RFP_75D30127R95191.pdf

11. DELIVERY FOR FOB

DESTINATION UNLESS

BLOCK IS MARKED

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT/ORDER FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS

OFFEROR TO COMPLETE BLOCKS 12, 17, 23, 24, & 30

1. REQUISITION NUMBER

2. CONTRACT NO.

3. AWARD/EFFECTIVE

DATE

4. ORDER NUMBER

5. SOLICITATION NUMBER

75D30127R95191

6. SOLICITATION

ISSUE DATE

11/12/2026

7. FOR SOLICITATION

INFORMATION CALL:

a. NAME Ann Bonis

b. TELEPHONE NUMBER (No collect calls) won5@cdc.gov

8. OFFER DUE

DATE/ 11/24/2026

9. ISSUED BY CODE 15948 10. THIS ACQUISITION IS 12. DISCOUNT

OFR - Office of Acquisition Services

Chamblee Campus Building 108 4770 Buford Highway Atlanta, GA 30341-

UNRESTRICTED

X SET ASIDE: 100% FOR

SMALL BUSINESS

SMALL DISADV. BUSINESS

X 8(A)

SIC: 561499

SIZE STANDARD: $21.5M

X SEE SCHEDULE

13a. THIS CONTRACT IS A RATED ORDER UNDER DPAS (15 CFR 700)13b. RATING

14. METHOD OF SOLICITATION

RFQ IFB X RFP

15. DELIVER TO CODE 16. ADMINISTERED BY CODE 15948

OFR - Office of Acquisition Services Chamblee Campus Building 108 4770 Buford Highway Atlanta, GA 30341- CODE 18a. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY CODE 434

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (FMO) PO Box 15580 404-718-8100 Atlanta, GA 30333-0080

TELEPHONE NO.

17b. CHECK IF REMITTANCE IS DIFFERENT AND PUT SUCH ADDRESS IN

OFFER

18b. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN BLOCK 18a UNLESS BLOCK

BELOW

SEE ADDENDUM

19.

ITEM NO.

20.

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

21.

QUANTITY

22.

UNIT

23.

UNIT PRICE

24.

AMOUNT

“NCHS/Division of Vital Statistics ICD 10 Coding of the Vital Statistics Data,” IDIQ

Questions Due: 1:00 PM (ET), November 16, 2026 Proposal Due: 10:00 AM (ET), November 24, 2026

25. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

26. TOTAL AWARD AMOUNT (For Govt. Use Only) $0.00

X 27a. SOLICITATION INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-1, 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-3 AND 52.212-5 ARE ATTACHED. ADDENDA X ARE ARE NOT X 27b. CONTRACT/PURCHASE ORDER INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-5 IS ATTACHED. ADDENDA X ARE ARE NOT

ATTACHED

28.

X

CONTRACTOR IS REQUIRED TO SIGN THIS DOCUMENT AND RETURN 1 COPIES

TO ISSUING OFFICE. CONTRACTOR AGREES TO FURNISH AND DELIVER ALL ITEMS

SET FORTH OR OTHERWISE IDENTIFIED ABOVE AND ON ANY ADDITIONAL SHEETS

SUBJECT TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SPECIFIED HEREIN.

9.

AWARD OF CONTRACT: REFERENCE OFFER

DATED . YOUR OFFER ON SOLICITATION (BLOCK 5),

INCLUDING ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES WHICH ARE SET

FORTH HEREIN, IS ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS:

30a. SIGNATURE OF OFFEROR/CONTRACTOR 31a. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (Signature of Contracting Officer)

30b. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

30c. DATE

SIGNED

31b. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print) Ann Bonis

31c. DATE SIGNED

32a. QUANTITY IN COLUMN 21 HAS BEEN 33. SHIP NUMBER 34. VOUCHER NUMBER

RECEIVED INSPECTED

PARTIAL FINAL

36. PAYMENT 37. CHECK NUMBER

32b. SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED GOV’T REPRESENTATIVE 32c. DATE COMPLETE PARTIAL FINAL

41a. I CERTIFY THIS AMOUNT IS CORRECT AND PROPER FOR PAYMENT 41b. SIGNATURE AND TITLE OF CERTIFYING OFFICER 41c. DATE

38. S/R ACCOUNT NUMBER 39. S/R VOUCHER

NUMBER

42a. RECEIVED BY (Print)

42b. RECEIVED AT (Location)

42c. DATE REC’D 42d. TOTAL CONTAINERS

40. PAID BY

ACCEPTED, AND CONFORMS TO THE

CONTRACT, EXCEPT AS NOTED

35. AMOUNT VERIFIED

CORRECT FOR

17a. CONTRACTOR/

OFFEROR

FACILITY

CODE

IS CHECKED

mailto:won5@cdc.gov

Section A: Solicitation / Contract Summary

1. This Request for Proposal (RFP) is issued to solicit a task order proposal for information management services supporting the manual ICD 10 Coding of causes of death on mortality and fetal death records for the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS), administered by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Division of Vital Statistics (DVS), Data Acquisition, Classification and Evaluation Branch (DACEB).

