Medic_Contract_SOW.pdf

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Statement of Work – ATF Medic Program

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has a requirement for a contractor to provide medical oversight, physician certification, and ongoing operational and training support to the Bureau’s Operational Medical Support Program (Medic Program). The medic program has 70 special agents cross-trained as medics. They are stationed nationwide.

Operational support will be needed anywhere within the United States and its territories. Training support will occur in various locations throughout the United States.

ATFs Special Operations Division (SOD) supports ATF’s Field Divisions through a variety of programs including the Special Response Team (SRT), National Response Team (NRT) and International Response Team (IRT). As part of these programs, the Medic Program fulfills a vital role. ATFs medics must be trained to provide a high level of care due to the working environment.

To accomplish this, ATFs medics operate with an expanded scope of practice which allows them to provide care at a level beyond their civilian Emergency Medical Services (EMS) certification.

The contractor must be capable of providing physician sanction and licensure along with training each year of the contract. In addition, ATF requires Medical Support Teams (MST) to deploy with the SRT, NRT or IRT, especially on remote or high-risk operations and training events. The successful contractor must be capable of providing such support on limited notice. This limited notice can be as short as two hours.

1. ATF requires the following support:

a) Training:

i. The cadre of ATF medics consists of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) with some additional EMT – 85 Intermediates (EMT-85I)/Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians (AEMT) and Paramedics. Historically, Medic Program training is geared to the EMT-85I/AEMT level for all medics with occasional breakout sessions for paramedics. Annually, the contractor will provide instruction for up to three annual recertification training events, in accordance with National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) and Medic Program requirements. Each training event will be five days in length and provide 40 hours of recertification and continuing education instruction per event. The training will take place at sites to be determined by SOD, with some trainings taking place at the contractor’s facility. The contractor will be responsible for all costs related to securing classroom space if held at the contractor’s facilities. The contractor will be responsible for all medical supply and student training material costs. Medical supplies are necessary to ensure adequate hands-on practice is afforded all students.

Should SOD request, the contractor will develop and deploy a distance learning model for medical education. This distance learning model will allow SA medics to earn some of their required NREMT hours at their posts of duty. The distance learning model would be developed to the specifications of SOD.

ii. Annually, the contractor will provide a physician plus one medical personnel (registered nurse or physician’s assistant) to assist the medic program in conducting two, one-week tactical medical officers courses (TMOC) for SOD. Generally, TMOC occurs in the 1st and 3rd quarters of the fiscal year. The TMOC consists of medical and tactical instruction and provides 40 hours of continuing education credit applicable to the NREMT. The contractor will provide medical instruction during the TMOC. Topics will include classroom lectures related to Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC). The contractor will also provide oversight of TCCC scenarios as well as ATF medics who will function as medical instructors.

SOD will provide medical supplies for the TMOC. The contractor will be responsible for all student-training materials. COR will fund travel for instructors in accordance with FAR 31.205-46.

iii. Annually, the contractor will provide a physician plus one medical personnel

(registered nurse or physician’s assistant) to conduct up to two (2), one-week Advanced Sick Call Courses. This course will provide 40 hours of continuing education credit applicable to the NREMT. The course consists of 50% classroom instruction and 50% clinical instruction at a hospital-based setting. Clinical instruction will be in small groups to ensure students have the opportunity to interact with patients. This will necessitate several clinical groups of students each day. The class size will not exceed 12 students. The location for these courses will be determined by both the contractor and SOD. The contractor needs to have the capability of providing a hospital-based emergency room site for this course. The contractor will be responsible for all costs associated with securing classroom space. The contractor will be responsible for all medical supply costs. Adequate medical supplies are necessary to ensure proper hands-on practice is afforded all students. SOD will provide otoscopes and student training materials as needed to conduct the course. The contractor will be responsible for the content of the student manual. COR will fund travel for instructors in accordance with FAR 31.205-46.

