Questions and Answers 75D301-22-R-72142 complete.xlsx
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- Solicitation number
- 75D301-22-R-72142
About this file
This solicitation requests proposals for Clinical Centers of Excellence to provide healthcare services to participants in the World Trade Center Health Program. Services include contract management and implementation, quality assurance controls, member services and outreach, care coordination and case management, program communications, healthcare services such as monitoring and treatment, coordination of benefits for survivors, and collection and maintenance of clinical and operational data. Cost-reimbursement contracts of five to eight years are anticipated to be awarded using a best-value tradeoff methodology. The anticipated award date is September 29, 2022. Offerors must submit any questions by email using the provided template by the specified due date. Proposals are due on July 8, 2022.
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Sheet1
| RFP 75D301-22-R-72142 | ||||
| Question | ||||
| Number | RFP or Attachment Page Reference | |||
| (if applicable) | Question | CDC Response | ||
| 1 | J22 Template | There are no billing categories in template provided for Key Personnel such as Program Administrator, Medical Director, Mental Health Director, Case Management and Care Coordination Director, Lifestyle Medicine Champion. Please confirm which billing category these positions should fall under. | Program Administrator =Director/Deputy Director; Medical Director = Director; Mental Health Director = Director; Case Management= Case Management; Care Coordination Director = Member services Coordinator/Manager; Lifestyle Medicine Champion = part of firm-fixed per member per month CLIN. | |
| 2 | J22 Template | For staff who falls under more than one WTC Billing Categories, please clarify the government's preference for categorizing? | List the staff under each of their billing categories and the percentage of time (effort) spent in that role. | |
| 3 | J22 Template | Please provider further instructions on completing the Activity Report aligning to WTC billing categories. Staff may be categorize across multiple activities and billing categories | For the Activity report, list all of the activities that each labor category supports and the percentage of time (FTE) devoted to that activity. | |
| 4 | Page 81-82, 88-89 | In lieu of the completed Past/Present Performance Questionnaire, please confirm that CPAR reports for past or current contracts may be submitted by offeror with the business proposal? | Yes. | |
| 5 | Page 49 & 74 | Please confirm if there is a salary cap for Direct Labor salaries? | Yes, the salary rate limitation applies to the direct salary of any individual working under the contract (and any related subcontract) regardless of qualifications (see 5 U.S.C. § 5313, which identifies Government positions at Executive Level II). For 2022 the limit is 203,700. | |
| 6 | Page 3 | Is there a cap on fixed firm price per member for lifestyle medicine? | No, the offeror is expected to propose a reasonable per member cost to implement a lifestyle medicine program that meets the PWS requirements. The Government retains the right not to exercise the option even if the offeror chooses to propose, whether or not the cost is determined to be reasonable. | |
| 7 | Page 50 | Fixed Fee -- Please confirm if Fixed Fee is allowable? If yes, is there a percentage range that is allowable to be proposed? | Fixed Fee limitations are set out in FAR Part 15.404-4; "the fee shall not exceed 10 percent of the contract’s estimated cost, excluding fee." | |
| 8 | Page 27 | Please confirm if the LifeStyle Medicine Champion can be clinical professionals with Masters or Doctorate degree in a health or allied health discipline and are certified/will be certified as Lifestyle Medicine Professionals? | The LM Champion should be a practicing physician or other qualified health professional with specialized education and training/certification in lifestyle medicine. For additional clarification, we have provided a draft Lifestyle Medicine SOP as Attachment J.28. | |
| 9 | Page 27 | Can the LifeStyle Medicine Champion be a team instead of one staff? | The offeror can propose their own approach to provide these intervention services if they decide to propose against this optional task, though there should be a single Lifestyle Medicine Champion (Key Personnel). | |
| 10 | Page 65-71, Page 73-74 | Can the government clarify what is needed at the proposal stage for “Section K: Representations, Certifications, And Other Statements Of Offerors”? Should we include a letter signed by our institution’s AOR stating that our institution will agree to the Representations and Certifications contained within the RFA? | The FAR clauses in section K require completion by offerors, and must be submitted with the proposal. These completed clauses are exempt from the page limit. |
HHSAR clause 352.239-73 requires the submission of the 508 Product Accessibility Template. https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat
| 11 | Page 2 | May the Clinical Operations CLIN be submitted as three separate CLINs for each contract year (i.e. Operations & Management, Member Services, Case Management) | No, there is one CLIN that includes Operations, Management, Member Services, and Case Management combined. | |
| 12 | Page 83 | Can the CCE propose an alternative to the pharmacist/pharmacy technician role, i.e. a clinician that can perform the same duties required for the pharmacist/pharmacy technician role? | The Program prefers the CCE employ a pharmacist or pharmacy technician to perform pharmacy-related duties; however, if the CCE would like to employ another type of clinician for this work, they would have to justify how this person is qualified and why this is preferred. In addition, they should clarify what percentage of their time would be dedicated to doing pharmacy-related work (e.g., 50%). | |
| 13 | Page 87 | The description in the Similar Experience section said three projects completed within the past three years. Please clarify if current ongoing projects (including current CCE contract) be used to demonstrate the Offeror's experience | See response to Question 4. | |
| 14 | Page 87 | Please confirm if the Similar Experience section counts towards the 60 pages limit | No. Additionally, the 60-page limit was an error. The solicitation has been updated to reflect that the technical proposal should be 30 pages. | |
