HT0038-21-R-0001_SAM Announcement.pdf

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Workforce 3.0 – Managed Solution, Defense Healthcare Management Systems (WF3)

HT0038-21-R-0001

September 29, 2020

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PART 1: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Requiring Activity: Program Executive Office – Defense Healthcare Management Systems (PEO DHMS)

Opportunity Title: Workforce 3.0 – Managed Solution (WF3)

Announcement Type: Initial Announcement

Solicitation Number: HT0038-21-R-0001

Important Dates:

» Posting Date: September 29, 2020 » Initial Questions/Comments: Open Now through October 9, 2020 » Notional Draft RFP 1: October 2020 » Notional Draft RFP 1 Questions/Comments: 10 days after Draft RFP 1 is released » Initial Virtual Industry Day: End of October 2020

Brief Problem Statement: PEO DHMS strives to deliver world-class technologies in the health information field. The goal is for the technologies and conduct to be indistinguishable from those of leading private-sector technology firms, to the greatest extent possible. To achieve this, PEO DHMS is undertaking several transformation efforts to mature the organization, the tools it uses, and how it does business.

One transformation initiative is the migration to a high-achieving digitally enabled workforce. The novel coronavirus pandemic has not only demonstrated a more pressing need to embrace a modern work paradigm, but has also highlighted barriers to transformation. These barriers are especially pronounced as PEO DHMS begins to depend on close, native, collaboration with the rest of its partners in the Federal and non-federal health information field. Further, as its production capacity requirements expand, PEO DHMS must be able to attract and retain the highest level of talent in its workforce. PEO DHMS understands talent of this caliber demands a frictionless, seamless work experience, and is deterred by traditional Government-contractor arrangements. PEO DHMS is seeking a Workforce 3.0 managed solution that leverages innovative new processes, methods, and/or best-in-class practices from outside the Government to enable the entire PEO DHMS transformation into PEO 3.0 and beyond.

Solicitation Concept: This solicitation will maximize the use of streamlined, concise context and instructions, and will leverage non-traditional digital capabilities to foster bi-lateral communication and understanding. To facilitate mutual understanding, PEO DHMS will use alternatives to written text, such as recorded video and live engagement to provide additional context and clarifications. Questions and feedback are encouraged throughout the process. The solicitation process will be iterative with multiple drafts, comment periods, and live virtual engagements. To help foster a sense of ownership in the problem space, PEO DHMS will seek to provide all information available about its organizations and “current state”, as well as its vision for the future and its goals throughout this process. Ultimately, the final solicitation will be the result of extensive collaboration between all interested parties and PEO

DHMS.

Anticipated Awards: Single or Multiple awards may be issued resulting from this solicitation, as the relationship construct is defined in the iterative process. Resulting contracts will be new Indefinite-

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Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity contract(s) using FAR and DFARS procedures.

Anticipated Dollar Value: Greater than $500M. To be refined as duration and approaches mature.

Potential Partners: PEO DHMS encourages the broadest possible participation in responding to this solicitation and will seek to establish substantial goals for socio-economic and non-traditional entity categories. PEO DHMS will conduct extensive efforts to connect all potential partners to other potential partners, such as virtual “mixer” events, and other innovative techniques.

Solicitation Email: dha.ncr.peo-ipo.mbx.dhms-enablers@mail.mil

Solicitation Website: Initially on [https://beta.sam.gov/] and https://www.hive.gov/digitalworkforce (once launched approx. Oct 2020)

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PART 2: SOLICITATION DETAILS

A. Background

As a nation, our health is one of our most critical and important resources. Whether in the context of maintaining economic output, the readiness of our military to defend our national security, or paying the debt we owe to those who made sacrifices to do so, a healthy, fit society is the engine for these activities. The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) recently published its 2020-2025 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan (Attachment 1), which lays out in detail the Federal Government’s role in healthcare and how it uses Health Information Technology (Health IT) to fulfill that role. In short, the Government regulates, purchases, and uses healthcare, and regulates, purchases, develops, and uses Health IT. The Plan further lays out some of the biggest challenges facing the healthcare industry, and how the Government plans to use technology to address these and improve health outcomes. Among these are cost growth, capacity in the system, and poor health outcomes, especially in areas such as obesity, substance abuse, and mental health.

