Attachment 3_Q and A RFQ 75H70427Q00003 (07OCT2026).pdf

Q&A - RFQ 75H70427Q00003 – Health Economic Analysis Services

Vendor Q&A

1. Question: Can you confirm whether the opportunity is a legitimate solicitation from the Indian Health Service?

Answer: This is a legitimate solicitation from IHS. 75H70427Q00003 is the correct RFQ number.

https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/d3861e3502334a95b14fcaea39fa6d55/view

2. Question: Is there any incumbent/recompete or this is a brand-new project? If yes, could you please provide us with their award number or even if the customer bought similar services in the past.

Answer: There is no incumbent nor is it a recompete.

3. Question: Is there an incumbent? Also, we’ve been contacted by representatives from a company called Vast Globe Logistics and wondered whether they are supporting IHS in some capacity in this solicitation process.

Answer: There is no incumbent. For this effort, the Government is facilitating the entire solicitation process.

4. Question: Option-year scope. PWS 1.4 describes a study-specific effort that is not intended as a standing recurring function, and all deliverables in Technical Exhibit 1 fall within the first 48 weeks. What work or deliverables does the Government anticipate under Option Years 1–4 and the six-month extension? If none is defined, may quoters state an option-year scope assumption (e.g., annual model refresh and technical assistance) as the basis for option pricing?

Answer: Based on the stated program intent, each exercised option year should produce updated versions of all study products listed in Technical Exhibit 1 of the PWS using updated Government-approved data and inputs.

5. Question: Pricing format. Each CLIN states that pricing "shall not be based on a time-and-materials, labor-hour, or level-of-effort arrangement," while Section 4 Volume II asks for labor categories, estimated hours, and fully burdened rates. Please confirm that hours and rates are requested only as a basis of estimate and that payment is per CLIN upon acceptance of deliverables.

Answer: Hours and rates are requested only as a basis of estimate used to evaluate the total quoted firm-fixed-price and that payment is per CLIN upon acceptance of deliverables.

6. Question: Key personnel education. The RFQ describes "PhD-Level" services, while PWS 1.6.11.1 states a doctorate is preferred and a master's degree with substantial directly relevant experience is acceptable. Please confirm that a master's-level Lead Health Economist meeting the other PWS 1.6.11.1 qualifications is technically acceptable.

Answer: Removed PhD-level reference from the RFQ. Meeting the master's-degree alternative establishes acceptability with respect to that qualification; the quotation and proposed individual remain subject to the full technical evaluation.

7. Question: Section 508 documentation. HHSAR 352.239-78 states offerors must submit an Accessibility Conformance Report or HHS Section 508 checklist, but Section 4 does not list it. Is a 508 conformance document required with the quote for this services requirement? If so, may it be a brief conformance statement covering electronic deliverables?

Answer: Include appropriate Section 508 conformance documentation and a concise explanation of the approach to producing, checking, and remediating accessible electronic deliverables. A general assurance of compliance, without supporting information, is insufficient.

https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/d3861e3502334a95b14fcaea39fa6d55/view

Q&A – RFQ 75H70427Q00003

8. Question: Final deliverable date. PWS 1.6.17 contains language stating the final package is currently due at 52 weeks and should be rescheduled to 48 weeks, while Technical Exhibit 1 shows 48 weeks.

Please confirm 48 weeks after date of contract is the governing due date.

Answer: The final deliverable date has been changed in the RFQ and PWS to 47 weeks after award.

9. Question: Scale of analysis. To support a firm-fixed price, can the Government indicate the approximate number of approved geographic units (service units / Tribal catchment areas) and service categories to be analyzed, and the expected availability date of companion GIS outputs?

Answer: The expressly named categories are: Primary care, Emergency access, Behavioral health, Dental, Endocrinology/diabetes, Nephrology/dialysis, and Rheumatology.

