RFP AHRQ-20-10002.Final 1-28.pdf

IDIQ Request for Proposal v. January 2020; FAC 2020-02/Dec 2019 AHRQ-20-10002

MEPS – Household Component (HC) Page 1 of 166

Request for Proposal

No. AHRQ-20-10002

PART I - THE SCHEDULE

SECTION A - SOLICITATION FORM

Date Issued: 01/28/2020

Date Questions Due: 02/5/2020

Please Note: All questions and inquires will be processed on a non-attribution basis.

Date Notice of Intent Due: 03/02/2020

Date and Time Proposals Due: 03/12/2020 11:00 AM, EST

You are invited to submit a proposal to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) for Request for Proposal (RFP) No. AHRQ-20-10002 entitled “Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) Household Component (HC)”. Your proposal must be developed and submitted in accordance with the requirements and instructions of this RFP.

This effort includes incentive fee in an effort to encourage the development of systemic improvements and efficiencies that will decrease costs while sustaining survey quality.

Solicitation Information: Please review the table of contents and refer to the appropriate section of this RFP for requirements, proposal instructions and evaluation information. The Government intends to award this contract without negotiations, so it is imperative that all questions are addressed during the solicitation phase, and that all proposals submitted include the required information and accept the terms and conditions as stated. Failure to comply with proposal instructions or submit required information may result in the removal of a proposal from consideration for award. Please review Section L carefully.

Proposal Intent: If you intend to submit a proposal in response to this solicitation, please inform the Contracting Officer of your intent by sending an email to Tara Bertolini, Contract

Specialist/Contracting Officer at tara.bertolini@ahrq.hhs.gov no later than 02/10/2020. Subject line shall read: Proposal Intent RFP No. AHRQ-20-10002.

Questions: All Questions regarding this solicitation shall be received in this office no later than the date shown above. All questions shall be submitted electronically by e-mail to Tara Bertolini, Contract Specialist/Contracting Officer, at the following email address:

tara.bertolini@ahrq.hhs.gov. Subject line shall read: Proposal Questions RFP No. AHRQ-20-

10002. Answers to questions and all solicitation amendments will be posted to the Federal

Business Opportunities web page: www.fbo.gov. It is your responsibility to monitor the web site.

Questions should be submitted in a Word table in the following format:

mailto:tara.bertolini@ahrq.hhs.gov http://www.fbo.gov/

MEPS – Household Component (HC) Page 2 of 166

RFP (or Attachment) Page Number

Relevant Section Number or Title

Question

Additional Information:

An Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity, single-award, task order-type contract is contemplated for a period of five years.

The Government anticipates awarding 1 contract from this solicitation on or about July 13, 2020.

Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation must state that they are valid for a period of at least 120 days (reference FAR clause 52.215-1 in Section L of this document.

The NAICS code for this requirement is 518210 with a size standard of $32.5M.

Proposal Submission: The proposal shall be signed by an authorized official to bind your organization and must be received by the due date specified above. The proposal must be submitted to the following address:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)*

Division of Contracts Management*

5600 Fishers Lane*

Mail Stop 06N34B*

Rockville, Maryland 20857*

Attn: Tara Bertolini, (301) 427-1705*

*All boxes must be clearly labeled with this information.

Please read this section carefully. Some mail and package delivery procedures have changed due to security controls. All mail and packages are screened at a local offsite facility before being delivered to 5600 Fishers Lane.

The U.S. Postal Service’s “Express Mail” does not deliver to our Rockville, Maryland address.

Please do not use this means of delivery for proposal submission.

Proposals delivered by commercial package delivery company (example: Fedex, UPS, DHL, etc.):

Submit and label as instructed above. These companies are familiar with the delivery procedures at 5600 Fishers Lane.

Hand carried or hand carry courier service: The 5600 Fishers Lane building security does not allow packages to be delivered directly to the building. Hand carried or courier delivered

MEPS – Household Component (HC) Page 3 of 166 proposals should be labeled as instructed above, however they must be delivered directly to the offsite screening facility at 12225 Wilkins Avenue Rockville MD 20852. The operating hours at the Wilkins Avenue facility are 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM Monday through Friday. Please note that anyone who arrives at the Fishers Lane location with a delivery will be directed to the screening facility, however this will cause delay. Packages will be accepted and date/time stamped at the screening facility. Please allow ample time as proposals cannot be date/time stamped until they have gone through security.

System for Award Management: In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation, all contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database in order to conduct business with the government [See Section I - FAR clause 52.204-7 System for Award

Management]. Access the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/.

Reminder: The Procurement Integrity Act prohibits the unauthorized disclosure of, inquiry about, or acceptance of procurement information. Communications with any other individual outside the

AHRQ contracting office may result in rejection of an offeror’s proposal. All requests for any information concerning this RFP should be referred to Tara Bertolini, (301) 427-1705 or e-mail:

tara.bertolini@ahrq.hhs.gov. Please note e-mail requests should state subject as RFP AHRQ-20-

10002.

