36C10X24R0053 0003.pdf

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 3. 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 for 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 HOUR 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 letter 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)

1 39

0003 07-31-2025

None

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

36C10X24R0053

05-17-2024

X

X X

X

The purpose of this amendment is to:

1. Extend the closing the date of the BAA to September 30, 2026 1:00 PM EST 2: Update the Topic Areas 3: Concept Paper Template Attachment A

Jaime Bennett Contracting Officer

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA)Innovation Ecosystem (VHAIE) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for

Suicide Prevention

VHA Innovation Ecosystem (VHAIE)

Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Innovation Ecosystem (VHAIE) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for FY24 Topic Suicide

Prevention

Table of Contents

I. INTRODUCTION

II. GENERAL INFORMATION

III. AREAS OF INTEREST…

IV. CONCEPT PAPER AND PROPOSAL SUBMISSIO INSTRUCTIONS

A. Submission Instructions…

i. Concept Paper Submission Instructions

ii. Full Proposal Preparation and Submission

Instructions

V. CONCEPT PAPER AND PROPOSAL EVALUATION CRITERIA/

BASIS FOR AWARD

VI. NOTIFICATION INFORMATION

VII. OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION FOR FULL PROPOSAL

SUBMISSION AND POTENTIAL CONTRACT AWARD

VIII. REFERENCES…

I. INTRODUCTION

As an innovation engine within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the vision of the VHA Innovation Ecosystem (VHAIE) is a VA innovating at the forefront of science and research, service delivery, and employee empowerment. VHAIE leads this vision through development of organizational capability, delivery of operational breakthroughs, and by driving futures. VHAIE is committed to developing and employing agile mechanisms that allow VA to source incremental and transformational innovations to best serve Veterans, caregivers, and their families. This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) opportunity seeks to source and fund early-stage prototyping/testing, and field test/piloting with an overall goal of moving forward the state of the art.

VHAIE invites all potential offerors (including private sector companies, non-profits, and institutions of higher learning) to contribute ideas for innovations in suicide prevention, care coordination, and treatment that significantly increase Veteran access to services, reduce or control costs of delivering those services, enhance the performance of VA operations, and improve the quality of service that Veterans, caregivers, and their families receive.

NOTE: This BAA is an expression of interest only and does not commit the Government to make an award or pay concept paper or proposal preparation costs generated in response to this announcement. The cost of concept paper and proposal preparation for a response to a BAA is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resultant contract or any other contract.

All questions shall be submitted to VHASuicidePreventionBAA@va.gov

GENERAL INFORMATION

This BAA for Suicide Prevention is structured to allow for a competition cycle, which consists of submission of concept paper followed by an invitation only proposal, to select projects to be funded for an initial prototyping and testing phase and option period phase for subsequent field test/piloting. VA seeks solutions that can be developed, piloted, and evaluated within a 12-24 month period. This total period must include all time required for prototyping and testing and evaluation of field test/pilot results. The objectives of the Phases are as follows:

o Prototyping/Test Phase (contract base period - up to 12 months): This phase is intended to develop new and untested ideas and technologies or novel customization and application of existing technologies that have the potential to provide benefits outweighing all costs, with results that significantly exceed currently deployed solutions. Technologies, care coordination, education and treatment products submitted shall achieve a working prototype or test system.

o Field Test/Pilot Phase (contract optional period: up to 12 months): This phase is intended to field test and evaluate the solution developed in the Prototyping/Test Phase. Solutions shall be repeatable and ready for small-scale deployment at the VISN or facility level.

mailto:VHASuicidePreventionBAA@va.gov

Predominantly we are seeking projects that offer a prototyping/test phase plus a field testing/piloting optional phase. Offerors who do not require a prototyping/test phase may choose to submit only a proposal for field test/piloting phase as the base contract period. In this case, the period of performance is limited to a 1 year base period and no option period.

A. Submission Dates:

o Stage 1: Concept Papers - Submissions will be accepted from July 15, 2024 – September 30, 2026. In response to this BAA solicitation, Concept Papers must be submitted to:

VHASuicidePreventionBAA@va.gov no later than 11:59 PM ET on last business day of every month. VA will attempt to review and reply to all Concept Paper submissions as they are received and as soon as is feasible with a target date of approximately 30 calendar days following the Concept Paper submission (Attachment A).

o Stage 2: Proposals - Submission will be accepted only upon written request and notification by a VA Contracting Officer. Offerors will have 30 days to prepare a full proposal for submission following a 45 day co-design phase.

See Section IV for concept paper and proposal submission instructions.

