36C25720Q0533-000.docx

Contract Opportunity Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Notice

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* = Required Field Contract Opportunity Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Notice U006

CLINICAL CONSULTANT SERVICE

75137 36C25720Q0533 04-22-2020 N 611710 Department of Veterans Affairs NCO 17-RPO West

124 E HWY 67

Dallas TX 75216 Danise Burt danised.burt@va.gov EL Paso VA Health Care System 5001 N Piedras EL Paso TX 79930

USA

https://danised.burt@va.gov Combine Synopsos/Solicitation Notice danised.burt@va.gov Contracting Officer This is a Combined Synopsis/Solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only Solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation number 36C25720Q0533 is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ).

The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular.

NAICS Code: 611710 and Size Standard is $16.5M.

Introduction: The Government intends to award a firm fixed price base with four option year renewal contract based on this solicitation.

Description of Services: The contractor shall implement techniques to improve patients' perception of care as evidenced by the VA Survey of Healthcare Experiences (SHEP) and VA Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning (SAIL) performance measures and improve employee satisfaction as evidenced by reduced turnover and improved all employee engagement survey (AES) as outlined within the Statement of Work.

Place(s) of Performance:

Department of Veterans Affairs Medical EL Paso Health Care System 5001 North Piedra Street EL Paso TX 79930

Type of Contract: A Firm Fixed Price Period of Performance:

The full text of FAR provisions or clauses may be accessed electronically at http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html.

The following solicitation clauses and provisions apply to this acquisition:

FAR 52.212-1, “Instructions to Offerors–Commercial Items” (OCT 2018)

FAR 52.212-3, “Offerors Representations and Certifications–Commercial Items” (OCT 2018) Offerors must complete annual representations and certifications electronically via the System for Award Management (SAM) website located at https://www.sam.gov/portal in accordance with FAR 52.212-3, “Offerors Representations and Certifications–Commercial Items.” If paragraph (j) of the provision is applicable, a written submission is required.

FAR 52.212-4, “Contract Terms and Conditions–Commercial Items” (OCT 2018) addenda to FAR 52.212-4 attached 52.204-13 System for Award Management Maintenance (OCT 2018) 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services

The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within 60 days.

(End of Clause) Except when it is determined in accordance with FAR 17.206(b) not to be in the Government’s best interests, the Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. This includes options under FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services, which applies to this solicitation. Evaluation of options under FAR 52.217-8 will be accomplished by using the prices offered for the last option period to determine the price for a 6-month option period, which will be added to the base and other option years to arrive at the total price. Evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract 52.232-19, Availability of Funds for the Next Fiscal Year

(a) This solicitation includes VAAR 852.219-10, VA Notice of Total Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set- Aside, VAAR 852.219-11, VA Notice of Total Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside and FAR 52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside.

(b) Accordingly, any contract resulting from this solicitation is subject to the limitation on subcontracting requirements in 13 CFR 125.6. The Contractor is advised that in performing contract administration functions, the Contracting Officer may use the services of a support contractor(s) retained by VA to assist in assessing the Contractor’s compliance with the limitations on subcontracting or percentage of work performance requirements specified in the clause. To that end, the support contractor(s) may require access to Contractor’s offices where the Contractor’s business records or other proprietary data are retained and to review such business records regarding the Contractor’s compliance with this requirement.

(c) All support contractors conducting this review on behalf of VA will be required to sign an “Information Protection and Non-Disclosure and Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest Agreement” to ensure the Contractor’s business records or other proprietary data reviewed or obtained in the course of assisting the Contracting Officer in assessing the Contractor for compliance are protected to ensure information or data is not improperly disclosed or other impropriety occurs.

(d) Furthermore, if VA determines any services the support contractor(s) will perform in assessing compliance are advisory and assistance services as defined in FAR 2.101, Definitions, the support contractor(s) must also enter into an agreement with the Contractor to protect proprietary information as required by FAR 9.505-4, Obtaining access to proprietary information, paragraph (b). The Contractor is required to cooperate fully and make available any records as may be required to enable the Contracting Officer to assess the Contractor’s compliance with the limitations on subcontracting or percentage of work performance requirement.

