Post Conference - Questions.pdf

Number Document Section Page Question Response

1 Industry Day Evaluation N/A

There was discussion on Industry Day that the "problem scenario" during the oral presentation phase would now be included in the evaluation phase and become a separate factor. If the problem scenario is going to be a factor on it's own, how will the government break down the evaluation percentage for Factor 1 Oral Presentation, Factor 2

Problem Scenario, and Factor 3 Corporate Experience?

The response to the scenario is going to be a stand alone factor. An updated Section M.6 of the RFP will have the details on the relative importance of factors.

2 Section B‐M

Volume IV – Past

Performance

(FACTOR 4)

The government states, if offerors are proposing any subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirement, they shall submit a maximum of one (1) past performance references. The offeror shall provide no more than three (3) recent and relevant contracts.

Is the subcontractor past performance contract in addition to the prime contractors three (3) past peformance references? Meaning, a total of four (4) past performance contracts are allowed to be submitted?

The three references are for the prime offeror only. If a proposed subcontractor is performing major or critical aspects of the requirements then the offeror can include, at most, 1 additional past performance reference for that subcontractor.

3 QASP Attachment 02 N/A it is mentioned that the deduction criteria for overall staffing is “All QASP Metrics will be reported in CPARS.” What will be the frequency of the CPARS evaluations?

Annually

4 N/A

The presentation highlighted the importance of providing 100% fulfillment across all regions. On the current contract, what percentage of FTE's are fulfilled across all regions? In addition, what is the turnover percentage over the course of the contract

Current staffing levels nationwide are approximately 88‐92%. The Government will not provide the current turnover as that reflects proprietary information from the incumbent contractor.

5 Section B‐M

Volume IV‐Past

Perfromance

Instructions

Will the Government please confirm it will evaluate past performance references of each member company of a joint venture as past performance for the Joint Venture entity as a Prime Offeror?

Yes, however the combined number of references for any joint venture cannot exceed three.

Additionally, the past performance reference should include a description of what services are being performed by each member of the venture for this contract and have a clear relationship to the past performance experience. This shall also be clearly presented in the offerors approach as presented in factors 1, 2, and 3 (the overall proposed approach).

6 Section B‐M

Volume IV‐Past

Perfromance

Instructions

In the event of a Contractor Teaming Arrangement in accordance with FAR 9.6, please confirm the members of the

CTA can submit a combination of past performance references as a Prime Offeror to equate to the required number of past performance references for the Prime?

This is acceptable, however the combined total number of references for any teaming arrangement cannot exceed three for an entity proposing as the prime contractor. Additionally, the past performance reference should include a description of what services are being performed by each member of the venture for this contract and have a clear relationship to the past performance experience. This shall also be clearly presented in the offerors approach as presented in factors 1, 2, and 3 (the overall proposed approach).

7 RFP L.5 and L.6 84‐86

Can the government please outline the order of operations for the submittal of the Phase I Volumes? Will Offerors be submitting the Corporate Experience Questionnaire first, followed by Volume II Capability at a later date? Or will

Offerors be required to submit both at the same time? And will Offerors be required to submit their Oral

Presentation to the government ahead of the assigned day/time of the presentation, or just after the presentation is given?

All elements of Volumes I and II will all be due on the Phase I deadline, this includes the Corporate

Experience Questionnaire, a copy of the visual presentation (i.e. slides), and the Capability Statement.

The visual presentation shall be due on the deadline with the oral presentation occurring when scheduled by the Government.

8 RFP L.6 85

What is the preferred format for the presentation? Is PowerPoint required or can Offerors utilize other presentation software?

The presentation must be in a format that is clear and compatible with Microsoft Office and is presentable with MSFT Teams.

9 RFP L.6 85

Will Offerors be sharing our screen via Teams during the presentation or will the government be printing out the presentation and following along?

The offerors shall share the screen and guide the presentation. Government evaluators may print out the slides for their own reference.

10 RFP L.6 85

Is the presentation a proposal deliverable? If so, at what point during the process will we be required to submit it? Yes, please also see response to Question 2

11 RFP L.6 86

For the oral presentation, when the "offeror prepares response to scenario," what are the logistics for the preparation? Will the government be evaluating as we develop/prepare our scenario response?

