Pandemic_Preparedness_Plan_Evaluation_SOW_v3_eb (002).docx

INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE

PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS PLAN EVALUATION SERVICES

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

1.0 INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

1.1 Background

The Indian Health Service (IHS) is a Federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services responsible for providing comprehensive health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN). As the principal Federal health care provider and health advocate for AI/AN people, the IHS mission is to raise the health status of AI/AN people to the highest possible level.

Pandemic preparedness and readiness are essential to tribal health security, continuity of health care operations, workforce readiness, supply-chain resilience, and the delivery of essential services during a public health emergency. IHS developed a Pandemic Preparedness Plan in 2025 and requires an independent evaluation of the plan, including readiness exercises and an after-action report.

1.2 Purpose and Objectives

The purpose of this contract is to improve IHS pandemic readiness by evaluating and stress-testing the 2025 IHS Pandemic Preparedness Plan, conducting two web-based readiness exercises, and developing findings and recommendations for consideration and improvement.

The objectives are to:

Evaluate the completeness, clarity, feasibility, and operational readiness of the 2025 IHS Pandemic Preparedness Plan.

Obtain input from designated IHS subject-matter experts (SMEs) regarding planning assumptions, known gaps, existing strengths, dependencies, and lessons learned.

Conduct two web-based simulation exercises to assess the plan under realistic pandemic-response conditions.

Identify and document strengths, weaknesses, threats, opportunities, risks, dependencies, and capability gaps.

Develop prioritized, actionable recommendations that address the findings and include considerations specific to IHS and AI/AN communities.

Communicate the findings to IHS leadership and designated SMEs through written work products and a web-based findings meeting.

2.0 CONTRACTOR WORK SCOPE AND REQUIREMENTS

Independently, and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish all services, qualified personnel, materials, equipment, facilities, software, and other resources necessary to perform the work described in this SOW, except for the Government-furnished information and Government participation expressly identified herein.

The Contractor shall provide objective analysis and recommendations. IHS retains responsibility and authority for all Government policy, operational, preparedness, and resource-allocation decisions.

2.1 Tasks

2.1.1 Task 1 - Discovery and Analysis

The Contractor shall:

Conduct web-based discussions with designated IHS SMEs to understand the history of the current plan, planning assumptions, known unknowns, gaps, strengths, dependencies, and relevant lessons learned from prior exercises.

Review the 2025 IHS Pandemic Preparedness Plan.

Identify areas requiring further evaluation during the two stress tests.

Prepare a one-page Discovery Summary for IHS leadership and SME review.

For planning and pricing purposes, the Contractor shall assume participation by approximately 8 to 12 SMEs in up to four web-based discovery sessions. Each session will not exceed 90 minutes. Sessions may be conducted as individual interviews, group discussions, or a combination of both. IHS will identify participants and the contractor will work to coordinate meetings based on their availability.

2.1.2 Task 2 - Plan Evaluation and Stress-Testing

The Contractor shall assess preparedness across the key areas addressed in the 2025 IHS Pandemic Preparedness Plan and conduct two web-based stress tests through discussion-based simulation exercises, such as tabletop exercises.

The evaluation shall consider, as applicable:

Governance, authorities, roles, responsibilities, and decision-making.

Activation, escalation, coordination, and communication.

Continuity of health care and public-health operations.

Workforce readiness and continuity.

Supply-chain and resource dependencies.

Situational awareness, data collection, and reporting.

Coordination with tribal, Federal, state, local, and other partners.

Considerations specific to IHS and AI/AN communities.

Recovery, transition, training, exercise, and plan-maintenance requirements.

For each exercise, the Contractor shall develop the objectives, scenario, agenda, facilitator guide, participant materials, discussion questions or scenario injects, and an exercise summary. The Contractor shall facilitate the exercise and document significant observations, strengths, gaps, concerns, and recommended follow-up actions.

For planning and pricing purposes, the Contractor shall assume:

Each exercise will be conducted virtually and will last approximately three hours.

Approximately 15 to 25 IHS participants will attend each exercise.

Up to three planning meetings, not to exceed 60 minutes each, will be conducted for each exercise.

IHS will identify and invite Government participants and provide consolidated comments on draft exercise materials.

The exercises will be discussion-based and will not require deployment of personnel, equipment, or physical resources.

No travel or in-person exercise support is required.

