TQMC_Section_L_3-10-15.doc

SECTION L, INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

1.0 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS:

FAR 52.252-1 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make its full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that shall be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at these addresses: http://farsite.hill.af.mil; http://www.acquisition.gov/far, or http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/dars/dfarspgi/current/index.html.

(End of Provision) FAR 52.204-7 System for Award Management (JUL 2013)

FAR 52.204-16 COMMERCIAL AND GOVERNMENT ENTITY CODE REPORTING (NOV 2014)

FAR 52.211-14 NOTICE OF PRIORITY RATING FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, AND ENERGY PROGRAM USE (APR 2008)

Any contract awarded as a result of this solicitation with DO-C9 rated order certified for national defense, emergency preparedness, and energy program use under the Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) (15 CFR 700), and the offeror will be required to follow all of the requirements of this regulation.

(End of Provision)

FAR 52.215-1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS—COMPETITIVE ACQUISITION (JAN 2004)

FAR 52.215-16 Facilities Capital Cost of Money (Jun 2003) FAR 52.215-20 REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTIFIED COST OR PRICING DATA AND DATA OTHER THAN CERTIFIED COST OR PRICING DATA (OCT 2010)

Submission of certified cost or pricing data is not required.

Offerors shall provide the information described in paragraph 8. Volume IV, Price Proposal (Factor 3), below.

(End of Provision) FAR 52.215-22 LIMITATIONS ON PASS-THROUGH CHARGES–IDENTIFICATION OF SUBCONTRACT EFFORT (OCT 2009)

FAR 52.216-1 TYPE OF CONTRACT (APR 1984)

The Government contemplates award of an indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract with fixed unit prices resulting from this solicitation.

(End of Provision)

FAR 52.222-24 PRE-AWARD ON-SITE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COMPLIANCE EVALUATION (FEB 1999)

FAR 52.222-46 EVALUATION OF COMPENSATION FOR PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEES (FEB 1993)

FAR 52.233-2 SERVICE OF PROTEST (SEP 2006)

(a) Protests, as defined in section 33.101 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, that are filed directly with an agency, and copies of any protests that are filed with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), shall be served on the CO by obtaining written and dated acknowledgment of receipt from the CO, address in Block 7 of the Standard Form 33.

(b) The copy of any protest shall be received in the office designated above within one day of filing a protest with the GAO.

(End of Provision) FAR 52.252-5 Authorized Deviations in Provisions (APR 1984)

The use in this solicitation of any Federal Acquisition Regulation (48 CFR Chapter 1) provision with an authorized deviation is indicated by the addition of “(DEVIATION)” after the date of the provision.

(End of Provision)

DFARS 252.203-7005, REPRESENTATION RELATING TO COMPENSATION OF FORMER DOD OFFICIALS (NOV 2011)

(a) Definition. “Covered DoD official” is defined in the clause at 252.203-7000, Requirements Relating to Compensation of Former DoD Officials.

(b) By submission of this offer, the offeror represents, to the best of its knowledge and belief, that all covered DoD officials employed by or otherwise receiving compensation from the offeror, and who are expected to undertake activities on behalf of the offeror for any resulting contract, are presently in compliance with all post-employment restrictions covered by 18 USC 207, 41 USC 2101-2107, and 5 CFR parts 2637 and 2641, including Federal Acquisition Regulation 3.104-2.

(End of provision) DFARS 252.204-7004 Alternate A, System for Award Management (FEB 2014)

DFARS 252.215-7008 ONLY ONE OFFER (OCT 2013)

DFARS 252.225-7003 REPORT OF INTENDED PERFORMANCE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA—SUBMISSION WITH OFFER (OCT 2010) DFARS 252.226-7001 UTILIZATION OF INDIAN ORGANIZATIONS, INDIAN-OWNED ECONOMIC ENTERPRISES, AND NATIVE HAWAIIAN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS (SEP 2004) DHA Procedures Guidance and Information (PGI) 233.103-90, Agency Level Protests NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF INDEPENDENT REVIEW (MAY 2012).

a. An interested party filing a protest with Defense Health Agency (DHA) has the option of requesting review by either the Contracting Officer (CO) or an independent review official (IRO), who is a DHA official at a level above the CO. Alternately, an interested party may request an IRO review as an appeal of the CO's protest decision.

b. Where applicable, an interested party shall clearly state in the protest that IRO review is requested, and shall specify the nature of the independent review sought whether as an alternative to CO review or as an appeal of the CO's decision. Regardless of which review is requested, all protests shall be complete and submitted to the CO within the timeframes specified in FAR 33.1.

Note: In accordance with 4 CFR 21.3(a)(3), any protest filed with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) will be considered by DHA to be timely if it is filed within 10 days of actual or constructive knowledge of DHA’s adverse action on the initial agency–level protest, provided the agency–level protest was filed in accordance with 4 CFR 21.3(a)(1) and (2). Any subsequent DHA appellate review of the initial agency–level protest shall not provide an extension of time to file a protest with the GAO. DHA’s Agency Level Protest process gives a higher level appellate review of the CO’s decision on the initial protest challenge; therefore, this independent review does not extend the GAO’s timeliness requirements for subsequent protest of the initial adverse agency action (FAR 33.103(d)(4) and 4 CFR 21.2(a)(3).

