36C10X23R0086_2.docx

DOCX document 47 KB Posted Sep 7, 2023

Attached to: U009--Veterans Health Administration (VHA) ILEAD Developmental Assessment Center (DAC) 36C10X23R0086 Amendment 0002
Solicitation number: 36C10X23R0086
Issued by: Department of Veterans Affairs Strategic Acquisition Center Frederick

About this file

Written by GovTribe AI · Dec 20, 2023

This document is an amendment to a solicitation for a Veterans Health Administration developmental assessment center contract. The amendment provides responses to offeror questions to clarify requirements. The solicitation seeks proposals for piloting a leadership assessment center within 120 days of award to evaluate competencies and derailment styles of four groups: new senior executives, aspiring senior executives, aspiring quad directors, and current senior executives. It involves simulations, behavioral interviews, feedback reports, and a three-day senior leader conference for current senior executives. While group exercises are not required, simulations must provide an experiential evaluation across large cohorts. Feedback will identify strengths, challenges and trends to inform executive coaching and leadership development programs. The contract is set aside for small businesses and has a response date of September 14, 2023. No incumbent was identified.

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Other files

File	Type	Posted
36C10X23R0086 0002.docx	DOCX document	Sep 11, 2023
ATTACHMENT A- PRICE_COST SCHEDULE.docx	DOCX document	Aug 30, 2023
36C10X23R0086_1.docx	DOCX document	Aug 30, 2023
ATTACHMENT B- PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT.docx	DOCX document	Aug 30, 2023

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SUBJECT*

Amendment 1- Veterans Health Administration (VHA) ILEAD Developmental Assessment Center (DAC)

GENERAL INFORMATION

CONTRACTING OFFICE’S ZIP CODE*

21703

SOLICITATION NUMBER*

36C10X23R0086

RESPONSE DATE/TIME/ZONE

09-14-2023 11:00 EASTERN TIME, NEW YORK, USA

ARCHIVE

30 DAYS AFTER THE RESPONSE DATE

RECOVERY ACT FUNDS

SET-ASIDE

SBA

PRODUCT SERVICE CODE*

U009

NAICS CODE*

541611

CONTRACTING OFFICE ADDRESS

Strategic Acquisition Center - Frederick

Department of Veterans Affairs

5202 Presidents Court, Suite 103 Frederick MD 21703

POINT OF CONTACT*

Contracting Officer Michael Collins michael.collins7@va.gov

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

ADDRESS

POSTAL CODE

COUNTRY

USA

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

AGENCY’S URL

URL DESCRIPTION

AGENCY CONTACT’S EMAIL ADDRESS

EMAIL DESCRIPTION

DESCRIPTION

Amendment to a Previous Combined Solicitation Amendment to a Previous Combined Solicitation See Amendment 1 Below

Amendment to a Previous Combined Solicitation

Page 1 of

Amendment to a Previous Combined Solicitation

5. PROJECT NUMBER (if applicable)

CODE

7. ADMINISTERED BY

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER

CODE

6. ISSUED BY

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NUMBER

EFFECTIVE DATE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NUMBER

9B. DATED

PAGE OF PAGES

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER

10B. DATED

BPA NO.

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

FACILITY CODE

CODE

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified f or receipt of Offers

E. IMPORTANT:

is extended,

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning __________ copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HO

UR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY

is not extended.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

(REV. 11/2016)

is required to sign this document and return ___________ copies to the issuing office.

is not, A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO:

(Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

15C. DATE SIGNED

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES

SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by let ter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS

ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER

Contractor

16C. DATE SIGNED

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

STANDARD FORM 30

PREVIOUS EDITION NOT USABLE

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.243 (Type or print) (Type or print) (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

(Number, street, county, State and ZIP Code) (If other than Item 6) (Specify type of modification and authority) (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.)

(If required)

(SEE ITEM 11)

(SEE ITEM 13)

(X)

CHECK

ONE

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF

CONTRACTS/ORDERS,

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer) 09/07/2023 36C10X Strategic Acquisition Center - Frederick Department of Veterans Affairs 5202 Presidents Court, Suite 103 Frederick MD 21703 36C10X Strategic Acquisition Center - Frederick Department of Veterans Affairs 5202 Presidents Court, Suite 103 Frederick MD 21703 To all Offerors/Bidders

36C10X23R0086 08-30-2023

X X X

X The purpose of this amendment is as follows:

1. Incorporate FAR clause 52.227-14 Rights in Data-General into the solicitation by reference.

2. Provide answers to questions from Offerors.

See Continuation Page for complete details. All other terms, conditions and provisions remain unchanged.