| 15 | Page 80-82 | Please confirm if there is a template or preferred structure of the technical proposal structure | The only specific preferred structure relates to the Technical Volume, which should look similar to the provided example of a cross-reference matrix. | |
| 16 | Page 71-72 | Please confirm whether the required HHS Section 508 Product Assessment Template should be submitted with Technical Proposal or Business Proposal | Technical Proposal. | |
| 17 | Page 71-72 | Please provide HHS Section 508 Product Assessment Template - link as provided in solicitation resulted in a page not found upon clicking to download template | See response to question 10. | |
| 19 | Page 74 | ODCs section on page 74 states computer services, photocopying costs may be proposed | ODCs are any allowable costs that are not reimbursed for in another section of the invoice, in a fee for service, or included in the indirect rate of the organization. | |
| 20 | Page 86 | Can Biosketches be submitted in lieu of resumes/CVs for proposed Key Personnel? | No. The Government needs to see the full academic and work credentials of key personnel in order to approve them. | |
| 21 | Page 52, Page 86 | Please confirm if resumes are only needed for the proposed staff listed in the Key Personnel table on page 52 | That is correct. | |
| 22 | J.14 Attachment | Please provide the information for "Information Owner (Government point of contact responsible for providing and/or receiving CUI)" | The Information Owner is Tom James, Security Officer. Office address is CINC Bldg TAFT Rm SB-41 A MS C48, office number is 513-533-8298, and email address is thj1@cdc.gov | |
| 23 | J.14 Attachment | Please confirm if the architecture diagram is necessary | No, the form does not require an architecture diagram, but it does call for a detailed topology narrative and graphic. Those should be included in the SSP. | |
| 24 | page 47 | Section G.4 specifies the hourly rates of wages and fringe benefits to be paid to CCE employees; however, Wage Determination No. 2015-4187 does not apply to Nassau or Suffolk counties. Are we thereby exempt from this requirement? | Wage Determination No. 2015-4157 added to section G.4 | |
| 25 | page 17, section 4.2.2 | Regarding invoicing protocol, do we need to await invoice approval via email before submitting the invoice on the IPP system? | Please continue to submit invoices in Excel format provided to email invoice_deliverable@cdc.gov. Once approved, WTCHP will provide you an email to submit the invoice in IPP. | |
| 26 | page 82 | Our CCE pays a lower IDC rate because we are off-campus (26% on contract funds; 4% on FFS versus 42% on-campus rate). This rate affords us basic administrative and infrastructural support (IT systems, EMR, HR etc) but does not cover the ODC exclusions listed in section L.8 "Ground Rules and Assumptions" (computers, telephones, photocopiers, general office supplies etc). Will there be exceptions to this restriction for CCEs who do not receive these supports from their institution? If so, what supporting documentation will be required? | This has been updated to L.10 due to misnumbering. If these items are not being covered in your IDC rates, then these items can be directly charged to the contract. If proposing these items as ODCs please provide a certification as part of your business proposal that the items are not covered by IDC rates. | |
| 27 | section 10, page 37 | Can you clarify the distinction between a "vendor" and a "contractor" under this solicitation? Will a Subcontracting Plan need to be completed for vendors contracted to provide services (i.e. printing mass mailings, medical record storage)? | "Vendor" and "contractor" are used interchangeably in this solicitation. Yes, if the offeror is planning on entering into a contract with a vendor/contractor for services such as the ones listed, those should be submitted to the Government as subcontractors and included in the subcontracting plan. | |
| 28 | page 17 | Will there be a mechanism for adding labor categories not currently listed to the invoices? | The CCE may define the labor category further in the comments section, i.e. Director= Medical Director. | |
| 29 | page 17 (Quarterly Staffing Report) | Many staff at the CCE participate in several contract activities listed in the activity code list. Will we be able to select more than one code per line, or should we add a line for each activity an employee participates in. | See response to Question 3. There should be a line for each activity Staff participates in. | |
| 30 | page 31 | For pharmacy review of data and retrospective review, the PWS refers to "their physicians and members". In light of the changes in PBM and limited oversight responsibility over the external providers, please clarify that the CCE whether or not the CCE will be expected to audit all prescriptions for their members or will audits and oversight requirements only be relevant to prescriptions written by the CCE or internal providers? | Yes. These reviews are for overall program quality improvement and oversight to identify potential issues or concerns for their Members, internal and external providers, and the PBM. | |
| 31 | page 41, Section 12.5 | Right to Receive Logs: Is it expected that the CCE's institution will provide daily audit logs, or will this be the requirement if there is an investigation into a cyber security breach? | It is expected that the CCE will provide audit logs for all systems in scope for WTC / NIOSH data on a daily basis and provide additional logs on demand, when requested. This is not associated with cyber security breaches. | |
| 32 | Attachment J.14 CUI-SSP | Please confirm that the attached system security plan template is due at the start of the new award ("before performing any work"). | As noted in L.7(a)(2), a completed System Security Plan should be submitted with the technical proposal. | |
| 33 | page 55 | Item 7: Can it be clarified what the definition of "Government IT equipment" means? | Government IT equipment is equipment that the government owns but is provided to the vendor. | |
| 34 | Due to the Juneteenth and July 4th holidays, our grants management offices will be closed and staff out during the holidays (due to prescheduled PTO), we respectively ask that the deadline be extended to Friday July 15th to allow for execution of the submission? | Proposal due date is extended to July 8. | ||
