Amendment 2 Responses to Questions.pdf

RFP AHRQ-22-10009 Page 1 of 23 Updated Response to Questions

Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)

AHRQ-22-10009

Response to Questions July 15, 2022

Questions 1-79 were answered under Amendment 1.

Questions 80-138 are answered under Amendment 2 Thank you for your interest in this Request for Proposal (RFP). Below is a key to the responses to the questions found on the following pages:

• “No solicitation amendment necessary” – This response is given when:

1) the requirements are clearly articulated in the solicitation to the maximum extent possible, or

2) the information is not available, or

3) it is dependent on the offeror’s proposed approach.

• “Please see solicitation amendment” – This response is given if the response to the question affects a revision to the RFP. Please see the amended RFP.

• A response to the question is provided - A response/answer is given if clarification is necessary, but the response does not require a revision to the RFP.

RFP AHRQ-22-10009 Page 2 of 23

Number Page Reference Question and Response

109 C.33.10 Modernize Processing Programs

The RFP states: “The Contractor shall implement the proposed redesign of the processing programs and data infrastructure documented in the memo summarizing the results of the assessment developed under C.31.3.” There does not appear to be a task C.31.3 in the RFP. Please confirm that the reference should be to the memo in task C.33.3.

Please see solicitation amendment

2 5 B.4 CLIN Pricing The Period of Performance for CLIN 0001 HCUP Startup Activities is listed as: 12/21/2022-02/20/2022. Please confirm that the end date should be 02/20/2023.

Please see solicitation amendment

3 5 and 115 B.4 CLIN Pricing and F.2 Deliverable Schedule

The start date for the Period of Performance for CLIN 0001 is listed as 12/21/2022 and the start date for CLIN 0002 Operations is listed as 02/21/2023. Some of the CLIN 0002 deliverables have due dates that are listed as 1 month or less from CED, the Contract Effective Date for the Base and Each Option Period.

Please confirm that the CED for these deliverables is based on the CLIN 0002 start date of 02/21/2023 and not the CLIN 0001 start date of 12/21/2022. Similarly, please confirm that the CED date for CLIN 0003 and CLIN 0004 deliverables is 02/21/2023.

The task order for work under CLIN0002 has an anticipated effective date of 02/21/2023 and deliverables are due based on that date.

The anticipated effective date for CLINs 0003 and 0004 is 02/21/2023.

4 119 and 133 F.2 Deliverable Schedule The RFP shows that the due date for deliverable C.11.8.4 is 3/15/19 and the due date for deliverable C.29.2.2 is 1/15/19.

Can AHRQ please confirm the dates for these deliverables?

Please see solicitation amendment

5 135 F.2 Deliverable Schedule Please confirm the Contract Effective Date (CED) for the Section H deliverables. Is it the IDIQ start date of 12/21/2022?

Please see solicitation amendment.

6 34 C.9 State databases Is the Government’s expectation that, in producing the state databases (SOW C.9), the Contractor should only use the processing programs provided by AHRQ and described in C.9.2.1? In other words, the Contractor should not create new processing programs or introduce new processes, except for the purposes of adapting the existing programs to accommodate Partners’ data submissions (C.9.2.1), or performing annual

RFP AHRQ-22-10009 Page 3 of 23

Number Page Reference Question and Response updates (C.9.2.2), or under a task order to modernize processing programs (C.33.10).

No solicitation amendment necessary

7 35 and 41 C.9 State Databases C.9.2.4 indicates that State Comparative Data Reports will be created and delivered to the COR and HCUP Partners upon request only, while C.9.7.2 indicates all state Partners shall receive a comparative data quality report generated as a byproduct of data processing. Please confirm if this report is on request or an annual deliverable, or if C.9.2.4 and C.9.7.2 refer to different reports.

C.9.2.4 Please see solicitation amendment C.9.7.2 No solicitation amendment necessary

8 117-134 F.2 Deliverable Schedule The table lists SAS files as the format for processing programs e.g., C.9.7.3, C.10.6.2. Does the Government require that only SAS be used where SAS is listed as the delivery format for processing programs, or may other programming languages or software be used in addition to SAS?

The Government requires that processing programs be delivered in SAS, however the Contractor may use other processing programs to achieve the required deliverables. In the event that AHRQ requests task C.33.3 “Data Processing Evaluation” and other programming languages or formats are approved, future formats for processing programs would be permitted and identified in the task order.

9 75-78 C.21 Software tools ICD-11 is not mentioned in the SOW, in C.21 or elsewhere.

Please confirm that any tool development or coding work related to ICD-11 is out of scope for this contract.

No solicitation amendment necessary

10 14 C.3 Resources Please provide a list of software that the prior Contractor is currently using and will need to be purchased for HCUP operations (other than those already mentioned in the SOW or commonly used office productivity software).

No solicitation amendment necessary

11 96-97 and

F.2 Deliverable Schedule The “HCUP Overview Slides” and “HCUP ‘Rolling’ Slides” deliverables are listed under task C.28.4 in the table. Per the Work Statement, these deliverables are part of task C.28.5. Can AHRQ please confirm the SOW task for these deliverables?

Please see solicitation amendment

12 65 and 132 F.2 Deliverable Schedule The “HCUP Calendar of Events” deliverable is listed under task C.29.2.3 in the table. Per the Work Statement, this deliverable is

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Number Page Reference Question and Response part of task C.17.1.1. Can AHRQ please confirm the SOW task for this deliverable?