2.0 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:

2.1. To assure timely and equitable evaluation of proposals, offerors shall follow the instructions contained herein. Offerors are required to meet all solicitation requirements, including terms and conditions, representations and certifications. Proposals shall be complete, self-sufficient, and respond directly to the requirements of this solicitation. The Government will not accept alternate proposals.

2.1.1 NOTE TO OFFERORS: No corrections and/or changes are allowed after the deadline for submission of proposals.

2.1.2 Each offeror shall comply with the solicitation requirements and submit a clear, concise proposal that includes sufficient detail for the Government’s effective evaluation and validation of offeror’s stated claims. The Government has provided Section L Exhibit L-5, Solicitation Cross-Reference Table, to assist offerors in proposal preparation. Exhibit L-5 provides a general cross-reference between solicitation sections and is not intended to be a substitute for the offeror’s reading and complying with the solicitation requirements. Offerors are not required to submit Exhibit L-5 as part of the proposal.

2.1.3. The CO will determine whether the apparent successful offeror is responsible in accordance with FAR 9.1. If the CO determines an offeror is not responsible under FAR 9.1, the CO may reject the offer and may not consider that offer for award.

2.1.4. The Government intends to evaluate offers and award a contract without discussions with offerors. Therefore, the offeror’s initial proposal should contain the offeror’s best terms from a price and technical standpoint. If an offeror submits more than one proposal, the Government will not evaluate any proposal from that offeror.

2.1.5. The Government reserves the right to conduct discussions if the CO determines they are in the Government’s best interests. The Government may reject any or all offers if such action is in the public interest, accept other than the lowest price offer, and waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received. The Government cautions offerors not to leave solicitation items blank, including the Standard Form (SF) 33 blocks, Section K, Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of Offerors, or any item requiring the offeror’s response. If an item is not applicable to the offeror, the offeror shall state “not applicable” or “NA.” The CO may determine the offer to be non-responsive and ineligible for contract award if an offeror:

(1) fails or refuses to assent to any of the terms and conditions of the solicitation;

(2) proposes additional terms and conditions to this solicitation; or

(3) fails to submit any of the information required by this solicitation. The offeror is reminded the Government reserves the right to award this effort based on the initial proposal received without discussions.

2.1.6. The offeror should not simply rephrase or restate the Government’s requirements in the proposal. The offeror shall clearly describe its approach and processes for performing the technical requirements of the solicitation. For example, if the contractor uses continuous process improvement, the offeror shall describe how it implements its continuous process improvement and steps it takes to monitor the effectiveness of such processes. The offeror shall provide convincing rationale that addresses how the offeror intends to meet the requirements in sufficient detail so that evaluators can determine if the proposal meets or exceeds the solicitation requirements. If the offeror uses commercial best practices or established standards, the offeror shall provide sufficient detail so that the evaluators can validate it as such. Offerors shall assume that the Government has no prior knowledge of its facilities, capabilities or experience. The Government will base its evaluation on the information presented, plus any additional past performance information the Government obtains from other sources.

2.1.7. If an offeror believes the requirements in these instructions contain an error, omission, ambiguities, or are otherwise unsound, the offeror shall immediately notify the CO in writing with supporting rationale as well as the remedies the offeror is asking the CO to consider related to the omission or error.

2.1.8. All solicitation documents for this requirement are available on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website at http://www.fbo.gov unless noted otherwise. Potential offerors are encouraged to register on FBO to receive e-mails regarding Government notifications on the FBO.gov website.

2.1.9. Sections L and M apply to the solicitation phase only and will not be part of the resulting contract. Section K will become part of the official contract file.

2.1.10. The contract will be updated to reflect the actual period of performance dates prior to award.

2.2. Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI):

2.2.1. Offerors shall comply with FAR 9.5, Organizational and Consultant Conflicts of Interest.

2.2.2. For the purpose of these provisions, the term "offeror" means the offeror, its subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, and marketing consultants or any of its successors or assignees.

2.2.3. In accordance with FAR 9.505, Organization and Consultant Conflicts of Interest, DHA is indicating and advising awareness to all interested offerors that “actual” and “potential” organizational conflicts of interests (OCI) may exist. This is to assist prospective offerors in developing their own business strategies regarding DHA requirements; and in doing so: avoid, mitigate, and neutralize any “actual” and “potential” OCIs. The following paragraphs below are provided for the purpose of identifying, avoiding, and militating against OCIs of this solicitation/award process.