| 35 | page 31 | Lifestyle Medicine: It is expected that approximately 5% of the CCE population will be eligible, but if the actual eligible population is larger, will NIOSH support a program that has the capacity to serve a larger number of eligible members (based on criteria outlined in the contract)? | As mentioned in Section B.2, the Program estimates that 5% of the population will participate in Lifestyle Medicine. To clarify, that does not mean that only 5% of the population is eligible, but that 5% of the population 1) would be eligible to participate, and 2) choose to participate. The Program would consider proposals where more than 5% of the population would be served; however, the offeror should be able to provide rationale as to why/how they arrived at a different percentage of participation. | |
| 36 | page 11 (scope) | There appears to be no distinction between responder CCEs and a survivor CCE contract. Under this new contract, can a single CCE provide services to both populations under one contract? | No. As mentioned in Section 2.0, offerors should indicate the selected member category they propose to serve: FDNY Responders and FDNY Family Members, Non-FDNY Responders (General Responders), or Survivors. There are distinctions between Responder and Survivor CCEs integrated into the SOW; for example, Section 4.5.4 specifically notes that Coordination of Benefits is a task for the Survivor cohort only. If an offeror is interested in providing services to both populations, two separate proposals must be submitted. | |
| 37 | page 29 | With regard to the implementation of a new contractor to manage medical claims process and the potential of the program moving to an auto-adjudication of claims in the future, how will this impact the responsibilities of the CCE under the new contract? | When the new TPA contractor "goes live," there will be no need for the CCE to review/authorize claims submitted by external providers. The CCE will have no claim review responsibilities. Any questions or appeals will be handled between the provider and the TPA. Any billing or claims specialist will only work with internal CCE claims. | |
| 38 | pages 88-89 | Since we are a research organization, our business partners are primarily sponsors of our projects and programs? Can our institution/grant management utilize CPARS from other awards in addition to our recent CPARS? Can we solicit other government sponsors to complete the reference requirements? | Yes, CPARS can be from other awards, and from awards with other entities. | |
| 39 | Attachment J.23- Facilities Capital cost of Money Factors Computation Template | Regarding the facilities attachment: We are unfamiliar with this form, so would need more specific instructions on how it would apply to our contract. Could you please clarify? | If you elect to claim facilities capital cost of money as an allowable cost per FAR part 31, you must submit Attachment J.23 – Facilities Capital Cost of Money Factors Computation Template and show the calculation of the proposed amount | |
| 40 | RFP: p.3, Section B.2 and p. 27, Section 4.4.4 | Can NIOSH confirm that the optional Lifestyle Med is the only firm fixed price, per member per month price in this solicitation. | Yes. | |
| 41 | RFP: p. 13, Section 4.1.1 Training | Requirement states that CCE must develop plan for conflict or violent event occurs. Does the compliance required on p. 13 mean WTCHP will also be developing a plan or framework that guides the CCE plan? | The Program is developing a framework/plan for managing disruptive members, but the offeror must also independently develop institutional protocols and plans for handling disruptive members. Each CCE will need a tailored approach to meet the needs of their cohort, facility, and/or institution. | |
| 42 | RFP: p. 13, Section 4.1.1 Training | "1) | Internal Contractor and subcontractor staff need to be trained on both Contractor and Program systems and processes. Training related to the Contractor’s systems and associated processes are to occur at no charge to the Government. | |
| 2) | Internal Contractor and subcontract staff shall complete applicable required HIPAA, CDC, Program, and Program contractor (HPS/TPA, PBM, etc.) trainings aligned to their roles and responsibilities. These trainings and any other trainings conducted on the Program’s systems and associated processes may be billed to the Program. | |||
| 3) | Program personnel and any other users of the Contractor’s systems (if any) need to be trained on Contractor systems and processes, as applicable. Such trainings may be billed to the Program." | |||
| Question: Is the training time in 1) not chargeable in terms of staff workday? This contradicts 3) | Correct, if a staff member is being trained on something that is not specifically required for them to meet their roles and responsibilities as a CCE employee (such as trainings required by the institution but not required by the WTC Health Program), those trainings should not be charged to the Program. Federal contract law does not permit paying for people and their time, but rather for work performed to carry out the requirements of the PWS. Number 3 refers to training WTCHP/NIOSH personnel. | |||
| 43 | RFP: p. 13, SECTION 4.1.2 – Staffing Requirements | The physicians who will be conducting the medical monitoring assessments, physical examinations, and providing WTC-related treatment must be board certified in and experienced in occupational medicine, internal medicine, and/or preferred specialties. Where possible, the CCE shall utilize physicians maintaining board-certification(s) in the preceding relevant specialties. Question: “Where possible” seems to contradict the prior sentence that states providers must be board-certified. | The statement of work has been updated to remove the contradictory statement; providers must be board-certified, as noted in the first sentence. | |
| 44 | RFP: p.18, Section 4.3.2 Member Enrollment and Initial Contact and p.23, Section 4.3.8.3.3 General Administration for AME/IHE | "The CCE shall reach out to the new member within 3 business days of receipt of new member from the Data Center" contradicts p.23, Section 4.3.8.3.3 that states "Upon member enrollment into the Program and assignment to a CCE, the contractor shall contact the member within the first four (4) weeks to schedule IHE/AME." Conflicting time requirements for contacting new members in Section 4.3.8.3.1 (Initial Health Evaluations) and 4.3.1.2. (Member Enrollment). One requires contact within 3 days of receipt, one says contact attempt 1 within four weeks. What is the requirement for initial contact from receipt of enrollee file? | These are two separate requirements. The requirement in 4.3.2 is referring to initial contact; historically, this requirement has been met through activities like sending the member a welcome packet. The requirement in 4.3.8.3.1 is specific to attempting to scheduling the IHE/AME. | |