iv. Annually, the contractor will provide a physician to assist the medic program in conducting a Wilderness Tactical Medical Course. The physician will be knowledgeable in wilderness and survival medicine. This course will take place at sites to be determined by SOD. This course will be five days in length and provide 40 hours of continuing education credit applicable to the NREMT. The course consists primarily of scenario-based training. Medical content will be provided in the field environment and occasionally in the classroom setting with the approval of SOD. SOD will provide medical supplies and student training materials for the Wilderness Tactical Medical Course. The contractor will be responsible for the content of the student handouts. COR will fund travel for instructors in accordance with FAR 31.205-46.

v. As needed, the contractor will provide a physician to provide medical oversight and support during a SOD-sponsored SRT Candidate School. This school traditionally is 16 consecutive days in length. The school day typically is 12 hours in length with no days off during the school. Physician will be required to be on-call and on sight 24 hours per day during the entire school. The contractor will provide a physician comfortable working in austere environments, to include barrack settings. The contractor will provide all supplies and medications needed to conduct twice-daily sick call as well as to care for athletic injuries, etc. The physician will also be responsible for determining the go/no go status of students throughout the course. This course will take place at sites to be determined by SOD. COR will fund travel for contractor assigned personnel in accordance with

FAR 31.205-46.

vi. As needed, the contractor will provide a physician to support a SOD-sponsored

SRT Forward Observer Candidate School. This school traditionally is 16 consecutive days in length. The school day typically is 12 hours in length with no days off during the school. Physician will be required to be on-call and/or on-site 24 hours per day for the entire length of the school. The contractor will provide a physician comfortable working in austere environments, to include barrack settings. The contractor will provide all supplies and medications needed to conduct twice-daily sick calls as well as to care for athletic injuries, etc. The physician will also be responsible for determining the go/no go status of students throughout the course. This course will take place at sites to be determined by SOD. COR will fund travel for contractor assigned personnel in accordance with

FAR 31.205-46.

vii. Annually, the contractor will provide a physician who will conduct Medical

Training for members of the SRT. This training will consist of five sessions (one for each SRT) with both classroom and practical skills. Each session will take place over two days exclusive of necessary travel days. Sites will be determined by SOD.

Content will be agreed upon by the contractor and SOD. COR will fund travel for instructors in accordance with FAR 31.205-46.

viii. As needed, the contractor will assist the medic program as necessary in implementing Basic EMT training as well as other training deemed necessary by SOD, subject to the availability of Government funds. The EMT training will conform to the national curriculum as maintained by the Department of Transportation and properly prepare students to qualify for the National Registry of EMTs test.

b) Place of Performance:

i. The field of comprehensive tactical medical support is a small one. Since its creation in 1994, the ATF Medic Program/ SOD has only utilized university medical center based vendors with proven expertise in tactical and operational medicine for oversight, training and operational support for its Medic Program.

The university medical center based model has allowed the Bureau to benefit from the academic, teaching and research culture inherent in such institutions. The research expertise available to ATF at the university medical center has allowed us to evaluate the latest cutting edge innovations in the medical field. It has also allowed the ATF medic program to adopt many of these innovations, techniques, and pharmaceuticals ahead of other tactical medical program counterparts. The successful contractor will be a university medical center based and have a demonstrated longitudinal track record of practical experience in tactical medicine, preferably administered under a formal and established special operations program.

The successful contractor should have documented recent research publications specific to tactical medicine. The successful contractor should be actively training physicians in this discipline through advanced fellowship programs.

ii. This university medical center based vendor and assigned medical director shall be located within 75 miles of ATF Headquarters. This will allow more efficient and cost effective management of the medic program by SOD and the assigned ATF Program Manager. Close proximity to ATF HQ allows for needed frequent in person meetings as well as briefings between the Program Manager, SOD senior leadership and the contractor.

c) Operations:

i. Provide physician and/or registered nurse/physician assistant level operational support via MST during high risk, remote/austere tactical operations and national emergencies for extended periods of time.

ii. SRT Operations

i. Members providing operational support for tactical operations will have appropriate ballistic protection as determined by ATF. This equipment will be purchased/maintained by the contractor.

iii. NRT / IRT Operations

i. Members providing operational support for fire and explosives related scenes will be supplied with ATF fire helmets. SOD will provide these fire helmets.