2. This acquisition is being conducted in accordance with FAR Subpart 19.8 (Contracting with the Small Business Administration (8(a) Program)), as an 8(a) Set Aside.

3. Primary NAICS Code is 561499 All Other Business Support Services, with a business size standard of $21.5M.

4. This RFP will result in a single-award Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. Task orders issued under the resulting contract will be Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP).

The Contracting Officer (CO) is the only individual authorized to issue task orders under this contract.

5. The Ordering Period is January 01, 2027 – December 31, 2031.

6. Minimum and Maximum Contract Value

a. Guaranteed Minimum: $7,200.00 (one-time, over the life of the contract)

b. Maximum (Ceiling): $7,035,750.00 (aggregate, over the five-year period of performance)

7. Place of Performance

a. Work may be performed on-site at NCHS facilities, but contractor employees are anticipated to work primarily via telework, subject to COR and NCHS Confidentiality Officer approval. Contractor employees will be required to obtain an HHS PIV card and government-issued equipment.

8. Key Submission Dates

Action Date/Time (Eastern) Questions Due November 16, 2026; 1:00 PM ET Proposals Due November 24, 2026; 10:00 AM ET

Questions and Proposals must be sent by the dates and times specified above, to the Points of Contact listed below. Failure to meet the deadlines may result in questions going unanswered and proposals not being considered.

9. Points of Contact

a. Contracting Officer: Ann Bonis, won5@cdc.gov mailto:won5@cdc.gov

b. Alternate Contracting Officer: Sheena Delaine, kpz5@cdc.gov.

10. Basis of Award

a. Award will be made to the responsible offeror whose proposal is most advantageous to the Government, price and non-price factors considered. Non-price factors, when combined, are significantly more important than price.

Evaluation factors, in descending order of importance, are: (1) Staffing Plan (2) Similar Experience, (3) Management Plan, (4) Technical Approach, and (5) Cost/Price. The Government intends to award without discussions.

mailto:kpz5@cdc.gov

Section B. Contact Line Item Numbers

ITEM SUPPLIES/SERVICES QTY/UNIT UNIT PRICE EXTENDED

PRICE

0001 NCHS/Division of Vital Statistics ICD 10 Coding of the Vital Statistics Data

To be performed as outlined in the Performance Work Statement (PWS) and specifically ordered through individual task orders.

Severable Services Line Item

FFP Line Item

Ordering Period 01/01/2027 – 12/31/2031

1 Job Not Separately Priced (NSP)

NSP

The Ceiling Price for this IDIQ is $7,035,750.00.

B.1 Purpose

The NCHS/Division of Vital Statistics Manual Coding of Vital Statistics Data Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract is established to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in manually coding causes of death on mortality and fetal death records for the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS). The contract will provide CDC with a scalable and flexible mechanism for ordering coding services for records that cannot be coded electronically, as well as records selected for quality-control review, correction, and automated-system validation. Services will be performed using procedures established by NCHS and ordered through firm-fixed-price Task Orders based on the Government’s varying record-volume requirements.

The Contractor, acting as an independent contractor and not as an agent, employee, or representative of the Government, shall furnish all labor, materials, equipment, facilities, supplies, technical expertise, management, supervision, administrative support, and other resources necessary to perform the requirements identified in the Performance Work Statement (PWS) and individual task orders

B.2 Ordering of Services

Services under this contract shall be acquired through the issuance of individual firm-fixed-price Task Orders in accordance with the terms and conditions of this IDIQ contract, FAR Subpart 16.5, FAR 52.216-18, Ordering, and applicable Federal Acquisition Regulation requirements. Funding shall be obligated at the individual Task Order level. CDC anticipates issuing multiple Task Orders following award, each identifying a defined quantity of records, applicable record-quantity increments and awarded rates, POP, scope, deliverables, performance requirements, and funding.

Each Task Order shall be within the scope of the basic contract, issued during the authorized ordering POP, and within the maximum contract value. Because this is a single-award IDIQ contract with pre-established record rates, Task Orders will be issued directly to the Contractor without a Request for Task Order Proposal or task-order competition.

The Contractor shall not commence performance, incur costs, or otherwise undertake work under this contract until authorized by a Task Order or other written authorization issued by the Contracting Officer. Only a duly authorized CDC Contracting Officer may issue a Task Order, authorize performance, or otherwise obligate the Government under this contract. The Contractor shall not rely upon direction or representations from any Government employee other than the Contracting Officer to establish, modify, or expand the Government’s contractual obligations.

The Government shall have no obligation to reimburse the Contractor for costs incurred or work performed before issuance of an applicable Task Order or other written authorization by the Contracting Officer.

B.3 Contract Type and Services

The applicable NAICS code is 561499, All Other Business Support Services, with a business size standard of $21.5 million.

This contract is a single award Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract with Firm-fixed price task orders.

B.4 Minimum Guarantee

The Government guarantees that Task Order obligations totaling at least $7,200.00 will be issued during the first 12 months of contract performance. If the Contractor receives obligations totaling less than $7,200.00 during the first 12 months, the Government will fund the difference between the amount actually obligated and the guaranteed minimum.