2.2.4. Due to the nature of their performance with DHA, it is the position of DHA that the following companies, have an actual or potential organizational conflict of interest, which shall be avoided, neutralized, or mitigated: A-Team Solutions, LLC; Architecture, Engineering, Consulting, Operations and Management (AECOM); Axiom Resource Management Inc.; Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH); Cherokee Information Services (CIS) Inc. and its subcontractors: OST Global Solutions Inc. and ThinkQ; Kennell and Associates Inc; Compliance Automation Inc; Concept Plus, LLC; E.R. Williams Inc; Information Technology Solutions & Consulting, LLC (ITSC); Intellidyne, LLC; Kforce Government Solutions, Inc (KGS); Lockheed Martin Services, Inc.; National Government Services, Inc.; and SofTec Solutions, Inc.

2.2.5. The offeror shall represent in writing within the proposal that, to the best of the offeror's knowledge, there are no relevant facts or circumstances concerning any past, present, or potential contracts or financial interest relating to the work to be performed, which could give rise to an organizational conflict of interest, as described in FAR 9.5. In the event an actual or potential organizational conflict of interest exist, the offeror shall submit a mitigation plan to the CO that effectively demonstrates how the offeror will mitigate any actual or potential organizational conflict of interest while supporting this contract and any other DHA contract. The offeror shall also provide the CO with information of previous or ongoing work that is in any way associated with this solicitation.

2.2.6. The CO will review all mitigation plans to determine whether award to the offeror is consistent with FAR 9.5. If the CO determines that no conflict would arise or that the mitigation plan adequately protects the interest of the Government, the offeror will be eligible for award. If the CO determines that the mitigation plan is inadequate, the CO will consider what remedial actions to take, including elimination from the solicitation process, termination of related contract efforts already awarded, or negotiation of the mitigation plan.

2.2.7. The above restrictions shall be included in all subcontracts, teaming arrangements, and other agreements calling for performance of work which is subject to the organizational conflict of interest restrictions identified in these provisions.

2.2.8. The offeror acknowledges the full force and effect of these provisions. In case of an offeror’s breach, misrepresentation or nondisclosure, the Government reserves the right, to terminate the resulting contract, disqualify the offeror from subsequent related contractual efforts, or pursue any remedy permitted by law, regulation or the terms and conditions of this solicitation.

2.3. Improper Business Practices and Personal Conflicts of Interest:

2.3.1. Offeror shall comply with FAR 3, Improper Business Practices and Personal Consultant Conflicts of Interest, as supplemented

2.3.2. Use of Former DOD/DHA Employees and Uniformed Service Members in Proposal Preparation. (See DFARS 252.203-7005 above for provision) The involvement of a former DOD/DHA employee/member in an offeror’s proposal preparation may give rise to an unfair competitive advantage or the appearance thereof, if the former DoD/DHA employee/ member acquired non-public, competitively-useful information in his or her former position. Such knowledge could include proprietary information of competitor’s performance on past or current contracts with similar requirements or source selection sensitive information pertaining to this procurement. Consequently, the Offeror shall notify the CO prior to the involvement in the proposal preparation by a former DOD/DHA employee/member reasonably expected to have had access to such information. Based on the notification, the CO will make a determination whether involvement of the former DOD/DHA employee/member in proposal preparation could create an unfair competitive advantage or appearance thereof. The CO will further determine whether any mitigation measures taken or proposed by the offeror are adequate to alleviate this concern or whether the offeror will be disqualified from the competition. Failure to comply with these procedures may result in the offeror’s disqualification for award.

2.4. Offeror shall use its legal name and not a shortened version that could be confused with a parent company or other corporation. After the first time the offeror states its full legal name in each proposal volume, the offeror may subsequently use an abbreviation or acronym . The offeror shall clearly distinguish information in its proposal that it attributes to itself (the offeror), its parent company, affiliate or subsidiary.

2.5. Offerors shall submit proposals to the CO at the address indicated below. The proposals shall be in electronic and hard copy format (see paragraph 4.0) in the quantities indicated in Table 1. Hardcopies and CDs shall be submitted to:

Ms. Margaret Zancanella, Contracting Officer

Reference: TQMC Solicitation HT9402-15-R-0005 Defense Health Agency/COD-A 16401 East Centretech Parkway Aurora, CO 80011-9066

2.5.1. Each CD and hardcopy volume shall be marked as follows:

OFFEROR’S COMPANY NAME, e.g., XYZ Corporation

TRICARE Quality Monitoring Contract (TQMC) Volume Number

CD number (e.g., 1 of 3)

Date the CD was created

Software and version used (See paragraph 4.2. below)

2.5.2. Offerors shall apply all appropriate markings including those prescribed in accordance with FAR Clause 52.215-1(e), Restriction on Disclosure and Use of Data; and FAR 3.104-4, Disclosure, Protection, and Marking of Contractor Bid or Proposal Information and Source Selection Information. Offeror shall also identify any proprietary data that is to be protected in accordance with FAR 2.101.

2.6. If an offeror plans to have a representative deliver its proposal, the offeror shall coordinate the delivery with the Contract Specialist (See Block 10 of the SF 33) at least 2 business days prior to the due date/time to ensure timely submission. Proposals shall be received no later than the date/time and at the address stated on the SF 33.

