of the volume will not be counted as long as they do not contain proposal content.” Will the Government allow Title Pages and Cross Reference Matrices to be accepted from page counts and double line spacing for all proposal volumes?

figures, list of tables, acronyms list, and cross reference matrices will not be counted towards the proposal page limit as long as they do not contain proposal content.”

46 Section L, Paragraph L.7.3.

The RFP states, “The offeror and/or its first-tier subcontractor must state if it has fewer than three contracts that are relevant to this contract.” Please confirm this means less than three contracts each for the offeror and each of its first-tier subcontractors.

Yes. It means the offeror and the first-tier subcontractor must state if either of them has fewer than three contracts that are relevant to this contract.

47 Section L, Paragraph L.7.8.

The RFP states, “Offerors with relevant past performance history are not required to submit key personnel information as stated in L.7.7.” Is there potential evaluation value for an Offeror with relevant past performance who desires to submit key personnel information?

No. Section L.7.8. will be revised to state, "Offerors with relevant past performance history shall not submit key personnel information as stated in L.7.7."

48 Section M, Paragraph M.6.1.

M.6.1. states “For the 6-month extension of services the value will be calculated by multiplying Option Period 7 total price by 0.5 which will be added to the total evaluated price.”

Should offerors exclude CLIN 7005 Transition-out from the total OP 7 price prior to calculating the 6-month extension price?

Yes. Section L.8.15. will be revised to state in part, "After excluding CLIN 7005, Transition out, the offeror shall multiply its Option Period 7 total price by 0.5 for the possible 6-month extension of services under FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services."

49 Requested Data Sets We are interested in knowing potential data sets that would be coming with the final RFP. Will DHA include claims data, call volumes, beneficiary counts by zip code, authorization volumes and other data sets that will aid in determining level of effort and cost?

Yes. See Section J, Attachment J-24.

50 Section C, Paragraph C.3.1.3.

Section C.3.1.3. no longer aligns with the enrollment methodology that is used for

DHA is currently in the process of revising TDRAW enrollment requirements so that DEERS is the system of enrollment like it is for

Government Responses to Industry Questions

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SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION SEE FAR 2.101 & 3.104

TRICARE medical enrollments due to the NDAA changes to the TRICARE medical benefit enrollment process which may cause confusion for the beneficiaries who are enrolled in both services. Has DHA considered aligning enrollment policies with the medical benefit for a uniform approach across the TRICARE program?

medical enrollments. DHA is also considering reducing the number of Health Care Delivery Program (HCDP) codes in Section J, Attachment J-12 so that the sponsors will still be identified by separate codes, the family members would all be in one code. There will be other identifiers within the system if the member needs to be differentiated.

51 Section C, Paragraph C.3.1.3.

AQL: (1) “99% of entries for telephone and paper enrollments will be accurate and complete” is higher than the typical TRICARE standard of 97%. Please confirm the standard for TDRAW and confirm that the standard applies at the data element level, not the transaction level.

The 99% AQL applies to the enrollment transaction, not to each entry made on an enrollment application. The AQL will be revised to state “99% of telephone and paper enrollment applications entered into DEERS will be accurate and complete.”

52 Section C, Paragraph C.3.1.7.

Is there a requirement for the contractor to contact the beneficiary upon receipt of a referral from a DTF, or does the contractor assist the beneficiary with appointment scheduling only when requested by the beneficiary?

The contractor is required to assist the beneficiary with appointment scheduling if the beneficiary requests it.

53 Section C, Paragraph C.3.1.7.

Must the authorization process for both ADSM and non-ADSM be standardized?

Yes. The authorization process is the same for ADSMs, remote ADSMs, and the Selected Reserve and IRR Mobilization-Asset members.

54 Section C, Paragraph C.3.1.7.

Do ADSMs have to have a PCD (Primary Care Dentist) for referrals like an MTF?

No. ADSMs do not have to have a primary care dentist.