The Program Executive Office – Defense Healthcare Management Systems (PEO DHMS) is a key Federal Health IT partner, and is chartered to deliver the single Electronic Health Record (EHR) for the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, and the United States Coast Guard, among other technologies. Sitting at the nexus of healthcare and defense, which together account for approximately 40% of that national budget, PEO DHMS is in a unique position to make a substantial national impact on the challenges facing both domains. National Defense, like healthcare, faces challenges in resources, capacity, and capability.

In its official Purpose, Goals, and Strategies document (Attachment 2), PEO DHMS lays out its vision for maximizing its impact on healthcare and defense. While many tend to equate PEO DHMS with EHR, PEO DHMS along with its subordinate and partner offices, has a considerably broader mission, which is continuing to expand. According to data collected by ONC, EHR adoption across the country is approaching 100%. The Federal Health IT Strategic Plan looks well beyond the core EHR, and PEO DHMS’ missions are pivoting to provide comprehensive health management, advanced data applications, improved usability, reduced provider/patient burden, and many other priorities. PEO DHMS recognizes technology will enable these missions to achieve success.

PEO DHMS delivers on these missions with a strong workforce comprised of federal civilians from multiple Agencies, military personnel from each Service, support contractors, and prime mission product contractors. This workforce is organized into major program offices, project teams, coordinating offices, and a back office/corporate team.

PEO DHMS’ workforce strives to deliver world-class technologies in the health information field.

To the greatest extent possible, PEO DHMS wants its technologies and conduct to be indistinguishable from those of leading private-sector technology firms. This includes:

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» Frictionless and seamless solutions and products that create the best possible user experience.

» Quality products to drive demand from Government and non-Government users » Increased competition and ignited innovation from other Health IT developers in the private sector.

» Attracting the best people in these fields to join and stay in the PEO DHMS workforce.

To achieve these lofty and worthy goals, PEO DHMS must undergo a fundamental shift in how it does business.

B. Description of Need

PEO DHMS is seeking a managed solution that leverages innovative new processes, methods, and/or best-in-class methodologies from private sector to enable the entire PEO DHMS workforce to deliver world-class technology. PEO DHMS is calling this managed solution Workforce 3.0.

PEO DHMS defines workforce as a self-driven, high-agency talent pool focused on actively enabling PEO DHMS to achieve its strategic vision, and those of its subordinate organizations while continuously and incrementally transforming PEO DHMS into a high-achieving technology organization that can deliver world-class technology. Workforce 3.0 will be a seamless, badgeless team working in concert to achieve the goals necessary to deliver PEO DHMS’ vision.

The workforce will include Government employees and military fulfilling inherently governmental functions, providing strategic direction, performance management, and stakeholder engagement. However, Government personnel cannot deliver all capabilities necessary to operate and transform a high-achieving technology company. This contract will form the relationships with industry necessary to deliver those capabilities; subject matter expertise; and related studies, assessments, plans, and models.

The Government considers a managed solution to cover the full breadth of digital workforce capabilities from technical, administrative, and organizational, across its subordinate and full-partner organizations (e.g., the Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization (FERHM) office). In this manner, a managed solution:

» Scales seamlessly and accommodates fluctuations in demand rapidly.

» Enables one seamless workforce where an individual’s Agency or employment status does not affect the individual’s experience at work.

» Is an actively managed “stack” of capabilities, where the burden does not fall on the

Government to execute tactical actions, perform all critical thinking, or specify labor requirements.

» Must be capable of rapid evolution as the needs of the workforce or cutting-edge technology and capabilities evolve.

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PEO DHMS’ overarching desired outcome of this solicitation and resultant contract(s) is that its workforce has the same capabilities and talent level of a leading-edge technology firm. PEO DHMS will measure the results of any award(s) and contract performance against the extent to which this outcome is satisfied, considering the strategic goals being pursued by its organizations.

It is critically important to emphasize that for PEO DHMS to attract/retain the caliber of workforce it requires. Solutions should include the full “stack” of capabilities and innovative teaming arrangements. Workforce solutions should ensure the “stack” contains the most cutting-edge private-sector ideas and methodologies throughout.

Any lists or examples provided throughout this document, or supporting documents/graphics, are not intended to be exhaustive or scope limiting, and should not be interpreted as guidance for your solution. They are merely examples intended to provide context. The scope of this action will be defined by the required outcomes. PEO DHMS is seeking unconventional approaches that are outside the mainstream for the Government, challenge traditional Government assumptions or barriers, and have the potential to radically improve the organization. PEO DHMS will not limit its ambition or capability just because it is a Government organization. PEO DHMS is excited to change how it does business to achieve this outcome.