3.0 GENERAL INFORMATION:

3.1. The CO and the Contract Specialist are the sole points of contact for this procurement. Offerors shall submit any questions regarding the solicitation or other concerns via email to the Contract Specialist with a courtesy copy to the CO.

3.1.1 The CO encourages offerors to submit questions regarding the solicitation or other concerns via email to the Contract Specialist identified in Block 10 of the SF 33 no later than 10 business days after issuance of solicitation. The CO will provide answers to questions to all prospective offerors via the Federal Business Opportunities website at https://www.fbo.gov.

3.2. Pre-proposal Conference: DHA anticipates holding a pre-proposal conference. The CO will provide the specifics about the pre-proposal conference on Federal Business Opportunities website at a later date.

3.3. The remarks, explanations, and answers provided by Government representatives whether orally, or in writing, shall not change any of the terms or conditions of the solicitation. The solicitation can only be changed by a formal written amendment issued by the CO.

4.0 PROPOSAL PREPARATION:

4.1. The offeror’s proposal shall consist of five (5) physically separated volumes, individually titled as indicated below. Each copy of each volume shall be in separate three-ring binders in the appropriate quantity. The total number of copies includes the original (e.g., 4 copies = original + 3 copies).

Table 1, Proposal Volumes

-Completed, signed SF 33, with Sections B, K and G, Small Business Subcontracting Plan if applicable, -OCI Representation and Mitigation Plan if applicable

-Cost Accounting Standards Board (CASB) Disclosure Statement(s) Factor 4, Small Business Participation

-Narrative for Subfactors 1-4

-Past Performance Narrative

-Past Performance Summary Description for each of 3 largest clients for prime and each 1st-tier subcontractor

-Organizational Change Roadmap

-Completed client authorization letter for each client point of contact (POC) -Each Subcontractor and Teaming Partner’s Consent

-Copy of Section B, Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs

Supporting spreadsheets, and any additional support included in the price narrative.

-Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Comprehensive Report(s), Financial Statements

-DCMA Form 1620 04-04 Guaranty Agreement for Corporate Guarantor -Professional Employees Compensation Plan

4.2. The electronic portion of the proposal shall be submitted on virus-free CD-ROMs that are compatible with Microsoft Office 2003 or later applications. For the original and copies listed above, the documents shall be either in Word or Excel format. If this is not possible, then a PDF document in Optical Character Recognition (OCR) format is acceptable for all volumes except for Volume IV, Price Proposal, which shall only be submitted in Word and Excel format (See paragraph 8, Volume IV, Price Proposal (Factor 3, Price), for additional requirements). Each CD shall be labeled as stated in paragraph 2.4. In addition, each CD shall be made “final.” “Final” is a recording option that renders the CD totally used so no other data tracks can be added. Do not use compressed file formats. Use separate files to permit rapid location of all portions, including exhibits, annexes, and attachments, if any. All portions of the electronic documents, including the body of text, tables, charts, and graphs shall be in a format that enables the Government to perform electronic searches of the documents. Electronic versions shall be exact duplicates of the paper copy proposals in both content and format.

4.3. Paper copy proposals shall be exact duplicates of the electronic versions in both content and format. Offerors shall submit each copy of each volume in a separate 3-ring binder with the offeror’s name, volume number, volume title, proposal date and solicitation number on the outside front cover and spine. Offerors shall also indicate which set of the volumes is the original and indicate the number of each set of copies (COPY 1 of 3). All paper proposal material shall be submitted on white paper with one-inch (1”) margins on all sides. The font for both CD ROM and paper submissions shall be Times New Roman, and at least 12 points with normal spacing and kerning. However, offerors may use 8-point Times New Roman for illustrations, organization charts, supporting data exhibits, report listings, or levels on process flows. Elaborate brochures or documentation, binding, detailed artwork, or other embellishments shall not be submitted. Proposal Volumes I-III shall be printed single-spaced, double-sided only with non-duplicative, sequential page numbers at the bottom of each page. Offerors shall include the offeror’s name and solicitation number at the bottom of each page. Volumes IV-V shall be printed single-sided. In instances where the paper copy differs from the electronic copy, the original paper volumes prevail.

4.4. Page limitations shall be treated as maximums. If exceeded, the CO will exclude the excess pages from evaluation. The excess hard copy pages will be destroyed without review, and excess electronic pages will not be reviewed. Table 2 below shows the required documents with page limits and the corresponding paragraph in Section L. If a required document is not listed in Table 2, then it has no page limit.

4.4.1 The technical proposal shall not exceed 100 pages inclusive of the exhibits, illustrations, attachments, flow diagrams, data dictionaries, figures, charts, and any other non-narrative documents. The table of contents, index, and tabs separating sections of the volume will not be counted as long as they do not contain proposal content. The offeror may cross-reference information within a proposal volume rather than repeating the information, i.e., a cross-reference to another paragraph within the technical volume. However, the offeror shall not make a cross-reference to another volume.