FAR 52.212-5, “Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders” (JAN 2019) The following subparagraphs of FAR 52.212-5 are applicable:

52.204-10, Reporting Executive Compensation & First-Tier Subcontract Awards (OCT 2018) 52.204-14, Service Contract Reporting Requirements 52.209-6, Protecting the Government’s Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment (OCT 2015) 52.219-3, Notice of HUBZone Set-Aside or Sole-Source Award (NOV 2011) 52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside (NOV 2011) 52.219-13, Notice of Set-Aside of Orders (NOV 2011) 52.219-27, Notice of Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside (NOV 2011) 52.219-28, Post Award Small Business Program Rerepresentation (JUL 2013) 52.222-3, Convict Labor (JUNE 2003) 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (APR 2015) 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (SEPT 2016) 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans (OCT 2015) 52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (JUL 2014) 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Veterans (FEB 2016) 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (JAN 2019) 52.223-18, Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (AUG 2011) 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (JUNE 2008) 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer—System for Award Management (OCT 2018) 52.242-5, Payments to Small Business Subcontractors (JAN 2017) 52.222-41, Service Contract Labor Standards (AUG 2018) 52.222-42, Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires (MAY 2014) 52.222-55, Minimum Wages Under Executive Order 13658 (DEC 2015) 52.222-62, Paid Sick Leave Under Executive Order 13706 (JAN 2017) 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services

The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within 60 days.

(End of Clause) Except when it is determined in accordance with FAR 17.206(b) not to be in the Government’s best interests, the Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. This includes options under FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services, which applies to this solicitation. Evaluation of options under FAR 52.217-8 will be accomplished by using the prices offered for the last option period to determine the price for a 6-month option period, which will be added to the base and other option years to arrive at the total price. Evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

(End of Addendum) 52.204-24 Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications And Video Surveillance Services Or Equipment.

Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (Aug 2019)

(a) Definitions. As used in this provision— “Covered telecommunications equipment or services”, “Critical technology”, and “Substantial or essential component” have the meanings provided in clause 52.204-25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment.

(b) Prohibition. Section 889(a)(1)(A) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Pub. L. 115-232) prohibits the head of an executive agency on or after August 13, 2019, from procuring or obtaining, or extending or renewing a contract to procure or obtain, any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system. Contractors are not prohibited from providing—

(1) A service that connects to the facilities of a third-party, such as backhaul, roaming, or interconnection arrangements; or

(2) Telecommunications equipment that cannot route or redirect user data traffic or permit visibility into any user data or packets that such equipment transmits or otherwise handles.

(c) Representation. The Offeror represents that— It □ will, □ will not provide covered telecommunications equipment or services to the Government in the performance of any contract, subcontract or other contractual instrument resulting from this solicitation.

(d) Disclosures. If the Offeror has responded affirmatively to the representation in paragraph (c) of this provision, the Offeror shall provide the following information as part of the offer

(1) All covered telecommunications equipment and services offered (include brand; model number, such as original equipment manufacturer (OEM) number, manufacturer part number, or wholesaler number; and item description, as applicable);

(2) Explanation of the proposed use of covered telecommunications equipment and services and any factors relevant to determining if such use would be permissible under the prohibition in paragraph (b) of this provision;

(3) For services, the entity providing the covered telecommunications services (include entity name, unique entity identifier, and Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code, if known); and

(4) For equipment, the entity that produced the covered telecommunications equipment (include entity name, unique entity identifier, CAGE code, and whether the entity was the OEM or a distributor, if known).

(End of Clause) 52.204-25 Prohibition On Contracting For Certain Telecommunications And Video Surveillance Services Or Equipment.

Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (Aug 2019)

(a) Definitions. As used in this clause— “Covered foreign country” means The People’s Republic of China.

“Covered telecommunications equipment or services” means–

(1) Telecommunications equipment produced by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities);

(2) For the purpose of public safety, security of Government facilities, physical security surveillance of critical infrastructure, and other national security purposes, video surveillance and telecommunications equipment produced by Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, or Dahua Technology Company (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities);

(3) Telecommunications or video surveillance services provided by such entities or using such equipment; or

(4) Telecommunications or video surveillance equipment or services produced or provided by an entity that the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence or the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, reasonably believes to be an entity owned or controlled by, or otherwise connected to, the government of a covered foreign country.