| 45 | RFP: p.20, Section 4.3.7 Communication | Currently the requirement is for co-branded materials only. Is the approval by NIOSH now required for all CCE communication with members (newsletters, emails, updates, etc.)? Is there a commitment by the Program for turnaround time? | Yes - approval by NIOSH is required for all CCE materials. NIOSH can commit to a 10 business day turnaround time. However, if the CCE requires a faster response, the Communications Unit will work with them directly. | |
| 46 | RFP: p. 20 Section 4.3.7 Communication | Currently bounce back and return rates are tracked for emails and paper mailings and reported in the monthly report. The open rate requirement is new and would necessitate the use of an email or listserv client in order to track open rates for emails. Does this mean all email communications must have a tracking token in order to determine open and bounce rates? Using Outlook for tracking open rates is not a reliable method and may be overly burdensome. | The offeror may propose what metrics they would like to use for bounce rates, returned mail rates, and open rates as they see fit. If open rates are too burdensome for all email communications, the offeror may propose to do so at certain points throughout the year (not all emails). Also see changes to PWS. | |
| 47 | RFP: p.21, 4.3.7.1 Translation and Interpretive Services | For Chinese translations, are both traditional and simplified version necessary? There is no way to differentiate which version to send in direct mailings, e.g. annual letter. For clinic materials, the recommendation is to have simplified only to be made available. For Polish, can this be optional? Only 41 H+H WTC members identify as Polish preferred language out of the 16k members. | Materials need to be translated if the CCE has any members speaking a specific language. Offerors need to propose on their approach to offer translations for all languages listed. Also see changes to PWS. | |
| 48 | RFP: p.36 Signed Rules of Behavior (ROB) | Will Rules of Behavior be provided by the Program? | Yes - https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/rules-of-behavior.pdf | |
| 49 | RFP: p.53, H.4 CDCA_H016 Prohibition of Food, Meals and Light Refreshments (Jun 2012) | "The inclusion of food, meals, beverages or light refreshments is expressly prohibited in the performance of this contract and is considered an unallowable contract expense." | ||
| Question: Currently the Program pays for Survivor Steering Committee meeting food. Is this no longer allowed in the next funding cycle? | The inclusion of food, meals, beverages or light refreshments is expressly prohibited in the performance of this contract and is considered an unallowable contract expense. | |||
| 50 | RFP: p.74, L.4 CDC0_L015 Business Proposal Instructions, Cost Reimbursement | Fringe rate changes (increases and decreased by facility) were updated on an annual basis with communication between the Program Administrator and Contracting Officer. Will this continue to be the process in the next funding cycle? | Fringe rates may be updated upon coordination with the Contracting Officer and submission of the approved rate agreement. | |
| 51 | RFP: p.74, L.4 CDC0_L015 Business Proposal Instructions, Cost Reimbursement | If a new clinic location is proposed or opened by a CCE, can computers, office furniture, and other equipment be charged to the contract? If a new clinic location is proposed or opened by a CCE, are capital costs chargeable? | This requirement is for the provision of clinical services in pre-existing medical facilities in the required geographic area. The Government does not intend to contract for the construction of new facilities for this requirement. If existing medical facility space requires additional office equipment/furniture to meet the requirement, the equipment is not part of your indirect rates, and will only be used to support the contract requirements then the equipment can be charged to the contract. |
The contractor must submit certification with their business proposal, and with the Inventory Disposal Schedule form (SF 1428) during contract performance, that any ODCs are not included in their indirect rates.
The Government acquires title to all property to which the contractor is entitled to reimbursement. FAR 52.245-1 Government Property (Sep 2021).
| 52 | RFP: p.74, L.4 CDC0_L015 Business Proposal Instructions, Cost Reimbursement | Equipment charged to the current contract follows the H+H depreciation cycle. Is it allowable to charge the contract for new computers, furniture, and other durable equipment as the need arises if something is no longer functional? | See response to question 51. | |
| 53 | RFP: p.74, L.4 CDC0_L015 Business Proposal Instructions, Cost Reimbursement | Does Attachment 23 need to be completed for all proposals, or is it only applicable to an additional or new site? | This form should be completed if the CCE is including a facilities charge in their monthly invoices; it will show the calculation that is used to establish the facilities costs being invoiced. Supporting documentation will be required with the initial invoice and whenever the amount changes. | |
| 54 | RFP: p. 81 Past Performance Questionnaires | In prior submissions, Performance Questionnaires were filled out by NIOSH staff. Can current NIOSH staff provide these as they did in the previous submission? What are the other entities that can submit these? | Current staff can provide these. Offerors may also submit past performance performed by subcontractors if applicable. | |
| 55 | RFP: p.83, Minimum Vendor Qualifications | Currently communications is handled by various staff. Does this contract require a specific communication specialist to be hired? Is it sufficient to have a staff person perform those duties or does it have to be a separate full-time person? | If the offeror does not require a full-time communications specialist to meet the requirements of the contract, then a full-time communications specialist should not be hired. However, the staff person(s) performing communications-related tasks should have the relevant and requisite experience to ensure high-quality deliverables. | |
| 56 | Attachment J.16 Invoice Format | ODC Tab: typo? “Director” in label Row 1 | ||
| FFS Tab: Column D: dates of service – month is noted in the form, but "Dates of Fee for Service" is in Column D. Are specific dates required or does listing the month suffice? Doing specific dates will be labor intensive in terms of data capture | This is a typo and should state Direct Costs. The attachment has been updated. |
For the "Dates of fee for service," providing the month of service is sufficient.