Once the Government issues Task Order obligations totaling $7,200.00 or more during the first 12 months, the Government’s minimum guarantee is satisfied.

B.5 Maximum Contract Value

The aggregate maximum value of all Task Orders issued under this contract shall not exceed $7,035,750.00 over the five-year contract POP.

The Government’s failure to order quantities up to the stated maximum shall not entitle the Contractor to an equitable adjustment or other price adjustment.

B.6 Service Contract Labor Standards

The services required under this contract are subject to the Service Contract Labor Standards statute. The Contractor shall comply with FAR 52.222-41, Service Contract Labor Standards, all applicable wage determinations, and the other applicable Service Contract Labor Standards clauses identified in Section I.

Because the place or places of performance are unknown at the time of solicitation, wage determinations will be obtained and incorporated into the resulting contract in accordance with FAR 52.222-49, Service Contract Labor Standards—Place of Performance Unknown. The Contractor shall pay covered service employees not less than the wages and fringe benefits required by the applicable wage determination for the location where the employee performs the contract work.

The Contractor shall remain responsible for properly classifying covered employees and complying with all applicable Service Contract Labor Standards requirements throughout contract performance. Any applicable price adjustment shall be administered in accordance with FAR 52.222-43.

B.7 Non-Personal Services Contract Statement

This is a non-personal services contract. The Government will establish requirements, evaluate Contractor performance, and exercise appropriate contractual and technical oversight; however, the Contractor shall retain responsibility and control over the manner and means by which its employees and subcontractors perform the work, subject to the requirements of the contract and applicable task orders.

The Contractor shall be solely responsible for the supervision, management, direction, compensation, and control of its employees and subcontractors. Nothing in this contract shall be construed to create an employer-employee relationship between the Government and Contractor personnel.

The Contractor shall be responsible for its acts and omissions and those of its employees, agents, and subcontractors to the extent provided by applicable law and the terms of the contract. The Contractor shall indemnify and hold the Government harmless to the extent required by applicable law and the contract with respect to liabilities arising from the Contractor's performance, including acts or omissions of the Contractor or its personnel.

B.8 Performance-Based Payments

Pursuant to FAR 37.101 and applicable acquisition policy, the Contracting Officer shall utilize performance-based acquisition methods to the maximum extent practicable.

Task orders should, to the maximum extent practicable, define measurable and objective performance requirements, performance standards, deliverables, service levels, quality requirements, acceptance criteria, and appropriate performance metrics. Requirements shall be structured to focus on measurable outcomes and results rather than prescribing the specific methods by which the Contractor must accomplish the work, except where such methods are necessary to satisfy Government requirements, statutory or regulatory requirements, scientific integrity, quality assurance, biosafety, security, or other mission-critical considerations.

B.9 Contract Structure

The basic contract will establish the general scope, contract terms, Contract Price Schedule, and 60-month ordering POP for Task Orders issued under CLIN 0001.

Each Task Order shall identify its own POP and shall be separately funded and administered. Task Orders may include one or more record-quantity increments within the scope, maximum contract value, and ordering limitations of this contract.

The Government intends to provide the Contractor with a Notice of Intent to Issue a Task Order at least 30 calendar days before the intended Task Order start date. The Notice of Intent will support Contractor planning but will not authorize performance or obligate the Government. Only a formal Task Order or other written authorization issued by the Contracting Officer may authorize the Contractor to begin work.

B.10 Task Orders

Task Orders shall specify and authorize the work to be performed by the Contractor in response to a defined Government requirement. Because this is a single-award IDIQ contract with pre-established firm-fixed record rates, Task Orders will be issued directly to the Contractor without a Request for Task Order Proposal (RFTOP) or task-order competition.

At least 30 calendar days before the intended Task Order start date, the Contracting Officer will provide the Contractor with a written Notice of Intent to Issue a Task Order.

The Notice of Intent is provided for planning purposes only and does not authorize performance, obligate funds, or constitute a Task Order.

Each Task Order shall, as applicable, identify:

1. The scope and objectives of the requirement;

2. The applicable Performance Work Statement or Task Order Statement of Work;

3. The POP and key milestones;

4. The required quantity of records and applicable record-quantity increments;

5. Technical requirements and performance standards;

6. Required deliverables, products, reports, data, and/or services;

7. Acceptance criteria for deliverables and services;

8. Applicable quality assurance and quality control requirements;

9. Applicable security, privacy, confidentiality, data-use, and information-handling requirements;

10. Government-Furnished Property, Information, or Facilities, as applicable;

11. Government and Contractor points of contact;

12. Applicable references and standards;

13. Reporting requirements;

14. The applicable awarded firm-fixed rates per accepted record;

15. The total firm-fixed Task Order price; and

16. Applicable funding information.

Each Task Order shall constitute a separate authorization to perform the specified work and shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the basic IDIQ contract. The Contractor shall not commence performance, incur costs, or otherwise undertake work until the applicable Task Order or other written authorization is issued by the Contracting Officer.

A Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) may be designated in writing for each Task Order. The Task Order COR shall be responsible for technical oversight and monitoring of Contractor performance within the authority delegated by the Contracting Officer. The COR shall not have authority to alter the terms, scope, quantity, awarded rates, total price, POP, or other contractual obligations of the Task Order. Only the Contracting Officer may authorize such changes.