Michael Collins Contracting Officer Page 1 of Page 1 of The purpose of this modification is as follows:

1. Incorporate FAR Clause 52.227-14 Rights in Data-General (May 2014) into the solicitation by reference.

2. Provide responses to questions from Offerors via new attachment C-Responses to RFP Questions.

36C20X23R0086 Amendment 1 - Attachment C - Responses to RFP Questions

Question Number

Question

Reference

Government Response

One aspect of the solicitation seems to indicate the program needs to be piloted by the end of the Base Year. Another indicates the pilot needs to take place, or at least be initiated, within 120 days of the Award. Please clarify this timing.

PWS

The work of a Developmental Assessment Center (DAC) is a concierge service, so the vendor would likely have a standing curriculum/process already built to be able to pilot within 120 days. The first 120 days would allow time for minor curriculum modifications to meet VHA needs.

Could we receive additional information regarding Table 1 (DAC Curriculum Needs) DAC Experience 2 (Simulation exercises) which specifies the use of group exercises for Current SES and Aspiring Quad groups? We have concerns about the reliability and validity of and unintentional bias that can be contained in assessment-related group exercises, and would be interested in discussing alternatives. Of special interest is a direct answer as to whether group exercises are required as a part of the deliverables.

Table 1 (DAC Curriculum Needs) DAC Experience 2 (Simulation exercises)

Group exercises are not required, but can be done with intentional (vendor-provided) actors. Some C-suite experiences are best evaluated by the management of a complex meeting or addressing challenging stakeholder personalities/actions in a meeting, so a group experience can be valuable here. The key action here is to provide a simulation across a large cohort as part of the experiential development; not necessarily the group exercise.

Could we receive additional information regarding Section 4 (Supplemental DAC Curriculum Needs) c) (Feedback report) iv. (Aspiring Senior Leaders (or Aspiring Quad)) which indicates an anticipated group consultation for Current SES and Aspiring Quad groups? How is this feedback to be configured, or is that completely at the option of the vendor?

Section 4 (Supplemental DAC Curriculum Needs) c) (Feedback report) iv. (Aspiring Senior Leaders (or Aspiring Quad))

For the Current SES, this experience will occur as part of an annual Senior Leader Summit, so senior leaders will be in groups of 10-12 for a case study discussion. It is less critical to assess individual behavior than to serve as a trained executive coach and facilitator for the case study discussion. The group consult would be to the direct group (strengths, challenges) and a broader summary provided for the VHA Program Manager across all SES groups. For the Aspiring Quad, group feedback will be for the whole cohort (approx. 80 participants) to inform the program managers of observed cohort trends.

Could we receive additional information regarding Section 4 (Supplemental DAC Curriculum Needs) c) (Feedback report) iv. (Aspiring Senior Leaders (or Aspiring Quad)) in which a group feedback report is described. Greater clarity on how this report will be utilized and thus should be prepared and presented would be beneficial. Again, how is this feedback to be configured, or is that completely at the option of the vendor?

Section 4 (Supplemental DAC Curriculum Needs) c) (Feedback report) iv. (Aspiring Senior Leaders (or Aspiring Quad))

For the Aspiring Quad, group feedback will be for the whole cohort (approx. 80 participants) to inform the program managers of observed cohort trends. Trends may also be reported back to the cohort to help them understand group dynamics, as these individuals - if pursuing this more senior (Quad) leadership role - will work together as colleagues throughout their VHA career.

Could we receive additional information regarding Table 1 (DAC Curriculum Needs) DAC Competencies 2 (the Arthur et al. 2003 competencies) and the expectations for how these competencies will be incorporated and assessed? Of special interest is whether these competencies are ever applied in the assessment process to the “New SES” (New Executive Leaders) group.

Table 1 (DAC Curriculum Needs) DAC Competencies 2 (the Arthur et al. 2003 competencies)

The Arthur et al. competencies are not applied to the "New SES" , as the Hogan derailers are more applicable at this pivotal executive leader role. The Arthur et al. competencies inform the assessment exercises for the remaining three leadership groups and should be part of the measured behavior traits in those exercises.

