EUS_AOI1_AWACS.pdf

AREA OF INTEREST (AOI) #01

End User Services (EUS): Application, Workflow, Adoption, and Change Support

(AWACS)

Published Under: Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) HT003826SC005

Parameter Details

Sponsoring Agency Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE), Medical Digital Solutions (MDS)

Notice Type Area of Interest (AOI) Solicitation

Response Phase Phase 1: Whitepapers / Solution Briefs

Phase 1 Question Deadline September 2, 2026, at 11:00 AM EDT

Phase 1 Submission Deadline September 14, 2026, at 5:00 PM EDT

Review Window September 15, 2026 – September 21, 2026

Award Pathway FAR-based Contract (e.g., FAR Part 12) or Prototype Project Other Transaction Agreement (pOTA) under 10 U.S.C. § 4022.

Anticipate a 12-month base plus 4 12-month options.

Notice: PAE MDS reserves the right to award one or multiple contracts/agreements under this AOI. This solicitation leverages the competitive process under CSO HT003826SC005. PAE MDS reserves the right to amend this AOI #1 at any time up until 2400 hours EST on September 13, 2026, based on questions or feedback provided. Proposers must ensure they are responding to the most current version of AoI #1Vendors must submit proposed solutions in accordance with the submission instructions and requirements contained herein. If any conflict exists between instructions/submissions stated in CSO HT003826SC005 and this AOI #01, this AOI #01 shall prevail.

1.0 Executive Summary & Strategic Context

1.1 Military Health System (MHS) Mission

The MHS is one of the largest and most complex healthcare enterprises in the world. It is a globally integrated system serving over 9.6 million beneficiaries, including active-duty service members, retirees, and their families. The MHS is unique in that it functions as both a direct healthcare provider and a multi-billion-dollar health insurance payer through the TRICARE program. Its ultimate success is measured not only by patient outcomes, but by its direct contribution to the lethality and medical readiness of the Department of War (DoW).

This ecosystem, which supports a user base of over 125,000 active staff at more than 1,300 locations – inclusive of MHS, Defense Health Agency (DHA), the Military Services (including National Guard and Reserve), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) personnel at joint sites, United States Coast Guard (USCG), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command (MEPCOM) – spans the full continuum of military healthcare delivery, from fixed medical and dental treatment facilities to operational medicine environments where care is delivered at or near the point of need. This includes hospitals, academic medical centers, ambulatory and dental clinics, deployable medical capabilities, austere mission environments, field hospitals and Forward Operating Bases.

DoW’s close relationship with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is paramount. The success of an integrated Federal Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a top national priority.

Equally critical is the ability to support the continuum of care across operational and enterprise healthcare environments, ensuring that health information generated during military operations can be captured, exchanged, and made available to support continued care within the enterprise health record. Together, these operational, enterprise, and interagency requirements create a highly complex healthcare ecosystem that includes deployed medical environments, fixed medical treatment facilities, the Federal Health Care Center and other DoW/VA sharing sites.

Supporting the ecosystem requires coordinated end user service models and highly configurable enterprise approaches capable of operating across diverse mission environments while enabling interoperability, continuity of care, and interagency collaboration.

1.2 EUS Overview & Transition Strategy

To maximize the value of the Department’s health technology investments, PAE MDS is transitioning from legacy, labor-intensive support contracts to a unified, outcome-based EUS delivery model.

Success in the EUS environment depends on delivering services precisely tailored to diverse user communities. A one-size-fits-all support model is unacceptable. The EUS ecosystem supports 11 distinct User Domains, ranging from point-of-care clinicians in garrison, to operational combat medics in disconnected environments, to the beneficiaries accessing the patient portal, as well as the highly specialized System Administrators, Biomedical Engineers, and local Information Technology (IT) support personnel who maintain these environments. Proposed solutions must demonstrate the flexibility to accommodate the unique workflows, priorities, and connectivity constraints of these diverse groups. This includes the inherent scalability to absorb new federal partners, seamlessly adapt enterprise workflows (e.g., MEPCOM), and tailor enablement materials for diverse components (e.g., National Guard) as the PAE MDS product ecosystem expands. While this AoI supports Defense Health Agency (DHA) and Military Service staff who interact with beneficiaries (the 11th User Domain), this AoI explicitly excludes a request to address direct, patient-facing digital engagement, which is reserved for Pillar 8 and may be addressed in a future AoI.