The study is national in scope and covers all 12 IHS Areas, under 600 service units and at least 1,118 Tribal catchment areas or other Government-approved geographies as they are brought online. The seven service categories named in PWS Section 1.4 constitute the base-period scope; the Government anticipates additional service categories during the base period, and any addition would be made in writing by the Contracting Officer. Final geography and service-category definitions will be furnished at kickoff under PWS Part 3.1. Quoters may state scope assumptions in the Assumptions, Conditions, and Exceptions submission.

10. Question: Data environment. Will analysis be performed exclusively within a Government-furnished secure environment, or should quoters assume contractor information systems will process Government data (FAR 52.204-21 / 52.240-93)?

Answer: Quoters should provide for contractor resources required by PWS Part 4 and identify their proposed computing environment and associated pricing assumptions. Government-furnished data must be accessed and handled through approved secure systems. Any contractor system that processes, stores, or transmits Federal contract information must meet the applicable safeguarding and additional PWS requirements.

11. Question: Page limits. Please confirm there are no page limits or formatting requirements for Volumes I and II.

Answer: There are no page limits or prescribed font, margin, or spacing requirements for Volumes I and II. Quotations must follow Section 4's organization, content, pricing, and submission requirements and should be clear, concise, and legible.

12. Question: Corporate experience. For a small business quoter, may the Government consider the relevant experience of the firm's principal/key personnel when evaluating corporate experience and past performance under Factor 1?

Answer: Yes.

13. Question: Payment schedule. PWS 1.6.4 states each CLIN is payable upon acceptance of its associated deliverable, but the base period is a single CLIN covering six deliverables. Will the Government permit partial payment of CLIN 1 upon acceptance of each Technical Exhibit 1 deliverable, or monthly invoicing against accepted deliverables?

Answer: When a deliverable is accepted, a partial payment will be made against the CLIN where obligated funds are drawn down.

14. Question: PWS Section 1.4 describes a study-specific contract, and Technical Exhibit 1 lists each major deliverable as "One time," ending 48 weeks after date of contract. The Schedule of Services prices four option periods and a six-month extension with the same CLIN description as the base period. What work does the Government expect in each option period: a repeat of the Technical Exhibit 1 cycle on refreshed data or additional service categories, or maintenance, technical assistance, and ad hoc memoranda only?

Answer: The contractor shall produce an updated version of the study products listed in the table above using updated Government-approved data and inputs for each exercised Option Year.

15. Question: PWS Section 1.6.4 states the fixed price will be allocated across CLINs, each payable on acceptance of the associated Technical Exhibit 1 deliverable. The RFQ schedule has one CLIN per performance period. Should quoters price one CLIN per period as shown in the RFQ, and will invoicing be allowed as individual deliverables are accepted?

Answer: Quoters should price one CLIN per performance period. Each deliverable will be payable against the funded CLIN as a partial payment after an invoiced deliverable is approved. Estimated labor hours and rates requested in Section 4 support price evaluation only and are not the basis of payment.

16. Question: How many service categories beyond the seven named in PWS Section 1.4 does the Government anticipate, and approximately how many service units, Tribal catchment areas, or other geographic units will be analyzed?

Answer: The study is national in scope and covers all 12 IHS Areas, under 600 service units and at least 1,118 Tribal catchment areas or other Government-approved geographies as they are brought online. The seven service categories named in PWS Section 1.4 constitute the base-period scope; the Government anticipates additional service categories during the base period, and any addition would be made in writing by the Contracting Officer. Final geography and service-category definitions will be furnished at kickoff under PWS Part 3.1. Quoters may state scope assumptions in the Assumptions, Conditions, and Exceptions submission.

17. Question: Deliverable dates PWS Section 5.1.2 requires the work plan within fifteen business days after award, while Technical Exhibit 1 shows the kickoff deliverable at four weeks. PWS Section 1.6.17 also contains a note that the final package is currently due at 52 weeks and should be rescheduled to no later than 48 weeks. Please confirm that Technical Exhibit 1 governs and that the final package is due at 48 weeks.

