Sources Sought - PCAT .docx

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS and is for informational / market research purposes only. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL, QUOTATION OR BID, NOR A SYNOPSIS OF A PROPOSED CONTRACT ACTION. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this synopsis or on any follow up information. NO SOLICITATION IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE.

The purpose for this synopsis is to conduct market research to help identify capable, potential sources and to establish if this requirement can be set-aside for small business or other socio-economic programs.

NAICS Code: 518210 – Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting and Related Services Small Business Size Standard: $40M PSC/FSC: DA01 - IT and Telecom - Business Application/application Development Support Services (labor)

GENERAL INFORMATION:

The Department of Veterans Affairs, Puget Sound Health Care System, intends to establish a firm-fixed price contract for the development, upgrade and maintenance of a system to manage data acquisition, data storage, data access and security for the VA Office of Primary Care Analytic Team (PCAT).

The period of performance will be 04/15/26 – 04/14/30.

PCAT’s mission is to provide the Office of Primary Care analytic resources needed for:

· Program evaluation:

· evidence synthesis based on relevant VA and non-VA studies.

· outcome assessment: quality and safety; morbidity and mortality; utilization; cost; ROI; provider, staff, and team experience; and patient experience.

· Program planning, including data support to councils; needs assessment and strategic planning facilitation.

· Innovation development, including responsive evidence review, quality improvement team support.

The purpose of this contract is to enhance PCAT’s achievement of VHA and Office of Primary Care priority goals focusing on care for complex or high-risk patients, evidence-based practices related to, and optimization of telehealth modalities. Evaluation and analysis of these priority areas necessitate the acquisition and management of data from over 50 sources, both within and outside of the VA. The Vendor will continue to develop, upgrade and maintain an integrated data system that will greatly enhance the PCAT’s ability to manage all their data in a safe, secure, and easily accessible environment. The Vendor will also educate and train users on the legal and technical aspects of PCAT’s data systems—this includes the organization and documentation of relevant information about the systems.

Work will be performed remotely four days per week in Vendor’s office. The agency worksite will be VA Puget Sound Health Care System (VAPSHCS) located at 1660 South Columbian Way, Seattle, WA 98108. The Vendor will have access to operations data and will access VA information systems.

Development of Data Management Model

· Contractor will review PCAT data systems and submit reports outlining milestones in PCAT data management, with a focus on data governance.

· Contractor will conduct a data management practices assessment, to include assessment of PCAT’s data maturity; Assessment of the current state of PCAT’s overall data management; Analysis of gaps and strengths and development of an action plan to address them. These practices will contribute to the development of a data management model for PCAT.

· Contractor will submit an annual report at the end of each contract year, outlining significant changes in PCAT’s data management practices.

Data Management Practices Assessment of PCAT Data Systems

· Contractor will conduct an annual assessment of the maturity of PCAT’s data, determining the extent to which PCAT's data is managed, utilized and governed effectively to support informed decision-making and achieve business goals; Assign maturity levels to PCAT’s data domains and practice areas; track progress and guide strategic planning across immediate needs, emerging priorities and long-range goals; examine current data management capabilities and identify areas where implementing new practices can lead to higher levels of maturity.

· Contractor will conduct an annual assessment of the current state of PCAT data management practices, comparing existing data management capabilities against industry best practices standards, identifying both strengths and areas for improvement.

Development of Data Management Action Plan

· Contractor will perform an annual analysis of the areas for improvement noted in the Data Management Practices Assessment, identifying gaps between current and desired maturity levels and prioritizing the gaps based on their impact on business objectives and data management goals

· Contractor will submit annually an action plan for modifying PCAT data systems to address identified gaps, including: Developing, enacting and maintaining the data management model; Data access management; Data quality and integration management; Enforcing data governance policies and standards; Ensuring compliance; Metadata management; Defining and enforcing data standards and policies; Establishing and coordinating communication between business and technical teams; Developing and maintaining documentation related to data management.

Implementation, Training, Monitoring, Improvement and Training

· Contractor will implement the Action Plan

· Contractor will conduct ongoing monitoring of data systems looking opportunities for improvement

· Contractor will provide additional modifications and updates as requested by PCAT staff.

