ATTACHMENT_D.2__SAMPLE_TASK_ONE.docx

SAMPLE TASK ONE:

Analysis of Existing Data on Wellness Programs

1. Background

Worksites are important public health settings because the majority of US adults spend considerable amounts of time at work and the workplace can have an influence on employee health. In recent years, employers have increasingly become interested in programs to improve employee health, offering worksite wellness programs, onsite clinical preventive services such as flu vaccinations, healthful foods options in cafeterias and vending machines, and greater opportunities for physical activity.[footnoteRef:1] Equally important, many employers choose insurance plans that cover preventive services for their employees and often offer certain rewards or employee incentives for participating in employee sponsored wellness programs. This trend is not only driven by a sense of responsibility of staff well-being but also by emerging evidence that better employee health status has tangible benefits in terms of productivity, staff morale and retention and health care cost.[footnoteRef:2] For example, a review of 122 studies found consistent evidence that workplace health programs have positive clinical and cost outcomes.[footnoteRef:3] A recent meta-analysis suggests that wellness programs have a return on investment of around 3:1 for both direct medical cost and productivity.[footnoteRef:4] [1: World Economic Forum. Working Towards Wellness Initiative. http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/Wellness/index.htm, accessed Nov 18, 2009] [2: Mattke S, et al. A review of methods to measure health-related productivity loss. Am J Manag Care 2007; 13:211-217] [3: Pelletier K. A Review and Analysis of the Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness Studies of Comprehensive Health Promotion and Disease Management Programs at the Worksite: Update VI 2000–2004. JOEM 2005; 47: 1051-1058] [4: Baicker K, Cutler D, Song Z. Workplace Wellness Programs Can Generate Savings. Health Affairs 2010; 29: 1-8]

A wellness program is a program of health promotion or disease prevention offered by an employer that is designed to promote health or prevent disease (Affordable Care Act section 1201). According to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Employer Health Benefits Survey more than half (58 percent) of employers offering health benefits offered at least one wellness program in 2009.[footnoteRef:5] Smaller firms were less likely to offer a wellness program than larger firms. State and local government agencies were less likely to offer wellness programs than private firms. In some cases, firms provided financial incentives to participate in a wellness program through lower health contributions, gift cards, or cash payments. Deloitte’s 2010 Survey of Health Care Consumers indicated that 22 percent of consumers participated in a wellness program, up from 19 percent in the previous year.[footnoteRef:6] [5: Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research & Educational Trust. 2009. Employer Health Benefits 2009 Annual Survey. http://ehbs.kff.org] [6: Keckly P, Hoffman M. 2010. 2010 Survey of Health Care Consumers: Key Findings, Strategic Implications. http://www.deloitte.com/centerforhealthsolutions.

The Affordable Care Act raises the limit on rewards offered through a group health plan for participating in a wellness program that requires meeting health-related standards (health-contingent programs). This provision gives employers greater latitude in rewarding group health plan participants and beneficiaries for healthy lifestyles. The limit, currently set at 20 percent of the cost of coverage, will increase to 30 percent in 2014, and the Secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury may increase the reward to up to 50 percent if they determine that such an increase is appropriate.[footnoteRef:7] These rewards may be provided in such forms as premium discounts, waivers of cost-sharing requirements, or improved benefits. [7: The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury issued a Notice for Proposed Rulemaking regarding incentives for nondiscriminatory wellness programs in group health plans on November 26, 2012. See Government Printing Office, Federal Register, available from http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-11-26/html/2012-28361.htm.]

Section 1201 of the Affordable Care Act requires a national worksite survey to assess employer-based health policies and programs and a report to Congress that includes recommendations for the implementation of effective employer-based health policies and programs. The required report is expected to be delivered to Congress and made publicly available shortly. The overarching goal of the study was to assess the effectiveness and impact of workplace wellness programs, as well as to identify best practices and lessons learned in program implementation to maximize impact. A particular focus was studying the effect of employee incentives on program participation and results. Research under this project encompassed collection and analysis of data on the types of wellness programs offered by employers in the United States, employee incentives and their effectiveness and impact on employee behavior, affordability of coverage, and health outcomes.