MEPS – Household Component (HC) Page 4 of 166

Table of Contents

PART I - THE SCHEDULE

SECTION A - SOLICITATION FORM

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATION/WORK STATEMENT

SECTION D - PACKAGING AND MARKING

SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

SECTION F - DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

SECTION G - CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

SECTION H - SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

PART II – CONTRACT CLAUSES

SECTION I CONTRACT CLAUSES

PART III- LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND ATTACHMENTS

SECTION J – SOLICITATION LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

PART IV– REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

SECTION K - REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS, AND OTHER STATEMENTS

SECTION L - INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

SECTION M- EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

MEPS – Household Component (HC) Page 5 of 166

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

B.1 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES OR SERVICES

“Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) – Household Component (HC) Support”. See

Section C for a complete description.

B.2 IDIQ CONTRACT

This is a Single Award, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. Refer to the following Sections for more information:

Section C for Statement of Work requirements, Section F for Period of Performance information, Section G for invoicing requirements, and

Section H for ordering procedures for task orders.

B.3 TASK ORDERS AND PRICES

This is a Single Award, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity IDIQ contract. All services will be acquired on an as-needed basis through issuance of Task Orders. Under this IDIQ contract, the minimum is $500,000, while the total maximum amount of all task orders awarded shall not exceed $281,000,000. No costs shall be incurred or reimbursed on this contract unless the cost is associated with an approved, signed Task Order.

The contract items and associated Statement of Work (Section C) requirements and prices are shown below:

B.4 CORE TASK - MEPS Survey (CLIN 0001) – Cost Plus Fixed Fee

CLIN # SOW Task # Services Est. Cost Fixed Fee

Total POP

Panel #

0001A 1.5 MEPS Survey

Severable $ $ $ 13 July 20 – 30 Nov 20 Base Period

0001H 1.12 MEPS Survey

Severable $ $ $ 01 Dec 26 – 12 Jan 27 N/A

MEPS – Household Component (HC) Page 6 of 166

B.5 MEPS Survey (CLIN 0001) - Cost Plus Incentive Fee

CLIN

SOW

Task # Services

Target Cost

Target Fee

Total Target Cost

Min Fee

Max Fee

POP

Panel #

0001B 1.6 MEPS Survey Severable $ $ $ $ $

01 Dec 20

– 30 Nov.

21 26

0001C 1.7 MEPS Survey Severable $ $ $ $ $

01 Dec 21

– 30 Nov 22 26/27

0001D 1.8 MEPS Survey Severable $ $ $ $ $

01 Dec 22

- 30 Nov 23 26/27/28

0001E 1.9 MEPS Survey Severable $ $ $ $ $

01 Dec 23

- 30 Nov.

24 27/28/29

0001F 1.10 MEPS Survey Severable $ $ $ $ $

01 Dec 24

- 30 Nov 25 28/29

0001G 1.11 MEPS Survey Severable $ $ $ $ $

01 Dec 25

- 30 Nov 26 29

B.6 OPTIONAL TASK COSTS– Survey Add-ons (CLIN 0002) - Cost Plus Incentive Fee

The offeror shall provide one blended cost for each CLIN (0002A, 0002B and 0002C) broken out by each CLINs period of performances (12M/12M/6M). These costs will be utilized each time that CLIN is exercised regardless of the year of performance. The offeror shall not provide separate costs for grayed out areas.

CLIN0002B – For proposal purposes, a cost should be provided for 500 households. The Government will use the cost for 500 households when exercising any options under CLIN 0002B.

This cost will be used as the starting price and can be multiplied in increments of 500 with a not to exceed of 3,000 households.

CLIN #

SOW

Task # Services Target.

Cost Target

Fee

Total Target Cost

Min Fee

Max Fee POP

Panel#

0002A1a 2.0

Enhance Log.

Capacity Severable $ $ $ $ $ months

ARO 26

0002A1b 2.0

Enhance Log.

Capacity Severable $ $ $ $ $ months

ARO 26

MEPS – Household Component (HC) Page 7 of 166

0002A1c 2.0

Enhance Log.

Capacity Severable $ $ $ $ $ months

ARO 26

0002A2a 2.0 Enhance Log.

Capacity Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 27

0002A2b 2.0 Enhance Log.

Capacity Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 27

0002A2c 2.0 Enhance Log.

Capacity Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 27

0002A3a 2.0 Enhance Log.

Capacity Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 28

0002A3b 2.0 Enhance Log.

Capacity Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 28

0002A3c 2.0 Enhance Log.

Capacity Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 28

0002A4a 2.0 Enhance Log.

Capacity Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 29

0002A4b 2.0 Enhance Log.

Capacity Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 29

0002A4c 2.0 Enhance Log.