B.11 Award of Task Orders

Following award of the basic IDIQ contract, services shall be ordered through the issuance of individual Task Orders in accordance with the ordering procedures established in the contract and applicable FAR requirements.

a. Task Orders

1. A written Task Order issued by an authorized CDC Contracting Officer, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the basic contract, shall be the contractual instrument authorizing the acquisition of services under this IDIQ contract.

2. Because this is a single-award IDIQ contract with pre-established firm-fixed rates per accepted record, Task Orders shall be issued directly to the Contractor. The Government will not issue a Request for Task Order Proposal (RFTOP), conduct task-order competition, or request a separate technical or cost proposal for individual Task Orders.

3. Upon issuance of a Task Order, the Contractor shall be responsible for performing the requirements specified in the Task Order in accordance with the terms and conditions of the basic IDIQ contract, the Task Order, and applicable laws and regulations.

4. Task Orders issued under the resultant IDIQ contract shall be subject to applicable publication and synopsis requirements and exceptions.

b. Ordering Procedures

(1) Notice of Intent to Issue a Task Order

When the Government identifies a requirement for services within the scope of this contract, the Contracting Officer shall provide the Contractor with a written Notice of Intent to Issue a Task Order at least thirty (30) calendar days before the intended Task Order start date.

The Notice of Intent may include, as applicable:

• A Performance Work Statement or Statement of Work describing the Government’s requirement;

• The anticipated Task Order POP;

• The anticipated quantity of records;

• The applicable record-quantity increment or increments;

• Required deliverables and reporting requirements;

• Performance objectives and standards;

• Anticipated milestones and start date;

• Government-Furnished Property, Information, or Facilities;

• Security, privacy, confidentiality, data-use, or information-handling requirements;

• Government and Contractor points of contact; and

• Other information necessary to support Contractor planning and Task Order preparation.

The Notice of Intent is provided for planning purposes only. It does not authorize the Contractor to commence performance, incur costs, submit invoices, or otherwise undertake work. The Notice of Intent does not obligate funds and does not constitute a Task Order.

The Contractor shall acknowledge receipt of the Notice of Intent and coordinate with the Contracting Officer regarding any administrative or planning matters necessary to support timely Task Order issuance. The Contractor is not required to submit a separate technical or cost proposal in response to the Notice of Intent.

(2) Task Order Issuance

Following issuance of the Notice of Intent, the Contracting Officer shall issue the formal Task Order directly to the Contractor.

Each Task Order shall, as applicable, identify:

• The scope and objectives of the requirement;

• The applicable Performance Work Statement or Task Order Statement of

Work;

• The Task Order POP and key milestones;

• The quantity of records and applicable record-quantity increments;

• Technical requirements and performance standards;

• Required deliverables, products, reports, data, and/or services;

• Acceptance criteria for deliverables and services;

• Applicable quality assurance and quality control requirements;

• Applicable security, privacy, confidentiality, data-use, and information-handling requirements;

• Government-Furnished Property, Information, or Facilities;

• Government and Contractor points of contact;

• Applicable references and standards;

• Reporting requirements;

• The applicable awarded firm-fixed rates per accepted record;

• The total firm-fixed Task Order price; and

• Applicable funding information.

The total Task Order price shall be calculated using the awarded rates established in the Contract Price Schedule. The Government may include one or more record-quantity increments in a Task Order.

(3) Contractor Responsibility for Performance

Upon issuance of a Task Order by an authorized CDC Contracting Officer, the Contractor shall be responsible for performing the Task Order in accordance with all applicable requirements of the basic IDIQ contract and the Task Order.

The Contractor shall promptly notify the Contracting Officer of any actual or anticipated condition that may materially affect the Contractor’s ability to meet Task Order requirements, schedules, deliverables, performance standards, or other contractual obligations.

(4) Authorization to Commence Work

The Contractor shall be authorized to commence performance only upon receipt of a properly issued Task Order or other written authorization from the Contracting Officer.

The Contractor shall not commence work, incur costs, or submit invoices based solely on the Notice of Intent, discussions, technical direction, or requests from Government personnel who lack Contracting Officer authority to obligate the Government.

Only an authorized CDC Contracting Officer may issue, modify, or otherwise change a Task Order or authorize performance under this contract.

B.12 Evaluation of Contractor Performance

Contractor performance shall be evaluated at the task order level in accordance with applicable Government procedures, contract requirements, and the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS).

Task order performance evaluations may consider, as applicable, the quality and timeliness of deliverables, achievement of performance objectives, technical quality, responsiveness, management effectiveness, adherence to schedules, quality assurance and quality control, regulatory and contractual compliance, and overall performance against the requirements of the task order.

Task order-level performance information may be considered by the Government in accordance with applicable acquisition regulations and policies when evaluating the Contractor's performance on future procurements and task order competitions.

The Contractor shall cooperate fully with the Government's performance assessment process and shall provide timely responses to requests for information, clarification, or supporting documentation associated with performance evaluations.