See RFP Section L.6 ‐ Process. The Government will not be evaluating the development of the response.

The contractor can drop off the Teams Meeting or go mute and develop their response and come back to the call/meeting. The Government will evaluate the response to the scenario.

12 RFP L.6 86

Will the same scenario be used to evaluate all Offerors or will there be a different scenario for each Offeror? The same scenario will be used for all offerors

13 RFP L.6 86 How will the government evaluate the scenario presentation? In accordance with M.7 ‐ Factor 2 of the RFP. This will be provided in the updated solicitation

14 RFP L.6 86 Who is the audience for the oral presentation? The Technical Evaluation team, contracting officer and contracting specialist

15 RFP General N/A Can the government please confirm the anticipated timeframe the Final RFP will be released? Will the pre‐ and post‐ industry day questions be answered before the release of the RFP?

The Government is anticipating an RFP release in early October.

Industry Day

Presentation

Industry Day

Presentation Slide 12

The government has stated that, for initial awards, the government will stagger task order award start dates to facilitate transitions. Will the Request for Task Order Proposals also be staggered or will solicitations and awards for the initial four Task Orders occur simultaneously?

That is "to be determined" (TBD) at this time, however the Government will ensure sufficient time for all task order proposals to be available. Likely a single task order will be released following but the others soon after. The response dates will be staggered as will the respective award dates and transition times, however this is all TBD at this time.

17 RFP General N/A

How does the government intend to manage the task orders? Will there be 1 COR per contractor or 1 COR per region? What is the contracting office’s oversight? If the contractor is awarded 2 task orders, will they be completely separated or will they be combined under one COR?

This is TBD and will be determined based on the resultant awards. The Government's intent is a single

COR for each TO, but this is dependent on available resources and is subject to change.

18 RFP General N/A

If the government is not going to conduct a price realism analysis, how will the government verify that vendors can provide staff at their proposed rates?

The Government suspects the question relates to "cost" realism versus "price" realism. To clarify realism analysis is generally not done when there is an expectation of competition ‐ see FAR

15.305(a)(1). For this procurement, the Government will be conducting price analysis not cost analysis as this is not a "cost" type contract.

The government awards a contract with fixed prices (in this case labor rates) based on an offeror stating they can meet the requirements of the contract at the rates specified. It is incumbent on the contractor to perform the services at the rates proposed.

19 PWS 5 2

What industry standards were used when developing the AQLs? The AQLs are based on the Government's mission requirements, market research, and historical performances.

20 RFP QASP NA

Please distinguish Retention and Turnover measures on the QASP. The Retention AQL is 90% (i.e., 10% Turnover) and the Turnover AQL is 18% (i.e., 82% Retention). We recommend using either the Retention metric or the

Turnover metric but not both.

Retention measures the contractors staff that remain on contract for a specific period. Turnover measures the staff that leave during a specific period. Independently there are gaps in both metrics, for example an employee is hired and resigns within 3 weeks would not be measured in retention but would be measured in turnover.

This was a historical issue with vendors who hire staff which then resign after a short period. This wastes contractor and Government recruitment, clearance, and onboarding resources.

21 RFP QASP NA

During Industry Day, CAPT Smith was very clear on IHSC's mission of providing patient‐centric, being flexible and agile, measures for providing sick‐call, 24/7 coverage, adhering to NCCHC and ACA standards. However, the QASP and draft solicitation is silent on the contractor's role to support these measures. For example, the QASP measures speak to employee qualifications, fill rates and staffing levels, retention/turnover, start dates timeframes, and reporting but yet is silent on any of the topics CAPT Smith outlined. Please clarify how the contract staff supports

IHSC's mission. Will the government consider incorporating metrics, such a the following to better align the contract with this mission: 1) Staff Productivity, 2) Promptness in completing health records, 3) Infectious disease monitoring.

The care that contractors provide is done side by side with federal staff. The Government reviewed ways of measuring patient care metrics, but could not find a way to independently measure contractor care exclusive of the care provided by federal staff, therefore the QASP metrics are tailored towards ensuring contractor staff is hired, qualified, trained, and retained to a reasonable degree.