55 Section C, Paragraph C.3.2.1.

Standard Calculation for performance standards 3.2.1.b and c. states, “The first full 12-month option period shall establish the baseline.” Is the Government’s intent to establish the baseline and subsequent performance standards for C.3.2.1. b.

and c. after the first full 12-month option period TDP and/or RHRP are brought under TDRAW?

i.e., if in Option Period (OP) 3 (12 months) TRICARE Dental Program (TDP) Services Commence, this 12-months would serve as the period to establish a baseline. Option Period 4 (OP) 4 (12 months) would be the first period the

Clarification will be added to state Section C.3.2.1.b and C.3.2.1.c will apply only upon implementation of the RHRP contract.

Government Responses to Industry Questions

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SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION SEE FAR 2.101 & 3.104

performance requirement and AQL standards would be in place.

56 Section C, Paragraph C.3.2.1.

Standard Calculation for standards 3.2.1.b and c.

states, “DRC codes 3 shall be determined by totaling the number of DRC codes 3 based on the most recent claim submitted to the MDR for each unique user during the option period; then divided by the total enrolled population of Reservists.

DRC codes 1 and 2 shall be determined in the same manner that DRC codes 3 are calculated”. Is the Government’s intent to classify all enrolled Reservists whom do not have a claim submitted to MDR during the Option Period being measured as

DRC 4?

Yes. If a Reservist has not had care in 12 months then they are classified as DRC 4.

57 Section L, Paragraph L.5.5.2.

Many organizations today embrace an agile work environment where associates can work from home anywhere in the US. Until recruiting begins and associates are hired, an offeror would not be able to determine the work locations of their associates. Would the government be open to revising the language to state that the contractor will be responsible for accessing and incorporating the applicable current Wage Determination revisions in place at the time of the Option Period modification for each associate affected by the Service Contract Act?

No. Per 29 CFR § 4.4(a)(3)(ii) only the Department of Labor may authorize a modified procedure that may result in the subsequent issuance of wage determinations for one or more composite localities.

If an offeror has questions about Service Contract Labor Standards, DHA encourages it to contact the Department of Labor.

58 Section L, Paragraph L.4.3.

A sentence in the middle of the paragraph reads, “All paper copy proposal narrative material shall be submitted on 8 ½” x 11” white paper with at least one inch (1”) margins on all sides.” No mention is made to fold-outs (11” x 17” sheets of paper). Will the government allow the use of 11” x 17” fold-out pages in the proposal for charts, figures, pricing spreadsheets, data sets, etc.? If allowed, please confirm that these fold-outs

Section L.4.3. will be revised to allow up to 11” x 17” fold out pages for Volume IV, Price Proposal.

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would count as two pages each (provided that they are single sided).

59 Section L, Paragraph L.4.8.

The last sentences of the paragraph read “A copy shall be placed in each volume of the proposal.

The organization chart shall not exceed 4 pages and will not count against any of the other page limitations indicated in L.4.4.” Does the Government want the required Organization Chart to be an attachment to each volume or is there another desired location within each volume?

Section L L.4.8 will be revised to state in part, "A copy of the organization chart shall be placed in the front of each volume of the proposal."

60 Section L, Paragraph L.5.1.

The RFP states: “All certifications and representations, to include Section K, FAR 52.2o04-8, Annual Representations and Certifications, must be completed and submitted with the proposal.” The RFP goes on to state: “An online Representations and Certifications Application is available at https://www.uscontractorregistration.com/.” If an online Representations and Certifications Application is completed, please confirm it is only necessary to identify and provide any representations and certifications changes within the proposal.

No. The offeror shall print out a copy of the completed Representations and Certifications Application and provide it in Volume I.

61 Section L, Paragraph L.6.1.2. and L.7.2.

The RFP indicates tabs separating sections of the proposal volumes will not be counted. In using tabs to separate proposal sections commonly results in a blank page at the end of the previous section. Please confirm the use of a “This page is intentionally blank” page is acceptable in the above situation that it should not be page identified, and it will not count toward the proposal page limitations.

Section L.6.1.2. was deleted. Text regarding page limitations was moved from L.7.2 to L.4.4. Yes. Offerors may use "This page is intentionally blank" on tabs used as a separator, and that page will not be counted toward page limitations.