2.1.3 Task 3 - After-Action Reporting

Based on the findings from Tasks 1 and 2, the Contractor shall prepare a comprehensive After-Action Report. The report shall follow recognized after-action reporting practices and shall include:

An executive summary.

A description of the evaluation scope and methodology.

A summary of discovery and exercise activities.

Identified strengths, weaknesses, threats, opportunities, risks, dependencies, and capability gaps.

Considerations specific to IHS and AI/AN communities.

Prioritized and actionable recommendations for consideration and improvement.

A corrective-action matrix that links each recommendation to the corresponding finding and identifies a suggested implementation timeframe.

The Contractor shall submit a draft and final report. The final report shall incorporate or otherwise resolve all consolidated Government comments.

2.1.4 Task 4 - Findings Dissemination

The Contractor shall host a web-based meeting for IHS leadership and designated SMEs to present the relevant findings, conclusions, and recommendations from the discovery, evaluation, exercises, and final report.

The Contractor shall track the number of attendees, substantive questions and concerns, and recommendations for next steps. The Contractor shall submit a Findings Meeting Summary within five business days after the meeting.

2.1.5 Task 5 - Project Management and Progress Reporting

The Contractor shall manage the work to meet all contract requirements, milestones, and due dates. The Contractor shall maintain a current schedule, identify actual or anticipated barriers and risks, coordinate meetings and reviews, and submit the progress reports identified in Section 2.2.

2.2 Deliverables and Reporting Requirements

The Contractor shall provide the following deliverables. All references to days are calendar days unless expressly identified as business days.

2.3 Deliverable Format and Section 508 Compliance

Unless otherwise authorized in writing by the COR, narrative deliverables shall be submitted in searchable Microsoft Word and PDF formats; presentations shall be submitted in Microsoft PowerPoint and PDF formats; and tables, matrices, and supporting data shall be submitted in editable Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel format, as appropriate. The Contractor shall provide editable source files for all final deliverables.

All work products and electronic deliverables developed under this contract, including reports, presentations, spreadsheets, exercise materials, facilitator guides, participant materials, briefing materials, meeting materials, and supporting documentation, shall comply with applicable Section 508 accessibility requirements. The Contractor shall perform accessibility checks before submission and correct identified accessibility defects at no additional cost to the Government.

2.4 Government Review, Revision, and Acceptance

The COR is the Government official authorized to inspect and formally accept deliverables within the scope of the COR delegation. The COR will provide written acceptance, rejection, or consolidated comments within 15 business days after receipt.

For planning purposes, the Contractor shall assume one Government review cycle for deliverables other than the Draft After-Action Report and up to two Government review cycles for the Draft After-Action Report.

The Contractor shall submit revised deliverables within five business days after receipt of Government comments, except that revisions to the Draft After-Action Report shall be submitted within 10 business days, unless another timeframe is established in writing by the COR and does not change the contract requirements.

A deliverable will be acceptable when it:

Includes all required content and complies with the applicable task and deliverable requirements.

Is technically accurate, complete, internally consistent, and professionally prepared.

Clearly distinguishes observations, assumptions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations.

Incorporates or otherwise resolves consolidated Government comments.

Is submitted in the required format and complies with applicable Section 508 accessibility requirements.

Is delivered by the required due date.

The COR may reject a deliverable that does not meet these standards and shall identify the basis for rejection in writing. Payment of an invoice does not constitute acceptance of a deliverable.

3.0 SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

3.1 Place of Performance

The contract may be performed entirely off-site at the Contractor’s facility or another Contractor-designated workspace. All work shall be performed within the United States. Meetings, discussions, exercises, and presentations shall be conducted virtually unless otherwise authorized through a written contract modification.

3.2 Period of Performance

The period of performance will start within 3 business days after contract award and will end on July 30, 2027.

3.3 Travel

No travel is anticipated or required. If travel becomes necessary, it must be authorized in advance by the Contracting Officer through a written contract modification before any travel costs are incurred. Authorized travel shall be conducted in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulation and the terms of the contract.

3.4 Government-Furnished Property

No Government-furnished property will be provided under this contract.

3.5 Government-Furnished Information

The Government will provide the following Government-furnished information:

A digital copy of the 2025 IHS Pandemic Preparedness Plan.

No other Government-furnished information is anticipated. In support of contract performance, IHS will identify Government participants, coordinate their availability, provide access to designated IHS subject-matter experts for scheduled virtual discussions, planning meetings, exercises, and the findings meeting, review submitted materials, and provide consolidated comments and Government decisions needed to support performance.