The total EUS ecosystem is structured around eight integrated Service Pillars:

1. Service Desk & Information Technology Service Management (ITSM)

2. Application & Clinical Workflow Support (Focus of this AoI)

3. Enablement & Adoption Services (Focus of this AoI)

4. Disconnected Enabler

5. Change, Communications, & Trust (Focus of this AoI)

6. Service Intelligence & Governance Support

7. Program Management & Service Integration

8. Beneficiary Digital Experience

While this specific AoI focuses exclusively on transforming and integrating Pillars 2, 3, and 5, Offerors must understand that these pillars do not operate in a silo. Any IT solution, automated framework, or workflow compliance strategy proposed under this AoI must be designed to seamlessly integrate with the broader EUS ecosystem, specifically, passing data to the enterprise ITSM Service Desk (Pillar 1) and supporting the overarching Government Service Integration and Management (SIAM) processes and integration authorities.

2.0 Problem Statements & Desired Outcomes

To shift the DoW toward performance-based acquisition, this AOI defines success through mission-focused outcomes rather than rigid, prescribed inputs.

2.1 Core Capability Sustainment & Modernization

Problem Statement: PAE MDS end users rely on a complex, highly regulated ecosystem of application support, role-based training, and organizational change management. The gap between legacy manual processes and modernized service delivery must be bridged without disrupting provider onboarding, user trust, or system governance on Day 1.

Desired Outcome: Unbroken, high-quality execution of critical user support, training, communication, and change management services from the day of contract award, coupled with the incremental introduction of parallel innovations that automate workflows and reduce administrative burden.

Key Objectives:

• Safeguard Baseline Operations: Maintain uninterrupted remote SME support, defect tracking, and data-staging management. Ensure unbroken execution of application-layer user onboarding and role-based provisioning (integrating seamlessly with separate Government identity management and hardware issuance processes). Sustain competency tracking, stakeholder campaigns, and multi-modal training delivery (virtual, onsite, computer-based) for all roles—including clinicians, administrators, and local site-level IT support staff (System Administrators, Biomedical Engineers, etc.).

• Technical Installation & Maintenance: Perform system engineering, administration, network support, and infrastructure testing. Execute updates and patches, run Security Readiness Review Scripts in accordance with DISA STIGs to verify security architecture, analyze operating system audit logs, and support operational software releases on hardware infrastructure. Conduct and deliver site surveys and pre-installation planning at targeted implementation sites.

• Enable DDIL Operations: Ensure training, adoption, and communication resources are available offline and locally to support operational units in Denied, Disrupted, Intermittent, and Limited (DDIL) environments. Maintain a deployable surge capacity to provide short-notice, onsite tactical training, workflow support, and physical setup/teardown of training hardware during military exercises.

• Parallel Innovation Framework: Establish a low-risk framework to test, scale, and deploy automated workflows and novel technologies in a live environment without "hard cutovers" that risk clinical downtime.

2.2 Governance, XLAs, Enforcement, & Modern Deliverables

Problem Statement: Legacy user-facing services suffer from fragmented governance, static administrative reporting, and unregulated product intake. Standard Service Level Agreements (SLAs) lack financial enforcement linked to actual user satisfaction, making it difficult for the Government to hold vendors accountable for real-world mission outcomes.

Desired Outcome: Integration with the Government's SIAM authority to orchestrate all user-facing changes, transition to real-time telemetry-based deliverables, and enforce vendor accountability through financially backed Experience Level Agreements (XLAs).

• SIAM Integration: Establish an operational framework to receive, assess, and execute change requests and implementations routed through the SIAM authority.

• Strategic Communications: Propose a "Campaign in a Box" approach to design, modernize, and distribute multi-media communication materials, promotional packaging, and web-based content (e.g., SharePoint portals like EHRu, Adoption Central, and JOMIS Connect) endorsed by Government leadership.

• Financial Accountability: Propose a specific financial penalty/reward structure (e.g., fee-at-risk, outcome-based incentives) tied directly to proposed XLAs, shifting performance risk equitably to the vendor.