| 57 | Attachment J.16 Invoice Format | Direct Labor: How should the CCE invoice for any staff that earn overtime, as some staff are allowed overtime based on collective bargaining agreement(s)? | The CCE can only invoice for overtime with the prior approval of the COR. The approved overtime shall be reflected in the invoice with the Name, overtime rate, hours separate from the regular hours listed for that employee. No payment of overtime hours will be approved on an invoice without prior authorization of the COR. | |
| 58 | Attachment J.16 Invoice Format | Is the expectation that FFS data should be included in monthly invoices, even though the program is not charged for that and there is no expectation of reimbursement from the WTCHP? Should FFS be included on the Quarterly Staffing Report as well? | No, FFS information is only requested for staff that are being billed on the monthly invoice. CCEs should provide the information requested on the invoice format. The purpose of including this FFS information is to ensure a clear delineation between work that is billed as FFS versus billed to the contract. | |
| 59 | Attachment J.16 Invoice Format | Are Schedule A, B, and C (breakdown of each CLIN) being eliminated in invoice submissions in the next contract cycle? | All expenses will be in a single CLIN (unless travel and lifestyle medicine are proposed to, which will be two additional CLINs). However, the CCE will still have to break down the costs that make up the CLIN within the invoice template. | |
| 60 | Attachment J.19 Quarterly Staffing Report Template | First tab note: Where are filled positions supposed to be placed, and should they be in a particular font color? | ||
| Labor Category is a limited list. Do all titles have a related/relative activity code? How many of the primary codes are to be noted in Column D? | All filled positions should be listed on the quarterly staffing report below the vacancies and new hires. No special font or coloring is required. |
WTCHP is not limiting the activity codes assigned to each labor category. Each activity code that is aligned to the labor category should be listed on the quarterly staffing report along with the percentage of effort.
| 61 | Attachment J.19 Quarterly Staffing Report Template | On header it lists approved FTE, will that be from the base year (fixed) or current (fluid)? | The CCE-approved FTE will be the number of FTE on the awarded contract plus or minus any change requests approved by the Program. |
| 62 | General | Are any entities prohibited from submitting letters of support, e.g. elected officials? | If a document is not required or requested in the RFP then please do not submit |
| 63 | General | Would it be possible to extend the submission deadline to the end of the week, Friday 7/8? | See response to Question 34. |
| 64 | Section B, Page 2 | Is a single CLIN acceptable for budgeting in this solicitation? | Each period of performance should have one CLIN that includes all work performed to meet the requirements of the Performance Work Statement. If the offeror's proposal includes travel, that should be a separate CLIN. If the offeror's proposal includes lifestyle medicine, that should be a separate CLIN too. |
| 65 | Section B2, Page 3 | If Lifestyle Medicine is included, is this considered another CLIN or Fee-for-Service? | As noted in Section B.2, if lifestyle medicine is included, an additional CLIN should be added with a firm fixed, per member per month price. |
| 66 | Attachment J.12-PastPresent Performance | Can CPARS be used in lieu of soliciting new performance reviews? Is a self-assessment required? | See response to Question 4. |
| 67 | Attachment J.19/J.20- Q. Staff Rpt/Activity Codes | Is it anticipated we list personnel multiple times to accommodate various activity codes in the quarterly staffing report? | Yes. |
| 68 | Attachment J.21-Billing Labor Categories | Can labor categories be added to this list? Key categories are missing, ie Nurse Practitioner; Medical Director; Program Administrator; Mental Health Director; Case Mgt. Director, Lifestyle Director | See response to Question 1. |
| 69 | Attachment J.22-Business Proposal Format | Is this budget format required for the proposal since it appears to be for invoicing? How do we request ODC costs using the invoicing template (which specifies items must be approved in a proposal prior to listing)? | Yes, this attachment is required to be completed as part of the business proposal. The proposed ODC costs should be listed in this attachment. |
| 70 | Attachment J.14-CUI-SSP | Is the expectation that we submit a separate attachment J.14-CUI-SSP (System Security Plan) for each system in scope (e.g., EMR, scheduling system, pharmacy system, lab system) and one data management plan for how our organization secures WTC data? | The SSP submitted should cover the system that will be used to perform the work in the proposal. The system can be comprised of multiple applications and data locations. |
The Data Management Plan is separate from the SSP.
| 71 | Section 12.5-Audit & Accountability | Please define application / audit logs (referenced in 75D301-22-R-72142 - Section 12.5 – Audit & Accountability) – are you referring to application logs (which contain PHI) or system logs (such as Active Directory, which contain security / system events)? In addition, in this section, under: Right to Receive Logs, it states that NIOSH shall have the right to receive NIOSH-specific application logs at a minimum of daily. Please define “NIOSH specific application logs.” | System logs; it is expected that the CCE will provide audit logs for all systems in scope for WTC Health Program / NIOSH data on a daily basis and provide on demand, when requested. |
| 72 | Section 12.5-Audit & Accountability | Is the expectation to provide audit logs for all systems in scope for WTC / NIOSH data on a daily basis, or provide on demand, when requested? | It is expected that the CCE will provide audit logs for all systems in scope for WTC / NIOSH data on a daily basis and provide on demand, when requested. |
| 73 | Section 12.5-Audit & Accountability | In what format do you expect log files (e.g. raw data)? | Syslog-ng |
If Syslog-ng is not feasible or technically possible, an alternative option for receiving audit records may be considered as agreed upon by the Contractor and NIOSH Office of the Director of Information Technology (OD-IT).