Capacity Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 29

0002B1a 2.0

Addition of 500 households Severable $ $ $ $ $ months

ARO 26

0002B1b 2.0

Addition of 500 households Severable $ $ $ $ $ months

ARO 26

0002B1c 2.0

Addition of 500 households Severable $ $ $ $ $ months

ARO 26

0002B2a 2.0

Addition of 500 households Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 27

0002B2b 2.0

Addition of 500 households Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 27

0002B2c 2.0

Addition of 500 households Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

ARO 27

MEPS – Household Component (HC) Page 8 of 166

0002B3a 2.0

Addition of 500 households Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 28

0002B3b 2.0

Addition of 500 households Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 28

0002B3c 2.0

Addition of 500 households Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 28

0002B4a 2.0

Addition of 500 households Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 29

0002B4b 2.0

Addition of 500 households Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 29

0002B4c 2.0

Addition of 500 households Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 29

0002C1a 2.0

Addition of 3,000 households web-based admin Severable $ $ $ $ $ months

ARO 26

0002C1b 2.0

Addition of 3,000 households web-based admin Severable $ $ $ $ $ months

ARO 26

0002C1c 2.0

Addition of 3,000 households web-based admin Severable $ $ $ $ $ months

ARO 26

0002C2a 2.0

Addition of 3,000 households web-based admin Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 27

0002C2b 2.0

Addition of 3,000 households web-based admin Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 27

0002C2c 2.0

Addition of 3,000 households web-based admin Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 27

0002C3a 2.0

Addition of 3,000 households web-based admin Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

ARO 28

MEPS – Household Component (HC) Page 9 of 166

0002C3b 2.0

Addition of 3,000 households web-based admin Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 28

0002C3c 2.0

Addition of 3,000 households web-based admin Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 28

0002C4a 2.0

Addition of 3,000 households web-based admin Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 29

0002C4b 2.0

Addition of 3,000 households web-based admin Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above months

ARO 29

0002C4c 2.0

Addition of 3,000 households web-based admin Severable

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

ARO 29

The base period and each option are separate and distinct from one another for accumulation of costs and billing purposes.

B.7 COST PLUS FIXED FEE (TASK ORDER PRICING) (CLIN 0003)

3.0 Non –Severable Items (to be awarded through the issuance of additional task orders)

CLIN # SOW Task # Services Est. Cost Fixed Fee Total POP

0003A 3.0 Pharmacy Provider List Non-Severable

15 months

ARO

0003B 3.0 Modify HC CAPI Provider Directory Non-Severable

ARO

0003C 3.0 CAPI Medical Events ID Non- Severable

ARO

0003D1 3.0

SAQ1

36 months

ARO

0003D2 3.0

SAQ2

$ see above

ARO

0003D3 3.0

SAQ3

ARO

0003D4 3.0

SAQ4

ARO

0003D5 3.0

SAQ5

ARO

0003D6 3.0

SAQ6

ARO

MEPS – Household Component (HC) Page 10 of 166

0003E1 3.0

Collection Authorization Forms 1 – Health Insurance Claims

21 months

ARO

0003E2 3.0

Collection Authorization Forms 2 - Health Insurance Claims

ARO

0003E3 3.0

Collection Authorization Forms 3 - Health Insurance Claims

ARO

0003E4 3.0

Collection Authorization Forms 4 - Health Insurance Claims

ARO

0003F 3.0

Critical Path CAPI Instrumentation

ARO

0003G 3.0 Residence History

ARO

0003H 3.0

Addition of 3,000 households web-based admin.

ARO

0003I 3.0 Design and Develop Longitudinal Survey Tool

ARO

0003J 3.0 MEPS transition to new vendor

6 months

ARO

0003K 3.0

Evaluation of Available Technology for After CAPI as Time of Interview

6 months

ARO

B.8 PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO DIRECT COSTS

a. Items Unallowable Unless Otherwise Provided

Notwithstanding the clauses, ALLOWABLE COST AND PAYMENT, and FIXED FEE, incorporated into this contract, unless authorized in writing by the Contracting Officer, the costs of the following items or activities shall be unallowable as direct costs:

(1) Acquisition, by purchase or lease, of any interest in real property;

(2) Rearrangement or alteration of facilities;

(3) Purchase or lease of any item of general purpose-office furniture or office equipment regardless of dollar value. (General purpose equipment is defined as any items of personal property which are usable for purposes other than research, such as office equipment and furnishings, pocket calculators, etc.);

(4) Accountable Government property;

MEPS – Household Component (HC) Page 11 of 166

(5) Travel to attend general scientific meetings;

(6) Foreign Travel;

(7) Any costs incurred prior to the contract's effective date;

(8) Rental of meeting rooms not otherwise expressly paid for by the contract;

(9) Any subcontract agreement (including consultants) not otherwise expressly provided for in the contract;

(10) Information Technology hardware or software; and

(11) Food and Beverages.

Note: Food and Beverages are unallowable costs. Contracting Officer Authorization for Food and Beverages will be only made as specifically authorized by statute, which is extremely rare. The contractor shall not provide food or beverages of any type. The contractor shall not accept food or beverages, even if included in, or provided ‘free’ as part of a meeting/conference ‘package’.

b. Travel Costs

This contract is subject to the provisions of Public Law (P.L.) 99-234 which amends the

Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act to provide that contractor costs for travel, including lodging, other subsistence, and incidental expenses, shall be allowable only to the extent that they do not exceed the amount allowed for Federal employees. The Contractor, therefore, shall invoice and be reimbursed for all travel costs in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) 31.205-46.