• Modern Deliverables: Replace legacy static PDF reports with modern deliverables (e.g., real-time dashboards, automated telemetry feeds) to let the Government objectively adjudicate XLA performance and verify user readiness prior to system releases.

2.3 Proactive In-Workflow Enablement (The Innovative Solution) Problem Statement: The current EUS model is highly reactive and labor-intensive. Users must step out of their clinical workflows to seek help, search for training, or report defects, which drives workflow friction, alert fatigue, and clinician burnout.

Desired Outcome: Scaled, proactive, and automated EUS delivery models that deflect routine inquiries, deliver contextual microlearning at the point of need, and identify workflow degradation before it impacts the user.

• In-Workflow Self-Assistance: Deliver a scaled IT solution (using microlearning and just-in-time enablement) that allows users to self-assist within their active workflows, minimizing classroom training and accelerating time-to-proficiency. Detail how this capability synchronizes or gracefully degrades in DDIL/offline environments.

• Organic Change Networks: Move beyond traditional contractor-led training by actively building, equipping, and sustaining localized "Change Networks." Empower local Government super-users, peer experts, and clinical steering committees to drive adoption organically within their units.

• Continuous Optimization: Deploy automated solutions that continuously mine system usage data (e.g., Lights On, Advance, Splunk) to proactively identify compliance issues or system friction, recommending targeted training interventions before users experience a workflow stoppage or report a defect.

3.0 Submission Instructions & Evaluation Criteria

3.1 Phase Gate Acquisition Strategy

PAE MDS utilizes a two-phase evaluation approach to identify the highest-value, lowest-risk modernization partners.

PHASE 1: WHITEPAPER & DOWN SELECT

• 10-Page Whitepaper + 2-page Appendix A (Crosswalk)

• Evaluated on GO / NO GO Basis

• Focus is on Strategic Alignment, Feasibility, Continuity

PHASE 2: DETAILED PROPOSAL

• Invited GO-rated Vendors Only

• Requires Detailed Pricing Volume & Staffing Labor Mix

• Day 1 Readiness Plan & Transition Execution Matrix

Note: The Government reserves the right to incorporate optional evaluation methods at any stage, including requesting oral presentations, live system demonstrations, technical challenges, or written Q&A exchanges.

3.2 Whitepaper Submission Details

• Submission Format:

• Whitepaper: Maximum of ten (10) pages. Standard corporate marketing material is prohibited. Min Font 12pt Times New Roman.

• Collaboration: Responses should clearly indicate whether the company is collaborating with any other organizations to deliver the proposed solution. If a submission is on behalf of a group of companies, the white paper should address the contribution of each company to the approach.

• Specificity & Evidence: Be specific in the description of the proposed solution and, where specific software or the approach has been successfully leveraged, provide real-world examples. Diagrams or figures to depict the proposed solution are encouraged and companies may provide links to public websites with such information.

• Cover Page: Create a cover page that identifies the solicitation number, the name(s) of the company(ies), website(s), point(s) of contact, and contact information (email address, phone number and mailing address). This does not count towards the 10 pages for white papers.

• Addendum 1: Identify whether each company listed on the cover page is a non-traditional defense contractor as defined in 10 U.S.C. 3014 or a non-profit research institution. (In short, a non-traditional defense contractor is an entity that has not received a full Cost Accounting Standards covered contract from the Federal Government within a 12-month period prior to the issuance of this solicitation.) This information should not take more than a page to provide and will not be used to determine which solutions are chosen for the next step of the review process. This does not count towards the 10 pages for white papers.

• Addendum 2: Include known licensing terms (end-user licensing agreements) for software/technology included in the approach as well as any other terms and conditions (for example, for services) that the submission would rely upon. References to existing Federal Government contracts with appropriate terms that could be used to streamline negotiations are encouraged. There is no page limit for Addendum 2. This does not count towards the 10 pages for white papers.

• Appendix A (Day 1 Continuity Crosswalk): Maximum of two (2) pages, excluded from the Whitepaper page count.