B. Authority: This BAA is issued under the provisions of Parts 35.016 and 6.102(d)(2) of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), which provides for the competitive selection of proposals submitted in response to this announcement. Accordingly, proposals selected for award are considered to be the result of full and open competition and fully compliant with PL 98-369, entitled “The Competition in Contracting Act of 1984.”

C. Eligible Participants: All responsible sources capable of satisfying the objective of this BAA are encouraged to reply in accordance with the instructions specified herein. Private for profit and not-for-profit entities, and institutions of higher education are eligible to apply. Small businesses, small, disadvantaged businesses, Veteran owned small businesses, and service-disabled Veteran owned small businesses are encouraged to submit concept papers for this solicitation.

NOTE: To conduct business with the Government, Offerors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database.

D. Standards of Conduct and Conflict of Interest: Current VA employees, including staff, clinicians, and uncompensated employees, are prohibited from participating in particular matters involving conflicting financial, employment, and representational interests (see, e.g., 18 U.S.C. §§ 203, 205 & 208). Therefore, they may not legally participate in concept paper or proposal preparation. With respect to any proposals that may ultimately be submitted in response to this BAA, proposers are notified that the government will assess all submissions for the existence or appearance of any potential conflicts of interest. Notwithstanding any government assessment that shall be conducted because of proposal submissions, it is principally incumbent upon the party submitting any proposal to the government for funding consideration to assess all facts relevant to the existence or potential existence of a conflict of interest and disclose such information the government for appropriate consideration.

E. Type of Contract that may be Awarded: The Government intends to use only

Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract(s) when making awards restulting from this BAA.

Multiple awards are anticipated although no commitments or promises are made in this regard.

F. Total Funding Availability for Award(s): Although VA plans to award multiple contracts through this BAA, no funding has been specifically reserved for this announcement at this time. The following contract funding limits have been established:

o Prototyping/Test Phase -maximum funding is $2,000,000.00.

o Field Test/Pilot Phase -maximum funding is $4,000,0000.00.

While maximum funding level are established for each phase, submitters are encouraged to be as efficient as possible in their approach as price reasonableness in relation the proposed approach and solution maturity will be considered by the Government.

G. Open Source Software: For technology-based proposals, open source software solutions are encouraged and preferred. Effective deployment of Open Source Software lowers Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), produces better documented and higher quality software code, and enhances health information technology interoperability by employing open standards, open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), and open data.

H. Questions: Interested parties may submit questions related to the BAA solicitation directly VHASuicidePreventionBAA@va.gov ). Please state “BAA Question” in the subject line of the email. The deadline for submission of questions is July 15, 2024, at 1:00 PM EST, and Bi-monthly on the 2nd Monday of respective month.

Responses to the questions will be provided via response from the listed email above.

II. AREAS OF INTEREST

This section contains statements of fields of interest to the subject VHAIE BAA. All questions regarding this BAA shall be directed to the Contracting Officer.

Background: The significant and unprecedented challenges this country faced in 2021 fuel the continued call to action related to a whole-of-government and whole-of- Nation approach to suicide prevention. Suicide is a complex problem requiring a full public health approach involving community prevention and clinical intervention. VA services are a critical part of this public health approach, as the data from this report highlights. The data across 20 years reveals that Veterans engaged in VHA care have shown a less sharp rise in suicide rates, underscoring the importance of VHA care.

Over 20 years of Veteran suicide data also reveal a substantial reduction in suicide rates, specifically for Recent Veteran VHA Users with mental health or substance use disorder diagnoses (77.8 per 100,000 in 2001 to 58.2 per 100,000 in 2021), falling 32.9% for Veterans with depression, 27.6% for those with posttraumatic stress disorder, 26.9% for those with anxiety and 40.4% for those with sedative use disorder.

Comparing Veterans with Recent VHA use to other Veterans, we also find notable trends. While overall rates of Veteran suicide rose across the 20 years, age-adjusted suicide rates rose 24.5% for male Veterans with Recent VHA use compared to 62.6% for male Veterans without Recent VHA use. While less notable for women Veterans, the age-adjusted suicide rates rose 87.1% for female Veterans with Recent VHA use and 93.7% for female Veterans without Recent VHA use. Likewise, when looking more specifically across 2020 and 2021, we find the greatest increase in unadjusted rates for Veterans who were neither engaged with VHA nor with VBA. From 2020 to 2021, there were also notable decreases for particular subpopulations of Veterans with Recent VHA use, including those between ages 55- and 74-years-old (overall suicide rate -2.2%, -0.6% for men, -24.9% for women), males between ages 18- and 34-years-old (overall suicide rate -1.9%) and males aged 75-years-old and older (overall suicide rate -8.6%).

