AMENDMENT_0001.docx

HHSM-500-2014-RFP-QIN-QIO

Amendment 0001 Responses to Solicitation Questions and Solicitation Amendments

AMENDMENT 0001

1. Under SECTION H – SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS, DELETE Subsection H.3 – CONFLICT OF INTEREST in its entirety and REPLACE WITH the revised H.3, located in Appendix (A) of this amendment.

2. Under SECTION J – LIST OF ATTACHMENTS, the following changes shall be made:

a. Under Attachment J.1 QIN-QIO TASK ORDER 001 ENTITLED “EXCELLENCE IN OPERATIONS AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT,” REMOVE Task B.3 in its entirely from the RFP and REPLACE WITH: “Reserved.”

Note: Offerors will be asked to propose on this area after the award of the successful contracts.

b. ADD Subsection J.15(b) –QIN LEVEL OF EFFORT (DRAFT)

3. Under SECTION L – INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS OR RESPONDENTS,

a. Subsection L.11 GENERAL PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR A SINGLE INDEFINITE DELIVERY INDEFINITE QUANTITY (IDIQ) CONTRACT AND TASK ORDERS, REVISE to READ:

I. For proposal purposes, each offeror must propose a minimum of three (3) states and a maximum of six (6) states. If less than 3 states are proposed, then the offeror’s proposal will not be evaluated and will no longer considered for award. In cases where particular states were not proposed on by any offeror, an amendment of the solicitation will be posted to provide an opportunity for offerors that did not submit the maximum number of states in their proposals to include the state as part of their service area.

For award purposes, CMS intends to consolidate and to award no less than three states per contract. However, CMS reserves the right to award less than 3 states to one contractor. In addition, if the offeror is the only one proposing on one state, then CMS reserves the right to make a single state award. Overall, the awards in total may not cover more than 25% (or some range) of the Medicare Beneficiary population. It is the Government’s intent to award no more than 25% of total Medicare beneficiary population to one offeror. This applies to both prime and subcontractors.

b. Subsection L.13 -PROPOSAL PRESENTATION AND DELIVERY, REVISE part f: Intent to Submit a Proposal: The Offeror shall indicate its intent to submit a proposal on the IDIQ by 2:00 p.m.on January 20, 2013.

General Questions

1. For QIN-NCC: Can a company bid on work independently or must they bid through a QIO?

Response: A company may bid independently.

2. Will an organization have to win a task order/contract to become an IDIQ contract holder?

Response: Yes. An organization is expected to win 3 task orders in order to receive an IDIQ award.

3. Must an organization win a QIN-QIO contract in order to be eligible to pursue the QIN-QIO NCC contract?

Response: No.

4. What will the ceiling value be for the QIN-QIO IDIQ?

Response: The ceiling value pertains to the IDIQ and it will be three (3) times the value of the initial task order(s). The task order value is the amount of the awarded task order by state.

5. Will the 27-month evaluation metrics be utilized in selection of new 11th SOW contracts? Will CPARS be used?

Response: CPARS and all available relevant performance information will/can be utilized.

6. Will CMS consider a Joint Venture arrangement where team members are equally responsible for contract performance?

Response: Yes, if that Joint Venture results in a separate legal entity. Teaming arrangements are also acceptable as long as one entity is identified as the Prime.

7. Is CMS looking for ONLY prime/subcontractor arrangements?

Response: No, CMS is not looking ONLY for prime/subcontractor arrangements. It’s up to industry to decide how to propose in response to the RFPs

8. For the purposes of this RFP, are Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands considered states for constituting QIN areas?

Response: Yes.

9. What will the REC work require if RECS are going away?

Response: The future of REC program remains under discussion. If the REC does not continue, there may be best practices that the QIO can help to maintain. CMS will continue to work through the evolving priorities throughout the statement of work. We anticipate many changes over 5 years.

10. Can a QIN meet the intent of the contract if they participate in a LAN led by a partner such as a HEN, or does the QIN have to lead the LAN?

Response: No, the QIO does not need to lead the LAN but should be able to prove their active involvement and contribution towards the aim/goal.

11. Will CMS provide the list of State contacts who have already signed up for the Million Hearts Campaign?

Response: Yes – after contract award, to the extent possible, CMS will provide information on current participants (e.g., providers, state contacts, partner organizations) in the 10th SOW.