Please see solicitation amendment

13 133 F.2 Deliverable Schedule The table lists two deliverables that are not referenced under task C.29.2.2 (or elsewhere) in the Work Statement: Update HCUP-US Web Site Technical Support Web pages; Memo on Improving Calendar of Events. The latter also includes a due date of 1/15/2019, which is outside of the performance period. Can AHRQ please confirm whether these deliverables should be included and confirm the due date?

Please see solicitation amendment

14 32 and 116 C.9 State Databases, F.2 Deliverable Schedule

C.9.1.2 suggests that the Contractor constructs a memo after the initial review of data for each Partner, but the C.9.1.2.

deliverable “Memo on Initial Review of Source Data” is due 1 month after CED and annually thereafter. Please confirm if this is an annual deliverable, and if so, what data files are in scope for the annual memo.

Please see solicitation amendment

15 117 F.2 Deliverable Schedule The table lists two deliverables named “HCUP Public Release Annual State Databases”, one for C.9.8 and one for C.9.9. In the SOW, C.9.9 does not reference the public release files. Please confirm whether this deliverable should be included in C.9.9.

Please see solicitation amendment

16 188 Section L The instructions for the project management plan state that we should include a person-level task-loading chart showing labor hours for all major tasks. Are major tasks the CLINs? If not, what is the definition of major task?

Please see solicitation amendment.

17 185 and 190 L.6 (b) II and L.8 Please verify that the prime and each of its major subcontractor are allowed 10 pages each to describe their five (5) contracts.

Please see solicitation amendment

18 23 C.8 Can AHRQ make available existing MOAs in order for bidders to better understand the existing contractual relationships?

No solicitation amendment necessary

19 27 C.8.7 With the successful bidder negotiating MOAs on behalf of AHRQ, is there an existing set of contract standards the contractor must work to? Will the contractor be working with the COR on any HCUP Partner contract markup on an MOA-by-MOA, redline-by-redline basis?

RFP AHRQ-22-10009 Page 5 of 23

Number Page Reference Question and Response Please see solicitation amendment

20 27 C.8.7 In order to purchase data currently on the HCUP website, purchasers are required to agree to an indemnification clause indemnifying the incumbent HCUP contractor against any liability arising from the use of HCUP data. Does AHRQ anticipate that the same practice will continue under this agreement?

No solicitation amendment necessary.

21 28 C.8.10 The Additional Proposal Instructions provide assumptions for the total cost of data purchasing from the HCUP Partners. How would any actual acquisition costs in excess of that estimate be handled?

No solicitation amendment necessary.

22 2 Proposal Submission Can you provide instructions for subcontractors submitting sealed bids to the AHRQ Proposal Module?

It is expected that subcontractor proposal information will be submitted with the Prime offeror’s submission.

16 C.5.2 Receive HCUP materials

With regards to "Limited, minimal assistance will be provided by the prior Contractor…", can AHRQ specify for how many weeks the prior Contract would overlap with the CLIN 0001 and CLIN 0002 base periods?

No solicitation amendment necessary

24 19 C.6.1.1 With regards to the kickoff, is it correct to assume that the kickoff will not be scheduled until CLIN 0002 is awarded?

Please see solicitation amendment

25 32 C.9.1.1 When the SOW is silent on the software or data formats to be used for a given task, does the Contractor have the flexibility to use appropriate software or data formats of its choice (subject to para 3 of C.9.2.1), or does the Government prefer SAS in all instances?

No solicitation amendment necessary.

26 34 C.9.2.2 Should the Contractor expect to pay any licensing fees for CPT, UB 04, or other proprietary coding terminologies under this task or other tasks?

Please see solicitation amendment.

27 41 C.9.7.2 Is the Nielsen Claritas data variable provided by states or derived by the HCUP Contractor? If derived by the HCUP Contractor, should the offeror assume any licensing fee associated with this software?

RFP AHRQ-22-10009 Page 6 of 23

Number Page Reference Question and Response Please see solicitation amendment

28 50 C.12 With regards to "…from States that had verified patient linkage numbers…", how is the verification communicated to the HCUP Contractor?

No solicitation amendment necessary

53 C.13.7 With regards to "estimates provided by other data sources, such as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)," is this in reference to public use files, or estimates derived from CMS claims analysis performed by the HCUP contractor?

Please see the solicitation amendment

30 70 C.20 Online HCUP Data Query Resources

For all subtasks under C.20, can AHRQ provide information to delineate scope, similar to Table 7 on page 85, delineating the responsibilities of the HCUP Contractor vs. the Contractor alluded to that maintains Fast Stats and HCUP Net (on Page 75)?

185 L.6 Technical Proposal Instructions

Are there any formal requirements for the font size and spacing within tables or figures?

No solicitation amendment necessary.

32 68 C.18.5 Technical Advice to Individual HCUP

Partners

Are HCUP Partners supported via the same technical support mechanism that supports the general public? I.e., are Partner requests/inquiries made via the same phone number and email address that is provided to the general public, or is there a separate contact for HCUP Partner support?

Please see solicitation amendment

33 68 C.18.4 HCUP-US

Partners’ Web Page

Is it possible to see any part of the Partner’s technical support web page, or get a description of the components, since it is not accessible to the public?