62 Section L, Paragraph L.6.1.2. and L.7.2.

The RFP states the Table of Contents and tabs separating sections of the volume will note be counted towards the proposal page limit. Please

See response to #45. Please note the L.7.2. text regarding page limitations was moved to L.4.4.

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confirm lists of figures, list of tables, acronyms list, and proposal cross-reference matrix, if used, will not be counted towards the proposal page limit.

63 Section L, Paragraph L.7.5.

The RFP states: “The offeror shall submit the completed questionnaires in its Volume III, Past Performance Proposal.” To ensure the integrity of the questionnaire process, would the government consider requiring that the questionnaires be submitted directly to the Government, bypassing the offeror?

The submission of past performance questionnaires will remain as stated in Section L.7.5.

64 Exhibit A: CDT Pricing Table for ADSMs

For the ‘Estimated OCONUS Quantity’ the listed total is different than the sum of all procedures.

The lines for procedure codes D0411 and D6096 are blank in the OCONUS column. Are there quantities missing from these two rows or is the total stated in error?

The quantities for D0411 and D6096 will be corrected to reflect zero.

DHA will examine the totals and correct the RFP if necessary.

65 Section J, Attachment J-24

There was not an attachment J24 in the 2nd draft of this RFP, will the attachment J24 from the first draft be part of the final proposal?

If Yes– the following data was not listed in J24 for request, will the contractor have the ability to request:

• Number of beneficiaries are receiving email versus postal mail

• Historical or projected authorization volume

• Historical and Current percentage of Reservists by DRC classification

If No– To ensure government can receive the most competitively priced bid, please include the following data files with the final RFP:

• Historical claims data

Yes. Section J, Attachment J-24 will be a part of the RFP. The Government does not track the number of beneficiaries who receive email versus postal mail. The number of requests for ADSMs' authorizations will be provided. The ADSMs’ DRCs will be provided as part of the claims data. DHA will provide TDP enrolled Reservists' data as part of the claims data. The estimated quantities given in Section J, Exhibit B indicate the need for diagnosis and treatment per 12 months for Reservists.

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• Beneficiary type by geography/location, including remote ADSMs

• Number of beneficiaries are receiving email versus postal mail

• Historical patient appointing volumes

• Historical or Projected call volumes categorized by plan type

• Historical or projected authorization volume

• Historical and Current percentage of

Reservists by DRC classification

66 Section C, Paragraph C.1.2.1.2.

Please clarify the meaning of the word “optional” and the statement “The Government reserves the right to modify the contract to add TOP remote dental services at a later date.”

Who will make the decision to add TOP to

TDRAW?

What is the decision to add predicated on? When will the decision to add or not add TOP be made?

Will one consolidated TDRAW award be made to one successful contractor or could the individual programs be awarded to different contractors?

Unless defined otherwise in the solicitation (including the FAR, DFARS, and TRICARE manuals), offerors shall use the common US English definition for the terms in the Solicitation. See revised Section C.1.2.1.2, and Section B.

The contracting officer unilaterally determines what CLINs to exercise.

The contracting officer will determine what CLINs to exercise based on the needs of DHA in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract.

The contracting officer will award one contract. See Section L, FAR Clause 52.216-1, Type of Contract; and Section M.2.2.

67 Section C, Paragraph C.1.2.2.

Please clarify the meaning of the word “optional” and the statement “The Government reserves the right to modify the contract to add the TDP services at a later date.”

See response to #66. Based on the current periods of performance (See Section B), the TDP services will transition-in to TDRAW in OP 2 and dental care delivery will start at the beginning of OP 3.

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Who will make the decision to add TDP to

TDRAW?

What is the decision to add predicated on?

When will the decision to add or not add TDP be made?

Will one consolidated TDRAW award by made to one successful contractor or could the individual programs be awarded to different contractors?

The contracting officer will unilaterally exercise the TDP CLINs in accordance with the contract terms and conditions. See FAR Clause 52.217-9.

The contracting officer will unilaterally decide based on the needs of DHA and in accordance with the contract terms and conditions.

That will be determined in accordance with the contract terms and conditions.

The contracting officer will award one contract. See Section L, FAR Clause 52.216-1, Type of Contract; and Section M.2.2.