12. If a Joint Venture is created to bid on an IDIQ QIN contract, how will past performance of the venturers be considered?

Response: If the Joint Venture has no past performance information available, that Joint Venture will be given a neutral rating. However, the past performance information for the entities that make up the Joint Venture will be considered in the evaluation process.

13. If a QIO submits a proposal for 4 states that is successful to move forward with the go/no go but upon phase II, states do not pass the technical evaluation criteria, is the proposed bidder then disqualified?

Response: The proposed bidder will receive an adjectival rating for each state. After that point, only the most highly rated proposals will be considered on a state by state basis. Please refer to section M.3 of the solicitation.

14. Can a non-QIO bid only on the EDC?

Response: No.

15. In regards to RFP Section B.3, can an organization serve as a subcontractor to a QIN QIO and also be awarded a PCC Evaluation contract?

Response: No, according to the contract limitations chart in section B.3, the contract limitations apply to subcontract agreements and corporate affiliates.

16. Section & Title: L.13.f: Proposal Presentation and Delivery, Intent to Submit a Proposal To fulfill the requirements of this section, it appears CMS is not requiring a signed letter as an attachment to be submitted with the e-mail. Is this correct?

Response: Yes, an e-mail is sufficient.

17. Section & Title: L.13.f: Proposal Presentation and Delivery, Intent to Submit a Proposal How will a prospective Offeror be permitted to change its proposed states as submitted in this e-mail prior to the proposal due date of 2/14/2014?

Response: Please be advised that intent to submit a proposal is not binding on the Offeror and is for planning/scheduling purposes only.

18. M.3.1 provides tech evaluation criteria for Phase I (Go/no Go) of the multi-state proposal. Although it addresses the multi-state proposal, it will include evaluation of “local presence in each state…” Response: At this time, CMS has not formally defined “local presence”. Local presence includes the ability to interact with and have quick access to a participating community. A QIO must be able to establish a relationship within the states and the practice level necessary to accomplish the goal. This does not necessarily mean brick and mortar. QIOs decide whether to have a presence in a city or county based on the needs of that population and community. The same concepts should apply.

19. Section Number: L.13, PROPOSAL PRESENTATION AND DELIVERY Regarding the 5 electronic copies on CDs, please clarify if this is 5 separate CDs or 5 separate files on 1 CD?

Response: Submission shall be 5 separate CDs.

20. Section Number: L.17-F Other Administrative Data, #2 Small Business Subcontracting Plan.

Can CMS confirm that small businesses that respond to the RFP are not required to submit a small business subcontracting plan?

Response: Correct

21. Section & Title: B.1 – Description of Services; B.4 – Type of Contract For clarification purposes, is this to be a single award of an IDIQ or multiple award IDIQ?

Response: This is a single award IDIQ, however, we intend to award numerous IDIQ contract awards.

22. Section & Title: L.11 General Proposal Instructions for a Single Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract and Task Orders Question: If CMS elects to award only one state to a contractor, will that contractor be considered an IDIQ awardee and be eligible to bid on future task orders?

Response: Yes

23 Section and Title: L.11 GENERAL PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR A SINGLE INDEFINITE DELIVERY INDEFINITE QUANTITY (IDIQ) CONTRACT AND TASK ORDERS Does CMS require QIN QIO proposals to be built on 3-6 contiguous States? If not, will CMS score proposals more highly if they incorporate non-contiguous States?

Response: No, CMS does not require the states to be contiguous. CMS will not score proposals of non-contiguous states more highly.

24. Can volumes 1-3 be on the same CD as separate electronic files so that we submit 5 CDs with Volumes 1-3, 5 CDs with Volumes 4 and 5 CDs with Volume 5? And because only 1 hardcopy is required, do these CDs need to be individually enveloped and labeled as Copy 1 of 5, etc., and the 1 hardcopy as Original?

Response: Volumes 1 through 3 cannot be on the same CD. As noted in Section L.13, the Offeror’s proposal submission shall consist of separate hard copies and electronic copies of EACH volume. The volumes should be labeled by appropriate volume.

25. VIQRC has “Appeals Only” in parenthesis. Does this mean that only the appeals portion of VIQRC is prohibited or that we may only perform Appeals?

Response: This means that only the appeals portion of VIQRC is prohibited to be performed by another VIQRC awardee.