2. Qualifications: the contractor shall provide the following:

a) A licensed faculty physician to serve as the ATF Medical Director with documented experience in tactical medicine. Physician must have a valid license to practice in at least one state and have the proper knowledge of the applicable laws, regulations and protocols in that state. Physician will have board certification in emergency medicine, be clinically active in a hospital based emergency department, and have current knowledge of emergency care of patients who are ill or injured. Physician will have experience with running an EMS operational program and tactical medicine program. Physician will have experience in the management of quality assurances processes in tactical medicine.

Physician will have experience in the development and delivery of continuing education/certification/re-certification for tactical medicine providers.

b) A university hospital clinical site to host ATF medic training, and continuing education for all levels of ATF medics. This site must be a Level 1 adult and pediatric trauma center and must have cardiac catheterization and stroke center designations. Additionally, the host hospital must be an active EMS receiving facility and routinely provide base station consultations.

c) Submit all personnel who will provide operational support to an ATF background investigation. Contractor personnel are required to successfully complete said investigation.

d) Provide immediate online medical direction 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for ATF medics.

The contractor will have a mechanism in place to record all medical control telephone calls and maintain such recordings for a minimum of one year.

e) Contractor must provide two vehicles capable of emergency response and support of law enforcement operations. These vehicles will be equipped with emergency warning lights (red/blue) and siren.

f) Provide medical direction in the form of protocols tailored for ATFs medic program. These protocols must be issued in both print and electronic versions. The electronic version must be suitably indexed and formatted for use with a ‘smart phone’ type device or other personal digital assistant device. The protocols must be issued in both print and electronic versions by October 1 of the base year of the contract. Updated versions reflecting best medical practices must be issued by October 1 of option years two (2) and four (4).

g) Provide medical preplans as necessary to ATF’s medic program. Content of medical preplans must relate to a specific ATF operation or training site. Required information includes the name and capability of the closest hospital, closest level 1 trauma center, closest burn center, local helicopter medevac capability, local EMS capability, and local canine veterinary hospital capability. Driving directions need to be included for the hospitals and veterinary hospital. These medical preplans must need to be available within 24 hours of request. The contractor will be required to maintain operational security at all times when gathering this information.

h) Provide Medical Director (see Section 2A) who will work a minimum eight hours per month directly with the medic program manager and other SOD components (as needed) for the purposes of program development. This requirement will be performed at ATF Headquarters, Special Operations Division or other locations at the discretion of the COR.

3. Government Furnished Equipment:

a) ATF background investigation for all contractor personnel who will participate in operations or trainings with ATF.

b) ATF credentials for all contractor personnel who pass background investigation. The credentials will clearly designate bearer as part of ATF’ Medical Support Team (MST) engaged in official ATF duties.

c) Velcro panels with ATF identifiers for the vendors ballistic vests and medical bags. The vendor will have their own Medical Support Team ballistic vest and medical bags. ATF will NOT be providing these two items.

d) Appropriate ATF fire helmets for use during NRT and IRT operations.

4. Travel

Travel costs and expenses will be budgeted each year by the COR for services described in paragraphs 1 and 2. Travel must be authorized in advance by the COR. Travel costs will be paid for contractor personnel in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations FAR 31.205-46.

5. Option Years Deliverables – As medical research advances, it is vitally important for the contractor to review said research and implement best practices into the medic program training.

Therefore, the contractor will do the following each option year if exercised:

a) Update Annual Recertification Sessions to reflect best medical practices as well as operational experiences of medic cadre.

b) Update Tactical Medical Officers Course to reflect best practices as well as operational experience of medic cadre.

c) Update Advanced Sick Call Course to reflect best practices as well as operational experience of medic cadre.

d) Update Wilderness Tactical Medicine Course to reflect best practices as well as operational experience of medic cadre.

e) Update medical protocols as described in paragraph 2f.