68 Section C, Paragraph C.1.2.3.

Please clarify the meaning of the word “optional” and the statement “The Government reserves the right to modify the contract to add the RHRP services at a later date.”

Who will make the decision to add RHRP to

TDRAW?

What is the decision to add predicated on?

When will the decision to add or not add RHRP be made?

Will one consolidated TDRAW award by made to one successful contractor or could the individual programs be awarded to different contractors?

See response to #66. Based on the current time line, the RHRP services will transition-in to TDRAW in OP 4; and dental care delivery will start in OP 4. However, this depends on whether and when Congress enacts the proposed legislative change.

Depending on if and when Congress enacts the proposed legislative change, the contracting officer may determine to exercise the RHRP CLINs (See Section B) at a later date.

The contracting officer will decide based on the needs of DHA, when Congress enacts the proposed legislative change, and the terms and conditions of the contract.

The contracting officer will award one contract. See Section L, FAR Clause 52.216-1, Type of Contract; and Section M, M.2.2.

69 Section C, Paragraph C.3.3.5.

Are the development and implementation costs of complying with MHS Genesis interface (Attachment J-3e, 5.0) included in the transition-in CLIN’s? If yes, how will the costs be evaluated (Section M) without specific technical specifications and would a separate CLIN be appropriate to segregate integration costs?

No. DHA will not evaluate MHS Genesis interface implementation costs. As stated in C.3.3.5., DHA will implement at a later date. The MHS Genesis technical specifications are still in development.

C.3.3.5. is to document the MHS Genesis requirement will be within the scope of the TDRAW contract when DHA determines to implement it.

70 Section C, Paragraph C.3.5.5.

5.2 – Is full MHS interface functionality for ADDS expected prior to 1/1/2020? Attachment J-

The citation should be Section C.3.3.5. No. DHA does not anticipate the MHS Genesis interface will be implemented by 1/1/2020.

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3e Program Operations for Data Systems, 5.0 Military Health Services (MHS) Genesis/Defense Health Medical Systems Modernization (DHMSM) Electronic Health Record System

(EHRS).

71 Section J, Attachment J-4a

What is considered remote or non-remote for OCONUS ADSMs?

ADSMs must be enrolled in TRICARE Prime Remote to be considered remote. See Section J, Attachment J-4a, paragraph 3.0.

72 Section J, Attachment J-4a

Are there non-remote OCONUS ADSM referral and network requirements?

No. There are not any non-remote OCONUS ADSM referral and network requirements. Non-remote OCONUS ADSMs are not eligible for OCONUS care. See Section J, Attachment J-4a, paragraph 3.0 for the list of who is eligible for OCONUS care.

73 Section G, Paragraph G.3.4.

Will the Government allow a discount for payment of premium in advance?

No. This would create confusion in DEERS when calculating how much is owed by the Government and whether the amount paid by the beneficiary is correct.

74 Section C, Paragraph C.1.2.

Which beneficiary category will include National Guard members?

The National Guard members are covered under Section C.1.2.2. See Section J, Attachments J-3c and J-12. Section C.1.2.2. will be revised.

75 Section C, Paragraph C.1.2.1.1., C.1.2.1.2., C.1.2.2., C.1.2.3.

Please confirm that the Government will evaluate all of the “Optional” C requirements (C.1.2.1.2, C.1.2.2, C.1.2.3) in addition to the Active Duty Dental Services in C.1.2.1.1 using the same evaluation criteria for all of these programs that are incorporated into TDRAW.

Yes. DHA will evaluate the offeror's technical proposal in accordance with Section M.4. EVALUATION OF FACTOR 1 -

TECHNICAL APPROACH.

Section L.2 will be revised to state “The offeror shall propose to all scopes of services stated in Section C.1.2.”

Section M.3.3 will be revised to state “The Government will evaluate all scopes of services stated in Section C.1.2. as applicable to the evaluation criteria.”

76 Section J, Attachment J-3e, Paragraph 5.2.

Can DHA please provide the MHS Genesis technical specifications?

No. See response to #69.

77 Section C, Paragraph C.3.2.1.

To ensure accurate pricing, the contractor will need to know the DRC of those who had an exam on active duty or through RHRP? Will this data be made available to the offerors?