Answer: Technical Exhibit 1 governs. The kickoff work plan, dependency map, and analytic framework memorandum are due as a single deliverable four (4) weeks after date of contract; the fifteen-business-day reference in PWS Section 5.1.2 will be conformed to Technical Exhibit 1 by amendment. The final economic decision support package is due 48 weeks after date of contract. The last paragraph of PWS Section 1.6.17 referring to a 52-week date is a residual drafting note and will be deleted by amendment.

18. Question: Section 508 documentation HHSAR 352.239-78 states that offerors must submit an HHS Section 508 Accessibility Conformance Checklist or Accessibility Conformance Report. Section 4 of the RFQ does not list one. Is either required with the quotation for this services requirement?

Answer: No. A Section 508 Accessibility Conformance Checklist or Accessibility Conformance Report is not required with the quotation. This is a services requirement; Section 508 applies to the electronic content delivered under the resulting purchase order (reports, workbooks, slide decks, technical appendices), which shall conform to the Revised 508 Standards under PWS Section 1.6.20 and HHSAR 352.239-79, with an Accessibility Conformance Report or checklist furnished on Government request after award. Consistent with HHSAR 352.239-78(f), a quoter shall identify in its Assumptions, Conditions, and

Exceptions any inability to conform to Section 508 requirements. Quoters may address their approach to accessible deliverables under Factor 2, which includes accessibility among the requirements considered.

19. Question: Quotation format

Are there page limits or format requirements for Volume I or Volume II?

Answer:

The RFQ specifies no page limits, font, or formatting requirements for Volume I or Volume II; quotations should be clear, concise, and sufficiently detailed to demonstrate the quoter’s ability to perform the PWS (Section 4). Submit Volume I, Volume II, and the Assumptions, Conditions, and Exceptions (if any) as separate files in PDF format [Volume II also in Excel] by email to the Contracting Officer, with "RFQ 75H70427Q00003" in the subject line.

20. Question: Corporate experience and past performance

For a small business with no contracts of its own, will the Government consider the documented experience of the proposed Lead Health Economist under the corporate experience element of Factor 1?

Answer:

Yes. Under Factor 1, the Government will consider relevant experience demonstrated by the quoter, including experience of the proposed Lead Health Economist gained as an employee of another organization or as an individual consultant, where the quotation identifies the work, the individual’s role, and its relevance to this requirement, and where that individual is proposed to perform the work. Such experience should be presented in the format requested in Section 4 (customer, description, period of performance, value, point of contact) to the extent available. Past-performance information on the quoter and on its proposed key personnel may be considered. As stated in Section 5, a quoter without a record of relevant past performance, or for whom relevant past-performance information is not available, will be evaluated neither favorably nor unfavorably solely on that basis.

21. Question: Government-furnished information and environment

Has the companion GIS effort been awarded, and when are its outputs expected? Will work with utilization and expenditure data be required on Government-furnished equipment or in a Government secure environment?

Answer:

The procurement status and schedule of the companion GIS effort are internal to the Government and are not necessary for preparation of a quotation; the Government will not provide those details. The PWS governs the dependency. The Government-furnished information schedule, including companion GIS outputs, will be finalized at the post-award conference and incorporated by modification (PWS Section 1.6.19). The Contractor’s deliverable dates are conditioned on timely receipt of that information; if it is delivered later than the agreed date, the Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer in writing, and the Contracting Officer will consider a schedule extension and, where warranted, an equitable adjustment.

Quoters shall price the requirement as written.

Record-level utilization, diagnosis, referral, and expenditure data will be accessed and analyzed only within a Government-furnished secure environment and on Government-furnished equipment, in accordance with PWS Sections 1.6.6, 1.6.7, 3.3, and 5.1.1, after Contractor personnel complete the security requirements in Section 1.6.6. The Government anticipates that environment will provide R / Python / SAS / Stata / Excel or other software as needed. Non-sensitive inputs such as companion GIS outputs, published cost parameters, and literature may be used on contractor systems subject to PWS Section 1.6.21 and FAR 52.204-21.

22. Question: Schedule

What is the anticipated award date and period of performance start?

