Attachment G -Additional Questions and Answers (Amendment 0002).pdf

Attachment G - Additional Question & Answers

Solicitation #: 75R60223Q00222

National Maternal Mental Health Hotline

1. When does the performance period start?

Answer: It is anticipated that the period of performance will start by 09/30/2023.

2. Attachment D (Q&A) suggests this solicitation may have been released prior to Friday. Is that the case?

Answer: No, that is not the case. The solicitation was released on 07/14/2023.

3. Also, the cover letter says that questions are due by June 24, 2023. Can you please confirm the due date for questions?

Answer: Amendment 0001 to the solicitation was issued on 07/17/2023 updating the date questions were due.

4. What is the date by which you will answer these questions?

Answer: Questions have been answered with the issuance of Amendment 0002.

5. When is the anticipated contract start date?

Answer: See the response to Question #1.

6. When is the anticipated award date?

Answer: It is anticipated that an award will be made by 09/30/2023.7. Can you please provide greater explanation of your expectations related to any required subcontracting to minority-owned, women-owned, or other types or categories of small or disadvantaged businesses? For example, what is required with the proposal, and what is required to comply during the term of the contract?

Answer: The expectation is all other than small business submitting an offer utilize small business as subcontractors to the maximum practicable extent. The HHS prime and subcontracting goals are listed on SBCX: SBCX (hhs.gov) Here are the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services FY 2023 Goals:

Socioeconomic Group Subcontracting Goal Small Business 32.5% Small Disadvantaged Business 5.00% Woman Owned Small Business 5.00% Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Business 3.00% HUBZone 3.00%

When this is not possible, firms shall explain why they cannot meet the subcontracting goals. This includes what the company did to find capable small firms, along with supporting documentation (outreach events meetings, etc.). Vendors seeking capable small businesses are encouraged to reach out to small business specialists for assistance.

https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fosdbu.hhs.gov%2F&data=05%7C01%7CRMacdonald%40hrsa.gov%7C88b2c1c99a8c4c3b9f0b08db8f813134%7C14b77578977342d58507251ca2dc2b06%7C0%7C0%7C638261557264029660%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2BHxO9%2BoWsmpJdd1hjCQZ9hRB5emdSaheL3E846P%2Fx3g%3D&reserved=0

Regarding your second question: ‘For example, what is required with the proposal, and what is required to comply during the term of the contract?’ The apparent winning offeror shall fill out a subcontracting plan using the SBCX website. The plan is created by the CO, routed to the vendor, who fills out the information. Once the government accepts the plan, the vendor shall provide quarterly updates on the website known as the Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS). You may find that website here: IAE: ESRS (Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System).

8. 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: There is not a pricing sheet. Offerors should follow the instructions regarding price quotes within the solicitation.

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

Answer: The Government does not disclose past performance of Contractors.

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

Answer: The incumbent is Postpartum Support International. The incumbent has been providing services in support of the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline since 09/28/2021. The hotline went operational on 05/08/2022.

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

Answer: Location of the bidder’s proposed location or headquarters is not part of the evaluation criteria.

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

Answer: The government cannot share this information.

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

Answer: The government cannot share this information.

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

Answer: No, previous experience with specific customer information systems, phone systems, or software is not required. However, familiarity with these systems and software will provide an advantage in understanding the workflow and potentially streamlining the onboarding process. While not mandatory, having prior experience with such systems may facilitate quicker adaptation and integration into our processes.

15. What is the minimum required total call capacity?

Answer: As noted at Task 3.3.1, the anticipated demand for capacity is estimated to be an average of 2,000 to 2,500 contacts per month or about 24,000 to 30,000 contacts per year, but this may fluctuate in concert with promotional and marketing efforts. The Contractor also shall have the capacity to respond to surges in demand for services, e.g., in response to national media coverage (e.g., May is Mental Health Month, tragic perinatal loss of famous person), public service announcement, or traumatic events. The Hotline Operations Contractor shall be highly coordinated with the Hotline Communications Contractor, with the COR, MCHB, and the HRSA Office of Communications to avoid increasing conversation volume beyond hotline capacity.

16. What is the minimum simultaneous inbound call capacity?

Answer: There is no minimum simultaneous inbound call capacity. The hotline is expected to answer all contacts within the requirements of the SLAs in section 3.3.2.

17. What is the maximum hold time?

Answer: The hotline is expected to answer all contacts within the requirements of the SLAs in section 3.3.2.

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

Answer: After time in the automated IVR (Interactive Voice Response) queue, 100% of inbound calls must be answered by a live operator. The hotline is expected to answer all contacts within the requirements of the SLAs in section 3.3.2.