3.6 Post-Award Kickoff Meeting

The Contractor shall participate in a virtual post-award kickoff meeting with the COR and other IHS stakeholders within 10 business days after contract award. The purpose of the meeting is to confirm a common understanding of the requirements, review the schedule, establish communication procedures, and introduce key personnel. The Contractor’s Project Manager shall attend and be prepared to discuss the technical approach and project management plan.

3.7 Key Personnel

The following positions are designated as key personnel:

Project Manager.

Lead Evaluator/Senior Analyst.

Project Manager minimum qualifications:

At least five years of experience managing professional-services, public-health, health care, emergency-preparedness, emergency-management, or comparable analytical projects.

Experience managing schedules, personnel, stakeholder communications, deliverables, risks, and quality control.

Demonstrated written and oral communication skills.

Lead Evaluator/Senior Analyst minimum qualifications:

At least seven years of relevant experience in public-health preparedness, emergency management, health care preparedness, continuity planning, program evaluation, exercise design or facilitation, after-action reporting, or a closely related discipline.

Experience leading or materially supporting at least two discussion-based exercises, simulations, tabletop exercises, or comparable readiness assessments.

Experience analyzing plans and operational information and developing findings and actionable recommendations.

Demonstrated written and oral communication skills.

The Contractor shall not remove, replace, or significantly change the duties of key personnel without the prior written consent of the Contracting Officer. Except when circumstances are beyond the Contractor’s reasonable control, substitution requests shall be submitted at least 30 days before the proposed substitution and shall include the reason for the substitution, the proposed effective date, the proposed replacement’s resume and qualifications, and a comparison with the qualifications of the individual being replaced. The proposed replacement shall meet the minimum qualifications and have qualifications equal to or greater than those of the individual being replaced. Only the Contracting Officer may approve or disapprove a key-personnel substitution.

3.8 Contractor Quality Control Plan

The Contractor shall establish and maintain a comprehensive Quality Control Plan (QCP) to ensure that all services and deliverables are accurate, complete, timely, accessible, and professionally prepared. The QCP shall describe the Contractor’s processes for technical review, editorial review, schedule monitoring, version control, Section 508 review, protection of Government information, and correction of deficiencies before submission. The QCP is not a formal deliverable but shall be made available to the Government upon request. Adherence to the QCP is a material requirement of the contract.

3.9 Security and Handling of Government Information

The Contractor shall safeguard all nonpublic Government information received or generated during contract performance from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, modification, or destruction. The Government will identify or mark information requiring specific safeguarding at or before the time it is furnished, when applicable.

At a minimum, the Contractor shall:

Restrict access to personnel with a need to know for contract performance.

Use access-controlled systems and encryption for nonpublic Government information in transit and at rest.

Not store contract information in publicly accessible repositories or systems.

Not disclose nonpublic Government information without prior written authorization from the Contracting Officer.

Promptly notify the Contracting Officer and COR of any suspected or confirmed loss, compromise, unauthorized access, or unauthorized disclosure.

Ensure that subcontractors comply with the same safeguarding requirements.

Return or destroy Government information at contract completion or termination, as directed by the Contracting Officer, and provide written certification of disposition within 10 business days after receiving disposition instructions.

3.10 Rights in Data and Publication Restrictions

Rights in data and deliverables shall be governed by the applicable contract clauses, including FAR 52.227-14, Rights in Data - General, when included in the contract. The Government shall receive unlimited rights in data first produced in the performance of the contract, as provided by the applicable contract clauses.

Before incorporating preexisting proprietary materials, commercial methodologies, templates, software, or third-party materials into a deliverable, the Contractor shall identify the material and any proposed restrictions to the Contracting Officer. The Contractor shall not incorporate material that would restrict the Government’s intended use of a deliverable unless the Contracting Officer approves the restriction in writing.

The Contractor shall not publish, disclose, or use nonpublic data or materials generated under the contract for any commercial or noncommercial purpose without the prior written consent of the Contracting Officer.

3.11 Contracting Authority

Only the Contracting Officer may modify the contract, change the scope or requirements, authorize additional costs, extend delivery dates, or otherwise bind the Government. The COR may provide technical clarification, monitor performance, review deliverables, and perform acceptance functions only within the authority delegated in writing by the Contracting Officer. The Contractor shall promptly notify the Contracting Officer if it believes a Government communication constitutes a change to the contract.