B.13 Ordering List by Ordering Period

A chart will be included in the resulting IDIQ contract to specify the pricing per ordering period

Ordering Period Quantity of Records in Individual Task Order

Firm-Fixed Price Per Accepted Record

01/01/2027–12/31/2027 1-20,999 $________

01/01/2027–12/31/2027 21,000-770,000 $________

01/01/2028–12/31/2028 1-20,999 $________

01/01/2028–12/31/2028 21,000-770,000 $________

01/01/2029–12/31/2029 1-20,999 $________

01/01/2029–12/31/2029 21,000-770,000 $________

01/01/2030–12/31/2030 1-20,999 $________

01/01/2030–12/31/2030 21,000-770,000 $________

01/01/2031–12/31/2031 1-20,999 $________

B.14 Pricing Terms

a. The applicable firm-fixed price per accepted record shall be determined by the record quantity included in each pricing increment and the applicable POP range.

b. Task Orders may include one or more record-quantity increments. The Government may issue a Task Order for a single increment or multiple increments.

c. A record-quantity increment of 1–20,999 records shall be priced using the applicable firm-fixed price for the 1–20,999 record range.

d. A record-quantity increment of 21,000–770,000 records shall be priced using the applicable firm-fixed price for the 21,000–770,000 record range.

e. If a Task Order requires more than 770,000 records, the total quantity shall be divided into one or more pricing increments for purposes of calculating the Task Order price. Each increment shall be priced using the applicable firm-fixed price per accepted record identified in the Contract Price Schedule.

f. The total Task Order price shall be calculated as follows:

Quantity of records in each pricing increment × applicable firm-fixed price per accepted record = Extended price for the increment

Sum of all pricing-increment extended prices = Total Task Order Price

g. For example, a Task Order requiring 790,000 records may be priced using one 770,000-record increment and one 20,000-record increment. The total Task Order price shall be calculated using the Contractor’s awarded rate applicable to each record-quantity range:

770,000 records × awarded rate for the 21,000–770,000 record range = $_______ 20,000 records × awarded rate for the 1–20,000 record range = $________

Total Task Order Price = $________

h. The accepted pricing chart shall be incorporated into the resulting contract and shall establish the firm-fixed prices applicable to Task Orders issued under CLIN 0001.

Section C: Performance Work Statement

Title: NCHS/Division of Vital Statistics ICD 10 Coding of the Vital Statistics Data

Ordering Period of this contract is: 01/01/2027 to 12/31/2031

SECTION 1 – BACKGROUND

Over the last several years, the NVSS has benefited greatly from an accelerated program of technology upgrades. NCHS has invested heavily in automating manual ICD 10 Coding (not ICD 10-CM) coding procedures to provide better approaches to statistical quality control and data file development. These new approaches, coupled with more traditional ones, are designed to produce highly complete national vital statistics files with improved quality.

Historically, 2.8 million death records have been received annually. With COVID-19 and the excess deaths in 2020, the annual volume has exceeded 3.3 million deaths. NCHS coded about 68% of these records electronically, leaving more than 1 million records to be coded manually using both Federal and contractor resources. Over the next two years, it is anticipated that the auto-coding rate could increase by 10-15% due to system improvements. In addition, if mortality volume reduces due to COVID-19 public health measures, the need for manual coding could be reduced further. Because of these uncertainties, the need for manual contractual coding could range from 75,000 – 3,850,000.

In addition, the government has ad hoc needs to review the quality of records coded by the system for system improvements or before closing the national mortality file. This may require review and recoding of records previously coded.

SECTION 2 – PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this Contract is to provide information management services to support the manual coding of the causes of death on mortality and fetal death records for the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS). Specifically, the Contractor shall:

Provide coding of the causes of death for those mortality or fetal death records unable to be coded electronically, or for the purposes of quality control and system validation, through the National Vital Statistics System using procedures established at NCHS’s Research Triangle Park facility.

For purposes of this requirement, the coding services required under this PWS are ICD-10 coding and not ICD-10-CM coding. This clarification applies throughout the solicitation and resulting contract wherever the terms “coding,” or “manual coding,” are used.

SECTION 3 – SCOPE OF WORK

The objective of this work is to provide cause-of-death coding services to the DVS, Data Acquisition, Classification and Evaluation Branch (DACEB) for those records rejected through the DVS automated coding system or for the purposes of quality control. This work will be electronically assigned randomly or by priority for completion.

This work benefits DVS data divisions that analyze the data, and ultimately researchers and policy makers in the state, national, and international public health community, and the general public.

SECTION 4 – TASKS TO BE PERFORMED

Task 1: Coding of Causes of Death on Mortality and Fetal Death Records

1. The Contractor staff shall code the volume of purchased records on an ongoing basis, starting no later than one week after contract award and provide continual service. The minimum number of records coded per month is determined by the total number purchased divided by the number of months. The Contractor must ensure an error rate of less than 4 percent. The DACEB staff, who must ensure that all data is of the highest quality possible in accordance with approved specifications and procedures, will verify a sample of these coded records to assess the error rate per each Contractor staff and provide that information to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), who will provide such information to the Contractor. The Contractor shall take such steps as necessary to ensure that the coding requirements are timely and completely met.