See response to #65.

78 Section C, Paragraph C.3.2.1.

If Reserve Members received care outside of the TDRAW Program, what is the Government’s expectation of how this will be captured? What proof is needed if self-reporting is allowed?

Currently under the RHRP program the Reservist submits the DD 2813 to the contractor and the contractor submits it to the RHRP reporting system. Clarification on the process to capture these DRCs will be added to Section J, Attachment J-3d.

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79 Section C, Paragraph C.1.2.2.

The draft lists CONUS and the territories for the ADDP service area, but the TDP service area is not listed. Can the Government confirm the TDP service area?

TDP CONUS and OCONUS service areas will be the same as ADDP. See Section C.1.2.2.1.

80 Section L, Paragraph L.2.3.1.

Can the Government clarify that the affirmation in L.2.3.1 is outside of page count?

Yes. The affirmation in L.2.3.1. is outside of page count Clarification will be added to Section L.2.3.1. and L.4.4.

81 Section J, Attachment J-4a, Paragraph 5.11.

The current TOP program allows for language assistance as needed in remote locations. Would the Government consider similar requirements for ADSM for TDRAW?

Section J, Attachment J-4a, paragraph 5.11 will be revised to require the provider to use language translation assistance.

82 Section C, Paragraph C.3.1.6 (b) and Section J, Attachment J-4a, Paragraph 5.7.

There is a conflict between C.3.1.6 (b) which requires the TOPD listing to be updated “within 5 days of receipt of the updated information” and J- 4a, clause 5.7 which requires the update to be on “at least a monthly basis.”

Section J, Attachment J-4a, Paragraph 5.7 will be corrected to state the update will occur within 5 business days of receipt.

83 Section C, Paragraph C.1.2.1.1.

Please provide data, by DTF/MTF service area or other geographical breakdown, showing the number and utilization patterns of beneficiary types that will be covered by TDRAW, including ADSMs without access to DTFs.

ADSM data will be provided by State/Country; 5-digit ZIP code;

Health Care Delivery Program (HCDP) code, Service category;

Member category; and Age Group. The HCDP will indicate whether they are near a DTF or they are remote (50 miles or more from a DTF). The claims data will indicate the utilization patterns. See Section J, Attachment J-24.

84 Section J, Attachment J-3a, Paragraph 4.3. The contractor shall schedule appointments for the beneficiary

(CONUS/OCONUS)

when requested by the beneficiary, through the contractor’s website or via telephone with a customer service representative. The contractor shall send to the beneficiary

Please provide anticipated scheduling assistance volumes.

Will the contractor’s scheduling system, particularly if it is web-based, be required to interface with any DoD/DHA information systems, or will it constitute a stand-alone capability on the part of the contractor? If standalone, it is assumed that required information about the customer service contact and date of appointment, etc will be captured.

Attachment J-3e appears to only require that the following information regarding appointment scheduling be captured: 4.1.13. The system will indicate referrals differentiated by appointment;

date of the appointment, and the completed date.

The Government will provide ADSM appointments scheduled by the contractor. The Government does not track other scheduled appointments.

The contractor’s scheduling system will have to interface with the contractor’s referral and authorization system. See Section J, Attachment J-3e, paragraph 4.0.

No. The referral and authorization system tracks more than just the appointment type, date of appointment and completion date. The referral and authorization system will generate the Appointment Control Number (ACN) and whether the appointment is with a

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electronic scheduling reminders, appointment reminders, and failed appointment notices (for any appointment scheduled by the contractor). The contractor shall track

ADSM

appointments as specified in Section J, Attachment J-3e, Program Operations for Data Interfaces.

The contractor shall send the reminders/notices via Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) encrypted (i.e., Common Access Card (CAC) encrypted) or through the contractor’s proprietary secure email system. If the beneficiary requests non- Protected Health Information (PHI)/Personally Identifiable Information (PII) be sent unencrypted to their military account or to their

Please confirm that additional information is not required to “track” ADSM appointments as mentioned in J-3B4.3 network provider or non-network provider. See Section J, Attachment J-3e, paragraph 4.1.3 and 4.1.4.

Government Responses…