The metrics put in place are metrics that are wholly within the control and purview of the contractor, therefore the contractor is not being held to metrics outside their control which would be unreasonable.

The Government requires the contractor employees will provide the highest level of care in accordance with the IHSC care guidelines, while ensuring this, through onsite oversight by the GTM. The contractor provides medical care to support the facility and Government staff. The contract is established and structured to augment the federal workforce at the facility.

22 Industry Day Comment Industry Day

During the Industry Day, the Government mentioned the contractor may be required to refer patients to civilian medical facilities. Can the Government please explain what role the contractor will play in referring patients to civilian medical facilities?

The use of civilian medical facilities/resources comes into play when a medical determination has been made that the care required is outside the ability of the facility to provide.

The coordination with outside medical appointments would be handled and managed by the medical records staff.

PWS & Industry Day

Slide #21

5.2 3

With the Government’s performance requirement being 100%, with 100% staffing 100% of the time, and understanding the medical field is a very competitive market, will the Government be doing a price realism to ensure labor rates are adequate to ensuring the contractor can meet these performance expectations? How will the Government ensure there is not a race to the bottom?

No, with task orders, the contractors will likely have to provide "basis of pricing" demonstrating how they established their proposed rates specifically relating to employee compensation rates.

Additionally, with the designated backup, if a contractor cannot perform because they "low balled" the price, they will be in a position to lose the task order.

Services &

Prices/Costs B 1

For SCA positions, will the Government do equitable adjustments due to the release of new DOL SCA Wage

Determinations throughout the period of performance?

Yes, revised WDs will be incorporated into the task orders annually in accordance with FAR 52.222‐43

25 QASP Turnover 1 If a vendor’s employee leaves for a Government position, does that loss count against the contractor's turnover rate?

No

26 PWS 8.3 12

Will the Government accept an electronic report from the vendor's electronic timesheet in lieu of the e‐Timesheet, attachment 10 (for example Deltek Timesheets)?

No

27 PWS

Site Staffing Plan, Attachment 1 and

Position

Descriptions, Attachment 4

All

Some labor categories do not match between the Site Staffing Plan, Attachment 1 and Position Descriptions, Attachment 4 and some job titles listed in the Site Staffing Plan are not listed in the Position Descriptions, for example: 1) Pediatrician and Certified Medical Assistant – Immunization are listed on the Site Staffing Plan but not in the Position Descriptions. 2) Referrals Coordinator is listed in the Positions Descriptions, but not the Site Staffing

Plan. 3) Family Practice Physician is listed in the Site Staffing Plan, Attachment 1 but not in the Position

Descriptions, Attachment 4. However, Primary Care Physician is listed in the Position Descriptions, but not the Site

Staffing Plan. 4) Physician Cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) is listed in the Site Staffing Plan but not in the Position

Descriptions. Should the labor categories match between the two documents to eliminate confusion?

The site staffing plan is a snapshot sample. The Task Order Staffing Plans will delineate the staffing requirements for each order. For the IDIQ, the offerors shall propose pricing for each position at each facility. There may not be any FTE staff for a specific position at the time of award, but may be required at a later, so pricing is established for every position at every facility.

Please note, that Physician Cardiopulmonary Arrest is not how this contract uses CPA. For that attachment CPA means Collaborative Practice Agreement ((a term now used as Collaborative Practice and Prescription Authority (CP/PA) Agreements ‐ see Section 5.3)) which will no longer be a position on the new contract. The Site Staffing Plan will be updated to reflect/correct this issue/confusion.

28 Industry Day Comment Industry Day

During the Industry Day we heard Behavioral Health may not be in the scope of work. However, we see labor categories that pertain to Behavioral Health. Can the Government confirm whether Behavioral Health, Social

Workers is part of the work to be performed under this opportunity.

There will be behavioral health providers (psychologist and social worker) and technicians on the new contract. The question from the Industry Day was about mental health, which is an older term and is not used in the scope of this contract. Behavioral Health care is within the scope of this IDIQ.