Despite the attention paid to the report required by the Affordable Care Act and the lessons therein, questions remain about the availability and effectiveness of wellness programs and the impact of incentives. EBSA seeks proposals for an analysis of existing data to address the research questions outlined below.

2. Research Questions

EBSA proposes two sets of research questions to be addressed.

Set 1 - Employer-level Research Questions:

· Which employer characteristics predict the existence of a wellness program and which predict the presence of incentives in the program?

· For employers without a wellness program, what are the main barriers to offering a wellness program? How likely are they to offer a program in the coming years?

· Are there characteristic patterns of program offerings (“archetypes”)? For example, is it common to combine a clinical screening program with a disease management program? Are certain “archetypes” associated with higher take-up rates?

· Are incentives associated with higher take-up rates and is there a differential effect of different incentive types or size of incentives?

Set 2 – Employee-level Research Questions:

· What employee characteristics predict employee take-up of programs? For example, are higher risk employees more or less likely to join a wellness program?

· How do incentives alter an employee’s decision to (or not to) participate?

· Do healthcare utilization patterns change following program participation? For example, do program participants increase/decrease physician visits and/or preventive care?

· Do medical costs change following program participation? Is there evidence that program participation may create long-term gains in health?

· Is there a differential effect of various program components (exercise, weight control, nutrition etc.) on medical costs?

· Is there a dose-response effect on medical costs in the intensity of program interventions?

3. Tasks

EBSA seeks a 12-month research study contract that will utilize pre-existing data; data collection costs should not be included in any price proposals. In their proposal, offerors should describe in substantive detail how they would accomplish each of the tasks outlined below. All work done under this task order shall be performed under the general guidance of EBSA and is subject to EBSA approval. The contractor shall furnish the necessary personnel, materials, services, facilities, and otherwise do all things necessary or incident to conducting the study. The following sections describe the anticipated tasks required for conducting the study.

Task 1. Attend Initial Meeting

Within two weeks of the task order contract award, the contractor shall meet with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and other relevant staff from EBSA to clarify the project objectives, scope of work, deliverables, requirements, and any questions the contractor may have regarding the project. The contractor shall be prepared to discuss any issues pertinent to work plan development and present possible approaches to the data analysis.

Within a week following the initial meeting, the contractor shall submit a memorandum to the COR summarizing the meeting and any conclusions or decisions that resulted.

Task 2. Prepare Project Work Plan, The contractor shall prepare a work plan for the project detailing the intended approach with attention to conceptual, methodological, and practical issues. The plan shall include, at a minimum: a detailed discussion of the research questions; the analytic methods to be used to answer each of the questions; and a detailed presentation of the timeline and specific steps to be taken to perform the study. The work plan shall be based on the research questions presented in this statement of work as well as other questions agreed upon and decisions made at the initial project meeting under Task 1.

A draft work plan shall be submitted to the COR no later than six weeks from the contract award. A final work plan shall be submitted no later than two weeks after receiving final comments on the draft work plan from the COR.

Task 3. Conduct Data Analysis for Set 1 – Employer Level Research Questions

The contractor shall conduct the data analysis, as described in the Work Plan under Task 2. The data analysis shall address each of the research questions listed under “Set 1 - Employer-level Research Questions” as well as additional research questions identified in the Work Plan.

Task 4. Conduct Data Analysis for Set 2 – Employee Level Research Questions

The contractor shall conduct the data analysis, as described in the Work Plan under Task 2. The data analysis shall address each of the research questions listed under “Set 2 - Employee-level Research Questions” as well as additional research questions identified in the Work Plan.

Task 5. Prepare Draft Report, Briefing, and Final Report

The contractor shall prepare a draft report which describes the background, methodology, findings and conclusions of the analysis performed under Task 3 and/or Task 4, depending on the contract award. The draft report shall include the following sections at a minimum:

· Abstract – a brief summary of the aim, methods, and findings of the study, no more than one-third (⅓) of a page

· Executive summary – concise summary of the report, capable of serving as a stand-alone document, that synthesizes the key findings and main themes of the study

· Introduction – background, overview

· Literature and Policy context – description of the related literature and policy issues

· Methodology – analytical methods, techniques, limitations

· Findings – comprehensive overview of what was learned through the study; conclusions to be drawn from the findings

· Discussion – what was learned as a result of this study and the policy implications

· Appendix – additional technical information as appropriate

The contractor shall submit a draft report to the COR for review and approval by week 35. The contractor shall prepare a final report that reflects the COR’s and other reviewers’ input, including feedback provided during the briefing described below. The final report will be due two weeks after final comments on the draft report from the COR.