· Contractor will troubleshoot issues related to the use of PCAT’s data systems (e.g., problems with data access, connectivity with remote servers).

· Conduct regular training sessions to update all staff on data management developments.

· Contractor will also:

· Attend regular local project and program meetings: Provide advice regarding data availability, data quality, compliance and access methods.

· Stay current on any changes in VHA databases by attending weekly and monthly calls conducted by VHA data experts and stewards of large VA administrative databases and other source data from within VA. Summarize contents of these meetings in emails to all PCAT staff

· Manage communication and training for affiliated investigators, keeping them updated on important developments in PCAT source data and its use.

· Organize and lead biweekly scrum meetings with the core PCAT analytics team

· Conduct regular presentations for all PCAT investigators and analysts during the monthly PCAT Team Meeting to train staff on best methods and update them on new developments regarding available analytic resources and source data availability.

Deliverable Schedule

Task 1: Initial Data Management Model Development

C. Data Maturity Assessment

Task 2: Action Plan Development

Task 3: Implementation, Training, Monitoring and Improvement

Task 4: Final Year One Report and Recommendations

A. Data Maturity Assessment

The Vendor shall develop the QAP based on accepted industry standards such as the CMMI SM, ISO 9000, IEEE 12207, or other accepted industry QA standards. The QAP shall detail the processes, procedures, and metrics for assuring quality. The QAP shall also include, at a minimum, a description of the following key activities:

· Establishment of capable processes.

· Development and implementation of procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services.

· Establishment of mechanisms for feedback of performance.

· Monitoring and control of critical processes.

· Establishment of a designated point of contact (POC) to serve as the POC for quality control issues/complaints.

· Establishment of reliable methods of record keeping and documentation of all corrective actions and process improvements undertaken during the acceptance period.

Vendor Responsibilities

· The Vendor must have extensive experience with the VHA’s compliance and risk management rules and regulations.

· The Vendor must be registered as a VA Vendor within the project’s time frame.

· The Vendor shall be responsible for all liability actions or suits when the Vendor is at fault or negligent in the performance of installation and testing activities. Pecuniary liability is also included for any damage to VA buildings and equipment caused by installation activities. The Vendor shall comply with all local building and fire codes in addition to VA policy and procedures at the site.

· The Vendor shall operate under, but not limited, to the following national codes, telecommunications industry standards and practices: National Electric Code (NEC), Building Industry Consulting Service International (BICSI), all standards, Electronic Industries Association/Telecommunications Industry Association EIA/TIA, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Underwriters Laboratories (UL), ITU and IETF and all applicable audio, video, communication, data and control standards.

The Vendor and their personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations such as U.S.C Chapter 21, 29, 31, and VA policies as VA personnel, regarding information and information system security. These include but are not limited to Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), Appendix III of OMB Circular A-130, and guidance and standards, available from the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This also includes the use of common security configurations available from NIST's Web site at: http://checklists.nist.gov. The Vendor and their personnel agree to comply with Agency records management policies, including those policies associated with the safeguarding of records covered by the Privacy Act of 1974.

The Vendor shall follow all applicable VA policies and procedures governing information security, especially those that pertain to certification accreditation.

Contractors, contractor personnel, subcontractors, and subcontractor personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks as VA and VA personnel regarding information and information system security. (The Veterans Affair Acquisition Regulation (VAAR) security clause VAAR-852.273-75 “SECURITY REQUIREMENTS FOR UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES”)

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND TO SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS:

Any vendor interested and capable of meeting this requirement should provide a written statement to the Contracting Officer. Vendor response must include at a minimum:

· Point of Contact

· Business size

· Short Description of Capabilities

· Proof of authorized service provider from the manufacturer

· VetCert certification (if applicable)

· Unique Entity ID (UEI#)

Any response to this notice must show clear and convincing evidence of the Vendor’s capability of meeting this requirement. Please note, responses will be shared within the Government and project team, but otherwise will be held in strict confidence.

Interested firms shall respond to this synopsis no later than 3:00 PM Mountain Standard Time on 02/26/2026. All responses shall be submitted electronically to amy.kuczajda@va.gov