2. The Contractor staff work part time from multiple locations and coding is dependent on the government furnished computers and access to the CDC network. If an employee’s production is interrupted for more than one hour per week due to failure of the CDC equipment or CDC systems, the contractor may invoice for up to 37 records per hour for the time when no coding could occur. The employees are not permitted to use personal devices or non-CDC information resources/devices to complete work under this contract.

3. Annual refresher training is required for all coders, and this training is done via webcast and usually lasts four hours. The contractor may invoice for 37 records per hour for this annual refresher training.

4. On occasion, there may be a need for coding by Contractor staff for the purpose of quality control activities. In these cases, the records to be coded would be assigned by batch and have the same interface as used for production coding. For validation of the automated coding system, a similar coding or adjudication screen will be provided.

The contractor may invoice for 37 records per hour for any time spent orienting Contractor staff to new coding interfaces. These activities must be performed by nosologists with an average quality control error rate <2%.

5. Increased need for manual coding and record review is variable by year but may happen during the course of this Contract; therefore, additional coding may be purchased throughout the year, not to exceed the maximum.

Task 2 – Transition-In and Continuity of Performance

The Contractor shall submit a written Transition-In Plan to the Contracting Officer no later than one week after contract award. The plan shall demonstrate how the Contractor will assume responsibility for the services without disruption and shall address staffing, personnel onboarding, required NCHS training, PIV and Government-furnished equipment requirements, MedCoder access, work assignment procedures, payroll administration, quality control, and achievement of the required production and accuracy standards. The plan shall include a schedule identifying the activities and milestones necessary to begin performance within one week after contract award.

The Contractor shall provide sufficient qualified personnel to begin performance no later than one week after contract award and shall maintain adequate staffing throughout performance.

The Contractor is solely responsible for recruiting, hiring, supervising, scheduling, training, compensating, and replacing its employees.

The Government may provide the Contractor with information regarding existing procedures, training, work assignments, and incumbent personnel, subject to applicable privacy and security requirements. The Contractor may offer employment to incumbent personnel at its discretion; however, the Government does not require the Contractor to hire or retain any particular incumbent employee.

The Contractor shall maintain continuity of services during personnel turnover, workload fluctuations, system changes, and transition activities. Any replacement personnel shall possess qualifications sufficient to perform the assigned duties and shall complete all required Government-provided training before performing work requiring such training.

The Contractor shall comply with FAR 52.237-3, Continuity of Services, including any required phase-in or phase-out training and cooperation with a successor contractor.

SECTION 5 – GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY

Government furnished property (GFP) will be issued to select contractor staff who are determined to require CDC network access, such to facilitate administrative tasks using CDC’s Office 365 Services or compliance activities using CDC security programs. GFP will include CDC government laptops and CDC Smart Cards (also known as PIV cards).

SECTION 6 – PLACE OF PERFORMANCE AND CONTRACT SUPPORT HOURS

SUBSECTION A – PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Contractor employees may work on-site at NCHS, but it is anticipated the contractor employees will work remotely via telework.

SUBSECTION B – CONTRACT SUPPORT HOURS

Provide support for eight (8) consecutive hours Monday through Friday.

SECTION 7 – TRAVEL

N/A

SECTION 8 – DELIVERABLES/REPORTING SCHEDULE

Task Deliverable Quantity/Format Due Date Deliver To Coding of Causes of Death

Monthly coding at minimum rate of total records purchased divided by number of months and with a per coder error rate < 4%

25,000 – 45,000 per month are expected.

Monthly Program POC

Quality Review and correction of coded records code assigned records

As requested, code assigned batches within two weeks of assignment

Program POC

Coding of mortality records for validation testing of automated coding system.

code assigned records

As requested, code assigned records within 1 week of assignment

Program POC

2 Transition-In Plan

Word (no more than 10 pages)

No later than five (5) days after contract award.

CO and COR

SUBSECTION A – PERFORMANCE MATRIX

PERFORMANCE

OBJECTIVE

STANDARD PERFORMANCE

THRESHOLD

ACCEPTABLE

QUALITY

LEVELS (AQLs)

METHOD OF

SURVEILLANCE

Coding of mortality and fetal death records

Minimum of 16,500 records coded per month in the base year or the minimum monthly rate based on total purchased divided by 12. Coding must have less than 4% error rate per coder

Achieve this performance level 98% of the time

Monthly government reports;

Quality review of coded records

Once quality review batch is assigned, the batch must be completed within 2 weeks, only by contractor staff with an average error rate < 2%

Achieve this performance level 98% of the time

Monthly review of a sample of coded records of each contract employee

Coding of mortality records for validation testing of automated coding system

Once records are assigned, they are completed within 1 week, only by contractor staff with an average error rate < 2%

Achieve this performance level 98% of the time

Monthly government reports

SECTION 9 – REFERENCE MATERIALS

SECTION 10 – MINIMUM VENDOR QUALIFICATIONS

SECTION 11 – ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Information Security and Privacy

1.1 Applicability

The requirements herein apply whether the entire contract or order (hereafter “contract”), or portion thereof, includes either or both of the following:

(a) Access (Physical or Logical) to Government Information: A Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) employee will have or will be given the ability to have, routine physical (entry) or logical (electronic) access to government information.