These findings underscore the importance of continuing to expand access to and engagement of Veterans in VHA and VBA services, as over 50% of Veterans who died by suicide in 2021 had not been engaged in either service. Yet, in order to address the complex interweaving of individual, relational, community and societal risks, VA must continue to fully engage with other federal agencies; public-private partnerships;

government at the local, state and 32 as noted above, Veterans receiving VHA care show evidence of higher risk with being more likely to have lower annual incomes, poorer self-reported health status, more chronic medical conditions, and self-reported disability due to physical or mental health factors, greater depression and anxiety, and greater reporting of trauma, lifetime psychopathology, and current suicidality.

10 national levels; VSOs; and local communities to reach all Veterans to support the implementation of a full public health approach, as outlined in the White House Strategy Reducing Military and Veteran Suicide (2021) 33 and VA’s National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide (2018). 34 These guiding documents have been operationalized through SP 2.0; Suicide Prevention Now initiative (SP Now); new laws, including the 2020 Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act; the Veterans Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care and Treatment Act (COMPACT) of 2020; the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020; and emerging innovations combined with research and program evaluation. As 2021 has again shown, this public health approach must include both community-based prevention and clinical interventions to reduce suicide in the Veteran population.

As we reflect on the core of what we learned about Veteran suicide in 2021, 7 themes emerge for our call to action (see summary listing and description below). While no one solution can address the complexity of all factors involved in suicide, the data clearly outlines that significant reductions in Veteran suicide will not occur without meaningful focused effort to address Veteran firearm suicide. While we vigorously pursue enhanced policies, research, and programs to effectively address the broader socioecological and individual risk and protective factors which speak to “why” a

Veteran may consider suicide, we must address directly the “how” of Veteran suicide. It is inescapable that the “how” in 72% of Veteran suicide deaths is firearm compared to 52% of non-Veteran U.S. adult suicides. We therefore begin our call to action with a focus on three primary topic areas.

To address the need for innovation in Suicide Prevention, VA seeks innovations across 3 primary topic areas:

1. Improve services for non-VA affiliated Veterans by replicating successful VA programs in community care settings (e.g., VA peer support programs), training non-VA providers in Veteran-specific care, expanding access to community mental health and crisis intervention services, and enabling seamless care transitions between VA and community care

2. Strengthen post-crisis and care transition supports following emergency or inpatient visits

3. Address acute crisis moments by enhancing crisis response and lethal means safety.

Note: Veteran-facing Artificial Intelligence (AI) clinical care solutions for Suicide Prevention (chatbots, voice, text) not in scope for BAA

The VHAIE BAA will be conducted in two stages: an open concept paper stage followed by an invitation-only full proposal stage. A concept paper allows BAA respondents (hereafter referred to as Offerors) to communicate the essence of their proposals with a smaller burden of time and effort. Following a technical review of the concept papers, selected Offerors will be invited by the VA Contracting Officer to submit full proposals. Offerors will have 30 days to submit a full proposal following a 45 day co-design phase. NOTE: Current VA employees may not be involved in the preparation of concept papers or proposals under this announcement.

NOTE: When responding/inquiring on a specific area of interest, refer to the Topic Number as well as the Topic Title, as identified below.

Topic Number: 0001

1. Topic Title: Improve services for non-VA affiliated Veterans by replicating successful VA programs in community care settings (e.g., VA peer support programs), training non-VA providers in Veteran-specific care, expanding access to community mental health and crisis intervention services, and enabling seamless care transitions between VA and community care

Topic Detail: VHA is committed to supporting all Veterans, including those who do not, and may never, seek care within the VA health system. Non-VA affiliated Veterans represent a sizable population, and data from 2022 shows that nearly half of Veterans who died from suicide had not received VHA or VBA services in the prior 2 years.3 With VA’s increased focus on community care, this topic calls for replicating the best of VA care and programs in the community.

Bennett, Jaime This is the original

Topic Number: 0002

2. Topic Title: Strengthen post-crisis and care transition supports following emergency or inpatient visits

Topic Detail: The period immediately following a psychiatric emergency or inpatient stay is one of the most vulnerable times for Veterans at risk of suicide. Studies have shown that in the first week after discharge from inpatient psychiatric care, suicide rates are nearly 300 times higher than the general population—and remain 200 times higher after one month.1 This topic could source innovations to address these critical transition windows.

Topic Number: 0003

3. Address acute crisis moments by enhancing crisis response and lethal means safety.

Topic Detail: A substantial proportion of suicides occur in rapid and unpredictable crisis windows. One study found that nearly half of suicide attempt survivors acted within 10 minutes of their first current suicidal thought.2 Meanwhile, firearms remain the most common method of suicide among Veterans, involved in over 73% of deaths in 2022.3 This topic calls for innovations that enable in-the-moment crisis responses and more effective lethal means restriction interventions during high-risk moments.

A. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

The Government requires electronic submittal of concept papers and proposals.

All concept papers and proposals shall be submitted to VHASuicidePreventionBAA@VA.GOV

Concept papers and proposals submitted via any other mechanism will not be accepted or reviewed under this BAA. No information submitted by an interested party in response to this BAA will be returned. In addition, the cost of preparing concept papers or proposals in response to this announcement is not considered an allowable direct charge to any to any resultant contract or any other contract.

i. CONCEPT PAPER SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Offerors are required to submit a concept paper that succinctly and clearly describes the innovation. VA will evaluate the concept paper according to the evaluation criteria mailto:SuicidePreventionBAA@VA.GOV contained in this announcement and will determine interest in moving forward in receiving a full proposal based on this technical review. Offerors must submit a concept paper in order to be eligible to receive an invitation to submit a full proposal.

All concept paper submissions must adhere to the following general guidelines:

• Maximum of three (3) pages in length, not including the cover page

• All pages shall be printable on 8-1/2 by 11-inch paper with type not smaller than 12-point font (Arial or Times New Roman). Smaller font may be used for figures, tables and charts.

• Hyperlinks are not permitted.

The concept paper must contain the following sections:

• Part 1: Transmittal Letter (does not count against 3 page limit):

Transmittal Letter (must be clearly marked “Concept Paper”): Include the Technical Point of Contact’s information (name, address, phone, fax, email, lead organization and business size), the title of the proposed work, proposal type (Prototype/Test, Field Test/Pilot, or both), the Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost not to exceed stated funding limits in Section II, and the duration of the proposed work.

• Part 2: Executive Summary (White Paper): The Executive Summary should include details regarding the proposed technical approach (architecture, implementation, impact, benefits, and challenges of the innovation) to include needed VA resources (anticipated requirements for piloting in the VA – such as software hosting, access to patient data and/or VA patient), supporting analysis (describes how the technical approach is innovative and beyond current state of the art), and team expertise (key personnel and team structure). The details needed for the Executive Summary must be framed to address the following Heilmeier questions:

What are you trying to do?

How is it currently done?

What’s new?

Who cares?

What are the risks?

What’s your plan?

What’s your progress?

• Part 3: BAA Topic Area Number: Clearly identify one topic area number from

Section III of this BAA solicitation. Offerors should not identify more than one topic area number for the concept paper.

ii. FULL PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION

INSTRUCTIONS

Only Offerors who are invited to do so may submit full proposals. Proposals will only be accepted upon written request and notification by a VA Contracting Officer. Offerors will have 30 days from completion of co-design phase to submit a full proposal.

NOTE: Offerors are advised that an invitation to submit a full proposal indicates interest on the part of VA in exploring the potential for contract award. However, Offerors are cautioned that an invitation to submit a full proposal does NOT guarantee a contract award, or otherwise commit the VA in any way.

All proposals submitted to VA for consideration must be in the format specified below.

Nonconforming proposals may be rejected without further consideration or review.

All proposals shall consist of two separate volumes (Volume I and Volume II, as indicated below) and shall address the mandatory policy and other submission requirements as specified herein.

Proposals must be written in English and formatted such that, when printed, all pages will be printed on 8 ½ X 11 inch paper with 1 inch margins and font type not smaller than 12 points (Arial or Times New Roman). Charts, figures, tables, and graphs may utilize smaller font size (not smaller than 8 point). Charts, diagrams, and similar representations will count towards the page count limitations. Hyperlinks are not permitted. All pages minus the cover page must be numbered. All technical information shall be provided in Volume I, which shall not exceed 30 pages. The cover page and table of contents do not count towards the page limit.

Price/cost shall be submitted as Volume II. There is no page limit for Volume II.

Volumes I and II must be provided for the proposal to be considered for review. The information requirements for Volumes I and II are provided below:

A. Volume 1 – Technical Proposal (Not to exceed 30 pages)

1. Transmittal Letter (not included in the 30 page limit): The Transmittal Letter shall be provided on your organization’s Letterhead stationery.

o Transmittal Letter to include:

BAA Number (BAA- 36C10X24R0053) BAA Topic Area Number Technical Point of Contact, to include Salutation, First and

Last Name, Street Address, City, State, Zip Code, Telephone, Email

Name and title of the Principal Investigator or Project Director

Legal name and address of your organization, and Cage Code

Type of organization (large business, small business, small, disadvantaged business, service disabled Veteran owned small business, Veteran owned small business, institution of higher learning, non-profit or not for profit)

Proposal Title Project Period of Performance Total proposed price, broken out by price of

Prototyping/Test Phase (Base period) and price of Field Test/PilotPhase (Option period), as applicable.