Answer:

The Government anticipates award sometime in November 2026. The period of performance begins on the date of award, and the due dates in Technical Exhibit 1 are measured from that date.

23. Question: Option period scope

All deliverables in Technical Exhibit 1 are scheduled within the base year, and PWS Section 1.4 states that this is a study-specific contract not intended to create a standing recurring function. Could the Government clarify the work and deliverables expected in Option Years 1–4 and the six-month extension (for example, a full repeat of the study, annual model updates, technical assistance only, or other)?

Answer: The base period covers the complete study as scheduled in Technical Exhibit 1. The Government does not anticipate a full repeat of the study in any option period. If exercised, Option Years 1 through 4 are intended for [confirm]: (a) annual refresh of the demand estimates, cost taxonomy, PRC scenario models, make-or-buy model, and gap analysis matrix using the most recent fiscal year of Government-furnished data; (b) extension of the framework to additional service categories or geographies approved by the Government under PWS Section 1.4; and (c) continued technical assistance (PWS 5.2.9), monthly status reports (PWS 5.4.1), and up to four ad hoc memoranda or briefings (PWS 5.4.2) per period. The six-month extension under FAR 52.217-8 is a continuation of the final option-year services at the final option-year rate. The Government will amend Technical Exhibit 1 to add option-period deliverables.

24. Question: Price quotation format

PWS Section 1.6.4 and the CLIN descriptions state that offerors shall not price on a level-of-effort or hourly basis, while Section 4 requests labor categories, estimated hours, and fully burdened hourly rates.

Please confirm that quoters should provide firm-fixed-price CLIN totals supported by a labor basis of estimate, and that the basis of estimate is for evaluation purposes only and not the basis of payment.

Answer: Quoters shall propose a firm-fixed price for each CLIN. The labor categories, estimated hours, and fully burdened rates requested in Section 4 are a basis of estimate used only to evaluate price reasonableness, balance, and consistency with the proposed technical and staffing approach under Factor 3. They are not the basis of payment and will not be incorporated into the purchase order.

25. Question: Key personnel education requirement

The RFQ describes the requirement as PhD-level services, while PWS Section 1.6.11.1 states that a doctorate is preferred and a master’s degree with substantial directly relevant experience is acceptable.

Please confirm that a Lead Health Economist with a master’s degree and substantial relevant experience is technically acceptable.

Answer: The qualifications in PWS Section 1.6.11.1 govern. The phrase "PhD-level" describes the level of the services, not a minimum credential. A Lead Health Economist holding a master’s degree with substantial directly relevant experience, who meets the remaining requirements of Section 1.6.11.1, is technically acceptable. A doctorate is preferred and will be considered under Factor 2 in evaluating the qualifications and relevant experience of the proposed individual.

26. Question: Key personnel and limitations on subcontracting

May the Lead Health Economist be provided through a subcontractor or independent consultant, or does the Government expect this individual to be an employee of the prime contractor? Please also confirm how FAR 52.219-14 will be applied to this single-expert requirement.

Answer: The PWS does not require the Lead Health Economist to be an employee of the prime contractor. The individual may be provided through a subcontractor or independent consultant, provided the quoter names the individual, submits a resume demonstrating the qualifications in PWS Section 1.6.11.1, and addresses availability and continuity under Factor 2. The substitution restrictions in PWS Section 1.6.11 and HHSAR 352.237-75 apply regardless of the individual’s employment relationship with the prime.

FAR 52.219-14 will be applied as written. For services, the prime contractor may not pay more than 50 percent of the amount paid by the Government to subcontractors that are not similarly situated entities.

FAR 52.219-14(d) provides that an independent contractor shall be considered a subcontractor, and under 13 CFR 125.6 work performed by an independent contractor counts toward compliance only where the independent contractor qualifies as a similarly situated entity. Quoters are responsible for their own compliance and should address any related assumption in the Assumptions, Conditions, and Exceptions submission.