26. My question is related to Page 5 of the RFP – Section B.2 under the QIO Program Structure. That section states that there will be “5 Value Incentives and Quality Reporting Centers (VIQRCs)”. Will these contracts be procured and awarded as part of this solicitation or separately?

Response: The VIQRC contracts will be procured and awarded separately.

27. How many MIDS Contractors have already been awarded?

Response: Eighteen (18) IDIQ contracts and three (3) Task Orders have been awarded.

28. A technical panel will be reviewing the QIN-QIO proposals. What is the makeup of the panel e.g. all CMS, CMS & others, etc.

Response: CMS employees, including staff from Central and Regional Offices.

29. Can an organization bid on a QIN and BFCC contract recognizing they can’t be awarded both?

Response: Yes, offerors can bid on both but once they are awarded one, they will be removed from consideration of any other awards.

30. Please clarify a subcontractor cannot submit for the BFCC and the QIN-QIO.

Response: A Subcontractor can submit a proposal for both the BFCC and the QIN-QIO, but if they receive an award on BFCC, they will be removed from consideration for any QIN-QIO award.

31. If I bid on BFCC and win but partner/sub with another for QIN work, can the QIN prime resubmit without prejudice and not be disqualified?

Response: If an offer receives a contract award for BFCC, they cannot receive an award as a subcontractor for the QIN-QIO work.

32. Section Number: L.12 : PROPOSAL ORGANIZATION To clarify, we are not required to submit a cover letter, table of contents or list of acronyms with volumes III and V nor a list of acronyms for Volume IV?

Response: Correct.

33. Section Number: L.13: PROPOSAL PRESENTATION AND DELIVERY Do we understand correctly that there will be separate/individual Volume IIs for each state, each will have its own 30 page limit, and each will require one hard copy original and 5 electronic copies?

Response: Correct.

34. Will CPARS reporting be tracked by state or by IDIQ “umbrella”?

Response: CPARS reporting is at both the IDIQ and Task Order level. However, work will be evaluated at the task order level.

35. Section Number: B.4 Does CMS intend to award the Task Order “Excellence in Operations and Quality Improvement” (T001) for each state in the QIO’s service area concurrently with the award of the IDIQ base contract?

Response: CMS intends to award the Task Order T0001 for each state either concurrently or soon after the award of the IDIQ base contract.

Organizational Conflict of Interest

36. CMS has gone to extraordinary lengths to separate BFCC and QIN QIO given the view of OCI. As such, is page 111, D (3) a typo since QINs will no longer be doing review?

Response: See revised H.3 in this amendment.

37. Is it a conflict of interest for a QIN-QIO to be a subcontractor to a MAC for Part A Hospital Appeals review or claims review work?

Response: This may create a potential impaired objectivity COI for the QIN, but has to be reviewed on a case by case basis, depending on the work the QIN is doing.

38. Can an organization that currently works with payers and providers (fees, dues, group purchasing, insurance, etc.) mitigate OCI by creating a subsidiary to be awarded either BFCC or QIN work?

Response: No, creating subsidiaries do not mitigate an OCI of impaired objectivity but an OCI of Unequal Access of Information can be mitigated by a firewall.

39. Will OCI’s flow down to IT system contractors supporting BFCC-QIO and QIN-QIO contracts?

Response: Yes, OCI’s do flow down to the IT systems contractors as it applies to all subcontractors.

40. If each BFCC is directed to enter into a subcontract or coordinate with the NCCs and Special Innovation Project Lead Contracts, would this preclude a current QIC vendor from being successfully awarded any of the NCC contracts?

Response: QIC vendors are not excluded, but must be reviewed as potential conflicts of interest may still exist.

41a. Is a ZPIC eligible to be a BFCC-QIO?

Response: They are not excluded, but must be reviewed as potential conflicts of interest may still exist.

b. Is a ZPIC eligible to be a QIN-QIO?

Response: They are not excluded; however there is a considerable risk for conflict of interest and a detailed, acceptable mitigation plan must be provided, if necessary.

c. Is a QIC eligible to be a BFCC-QIO?

Response: They are not excluded; however there is a considerable risk for conflict of interest and a detailed, acceptable mitigation plan must be provided, if necessary.

d. Is a QIC eligible to be a QIN-QIO?

Response: They are not excluded; however there is a considerable risk for conflict of interest and a detailed, acceptable mitigation plan must be provided, if necessary.

e. Is a MAC eligible to be a BFCC-QIO?