Content of Partner’s technical support web page:

Partner Events & Activities What's New Partner Calendar Partner Meetings Partner Workgroups and Topical Presentations Partner State Contacts My MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) Contacts for Questions and Feedback

HCUP Partner Resources Exclusive Tools and Reports for Partners

RFP AHRQ-22-10009 Page 7 of 23

Number Page Reference Question and Response National Data Standards Clostridium Difficile Infection (CDI) Toolkit Community-Level Statistics HCUPnet Readmission Resources Race and Ethnicity Data Resources Archives & Other Resources

HCUP Information HCUP Fact Sheet HCUP Description HCUP Overview Binder

Also, the Work Statement specifies that all content in the Partner’s technical support web page “must be user-friendly and searchable.” Are there specific criteria that constitute user-friendliness? Is content searchable there in the same way that an HCUP user can search for relevant publications via the HCUP-US website?

No solicitation amendment necessary.

34 81 C.23.1 Respond to Technical Assistance

Inquiries

Do response times specified in the Work Statement refer to full resolution of a technical assistance inquiry, or are these response times meant to designate the minimum period of time before an inquiry is acknowledged? For example, the Work Statement says: “The Contractor shall respond to user inquiries within two business days of receipt of a user’s question.” Does this mean that AHRQ’s expectation is that inquiries will be fully resolved within two business days, or that the Contractor will acknowledge receipt of the inquiry within two business days?

Please see solicitation amendment.

35 82 C.23.1 Respond to Technical Assistance

Inquiries

Will the previous contractor’s routing protocol for technical assistance be made available at any point?

No solicitation amendment necessary

36 82 C.23.1 Respond to Technical Assistance

Inquiries

Can any information be offered regarding the tracking mechanism that AHRQ will provide for technical assistance inquiries?

No solicitation amendment necessary

37 83 C.23.3 Locate and Peruse HCUP Publications

The Work Statement says: “the Search terms used under the previous contract to find publications that reference HCUP will be provided to the Contractor by AHRQ.” Will any information be provided regarding the websites or databases searched?

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Number Page Reference Question and Response

Yes, search terms and searched sites will be provided after award.

38 113 F.2 Deliverable Schedule Could AHRQ confirm that they would like all financial and management reports to be delivered with one bound hard copy?

Yes

39 15 C.5. RECEIVE HCUP

MATERIALS AND TAKE

OVER OPERATIONS

Can the government provide description and/or documentation on current As-Is IT infrastructure (on-premises or Cloud?), software architecture for each of the HCUP Databases, Applications, and Research Tools, including Hardware, OS, and Data by volume and physical location(s) from where Data and Applications will be shifted?

No solicitation amendment necessary

40 15-18 C.5. RECEIVE HCUP

MATERIALS AND TAKE

OVER OPERATIONS

Can the government provide the As-Is staffing plan and organization structure for supporting the operations of each HCUP Database and Research Tools?

No solicitation amendment necessary

41 15-18 C.5. RECEIVE HCUP

MATERIALS AND TAKE

OVER OPERATIONS

Can the government please confirm that the incumbent will maintain operations during transition?

No solicitation amendment necessary

42 16-18 C.5.3.1 Take Over Management of the

Public Release Database Fulfillment Process

Due to the large size and scope of the HCUP DBs and the importance to seamlessly continue operations during contract transition, is it an option to lease or make the As-Is back-end environment available for continued operations of 4-6 months?

No solicitation amendment necessary

43 24 C.8.1.1 What is the “recruitment database”? Could you describe the structure and contents of this database? The activities (who updates? How often? How many records?)

Please see solicitation amendment.

44 190 L.8 Past Performance Information

AHRQ requests five contracts for the prime contractor and for each major subcontractor but limits past performance information to only 10 pages. Would AHRQ consider increasing the page count to 15 pages?

See response to Question 17.

45 190 L.8 Past Performance Information

The government requires five past performance citations from each significant subcontractor. Given that a significant subcontractor may be a small business, and the requirement is restrictive to valuable potential small business partners, would the government please consider a reduction to three projects?

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Number Page Reference Question and Response

No solicitation amendment necessary.

46 190 L.8 Past Performance Information

The government requires five past performance citations from each significant subcontractor, including small businesses. Would the government consider adjusting the requirement to a minimum of three and up to five past performance citations for major subcontractors (or for small businesses only)?

No solicitation amendment necessary.

47 190 L.8 Past Performance Information

The government requires five past performance citations from each significant subcontractor which would include small business subcontractors. Given that significant subcontractors may be contributing only to a limited percentage of the overall contract execution, would the government consider removing the dollar amount required for the past performance and/or consider evaluating past performance based on scale of the subcontractor's support to HCUP or solely on relevant competencies and services delivered by the subcontractor?

No solicitation amendment necessary.

48 191 L.9.2 Business Proposal Instructions

If labor rates are based on the offeror’s GSA Schedule rates, will the resultant award be made under the GSA Schedule and follow typical GSA order procedures including collecting and remittance of IFF?

No solicitation amendment necessary.

49 34 C.9.2 The SOW states that AHRQ will facilitate the Contractor’s license with 3M. Would AHRQ confirm that the associated license costs should be excluded from the business proposal?

