IHS-SS-24-1494347.pdf

Sources Sought: Reasonable Accommodation Coordinator Professional Services

Sources Sought Number: IHS-SS-24-1494347

This Sources Sought Notice is for informational and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation, an obligation or commitment by the Indian Health Service.

This notice is intended strictly for market research to determine the availability of Indian Small Businesses Economic Enterprise (ISBEE) or Indian Economic Enterprises (IEE). All responses are accepted for research whether ISBEE or not.

Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. The anticipated applicable NAICS code for this acquisition is 541612 Human Resources Consulting Services. Other relevant NAICS codes will be considered based on responses received.

A. Background/Purpose Objectives:

The Contractor will provide three full-time Reasonable Accommodation Specialists to service 11 Area Offices (excludes Navajo). The Reasonable Accommodation Services (RAC). Contractor shall proceed in accordance with the priorities of Diversity Management and Equal Employment Opportunity Office (DMEEO) so that workload is managed in accordance with critical needs. The Reasonable Accommodation Services Contractor shall be ready to perform new Deliverables when necessary as defined by the Contracting Officer Representative (COR). The Reasonable Accommodation Services Contractor is required to interface with the DMEEO team in a manner that meets the requirements of the EEO compliance program. This will require close coordination with the COR on a regular basis.

This is a new requirement for the Agency. RACs are individuals dedicated to assisting supervisors and employees through the RA process, tracking requests, and training the workforce. Some of the RACs in position are EEO Counselors and should not be involved in EEO complaints processing. The absence of RACs is a noted deficiency in the IHS’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Management Directive 715 Report.

The required knowledge and skills are as follows:

a. Ability to research issues, identify relevant legal and provide defendable solution(s) citing relevant authorities from Section 6 herein

b. Ability to draft reasonable accommodation related documents and the ability to quickly develop master level ability to draft such documents, following or adapting established DMEEO formats

c. Ability to learn the basic structure of a federal agency to determine sources of documents and to recommend resolutions

d. Knowledge of and the ability to quickly develop master level knowledge of authorities in Section 6 below and key EEO decisions of the EEOC and the U.S District Court

e. Expert level ability to analyze complaints and law to determine whether the legal elements of the alleged reasonable accommodation claim have been met and likely remedies

f. Ability to use MS Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat Pro

g. Verbal communication skill to speak with different levels of individuals throughout a federal agency, outside the agency, and with attorneys or other representatives

h. Communication skill to listen to and speak with individuals regarding their reasonable accommodation concerns when the individual is upset or demanding

i. Ability to work as a part of a team and accept a variety of feedback on deliverables

j. Understanding of and ability to adhere to strict confidentiality standards

B. Period of Performance

a. Application software would be due at time of award

C. Capability Statement/Information:

Interested parties are expected to review this notice to familiarize itself with the requirements of this project. Failure to do so will be at your firm’s own risk. The following information shall be included in the capability statement:

1. A general overview of the respondent’s opinions about the difficulty and/or feasibility of the potential requirement, and any information regarding innovative ideas or concepts.

2. Information in sufficient detail of the respondent’s (a) current capability and capacity to provide deliverable; (b) proof of license ownership or distribution; (c) any relatable experience and past performance; and (d) examples of prior completed Government contracts and other related information.

3. The respondents’ DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HUBZone, etc.) Pursuant to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code: 541612 Human Resources Consulting Services, or comparable NAICS.

4. Any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the requirements of the potential acquisition.

5. The capability statement shall not exceed 3 single-sided page (including all attachments, resumes, charts, etc.) presented in single-space and using a 12-point font size minimum, in either Microsoft Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), with 8-1/2 by 11 inch paper size, and 1 inch top, bottom, left and right margins.

6. All proprietary information should be marked as such. Statements should also include an indication of current certified small business status; this indication should be clearly marked on the first page of your capability statement (preferably placed under the eligible small business concern’s name and address).

Responses will be reviewed only by IHS personnel and will be held in a confidential manner.

D. Closing Statement

Point of Contact: Natalie Phillips, Contract Specialist at Natalie.Phillips@IHS.gov. Must include Sources Sought Number IHS-SS-24-1494347 in the Subject Line. The due date for receipt of statements is 16 May, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

This notice is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as obligation on the part of IHS.

mailto:Natalie.Phillips@IHS.gov

IHS does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses nor otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted. As a result of this notice, IHS may issue a Request for Quote (RFQ).

THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. However, should such a requirement materialize, no basis for claims against IHS shall arise as a result of a response to this notice or IHS’s use of such information as either part of our evaluation process or in developing specifications for any subsequent requirement.

Disclaimer and Important Notes. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s qualifications to perform the work.

Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.

After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in SAM.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.

Confidentiality. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response.