Questions and Answers (QAs) 08-23-2021.pdf

Questions and Answers (Q&As)

1. Why has this bid been released at this time?

Answer: Congress provided funds, through the FY 2021 Omnibus and COVID Relief and Response Act (P.L. 116-260), to HRSA to contract with a qualified entity to establish and maintain a Maternal Mental Health Hotline. The solicitation was released at this time because there is a bona fide need at this time.

2. Are bidders permitted to deviate in any way from any manner of quoting fees you may be expecting? For example, if there is a pricing page in the RFP, can bidders submit an alternate fee structure? If there is no pricing page in the RFP, do you have any preference for how bidders should quote fees or can bidders create their own pricing categories?

Answer: The price proposal shall include proposal price and a price breakdown by labor categories and rates and also a breakdown of costs by task. In addition to providing the requested format stated in the solicitation, offerors may also propose an alternate fee structure.

3. Please describe your level of satisfaction with your current or recent vendor(s) for the same purchasing activity, if applicable.

Answer: This is a new requirement.

4. Has the current contract gone full term?

5. Have all options to extend the current contract been exercised?

6. Who is the incumbent, and how long has the incumbent been providing the requested services?

7. To what extent will the location of the bidder’s proposed location or headquarters have a bearing on any award?

Answer: The bidder must be located within the U.S. States and/or territories.

8. How are fees currently being billed by any incumbent(s), by category, and at what rates?

Answer: This is a new requirement. There is no incumbent.

9. What estimated or actual dollars were paid last year, last month, or last quarter to any incumbent(s)?

Answer: This is a new requirement. There is no incumbent.

10. Is previous experience with any specific customer information systems, phone systems, or software required?

Answer: Proposed staff and personnel must have demonstrated knowledge, understanding, and at least 5 years’ experience and recognized expertise providing services for a similar project, as specified in the Statement of Work (SOW). The offeror must provide the necessary infrastructure services and capacity to operate and maintain the telephone, text (SMS, short message service), and web chat hotline and all necessary operations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The offeror must use commercial off-the shelf (COTS) contact management software, digital services1, and industry best practices to triage, route, and respond to calls, texts and web chats in real-time (see Tasks 3, 4 and 6).

11. What is the minimum required total call capacity?

Answer: The offeror shall have the capacity to respond to the anticipated demand (estimated to be an average of 1,500 contacts per month or almost 18,000 contacts per year); and respond to surges for services, e.g., in response to national media coverage (e.g., May is Mental Health Month).

12. What is the minimum simultaneous inbound call capacity?

Answer: There is no metric for this specified in the Statement of Work (SOW). But the offeror shall define at least the key performance indicators for telephone calls, texts and web chats received by the hotline, as specified in the statement of work. However, HRSA notes industry standard indicates a reasonable target for the average speed of answer is less than 90 seconds; and for service level, a reasonable target is 80% of calls within 90 seconds (Alliance of Information and Referral Systems).

13. What is the maximum wait time?

Answer: The offeror shall define key performance indicators, including average speed of answer, i.e., wait times for calls, texts, web chats to be answered. The offeror shall track and identify a baseline, and identify strategies for decreasing the wait time. HRSA notes industry standard indicates a reasonable target for the average speed of answer is

1 The term ‘digital services’ means services, resources, information, support, or referrals provided through electronic communications platforms and media, which may include mobile phone technology, video technology, computer technology (including use of the internet), and any other emerging communications technologies that are appropriate for the purposes of providing services, resources, information, support, or referrals for the benefit of pregnant or postpartum persons experiencing symptoms of perinatal mental health conditions and their support persons/loved ones (“help seekers”).

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/CallCenterMetrics_final.pdf

14. What is the maximum hold time?

Answer: There is no metric for this specified in the Statement of Work (SOW). But the offeror shall define at least the key performance indicators for telephone calls, texts and web chats received by the hotline, as specified in the Statement of Work (SOW). HRSA notes industry standard indicates a reasonable target for the average speed of answer is

15. What percentage of inbound calls must be answered by a live operator?

Answer: 100%. Inbound telephone calls, text, and live web chat must be answered by counselors live, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Offerors are allowed to propose a brief Integrated Voice Response (IVR) to direct inbound calls to the Maternal Mental Health Hotline. Under no circumstances should a call be answered by a voice mailbox or other answering machine service.