“Critical technology” means–

(1) Defense articles or defense services included on the United States Munitions List set forth in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations under subchapter M of chapter I of title 22, Code of Federal Regulations;

(2) Items included on the Commerce Control List set forth in Supplement No. 1 to part 774 of the Export Administration Regulations under subchapter C of chapter VII of title 15, Code of Federal Regulations, and controlled-

(i) Pursuant to multilateral regimes, including for reasons relating to national security, chemical and biological weapons proliferation, nuclear nonproliferation, or missile technology; or

(ii) For reasons relating to regional stability or surreptitious listening;

(3) Specially designed and prepared nuclear equipment, parts and components, materials, software, and technology covered by part 810 of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (relating to assistance to foreign atomic energy activities);

(4) Nuclear facilities, equipment, and material covered by part 110 of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (relating to export and import of nuclear equipment and material);

(5) Select agents and toxins covered by part 331 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations, part 121 of title 9 of such Code, or part 73 of title 42 of such Code; or

(6) Emerging and foundational technologies controlled pursuant to section 1758 of the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4817).

“Substantial or essential component” means any component necessary for the proper function or performance of a piece of equipment, system, or service.

(b) Prohibition. Section 889(a)(1)(A) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Pub. L. 115-232) prohibits the head of an executive agency on or after August 13, 2019, from procuring or obtaining, or extending or renewing a contract to procure or obtain, any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system. The Contractor is prohibited from providing to the Government any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system, unless an exception at paragraph (c) of this clause applies or the covered telecommunication equipment or services are covered by a waiver described in Federal Acquisition Regulation 4.2104.

(c) Exceptions. This clause does not prohibit contractors from providing—

(1) A service that connects to the facilities of a third-party, such as backhaul, roaming, or interconnection arrangements; or

(2) Telecommunications equipment that cannot route or redirect user data traffic or permit visibility into any user data or packets that such equipment transmits or otherwise handles.

(d) Reporting requirement.

(1) In the event the Contractor identifies covered telecommunications equipment or services used as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system, during contract performance, or the Contractor is notified of such by a subcontractor at any tier or by any other source, the Contractor shall report the information in paragraph (d)(2) of this clause to the Contracting Officer, unless elsewhere in this contract are established procedures for reporting the information; in the case of the Department of Defense, the Contractor shall report to the website at https://dibnet.dod.mil. For indefinite delivery contracts, the Contractor shall report to the Contracting Officer for the indefinite delivery contract and the Contracting Officer(s) for any affected order or, in the case of the Department of Defense, identify both the indefinite delivery contract and any affected orders in the report provided at https://dibnet.dod.mil.

(2) The Contractor shall report the following information pursuant to paragraph (d)(1) of this clause

(i) Within one business day from the date of such identification or notification: the contract number; the order number(s), if applicable; supplier name; supplier unique entity identifier (if known); supplier Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code (if known); brand; model number (original equipment manufacturer number, manufacturer part number, or wholesaler number); item description; and any readily available information about mitigation actions undertaken or recommended.

(ii) Within 10 business days of submitting the information in paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this clause: any further available information about mitigation actions undertaken or recommended. In addition, the Contractor shall describe the efforts it undertook to prevent use or submission of covered telecommunications equipment or services, and any additional efforts that will be incorporated to prevent future use or submission of covered telecommunications equipment or services.

(e) Subcontracts. The Contractor shall insert the substance of this clause, including this paragraph (e), in all subcontracts and other contractual instruments, including subcontracts for the acquisition of commercial items.

(End of Clause)

52.233-2 SERVICE OF PROTEST (SEP 2006)

Protests, as defined in section 33.101 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, that are filed directly with an agency, and copies of any protests that are filed with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), shall be served on the Contracting Officer (addressed as follows) by obtaining written and dated acknowledgment of receipt from:

Hand-Carried Address:

Department of Veterans Affairs

VAMC (688)

Chief, Contracting (90C) 50 Irving Street NW Washington DC 20422 Mailing Address:

Department of Veterans Affairs

VAMC (688)

Chief, Contracting (90C) 50 Irving Street NW Washington DC 20422

(b) The copy of any protest shall be received in the office designated above within one day of filing a protest with the GAO.