Related to the Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Notice, Volume III (Socio-economic), given that CPLE is neither a VOSB or an SDVOSB, do the guidelines included here simply indicate how to address sub-contracting with VOSBs or SDVOSBs, or do they indicate that such sub-contracting is necessary?

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Notice, Volume III (Socio-economic)

The reference is noting that should Non-SDVOSB/VOSB Offerors intend to utilize a subcontractor, that if the subcontractor proposed has a Socio-Economic Category of SDVOSV/VOSB, that proposed SDVOSB/VOSB subcontractors must be registered and certified by SBA (in VetCert https://veterans.certify.sba.gov/) in order to receive some consideration under the Socioeconomic Factor.

Is there a current job analysis for the four different job levels that can be made available for use in determining behavioral simulation exercises?

PWS Sec 3

No, there is not a current job analysis, although VHA does use a general VA Leadership Development Framework that guides the trait/competency expectations of leaders at each level. This framework can be provided post award.

Are there any other critical incidents documents available for developing simulation exercises? (PWS 3)

PWS Sec 3

Yes, critical assessment results/documents for these leadership levels are available after the award to refine existing DAC curriculum that the vendor may already have established. The VHA Program Manager can assist in locating VHA-specific critical incident examples/case studies.

Is there an incumbent or previous contractor who has worked on previous DACs or similar projects for VHA?

General

This work was previously done internal to VHA by a program office (more than several years ago; team of OD/clinical psychologists). Some members of that group are still available to provide minimal consult after the award.

Can you provide more clarity of the expected role of the “Facilitator”? (RFP p.5 C)

RFP p.5 C

A Facilitator should have experience in supporting the needs of the PWS, to include, but not limited to: group and individual debriefs of the DAC experience/results, running DAC simulations, providing/determining assessed competency results, and providing trend consults/data reviews to the VHA Program Manager. As noted in the RFP, this personnel shall have formal academic experience or subject-matter specialization in a field related to psychology, social work, counseling, public health, or other human behavior science.

For the Participant Evaluation and Feedback Form (Deliverable 11) delivered to each participant at the end of the session, is it intended to be the end of each day, or the end of the pilot period. Can it be an auto-generated form or are you looking for more specific feedback?

PWS 3.1

Any feedback should be specific to that individual's performance on the DAC simulations - this would be a more customized report of strengths/challenges and may include automation, where applicable.

How many SES are anticipated per group in Task 4? (PWS, p.7, 4.4) Is the 3-day Sr Leader Conference the only anticipated travel event?

Task 4? - PWS, p.7, 4.4

Yes, this is the only anticipated vendor travel event. Estimated 10-12 SES per group in Task 4 - a recent SES summit include 340 attendees. These consults can be spread across different times within that 3-day window,

Is it expected /requested that all Assessors will also be Subject Matter Experts?

PWS, p. 10, 13

Yes, all Assessors should have subject matter expertise in DAC competency evaluation and recording/delivering behavioral-based feedback.

Are all leaders (VHA participants) within the same geographic area? Would there need to be any in-person work held outside of the WDC region?

General

VHA leaders exist across the U.S. and its territories. If in-person DAC testing work is required, then it will occur at the vendor's locale.

Is this contract open to all Small Businesses or is it specifically geared for SDVOSB/VOSB?

RFP iv

This is a Total Small Business Set-Aside, and includes FAR Clause 52.219-6 NOTICE OF TOTAL SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE (NOV 2020). Volume III of the RFP relates to SDVOSB/VOSB Offerors and Non-SDVOSB/VOSB Offerors who intend on utilizing SDVOSB/VOSB subcontractors.

Who has the ownership rights to any intellectual property (IP) developed or used for this project, the VA or the vendor? If the VA, will the vendor have the right to use the IP simulation non-VA-identified content and the like with other clients?

General

Data Rights Clauses are amended to the solicitation as follows: FAR Clause 52.227-14 Rights in Data-General (May 2014)

If the vendor includes proprietary intellectual property (e.g., simulations) in their proposal, will it be held confidential and returned or destroyed after RFP completion?

General

All intellectual property that a vendor considers confidential or proprietary should be marked as such. All solicitation records are held confidential in accordance with FAR 4.805 Storage, handling, and contract files.

What is the VA’s expectation for the validation of assessment center scores? Is the validity intended to be against the competency and derailer criteria or against job performance subsequent to the ACs?