• Required File Naming:

COMPANYNAME_AOI1_WhitePaper.docx (or .doc) COMPANYNAME_AOI1_APPENDIX_A.xls (or .xlsx)

• Points of Contact (POCs):

• Submit via DoDSAFE (HYPERLINK "https://safe.apps.mil/my.policy"

\hhttps://safe.apps.mil/my.policy) to:

Katelyn O’Connor: katelyn.j.oconnor.civ@health.mil Jena Bowman: jena.l.bowman.civ@health.mil

Questions: Must be submitted via email to the POCs listed above no later than September 2, 2026, at 11:00 AM EDT. Answers will be posted collectively on SAM.gov no later than close of business (COB) on September 9, 2026. Questions received after September 2, 2026 11:00AM EDT will not be considered.

Submission Deadline: Whitepapers must be fully uploaded to DoDSAFE by September 14, 2026, at 5:00 PM EDT. Submissions received after this date and time will not be considered.

Cost of Preparation: Per the CSO terms, the Government is not liable for any costs associated with the preparation of materials submitted in response to this AOI.

3.3 Whitepaper Content Requirements

To be evaluated, the Phase 1 submission must be organized into the following three distinct sections:

mailto:katelyn.j.oconnor.civ@health.mil mailto:jena.l.bowman.civ@health.mil https://www.sam.gov/

Section 1: Innovation and Technical Strategy (Pillars 2, 3, & 5) Offerors must demonstrate a unified, non-siloed technical modernization approach addressing:

• How the proposed solution integrates automation, novel workflows, advanced analytics, and omnichannel communications to reduce administrative burdens.

• How the Offeror ensures that clinical workflow coaching and change management are executed by credentialed healthcare domain experts (e.g., clinical informaticists) rather than general IT support staff.

• How the Offeror will maintain an agile, rapid-response surge capability for short-notice, unpredictable operational requirements (e.g., onsite training, application functional/technical expertise, hardware staging/teardown) without degrading baseline support.

• How the EUS framework will rapidly ingest, support, and update training materials for net-new clinical or business applications added to the PAE MDS portfolio.

• How the proposed architecture and tools will synchronize, operate, or gracefully degrade when deployed to low-bandwidth or disconnected (DDIL) environments.

• The testing and scaling framework for "parallel innovation" in a live health-delivery environment, avoiding risky "hard cutovers."

Section 2: Proposed Performance Outcomes (SLAs and XLAs) Offerors must propose the performance baselines they are willing to guarantee, including:

• At least two (2) Transition SLAs guaranteeing that Day 1 support metrics will match or exceed historical baselines.

• At least two (2) XLAs focused on measuring user sentiment, system adoption, usability, and trust (Pillar 5) over the contract lifecycle.

• A clear description of the methodology and systems (e.g., automated telemetry, dashboards) used to capture and report these metrics transparently.

Appendix A: Day 1 Continuity Crosswalk (Mandatory) Offerors must populate the Government-provided "Continuity Crosswalk" matrix. For each of the baseline operational tasks detailed in the EUS Baseline Data, the Offeror must provide a 1-to- 2 sentence explanation of how their technical strategy will continuously and safely execute that capability from Day 1 of performance.

3.4 Phase 1 Evaluation Criteria (Go/No-Go)

Phase 1 Whitepapers will be evaluated on an Acceptable/Unacceptable (Go/No-Go) basis. To receive a "Go" rating and advance to Phase 2, the submission must satisfy all three criteria:

1. Innovation and Modernization Value (Maps to Section 1): The Offeror demonstrates a feasible, modern, and innovative approach to integrate EUS Pillars 2, 3, and 5, moving beyond legacy "lift-and-shift" personnel support models.

2. Continuity and Transition Risk (Maps to Appendix A): The Offeror presents a credible Appendix A Continuity Crosswalk, ensuring all baseline operational tasks are fully sustained on Day 1 with zero mission degradation or high-risk cutovers.

3. Outcome Accountability (Maps to Section 2): The Offeror presents a high-quality, ambitious, and relevant proposed SLAs and XLAs, and technically viable systems to accurately measure user sentiment, system adoption, and workflow compliance.

3.5 Phase 2 Preview (For Down-Selected Offerors Only)

Detailed submission instructions and evaluation criteria for Phase 2 will be provided exclusively to the Offerors selected to advance. However, Offerors should anticipate that Phase 2 will require a comprehensive Pricing Volume, a detailed Staffing/Labor Mix Matrix, a Day 1 Readiness Plan, and an operational Transition-In Execution Matrix.

