ATTACHMENT B - STATEMENT OF WORK (FINAL).docx

ATTACHMENT B: STATEMENT OF WORK

Veterans Health Administration Women’s Health Mini Residency Clinical Examination Facilities and Gynecologic Teaching Associates

1. SCOPE. This Statement of Work (SOW) defines contractor requirements for Examination Facilities and Gynecologic Teaching Associates (GTAs) in support of the execution of up to three (3) Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Women’s Health Mini-Residency (WHMR) training events per year.

2. BACKGROUND. VHA Office of Women’s Health currently conducts up to three (3) face-to-face WHMR training events annually. The enactment of §5202 of the John Isakson and David P. Roe, M.C. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 provides additional funding for primary care and emergency care clinician attendance at the Women Veterans Health Care Mini-Residency Program in fiscal years 2021 through 2025 (in addition to what was available prior to enactment). Therefore, Women’s Health plans to execute an additional WHMR annually from fiscal year 2023 through 2028. The Government will collaborate with the vendor and specify dates and times upon contract award for the base year and at option exercise for the option years. The WHMR will provide VHA participants (physicians and nurses) the opportunity to attend lectures on Women’s Health topics, demonstrate knowledge and skills in small group settings (including case-based discussions and partial task trainer activities), and engage in high fidelity simulation-based learning with gynecologic teaching associates (GTAs). The WHMR events will be held in a U.S. city not more than 50 miles away from a regional or international airport with at least four (4) conference or hotel meeting sites capable of accommodating approximately 320 travelers and space to accommodate onsite training in multiple rooms. The clinical training facilities with GTAs will be held at a location not more than a 30-minute drive by bus (during peak traffic times) from the conference meeting site. Government-provided buses will transport VHA participants to and from the contractor-provided clinical training facility. The Government will collaborate with the vendor and specify dates and times upon contract award for the base and four option years. For purposes of this contract the first WHMR training event will occur no earlier than June of 2024.

3. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENT. This SOW specifies the requirements for the contractor provided GTAs and clinical training facilities required to support the annual conduct of up to three (3) WHMR programs in the base year and four option years.

4. EXCLUDED REQUIREMENTS. Contracting agents for VHA will award additional/separate contracts for:

· Conference meeting site and hotel accommodations (separate from the clinical examination facilities) accommodating approximately 320 travelers with space to accommodate onsite training in multiple rooms.

· Bus services to transport VHA participants.

· Clinical Breast and pelvic examination task trainer simulators and instruction.

· Supplies for use with task trainer simulators at the conference facility site.

5. APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS. None.

6. REQUIREMENTS.

6.0 Kickoff and Optional Annual Planning Meeting. The contractor shall participate in a contract kickoff meeting within five (5) days of award with the Contracting Officer, COR, and other key Government Stakeholders. At the kickoff meeting the contractor shall present details of its facilities/ GTAs/ processes to Government stakeholders to set the stage for performance. Additionally, at the option of the Government, the contractor shall participate in a planning meeting to determine dates, schedules, and other details related to the annual planning of the Women’s Health Mini Residency events. Additional formal and informal communication between VHA Women’s Health and the contractor leading up to the event(s) will be necessary to ensure effective event delivery.

6.1 VHA Clinical Training Facility Support. The Contractor shall provide VHA a single facility/ building for support to up to three (3) VHA WHMR in the base year and each option year. The Government will specify dates and times upon contract award for the base year and at option exercise for the option years. The first WHMR training event will occur no earlier than June of 2024.

6.2 Clinical Training Facility Rooms and Location. The Contractor shall provide a facility meeting the following requirements:

Rooms:

· two (2) briefing rooms able to comfortably hold up a minimum of 40 people seated

· minimum of twelve (12) and up to eighteen (18) Clinical Examination Rooms[footnoteRef:1], and [1: The specific number of clinical examination rooms for base year and years one (1) through four (4) will be provided upon contract award and at option exercise.]

· one (1) General Purpose Meeting Room able to comfortably hold up to 20 people seated.

Location:

Provided facility must be no more than a 30-minute drive by bus (during peak traffic times) from at least (4) conference or hotel meeting sites located not more than 50 miles away from a regional or international airport for each WHMR.

Duration and Access:

Traditionally, for each VHA WHMR, facilities are required to be utilized for up to twelve hours on two consecutive days. WHMR staff must have access to the facilities approximately two (2) hours prior to the start of each day.

6.2.1 Briefing Rooms. The Contractor shall provide two (2) Pre-Examination Briefing Rooms with furniture in a classroom setting to accommodate up to 40 VHA participants for four (4) sessions per day.