27. Question 5 — Companion GIS effort and Government-furnished information

Has the companion GIS Analyst effort been awarded, and what is the anticipated timing for delivery of GIS outputs (travel-time matrices, accessibility indices, location-allocation results) relative to the economic deliverable schedule?

Answer: The procurement status and schedule of the companion GIS effort are internal to the Government and are not necessary for preparation of a quotation; the Government will not provide those details. The PWS governs the dependency. The Government-furnished information schedule, including companion GIS outputs, will be finalized at the post-award conference and incorporated by modification (PWS Section 1.6.19). The Contractor’s deliverable dates are conditioned on timely receipt of that information. If Government-furnished information is delivered later than the agreed date, the Contractor shall promptly notify the Contracting Officer in writing, and the Contracting Officer will consider a schedule extension and, where warranted, an equitable adjustment. Quoters shall price the requirement as written in the PWS and Technical Exhibit 1.

28. Question — Analytic scope

To support accurate pricing, could the Government indicate the approximate number of IHS Areas, service units, or Tribal catchment areas expected to be analyzed, and whether any existing models, prior studies, or work products will be furnished?

Answer: The study is national in scope plus any additional categories the Government approves. Final geography definitions will be furnished at kickoff under PWS Part 3.1. The Government will furnish the study summary, decision questions, layered methodology, reporting templates, and selected literature identified in PWS Part 6. No prior economic model or work product exists for this study. Quoters may state scope assumptions in Assumptions, Conditions, and Exceptions submission.

29. Question — Schedule

PWS Section 1.6.17 notes that the final decision support package should be rescheduled to no later than 48 weeks after contract award, and Technical Exhibit 1 reflects 48 weeks. Please confirm that the 48-week due date in Technical Exhibit 1 governs.

Answer: The 47-week due date in Technical Exhibit 1 governs. The final paragraph of PWS Section

1.6.17 referring to a 52-week date is a residual drafting note and will be deleted by amendment.

30. Question — Submission format

Are there page limits, font requirements, or file format requirements for Volume I (Technical Quotation) and Volume II (Price Quotation)?

Answer: The RFQ specifies no page limits or font requirements; quotations should be clear and concise.

Submit Volume I, Volume II, and the Assumptions, Conditions, and Exceptions (if any) as separate files in PDF format via email to the Contracting Officer. Use the subject line "RFQ 75H70427Q00003."

31. Question: What work and deliverables does the Government anticipate in Option Periods 1 through 4 and in the six-month extension?

Answer: Option Periods 1 through 4

If exercised, each option period will substantially repeat and update the health economics analysis work performed during the base period for the IHS Service Area Adequacy and Referral Network Accessibility Study. The contractor will build on the analytical framework, models, code, and work products developed during the preceding performance periods and incorporate available updated Government-furnished or Government-approved data, including companion GIS outputs.

The anticipated work includes updating service-specific demand estimates and cost analyses; PRC availability scenarios; make-or-buy and break-even models; budget-constrained prioritization; sensitivity and uncertainty analyses; and recommendations concerning direct care capacity, PRC arrangements, and other feasible approaches to addressing access gaps.

Anticipated deliverables for each exercised option period will correspond to updated versions of the base-period deliverables, including:

1. Updated analytic work plan, dependency map, and framework memorandum, reflecting the work and data inputs for the applicable option period.

2. Updated demand characterization and cost taxonomy memorandum.

3. Updated PRC scenario economics and make-or-buy model, including associated break-even analyses.

4. Updated prioritization memorandum and leadership briefing, reflecting revised findings and recommendations.

5. Updated draft and final economic decision support packages, including the leadership memorandum, slide deck, economic workbook or model, technical appendix, supporting code, assumptions register, sensitivity analysis summary, and gap analysis matrix.

6. Monthly status reports and applicable technical assistance, ad hoc memoranda, and briefings, consistent with the PWS.

The level and nature of the work are expected to be generally comparable to the first year, with the emphasis on refreshing, refining, and updating the existing study and its products.