4.0 Technical & Security Requirements

4.1 Government-Provided Technologies & Infrastructure

To ensure Day 1 operational continuity, the Contractor's proposed solutions must integrate with and utilize the following Government-provided platforms from the start of performance:

Government ITSM: ServiceNow Government Learning Management System: Joint Knowledge Online (JKO) Government Collaboration Platform: Microsoft Office 365 (MED365), Joint Operational Information Systems (JOMIS) Connect (health.mil) Government Non-Production & Training Environment: MHS GENESIS non-production, TI.com, TI.mil, JOMIS Cloud One (Amazon Web Services)

4.2 Information Assurance (IA) & Cyberspace Workforce Certifications The Contractor shall ensure that personnel accessing information systems have proper and current IA certification to perform IA functions at contract award in accordance with the most current version of DoDM 8140.03 (Cyberspace Workforce Qualification and Management Program) and DFARS 252.239-2001.

4.3 Security Clearance Requirements

Clearance: The Contractor will be required to have some number of employees that possess and maintain a SECRET clearance from the Defense Security Service (DSS) / Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) on day 1.

Personnel Verification: All Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) must coordinate with the Government to be issued a Common Access Card (CAC) for network and authentication purposes.

4.4 Cybersecurity Requirements for Covered Contractor Information Systems The Contractor shall, at the time of award, have implemented the security requirements prescribed in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-171, in accordance with DFARS 252.204-7012.

5.0 Data Ownership & Intellectual Property Restrictions

• Exclusive Government Ownership: All data, configurations, custom code, workflows, reports, communication materials, and documentation developed specifically for the Government under this contract (referred to as "Custom Deliverables") shall remain the exclusive property of the Government.

• AI/ML Model Training Restriction: An awardee will be granted a limited, non-exclusive license to use Government Data solely for the performance of this contract or agreement. The Vendor shall not use any Government Data to train, develop, enhance, validate, or otherwise improve any commercial artificial intelligence or machine learning model, algorithm, or related product unless specifically authorized in writing by the Contracting Officer.

• Unlimited Government Rights: The Government has unlimited, worldwide, royalty-free rights to use, modify, reproduce, release, perform, display, or disclose any and all Custom Deliverables produced under this contract.

• Pre-Existing Commercial Software and IP: Commercial License Rights: For pre-existing commercial products, proprietary software, SaaS platforms, or established methodologies utilized by the Contractor to deliver the EUS services, the Contractor retains full ownership of their underlying IP.

• Pre-Existing Material Licensing: For materials delivered under this contract that incorporate pre-existing, proprietary materials not produced under the contract, the Contractor grants to the Government a nonexclusive, royalty-free, irrevocable, worldwide license to translate, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works, and publicly perform or display those materials solely for the purpose of executing the MHS mission.

6.0 Government-Furnished Property, Equipment, and Services

(GFP/GFE)

6.1 On-Site Support & Facilities

The Government may provide Facilities in support of this contract. For any on-site or visiting personnel, the Government may provide necessary workspace for Contractor staff to perform the support outlined in this document (including desk space, telephones, and other standard office items). This is provided on an as-needed basis and requires coordination with the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) in advance of planned visits (at the Contractor’s expense).

Only Government-Furnished Equipment (GFE) shall be connected to the Government Enterprise Local Area Network. The Contractor is fully responsible for maintaining inventory, providing physical security, and returning equipment and materials in the same condition as received.

7.0 Administration & Operations

7.1 Hours of Operation

The Contractor is responsible for conducting business Monday through Friday, except for recognized Federal holidays or when facilities are closed due to local/national emergencies or administrative directives.

The Contractor must maintain an adequate workforce for the uninterrupted performance of all tasks defined herein, including 24/7 support for global hospitals and healthcare operations. Due to the support required for Joint Operational Elements, Reserve Components, and National Guard medical units, and weekend system implementations or releases, weekend duty is expected to meet the operational needs of the Government.

7.2 Contractor Requirements

The Contractor shall adhere to the Contractor Requirements in Appendix B as applicable to the Contractor’s solution.