The following applies to Educational Institutions: The Contractor shall invoice and be reimbursed for all travel costs in accordance with OMB Circular A-21 - "Cost Principles for Educational Institutions."

No funding or expenditures will be authorized under this contract for travel or meeting expenses of any person that is not an employee of the contractor or approved subcontractor in accordance with the terms of the contract. See 31 USC § 1345 for appropriations restrictions.

MEPS – Household Component (HC) Page 12 of 166

SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATION/WORK STATEMENT

Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall be required to furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government, as needed to perform the Statement of Work as follows:

Statement of Work

Introduction

The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component (MEPS-HC), Medical Provider Component (MPC), and Insurance Component (IC), which began in 1996, is a set of large-scale surveys of families and individuals, their medical providers (doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, etc.), and employers across the United States. MEPS collects data on the specific health services that Americans use, how frequently they use them, the cost of these services, and how they are paid for, as well as health insurance held by and available to the civilian non-institutionalized population.

Surveys collecting data on medical expenditures began in the 1970s at a time when the structure of health care services, private insurance, Federal health care programs and the characteristics of the U.S. population were undergoing enormous change. The first of these surveys, the National Medical Care Expenditure Survey (NMCES), was conducted in 1977.

Similar to the MEPS-HC survey, NMCES had three main components: a household survey, a survey of physicians utilized by the household members, and a health insurance employer component. Approximately 14,000 households participated in five core rounds of interviews over a 14-month period.

In 1987, the National Medical Expenditure Survey (NMES) was conducted. Approximately 16,000 households participated in NMES, including 2,000 American Indian and Alaskan Native households. Once again, the household information was supplemented by surveys of medical and health insurance providers utilized by respondents.

In 1996, the current survey (conducted annually from 1996 to present), the MEPS-HC, is designed to provide more timely information about the nation’s changing health care system.

MEPS-HC introduces a new panel or sample of households into the survey every year and is conducted continually rather than once every 10 years. MEPS-HC households are a subsample of households that previously participated in the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approximately six months to a year prior to MEPS. The MEPS-HC collects data from a sample of families and individuals in selected communities across the United States.

Like the earlier surveys, the information collected in MEPS-HC from households is supplemented by surveys of medical providers.

During the household interviews, MEPS-HC collects the following detailed information for each person in the household: demographic characteristics, health conditions, health status, use of medical services, charges and source of payments, access to care, satisfaction with care, health insurance coverage, income, and employment.

MEPS – Household Component (HC) Page 13 of 166

The panel design of the survey, which features five core rounds of interviewing covering two full calendar years, makes it possible to determine how changes in respondents’ health status, income, employment, eligibility for public and private insurance coverage, use of services, and payment for care related.

HC data are available on the MEPS Web site in data tables, downloadable data files (person, job, event, or condition level), and interactive data tools, as well as in publications using HC data. Data is released on a flow basis consisting of the following files: population characteristics; jobs; point in time; other medical expenses; dental visits; home health visits;

office-based visits; emergency room visits; outpatient visits; inpatient stays; prescribed medicines; private health insurance detail; medical conditions; and expenditures. Release of data takes place starting 10 months after data collection and ends with the release of the expenditures file 17 months after the end of the reference period. Data processing takes place throughout the data collection process in order to release the data to the public at the soonest possible date.

The MEPS-MPC, a separate requirement under a different contract, sample includes all hospitals, emergency rooms, home health care agencies, outpatient departments, pharmacies, and long term health care facilities reported by HC respondents as well as all physicians who provide services for patients in hospitals but bill separately from the hospital (these physicians are identified by the hospitals not the HC respondents). Office-based medical providers (including those in Health Maintenance Organizations) where the provider is either a doctor of medicine (MD) or Osteopathy (DO) or practices under the direct supervision of an MD or DO are included in the MEPS-MPC as well. The MEPS-MPC sample is derived from providers reported as providing medical care to a household member during the MEPS-HC interview. The MEPS– MPC data is used to validate, supplement and/or replace MEPS-HC source of payment data reported during the HC interview by matching MEPS-HC and MEPS-MPC data.

The scope of activity under this procurement includes the conduct of the HC data collection, data processing throughout the reference period, the preparation of data files needed for subsequently fielding the MEPS-MPC, imputation and estimation tasks, and the production of an extensive array of analytic files. In addition, the offeror is expected to use and maintain the Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) application. A number of modifications to the instrument are anticipated over the life of the contract to improve the functionality of the instrument.