The contractor’s project director, and other key staff as appropriate, shall brief EBSA officials, in Washington, DC, on the study’s approach and findings by week 38. Materials and hand-outs to be used for the briefings shall be submitted to the COR for approval three business days prior to the briefing. Upon incorporating comments from the COR and approval by the COR, the contractor shall make copies of the materials and handouts for the briefing.

Task 6. Monthly Progress Reports and Ongoing Communication

The contractor shall prepare brief monthly memoranda, to be conveyed to the COR via e-mail, documenting the progress of the project. These reports shall summarize for each month the specific work done to accomplish tasks, problems encountered, work anticipated in the coming month, and any budgetary or substantive issues requiring the COR’s action. The cost data in the monthly progress reports shall include expenditures for the reporting period and to date by task and project total, and the proportion of funds and labor hours expended in relation to project totals.

In addition to these written monthly reports, the contractor shall communicate by phone and e-mail with the COR as needed and in accordance with agreements made at the initial meeting for the project.

4. PAYMENT TYPE AND PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

EBSA proposes a firm-fixed price, non-severable 12-month study, with progress payments and a period of performance of 09/30/2013 through 09/29/2014.

5. CONTRACTOR-FURNISHED PERSONNEL

The contractor shall designate persons as key personnel and essential for the successful completion of all work assigned under this contract.

Required Personnel The contractor must provide the necessary personnel to accomplish each task listed in the statement of work. Required time commitments and qualifications for two key personnel positions are identified below. Other staff, their roles, experience, and time commitments should be identified as well.

Project Director (PD) – 10 percent minimum time commitment. The PD must have a minimum of five (5) years experience in performing social science research and a minimum of five (5) years experience serving as a project director or in an equivalent position in project management and a minimum of a master’s degree.

Senior Analyst – 30 percent minimum time commitment. The Senior Analyst must have a minimum of five (5) years of experience in performing social science research, a minimum of five (5) years of experience serving as a senior analyst or in an equivalent position and a minimum of a master’s degree. The senior analyst must have subject matter expertise in group health plans and at minimum five years of experience conducting health plan research or evaluation studies.

EBSA anticipates that the successful completion of this project will require the services of people who will provide, individually or in combination, the following expertise and specialties.

1. Experience in statistical analysis, regressions analysis, preparing statistical reports, and generating documentation of underlying statistics.

1. Experience applying advanced statistical techniques (e.g. propensity score matching) to mitigate bias from self-selection into wellness programs.

1. Experience analyzing and interpreting data on workplace wellness programs, including data that distinguishes between programs administered by the employer and programs administered by the employer’s group health plan.

1. Experience handling and analyzing large data sets containing administrative data from group health plans and workplace wellness programs (e.g. data on health plan enrollment, medical and prescription claims, wellness program participation, cholesterol level, body mass index, etc.).

1. Experience with ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, GINA, and ADA laws and regulations, especially relating to the provision of incentives in wellness programs and distinctions made between incentives administered by the employer and incentives administered by the employer’s group health plan.

6 DELIVERABLES

6.1 Products, Tasks, Services and the Standards for Success

The contractor must provide all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and services necessary to perform the data analyses described in Task 3 and/or Task 4. The contractor must provide the deliverables and perform the services listed below to the standards that are included below:

Monthly Progress Reports

a. Must include:

(1) specific work done to accomplish tasks during the previous month,

(2) specific milestones and deliverables due in the past month (specifying whether they were met and, if not, the revised completion date),

(3) problems encountered during the previous month,

(4) work anticipated in the coming month,

(5) a list of deliverables invoiced in the previous month, and

(6) any budgetary or substantive issues requiring the COR’s action

b. The monthly reports shall be submitted in MS Word.

c. The first such report will be due on November 15, 2013 and subsequent reports will be due on the 15th of each month for the duration of the performance period.