That said, PEO DHMS is a Government organization and it recognizes there are gaps in its research and understanding of leading-edge practices. PEO DHMS is seeking to explore innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in its capabilities, where appropriate. Evolutionary and incremental improvements to the existing state will be entertained especially when those evolutions result in greater speed to delivery, as long as the nexus to the ultimate outcome is clear. PEO DHMS is relying on your expertise. It understands there may be new required capabilities that are unknown to PEO DHMS, or that may mature over time, required to satisfy the desired outcomes.

PEO DHMS is seeking a managed solution provider that can serve as a catalyst by identifying new external technology trends and building communities with innovative sources that are outside traditional DoD and Military Health System contractor communities.

Throughout the process, PEO DHMS will utilize a “design-to-outcome” approach rather than specifying specific performance requirements or specifications. Once contract(s) are awarded, the accepted proposals will evolve into projects based on an iterative design process that transforms the proposed solution into an agreed upon design concept. Once a design is approved by PEO DHMS, the design artifacts will be evolved into requirements against which performance is measured. Change is inherent in the process and adaptation/evolution is expected through each step from solicitation, to proposed solution evaluation, to design, to requirement, to performance.

Attachment 3 contains additional background regarding the current notional Acquisition

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Strategy (AS) concept, for both informational purposes and for industry to provide feedback.

Other contracts within the PEO DHMS portfolio will cover prime-mission-product delivery and delivery of enterprise-level technological capabilities that support the prime-mission-product deliveries. This solicitation pursues only the workforce and related structures necessary to enable and support the prime missions, as depicted in Attachment 3.

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PART 3: Process

PEO DHMS will utilize an interactive, high-engagement solicitation process to seek and evaluate proposals. Communication is encouraged at every step of the process for the entire duration until the final proposal deadline. PEO DHMS strongly encourages interested parties (including other Government organizations) not to hesitate to provide any feedback or questions. Due to the nature of the collaborative and iterative process, concepts and plans, especially notional schedules may, and likely will, evolve over time. Please regularly check for updates.

A word of caution, given the rapid nature of this solicitation, and its desire to conduct a procurement with peerless integrity, PEO DHMS is using a small core team of “inside the wire” individuals. ALL current and accurate information will be made available in the appropriate public portal. Anyone, whether inside or outside the Government, claiming to have details or decisions that have not been announced are certainly inaccurate.

Documents will be drafted to the extent possible using plain language and without government jargon (though perhaps with technical jargon). Where jargon and/or mutual language is required for this project, it will be defined, and to the extent possible, supplemented by verbal (recorded or live video) information. Proposal documents shall be drafted with these principles in mind as well.

The notional solicitation timeline is in Attachment 3.

A. Feedback Phase

With the posting of this document, PEO DHMS has opened the feedback phase. Feedback may consist of comments, suggestions for clarifications, questions, or suggested information.

Parties should be aware that questions, and the answers to the questions, will be posted for public consumption and must NOT include proprietary information, personally identifiable information, trade secrets, or other competitively harmful information. The Government may, at its discretion, attempt to rephrase or redact a question to remove such information, if it recognizes such information, but if it cannot determine whether the information is releasable or make redactions, a question may be rejected without an answer.

Depending on the nature of the feedback received, the Government may provide additional verbal supplementation along with written answers to any questions.

The fundamental outcome of this phase is a mutual understanding of the required outcomes and the problem areas to be addressed.

Each Draft RFP and associated industry interactions will specify cut-off dates and times for feedback to be considered for that specific iteration.

Prior to issuing a draft RFP, PEO DHMS will attempt to post responses to any feedback received

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with as much advance notice possible prior to the draft RFP’s release.

Please submit all feedback to the e-mail specified in, and using, Attachment 4. Feedback submitted via other methods will not be accepted (unless as part of the instructions for other engagements such as industry days).