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

Answer: There is no specified percentage for calls to be resolved without a transfer, second call, or a return call. The Contractor shall have the capability to provide immediate warm transfers to an appropriate crisis line, for a help seeker in crisis, such as someone who is suicidal, or at risk for or experiencing intimate partner violence. See Tasks 3.2.4 and 3.2.5 for requirements. See Tasks 8.1.6 and

8.1.7 for Contractor requirements to establish policies and procedures for outbound work (i.e., return calls).

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

Answer: There is no minimum or maximum number of operators and supervisors. The hotline is expected to answer all contacts within the requirements of the SLAs in section 3.3.2. Staffing must be adequate to meet these performance metrics.

21. What is the required degree of dedication for the call center? (Can call centers work on other contracts at the same time as this one)?

Answer: There is no required degree of dedication, however, the SLAs in section 3.3.2 must be met.

22. What is the required degree of dedication for the operators? (Can operators work on other contracts at the same time as this one)?

Answer: There is no required degree of dedication, however, the SLAs in section 3.3.2 must be met.

23. 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: Yes, in the current configuration, callers are connected with an interactive voice response (IVR) before being routed to a counselor. That is allowed.

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

Answer: There are no recording requirements for inbound and outbound phone calls; however, the Contractor shall operate within industry call center best practices.

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

Answer: There are no recording and storage requirements for non-phone communications; however, 1) the Contractor shall be able to provide all data and metrics requested in Tasks 9.3, 9.4 and 9.5, and 2) the Contractor shall operate within industry call center best practices.

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

Answer: Collected categories of information can be found in Tasks 9.3, 9.4 and 9.5.

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

Answer: Please note that the requirement has changed. It is up to the interested Offeror to propose number of seats for operators and supervisors based on their review and understanding of the Statement of Work (SOW) and the other solicitation documents.

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

Answer: In the first year of operation, the average speed to answer a phone call was 25 seconds.

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

Answer: The average handling time for phone calls is 28 minutes. The average handling time for text messages is 44 minutes.

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

Answer: The average handling time for phone calls is 28 minutes. The average handling time for text messages is 44 minutes. The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline currently defines the average handling time as the average amount of time that hotline counselors spend on all contact related activities, including talk time, hold time, and any work that is required after the call to finalize the help-seeker interaction.

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

Answer: In the first year of operation, 89% of calls were received in English.

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

Answer: In the first year of operation, 4% of calls were received in Spanish.

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

Answer: The hotline experiences higher call volumes during the weekdays. The busiest times are between 12pm and 11:59pm.

34. We would like to know if this is a brand new contract OR if there is (was) an incumbent performing these services.

Answer: There is an incumbent currently performing these services.

35. If not brand new, could you please provide the current / previous contract number?

Answer: The current contract number is 75R60221P00027.

36. What are the motivations for issuing this procurement, if any, other than adherence to the standard procurement/contract cycle?

Answer: Section II (Background) and Section III (Purpose) of the Statement of Work address this question.

37. Can the Government provide some insight into a delegated, total, contract period of 19 months?

Given the scale of operations, desire for consistency of data, and schedule of annual deliverables, is there any anticipated period of extension, beyond the seven months indicated past the initial contract term? Are incumbents required to re-apply for the contract at annual intervals?

Answer: The Government will not provide insight. There is no anticipated period of extension beyond the 7-month option period. This is an ongoing requirement. An acquisition strategy for the follow-on requirement (to the requirement related to the current solicitation) has not been finalized.

38. Does the Government intend to maintain the current technology infrastructure for running the program (ECIT)? What is the willingness and appetite to migrate to new platforms?

Answer: Platform migration is permitted. The solution must have a valid FedRAMP compliant (approved) authority to operate (ATO), or if a FedRAMP compliant ATO has not been granted, the Contractor shall submit a plan to obtain a FedRAMP compliant ATO. Per Task 3.2.2, the Contractor shall use commercial off-the shelf (COTS) contact management software, digital services, and industry best practices to route and respond to calls and texts in real-time

39. Please confirm the precise, anticipated go-live date of operations.

Answer: As there must be a seamless, continued 24/7, 365-days a year uptime of hotline operations, HRSA expects a go-live date of telephone and text operations one hundred and twenty (120) days after the kickoff meeting. The go-live date for the web chat system shall be available with an effective date that shall be based on HRSA policy and procedures and in coordination with the COR, as noted at Task

3.2.2. Task 3 of the SOW has been updated to include this information.