Table 2, Proposal Page Limits

4.5. The proposal shall not reflect a marketing or sales presentation. Unnecessarily elaborate proposals beyond those sufficient to present a complete and effective response to this solicitation are not desired. The proposal should illustrate the offeror’s capability and clearly demonstrate the organization and methodology that will satisfy the solicitation requirements.

4.6. The proposal may state information on the offeror’s experience (for this purpose, experience refers to what an offeror has done, not how well it was accomplished) in performing the proposed processes and procedures. This information may be considered in the evaluation of specific technical approaches and related technical proposal risk. However, any such information in the technical proposal will not be considered for the purposes of evaluating past performance as described in Section M, paragraph 5.0.

4.7. The price proposal, past performance information, and financial information shall not be addressed in the technical proposal volume, and no part of the technical proposal shall be incorporated by reference in any other proposal volume.

4.8. If the CO issues an Evaluation Notice (EN) (i.e., clarification questions), the offeror shall follow the instructions in the EN.

4.9. If the CO requests final proposal revisions, the offeror shall follow the revision instructions in the request for final proposal revision.

4.10. An offeror’s proposal will not be incorporated into the awarded contract as a whole. However, the Government may incorporate portions of the proposal into the resulting contract.

4.11. In accordance with FAR 4.803, Contents of Contract Files, the agency’s contracting office will retain one copy of all unsuccessful proposals. DHA’s Office of General Counsel (OGC) may retain its copies of proposals. Unless the offeror requests otherwise in writing, the contracting office will destroy the remaining copies of unsuccessful proposals.

4.12. The offeror shall submit its proposed organizational structure in an organizational chart and shall include the prime offeror, the parent entity, affiliates, subsidiaries, teaming partners, and first-tier subcontractors. A first-tier subcontractor is a company with a direct contractual relationship with the offeror to perform TQMC requirements, and whose contract price exceeds $1,750,000 or 5% of the total price (whichever is less) in the total price for the Base period and Option Years 1-5.

4.12.1. The offeror shall include addresses and telephone numbers in the organizational chart. The offeror shall disclose a clear description of the organizational relationships in the case of a joint venture or other business structure (e.g., subsidiary relying upon its parent corporation and/or relying on other corporate subsidiaries of its parent).. The offeror shall place a copy of the organization chart in the front of each volume. The organization chart shall not exceed 3 pages and will not count against any of the other page limitations indicated in paragraph Table 2, paragraph 4.4.1.

5.0 VOLUME I, EXECUTED OFFER:

5.1. Volume I shall contain the signed original of all documents requiring the offeror’s signature, including the SF 33 and the acknowledgement of any issued amendments to this solicitation. Use of reproduction of the signed original is authorized in the copies. The offeror shall complete and provide Section K, Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of Offerors, with all representations and certifications, including FAR Provision 52.204-8, Annual Representations and Certifications, in Volume I. An electronic Representations and Certifications Application is available at the System for Award Management (SAM) website (https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM).

5.2. Offerors shall submit a completed Section B, Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs, in both Volumes I and IV. Offerors shall not include price information anywhere else in its proposal. Offerors are instructed to price the appropriate contract line item numbers (CLINs) and sub-CLINs (SLINs) in Section B, Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs, as described in paragraph 8.0, Volume IV, Price Proposal, (Factor 3, Price).

5.3. Offerors shall complete, sign, and date Blocks 12 through 18 of the SF 33. Offerors shall provide at least 180 days in Block 12, Minimum Acceptance Period.

5.4. An offeror shall include a cover page in Volume I identifying offeror’s POC(s) authorized to respond to evaluation notices (ENs) and/or hold discussions/negotiations with the Government with the full authority to bind the company. The offeror shall provide the following POC information: Full name, title, e-mail address, phone number, fax number, and level of authority.

5.5. (FACTOR 4, Small Business Participation) Offerors shall include the Factor 4 requirements for Small Business Participation in Volume I.

5.5.1. Offerors designated as large businesses shall include in Volume I a subcontracting plan as required by FAR 19.702, FAR 19.704, FAR 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns; FAR 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan; and DFARS 252.219-7003, Small Business Subcontracting Plan (DoD Contracts). Additionally, offerors are advised in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2410d, offerors may use the services and/or products of the AbilityOne program (National Industry for the Blind/National Industry for the Severely Handicapped) in meeting its small business subcontracting goals.

5.6. Section G, Contract Administration Data: As required in paragraph Section G, paragraph 1.1.1, the offeror shall provide the offeror’s POC’s name and contact information for contract administration in Volume I.

6.0 VOLUME II, TECHNICAL PROPOSAL (FACTOR 1, TECHNICAL APPROACH):

6.1. The offeror shall submit a written technical proposal that demonstrates the offeror’s understanding of the solicitation requirements and provides an effective and efficient technical approach for the prospective contract. The Government will evaluate the proposal using the criteria in Section M, Evaluation Factors for Award.

