Attachment 3 - Solicitation No. 7571PS26R00027 Q and A Responses.xlsx
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- Solicitation number
- 7571PS26R00027
- Issued by
- Not on record
About this file
This is a Questions and Answers (Q&A) document for Solicitation No. 7571PS26R00027, addressing 15 clarifying questions from potential offerors regarding a Medical Coding, Auditing, and Data Entry Support Services contract. The solicitation is a Buy Indian Act set-aside for Indian Economic Enterprises (IEE) and Indian Small Business Economic Enterprises (ISBEE), issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Mission Acquisition Solutions (OMAS), on behalf of the Indian Health Service (IHS). The contract, with a base period of six months and one optional six-month extension, requires qualified personnel to perform medical coding and auditing services for inpatient and outpatient encounters at Gallup Indian Medical Center in New Mexico using RPMS/EHR systems, applying ICD-10, CPT, HCPCS, and E/M codes. The Government estimates a workload of up to 36,000 medical records and approximately 1,040 labor hours per six-month period, though actual volumes are not guaranteed.
Key clarifications from the Q&A include: 100% remote work is permitted with no minimum onsite presence requirement; proposals are due Friday, August 28, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time submitted via email to Terry Knight; all coding staff must comply with IHS background clearance requirements; past performance references may include commercial healthcare coding contracts from the preceding five years; inpatient coding requires full facility/DRG-level coding including ICD-10-PCS and DRG grouping; the Government will furnish RPMS/VPN access and will review laptop provision on a case-by-case basis; the 30-day ramp-up period excludes performance metrics but not deliverable due dates; rates proposed for the base period carry forward unchanged into option periods; the contractor must audit at least 10% of coded records every two months using random statistical sampling at a 95% confidence level, with the understanding that 10% represents a minimum threshold and the Government may conduct independent validation audits and impose corrective actions for systemic errors.
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Q&A Attachment - Solicitation Q and A
| Potential Offeror Question | Government Response | Darla comments | Gabriella comments |
| Is there an incumbent contractor for this requirement? If yes, please provide the contract number. | Currently GIMC does not have an incumbent contract. Navajo Area has a contract in place that supports GIMC but not controlled by GIMC. | ||
| The PWS describes a “hybrid work environment” and states personnel may perform services onsite or remotely “as authorized by the Government.” Will the Government consider a staffing approach in which coding and data entry personnel work 100% remotely (with no onsite presence at Gallup Indian Medical Center), provided all RPMS/VPN access, security, and confidentiality requirements are met? If so, is there any minimum onsite presence requirement (e.g., for the Lead Coder, Project Manager, or during onboarding)? | Yes, 100% remote performance is permitted and there is no minimum onsite presence required. | I would think this should be part of the main proposal. | |
| The solicitation does not state the proposal due date/time or the method of submission (e.g., email, portal). Please confirm the proposal submission deadline and the method by which proposals should be submitted. | The updated proposal due date is Friday, August 28, 2026 at 3:00 pm Eastern Time. Proposals are to be submitted by email to Terry Knight at Terry.Knight@hhs.gov | Yes | |
| Given that this requirement involves coding of adult and pediatric medical records rather than direct, in-person contact with Indian children, please confirm whether the character/background investigation requirements under this clause apply to all proposed coding personnel, or only to personnel who will have physical or unsupervised access to a clinical/pediatric care setting | Yes, requires all coding staff to adhere to IHS background policies and have a favorable background clearance through Personnel Security. | ||
| Past Performance instructions request “up to 3 relevant contracts.” Please confirm whether contracts of similar size/scope in commercial (non-federal) healthcare coding are acceptable as relevant past performance references, or whether a preference exists for federal/Commercial/Tribal/IHS-specific experience. | The PWS evaluates past performance based on quality, timeliness, and customer satisfaction and requires relevant contracts from the preceding five years. It does not state that relevant experience must be federal, Tribal, or IHS-specific, nor does it expressly establish a preference among federal and commercial contracts. | ||
| Attachment 1 (Fillable Table/Pricing Table) is referenced but was not included in the documents made available to us. Please confirm this attachment will be issued and, if so, the anticipated release date. | This was a clerical error. Attachment 1 is the PWS. There is no separate attachment for Fillable/ Pricing Table. | I would think yes. | |
| Does "inpatient coding" under this contract require full facility/DRG-level coding (ICD-10-PCS, DRG grouping), or is it limited to professional/encounter-level coding. | The PWS requires coding of all inpatient and outpatient encounters directly from the EHR into RPMS/PCC and specifically identifies ICD-10, CPT, HCPCS, and E/M coding with appropriate modifiers. | I would think yes. | |
| Is any equipment (laptops, monitors, secure workstations) Government-furnished, or is all equipment cost expected to be absorbed into the contractor's fully burdened hourly rate. | The Government will furnish RPMS and VPN access credentials necessary to perform the work. Providing laptops will be reviewed on a case by case basis pending what is in place with the vendor. | ||
| During the 30-day ramp-up period are Month 1 deliverables (e.g., the first Monthly Coding Report) still due on the standard schedule, or is the ramp-up period excluded from deliverable due dates as well as performance metrics? | The PWS authorizes a 30-calendar-day ramp-up period for onboarding, access provisioning, and workflow stabilization and states that performance metrics apply in full following completion of the ramp-up period. | ||
| Does the rate proposed for the base period carry forward unchanged into option periods or is re-pricing anticipated at each option exercise? | Services may be extended at the same rates and terms, and any increase in total record quantity shall be priced at the same unit rate established in the base award. | ||
| Please confirm that the departmental/specialty volume data represents the actual workload volumes anticipated under this contract. | The departmental/specialty workload data represents the Government's best available historical estimate for planning, staffing, and pricing purposes, but it is not a guarantee of the actual future distribution by specialty. The PWS expressly states that the Government does not guarantee workload distribution by specialty and does not warrant projections beyond the historical data provided. Actual departmental distribution and case complexity may vary. | ||
| Please confirm whether the 10% figure represents a fixed audit rate for the duration of the contract or whether the Government may increase the sampling percentage as a corrective measure based on accuracy findings. | The PWS establishes contractor audits of at least 10% of coded records every two months. Because the requirement says “at least ten percent (10%)”, 10% functions as the minimum contractor audit requirement rather than an express maximum. The PWS also allows the Government to conduct independent validation audits or re-audits at any time, and repeated/systemic errors trigger corrective action and potentially graduated remedies. | ||
| Please clarify whether the 10% sample must be stratified across departments/specialties and/or by inpatient versus outpatient encounter type. | The PWS requires the 10% audit sample to be randomly selected using industry-standard statistical sampling methodology sufficient to produce a 95% confidence level. |
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