29 Section B‐M

Volume IV‐Past

Performance

Instructions

Can the Government please confirm that multiple task orders under a single IDIQ Contract or BPA can be aggregated and presented to meet the size, scope and complexity requirement of the solicitation?

No, each task order is a stand alone contractual agreement, and will remain so throughout the period of performance.

RFP Only ‐

Attachment 1 ‐ Site

Staffing Plan

N/A ‐ Industry Day

Q&A Comments N/A

During the Industry Day, when the Government was asked to clarify the distinction between Behavioral Health and

Mental Health Services on this contract, the Government commented that mental health would not be in the scope of this contract's services. We note in the Attachment 1 Site Staffing Plan, that Social Workers, Psychologists, Psychiatrists and Behavioral Health Technicians are included in Site Specific Staffing Requirements. Can the

Government please confirm whether these Labor Categories and associated services are included in the scope of this solicitation?

See response to Question #28

Industr Day Presentation

31 Section B‐M

H.10 Para (e)

Authority To

Operate

Can the Government please clarify whether offerors are required to have an 'Authority To Operate' in order to provide services under the scope of this contract?

No, the contractor's IT system will not be used (and shall not be used) to input, store, process, output and/or transmit sensitive information. That will all be done within the Government's IT infrastructure.

32 PWS

7.2 Tier

Communication

System

Would the Government please elaborate on the Tier Communication System? What are the different Tiers and what is the criteria for each tier? How are calls categorized or assigned a tier? How does a contractor access the

Tier Communication System?

This section will be updated in the revised RFP. The Government will provide a tier memorandum as an attachment to the final RFP which should provide clarity.

33 PWS 8.0 ‐ Timekeeping 11 Can the Contractor provide a different solution regarding time keeping and management as identified in PWS 8.0? No

34 N/A General Question N/A Would the Government confirm the NAICS Code for this solicitation? 621999 ‐ All Other Miscellaneous Ambulatory Health Care Services

35 PWS

5.5 Task 5: Pediatric

Immunization

Program

Can the Government please provide a copy of the Operations Memorandum (OM) 15‐013? This will be provided with the RFP.

36 Industry Day Comment Industry Day

During the Industry Day the Government mentioned there is a 1‐800 translator service available. Can the

Government please provide additional information on the capabilities of the 1‐800 service, how it is used, and what the limitations are in its use?

The Government provides telephonic translation service. Generally, with the most common languages, there are no issues, and translation is available at the time needed.

The only real limitation could be when the services are required for a very rare language, the services may not be available at that time and could require an appointment to be reschedule to when that language service is available.

37 Section B‐M

M.7 Evaluation

Factors ‐ Factor 4:

Past Performance

Given the diverse skillsets required to support IHSC detention facilities, it is difficult for a single offeror/prime contractor to possess past performance that spans all labor categories. Accordingly, does the government intend to evaluate the combined past performance of the offeror and its Subcontractors collectively?

The Government will evaluate past performance in accordance with Section M.7 of the RFP.

Also see response to Question #2

38 Solicitation NAICS N/A N/A

Industry has noted the emphasis the government has placed on reducing the staffing risk on this contract. Would the government consider managing staffing risk by broadening/strengthening the pool of vendors able to participate as a small business on this solicitation? Would the government consider soliciting this procurement under an appropriate NAICS allowing firms with less than $41.5M to participate as a small business on this procurement?

The Government is soliciting this procurement as a full and open competition, which means it is open to small businesses of all sizes.

39 Section B‐M

L.6 PROPOSAL

INSTRUCTIONS –

PHASE I (Volumes I and II)

Since there is a 42.5% small business objective, will the Government consider experience from the entire team instead of just the prime?

See response to Question #2

40 PWS

22.0, Government

Furnished

Resources

Will the Government be providing medical supplies for use at the detention facilities, to include a supply of personal protective equipment (PPE)?

Yes

41 PWS

22.0, Government

Furnished

Resources

Are there any contractor reimbursable Other Direct Costs (ODCs) on this contract? No, this is a labor hour contract with reimbursable travel if approved

Sections B‐

M/Industry Day slides

L5 84/85

Question Context: The Government states in Section L5 that there will be a down select process.