6.2. Subfactor 1, Management and Staffing:

6.2.1 The offeror shall describe its proposed management approach for establishing and maintaining experienced, qualified personnel with appropriate skill sets, and management positions (including consultants and subcontractors), facilities, systems, and infrastructure to achieve the solicitation requirements, incorporating best business practices when practicable.

6.2.2. The offeror shall describe its ability to manage contract operations to meet the solicitation requirements and integrate all contractor activities. The description shall include flow integration, organizational structure, lines of authority, subcontractor management, and performance monitoring and reporting. The offeror shall also describe its reporting interfaces between the offeror and the Government. The offeror shall include a description of the reporting structure and any sharing of personnel between and among the business entities for any joint venture or other business structure. The offeror shall specify which contract requirements shall be accomplished by each specific subcontractor.

6.2.3. The offeror shall describe its processes and procedures for its Internal Quality Management Program (IQMP) plan, and how it will integrate its IQMP to ensure accuracy and timeliness of services and products delivered.

6.2.4. The offeror shall describe its approach for risk management program and process and how risks will be mitigated to ensure the solicitation requirements are met.

6.2.5 The offeror shall describe its management approach for conducting medical reviews, quality studies, on-site behavioral health facility reviews, and performance measurement and reporting.

6.2.6. The offeror shall describe its plan and processes to ensure it has an adequate number of licensed, board-certified, actively-practicing physician reviewers in all American Board of Medical Specialties (AMBS) or Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists (BOS) specialties, dentist reviewers in all American Dental Association Recognized Dental Specialty Certifying Board specialties, and non-physician reviewers, to perform the required work. The offeror shall describe its plan to address the potential need for additional sub-specialty reviewers in response to specific DHA requests.

6.2.7. The offeror shall describe its processes for ensuring that its staff is appropriately qualified by education, training, and experience. The offeror shall also describe its procedures for ensuring that its employees, consultants and subcontractors are appropriately credentialed, along with its approach for ensuring that they maintain their required qualifications and certifications while performing under this contract.

6.2.8. The offeror shall describe its transition-in approach to be fully operational at the start of option period one.

6.3. Subfactor 2, Performance Measurement and Reporting:

6.3.1. The offeror shall present its approach for ensuring timely, accurate abstraction, collection, analysis, display, reporting and benchmarking of the health plan quality measures and the posting of results.

6.3.2. The offeror shall present its approach for ensuring timely, accurate abstraction, collection, analysis, display, reporting and benchmarking of the National Hospital Quality Measures and the posting of results.

6.3.3. The offeror shall present its approach for ensuring timely, accurate abstraction, collection, analysis, display, reporting and benchmarking of the ORYX® hospital quality measures and the posting of results. The offeror shall also describe how it will meet the requirements for ORYX® data submission to the Joint Commission (JC).

6.3.4. The offeror shall present its approach for ensuring timely, accurate abstraction, collection, analysis, display, and reporting of the data utilizing the Global Trigger Tool as required.

6.3.5. The offeror shall describe how it will meet the requirements for completion of the annual National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) Compliance Audit.

6.4. Subfactor 3, Medical Reviews:

6.4.1. The offeror shall describe its approach for ensuring complete, timely, medical reviews by the appropriate qualified medical professional..

6.4.2. The offeror shall describe its approach for ensuring that each purchased care medical record reviewed for any reason is assessed for medical necessity and appropriateness of care.

6.5. Subfactor 4, Quality Improvement Studies and Evolving Practices:

6.5.1. The offeror shall describe its approach to identifying appropriate study topics and conducting clinical quality improvement studies which will provide specific and actionable recommendations for the Government to consider. See Section L, Exhibit 10, Sample Quality Improvement Study.

6.5.2.

The offeror shall describe its approach to the design, methodology development, and execution of quality improvement studies. The offeror shall also describe how it would approach performing studies impacting both the direct and purchased care systems to evaluate the quality of care provided across the entire MHS as an integrated healthcare system.

6.5.3.

The offeror shall describe its approach to conduct a study to assess the quality of Applied Behavior Analysis.

6.5.4. The offeror shall fully describe its approach to performing both long and short assessments of evolving practices, devices, medicines, treatments and procedures. See Section L, Exhibits L-8, Sample Short Assessment Evolving Practices, Devices, Medicines, Treatments and Procedures; and L-9, Sample Long Assessment, Evolving Practices, Devices, Medicines, Treatments and Procedures.

7.0 VOLUME III, PAST PERFORMANCE INFORMATION (FACTOR 2, PAST PERFORMANCE)

7.1. Past performance information applies to the prime offeror and its first-tier subcontractors (as described in paragraph 4.12). As used in this paragraph, “offeror” is inclusive of the prime offeror, teaming partners, and first-tier subcontractors. For the purpose of submitting past performance information, the prime offeror may be an individual company or an entity that is a consortium of entities.

7.1.1. For itself and each of its first-tier subcontractors, the offeror shall identify its three contracts that they believe are most relevant in accordance with Section M, paragraph 5.2 and that are currently ongoing or have concluded in the last three years.