6.2.1.1 Room must be sized such that VHA participants can easily hear the pre-examination briefing without the briefer having to raise his/her voice above normal talking level. A microphone can also be provided to meet this requirement.

6.2.1.2 Provide bottled water at a standard table in the rear of the briefing room sufficient for 150 people each day, both days, both briefing rooms; and

6.2.1.3 Have ready access to restroom facilities within a three (3) minute walk at a normal pace from the Briefing Rooms.

6.2.2 Clinical Examination Rooms. The Contractor shall provide a minimum of twelve (12) and up to eighteen (18) clinical examination rooms (depending on training need) large enough to simultaneously accommodate one (1) GTA and three (3) VHA participants in the conduct of clinical pelvic and breast exams. Each examination room shall contain/have:

6.2.2.1 Examination table with stirrups and pillow;

6.2.2.2 One (1) handheld mirror;

6.2.2.3 One (1) Goose Neck light (i.e., external exam light);

6.2.2.4 One (1) supply cart per examination room of sufficient size and utility to hold necessary equipment and supplies used in conduct of the clinical pelvic and breast exams.

6.2.2.5 Patient gowns and linens

6.2.2.6 Large cotton swabs

6.2.2.7 Lubricant – individually packaged

6.2.2.8 Chucks

6.2.2.9 Drapes

6.2.2.10 Gloves – non- latex

6.2.2.11 Non-expired single-use LED vaginal lighted specula or equivalent

6.2.2.12 Baby wipes

6.2.2.13 Wet prep vials for display purposes only (1 per room)

6.2.2.14 Pap test collection broom (compatible with wet prep collection) for display purposes only (1 per room)

6.2.2.15 Pap test brush for display purposes only (1 per room)

6.2.2.16 Handwashing Station or sink in the clinical exam rooms to include water and hand soap to ensure proper hand sanitization of clinical participants and GTA’s.

6.2.2.17 VA preferred Ceiling Mounted Privacy Curtains to encompass adequate space for the participants to perform examination unencumbered by the curtain. Curtains will be cleaned and maintained by the contractor in accordance with universal infection control standards. If curtains are not available, the Government will be willing to negotiate other privacy options provided by the contractor ensuring patient privacy and safety.

6.2.2.18 PPE to include (Gown, Mask, Shield) – When additional safety precautions are needed due to circumstances beyond our control (ex. Pandemics).

6.2.2.19 48 clipboards

Please note: All supplied and equipment provided by Contractor must be in good working order and products must be non-expired.

6.3 General Purpose Meeting Room. The Contactor shall provide one (1) general purpose meeting (breakout) room at each WHMR, suitable for side discussions and issue resolution, within the examination facility at a location that does not interfere with training flow, capable of simultaneously accommodating up to 20 people.

6.4 Dry Runs. The Contractor shall support one (1) “Dry Run” rehearsal for each WHMR. Exact times for the “Dry Run” rehearsals will be coordinated at the post-award conference. The Dry Runs will cover all aspects of the Contractor supported events and shall include a physical review of the clinical examination facility / rooms and the examination material / supplies that will support each WHMR. Dates and times for the base year will be decided upon contract award and dates and times for years one (1) through four (4) will be provided at option exercise.

6.5 Gynecologic Teaching Associates. The Contractor shall provide GTAs at each WHMR in order for VHA participants to conduct assessments/histories and both pelvic and breast examinations and up to one hour debrief session with WH staff after each training day. Dates and times for the base year will be decided upon contract award and dates and times for options one (1) through four (4) will be provided at option exercise.

6.6 GTA Quantity Required. GTA requirements will vary depending on training session type. The number of exams required for the largest session would be estimated at 144 exams each day for a two (2) day training event. These providers will each perform one (1) speculum and bimanual exam to demonstrate skills necessary to conduct a Pap or sexually transmitted infection specimen collection (no actual specimen will be collected). The contractor shall ensure sufficient staffing for each training day. The contractor shall ensure the safety of each GTA in their requirements of the maximum exams for each GTA per day. Please note the number of exams may change depending on the safety measures. Therefore, Women’s Health will provide the contractor the training session type and number of participants 120 days prior to the first day of the two-day training event.

Please note: GTAs will be working with interprofessional groups (i.e., nurses and providers (PA, NP, MD) for certain training events. For those events, GTAs will also engage with nurses to coach on trauma-informed patient preparation and communication skills, in addition to the physical exam skills for providers.