Question: For successful Phase 1 offerors, how many days, after notice of down select, will successful Phase I offerors be given for Phase II proposal submissions?

That is TBD at this time without knowing the schedule, however the Government will ensure the offerors have sufficient time to develop and finalize Phase II proposal submissions after being advised to continuing to Phase II.

43 Sections B‐M L5 84

Question Context: The Government shows in Section L5 table that there will be a down select process and that the pricing volume is in Phase II.

Question: Can the government confirm that no pricing will be required during Phase I and No pricing will be evaluated in Phase I submission.

Confirmed

44 Sections B‐M L/Volume 4 86/89

Question Context: The government states in section L page 86, regarding Volume I Orals, that "The experience discussion is limited to the prime contractor’s own experience." The government further states in Section L page 89 that Past Performances can be submitted If offerors are proposing any subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirements.

Question: Since, the evaluation may include subcontractors that will be performing critical aspects, will the government consider expanding the experience discussion to the prime contractor and subcontractors who perform major or critical aspect during orals, Volume 1, since it aligns with the overall evaluation?

This section has been updated in the RFP.

45 ; Attachment 4

Question Context: The Corporate Experience Questionnaire states “if Offerors choose to submit as a prime/sub‐ team or under a contractor teaming arrangement (CTA), please indicate which firm’s experience is being demonstrated. Offerors may choose only to submit as a prime.”

Question: Will the government confirm that since the questionnaire can include both the Prime and the Subs (as a team), a representative from a Sub can partake in orals and discuss their experience? This would allow the government to understand the depth and breadth of the team truly.

Confirmed, the RFP states, "The offeror’s participation is limited to five (5) persons, at least three of whom must be current employees of the prime contractor." Therefore at least two attendees can be from subcontractors/teaming partners.

46 Sections B‐M H 7 22

Question Context: In Section H 7 the government discusses the DESIGNATED “BACK‐UP” AWARDEE and states If, during performance of the TO, the contractor’s performance negatively exceeds any single Critical Threshold, as established in Attachment 02 – QASP, for a period of three months, the Government may initiate complete or partial termination procedures.

Question: How will the Government discourage backup contractors from poaching critical employees from the performing contractor. ? The back‐up awardee could impact performance.by poaching key employees to make meeting a single Critical Threshold difficult.

This would likely not be an issue because the designated backup contractor does not have an active contract at the facilities/locations of the prime contractor. In this hypothetical, the backup contractor would be "poaching" employees but no prospect of reimbursement. If that occurred to the degree which impacted performance seems highly unlikely due to the cost burden without reimbursement.

If the Government did hear about this occurring, then appropriate action would be taken, including not awarding to the backup and recompeting the task order.

47 Sections B‐M G 6 18

Question Context: The Government states in Section G 6 that the offeror will need to "Obtain necessary security clearance and appropriate identification if access to Government facilities is required."

Question: Can the Government provide the level of security clearance anticipated? Assuming that this is for

Homeland Security it needs to be Secret or Above.

The only level of clearance required is a "fitness determination" for contract employees. The highest element within this determination is an N6 which is required for the family/juvenile sites.

48 QASP/Industry Day QASP/Slide

QASP

(ALL)/Measuring

Performance

Question Context: In the QASP and Industry day slides "Measuring Performance" seems to be important to the government. However there is no "Quality of Care" matrix or matrices in the documents.

Questions: Since quality is important to the customer The Will the Government be including "Quality of Care" measurements as part of the QASP?

see response to Question #21, additionally the offeror is required to follow the NDS‐2011 and if they do not provide care in accordance with those standards that would be measured of performance.

49 QASP/Industry Day QASP/Slide

QASP

(ALL)/Measuring

Performance

Question Context: For this proposed effort, the Government requires the hiring of Health Care Professions (HCPs).

Question: Would the the Government consider adding The Joint Commission for Health Care Staffing certification to be included as an RFP requirement and part of Section M's evaluation? This certification provides the Government with an independent, comprehensive evaluation of Offeror’s ability to offer expert staffing services. Offerors who have this certification demonstrate their commitment to delivering a higher standard of service, provides a framework for organizational structure and management, The Government has reviewed this certification and determined that it is not necessary for the services required.