Date proposal was submitted.

Confirmation of update of Representation and Certifications in the System for Award Management (SAM) Name, title and signature of an official authorized to legally bind the organization, to include Salutation, First and Last Name, Street Address, City, State, Zip Code, Telephone, email.

2. Technical Proposal: Consisting of the following sections:

o Summary of Proposal (Shall not exceed 3 pages). Including the following:

• Description of the innovation and how it fulfills the objectives stated in the BAA.

• Description of the current state of the art and how the innovation satisfies an unmet need in suicide prevention.

• Technical rationale, technical approach, and plan for accomplishment of goals and objectives

• Description/mapping of activities to be accomplished across the period of performance (base plus option period, if applicable) and associated deliverables

• Innovation value statement (number of Veterans impacted, cost savings/avoidance, quality of care, and patient outcomes) and description of how value will be measured.

o Detailed Proposal Information (Shall not exceed 27 pages): The proposal should clearly define activities, approach, feasibility, and goals for both the Prototyping/Test phase of the base period and the field test/pilot phase of the option period. The Technical proposal shall include, but not be limited to:

• A detailed background, discussion and description of the proposed solution. Descriptions of the prototyping/test phase shall clearly identify the new technology being prototyped, including a description of the current technology status and the future prototyping to be undertaken. When describing the Field Test/Pilot phase clearly indicate the current level of deployment of the solution and describe the areas where a VA deployment involves new or untested usage.

• A clear, concise definition of the impact, benefits, and scalability of the solution to the stated area of interest.

• Statement of Work (SOW) – In plain English, clearly define the tasks/subtasks to be performed, the duration of time associated with completion of the individual tasks/subtasks in question, and dependencies, if any, among them. The SOW should be developed so that the Prototyping/Test and Field Test/Pilot Phases are separately defined. The SOW must not include proprietary information. For each task/subtask, provide:

A general description of the objective (for each defined task/activity)

A detailed description of the approach to be taken to accomplish each defined task/activity;

Identification of the primary organization responsible for task execution (prime.sub, team member, etc.);

The completion criteria for each task/activity - a product, event or milestone that defines its completion; and

Define all deliverables (reporting, data, reports, software, etc.) to be provided to the Government in support of the proposed tasks/activities.

• An Implementation Plan that includes the proposed schedule, milestones (Note: measurable milestones should capture key activity points and should be clearly articulated and defined in time relative to the start of the effort ) and deliverables, as well as the personnel, facilities, management, and structure of the organization. The Implementation Plan shall clearly identify the major prototyping, testing and integration activities involved in the proposed solution. The Implementation Plan shall include reporting on the program’s progress.

• A discussion which details the feasibility and the methodology of the proposed approach(es) and identifies the level of effort to be employed. Risks associated with the Offerors’ solutions as well as mitigation strategies shall be identified and discussed.

• A presentation of the Offeror’s unique capabilities and/or specialized experience, previous accomplishments, and work in closely related areas.

• Offerors shall identify and provide brief resumes for key personnel (These are defined as individuals crucial to the successful performance of the orders issued and the programs being supported by those orders and are those persons identified as key personnel in accordance with solicitation requirements) and the principal investigator (Individual(s) designated by the Offeror to have the appropriate level of authority and responsibility to direct the project supported by the contract). Resumes will count towards Technical proposal volume page limit.

B. Volume II, Price (No page limit)

The Government intends to award only Firm Fixed Price (FFP) type contract(s) under this BAA. Additionally, funding for Phase 1 Prototyping/Test Proposals is limited to $2,000,000 and funding for Phase 2 Field Test/Pilot Proposals is limited to $4,000,000.

The total price for each phase shall be inclusive of direct and indirect costs, and profit.

The Offeror’s price proposal shall be prepared in a clear and concise manner that accurately reflects the Offeror’s total proposed amount for accomplishing the proposed solution. Price data shall include all costs expected during the performance of the contract. All details, broken down by cost element, shall be prepared for each major task along with supporting rationale and sufficient back-up documentation to support the proposed price. All price data is subject to Government evaluation and verification.

The Contracting Officer will utilize the techniques set forth at FAR 15.402 and other appropriate sections to assist in the determination of price reasonableness. The Offerors shall provide other than cost or pricing data in sufficient detail to substantiate the price proposed.

The price proposal shall include the following elements of major cost for the proposed effort:

1) Direct Labor: The labor category, number of hours, direct labor rate per hour for each category and totals for each category of the effort.