7.1.2. The Government may obtain past performance data from any source, including, but not limited to, the references listed in the proposal, other customers known to the Government, consumer protection organizations, business news sources, and persons inside or outside the Government who may have useful and relevant information.

7.2. The offeror shall provide a narrative summarizing the past performance that is relevant to this solicitation as defined in Section M, paragraph 5.3, Evaluation of Factor 2, Past Performance, for the prime offeror and each proposed first-tier subcontractor. The Past Performance Narrative shall not exceed 15 pages. The offeror is required to explain what aspects of its past performance are deemed relevant in scope of services and magnitude as they relate to the solicitation requirements and Section C. Specifically the offeror shall address its past performance to include the scope and magnitude of:

(1) management and staffing of the requirements of the Section C;

(2) performance measurement and reporting;

(3) medical reviews,

(4) quality improvement studies and evolving practices.

7.3. The offeror shall identify the three largest clients, by contract dollar value for itself and each of its major/critical subcontractors dating back three years. For each client, the offeror shall identify the customer, functions performed under the cited contract, covered time period, and the dollar value of the contract. If this is a newly formed company, the totals shall be that of the entity in which they report. If the newly formed company reports directly to the parent company, then the offeror shall report the parent’s totals. The table of contents and tabs separating sections of the volume will not be included in the page count as long as they do not contain proposal content. All relevant past performance shall be addressed in the Past Performance Narrative.

7.4.

The offeror shall describe any problems encountered during the performance of the contract, identify corrective measures taken, and the effectiveness of the corrective action implemented. The offeror is required to clearly demonstrate management actions employed in resolving problems and the effects of those actions, in terms of improvements achieved or problems rectified (i.e., submittal of quality performance indicators or other management indicators). This information shall be limited to two pages per client. This information is separate from the summary information presented under paragraph 7.2 above.

7.5. The offeror shall identify the three largest relevant contracts for itself and each of its first-tier subcontractors that are currently ongoing or have concluded in the last three years. The contracts shall be relevant to the services of this solicitation with similar magnitude as it relates to the solicitation requirements. The offeror and each of its first-tier subcontractors shall state if they have fewer than three relevant contracts. The offeror shall not include contracts from its own subsidiaries, subcontractors, or other team members. The offeror shall provide a separate description for each contract not to exceed four pages per contract. For each contract, the offeror shall provide the following information regarding the contract:

a. Name of the client that will provide the past performance reference and relation to offeror. The offeror shall include a completed Client Authorization Letter (See Exhibit L-1, Sample Client Authorization Letter) for each contract.

b. Contract number, contract type, and offeror’s/first-tier subcontractor’s role (prime, subcontractor, other lower-tier participant).

c. A verified POC for the client who can discuss the offeror’s or first-tier subcontractor’s performance and contract standards/requirements and functions with the Government. The POC should be the same person who completes the Past Performance Questionnaire (See paragraph 7.9) for the offeror. The POC information shall include the POC’s name, title, role on contract, phone number, and mailing and email addresses.

d. Offeror’s role (prime or first tier subcontractor). DHA will not consider past performance below first-tier subcontractor.

e. Start and end dates of the contract.

f. Total dollar value of the contract if offeror was prime. For first tier subcontractors state the total contract dollar value and identify the dollar value awarded to the offeror as subcontractor.

g. A clear explanation of the functions performed and what aspects of the contract are deemed relevant to the solicitation requirements and Section C.

h. A clear description of management actions employed in resolving problems, ability to promptly correct performance problems and the effects of those actions, in terms of improvements achieved or problems rectified.

i. If any of the events listed below occurred during the contract period of performance, the offeror shall explain the circumstances and steps it took to mitigate:

(1) Failure to meet the minimum performance standards in the referenced contract and actions taken to restore performance to an acceptable level.

(2) Any data breaches or unauthorized disclosures of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or Protected Health Information (PHI).

(3) Contract option period was not exercised.

(4) Assessment of liquidated damages, penalties, or other reduction against offeror.

(5) Any contract termination.

(6) Any descoping of work

(7)Withheld payments.

(8) A notice to cure, claim or lien against the offeror, or suspension of work due to offeror’s quality issues.

(9) Any System for Award Management (SAM) exclusion (FAR 9.404), including name of the agency or other authority taking the action; cause for the action or other statutory or regulatory authority; effect of the action; and termination date for each listing.

7.6. If the past performance contract had small business subcontracting participation goals, and the offeror was the prime contractor for the contract, the offeror shall include the participation percent and dollar targets as required by FAR 19.202-1. The offeror shall state the actual performance percent and dollars in reaching the contract’s Small Business participation targets. If the offeror did not meet the small business subcontracting goals, the offeror shall explain why and the actions the offeror took to meet the small business subcontracting goals.

7.7. If the offeror or any of its first-tier subcontractors and teaming partners has had any contract terminated for default or cause within the last 3 years preceding submission of the proposal, the offeror shall provide documentation detailing the reason for the termination. The documentation shall identify the client, its address, the cognizant contracting official, and his/her telephone number and e-mail address. For any contract terminated for default or cause, the offeror shall identify the actions it took to prevent similar failures from recurring.