| 74 | N/A | To accommodate institutional closures for the July 4th holiday, can the due date for the proposals be extended to at least July 8, 2022? | See response to Question 34. |
| 75 | Page 82- Section L.8 Ground Rules and Assumptions | Are we allowed to include yearly operating charges for our Electronic Medical Record system as an Other Direct Cost? | Only if the licensing for the EMR for the CCE is separate from that of the institution. If the license is owned by the institution, it may be included in the indirect costs and should not be billed separately to the program as an ODC. |
| 76 | Page 83- Section L.10- Minimum Vendor Qualifications | If one of these positions is a new position that we are proposing to hire for this contract if awarded, what would the supporting documentation be for "record of experience?" | CV or resume that reflects the relation of the position to the proposed work for the CCE as it relates to the Performance Work Statement. |
| 77 | Page 85 Section M.2 Specific Criteria | Can you clarify what you are looking for in an "Operations Manual Summary?" Does this count towards the 60 page limit in the Technical Proposal? | The Operations Manual Summary should provide a synopsis of what will be in the offeror's Operations Manual (document(s) that guide all contract-related services, processes, systems, and activities to demonstrate how the offeror will successfully implement all requirements). It does not count towards the Technical Proposal page limit. Additionally, please note that the solicitation has been updated to reflect that the technical proposal should be 25 pages only. |
| 78 | Page 74- Cost Data Information- Other Direct Costs | It lists as an example of ODCs on this page computer services and photocopying costs. However, in section L.8 on page 82 it states we cannot charge for computers or photocopiers as ODCs. Please clarify if we can charge for these items as ODCs. | See response to Question 19. |
| 79 | Page 2, Section B- Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs | Please clarify If there is only one Clin to be included in the budget for this proposal (Clinical Operations) and if that Clin is inclusive of Operations, Member Services, and Case Management charges. This is in understanding that if we are proposing to conduct Lifestyle Medicine or need Travel expenses those would be separate Clins from the main Clin. | Correct; see response to Question 64. |
| 80 | Page 35, Section 9- Deliverables/Reporting Schedule | Please verify that the draft versions of these single submission deliverable plans do not need to be included in the proposal. | Correct; in lieu of including a full draft Operations Manual with the Technical Proposal, the requirement is to provide an Operations Manual Summary |
| 81 | Due date for proposals | We request that you kindly take into consideration the fact that July 6 directly follows a federal holiday and institutional grant and contract offices will be closed in observance of this holiday. We kindly request a reconsideration of the due date to allow for this institutional review time | See response to Question 34. |
| 82 | PWS Section 4.3.6, p. 19 | The RFP states, "The CCE contractor must provide benefits counseling through implementing the Benefits Eligibility Assessment and Screening Tool (BEAST), an electronic tool that generates a customized benefits-counseling plan for an individual member based on the member’s responses to the BEAST questions..." We assume the BEAST is to be administered annually to members. Is this correct? | Yes, the BEAST should be administered in conjunction with each annual monitoring visit, with additional administrations upon request or as appropriate based on changes to member status that may affect benefit eligibility (e.g., certification). This has been updated and clarified in the solicitation. |
| 83 | PWS Section 4.4.3, p. 27 | The RFP states, "Approval and utilization review for non-emergency inpatient services (i.e., overnight stay), and notification within 48 hours of emergency hospitalization for WTC-related health conditions and medically associated conditions is required." Please clarify if the 48 hour requirement is business hours or calendar hours. | Notification is generally calendar hours as is industry standard; meaning, notification must be done within 48 calendar hours from the time the CCE is notified of IP hospitalizations. (See additional comments/questions in next column-Internal notes.) If this is regarding an admitting facility's notification of an IP admit to the CCE, then this would be interpreted as the CCE has 48 hours from the time they received the notification to provide a decision to the facility as to whether or not the admission is approved. Those 48 hours would be calendar hours, which is industry standard. |
| 84 | PWS Section 4.4.3, p. 28 | Please clarify whether the HPS or CCE is responsible for approvals of prior authorization/prospective reviews and retrospective authorizations. | The HPS/TPA contract is currently undergoing transition. If there are any authorizations that are not managed by the TPA, then the CCE will be responsible for those reviews and providing the outcome to the provider. |
| 85 | PWS Section 4.4.3, p. 29 | Please clarify whether the HPS or CCE is responsible for approvals of non-emergency inpatient services. | The HPS/TPA contract is currently undergoing transition. The Program intends to have the TPA approve non-emergency inpatient services after their start of healthcare delivery, but until then, the CCE is responsible for these approvals. |
| 86 | PWS Attachment J.24 CM/UM (5/22), Case Management Coverage, question 4, p. 2. | Do RN case managers require licensure in the state of Member's residence for both telephonic and on site CM activities? | Yes. RN CMs must be licensed within the member's state of residence for telephonic CM. If CM is onsite, the CM must be licensed within the state in which they are working (e.g., RN CM resides in NJ but works at NY CCE and conducting CM, nurse must be licensed in NY). |
| 87 | PWS Section 4.4.3, p. 30 | The RFP states: a) Volume 1 – Technical Proposal Instructions: (NOTE: The technical proposal shall not contain any reference to price.) In addition to the instructions in “L.8 Instructions to Offerors” the following instructions apply. |
Offerors shall limit their Technical Proposal for this requirement to sixty (60) single-spaced pages of text. This page limit does not include resumes. The narrative plan shall include a general approach, a staffing and management plan, organization chart, transition/implementation plan and key deadline dates.