16. What percentage of calls must be resolved without a transfer, second call, or a return call?

Answer: This cannot be determined at this time. It depends on the nature of the call.

Please see the SOW, Task 3.2.4.

17. What is the maximum percentage of calls that can be terminated by the caller without resolution?

Answer: There is no metric for this specified in the Statement of Work (SOW). But the offeror shall define at least the key performance indicators, including abandoned calls, texts, web chats, i.e. number of dropped calls/texts/chats, and average abandonment rates (see SOW, Task 9.4).

18. Is there a minimum or maximum number of operators and supervisors?

Answer: Offerors should propose the staffing plan that they believe will meet the requirements specified in the Statement of Work (SOW) in a cost-efficient manner.

19. What is the required degree of dedication for the call center?

Answer: All telephone, text, live web chat must be responded to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The offeror organization does not need to exclusively offer the maternal mental health hotline as their only service. However, see Task 4, specifically Task 4.4, regarding minimum qualifications of counselors who answer the Maternal Mental Health hotline.

20. What is the required degree of dedication for the operators?

Answer: All telephone, text, live web chat must be responded to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The operators do not need to exclusively answer the Maternal Mental Health Hotline as their only service. However, see Task 4, specifically Task 4.4, regarding minimum qualifications of counselors who answer the Maternal Mental Health hotline.

21. Are callers required or allowed to connect with a message verification system or pre-recorded message before connecting to a live operator, or must a live operator be the initial contact?

Answer: Offerors are allowed to propose a message verification system or a brief Integrated Voice Response (IVR) to direct inbound calls to the Maternal Mental Health Hotline. Under no circumstances should a call be answered by a voice mailbox or other answering machine service. There is no requirement for this specified in the Statement of Work (SOW). But the offeror shall define at least the key performance indicators, including service level, i.e., defined as the percent of calls, texts or web chats answered by a counselor within a certain wait threshold (e.g., X% of calls answered in Y seconds or less). The offeror shall track and identify a baseline, and identify strategies for improving the service level.

22. What information is to be included in call logs?

Answer: See Tasks 9.2 and 9.4 in the Statement of Work (SOW).

23. What was your average monthly call volume over the past year?

24. What is the current number of seats for operators and supervisors at your existing call center?

25. What is the current average wait time for phone calls?

26. What is the current average handle time for phone calls and other types of communications?

27. What is the current average after-call work time for operators?

28. Over the past year, what is the percentage of calls received in English versus non- English?

29. Over the past year, what percentage of calls received were in Spanish?

30. What time of day, days of the week, or times of the year do calls typically peak?

31. Could you please tell me if this is a new requirement, or if there is a current or previous contractor who has performed similar services? If available, can you please send along the incumbent contract or task order number?

32. Would HRSA consider an extension of one week to the deadline of August 26, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. (EST)?

Answer: No

33. Does HRSA have a sense of the minimum number of trained qualified counselors needed to provide services for the Maternal Mental Health Hotline?

Answer: Offerors should propose the staffing plan that they believe will meet the requirements specified in the Statement of Work (SOW) in a cost-efficient manner.

34. What are the recording requirements for inbound and outbound phone calls and how long must recordings be maintained?

Answer: For records management guidance, the records schedule is GRS 6.5 See below https://www.archives.gov/files/records-mgmt/grs/grs06-5.pdf (item 010).

35. What are the recording and storage requirements for non-phone communications?

Answer: For records management guidance, the records schedule is GRS 6.5 See below https://www.archives.gov/files/records-mgmt/grs/grs06-5.pdf (item 010).

https://www.archives.gov/files/records-mgmt/grs/grs06-5.pdf https://www.archives.gov/files/records-mgmt/grs/grs06-5.pdf