Six-month extension

The six-month extension is included for use if needed. If exercised, it will provide up to six additional months of continued performance of applicable services under the contract. Work and deliverables during the extension will correspond to the services being continued and the duration of the extension exercised, including applicable analytical updates, reporting, technical assistance, and completion or transfer of work products.

32. Question: Deliverable format

For the required economic analysis deliverables, does the Government have a preferred format for the underlying analytical models and supporting work products (e.g., Excel workbooks, R, SAS, Stata, Python, or another format)? Are written reports and presentations expected in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint?

Answer: Deliverables must be electronic. The final package must include a leadership memorandum, slide deck, economic workbook or model, technical appendix, code, and supporting analyses. The government has not specified if Word, PowerPoint, or particular file extensions will be used. It can do so at the first meeting after award (PWS §§1.6.5, 5.3–5.4.3, pp. 2, 8–9.)

33. Government-furnished data: level of detail

The PWS identifies Government-furnished utilization, diagnosis, referral, expenditure, facility capability, operational, and geographic/GIS data. At what level of granularity is the data expected to be provided (e.g., patient-level, encounter/visit-level, facility-level, service-area-level, or aggregated)? Will applicable data dictionaries, codebooks, field definitions, and other supporting documentation be provided?

Answer: The Government will provide the listed data “as available and authorized” and will define approved geographies and business rules. The documents do not specify whether datasets will be patient, encounter, facility, service-area, or aggregate level, or promise data dictionaries or codebooks.

(PWS §3.1, p. 6.)

34. Primary decision objectives

Can the Government clarify the primary decisions the economic analysis is intended to support? For example, is the analysis expected to recommend (a) where additional healthcare capacity should be established, (b) which services should be expanded, (c) the appropriate level of capacity, (d) when direct-care expansion is economically preferable to Purchased/Referred Care (PRC), and/or (e) when alternative delivery approaches such as telehealth, mobile, or itinerant services should be considered?

Answer: The PWS addresses all five examples: where and which services need capacity, the value of proposed capacity additions, direct-care versus PRC break-even decisions, and mobile, itinerant, or telehealth alternatives. It calls for service- and geography-specific recommendations ranked under budget constraints. The Government will supply the approved decision questions after award. (PWS §§1.2–1.3, 3.1, 5.1.3, 5.2.3–5.2.7, pp. 1, 6–8.)

35. Software preference / analytical environment

Does the Government have a preferred or required analytical software environment for development and delivery of the economic models (e.g., Excel, R, SAS, Stata, or Python)? If no specific software is required, may the contractor select the analytical platform most appropriate for the analysis, provided that the final models, code, and documentation are transferable to and reproducible by the Government?

Answer: The PWS permits Government-readable work products using R, Stata, SAS, Python, Excel, or comparable tools approved by the Government. It does not designate one required platform. Delivered models and code must run from documented inputs by Government staff without contractor assistance.

(PWS §§5.1.1, 1.6.17, pp. 7, 4.)

36. GIS outputs

Will the companion GIS effort provide all geographic inputs required for the health economics analysis, including travel-time matrices, accessibility indices, facility capability information, PRC scenario layers, and location-allocation results, or is the Health Economist expected to perform any independent GIS analysis?

Answer: The Health Economist is to coordinate with the companion GIS effort and use furnished travel-time matrices, accessibility indices, facility capability data, PRC scenario layers, and location-allocation results. Independent production of GIS analyses is not expressly assigned to the Health Economist, but the documents do not guarantee that furnished outputs will cover every geographic input ultimately needed. (PWS §§1.4, 5.2.4–5.2.5, pp. 2, 8.)

37. Data availability and timing

Does the Government anticipate that all required Government-furnished data and companion GIS outputs will be available at contract kickoff, or will datasets and GIS outputs be provided incrementally during the period of performance?

Answer: There is no commitment that all data or GIS outputs will be available at kickoff, and no stated release sequence. A Government-Furnished Information schedule is to be finalized at the post-award conference and incorporated by modification. Deliverable dates depend on timely receipt of those inputs;

the PWS provides a process for addressing delays. (PWS §1.6.19, p. 5.)