Please see solicitation amendment.

50 85 C.24.4 Would AHRQ provide an estimate of the number of physical data shipments processed on an annual basis?

Please see solicitation amendment.

51 14 C.3 Please provide an inventory of all purchased data files, their source, and their cost needed for the current performance of this project.

No solicitation amendment necessary.

52 16 C.5.2 "Limited, minimal assistance will be provided by the prior Contractor to answer questions about the files and data organization, and for questions about making the processor programs operational. " To ensure a more productive transition plan, could the government provide documentation as to the

RFP AHRQ-22-10009 Page 10 of 23

Number Page Reference Question and Response current team size and workload to properly estimate the transition effort required?

No solicitation amendment necessary.

53 18 C5.3.3 Please provide statistics on the size of the website (in GB), the average number of visits per day, and the amount of data transferred in and out (GB/day) to properly estimate the cost for hosting.

See response to Question 60.

54 20 C.7.1 What is the current data center hosting the solution? What software workflow, document management, and other collaboration tools are currently in use? With a rapid transition as specified here, we will need to support these tools in the short-term before any potential modernization efforts.

No solicitation amendment necessary.

55 20 C.7.1 Please elaborate on the "trimming" process. Is this running a TRIM on the physical storage, or does it refer to a data archival process? Is AHRQ retiring old data files? Removing temporary processing files?

No solicitation amendment necessary

56 22 C.8. Could the government provide an overview of the team currently dedicated to this, how many FTEs are involved, and how much time they spend on various activities? In similar tasks, sometimes the acquisition team's work is highly automated and requires minimal staff, or in other cases this work is not automated and requires large numbers of staff

22 C.8. By partner, how are data files transferred? Email? Physical mail?

SFTP? Other EDI service?

No solicitation amendment necessary

58 28 C.8.10 Please provide a breakdown of all data purchases by organization and over time so we can estimate baseline and future costs for this task.

No solicitation amendment necessary

59 34 C9.2.1 What is the technical nature of the "software used to process individual state data"? SAS Scripts? Besides the DRGs listed in this section, are any other tools or technologies utilized for orchestration? storage? query?

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Number Page Reference Question and Response 60 65 C17 Please provide a technical overview of the web content management system hosting environment of the HCUP-US website, including where it is hosted, what software is used on the server(s), and the team size/roles that maintain it currently.

The existing HCUP-US makes use of several key technologies:

JavaServer Pages (JSP), JSP Standard Tag Library (JSTL), eXtensible Markup Language (XML), and eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT).

The production site for HCUP-US is hosted by the Contractor on a virtualized server utilizing VMWare technologies. The virtual server is roughly equivalent to a dual core Intel Xeon CPU running at 2.3GHz and having 16GB of RAM. The development site is also hosted on a similar class virtual server.

Operating System: The HCUP-US production site uses Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 7.9.

Web Server Software: The HCUP-US sites use version 2.4.6 of Apache Software Foundation’s HTTPD Web Server for static file requests and use version 7.0.76 of Apache Software Foundation’s Tomcat Web server.

Runtime Environment: The HCUP-US sites use the OpenJDK Java runtime environment (version 1.8.0_302).

Average number of visits to HCUP-US per year are 70,000.

61 63 C.16.2.1 Are the processing programs currently maintained in a version control system? If yes, which one?

No solicitation amendment necessary

62 40 C.9.6 In the following sentence: "The Contractor shall create documentation for the annual and data files that will include a file composition document, summary statistics, SAS file information, information on SAS development programs, and a logistics memo that describes each step in processing and any state-specific restrictions that were followed", are the SAS development programs the processing programs that create the HCUP databases?

No solicitation amendment necessary

63 108 C.33.3 Section C.33.3 begins with: "To improve efficiency and address quality, the Contractor shall conduct an assessment of the current master data processer...", and ends with: "The contractor shall summarize the results of the assessment and

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Number Page Reference Question and Response detail a proposed redesign of the processing programs and data infrastructure". Is the master data processor a single program, or a system composed of multiple programs?

Please see solicitation amendment.

64 109 C33.10 This section mentions section C.31.3. However, C.31.3 does not exist. Please advise.

Please see solicitation amendment.

65 18 C.5.3.2 What is the volume of HCUP-US Technical Support inquiries on average in one month?

No solicitation amendment necessary

66 186 L.7 Due to the size of the proposal, could we include a compliance matrix outside of page count?

No solicitation amendment necessary.

67 186 L.7 in Section L.7 begins with: "The technical proposal shall be limited to 100 pages not including appendices. The page limit shall include all other technical proposal content including but not limited to the following: cover page, table of contents, introduction, and technical discussion." However, the introduction is not shown in the Page Limit Summary table. Is the Introduction part of the Technical Proposal?

Please see solicitation amendment.

68 190 L.8 Please specify which volume should include past performance information.

The past performance information will have its own unique upload section.

69 15 C.5. "The Contractor shall maintain HCUP historical files back to the 1988 data year and related materials to document the project."

the government provide an estimate of the historical data archive (in size)?

Please see solicitation amendment.

70 15 C.5. "The Contractor will be provided with a proposed transition plan report that provides an inventory of and process for transferring HCUP data files, documentation, and software for use under the contract." Does this suggest that the government has already developed a Transition Plan?