2) Materials: An itemized listing of material requirements and associated costs for the effort. Unless otherwise specified, all materials purchased for performance of the effort are to be delivered to the Government upon completion/termination of the contract. Any item that exceeds $5,000 must be supported with back-up documentation such as a copy of catalog prices lists or quotes.

3) Travel: Contemplated expenditures for travel which support the effort. Provide the purpose of the trip, number of trips, number of days per trip, departure and arrival destinations, number of people, etc.

4) Other Direct Costs: Costs associated with laboratory usage, computer usage, reproduction, etc. with sufficient back-up documentation to support proposed costs.

5) Costs for Consultants: The number of hours and breakdown of total costs shall be indicated as well as the nature and scope of the service furnished by any consultant. State the reason(s) why a consultant was required to complete the effort. Must provide a signed consultant agreement or other document which verified the proposed loaded daily/hourly rate, hours and any other proposed consultant costs (e.g., travel)

6) Cost for Subcontractors: A breakdown of the subcontract amount by cost element and profit/fee must be shown to fully evaluate the proposal. All subcontractor cost documentation must be prepared at the same level of detail as that required of the prime.

7) Indirect Costs: Including Fringes Benefits, Overhead and General & Administrative rates. Indirect costs shall indicate whether the rates used are fixed or provisional.

Also indicate the time frames to which the rates are applicable.

8) Profit.

V. CONCEPT PAPER AND PROPOSAL EVALUATION CRITERIA/BASIS FOR

AWARD

It is the policy of VHAIE to treat all concept papers and proposals as proprietary information. All concept papers and proposals will be subject to evaluation by a team of Government personnel. Should non-government evaluators be added to the evaluation team, appropriate information will be provided via an amendment to the

BAA.

Concept papers and proposals will be evaluated on their own merit, according to the criteria cited below. All evaluators will be made aware that, without written permission from the Offeror, concept papers and proposals shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed in whole or in part for any purpose other than to evaluate the concept paper or proposal. If a contract is awarded on the basis of a proposal submitted under this BAA, the negotiated terms of the contract control disclosure and use of the proposal.

The overall basis for selecting concept papers and then proposals for acceptance shall be technical, importance to agency programs, and fund availability. The following more specific criteria will be used:

• Overall Innovation Merit: The proposed innovation will be evaluated to determine if it represents a new innovative approach to the VA area of interest and advances the current state of the art. Is the innovation focused on increasing knowledge or understanding?

• Technical Merit and Feasibility of Implementation Plan: Is the technical approach designed to address a well-defined problem and is the project hypothesis based? The approach must be feasible to quickly demonstrate merit during both the Prototyping/Test and Field Test/Pilot phases within the proposed timeframe. Major technical risks are clearly defined, and viable mitigation efforts are presented to address any major or significant obstacles for success. For full proposals only, the SOW and implementation plan will also be included in the evaluation: Task descriptions and associated technical elements are complete, understandable, and in a logical sequence, with all proposed deliverables clearly defined such that achieving stated goals is highly likely.

• Potential Impact/Benefit of the Innovation: The innovation proposed must be clearly relevant to the mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs and address a demonstrated need in the topic area – is there a current or future/emerging need for this innovation? The project description shall provide clear and convincing justification that the innovation will offer substantial benefit (in patient outcomes, cost savings, education, and others).

• Offeror’s Capabilities: Demonstrated expertise/experience, techniques, or unique combinations of these that are integral factors for the achievement of proposal objectives. The effort must be supported by individuals with the requisite expertise and experience to meet the project objectives.

• Price Reasonableness

Offerors whose concept papers lack technical merit or relevance to the areas of interest enumerated in this BAA, and/or whose content is not favorably assessed on the criteria above, and/or whose concept papers may fall in areas wherein funds are not expected to be available, will not be invited by the VA Contracting Officer to submit a full proposal.

Offerors are advised that there is no guarantee that any of the concept papers submitted in response to a particular topic will result in an invitation to submit a full proposal. Further, more than one Offeror may be invited to submit a full proposal under a particular area of interest.

Concept papers and proposals will not be evaluated against other concept papers or proposals in the same area of interest, but rather on their respective merits as judged against the evaluation criteria.

The Government will evaluate price reasonableness using price analysis techniques as prescribed in FAR 15.404-1(b). Price will not be evaluated adjectivally or assigned a score. The Government will evaluate offers by adding the total of all line-item prices, including all options. The Government will also evaluate price reasonableness for the utilization of FAR 52.217-8.

Unbalanced Pricing - The Government may evaluate whether the offeror has submitted unbalanced pricing. An unbalanced price is one where the price of one or more contract line items is significantly overstated or understated and which will result in the Government paying an unreasonably high price for contract performance or otherwise present an unacceptable level of risk to the Government. If the Contracting Officer determines that the risk is unacceptable, then the offer can be rejected.