RFP Only

Attachment 04 Title 1

Question Context: The title on Attachment 04 references Ground Transportation and Security Guard Services.

Question: Will the government confirm it would like to receive corporate experience references that relate to the

SOW ‐ Medical Staffing Services? It appears that the reference does not apply to the requirement.

This will be corrected in the final RFP

51 Sections B‐M L.6 85

Question Context: Under Submission of Corporate Experience Questionnaire, the government requested one emailed softcopy of the offeror’s RFP Attachment 04 ‐Corporate Experience Questionnaire shall be submitted to

OAQDCRSW@ice.dhs.gov. The title on Attachment 04 references Ground Transportation and Security Guard

Services.

Question: Will the government please confirm they are expecting to receive a completed Corporate Experience

Questionnaire from the Offeror about their capabilities directly aligned to the SOW and not the title of Attachment

04?

confirmed, this will be corrected in the final RFP

52 L.7 89

Question Context: Under Volume IV‐ Past Performance (Factor 4), Submission, the government states, “If offerors are proposing any subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirements shall submit a maximum of one (1) contract with federal, state, or commercial organizations of at least one (1) year in duration and performed within the past five (5) years for requirements similar in size and scope of this requirements.”

Question: Will the government please clarify or outline the major or critical aspects of the requirement?

The Government would expect the offeror to define what they would consider "major or critical" aspects of performance in their approach.

Each approach is different, however for these services, critical aspects could include staffing of important positions/categories, recruitment, onboarding, licensure management, etc.

53 PWS 5.3.2 7 of 27

Question Context: With respect to Collaborative Practice and Prescriptive Authority. Section states, in 3rd paragraph, "There may be times where a contractor is required to provide a CP/PA for their staff but a physician/psychiatrist is not required under the Site Staffing Plan." Later, "Government physicians and psychiatrists may serve as alternates," etc. In the IHSC CREDENTIALING AND PRIVILEGING DIRECTIVE, para 4‐3.1a states, "Contract employed APPs should sign the IHSC CP/PAA with a contract physician." And para 5‐7 reviews contract vendor CP/PAA requirements, including that, too.

Question: What is the mechanism for the contract vendor APPs to sign a CP/PAA with a contract physician or psychiatrist if there is none at that site?

There is no Government established mechanism, if a CP/PA is required by state law, then it is the contractor's responsibility to meet this requirement, regardless of the staffing circumstances at a specific location.

54 PWS

Scope

Question Context: In the PWS, Section 3 Scope, Para 5, Line 3 states: "SCOPEIHSC requires on‐site healthcare staffing services to provide a broad range of health care services to ICE detainees twenty‐four hours a day, seven days per week and 365 calendar days per year (24/7/365). These services complement the existing federal workforce at the locations, including PHS officers and General Service (GS) staff. "

Question: What are the existing federal workforce organizations providing medical care, staffing and/or support at these sites?

Federal medical care at these site is provided by the United State Public Health Service (PHS) and employees of the General Service (GS).

QASP 1

Site Staffing Levels

Question Context: In the QASP, Section 1, Row 3, Column 3: Site Staffing Levels

Question: What are the different levels of care (inpatient, outpatient) offered by DHS/ICE that determines the staff to patient ratio?

The staffing ratios are established and determined by IHSC and their established staffing model. This staffing models takes into account many different care standards, such as NCCAC, ACA, and the applicable detention standards.

For purposes of this contract and performance monitoring, the staffing levels are provided to the offerors, and the required labor categories together are the staffing requirements for each facility.

56 Attachment 04 ‐

Position

Descriptions

Attachment 04 ‐

Position

Descriptions

Quetsion Context: Attachment 04 ‐ Position Descriptions does not include the positions or descriptions for the

Registered Nurse ‐ Junior and Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse ‐ Junior that are listed in Attachment 03 ‐ Pricing

Schedule.

Question: Will those position descriptions be provided?

No, see PWS section 5.1.2 for a description of when the "Junior" bill rate is applicable