No solicitation amendment necessary

71 90-95 C 26 & C.27 There appears to be redundancy in the purposes for C26 (pp90 -

94) and C 27 (pp94-95). Can you clarify?

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Number Page Reference Question and Response Task C.26 occurs at the conclusion of the contract period, requiring wrap up and documentation activities, along with maintaining a few key operations. C. 27 occurs when a transition period is required between Contractors and involves project tasks during that transition.

72 113, 144-145 F.1, H.5. F.1 states that the PoP is 60 months from Dec 21, 2022 through Dec 20, 2027. H.5 states that CLIN0001 is 2 months, CLIN0002 will be 60 months starting 2/21/2023. Does that mean the total PoP is 62 months? Please confirm.

The ordering period of the IDIQ contract is 60 months, which limits the start of new task orders and options thereunder. Task Orders may conclude beyond the end of the ordering period.

73 188 B. "Staffing plans shall be organized by CLIN…Personnel selection as demonstrated in an organizational chart accompanied by a person-level task-loading chart with number of labor hours including consultants and subcontractors showing all major tasks." Does it mean each CLIN will need an organization chart and LOE table?

Please see solicitation amendment.

74 185 A In a 12 point TNR font, charts, graphs and tables can be quite large. Would the government consider a 10 point font?

No solicitation amendment necessary.

75 190 L.8 In order to give more information about each referenced project within the 10-page limit, would the government consider amending the past performance requirement to a total of five references for the team, rather than five for the prime offeror and five for each major subcontractor?

See response to Question 17.

76 2 SECTION A -

SOLICITATION FORM,

Proposal Submission

What is the file size limit for submissions uploaded to the AHRQ Proposal Module?

Each proposal (volume) submitted shall be a single file, either Word, PDF, and/or Excel not to exceed 40 MB (40,000 KB).

77 18 C.5.3.3. Take over HCUP-US Website

Will the government provide all relevant HCUP-US Website documentation and specifications, including source code repository and required tools, database size, server requirements, and deployment?

Yes, all relevant documentation for HCUP-US will be provided after award.

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Number Page Reference Question and Response 78 65 Section: C.17.1 Maintain

Content on the HCUP- US Website

Does AHRQ prefer the site to be on contractor-provided servers?

Are there specific configurations or requirements that make hosting it within AHRQ untenable?

No solicitation amendment necessary

79 84-85 C.24 Public Release Database Fulfillment

The government describes CDORS as an “ordering and payment system,” however, in Table 7, the HCUP Contractor is listed as the party responsible for receiving and processing payments.

Will the government please provide documentation on standard operating procedures, CDORS technologies, responsibilities, and details on the envisioned payment processing mechanism, payment gateways, etc.?

Detailed information on the CDORs will be provided at award.

80 87 C.24.5 Receive Payments and

Reimburse HCUP Partner Organizations

This subtask says, “The purchase price of the Nationwide Databases and the processing fees associated with the State-level databases are retained and used to offset the costs of providing public release fulfillment services through disseminating the databases. Staff time, database reproduction, physical binder supplies, and shipping costs shall be charged against these retained fees.” Please clarify: should staff time, database reproduction, binder supplies, and shipping associated with this subtask be included under CLIN0002 in this IDIQ business volume?

Yes, costs associated with this subtask should be included under CLIN0002. Please refer to Business Proposal Instructions/Assumptions # 13 for guidance on credits to be used in your proposed budgets.

81 87 C.24.5 Receive Payments and

Reimburse HCUP Partner Organizations

This subtasks notes: “The Contractor shall make any necessary adjustments (credit) at least four times per year for the unexpended customer payments.” Can the government clarify what is meant by unexpended customer payment and who receives the credit, and provide documentation that demonstrates the process?

Please see solicitation amendment 2.

82 101 C.32 NATIONAL

HEALTHCARE QUALITY

AND DISPARITIES

REPORT

The RFP states, “The Contractor shall also conduct tasks C.30 – C.30.4.2 annually using the most recent year of HCUP data to support each of the subsequent NHQDRs to produce the 2025, 2025, 2027, and 2028 reports.” Should it read, “The Contractor shall also conduct tasks C.32 – C.32.4.2 annually using the most recent year of HCUP data to support each of the subsequent NHQDRs to produce the 2025, 2026, 2027, and 2028 reports”?

Please see solicitation amendment 2.

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Number Page Reference Question and Response

109 C.33.10 Modernize

Processing Programs The subtask refers to “results of the assessment developed under C.31.3.” No subtask C.31.3 exists. Should this instead refer to “C.33.3 Data Processing Evaluation”?

See response to question 1.

84 135 F.2 Deliverables Schedule

Should the Section H Deliverables be billed against CLIN0002?

They are listed below CLIN0005 but do not appear to be related to “Design & Develop New Resources.”

Section H Deliverables should be billed against CLIN0002.

85 185 L.6 General Instructions Can tables, charts, and text boxes use 1.0 line spacing? For example, the person-level task-loading chart required in the Project Management section will be easier to read and understand at 1.0 line spacing.

No Solicitation amendment necessary.

86 185 L.6 General Instructions Will the Government allow a font smaller than 12-point for images (e.g., process diagrams, concept of operations, etc.)?

No Solicitation amendment necessary.

87 185 L.6 General Instructions Will the Government allow a font smaller than 12-point for tables and charts?

