RFI_Clearinghouse_Help_Desk.pdf

Request for Information

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse Help Desk

Support Services

Section 1. Submittal Information

Issue Date: Monday May 20, 2019

Due date for responses: Monday, June 3, 2019 at 12:00 PM EST

Submit responses to: Detailed information for the required submission is provided below. Offerors should submit, via email, the following documents to Pamala.Millbrook@dot.gov with a cc to Sabrina.Phillips@dot.gov.

See below Section 6 entitled “Requested content of responses to this source sought notice” for submittal content instructions.

Section 2. Introduction

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is conducting market research to determine if sufficient interest and capability exists in the marketplace to support the subject procurement. This document serves as an invitation for potential offerors to express interest and demonstrate skills, knowledge, and capabilities relevant to this requirement. Additionally, this is an opportunity for potential offerors to provide feedback on the requirement.

This notice is NOT a request for proposals, but is instead an invitation for potential offerors to express interest and provide information regarding their relevant knowledge, skills and capabilities

Information gathered from this notice will be used for planning purposes, regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified sources to perform all or some of the work described below; and (2) the size classification of the available and capable sources relative to the North American Industry Classification (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition.

Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Additionally, the U.S. Government will not provide reimbursement for any information that may be submitted in response to this Request for Information (RFI). Respondents are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.

Responding to this RFI will neither increase nor decrease an information provider’s likelihood of being awarded any contract in the future by FMCSA for the requisite services.

The Government is conducting market research to:

1. Determine what sources exist that are capable of satisfying the Government’s requirements as listed below;

2. Determine the capabilities of potential contractors;

3. Determine the size and status of potential sources; and

4. Determine the level of competition.

Section 3. Background

The FMCSA is a major agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), a cabinet-level organization of the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government with a core mission to reduce commercial motor vehicle-related crashes and fatalities.

To further this mission, FMCSA is developing and will maintain the Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse (Clearinghouse), a web-based system (https://clearinghouse.dot.gov) under the authority of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21).

The Clearinghouse will provide FMCSA and employers of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers the necessary tools to identify drivers who are prohibited from operating CMVs due to DOT drug and alcohol program violations. The Clearinghouse will help to ensure that such drivers receive the evaluation required by DOT regulation and treatment before being permitted to operate a CMV on public roads.

Information maintained in the Clearinghouse will enable employers to identify drivers who commit a drug or alcohol program violation while working for one employer, but fail to subsequently inform another employer, as required by FMCSA regulations.

Records of drug and alcohol program violations will remain in the Clearinghouse for five years, or until the driver has completed the return-to-duty process, whichever is later.

The mandatory implementation date of the Clearinghouse is January 6, 2020.

The Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse (Clearinghouse)

The purpose of the Clearinghouse, is to maintain records of all drug and alcohol program violations in a central repository and require that employers query the system to determine whether current and prospective employees have incurred a drug or alcohol violation that would prohibit them from performing safety-sensitive functions covered by the FMCSA and DOT drug and alcohol testing regulations.

https://clearinghouse.dot.gov/

Employers are also required to report positive alcohol tests results, test refusals, and actual knowledge violations in the Clearinghouse. Medical review officers are required to report verified positive drug test results and test refusals. Substance abuse professionals (SAP) are required to report return-to-duty process activity dates.

State Driver’s License Agencies may query the Clearinghouse prior to the issuance, upgrade, renewal, or transfer of a CDL. FMCSA enforcement personnel will access information contained in the Clearinghouse to ensure motor carrier and driver compliance with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and 49 CFR part 40.

Users of the Clearinghouse may require technical assistance to navigate within the Clearinghouse. User issues may include the following:

• System outage

• Error message received

• How to correct incorrect information

• How to request and provide consent

• How to view a driver record

• How to view driver violation information

• How to select designated personnel (SAPs, Consortium/Third Party

Administrators (C/TPAs), Assistants, etc.)