(b) Operate a Federal System Containing Information: A Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) employee will operate a federal system and/or information technology containing data that supports the HHS mission. In addition to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 2.1 definition of “information technology” (IT), the term as used in this section includes computers, ancillary equipment (including imaging peripherals, input, output, and storage devices necessary for security and surveillance), peripheral equipment designed to be controlled by the central processing unit of a computer, software, firmware and similar procedures, services (including support services), and related resources.

1.1 Safeguarding Information and Information Systems

In accordance with the Federal Information Processing Standards Publication (FIPS) 199, Standards for Security Categorization of Federal Information and Information Systems, the Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall:

(a) Protect government information and information systems in order to ensure:

• Confidentiality, which means preserving authorized restrictions on access and disclosure, based on the security terms found in this contract, including means for protecting personal privacy and proprietary information;

• Integrity, which means guarding against improper information modification or destruction, and ensuring information non-repudiation and authenticity; and

• Availability, which means ensuring timely and reliable access to and use of information.

(b) Provide security for any Contractor systems, and information contained therein, connected to an HHS network or operated by the Contractor on behalf of HHS regardless of location. In addition, if new or unanticipated threats or hazards are discovered by either the agency or Contractor, or if existing safeguards have ceased to function, the discoverer shall immediately, within one (1) hour or less, bring the situation to the attention of the other party.

(c) Adopt and implement the policies, procedures, controls, and standards required by the HHS Information Security Program to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of government information and government information systems for which the Contractor is responsible under this contract or to which the Contractor may otherwise have access under this contract. Obtain the HHS Information Security Program security requirements, outlined in the HHS Information Security and Privacy Policy (IS2P), by contacting the CO/COR.

(d) Comply with the Privacy Act requirements and tailor FAR clauses as needed.

1.2 Information Security Categorization

The Contractor and any sub-Contractors shall handle/protect all information in accordance with FIPS 199 and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-60, Volume II: Appendices to Guide for Mapping Types of Information and Information Systems to Security Categories, Appendix C, and based on information provided by the System Security and Privacy Officer (SSPO), Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), or other security representative, the risk level for each Security Objective and the Overall Risk Level, which is the highest watermark of the three factors (Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability) of the information or information system are the following:

Confidentiality: [ X] Low [ ] Moderate [ ] High Integrity: [x ] Low [ ] Moderate [ ] High Availability: [ X ] Low [ ] Moderate [ ] High Overall Risk Level: [x ] Low [ ] Moderate [ ] High

Based on information provided by the SSPO, Privacy Office, system/data owner, or other security or privacy representative, it has been determined that this solicitation/contract involves:

[x ] No PII [ ] Yes PII

PII Confidentiality Impact Level has been determined to be: [ x ] Low [ ] Moderate [ ] High

1.3 Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

Per the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, “PII is information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's identity, either alone or when combined with other information that is linked or linkable to a specific individual.” Examples of PII include, but are not limited to the following: social security number, date and place of birth, mother‘s maiden name, biometric records, etc.

1.4 Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)

CUI is defined as “information that laws, regulations, or Government-wide policies require to have safeguarding or dissemination controls, excluding classified information.” The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) must comply with Executive Order 13556, Controlled Unclassified Information, (implemented at 32 CFR, part 2002) when handling CUI. 32 C.F.R. 2002.4(aa) As implemented the term “handling” refers to “…any use of CUI, including but not limited to marking, safeguarding, transporting, disseminating, re-using, and disposing of the information.”

81 Fed. Reg. 63323. All sensitive information that has been identified as CUI by a regulation or statute, handled by this solicitation/contract, shall be:

(a) marked appropriately;

(b) disclosed to authorized personnel on a Need-To-Know basis;

(c) as determined by CDC, protected in accordance with NIST SP 800-53, Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations applicable baseline if handled by a Contractor system operated on behalf of the agency, or NIST SP 800- 171, Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Information Systems and Organizations if handled by internal Contractor system; and

(d) returned to HHS control, destroyed when no longer needed, or held until otherwise directed.

Destruction of information and/or data shall be accomplished in accordance with NIST SP 800- 88, Guidelines for Media Sanitization.

1.5 Protection of Sensitive Information

Protection of Sensitive Information. For security purposes, information is or may be sensitive because it requires security to protect its confidentiality, integrity, and/or availability. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) must protect all government information that is or may be sensitive by securing it with a solution that is validated with current FIPS 140 validation certificate from the NIST CMVP.

1.6 Confidentiality and Nondisclosure of Information

Any information provided to the Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) by HHS or collected by the Contractor on behalf of HHS shall be used only for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this contract and shall not be disclosed or made known in any manner to any persons except as may be necessary in the performance of the contract. The Contractor assumes responsibility for protection of the confidentiality of Government records and shall ensure that all work performed by its employees and subcontractors shall be under the supervision of the Contractor. Each Contractor employee or any of its subcontractors to whom any HHS records may be made available or disclosed shall be notified in writing by the Contractor that information disclosed to such employee or subcontractor can be used only for that purpose and to the extent authorized herein.