6.7 Sanitation. The Contactor shall be responsible for the personal sanitation needs of the GTAs, (e.g., sheets, gowns, soap, towels, cleansing cloths, removal of biohazard and other trash items, cleaning of rooms, etc.) as required by the Contractor’s employment agreements with the GTAs.

Contractor shall ensure GTAs follow infection control procedures and have the necessary PPE equipment (Gown, Mask, Face Shield) mandated by the contractor and in accordance with VHA guidance and standards for all in-person events are available to all participants.

6.8 Instruction and Examinations.

6.8.1 The GTAs will be required to attend one GTA orientation for each training event. All GTAs will be required to review the VHA-endorsed pelvic and breast exam videos PRIOR TO orientation day to ensure instruction is in alignment with VA-endorsed practices.

6.8.2 The GTAs shall assist providers with a breast examination, and a pelvic examination to include speculum examination, bimanual examination, and ‘mock’ Pap test and/or ‘mock’ sexually transmitted infection sample collection. [actual Pap test and / or sexually transmitted sample collection procedures (i.e., contact of specimen brush, spatula, or swab to the cervix) will not be performed].

6.8.3 The GTAs shall engage each participant (in individual examination rooms) in a supportive and encouraging manner, develop a rapport and display professionalism in a guiding and non-threatening way that will enhance and not interfere with the training experience. This engagement will occur during the assessment/history, room set up, and examinations based on the VHA approved checklist.

6.8.4 The GTAs shall provide each participant (in individual examination rooms) with formative, summative and qualitative feedback that is in alignment with VHA policies and commonly accepted practices to ensure consistency across the learners’ experiences.

6.8.5 As time allows, the GTAs shall provide participants with the opportunity to repeat all or portions of the exam after feedback is provided in order to reaffirm what was learned during the session.

6.9 GTA Required Anatomy. The Contractor shall provide GTAs who have at least one (1) breast, a uterus, and at least one (1) ovary.

6.10 Maximum Exams per GTA. The maximum exams per GTA will be determined by contractors’ current policy to ensure the safety of the GTA.

6.11 Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA). The Contractor shall protect GTA HIPAA data.

6.12 GTA Injuries. The Contractor shall be responsible for any injuries or illness sustained by the GTAs while in performance of this contract and the Contractor shall free the Government (the VHA) from liabilities for injuries incurred in the performance of this contract.

6.13 Meetings. Prior to each WHMR, the Contractor shall participate in up to three teleconference meetings with the VHA staff for planning purposes to ensure a common understanding of the participant expectations and GTA roles for each session and intended training outcomes. One of the teleconference meetings shall cover all aspects of the Contractor supported events and will include an electronic format review of the facilities and the supplies and materials that support each WHMR. Teleconference meetings will be conducted on/about 45 days prior to each WHMR. Time and dates for teleconference meetings will be set at the post-award conference.

The Contractor will participate in up to one hour debrief session with WH staff after each training day.

The Contractor will participate in meeting at least one week after the event to discuss the successes, issues, improvements and if needed, potential solutions.

6.14 Confidentiality. The GTA and all participants shall be protected from any portion of the training being recorded (video or audio) or photographed without expressed written consent. All facility or personal recording devices must be required to be off at all times during the training. The GTAs and all participants shall be instructed to maintain confidentiality regarding each party’s ability and performance during the training.

6.15 Dates of Training Events. The Contractor will work with the Government to establish training dates for the base and four option year. The first training date shall occur in June 2024. Training dates should avoid Federal Government holidays, weekends and weekend travel for participants.

If the Government is unable to secure conference or hotel meeting space, further training date options will be requested.

6.16 Place of Performance. Single examination facility site not more than a 30-minute drive by bus from at least (4) conference or hotel meeting sites.

6.17 Period of Performance (Anticipated).

Base: TBD Option Period One: TBD Option Period Two: TBD Option Period Three: TBD Option Period Four: TBD

6.18 Changes to the SOW. Any changes to this SOW shall be authorized and approved only through written correspondence from the Contracting Officer. A copy of each change will be kept in a project folder along with all other products of the project. Costs incurred by the contractor through the actions of parties other than the Contracting Officer shall be borne by the contractor.

6.19 Security Requirements. The contracted personnel will not have access to VA information systems or sensitive information. It is determined that Certification and Accreditation requirements do not apply and that a Security Accreditation Package is not required.

6.20 Quality Assurance. The contractor shall develop and maintain an effective quality control program and implement procedures to identify, prevent and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The contractor’s quality control program is the means to assure that the work complies with the requirement of the contract.