To learn more about the FMCSA CDL Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, you can visit https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov/

To read the Final Rule, you may go to https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/12/05/2016-27398/commercial-drivers-license-drug-and-alcohol-clearinghouse

Section 4. Performance Objectives The Office of Enforcement and Compliance is seeking to identify sources that can provide customer support services related to Help desk phone and email support.

1. The services must be provided 24/7; however, this needs to be scalable due to fluctuations in anticipated support. FMCSA anticipates high call volume during the initial months of performance. Prospective offerors must have the corporate capability to scale up or down to meet the call demand.

2. It is anticipated there will be approximately 6M users. The Help Desk must be able to meet this demand.

3. Bilingual (English and Spanish) service agents for both email and phone support.

Performance metrics:

Due to the complexity of user issues, the time per call may be an average of 5-10 minutes per call, resulting in approximately 6 calls per hour per agent.

Acceptable response time per the following:

https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov/ https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/12/05/2016-27398/commercial-drivers-license-drug-and-alcohol-clearinghouse https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/12/05/2016-27398/commercial-drivers-license-drug-and-alcohol-clearinghouse

1. Email – within 24 hours of receipt

2. Phone – wait time not to exceed 20 minutes;

3. Resolution time – not to exceed 1 hour unless escalation to FMCSA is warranted.

Section 5. Requested Content of Responses to this Sources Sought Notice

Keeping FMCSA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance’s business objectives and anticipated support requirements in mind, outline how you would support the requirements. Sources are requested to submit a capability statement that addresses their ability to deliver the required products and/or services.

PAGE LIMIT: Responses should not exceed ten (10) pages in length with font size 12 or larger, excluding transmittal page and table of contents. Do NOT submit marketing material. Do NOT submit resumes.

Interested parties who consider themselves qualified to perform the listed services for skill areas are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice.

Sources are requested to furnish the following information:

1. Cover Page containing the following information

Name of Company Primary Point of Contact (phone and email) DUNS Number Small Business Status for the applicable NAICS code (if not a small business, please indicate “OTSB” in this field) Government-Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWAC)

2. Capability Statement

The capability statement should provide evidence of successful corporate experience with a minimum of two past projects that are similar to that described in the draft PWS in terms of the specific tasks, scale, and scope of the tasks required. The capability statement should also include supporting evidence to substantiate the responses to the Skills Matrix below.

3. Skills Matrix FMCSA has created a skill matrix that will allow the opportunity for sources to provide an at-a-glance view of their expertise to meet anticipated FMCSA requirements. Sources must complete this matrix and include supporting evidence to validate the response.

Skills Matrix

Please indicate capability to provide this type of expertise.

Skill Area Capable with organization staff

Capable with subcontractors or through teaming approach

Currently not capable or not interested Key Personnel

Experience with managing help desk call centers providing nationwide support to 3 million + users

Experience with hiring, retaining and training customer service representatives with strong oral and written communication skills

Customer Service Representatives

Strong oral and written communication skills

Possess effective listening skills

Experience in providing call center customer service

Proficient in the operation if personal computers, data entry, and telephone and communication devices

Ability to problem solve Possess strong organizational, interpersonal, and time-management skills with the ability to multi-task and prioritize

Ability to learn and support new systems and applications

Possess strong documentation skills

4. Other Supporting Information

1. Do you have any suggestions/concerns with the Government's current approach?

What additional information should we provide in the solicitation, if/once released?

2. The Agency intends to award a hybrid contract with fixed price and time and material tasks. Which tasks would you propose as time and materials? Please clarify why.

3. Do you have any suggestions regarding ability to scale up or down as a function of the contact center?

Section 6. Notes

PARTICIPATION IN THE MARKET RESEARCH IN NO WAY INFLUENCES

THE SOURCE SELECTION FOR THESE SERVICES.

This Notice is not to be construed as a commitment on the part of the Government to award a contract, nor does the Government intend to directly pay for any information or responses submitted as the result of this Notice. Results of this Market Research maybe used to determine the final acquisition strategy.

List of Attachments

1. Performance Work Statement