No Solicitation amendment necessary.

88 185 L.6 General Instructions Referring to the three required parts of the proposal (Technical Proposal, Past Performance Information, and Business Proposal), RFP p185 states, “The name of the offeror, the RFP number and the title of the RFP should appear on the cover of each part.” For the Past Performance Information part, please confirm: is the cover page excluded from the 10-page limit?

The Past Performance proposal volume is limited to 10 total pages.

89 188 B. Project Management The Project Management section requires a “person-level task-loading chart…showing all major tasks.” Is it acceptable to group Statement of Work activities to create the major tasks so that, for example, “Data Processing” would be represented by a combination of multiple SOW areas?

See response to questions 16 and 73.

90 190 L.8 PAST PERFORMANCE

INFORMATION

Regarding the page limit for past performance, will the government allow 10 pages for the offeror and 10 pages for each major subcontractor so that each company has enough space to provide the details required by the RFP?

Please see response to question 17.

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Number Page Reference Question and Response

91 194 SECTION M-

EVALUATION FACTORS

FOR AWARD,

1. Technical

Several SOW activities (i.e., C.17, C.21, C.23, C.28, C.29) do not appear to map to the four evaluation criteria listed under A.

Technical Approach and Schedule. Will the government provide an additional criterion, such as “Technical Assistance for Data Users & Community Support,” in order to have them included in the evaluation?

Please see solicitation amendment 2.

92 186 L.7 TECHNICAL

PROPOSAL

INSTRUCTIONS

Please confirm that the cover page and table of contents page can be excluded from the 100 page limit so that the government receives the full benefit of the content using the 100 page limit.

No Solicitation amendment necessary.

93 15 C.5 (CURRENT SYSTEM) Where is the current system hosted?

Please see question 54.

94 15 C.5 (CURRENT SYSTEM) What is the average raw data file size from the states? And what is the % increase year over year?

Data file sizes vary greatly across HCUP Partners and data types (inpatient versus outpatient). For example, the HCUP Central Distributor state databases sizes vary from the SID ranging from ~460 MB to~13,000 MB per state and the SEDD ranging from 370 MB to ~13,000 MB per state. Increases year over year are typically very minor.

95 18 C.5.31 The government indicates the partner will receive Outstanding data applications, along with their progress toward completion.

Will the government itemize the list of data applications the contractor can expect to receive in Phase II?

The list of outstanding data applications will be provided at time of award.

96 33 C.9.1.4 Typically how long is it currently taking to perform quality checks and notify the partner? Is it manual today? Is it part of SAS workflow?

No Solicitation amendment necessary.

97 29 C.9.2.1 Please provide a complete list of AHRQ approved software currently used to process state databases.

Please see response to question #10.

98 29 C.9.2.1 Please identify which required and approved processing software tools are AHRQ provided, and which are contractor provided.

No Solicitation amendment necessary.

https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/db/state/siddist/siddist_filesize.jsp https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/db/state/sedddist/sedddist_filesize.jsp https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/db/state/sedddist/sedddist_filesize.jsp

RFP AHRQ-22-10009 Page 17 of 23

Number Page Reference Question and Response 99 33 C.9.1.4 What tools / technologies are currently used for data quality checks and data processing?

No Solicitation amendment necessary.

100 34 C.9.2.2 What tools are used for data modeling?

No Solicitation amendment necessary.

101 34 C.9.2.4 Are any commercial or open source reporting tools used to generate reports?

No Solicitation amendment necessary.

102 35 C.9.3 Are the Algorithms referenced in this section kept in the SAS platform as SAS scripts/model definitions or in another format?

The algorithms are kept in SAS.

103 39 C.9.4.2 Regarding Create Annual and Quarterly Emergency Department Databases and Files, Is the data received from States or processed data stored in any relational database / analytics database?

Please see solicitation amendment 2.

104 42 C.9.7.3 What programming languages are currently being used for data processing?

No solicitation amendment necessary.

105 70 C.20 What tools are used for online visualization? Is there any licensing needed?

Please see solicitation amendment 2.

106 75 C.21 Regarding Software Tools: On what infrastructure and specs is SAS running today?

No solicitation amendment necessary.

107 153 and 158 52.211-11 Liquidated Damages

Request the government remove FAR 52.211-11 from the T&M and FFP Section I clauses as liquidated damages should not be applicable to the nature/scope of this effort. If the government will not remove the requirement, please complete the “fill-in” so that offerors have a clear understanding of what liquidated damages apply.

Please see solicitation amendment 2.

108 203 Certificate of Current Cost or Pricing Data, Attachment B

Page 203 of the RFP requires offerors provide a certificate of current cost or pricing data with their proposal submissions.

Request the requirement to provide a certificate be removed as

RFP AHRQ-22-10009 Page 18 of 23

Number Page Reference Question and Response this is a competitive procurement and should meet the exception standard of 15.403-1(b)(1).

No solicitation amendment necessary.

109 192 Cost/Price Proposal Methodology

The last sentence in this paragraph requests offerors “Provide information on the overhead structure and all associated rates and include a copy of most current indirect cost rate agreement.” It is our understanding that this requirement is only applicable if offerors choose to provide a rate build up in accordance with L.9.2.b and is not applicable to proposals that are submitted using previously negotiated GSA Schedule or other previously negotiated rates. Please confirm.