General

Validation should be against the competency at the expected level of proficiency for that participant - i.e., an Aspiring Quad (current Manager) is not at the same proficiency as a current SES. This feedback from the DAC is for growth purposes only - it is not for job performance validation.

Will the vendor have access to any criterion-related data not generated by the AC for use in validation efforts?

General

Yes, the DAC will also use the Hogan Assessment Tool and the vendor may use these data points for criterion validation.

Will the VA launch an internal individual development effort using the results of the assessment center findings? If so, can you indicate what this might include and how such efforts would relate to the AC data?

General

VHA already has a series of internal development programs. The DAC data/trends will be used to refine existing programming by topic or point of entry into the leadership pipeline - e.g., begin training on Topic A earlier in the first-line supervisor career vs. later at Senior Leader.

Aside from providing feedback to groups or individuals, does the vendor have any obligation as part of this project to engage in development activities?

General

The vendor is providing the Base Year Pilot and Option Year 1 launch of all DAC experiences, so yes, the vendor does have the obligation to engage in the DAC activities. If this question pertains to development outside of the DAC simulations, then no, the vendor does not have obligation to provide developmental support to individual participants - only to identify/discuss plausible types of developmental growth as part of the post-DAC assessment feedback report/briefing.

Is the PMP certification a hard requirement, or can this capability be demonstrated in alternative ways (e.g., prior project experience of equivalent complexity)?

General

PMP certification can be demonstrated in other ways. Proof of experience in managing large projects, adhering to deadlines and tracking, file and program management, etc.

Must the individual with project management professional certification (PMP) be named as the Senior Program Manager, or can this certification reside in the project team in a someone with a less senior role?

General

The PMP certification can reside in someone else on the team, but that individual would also then share accountability in guiding project management.

What assessment data does the VA expect to receive? For example, will the VA expect to receive name-identified individual-level results delineated by instrumentation, group summary data only, aggregated competency or simulation scores within job groups, etc.? If identified information at the individual level is provided to the VA, how will these data be protected and limited in its access.

General

Individual-level data about the DAC experience and summary scores by DAC competency will be received by the VHA program manager. The VHA data team is accustomed to working with sensitive talent management data and maintains a VHA Personnel Psychologist to support that limited access. VHA already maintains a Hogan Assessment Tool contract and will manage that level of participant data on its own.

Table 1 in Attachment B excludes or includes suggestions for certain experiences for some job groups and not others. Can you explain the reasoning for this? For example,

Attachment B - Table 1

Correct, there are four custom DAC participant/leadership groups, and assessments (analysis, feedback) are not expected to be uniform across them. The activities and competencies are different due to how existing VHA leadership programs are implemented, where some leadership levels experience programming as a group, and others as individuals. The unique competencies for the "New SES" are different due to the significant learning curve required for that job.

a. The New SES cohort does not receive competency assessment and instead only derailer styles, yet the other three groups receive competency assessments but not derailer styles.

Attachment B - Table 1

See above

b. The Aspiring Quad and Current SES groups do not receive a behavioral interview and the other two groups do.

Attachment B - Table 1

See above

c. The New SES and Aspiring SES groups do not receive group simulations and the other two groups do.

Attachment B - Table 1

See above

d. The Current SES group will participate only in a case study, not in simulations.

Attachment B - Table 1

See above

Given that the four groups will differ in the activities or assessments they receive, is the expectation that all analyses and feedback will be separate for the four groups, not aggregated across them?

Attachment B - Table 1

Correct, there are four custom DAC participant/leadership groups, and assessments (analysis, feedback) are not expected to be uniform across them.

Concerning the derailer styles DAC activities, is the assumption that each of the three Hogan derailers (moving away, moving against, moving toward) would be associated with a specific DAC activity? Would those assessees scoring highly on specific potential derailers receive the same DAC activities as those not scoring high on any of these scales?

General

Yes, the three Hogan derailers (moving away, moving against, moving toward) would be associated with a specific DAC activity per derailer. Each participant would receive all three activities and the feedback would include the DAC and Hogan assessment tool results - coaching would be custom based on high or low derailer results.

We would like to know if this is a brand new contract OR if there is (was) an incumbent performing these services. If not brand new, could you please provide the current / previous contract number?

General

This is brand new contract - no prior contract number.

--End of Amendment 1--

File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated Sep 7, 2023.