(End of Provision)

VAAR 852.233-70 PROTEST CONTENT/ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION (OCT 2018)

(a) Any protest filed by an interested party shall—

(1) Include the name, address, fax number, email and telephone number of the protester;

(2) Identify the solicitation and/or contract number;

(3) Include an original signed by the protester or the protester’s representative and at least one copy;

(4) Set forth a detailed statement of the legal and factual grounds of the protest, including a description of resulting prejudice to the protester, and provide copies of relevant documents;

(5) Specifically request a ruling of the individual upon whom the protest is served;

(6) State the form of relief requested; and

(7) Provide all information establishing the timeliness of the protest.

(b) Failure to comply with the above may result in dismissal of the protest without further consideration.

(c) Bidders/offerors and Contracting Officers are encouraged to use alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures to resolve protests at any stage in the protest process. If ADR is used, the Department of Veterans Affairs will not furnish any documentation in an ADR proceeding beyond what is allowed by the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

(End of Provision)

VAAR 852.233-71 ALTERNATE PROTEST PROCEDURE (OCT 2018)

(a) As an alternative to filing a protest with the Contracting Officer, an interested party may file a protest by mail or electronically with: Executive Director, Office of Acquisition and Logistics, Risk Management and Compliance Service (003A2C), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20420 or Email: EDProtests@va.gov.

(b) The protest will not be considered if the interested party has a protest on the same or similar issue(s) pending with the Contracting Officer.

(End of Provision) PLEASE NOTE: The correct mailing information for filing alternate protests is as follows:

Or for solicitations issued by the Office of Construction and Facilities Management:

REQUIRED REGISTRATION WITH CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE SYSTEM (CPARS):

· As prescribed in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 42.15, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) evaluates contractor past performance on all contracts that exceed $100,000 and shares those evaluations with other Federal Government contract specialists and procurement officials. The FAR requires that the contractor be provided an opportunity to comment on past performance evaluations prior to each report closing. To fulfill this requirement VA uses an online database, the Contractor Performance System (CPARS), which is maintained by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The CPS database information is shared with the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) database, which is available to all Federal agencies.

· Each contractor whose contract award is estimated to exceed $100,000.00 is required to register with the NIH CPS database at the following web address: http://www.cpars.gov/

· Training and help in registering can be obtained by contacting the point of contact information listed at this website and the hyper-link for training or by phone at 207-438-1690.

· For contracts with a period of one year or less, the contracting officer will perform a single evaluation when the contract is complete. For contracts exceeding one year, the contracting officer will evaluate the contractor’s performance annually. Interim reports will be filed each year until the last year of the contract, when the final report will be completed. The report shall be assigned in CPS to the contractor’s designated representative for comment. The contractor representative will have thirty days to submit any comments and re-assign the report to the VA contracting officer.

· The Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act of 2009 (Public Law 110-417) was enacted on October 14, 2008. Section 872 of this Act required the development and maintenance of an information system that contains specific information on the integrity and performance of covered Federal agency contractors and grantees. The Federal Awardees Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) were developed to address these requirements. FAPIIS is a distinct application that is accessed through the Past Performance Information System (PPIRS) and is available to federal acquisition professionals for their use in award and responsibility determinations. FAPIIS provides users access to integrity and performance information from the FAPIIS reporting module in the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS), proceedings information from the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database, and suspension/disbarment information from the Excluded Parties List system (EPLS).

SUBMISSION OF QUOTE (FAR 52.212-1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS – COMMERCIAL ITEMS):

The Offeror shall submit their quote on company letterhead and shall include unit price, overall total price, name, address, and telephone number of the offeror, firm's DUNS# and ORCA document in SAM at www.sam.gov. Complete copy of 52.212-3 Offerors Representations and Certifications- Commercial Items, and ORCA document.

The offeror shall provide sufficient evidence that they possess adequate resources, capability, experience, responsibility and integrity to meet the technical capabilities to comply with the requirements of the resulting contract.

The offeror shall meet the limitation in subcontracting clause. The subcontract o vendor must be similarly situated in the same The offeror shall outline how they will be in agreeance/compliance with the limitations on subcontracting requirements in 13 CFR §125.6. Any quotes using subcontractors or teaming partners to perform any part of the work must show the subcontractor or teaming partner to be similarly situated as the prime. A similarly situated subcontractors or teaming partners is a company who has the same size standard and NAICS code as the prime offeror/vendor.