Response: They are not excluded, but must be reviewed as potential conflicts of interest may still exist.

f. Is a MAC eligible to be a QIN-QIO?

Response: They are not excluded; however there is a considerable risk for conflict of interest and a detailed, acceptable mitigation plan must be provided, if necessary.

g. Is a RAC eligible to be a BFCC-QIO?

Response: They are not excluded, but must be reviewed as potential conflicts of interest may still exist.

h. Is a RAC eligible to be a QIN-QIO?

Response: They are not excluded; however there is a considerable risk for conflict of interest and a detailed, acceptable mitigation plan must be provided, if necessary.

Task Orders

42. Can Task Order 1 be awarded to more than one (1) bidder in a single state?

Response: No. Each state is evaluated individually and will be awarded to separate offerors.

43. Will CMS award more than one (1) IDIQ per state?

Response: No. This applies to the QIN work specified in this task order. (There could be other National Quality work that could occur in more than one state – this is outside the QIN effort).

44. How soon do you anticipate letting additional task orders (SIPS) once the prime QIN-QIO awards are made?

Response: The timelines have not yet been established, and will be determined on a project by project basis.

45. Please clarify any components that are not in page count. In particular, Strategic Plan in Task A? CQIP in Task A?

Response: Yes, an initial version of the Strategic Plan and an initial version of the CQIP is included within the page limitation. CMS does expect a comprehensive, but concise, strategic plan.

46. Under Task A, the Strategic Plan and CIQIP in the deliverables table says “RFP Draft update due…”. In the RFP Strategic Planm, it clearly says it is due with the proposal but CIQIP does not. Please clarify what is due with the proposal?

Response: An initial Strategic Plan and initial CIQIP are due in the proposal, due to page limitations. The full updated Strategic Plan and complete CQIP is due 45 days of TO award.

47. Is it possible to bid on and be awarded subsequent task orders (beyond task one) if we were not awarded task one?

Response: No, task order 001 will be the award of the state(s) and any offeror that does not receive award of at least one state will not receive an IDIQ contract award.

48. Can you just confirm that the Total QIN Hours column is for the full five years and not a single year? If it is 5 years, you would calculate the number of FTE’s by diving Total QIN Hours by 5 and then by 1800?

Response: Yes, the total QIN hours represents the full 5 years. Yes, you can divide the hours by 5 then by 1800 to get the FTEs.

49. Section Number: L.11: General Proposal Instructions for a Single Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract and Task Orders Is it CMS’ intent to award separate task orders for each of the 3 – 6 states proposed by the offeror?

Response: CMS reserves the right to award a single task order for all awarded states under an IDIQ or award an individual task order per each state under the IDIQ contract award.

Level of Effort

50. The draft LOE chart does not include hours for Task A.1 of Task Order 001. This task , Excellence in Operations, requires a LOE to address and support over the life of the contract the following : comprehensive strategic plan, management plan, integrated communications plan, information systems and emergency preparedness plans, task work order plan compendium, continuous internal quality improvement program plan (CIQIP), reporting requirements, and general contract management.

Since the draft LOE does not include any hours for Task A.1 of Task Order No. 001, will CMS provide the estimated hours in the final LOE amendment? Does the draft LOE include consultant and subcontractor hours? Since we are not able to understand how CMS developed the LOE data, clarification is respectfully requested.

Response: The LOE is in DRAFT form only; please refer to the highlighted yellow column of total QIN hours. Please disregard all other columns that refer to hours per task; they are not to be used for estimating purposes. These total hours are subject to change in the FINAL version, which will be provided in a subsequent amendment. For proposal purposes, all other columns are irrelevant.

51. Section Number: Level of Effort (LOE) Section & Title: LOE Amendment Question: Since the draft LOE does not include any hours for Task A.1 of Task Order No. 001, will CMS provide the estimated hours in the final LOE amendment?

Response: Please refer to the question above. CMS will not provide specific hours on a task basis in the final LOE amendment.

52. Section & Title: LOE Amendment Does the draft LOE include consultant and subcontractor hours? Since we are not able to understand how CMS developed the LOE data, clarification is respectfully requested.

Response: The total estimated LOE hours are all inclusive. Note that the hours are currently in “DRAFT’ and will be finalized in the subsequent amendment.