Scope

The contractor shall perform the following types of services under this contract:

Survey/project management

Continue operation of MEPS-HC

Preparation of MEPS-HC documentation

Liaison with MEPS-HC principals

Cooperation and liaison with MEPS-MPC contractor assuring timely file transfers for matching and editing/imputation work

MEPS – Household Component (HC) Page 14 of 166

Cooperation with AHRQ to obtain clearances

Meeting arrangements

Project closeout/transfer of operations

Reporting, work planning, management meetings

Household Component Data

Implementation and documentation of sample

Development of weights for producing national estimates and variables for variance estimations

Imputation to correct for item nonresponse

Geocoding the database

Producing questionnaires and supporting materials

Revise CAPI instruments as requested by AHRQ

Recruiting, training, and managing interviews

Collecting data

Interviewing in Spanish and other languages

Updating the provider directory on an ongoing basis

Collecting authorization forms and establishing the sample for the Medical Provider Component and providing such to the Medical Provider Component contractor

Data Processing

Providing data security

Between round processing

Forms control and receipt

Data entry

Conducting training program for coders and verifiers

Benchmarking to outside data sources and previous years MEPS estimates

Developing analytic files

Production of public use data files with accompanying benchmarking and documentation

Resources

The contractor and its subcontractors shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government as needed to perform the specific requirements below.

Storage

The contractor shall store all necessary materials for a period of time determined by the Government and shall investigate available technology and use the most efficient means to store all the necessary materials and documents and sensitive data.

The contractor shall also set up and maintain a file transmission protocol (FTP) network so that confidential data and documents can be transmitted from the contractor to AHRQ.

MEPS – Household Component (HC) Page 15 of 166

1.0 MEPS Survey

1.1 Earned Value Management

1.1a. The contractor shall use an Earned Value Management System (EVMS) in the management of this contract that is consistent with ANSI/EIA-STD-748 guidelines.

1.1b. The contractor shall report earned value monthly based on actual data from (or reconcilable with) its accounting systems. The Government and the contractor shall negotiate the level of the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) at which earned value shall be reported. If subcontractors are used, the contractor shall develop and implement a system to ensure that its subcontractors comply with the requirement, and each monthly progress report must address performance at the prime and subcontractor level.

1.1c. The contractor shall deliver with the EVM Work Plan (deliverable is due during

CLIN0001A - CLIN0001G) a contract-level Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) that rolls up all the time-phased WBSs for the individual tasks. This IMS shall include the dependencies that exist between tasks.

1.1d. The contractor shall deliver with the EVM Work Plan a Critical Path at the contract-level.

1.1e. The contractor shall report Earned Value Management (EVM) data for the entire project and specific deliverables/milestones in the monthly report in the form of a Contract Performance Report (CPR). This report should contain all of the elements of the typical CPR to include: Budget at Completion (BAC) – total planned cost of the total project or specified deliverable/milestone at completion; Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled (BCWS) – Cumulative expected planning cost for activities planned to be completed by the end of the reporting month; Actual Cost of Work Performed (ACWP)

– cumulative amount actually spent on activities performed as the end of the reporting month; Budgeted Cost of Work Performed (BCWP) – cumulative planned costs of the activities actually performed as of the end of the reporting month; and Cost and Schedule Variances – in the form of a %.

1.1f. The contractor shall provide a corrective action plan with the monthly earned value report in cases where cost or schedule, as measured by Cost Performance Index (CPI) and Schedule Performance Index (SPI), exceeds performance thresholds. The Government and the contractor shall negotiate the performance thresholds. The corrective action plan shall address the following items: Brief description of the issue (identify the nature of the issue as cost, schedule, performance, or resources and explain why the issue came to be); Impact on the project completion; Brief description of the corrective action plan, strategy; and Corrective tasks/actions that are required to eliminate or mitigate the issue, including task/action number, point of contact, start and end dates and comments.

1.1g. If the corrective action plan requires rebaselining (the performance baseline), the corrective action plan also shall address the following items: The proposed new

MEPS – Household Component (HC) Page 16 of 166 baseline; the reason(s) why rebaselining is required; and Documentation of the reasonableness of the proposed new baselines and the accuracy of any new cost estimates.

1.1h. The Performance Baseline, WBS, BCWS, Integrated Master Schedule, and monthly earned value report shall clearly breakout the deliverables and activities related to the development and maintenance of systems, software, databases, and websites. It shall also clearly separate development, modernization, and enhancement (DME) deliverables and activities from operations and maintenance deliverable and activities.

1.1.i. EVM Work Plan and corrective action plan (as needed) shall be submitted to the COR for review and approval.

1.2 Continue operation of the MEPS-HC

The contractor shall continue operation of the ongoing Household Component of the MEPS (MEPS-HC) beginning with Round 1 field interviewing for the 2021 Household Panel. The contractor shall also begin work on planning for data processing for the 2021 estimation and analytic files upon award of the contract. The transition period between the current MEPS contract and this contract is critical to the MEPS-HC. It is critical that continuity of the data collection instruments, sample design, interviewing techniques, data processing, editing and data file formatting be maintained and that any changes between the old and new contracts be transparent to respondents and data users.

AHRQ will maintain strong oversight over the expenditures, management and operations of this contract. The contractor shall maintain communication and reporting mechanisms to facilitate such oversight. The contractor shall anticipate and plan for periodic in-person observation of data collection and processing activities by AHRQ staff at the COR’s discretion. Such observation shall average 10 per round of data collection over the time period of the contract.