Similarly situated entity is a subcontractor that has the same small business program status as the prime contractor. This means that: For a HUBZone requirement, a subcontractor that is a qualified HUBZone small business concern; for a small business set-aside, partial set-aside, or reserve a subcontractor that is a small business concern; for a SDVO small business requirement, a subcontractor that is a self-certified SDVO SBC; for an 8(a) requirement, a subcontractor that is an 8(a) certified Program Participant; for a WOSB or EDWOSB contract, a subcontractor that has complied with the requirements of part 127. In addition to sharing the same small business program status as the prime contractor, a similarly situated entity must also be small for the NAICS code that the prime contractor assigned to the subcontract the subcontractor will perform.

QUOTE SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS AND EVALUATIONS:

Evaluation of quotes will be conducted using Simplified Acquisition Procedures in accordance with FAR 13.106-2 Evaluation of Quotes. The Government intends to award one contract resulting from this solicitation.

Please read each section below carefully for the submittals and information required as part of the evaluation. Failure to provide the requested information below shall be considered non-compliant and your quote could be removed from the evaluation process.

Offeror quotes shall be evaluated under FAR 13.106-2(b)(3) Comparative Evaluation. Therefore, the Government is not obligated to determine a competitive range, conduct discussions with all contractors, solicit final revised quotes, and use other techniques associated with FAR Part 15. The contracting techniques associated with FAR Part 15 are not mandatory.

The Government shall award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation shall be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

1. Price (Follow these instructions):

a. Offeror shall complete the Price Schedule, with offerors proposed contract line item prices inserted in appropriate spaces.

b. Ensure your representations and certifications are complete in the System for Award Management (SAM)( https://www.sam.gov). Otherwise, you will need to fill out solicitation Clause 52.212-3 "Offeror Representation and Certifications -Commercial Items" and submit with the quote. Federal Acquisition Regulations require that federal contractors register in the SAM database at http://www.sam.gov and enter all mandatory information into the system. Award cannot be made until the contractor has registered. Offerors are encouraged to ensure that they are registered in SAM prior to submitting their quotation.

2. Past Performance:

a. Provide (3) references of work, similar in scope and size with the requirement detailed in the Statement of Work. References must include contact information; brief description of the work completed, and contract # (if relevant). References may be checked by the Contracting Officer to ensure your company is capable of performing the Statement of Work. The Government also reserves the right to obtain information for use in the evaluation of past performance from any and all sources.

b. The Contracting Officer may also use information available in the Past Performance Retrieval System (PPIRS) when evaluating contractor past performance. The contracting will review PPIRS for offerors for the last 3 years. If no past performance is available in PPIRS it will be considered acceptable and or neutral.

3. Technical: The offeror’s quote/offer shall be evaluated to determine if the organization has the experience and capabilities to provide the requested services IAW the Performance Work Statement in a timely efficient manner.

a. Contractor shall provide their relevant experience and approach to meet all requirements stated in the Performance Work Statement.

4. Certifications/Qualifications: The offeror’s quote/offer shall provide certifications/qualifications for relevant to providing Clinical Consultant Services as outlined in the Performance Work Statement.

QUOTE SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS AND EVALUATIONS:

RFQ QUESTION SUBMISSION: Questions must be received no later than May 2, 2020 at 11:59pm CST. Email your questions directly to Danised.burt@va.gov. The subject line must specify: RFQ 36C25720Q0533- Questions. There will be no automated email notification of receipt of questions. An amendment/modification to the Solicitation will be posted to FBO answering all questions submitted.

RFQ QUOTE SUBMISSION: Quotes/Offers must be received no later than Monday, April 27, 2020 11:59pm CST. Email your quote directly to DaniseD.Burt@va.gov. The subject line must specify: RFQ 36C25720Q00533.- Quotes/Offers. There will be no automated email notification of receipt of quotes. All quotes received without requested documentation will not be considered.