Confirmed, however, documentation should be provided to support the GSA rate ( E.g. copy of GSA schedule).

110 87 C.24.5 The first sentence indicates “the Contractor shall collect and process all payments for database purchases, including....remitting taxes to the applicable local and state authorities”. Are taxes sales taxes that are included in the price of each database? If not, please clarify.

Please see solicitation amendment 2.

111 187 L.7(a) Technical Proposal Instructions

A DUNS number is required on the cover page; should this be replaced with the UEI# as DUNS is no longer used?

Please see solicitation amendment 2.

112 190 L.9 Business Proposal Instructions

A DUNS number is required on the cover page; should this be replaced with the UEI# as DUNs is no longer used?

Please see solicitation amendment 2.

113 190 L.9 Business Proposal Instructions

Cover page requires One (1) manually signed original of the proposal. Since the proposal is to be submitted electronically through the AHRQ Proposal Module, we request the requirement for a “manually signed original proposal” be revised to state “signed original proposal” as the term manual indicates a “wet” signature is needed.

Please see solicitation amendment 2.

114 29 Section 9.0 Of each leg of the state database creation process, which steps (joins, etc.) are performed manually and which steps are automated?

No solicitation amendment necessary.

115 29 Section 9.0 Are current state database creation processes done within SAS or in another language (Python, R, etc.) and then the data

RFP AHRQ-22-10009 Page 19 of 23

Number Page Reference Question and Response ultimately stored in a SAS format for the scientists to perform their research and analysis?

No solicitation amendment necessary.

116 2 Price Validity Would the Government consider extending validity to 150 days?

The Submission date is August 1st and the RFP says that proposals must be valid for at least 120 days, however the RFP also says the Government intends to award on or around December 21st. This is 140+ days from date of submission.

Please see solicitation amendment 2.

117 188 L.7 B Technical Proposal Instructions

The RFP states that the Project Management Plan should include a “person-level task-loading chart with number of labor hours including consultants and subcontractors showing all major tasks.” For clarity, would the Government consider defining “major tasks” as Level One?

See response to Question 16.

118 5 B.4 CLIN Pricing The period of performance for CLIN 0001 is stated as 12/21/2022

– 02/20/2022. Please confirm that this should be 12/21/2022 – 02/20/2023.

Please see solicitation amendment 1.

119 6 B.5 Labor Categories and Rates

Both T&M/Labor Hour and FFP contract types are referenced in the RFP. Does the Government intend to primarily utilize one contract type over the other, and if so, which contract type is preferred?

No solicitation amendment necessary.

120 6 B.5 Labor Categories and Rates

The solicitation states: "Task Orders may be issued and awarded on a firm-fixed price, time and materials or labor hour basis."

and "A separate cost proposal will not be required at the task order level." The pricing samples for CLINS 0001- CLIN0004 in section B.4 CLIN PRICING, indicate Time and Materials totals. Is it the Government's intent to award all tasks bid under CLIN0001- CLIN0004 as Time and Materials tasks? What tasks does the Government intend to award as firm fixed price task orders?

CLINS 0001-0004 will be awarded as T&M contract types.

CLIN0005 may be awarded as T&M, Labor Hour or Fixed-Price.

121 6 B.5 Labor Categories and Rates

If a task order is issued once under CLIN 0002 with a start date in the base period and an end date in Option Year 4, will the base period rates be used for the entirety of the task order, or will the

RFP AHRQ-22-10009 Page 20 of 23

Number Page Reference Question and Response rates follow the table provided in section B.5 for each consecutive option year?

No solicitation amendment necessary.

122 N/A B.4 CLIN Pricing and B.5 Labor Categories and Rates

Are Offerors required to use the sample format tables in B.4 and B.5 for the cost/price proposal, or could Offerors modify and combine tables in the Excel file for submission that includes all required fields?

No solicitation amendment necessary.

123 N/A SAM.GOV Can the Government confirm that the only attachment provided in the solicitation was the .pdf file, with no additional controlled attachments?

No solicitation amendment necessary.

124 192 Section L.9 Cost/Price Methodology

Please confirm that Offerors using the GSA Schedule as their BOE do not need to include “information on the overhead structure and all associated rates and include a copy of most current indirect cost rate agreement”?

See response to question #109.

125 Pages 186-

Section L.7 Technical Proposal Instructions

Would the Government consider excluding the Cover Page, Table of Contents and other reference content such as a Table of Figures and a Table of Abbreviations from the 100 page limit for the Technical narrative? Doing so would incentivize Offerors to add tables that will assist Government evaluators as they navigate the response.

No solicitation amendment necessary.

126 Attachment D, page 2 of

Section D, Information Security Categorization

It appears the HCUP information security categorization shows the risk level for each Security Objective and the Overall Risk Level to be classified as “low”. Does this imply that systems storing and processing data (PHI) are considered information security categorization "low"?

The current HCUP system for processing data is considered “moderate”.

127 Attachment D, page 2 of

Section D, Information Security Categorization

If the information system(s) required for the delivery of the HCUP contract all have an information security categorization of “low”, are any of the HCUP information systems considered High Value Assets (HVA)? If so, please specify which HCUP information system(s) are considered HVAs: HCUP data system and/or HCUP web services.

HCUP is considered an HVA. See response to Question #126.