VI. NOTIFICATION INFORMATION/PROJECT CO-DESIGN

Upon completion of the concept paper evaluation, the VA Contracting Officer will notify the Offeror that 1) the concept paper submission has been selected and the Offeror is invited to submit a full proposal which will be preceded by a 30-day Project Co-Design phase as described below, or 2) the concept paper submission has not been selected for submission of a full proposal. These official notifications will be sent via email to the Technical Point of Contact identified on the concept paper transmittal letter.

Project Co-Design – Offerors who receive an invitation to submit a full proposal will have approximately 30 days to communicate with the VA to gain further insight into the problem their innovation addresses, general resource requirements, the feasibility of developing the innovation, and the structure of the piloting phase of the project for the VA. If needed, VHAIE can help facilitate introductions. The Co-Design phase occurs after a concept paper has been peer-reviewed, scored, ranked, and selected for invitation for proposal submission. Following conclusion of the Project Co-Design period, Offerors will be allowed 30 days to prepare and submit their full technical and price proposals.

**Please note – Following the Project Co-Design Period, VA employees will not communicate with the Offeror or their team regarding any aspect of the proposal preparation including, but not exclusive of, drafting proposal, providing advice, reviewing or editing proposal.

In all instances, the Government reserves the right to select for negotiation all, some, or none of the proposals received in response to this solicitation. The Government reserves the right to conduct discussions with an Offeror if the Government determines this to be necessary and, in the Government’s, best interest. However, the Government need not conduct discussions with all Offerors and may hold discussions with only a few or just one Offeror. The Government may permit an Offeror to submit a proposal revision as part of discussions. This opportunity may be extended at the Government’s discretion to Offeror. Additionally, the Government reserves the right to accept proposals in their entirety, or to select only portions of proposals for funding consideration. The Government may also reshape and re-scope the proposed effort into phases or blocks, including short periods of performance with the potential for options, if appropriate, to quickly prototype or otherwise substantiate proof-of-concept, or to assess progress on a continuing or ongoing basis.

VII. OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION FOR FULL PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

AND POTENTIAL CONTRACT AWARD

A. Responsibility Determination: To be eligible for award of a contract, all prospective Offerors must meet certain minimum standards pertaining to financial resources, ability to comply with performance schedules, have a satisfactory performance record, integrity, organizational structure, experience, accounting and operational controls, technical skills, facilities and equipment and be otherwise qualified. For additional information concerning standards of responsibility for prospective contractors, please refer to FAR Subpart 9.1.

B. Restrictive Marking on Proposals: Notwithstanding VA policy, if information contained in the proposal is in the public domain or cannot be protected under law as trade secret (e.g., a patent application), VA will not accept liability for failure to safeguard it against open disclosure. If an Offeror wishes to restrict the proposal, the Offeror shall mark the title page with the following legend: “This data shall not be disclosed outside the Government and shall not be duplicated, used or disclosed in whole or in part for any purpose other than to evaluate the proposal; provided that if a contract is awarded to this BAA responder as a result of or in connection with the submission of this data, the Government shall have the right to duplicate, use or disclose the data to the extent provided in the contract. This restriction does not limit the Government’s right to use information contained in the proposal if it obtained from another source without restriction.

The data subject to this restriction is contained on page .”

C. Key Personnel: Skilled experienced professional and/or technical personnel are essential for successful contractor accomplishment of the work to be performed under this effort. These are defined as individuals crucial to the successful performance of the orders issued and the programs being supported by those orders and are those persons identified as key personnel in accordance with solicitation requirements. The Contractor agrees that the key personnel shall not be removed, diverted, or replaced from work without prior notification of the CO. Requirements that reflect the seniority and/or expertise levels of these labor categories, if any, will be specified at the order level.

D. Substitution of Personnel: Any personnel the contractor offers as substitutes shall have the ability and qualifications, including educations and experience, equal to or better than the key personnel whose biography was submitted with the successful proposal. Requests to substitute personnel shall be provided to the CO for review and approval. All notification of substitutions in key personnel shall be submitted to the CO at least 15 calendar days prior to making and change in key personnel, to the maximum extent practicable. The notification shall be in writing and shall provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitution. The contractor shall submit a complete biography/resume for the proposed substitute, and any other information requested by the CO. The CO will evaluate such requests and promptly notify the contractor of approval or disapproval thereof in writing.

E. System for Award Management (SAM): Successful Offerors not already registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) will be required to register prior to award of any contract. Information on SAM registration is available at http://www.sam.gov.