1.2.1 Preparation of MEPS-HC Documentation – CLINs (0001A – 0001G)

The contractor shall maintain and update a Project Management Plan and shall make an initial delivery 30 days after the effective date of the contract. The Project Management Plan shall detail major milestones in data collection, data processing and data delivery. The proposed completion tasks for the milestones shall remain fixed, but on a bi-annual basis the Project Management Plan shall be updated with actual dates. Discrepancies between proposed and actual dates shall be noted and their implications for final data delivery fully described. An annual methodology report documenting survey progress on each major task (Household Component, Data Processing and Data Delivery, Management) including archival copies of decisions memos shall be delivered to the COR by June 15 of each year, referring to the previous calendar year’s activities (this task is 508 applicable). A subcontracting report will be delivered annually. Deliverable 1.2.1 is due during CLIN0001A - CLIN0001G. Deliverable 1.2.1.a is due during CLIN0001A - CLIN0001G. Deliverable 1.2.1.b is due during CLIN0001C-

CLIN0001G.

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1.2.2 Liaison with MEPS-HC principals

The contractor shall establish cooperative staff-to-staff relationships in pursuit of this objective.

The establishment of a cooperative relationship is imperative in light of the fact that estimations for 2021 will consist of the first year of the 2021 panel (CLIN0001A of this contract) and the second year of the 2020 panel (data collected by the legacy contractor).

1.2.3 Cooperate with AHRQ in obtaining required OMB clearances

The contractor shall prepare materials required for any and all clearance actions during the course of the contract. This shall include preparing burden estimates, written descriptions of the survey and sample design, the design and description of any special experiments, and electronic copy of survey questionnaires and respondent materials. Deliverable 1.2.3 is due during CLIN0001A (due 30 days after effective date of the contract) and CLIN0001B-

CLIN0001D.

1.2.4 Project closeout/transfer of operations

The contractor shall turn over all files, computer programs, tabulations, documentation and other items within ninety (90) days of request made by COR in such form (electronic and paper) that the project may be continued by a successor. MEPS data collection is currently conducted using a MEPS questionnaire software application programmed in a commercial software package (Blaise 4.8). The MEPS questionnaire runs in the Windows 2016, version 10 operating system on a laptop computer configured with a number of additional applications which support collection, storage, and transmission of MEPS data. This CAPI configuration is to be made available for data collection year 2021, panel 26.

1.2.5 Monthly Progress Reports

Beginning on the tenth day of the second month after the effective date of the contract and on the tenth calendar day of every month of contract performance thereafter, the contractor shall submit to the AHRQ Contracts Office, COR, EVM Specialist and other designated AHRQ staff, a monthly progress report (MPR) in electronic format, via e-mail as attachments or secure final transfer protocol (ftp) or extranet site with e-mail notification that reports are available for download. When the tenth calendar day falls on a holiday or weekend, the MPR shall be provided on the preceding Friday or closet business day.

At a minimum, the monthly progress report shall:

Summarize the progress of work performed during the reporting period, note milestones, describe past problems (including a concise statement of success or lack thereof in solving the problems encountered)

Describe anticipated problems and proposed solutions

Describe work planned for the next reporting period, compare progress and resource expenditures to the original schedule and budget and provide explanations for any variances

Assess whether the current total estimated contract cost is sufficient to complete the contract

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Describe significant changes in the contractor’s operational personnel

Summarize all additions, modifications, and configuration changes to all project software and database designs, specifications, testing, quality assurance efforts, maintenance and operational solutions and associated work efforts accomplished during the month

Provide the earned value information requested in 1.1 for all tasks

Also provide disclosure of any new work products, computer databases or programs, or any other inventions that may be subject to intellectual property protection

Provide a description of how the contractor intends to manage intellectual property rights

Deliverable 1.2.5 is due during CLIN0001A - CLIN0001H.

1.2.5.1 Bi-monthly Management Meeting

During the project the contractor shall hold, at a minimum, a bi-monthly management meeting at its office, at AHRQ, or through conference call during which the project will be discussed. The contractor shall submit an agenda, and any materials to be used for discussion, five working days in advanced of meetings. The participants in the management meetings will include the COR (in person or via telephone) and other Agency staff as appropriate, the Project Director, and relevant contractor project staff as approved by the COR prior to the meeting. Progress will be reviewed, milestones discussed, response rates presented, problems examined, solutions explored, and short-range and long-range plans made. Deliverable 1.2.5.1 is due for

CLIN0001A – CLIN0001H.

1.2.5.2 Bi-monthly Management Meeting Minutes and Action Items

Minutes and action items resulting from this meeting shall be prepared by the contractor and submitted to the COR within ten days after completion of the meeting. If corrections are necessary, revised replacement minutes shall be submitted to the COR within two (2) days after receipt of the COR’s comments.

The contractor shall prepare and distribute minutes of all management meetings, and any other decision making meeting with AHRQ. The minutes shall include the contract number, project director, a list of attendees, a description of the issues discusses, action items, assignments and due dates.

