S05_Questions 3.docx

1) Is the intent to deliver the existing curriculum as is, and determine changes needed after delivery? Or to analyze the existing curriculum, revise courses based on analysis/opportunities for improvement, and then deliver the course?

a. The courses are ready for delivery. Updates will be based on insights gained from facilitating the course, the need to update research and/or data, and the need to include new VA initiatives.

2) What is the number or percentage of courses that you are expecting to need significant revisions to make them more experiential and/or change their modality?

a. No current courses require significant revisions and all can be taught virtually or in-person. Increasing experiential activities will be a consideration but should not require substantial updates.

3) What the anticipated or maximum amount of revision for each course?

a. For most courses there are few anticipated revisions necessary, as all courses are updated twice a year including at the end of FY24. We allow for up to 25% revisions in the first six months of a contract year and up to 50% for the full contract year. The exceptions are Whole Health in Your Practice, Eating for Whole Health, and Whole Health for All, as these courses must be divided into two separate classes as part of the Learning Path initiative. That will require additional work on revisions.

4) Is the requirement for a physician OR another clinician to be the course facilitator? Are there courses where a physician is required over another type of clinician?

a. Clinical courses require one physician and one other clinician. The VA will provide one role and the contractor is expected to provide the other. Which is needed for a course will be decided by the VA and the contractor.

5) Do all courses require the clinical/physician SME/facilitation support? Can you clarify which/how many courses do versus do not?

a. All full clinical courses require a clinician or physician as faculty.

6) Are there existing strategy documents for each course that document the existing curriculum that can be leveraged/updated, or will all of these strategy documents need to be created from scratch?

a. All courses have current curricula that should be used. These will serve as the foundation for any updates.

7) Are all existing courses fully section 508 compliant or are there known compliance issues that will need to be remediated as part of the updates?

a. All courses are 508-conformant.

8) How often are faculty meetings held that SMEs/facilitators will be expected to attend?

a. Currently each course meets once a month for one hour unless the group determines this should be more or less frequent depending on the tasks. Bidders should plan for at least one hour a month for each course.

9) For any and all in person courses, will the VA provide the facility/training location?

a. Yes, the VA will determine all training locations and arrange for their use.

10) Are there CMEs/CEUs provide for these courses? If so, is there any expectation that we would manage accreditation of new courses?

a. Course accreditations are managed by VA’s ILEAD office.

11) Are there pre-existing metrics for these courses that will be used to measure the success of the curriculum?

a. VA’s ILEAD office conducts surveys measuring Kirkpatrick levels 1-3.

12) Are the trainers that we train in TTTs required to get certified?

a. No, there is no certification process for our TTTs.

13) Are there trainers/potential trainers already identified for TTT courses or would we be responsible for recruiting trainers?

a. The VA has trainers available for TTTs, though the bidder should be prepared to supply additional trainers as needed.

14) In 5.7.1, references a task order and materials being due 120 days after the TO. Can you provide more information on the issuance of task orders and if each specific course we will work on will be issued a task order that might have a different due date that what is specified in the PWS?

a. The FY25 slate has been set so specific course dates will be shared. With VA faculty support, bidders will be expected to deliver 7 courses in Q1 of FY25. Only two courses—Orienting the Newly Hired Health and Wellness Coach and Taking Charge of My Life and Health facilitator training—require contractor faculty.

15) Can you explain the quantities in the deliverable table. Is one day of training considered one unit, so that a 2-day course will have a quantity of 2? Two deliveries of a two-day course would be a quantity of 4?

a. This is correct. A 2-day course will require 2 one-day units.

16) What is the course duration of the clinical hypnosis course that requires SME and producer support?

a. Clinical Hypnosis is a 30-hour course that takes place over 8 weeks.

17) Can you clarify how long the Pain and Suffering Intermediate course is, and the quantity of deliveries? The deliverable table says quantity of 3. Is that one delivery of a 3-day course? Or is this a 2-day course being delivered 3 times?

a. Whole Health Pain and Suffering Intermediate is a one-day course that is scheduled to be delivered three times in FY25.

18) Can you clarify the duration of the Whole Health for Mental Wellbeing Intermediate course?

a. Whole Health for Mental Well-being Intermediate is a one-day course.

19) Can you clarify the duration of the Whole Health Coaching certification?

a. Whole Health Coaching is 24 hours a week for three weeks.

20) Can you clarify the number of deliveries for the Employee Whole Health course?

a. There are currently 22 Employee Whole Health courses scheduled for FY25.

21) Can you clarify the length and number of deliveries for the Taking Charge of my Life and Health Facilitator TTT?

a. This course is currently 25 hours over 5 days. It is scheduled to be delivered twice in FY25.

22) Can we assume that there is only one trainer required to deliver a course except for where the PWS specifies that 2 trainers are required?

a. Most courses are co-facilitated by contractors and VA faculty. Some coaching courses currently require 2 contractor faculty but other courses only require one.

23) When 2 trainers are required, do both need to be clinicians, or can one be a professional facilitator/instructional designer?

a. Clinical courses should be facilitated by two clinicians.

24) Please clarify the number of deliveries for the Employee Whole Health course. Is it 5 deliveries of the 2-day course?

a. There is one 2-day Employee Whole Health course, Employee Peer-to-Peer support. It is scheduled to be delivered three times in FY25.

25) For the 2-day whole health advanced interprofessional course (5.5.1.1) is a single delivery of the two-day course? Or is 2 offerings of the 2 day course for 4 total training days?

a. This refers to a single delivery of a 2-day course.

26) Is the short Whole Health course, 5.5.1.3, a web-based course?

a. Short Whole Health courses are typically delivered by local faculty. They can be delivered virtually or in-person. This deliverable does not refer to an asynchronous course.

27) What is the required duration of the web-based courses aligned with the whole health courses (5.4)

a. 5.4 is an Employee Whole Health course. It is not web-based. Any web-based or asynchronous courses should be between 30-60 minutes.

28) Is the training for faculty in 5.6.1 separate from other specified facilitator trainings/TTTs? What does the 94 in quantity refer to? Number of estimated training days?

a. Faculty training is separate from TTTs. It is the training and development of local faculty. The number provided is an estimate of how many faculty will need to be trained and mentored in FY25.