REQUEST FOR INFORMATION IVandV for VA Modernization Efforts.docx

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

This Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for information and planning purposes – it does not constitute a solicitation or a promise to issue a solicitation in the future. This request does not commit the U.S. Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Furthermore, the U.S. Government is not at this time seeking quotes/proposals/bids and will not accept unsolicited quotes/proposals/bids relating to this RFI.

Be advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI, all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party’s expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future solicitation.

BACKGROUND: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is likely to enter into one or more contracts with one or more eligible entities to perform the services described herein.

PURPOSE: To assess major acquisition programs at the VA. Each program exceeding $1B in lifecycle spend will be assessed and priced separately. The period of performance is anticipated to allow for approximately 90 to 180 calendar days from contract award to conduct an assessment and provide a full briefing to the VA. The programs to be assessed will likely include Electronic Health Record Management (EHRM), Financial Management Business Transformation (FMBT) and Supply Chain Modernization (SCM). Additional efforts may also be considered.

SOURCES: The VA is requesting information from entities:

(1) Who are currently performing or have performed, during the three-year period preceding the date of the issuance of the solicitation, not fewer than two prime contracts for the independent verification and validation of programs that are or were substantially similar in size, scope, and complexity (i.e., over $1B program lifecycle costs); and

(2) Who are not currently performing and have not performed, for at least a three-year period preceding the date of the issuance of such solicitation, any contract or subcontract for the VA (including a contract or subcontract relating to a covered program); and

(3) Who agree to not participate in any other solicitation at the VA nor participate on any further solicitations at the VA for the duration of this potential contract(s).

REQUIREMENTS: The draft requirements are described as follows:

(1) Conduct an initial assessment of each covered program and submit a report of the finding to the VA Office of Acquisition, Logistics and Construction (OALC). The details required in this initial assessment are described in a following section.

(2) On an annual basis, conduct a follow-on assessment of each covered program and submit a report of the VA OALC.

(3) Conduct continuous oversight of the activities carried out, and the systems associated with each covered program, including oversight of the status, compliance, performance, and implementation of recommendations with respect to, each covered program, to include the following:

(A) Program management, including management of the governance of the program, cost of the program, implementation milestones, implementation timeline, and program requirements.

(B) Contracts to implement the program, including contractor performance and financial metrics relating to such contracts.

(C) Effect of the program on the functions, business operations, or clinical organizational structure of the health care system of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

(D) Program supply chain risk management, controls, and compliance.

(E) Data management under the program.

(F) With respect to IT systems associated with the program, the following:

(i) Technical architectural design, development, and stability of the systems.

(ii) System interoperability and integration with related information technology systems.

(iii) System testing.

(iv) Functional system training provided to users.

(v) System adoption and use.

OTHER ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS:

(1) National level review of current programs to validate cost/schedule/performance baselines

(2) Assessment of current requirements vs. program staffing and resources

(3) Assessment of acquisition strategy compared to required deliverables (is it an effective and thorough strategy based on the overall requirements and needs of the program to effectively implement the program nationally)

(4) Assessment of program oversight and controls

(5) In addition to programmatic measures of cost/schedule/performance, other meaningful measures of program effectiveness must be identified and evaluated. Measures include:

(A) For EHRM, how the program will reduce cost of healthcare operations or improve claims processing (e.g., reduced cycle time for claims, greater volume of processed claims/worked hour, fewer errors per claim, fewer appeals/claim submitted, etc.). Does it change major VHA metrics for access and quality of care?

(B) For FMTB, how the program will result in fewer unsubstantiated adjustments to the general ledger, reduced late payment interest, reduced volume of improper payments, etc.

(C) For SCM, how the program will ensure more accurate inventory, reduce “not in stock” responses, reduced cost/item, reduced cycle time on order fulfillment, etc.

(D) Describe the measure of benefit and how it would be a subset of the overall set of measures of effectiveness for the program.

**Be brief and confine your responses to the questions asked. **

Business size:

☐ SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN OWNED SMALL BUSINESS (SDVOSB)

☐ VETERAN OWNED SMALL BUSINESS (VOSB)

☐ SMALL BUSINESS (SB)

☐ LARGE

1. Provide a brief statement of core business competencies and point of contact information.

2. Provide information that describes your entities capabilities and experiences in performing the same or similar services (limit this response to 10 pages, double spaced, Arial, size 11, 1” margins).

3. Do you have three or more years’ expertise and or experience providing the same or similar services?

4. Do you have a General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) offering the required services or any other acquisition vehicle that covers the scope of this required services?

5. Is the 90-180 day target for the program assessment a reasonable timeframe?

6. In the event a solicitation is issued, how likely are you to submit a response?

7. If you are a small business, provide a response as to how you would comply with any terms and conditions associated to a set-aside contract if the requirement was to be set-aside (i.e., how would you comply with set-aside requirements such as Limitations on Subcontracting).

8. If you are a large business, provide a response detailing the subcontracting opportunities that exists in the marketplace for the same or similar services.

Submit responses via email to Brian Ballard at Brian.Ballard@va.gov and Carey Kauzlarich at Carey.Kauzlarich@va.gov by the day noted in the announcement. Time: End of Day.