All deliverables to AHRQ should be sent as separate PDF files and a naming convention for all files agreed upon by AHRQ and the contractor shall be used. Deliverable 1.2.5.2 is due

CLIN0001A - CLIN0001H.

1.3 Household Component

1.3.1 Implement and document the MEPS-HC sample design

The sample for each new panel of the MEPS-HC will be selected by the Government. The COR shall provide each annual sample to the contractor no later than December 1 of the year prior to the fielding of the sample (for instance December 1, 2020 for fielding in early 2021). The contractor shall submit to the COR sample preparation and data collection plans for the sample transmitted to the contractor, including specifications for sample preparation, the procedures to

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Deliverable 1.3.1 is due for CLIN0001A - CLIN0001D.

The sample for the 2021 panel of the MEPS-HC will be drawn as a subsample of households (dwelling units) that responded to the 2020 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The national area probability sample of households (including group quarters as well as other noninstitutionalized and institutionalized dwelling units) will represent the population of the United States and the District of Columbia. Specifically, the 2021 panel sample for the MEPS- HC will be a nationally representative subsample from responding households in two of the four 2020 NHIS panels. (The annual NHIS sample of households is partitioned into four nationally representative subdesigns, referred to as “panels” each with approximately the same number of households. Since 1996, two panels of the four panels in the NHIS have been reserved for use by AHRQ for the MEPS-HC.)

The full (all four panels) 2020 NHIS will consist of sample from 319 primary sampling units (PSUs). The annual NHIS sample based on the 2020 design has a targeted sample of approximately 35,000 responding households. The NHIS sample design has the capacity for sample expansions related to state level estimation in addition to national estimates.

The 2020 NHIS reserved for the 2021 MEPS-HC sample selection will consist of about 200 PSUs and approximately 13,000 responding NHIS households will be eligible and available for subsampling for the MEPS-HC. In addition, MEPS-HC may oversample additional policy relevant subgroups of the population from among the NHIS eligible sample.

The data collection for the MEPS-HC shall include obtaining information for all members within sample households. MEPS-HC analyses are conducted using the person, families, and the household as units of analysis. Through the reenumeration section of the Round 1 MEPS-HC questionnaire, the status of each individual sampled at the time of the NHIS interview is classified as “key or non-key” and “in-scope”. Sampling reenumeration takes place in each subsequent interview Round for persons in all households selected into the core survey. The “keyness” and “in-scope” indicators, together, define the sample to be used for person level national estimates. Some definitions follow.

Dwelling Units. Reporting Units and Other Definitions: The definitions for Dwelling Units and Group Quarters in the MEPS-HC Household Survey are generally consistent with the definitions of households, families, and group quarters employed for the NHIS. A Reporting Unit is a person or group of persons in the sampled dwelling unit that are related by blood, marriage, adoption or other family associations, who are to be interviewed at the same time in MEPS-HC.

Examples of discrete reporting units are:

1.3.1.1 married daughter and her husband living with her parents in the same dwelling are considered one reporting unit

1.3.1.2 husband and wife and their unmarried daughter, age 18, who is living away from home at college, constitute one family, but two reporting units.

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1.3.1.3 Three unrelated persons living in the same dwelling unit would be three reporting units.

Unmarried college students under 24 years of age who usually live in the sampled household, but are currently living away from home and going to school, will be treated as separate Reporting Units for the purpose of MEPS-HC data collection.

Key Persons: Key survey participants are defined as all civilian individuals who reside in households that responded to the nationally representative NHIS subsample reserved for the MEPS-HC, with the exception of college students interviewed at dormitories. Members of the armed forces that are on full time active duty and reside in responding NHIS households which include other family members who are civilian individuals are also to be defined as key persons, but will be considered out of scope for person level estimates derived for the survey.

All other individuals who join the NHIS reporting units that define the 2021 MEPS-HC household sample (in Round 1 or later MEPS-HC rounds) and did not have an opportunity for selection during the time of the NHIS interview will also be considered key persons. These include newborn babies, individuals who were in an institution or outside the country moving to the United States, and military personnel previously residing on military bases who joined MEPS- HC reporting units to live in the community.

College students under 24 years of age interviewed at dormitories in the 2020 NHIS will be considered ineligible for the 2021 MEPS-HC sample and not included in that sample.

Furthermore, any unmarried college students under 24 years of age that responded to the 2020 NHIS interview while living away at school (not in a dormitory) will be excluded from the sample if it is determined in the MEPS-HC Round 1 interview that the person is unmarried, under 24 years of age, and a student with parents living elsewhere who resides at his/her current housing only during the school year. If, on the other hand, the person’s status at the time of the MEPS- HC Round 1 interview is no longer that of an unmarried student under 24 years of age living away from home, then the person will be retained in the MEPS-HC sample as a key person.

Alternatively, at the time of the MEPS-HC Round 1 interview with NHIS sample respondents, a determination will be made if there are any related college students under 24 years of age who usually live in the sampled household, but are currently living away from home and going to school. These college students are considered key persons and will be identified and interviewed at their college address, but linked to the sampled household for family analyses.