To date, feedback from PEO DHMS’ November 2019 “DHMS Business Transformation Support” RFI has been utilized in both the strategy and early draft documents. Feedback will continue to be incorporated as appropriate throughout the process. In general, PEO DHMS will post documents and allow industry time to “digest” and provide feedback. PEO DHMS will use this feedback to hone in on the high risk or most misunderstood areas, and will reinforce understanding through live or recorded engagements, as well as with further iterations of the draft process until such time as PEO DHMS believes industry is well-prepared to deliver excellent proposals. Using this reinforcing mechanism is meant to avoid extraneous engagements and to maximize the value of interactions. PEO DHMS appreciates the time and expense prospective partners will dedicate to engaging with this concept. That said, any submissions that are not within the designated response times will NOT be accepted by the Government. In addition, be advised the entire cost of any submission is at the sole expense of the source submitting the information, and will not be reimbursed by PEO DHMS.

B. Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) Pre-Screens

Please see FAR 9.5 and DFARS 209.5 for background information related to OCI. This notice contemplates contract action(s) that will have substantial OCI implications. PEO DHMS expects any awardee(s) to be tightly integrated team members within its seamless Workforce 3.0. As a result, PEO DHMS anticipates the final solicitation will require the execution of corporate non-disclosure agreements and non-compete commitments, and the resulting contract(s) will require the execution of appropriate associate agreements with prime-mission product partners to gain access to technical data and other proprietary information generated during the performance of those contracts.

Effort contemplated under this notice will include the performance of system engineering functions, to include subject matter expertise input to standard enterprise processes, evaluating prime mission contract work product, providing input to test plans, evaluating test results, providing input to early acquisition concepts and strategies, helping PEO DHMS specify outcomes, work statements, goals, and measuring performance.

Further, efforts under this contract contemplate the provision of subject matter expertise and performance of support functions for budget, acquisition, human resources, security, and other functions that will require access to other contractors’ proprietary information.

As a result, PEO DHMS considers it nearly, if not, impossible for parties interested in performing under this effort to mitigate or avoid these OCIs sufficiently if they also perform prime-mission product work for PEO DHMS, its partners, or subordinate Programs, and any awardee(s) under

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this sonication will be required to execute non-compete agreements on prime-mission product work.

Please note, for CD-DHMS (HT0038) contracts that include clauses to notify the Contracting Officer if they pursue other PEO DHMS work, an interest in this notice triggers compliance with those clauses.

If you perform work on other HT0038 contracts, or contracts issued by other contracting offices (notably HT0011, HT0014, HT0015) or Agencies (notably the Department of Interior, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services, or the General Services Administration), the Government calls your attention to the particular fact that the work performed under this notice will result in organizational conflicts of interest with ongoing or future work supporting PEO DHMS or other Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, or Department of Homeland Security (United States Coast Guard) Programs. In particular, this contract will require access to other contractor's proprietary information relative to, but not necessarily limited to the following programs:

» Theater Medical Information Program – Joint (TMIP-J) » Joint Operational Medicine Information Systems (JOMIS) » Defense Medical Information Exchange (DMIX) » DoD Healthcare Management System Modernization (DHMSM) » Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization (FEHRM) » Enterprise Intelligence & Data Solutions (EIDS)

» PEO DHMS

If your firm (or an individual who you have since hired) performs or has performed work related to any of the above, or any other related Program, under an existing or past contract, or as an employee or military member of the Federal Government, PEO DHMS requests that you notify it and request a pre-screening before beginning proposal preparation or joining a team as a subcontractor.

Pre-screening is not mandatory, but the solicitation will require the same information as a matter of compliance, and it will be used to make formal OCI decisions during the evaluation process.

Conducting the pre-screening will help interested parties take appropriate actions to mitigate, neutralize, or avoid conflicts in a timely manner. Often, by the time a proposal is submitted, it can be too late, and your participation may be jeopardized.

Please provide the pre-screening request using Attachment 5, to the e-mail in Attachment 5.

PEO DHMS may request additional information or a phone call to clarify circumstances before issuing guidance. While PEO DHMS cannot affirmatively make OCI decisions prior to the evaluation of proposals, it will provide a prospective assessment with recommendations to avoid any issues if taken prior to proposal preparation.

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Further, PEO DHMS will request the results of any pre-screens be provided to prime contractors if the entity requesting the pre-screening is not a prospective prime. PEO DHMS also encourages prospective primes to closely evaluate potential teammates and recommend they use the pre-screening process and submit any results if there are any potential issues.

As part of its overall and solicitation-specific Integrity Plans (which will be posted as soon as practicable to the public), PEO DHMS closely tracks which individuals have had access to particular parts of the acquisition process and will utilize this information during the pre-screening process, to facilitate appropriate hiring and teaming decisions by interested offerors.