7.8. If the offeror or its first-tier subcontractor(s) was formed or is being organized solely for the purpose of proposing on this solicitation, and the parent corporation or consortium has relevant past performance and will be involved in the management and/or operations of the offeror; then the offeror shall submit the three largest contracts for its parent organization or each member of the consortium and provide the same information that is required in paragraphs 7.3 and 7.5 above.

7.8.1. The offeror shall document in the Past Performance Narrative (see paragraph 7.2) how the past performance of the parent corporation or consortium is relevant to this solicitation and the amount of involvement the parent or consortium member will have in the operations of the offeror. When describing the parent or consortium member’s involvement, the offeror shall describe in detail what division/entity the three largest contracts report to and what involvement and commitment of resources these divisions/entities will have in the operation of the offeror.

7.8.2. The offeror shall describe what if any resources from the parent entity or consortium members will be shared with the offeror (e.g., systems, personnel, facilities). The Government may downgrade past performance relevancy if offeror does not provide clear evidence of the connection or commitment of resources from the entity with relevant past performance to the entity that will perform the solicitation requirements.

7.9. The offeror and each of its first-tier subcontractors as defined in paragraph 4.12 of this section shall provide the Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) (Section L, Exhibit L-2, Past Performance Questionnaire) to the contract POCs to complete for each of the contracts identified in accordance with paragraph 7.3. The offeror is solely responsible for adding adequate specifics to its cover letter and the PPQ, so the Government can easily identify to which offeror the past performance refers and the specific contract referenced. If the Government cannot determine whose past performance or the offeror team to which the past performance belongs, the past performance questionnaire will not be considered.

7.9.1. DHA will not accept or evaluate any PPQs sent directly to DHA from a proposing offeror or its subcontractors. For expediency of evaluation, offerors shall instruct past performance POCs to email the completed PPQ to cynthia.d.turk.civ@mail.mil and margaret.a.zancanella.civ@mail.mil as soon as possible but not later than the date specified in Block 9 of the SF 33.

7.9.2. It is the offeror’s sole responsibility to ensure questionnaires are submitted to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer by the date specified in Block 9 of the SF 33. The Government encourages offerors to follow-up with POCs to ensure questionnaires are completed and forwarded to the by the date specified in the solicitation.

7.9.3. The questionnaire shall be completed by the client’s representative who is most cognizant of the contract. If it is a Government contract, the POC should be the procuring contracting officer, administrative contracting officer, or contracting officer’s representative. The submitted questionnaires shall include the name, title, and contact information of the person completing the questionnaire. The Government may contact the offeror’s references to discuss the offeror’s past performance. Client authorization letters are also required for each identified past performance effort (Section L Exhibit L-1, Sample Client Authorization Letter). This letter will authorize the POC to discuss the offeror's (or subcontractor or teaming partner) performance with the Government. The offeror is solely responsible for adding adequate specifics to the client authorization letter, so the Government can easily identify to which offeror the client authorization letter and the specific contract refers. Offeror shall ensure the contact information for designated POCs is accurate and up to date.

7.9.4. Once the Government receives the completed PPQ, the information in the PPQ shall be Source Selection Information and For Official Use Only (FAR 2.101 & 3.104). The Government shall not release such information to the offeror or any of its subcontractors or teaming partners.

7.9.5. Information provided by or for POCs who work directly for the offeror’s company will NOT be considered.

7.9.6. If a subcontracting or other teaming relationship is proposed, the offeror shall submit the consent of its proposed first-tier subcontractor(s) and teaming partners, as applicable, to disclose its past performance information to the offeror along with the offeror's proposal submission (see Section L Exhibit L-3, Sample Teaming Partner/Subcontractor’s Consent). If the proposed subcontractor or teaming partner’s consent is not provided with the offeror's proposal, the Government will not consider the subcontractor’s past performance in assessing the offeror's past performance, and the contracting officer may determine the proposal to be non-responsive.

7.10. Many companies have acquired, been acquired by, or otherwise merged with other companies, and/or reorganized its divisions, business groups, of subsidiary companies. The offeror shall include a “roadmap” describing all such changes in the offeror’s organization to facilitate the Government’s relevancy determination. If an offeror provides past performance information that was rendered by a predecessor company, the offeror shall describe how the past performance efforts of the predecessor company are relevant to this solicitation and how that work can be attributed to the offeror that is proposing to perform the TQMC requirement in the Past Performance Narrative (see paragraph 7.2.). Based on corporate changes in business relationships, the offeror shall also identify the commitment of resources between predecessor companies, its divisions, business groups, first-tier subcontractors or subsidiary companies.

8.0 VOLUME IV, PRICE PROPOSAL (FACTOR 3, PRICE):

8.1. Section B, Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs. The offeror shall submit fixed unit prices and extended amounts based on the Government-provided estimated quantities in Section B, Supplies or Services…