| Since the transition/implementation plan with key dates maybe detailed and lengthy s, may it be provided as an attachment and excluded from the page count? | Yes. Please also note that the page limit for the Technical Proposal has also been shortened to 30 pages. | ||
| 88 | Sec M, Evaluation Factors, Factor 1, p.86 | In Proposal Contents, the RFP states, "The Offeror shall provide a Project Plan and a Contract Work Breakdown Structure (CWBS) describing the process and approach they propose to use in successfully completing this project. The CWBS should correlate to the Offeror’s price/cost proposal |
and then further on it reads,
d. The Offeror shall provide a draft implementation plan that includes
i. Assignment of dedicated CCE key personnel to lead and manage transition and implementation efforts;
ii. Defined project management plans for implementing all tasks and deliverables in accordance with this PWS;
iii. Establishment of the staff utilized under the contract, including subcontractors, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities to include the proposed labor mix of personnel who will be responsible for implementing this requirement, including the identification of key personnel and the percentage of their time devoted to the contract;
iv. Transition activities, including testing of system integration and customer service capabilities;
v. Details on how the offeror shall ensure that its claims processing system is ready to appropriately adjudicate claims at the start of healthcare delivery. Claims testing must be incorporated as part of the plan;
vi. Coordination of benefits plan."
| To clarify, a draft implementation plan would be due as part of the proposal, but a final implementation plan is due after award, correct? | Correct. We have also updated the language in the solicitation slightly to clarify the requirements of the draft implementation plan. | |||
| 89 | Attachment J:16: Invoice Format | Direct Labor: Column B 'WTC Billing Labor Category' Please clarify when Revised title would be used. | See response to Question 1. | |
| 90 | Attachment J:16: Invoice Format | The invoice template indicates that hours worked should be included on each invoice. Salaried employees are not paid by the hour and don't have an hourly rate of pay - can these employees be excluded from providing hours worked and hourly rate? | No, the Program needs to know the amount of time the employee spent working on the CCE contract; for purposes of the proposal, the CCE should provide the time devoted to the CCE contract and estimate the corresponding/equivalent hourly rate. | |
| 91 | Attachment J:16: Invoice Format | Please clarify the invoicing process for the Lifestyle Medicine CLIN (Firm Fixed Price) and whether it differs from the Cost Reimbursement CLINS. | The process of submitting the invoice is the same. Firm fixed price CLINs are traditionally submitted at 1/12 of the total amount of the CLIN each month. | |
| 92 | Attachment J.22:Business Proposal Format | Budget Snapshot Tab: Please confirm there is one CLIN (Clinical Operations) for all activities excluding travel and lifestyle medicine. Please clarify how many total CLINS are expected. Our understanding is CLIN 1: Clinical Operations (Cost Reimbursement), CLIN 2: Travel (Cost Reimbursement), CLIN 3: Lifestyle Medicine (Firm Fixed Price) | The total number of CLINs will depend on what the offeror is proposing (See response to Question 64). If the offeror intends on proposing both travel and lifestyle medicine, yes, there would be three CLINs. | |
| 93 | Attachment J.21 Billing and Labor Categories | Direct Labor: Do we have the ability to add more billing and labor categories? Certain job titles which are required to perform the work are not captured within the existing billing and labor categories. | See response to Question 1. | |
| 94 | Attachment J.22: Business Proposal Format | Direct Labor Tab: Can you please clarify what should be entered for facility in column A? | This field only applies to offerors that have multiple facilities so that they can indicate which facility they are referring to. If the offeror does not have multiple facilities, the column should be left blank. | |
| 95 | Attachment J.22: Business Proposal Format | Direct Labor Tab: Is there any particular format that should be used for employee name? First name, Last name or Last name, First name? | Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial | |
| 96 | Attachment J.22: Business Proposal Format | Activity Report Tab: Can you please clarify the calculation on column C row three? | The labor category shall match the total reported for Subcontractor and Direct Labor for each category. | |
| 97 | Attachment J.22: Business Proposal Format | Activity Report Tab: If there a fee for service activity code such as 4.3.8.3.2 'Annual Monitoring Exam', do we list this activity code in the activity report tab with 0 requested FTE or do we exclude that activity code as that is 0 FTE to the contract? | Either is fine; the CCE does not need to report staff time that is spent on activities not billed under the CCE contract on the business proposal. | |
| 98 | Attachment J.22: Business Proposal Format | ODC Tab: Do we need to list out all items that would be included in one of the 'categories of expenses' categories? For example: office supplies. Assuming we are requesting $100 in office supplies, could we enter one row for office $100 or itemize each office supply that would total $100? | The CCE may list a category of expenses on the business proposal such as "office supplies" with a total amount. However, it may be valuable to provide additional detail to support the evaluation of the proposals. | |
| 99 | Attachment J.22: Business Proposal Format | ODC Tab: Please clarify what would be included in Invoice/Receipt # as none of these expenses would have been incurred. | The ODC tab of the business proposal does not need to include the receipt or invoice number. | |
| 100 | Attachment J.22:Business Proposal Format | Can you please clarify how Lifestyle medicine be reported in the business proposal format? | If proposed, lifestyle medicine should be reported under its own firm-fixed, per member per month CLIN | |