QUOTE SHOULD BE BROKEN DOWN AS FOLLOWS:

PRICE/COST SCHEDULE

ITEM INFORMATION

Base Period: May 15, 2020- May 14, 2021

CLIN*

DESCRIPTION:

UNIT PRICE:

TOTAL PRICE:

Option Period 1 May 15, 2021 – May 14, 2022

CLIN*

DESCRIPTION:

UNIT PRICE:

TOTAL PRICE:

Option Period 2: May 15, 2022 – May 14, 2023

CLIN*

DESCRIPTION:

UNIT PRICE:

TOTAL PRICE:

Option Period 3: May 15, 2023 – May 14, 2024

CLIN*

DESCRIPTION:

UNIT PRICE:

TOTAL PRICE:

Option Period 4: May 15 2024 – May 14, 2025

CLIN*

DESCRIPTION:

UNIT PRICE:

TOTAL PRICE:

El Paso Veterans Affairs Health Care System (EPVAHCS) Cultural Transformation Services Performance Work Statement (PWS)

1.0 DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES: l

The overall objective is to transform El Paso VA Health Care System (EPVAHCS) into a high performing organization that consistently provides safe, efficient, effective Veteran-centered care and whose employees are high-performing team players who enjoy working in the organization. EPVAHCS’s need for cultural transformation includes elevating leadership skills, providing executive coaching, and improving accountability, communication, and employee engagement.

The contractor shall provide organization transformation services for EPVAHCS and its associated facilities. The contractor shall demonstrate requisite experience in coaching and training comparably sized medical facilities. Additionally, the contractor shall include statistically proven techniques, processes, and supporting tools/templates that produce sustained methods of accountability, achieve better operational efficiency/ clinical outcomes and reduce process/outcome variability (clinical and administrative). The contractor should have experience training other VA medical centers on communication tactics like the patient communication tactic, acknowledge, introduce, duration, explanation and thank you process. The contractor shall provide documentation supporting the effectiveness of its techniques.

Facility

Deliverables Title

Format Calendar days after CO start

El Paso Medical Center, located at 5001 N Piedras St, El Paso, TX 79930 and the El Paso Out Patient clinics.

100 (Staff) Members EPVAHCS Providers will be trained

El Paso Medical Center, located at 5001 N Piedras St, El Paso, TX 79930 and the El Paso Out Patient clinics.

100 EPVAHCS Leaders (Staff) (managers, supervisors, department heads, section chiefs, assistance and associate directors) will be trained

El Paso Medical Center, located at 5001 N Piedras St, El Paso, TX 79930 and the El Paso Out Patient clinics.

The contractor shall implement techniques to improve patients' perception of care as evidenced by the VA Survey of Healthcare Experiences (SHEP) and VA Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning (SAIL) performance measures and improve employee satisfaction as evidenced by reduced turnover and improved all employee engagement survey (AES) results. The contractor shall implement techniques to increase physician satisfaction, enhance doctor communication and reduce provider burnout.

l. The contractor shall conduct an initial baseline evaluation and assessment of El Paso VA Health Care System (EPVAHCS) that will identify EPVAHCS strengths and opportunities for improvement. This assessment should include national leadership benchmarks. This assessment should be released from the Director's office and completed by all levels of EPVAHCS leadership structure. The contractor shall deliver the results of the assessment via an in-person presentation to the Director and facility leadership. The contractor should subsequently guide the leadership group through a discussion of recommended next steps.

2. Following the baseline assessment, the contractor shall conduct quarterly follow-up assessments in comparison to the baseline evaluation and assessment to validate progress toward the organization's objectives. Baseline and Quarterly follow up assessments will assess:

a. Alignment of leaders' actions to improve SAIL, AES and SHEP scores with trending.

b. Current level of accountability among leaders and trends.

c. Progress of training and improvements in customer service and leadership skills.

3. The contractor shall conduct a standardized monthly support meeting to provide EPVAHCS leadership coaching, teaching and mentoring either in person, virtually or a combination of both.

4. The contractor shall develop and deliver quarterly training seminars to EPVAHCS leaders and staff designed to provide hands-on learning opportunities to supplement the in person and virtual coaching. The contractor shall work with a team of EPVAHCS leaders to customize curricula for each quarterly training. The curricula will include, but not limited to, leader accountability plans, focused leader rounding, leading best practices to improve patient communication,

a. Leadership training will be provided to up to 600 leaders at EPVAHCS. Up to100 leaders will be trained in a single session. Actual number of participants to be mutually agreed upon by EPVAHCS and the contractor after the initial assessment.