RFP AHRQ-22-10009 Page 21 of 23

Number Page Reference Question and Response 128 Attachment

D, page 6 of

Section 4, High Value Asset Testing

There is a requirement to perform “Red Team” Penetration/Application Testing. Will the Government provide the Red Team to perform the testing? Or is the Contractor required to supply the Red Team resources? And if it is the Contractor that should provide the Red Team, does the testing have to be performed by an independent third-party?

The government will provide the independent red team penetration/application testing, but does not cover the cost of travel, if necessary.

129 Attachment D, page 13 of

Section 7.B, Annual Assessment/Penetration Test

The RFP states: “this may involve penetration testing conducted by the Agency or independent third-party”. Who will be responsible for supplying the resources to conduct the Pen Test if an independent third-party will be conducting the testing, the Government or the Contractor?

The independent assessment as part of the ATO process (per Section 7.b) is the responsibility of the contractor.

130 Attachment D, page 13 of

Section 7.B, Annual Assessment/Penetration Test

The RFP states: “this may involve penetration testing” and “This requirement applies to all FIPS 199 ‘High’ information systems as well as all internet-facing systems.” Does this imply Pen Tests will now be required even for information systems categorized as having an overall risk level of “low” under FIPS 199 if the system is internet-facing?

Penetration testing is required as part of the HVA assessment (Section 4). HCUP is considered an HVA.

131 Attachment D, page 7 of

Section 5.A, Independent Assessment

Will the Government supply the independent third-party resources to perform the assessment, or will the Contractor need to procure the services of an independent third party to perform the assessment?

See response to question 129.

The independent assessment as part of the HVA process (Section

4) will be covered by the Government, but does not cover the cost of travel, if necessary.

132 Attachment D, page 6 of 24 and SOW C.2. page 14

Attachment D Section 5 & SOW Section C.2. - Security Assessment and Authorization (SA&A) for Contractor Hosted Systems

The Security & Privacy Requirements on page 6 of 24 state that an ATO must be completed within 120 days of the contract start and the SOW on page 14 states the ATO must be completed by the end of the 1st quarter of the contract base period. These requirements conflict since 120 days will be after the end of 1Q of the base period. Please clarify the due date for the ATO.

Please see solicitation amendment 2.

RFP AHRQ-22-10009 Page 22 of 23

Number Page Reference Question and Response 133 Attachment

D, page 7 of

Section 5, SA&A for Contractor Hosted Systems, Independent Assessment

Will the Government pay for the independent 3rd party security and privacy assessment?

The independent assessment as part of the ATO process is the responsibility of the contractor.

134 Page 5 B.5 LABOR CATEGORIES

AND RATES

Will the Government allow the addition of labor categories during the performance of this contract?

No.

135 Page 7 B.6 Provisions Applicable to Direct Costs

If Information Technology hardware and software is unallowable as a direct cost, how should the Offeror bid hardware or software required to deliver on the SOW?

It is expected that the offeror will have hardware to adequately perform the services. Hardware will not be approved as a direct charge. Government property is not authorized or anticipated under this contract.

If software is applicable solely to the HCUP contract and is authorized in writing by the CO it will be allowable as a direct cost.

136 Page 152 Part II – Contract Clauses, Section I, Contract Clauses

Are Offerors allowed to take exception and/or make qualifications to RFP provisions and clauses?

All clauses included in the solicitation will be incorporated into the contract award.

137 Page 153 Part II – Contract Clauses, Section I, Contract Clauses

In order to solicit the most competitive offers, would the Government consider deleting FAR Clause 52.211-11, Liquidated Damages – Supplies, Services, or Research and Development as Liquidated Damages are not a standard commercial industry practice?

Please see solicitation amendment 2.

138 Appendix D, Page 22 of

Section 11. Contract Initiation & Expiration.

11.A. General Security Requirements

Section 11.A. of Appendix D states: “All information system development or enhancement tasks supported by the Contractor shall follow the HHS EPLC framework and methodology <to be provided after contract award>.” Is the contractor responsible for deliverables identified in the EPLC Framework document but not identified in the F.2 Deliverables Schedule?

The contractor’s proposed development methodology must be able to generate deliverables consistent with the HHS EPLC framework and associated stage gate reviews.

EPLC

All IT projects in HHS shall be managed using the Enterprise Performance Life Cycle (EPLC) Framework, including life cycle phases, reviews, deliverables, activities, responsibilities, and tailoring. Detailed

RFP AHRQ-22-10009 Page 23 of 23

Number Page Reference Question and Response information regarding HHS EPLC Stage Gates including descriptions, responsibilities, activities, deliverables, and exit criteria can be found at https://www.hhs.gov/web/governance/digital-strategy/it-policy-archive/policy-for-information-technology-enterprise-performance.html. The development cycle, release plan, and schedule of deliverables shall be in accordance with the figure below, except as waived by the project COR and reflected in the delivery schedule.

https://www.hhs.gov/web/governance/digital-strategy/it-policy-archive/policy-for-information-technology-enterprise-performance.html https://www.hhs.gov/web/governance/digital-strategy/it-policy-archive/policy-for-information-technology-enterprise-performance.html https://www.hhs.gov/web/governance/digital-strategy/it-policy-archive/policy-for-information-technology-enterprise-performance.html

EPLC