| 101 | Attachment J.22:Business Proposal Format | What level is detail required for the Lifestyle medicine proposal budget (Firm Fixed Price)? Is the same detail required as for other CLINS? | See response to Question 100. Sufficient detail should be provided to support the cost evaluation of the proposal. | |
| 102 | Attachment J.22:Business Proposal Format | Should there be three separate business proposal files for each CLIN? | One business proposal file. CLINs and option years should be included. | |
| 103 | CCE Synopsis Questions_Responses: row 11: External claim review: Section 4.5 Claims Submission and Payment, pg 28 | "External provider claims are submitted directly to the Program's Health Program Support/Third Party Administrator contractor. The CCE is not required to review external provider claims except on an ad hoc basis as requested by NIOSH to review services for medical necessity (See Section 4.5.2)." Will there be a transition period? If so, how long so that we can budget accordingly? | Yes, there will be a transition period that lines up with the transition-in timeframe of the TPA vendor. At this time we can not ensure a specific timeline for that transition, but for the purpose of this proposal, please assume that external claims will no longer have to be reviewed after 06/01/2023. | |
| 104 | CCE Synopsis Questions_Responses: row 11: External claim review: Section 4.5 Claims Submission and Payment, pg 28 | Will we have the ability to view claims being submitted by external providers for our members in real time? We currently have access to this information and would be crucial for care management/utilization review responsibilities. | After the transition to the TPA, the Program anticipates that CCEs will be able to be provided with read-only access to member claims for members within their CCE. | |
| 105 | 75D301-22-R-72142+Revision+05-25-2022: Section B. pg.2 | Can you please confirm the start date? Start date listed as 9/29/2022 | The anticipated date of award is 9/29/2022. Awards may be made sooner than 9/29 which will not impact the performance start date. | |
| 106 | 75D301-22-R-72142+Revision+05-25-2022: Section B - Supplies Or Services And Prices/Costs: B.2 Lifestyle Medicine (Optional to Propose). pg. 3 | The solicitation state that lifestyle medicine is estimated to be available to 5% of patients within the program. The solicitation also states that if the eligibility criteria for lifestyle medicine is as follows: "Eligible members include only the following: 1) Members with Program-certified cancer where the cancer has been treated and the member is now in a chronic management phase; 2) Members with Program-certified obstructive sleep apnea who have a BMI > 30; and 3) Members with Program-certified severe respiratory disease who have a BMI >30. " - if the number of patients meeting the three above described categories exceeds 5% Of all patients, can the program be based upon those that meet the described categories even beyond 5%? | See response to Question 35; it is not that the lifestyle medicine program should be available to 5% of patients, but that it is estimated that 5% of members will be both eligible and choose to participate in the lifestyle medicine program. | |
| 107 | 75D301-22-R-72142+Revision+05-25-2022: Section B - Supplies Or Services And Prices/Costs: B.1 & B.2 pg. 3 | Is travel CLIN B.1 and LM CLIN B.2 or Is travel CLIN 2 and LM CLIN 3? | See response to Question 64. | |
| 108 | 75D301-22-R-72142+Revision+05-25-2022: SECTION 4.1.7 – Risk and Issue Management pg. 15 | Please describe which types of issues should be reported to a risk register. | The risk register should include any risks that would impact the CCE's ability to meet the requirements of the contract. | |
| 109 | 75D301-22-R-72142+Revision+05-25-2022: SECTION 4.3.7.1 – Translation and Interpretive Services pg 21-22 | Please confirm that patient materials should be translated into Chinese if Chinese is not a language spoken within a WTC CCE's cohort. | See response to Question 47. | |
| 110 | 75D301-22-R-72142+Revision+05-25-2022: SECTION 4.4.4 – Lifestyle Medicine (Optional To Propose) pg. 27 | Lifestyle section states that you need to have respiratory illness and BMI greater than 30. Can a severely ill respiratory patient (as defined as IDL, sarcoid, several asthmatic, COPD) be allowed in to the lifestyle medicine program even without a BMI Over 30 be included as these severely ill patients would benefit from these programs. | At this time, the eligible populations for lifestyle medicine interventions include individuals with severe respiratory disease, but only those w/ BMI > 30. | |
| 111 | 75D301-22-R-72142+Revision+05-25-2022: SECTION 4.5.2 – Billing for Health Plan Benefits. pg. 28 | If requested by NIOSH, the CCE must review for medical necessity services provided to a member by an external provider in accordance with TGD #007 (Attachment J.8). Is there an estimate of expected volume for these types of reviews? | The HPS/TPA contract is currently undergoing transition. Until the start of healthcare delivery of the new TPA, the CCE is responsible for reviewing external claims, so the volume will depend on the offeror's proposal of how they will provide medical services to members. Once the TPA goes live, the Program does not anticipate needing the CCE to review any external claims, unless there is an extenuating circumstance (which should be rare). | |
| 112 | 75D301-22-R-72142+Revision+05-25-2022: SECTION 5.1 – Data Management Plan. 34 | Please confirm that a Data Management Plan is required for this contact. If so, is the Data Management Plan required with the bid or following contract award. The description of the data management plan appears to pertain to contracts that involve data collection and research as opposed to those focused on clinical operations. | Section 5.1 describes the Data Management Plan. |
Per Section M.3, a data management plan is required to be submitted as part of the offeror's proposal, but will be rated on a Pass/Fail basis. A draft Data Management Plan (DMP) is also due to the Program for review within ten business days of award, with a finalized version ten business days upon receipt of Program feedback.
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