F. Representations and Certifications: Each Offeror shall complete and submit

Representations and Certifications via the System for Award Management at https://www.sam.gov. Each Offeror shall attest that, at time of the submission of its offer, its record at Representations and Certifications is current, accurate, and complete.

G. Subcontracting Plan: In negotiated acquisitions, each solicitation of offers to perform a contract or contract modification, that individually is expected to exceed $700,000 and that has subcontracting possibilities, shall require the apparently successful Offeror to submit an acceptable subcontracting plan. If the apparently successful Offeror fails to negotiate a subcontracting plan http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ acceptable to the Contracting Officer within the time limit prescribed by the contracting officer, the Offeror will be ineligible for award. However, subcontracting plans are not required from small business concerns.

VIII. REFERENCES

Note to prospective contractors: If you are proposing an IT solution all or parts of the following references, Addendum A and B may apply to the resulting contract.

In the performance of the tasks associated with this Performance Work Statement, the Contractor shall comply with the following:

1. 44 U.S.C. § 3541, “Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) of 2002”

2. Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) Publication 140-2, “Security Requirements For Cryptographic Modules”

3. FIPS Pub 201-2, “Personal Identity Verification of Federal Employees and Contractors,” August 2013

4. 10 U.S.C. § 2224, "Defense Information Assurance Program"

5. Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute, Capability Maturity Model®

Integration for Development (CMMI-DEV), Version 1.3 November 2010; and Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute, Capability Maturity Model® Integration for Acquisition (CMMI-ACQ), Version 1.3 November 2010

6. 5 U.S.C. § 552a, as amended, “The Privacy Act of 1974.”

7. 42 U.S.C. § 2000d “Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964”

8. VA Directive 0710, “Personnel Security and Suitability Program,” June 4, 2010, http://www.va.gov/vapubs/

9. VA Handbook 0710, Personnel Security and Suitability Security Program, May 2, 2016, http://www.va.gov/vapubs

10. VA Directive and Handbook 6102, “Internet/Intranet Services,” July 15, 2008

11. 36 C.F.R. Part 1194 “Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility

Standards,” July 1, 2003

12. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, “Managing

Federal Information as a Strategic Resource,” July 28, 2016

13. 32 C.F.R. Part 199, “Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed

Services (CHAMPUS)”

14. An Introductory Resource Guide for Implementing the Health Insurance

Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule, October 2008

15. Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. § 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220), August 7, 1998

16. Homeland Security Presidential Directive (12) (HSPD-12), August 27, 2004

17. VA Directive 6500, “Managing Information Security Risk: VA Information

Security Program,” September 20, 2012 http://www.va.gov/vapubs/ http://www.va.gov/vapubs

18. VA Handbook 6500, “Risk Management Framework for VA Information

Systems – Tier 3: VA Information Security Program,” March 10, 2015

19. VA Handbook 6500.1, “Electronic Media Sanitization,” November 03, 2008

20. VA Handbook 6500.2, “Management of Breaches Involving Sensitive

Personal Information (SPI)”, October 28, 2015

21. VA Handbook 6500.3, “Assessment, Authorization, And Continuous

Monitoring Of VA Information Systems,” February 3, 2014

22. VA Handbook 6500.5, “Incorporating Security and Privacy in System

Development Lifecycle”, March 22, 2010

23. VA Handbook 6500.6, “Contract Security,” March 12, 2010

24. VA Handbook 6500.8, “Information System Contingency Planning”, April 6,

25. OI&T ProPath Process Methodology (reference process maps at http://www.va.gov/PROPATH/Maps.asp and templates at http://www.va.gov/PROPATH/Templates.asp

26. One-VA Technical Reference Model (TRM) (reference at http://www.va.gov/trm/TRMHomePage.asp)

27. National Institute Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publications

(SP)

28. VA Directive 6508, “Implementation of Privacy Threshold Analysis and Privacy Impact Assessment,” October 15, 2014

29. VA Handbook 6508.1, “Procedures for Privacy Threshold Analysis and Privacy Impact Assessment,” July 30, 2015

30. VA Directive 6300, Records and Information Management, February 26,

31. VA Handbook, 6300.1, Records Management Procedures, March 24, 2010

32. OMB Memorandum, “Transition to IPv6”, September 28, 2010

33. VA Directive 0735, Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12)

Program, October 26, 2015

34. VA Handbook 0735, Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-

12) Program, March 24, 2014

35. OMB Memorandum M-06-18, Acquisition of Products and Services for

Implementation of HSPD-12, June 30, 2006

36. OMB Memorandum 05-24, Implementation of Homeland Security

Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12 – Policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors, August 5, 2005

37. OMB memorandum M-11-11, “Continued Implementation of Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12 – Policy for a…