The confidentiality, integrity, and availability of such information shall be protected in accordance with HHS, CDC, and NCHS policies. Unauthorized disclosure of information will be subject to the applicable HHS, CDC, and NCHS sanction policies and/or governed by the following laws and regulations:

(a) 18 U.S.C. 641 (Criminal Code: Public Money, Property or Records);

(b) 18 U.S.C. 1905 (Criminal Code: Disclosure of Confidential Information); and

(c) 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, Subchapter I (Paperwork Reduction Act).

1.7 Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6)

All procurements using Internet Protocol shall comply with OMB Memorandum M-05-22, Transition Planning for Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6).

1.8 Government Websites

All new and existing public-facing government websites must be securely configured with Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) using the most recent version of Transport Layer Security (TLS). In addition, HTTPS shall enable HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) to instruct compliant browsers to assume HTTPS at all times to reduce the number of insecure redirects and protect against attacks that attempt to downgrade connections to plain HTTP. For internal-facing websites, the HTTPS is not required, but it is highly recommended. As per CDC Policy, CDC-IR-2008-01, the use of non-CDC.GOV domain names is prohibited.

1.10 Software Assurance

The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall ensure IT applications designed and developed for end users (including mobile applications and software licenses) run in the standard user context without requiring elevated administrative privileges.

(a) The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall follow secure coding best practice requirements, as directed by the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) specified standards and the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) that will limit system software vulnerability exploits.

(b) The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall ensure IT applications designed and developed for end users (including mobile applications and software licenses) run in the standard user context without requiring elevated administrative privileges.

(c) The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall follow secure coding best practice requirements, as directed by United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US- CERT) specified standards and the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP), that will limit system software vulnerability exploits.

(d) The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall ensure that computer software developed on behalf of HHS or tailored from an open-source product, is fully functional and operates correctly on systems configured in accordance with government policy and federal configuration standards. The Contractor shall test applicable products and versions with all relevant and current updates and patches updated prior to installing in the HHS environment. No sensitive data shall be used during software testing.

(e) The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall protect information that is deemed sensitive from unauthorized disclosure to persons, organizations or subcontractors who do not have a need to know the information. Information which, either alone or when compared with other reasonably-available information, is deemed sensitive or proprietary by HHS shall be protected as instructed in accordance with the magnitude of the loss or harm that could result from inadvertent or deliberate disclosure, alteration, or destruction of the data. This language also applies to all subcontractors that are performing under this contract.

(f) The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall remediate all risks or vulnerabilities immediately after the risks or vulnerabilities have been identified in the software.

1.11 Contract Documentation

The Contractor shall use provided templates, policies, forms and other agency documents to comply with contract deliverables as appropriate.

1.12 Standard for Encryption

The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall:

(a) Comply with the HHS Standard for Encryption of Computing Devices and Information to prevent unauthorized access to government information.

(b) Encrypt all sensitive federal data and information (i.e., PII, protected health information

[PHI],

(c) proprietary information, etc.) in transit (i.e., email, network connections, etc.) and at rest (i.e., servers, storage devices, mobile devices, backup media, etc.) with FIPS 140-2 validated encryption solution.

(d) Secure all devices (i.e.: desktops, laptops, mobile devices, etc.) that store and process government information and ensure devices meet HHS and CDC-specific encryption standard requirements. Maintain a complete and current inventory of all laptop computers, desktop computers, and other mobile devices and portable media that store or process sensitive government information (including PII).

(e) Verify that the encryption solutions in use have been validated under the Cryptographic Module Validation Program to confirm compliance with FIPS 140-2. The Contractor shall provide a written copy of the validation documentation to the COR.

(f) Use the Key Management system on the HHS personal identification verification (PIV) card or establish and use a key recovery mechanism to ensure the ability for authorized personnel to encrypt/decrypt information and recover encryption keys. Encryption keys shall be provided to CDC Office of Chief Information Officer (OCIO).

1.13 Contractor Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)

Each Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) employee having access to non-public government information under this contract shall complete the CDC Contractor Non-Disclosure Agreement form (Attachment A), as applicable. A copy of each signed and witnessed NDA shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer (CO) and/or CO Representative (COR) prior to performing any work under this acquisition.

Privacy Threshold Analysis (PTA)/Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) The Contractor shall assist the CDC Senior Official for Privacy (SOP) or designee with conducting a PTA for the information system and/or information handled under this contract in accordance with HHS policy and OMB M-03-22, Guidance for Implementing the Privacy Provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002.

The Contractor shall assist the CDC SOP or designee in reviewing the PIA at least every three years throughout the system development lifecycle (SDLC)/information lifecycle, or when determined by the CDC SOP that a review is required based on a major change to the system (e.g., new uses of information collected, changes to the way information is shared or disclosed and for what purpose, or when new types of PII are collected that could introduce new or increased privacy risks), whichever comes first.

1.14 Training

1.15.1 Mandatory Training for All Contractor Staff

All Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) employees assigned to work on this contract shall complete the applicable HHS/CDC Contractor Information Security Awareness, Privacy, and Records Management training (provided upon contract award) before performing any work under this contract.