Some of these college students living away from home at the time of Round 1 interview will have been identified as living in sampled household at the time of the NHIS interview. The remainder will be identified at the time of the MEPS-HC Round 1 interview with the NHIS sampled households.

Non-key Persons: Persons who were not living in the original sampled dwelling at the time of the NHIS interview and who had a non-zero probability of selection for that survey will be considered non-key. If such persons happen to be living in sampled households (in Round 1 or later rounds) MEPS-HC data, (e.g., utilization and income) will be collected for the period of time they are part of the sampled unit to permit family analyses. Non-key persons who leave any sample household will not be recontacted for subsequent interviews. Non-key individuals are not part of the target sample used to obtain person level national estimates.

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In situations where key persons from the NHIS sampled households selected for MEPS-HC move out (in Round 1 or later rounds) and join or create another family, data on all members of this new household who are related by blood, marriage, adoption or foster care to the persons from the NHIS sampled household will be obtained from the point in time that the NHIS sampled person joined that new household. Similarly, data will be collected (in Round 1 and later rounds) on all related persons who join NHIS sampled households selected into the MEPS-HC.

Persons in NHIS sampled household selected in MEPS-HC who subsequently enter a long term health care facility and leave the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States will require collection of all data elements, including identification of all medical providers for fielding in the MEPS-MPC during their stay in identified institutions. Note that this is a recent change from current procedure and may require adjustments to both CAPI application and to field procedures.

Alternatively, persons in NHIS sampled household selected in the MEPS-HC who subsequently enter military service or move out of the U.S. and leave the civilian population of the United States do not require any data collection, but their whereabouts must be monitored during the field period. Upon their return to the U.S. civilian population, these persons shall once again be subject to data collection.

MEPS-HC Data Collection Eligibility: In order for a MEPS-HC reporting unit to be eligible for data collection, the unit must include at least one individual who is “key” and “in scope” for some period of time during the reference period for a given round of data collection. If this condition holds, the persons who are “key” and “in scope” and all other individuals who are members of the reporting unit (living together and related by blood, marriage, adoption or other family associations) are eligible for data collection in a given round of the MEPS-HC.

1.3.2 Development of weights and variables for variance estimation

The contractor shall deliver to the Government a plan that results in the development, improvement, specification and implementation of methods for the development of appropriate round 1/3 and full year sampling weights (including unit and person level nonresponse adjustments based on theoretical and empirical considerations and making use of the most relevant data available and post-stratification and/or raking to adjust weights to population control totals). The contractor shall also specify the variables required for variance estimation.

Provisions shall be made for hand off of weights and variables for variance estimation to the Medical Provider Component contractor in a timely manner. Deliverable 1.3.2 is due during CLIN0001B-CLIN0001E. Deliverable 1.3.2.a is due during CLIN0001C-CLIN0001F.

1.3.2.1 Development of Self-Administered Questionnaire and Diabetes Care Supplement weights

For each of the data deliverables identified, the contractor shall provide a plan that results in the development, improvement, specification and implementation of methods for the development of appropriate Self-Administered Questionnaire and Diabetes Care Supplement weights (including person level nonresponse adjustments based on theoretical and empirical considerations and making use of the most relevant data available and post-stratification and/or

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CLIN0001B-CLIN0001E.

1.3.2.2 Development of person level base weights

The contractor shall deliver a plan for the construction of the base weights for the MEPS sample. The base weight for the current year’s MEPS is the nonresponse-adjusted quarter-specific estimation weight of the previous year’s NHIS. Deliverable 1.3.2.2 is due during CLIN0001C-CLIN0001F. The following bases weights shall be delivered:

Person-level Base Weight:

This weight is assigned to all key and inscope MEPS participants who responded for their entire period of eligibility in the reference year. It represents the initial weight assigned to all MEPS person-level respondents after nonresponse adjustments in each individual panel.

Person-level Base Weight for Each Individual Panel:

This panel specific weight is assigned to all key and inscope MEPS participants who responded for their entire period of eligibility in a given year. It represents the initial weight assigned to all MEPS person-level respondents within a panel after nonresponse adjustments in each individual panel.

1.3.3 Geocoding the database

The contractor shall create and maintain a database that takes sampling information from the NHIS and other relevant socio-economic information on sampled persons and their families that will be imported into the MEPS-HC database and CAPI system. The capacity to link the MEPS- HC data back to the NHIS sample will also be required.

The contractor shall create and maintain a database that identifies all of the sampling units, by round, and provides the following information about each sampling unit: a) Census geographic identification codes for the PSU, the segment, the Enumeration District and individual block or block combinations; b) Census codes that identify the region, state, county and MSA of the PSU or the actual sampled area; c) Census demographic measures that characterize the population density and other demographic characteristics of the PSU or actual sampled area; and d) the probability of selection for the sampled dwelling unit. As the sample evolves during fielding (moves, splits), the contractor shall provide the same level of geographic coding for addresses occupied by reporting units at the date of each interview.

1.3.4 Produce CAPI instruments and supporting materials

The contractor shall be responsible for maintaining and adapting all questionnaires, show cards, provider…