· Detailed study design plan

· Timeline linking tasks and deliverables to specific dates

· Strategies for accomplishing research goals

· Detailed list of information or assistance needed from DOL

· A listing of research questions to be addressed and a mapping of each research questions to the deliverable that will address the question

b. Draft must be provided within 6 weeks of the performance period start date in MS Word.

c. Must set forth a realistic timetable of tasks leading to implementation of the study.

d. Must be agreed to by the COR for work to continue.

· Abstract

· Executive summary

· Introduction

· Literature and Policy context

· Methodology

· Findings

· Discussion

· Appendix

b. Must be written in proper “business English” without grammatical or typographical errors and be sufficiently descriptive for the analysis to be understood by a non-technical audience.

c. Must accurately describe the statistical significance of estimates.

d. Must accurately describe the applicable regulatory conditions, if relevant.

e. Statements and conclusions must be supported by evidence well-founded and unbiased.

f. Must be submitted to COR electronically in MS Word and according to schedule above.

b. This task supports the submission of a Work Plan and schedule

b. Analysis must be free of errors.

c. Report uses appropriate statistical techniques to identify confidence intervals and/or conduct hypothesis testing for the main estimates.

b. Conducted by contractor’s project director, and other key staff as appropriate.

b. Conducted by contractor’s project director, and other key staff as appropriate.

c. Materials and hand-outs submitted to the COR for approval three business days prior to the briefing.

d. Hard copies of the briefing slides and other materials provided at briefing.

This project does not require OMB Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) clearance for data collections.

6.2 Schedule of Deliverables

1.2 Summary Memo

2 weeks after award 1 week after Initial Meeting

2.2 Final work plan

6 weeks after award 2 weeks after final comments from the COR

5.2 Briefing

5.3 Final Report

35 weeks after award 38 weeks after award 2 weeks after final comments from the COR

* All deliverables will be formatted in Word or the format determined by EBSA, submitted electronically to the COR as attachments to e-mail, and subject to approval by the COR. The contractor shall provide hard copies of briefing slides and other materials for the briefing. The due dates above may be adjusted in the Work Plan upon mutual agreement between EBSA and the Contractor.

7. DOL DATA RIGHTS AND RESTRICTIONS ON CONTRACTOR’S USE OF DATA

Except for particular Task Orders issued under the contract, which may specify different DOL license requirements, the FAR 52.227-17 Rights in Data – Special Works will govern DOL’s rights of use in deliverables, including data sets, under this contract. Essentially, the Contractor grants to DOL, and others acting on its behalf, a paid-up, nonexclusive, irrevocable, worldwide license to copy, distribute, prepare derivative works, and perform and display publicly, by or on behalf of the Government, all deliverables, including those first-produced and those not first-produced by the contractor under the contract, except as otherwise agreed upon between the Contractor and Contracting Officer, or as otherwise provided for by this FAR clause.

This Sample Task Orders will fall into the category of Type A studies. The following specific restrictions will apply to the Contractor’s use of certain deliverables and related data/information:

· For Type A studies, such as academic research, the Contractor will not release, distribute, or publish such deliverable/s, nor authorize others to do so, until expiration or termination of the applicable Task Order, unless prior written permission of the Contracting Officer is given to do so during the period of performance. In addition, the Contractor agrees to notify the Contracting Officer at least two weeks before releasing, distributing or publishing such deliverables.

During the period of performance, the Contractor agrees to notify the Contracting Officer of publications it creates for public access (e.g. articles in academic journals, news release, website articles) that are based on the work it performs under this contract.

Some information and data provided by DOL to the Contractor for its performance of the contract may contain confidential information that, due to requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974 and/or other federal laws, will be prohibited from being disclosed or used by the Contractor outside the terms of the contract. DOL shall clearly mark such information and/or data prior to providing it to the Contractor and may require that Contractor execute a Nondisclosure Agreement in connection with such information.

The FAR 52.227-16 Additional Data Requirements shall govern situations in which DOL may require the delivery of additional data produced or used in performance of this contract. Essentially, the Contracting Officer may, at any time during contract performance or within a period of 3 years after acceptance of all items to be delivered under this contract, order any data first produced or specifically used in the performance of this contract. DOL’s rights in such data shall be governed by the Rights in Data – Special Works, as discussed in the first paragraph, above.