5. The contractor shall provide and implement an established robust, automated, web-based rounding tool for use by all leaders. This tool must provide:

a. Templates for hourly and other Veteran-centric rounding techniques

b. Templates for rounding on employees

c. Library of tactics and templates for enhancing patient safety and quality tracking and reporting

d. Capacity for customization, allowing instantaneous, immediate creation of custom templates and stoplight reports

6. The contractor shall provide and implement a web-based leader accountability tool capable of delivering real time reports. This tool must allow EPVAHCS leaders to enter, access, and share goals and progress data transparently and efficiently. The contractor shall also establish an accountability implementation team comprised of EPVAHCS leaders. This tool must contain functions that:

a. Establish weighted, measurable goals for leaders

b. Enable quarterly action planning

c. Facilitate monthly support meeting discussions

d. Validate the efficacy of action planning

7. The contractor shall provide onsite coaching visits.

8. The contractor will have coaches and mentors available with specific operational expertise and demonstrable prior experience in leadership best practices, communication templates to improve patient/employee trust, shift pass down protocols to ensure smooth transition between shifts, cultural change, change management, employee engagement, physician engagement, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) improvement, leader development, executive coaching, executive rounding and quality improvement. Coaches and mentors must have expertise on developing shared governance standards, such as increased engagement, retention, and autonomy; driving toward action by setting and owning goal; reducing variability and optionality to drive cultures of zero harm; and building a culture based on doing purpose-driven work.

9. The contractor shall provide annual training via an on-site education session for nurses. These forums must include role playing workshops to demonstrate and validate industry leading practices. The contractor must consult with EPVAHCS nurse and executive leadership to ensure the curriculum for these forums includes process improvement and development of consistency and standardization across staff.

10. The contractor shall provide an educational forum designed to bring physician leaders the next level. The contractor shall provide physician leader development across a twelve-month period. Available topics must include, but not be limited to, goals and action planning, rounding on providers, behavior-based peer interviewing, code of conduct versus compact, reward and recognition, teamwork, personal communication, emotional intelligence, performance conversations and providing feedback, reducing patient anxiety through communication, change management, dyad leadership, and reducing provider burnout. The program must be led by physician experts and must include skill development sessions and workshops, regular coaching calls and monthly exercises, skill validation, and certification.

11. For the duration of the period of performance, the contractor must provide EPVAHCS with an online catalog of best practices, tools, workbooks, books, and other resources that have been harvested, tested, and refined from other healthcare organizations. Throughout the period of performance, the contractor shall provide access to all EPVAHCS leaders the leadership development and automated accountability systems, tools, publications, video and online resources required to achieve and sustain the desired outcomes.

12. The contractor must be able to provide EPVAHCS with leading best practices from industry physician and employee engagement arenas.

13. Performance Measures:

a. Contractor's baseline assessment shall be used to assess progress achieved over time.

b. Quarterly, contractor shall provide metrics on number of staff trained and a summary of an end of training questionnaires provided to staff who were trained that quarter. This questionnaire should discuss perceived usefulness of training, quality of instruction, applicability to the workplace and suggested changes to the training for next quarter.

c. Annually, contractor shall reassess their techniques via survey of all EPVAHCS staff who have participated and present findings to executive leadership.

1.1 LOCATION OF WORK:

The contractor shall perform assessments, coaching, and training at EPVAHCS main facility.

1.2 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

The period of performance shall be for one Base Year of 12 months and four (4) option years.

The Period of Performance reads as follows:

1.3 ACRONYMS AND DEFINITIONS:

1. Contracting Officer (CO). A person duly appointed with the authority to enter into and administer contracts on behalf of the U.S. Government.

2. Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). An individual designated in writing by the Contracting Officer to act as an authorized representative of the Contracting Officer to perform specific contract administrative functions within the scope and limitations as defined by the Contracting Officer.

3. Contractor Service Personnel (CSP). All subcontractors performing work for primary contractor.

4. Survey of Healthcare Experiences (SHEP)

5. Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning (SAIL)

6. Employee engagement survey (AES)

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