Sources Sought Notice 270082 National Implementation of the CAHPS® Hospice Survey

THIS IS NOT A FORMAL REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) AND DOES NOT

COMMIT THE CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES (CMS)

TO AWARD A CONTRACT NOW OR IN THE FUTURE

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE (Notice) issued for the purpose of planning and performing market research. The purpose of this Notice is to determine the availability of small businesses (e.g., 8(a), Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, HUBZone Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, Veteran-Owned Small Business, and Women-Owned Small Business) on the General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS), Category 541611 Management and Financial Consulting, Acquisition and Grants Management Support, and Business Program and Project Management Services that have the capability to support CMS by providing the services necessary in carrying out the workload associated with the national implementation of the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) Hospice Survey.

No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this Notice. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the capability assessment. All information submitted in response to this Notice must arrive on or before the closing date for responses.

The information gathered from this market research will help the Government determine an appropriate acquisition strategy. Interested contractors must submit a capability statement to demonstrate their ability to perform the requirements stated below.

A. General Background

This initiative supports the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) efforts to collect and publicly report quality measures that relate to the care provided by hospice programs across the country under the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP).

This work is for the continued national implementation of the CAHPS Hospice Survey.

The intent of the CAHPS Hospice Survey initiative is to provide a standardized questionnaire and survey procedures to enable caregivers of patients who died under hospice care to evaluate their experiences with hospice. Results of the survey are updated quarterly on Care Compare on www.medicare.gov. Copies of the current questionnaire, plus additional information about survey procedures can be found on the survey website, www.hospicecahpssurvey.org.

All Medicare-certified hospices must participate in the CAHPS Hospice Survey to obtain their full annual Medicare payment update as required under the HQRP. The HQRP includes data from the CAHPS Hospice Survey, data submitted by hospices through the

Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) data collection tool, and claims-based measures.

The national implementation of the CAHPS Hospice Survey launched in January 2015 with a three-month dry run (January 2015 - March 2015) followed by the ongoing monthly implementation from April 2015. CMS first published the results of the Survey on Hospice Compare on www.medicare.gov in February 2018. Hospice Compare was renamed Care Compare in 2020.

In the coming years, CMS will continue the national implementation of the CAHPS Hospice Survey, conduct analyses related to the impacts of a revised and shortened survey and the addition of a web mode implemented for April 2025 decedents, and submit an updated Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) package for OMB approval.

B. Required Knowledge and Experience

At a minimum, the following knowledge and experience are required:

• Expertise in hospice care

• Expertise in project management of large scale projects

• Expertise in survey vendor oversight

• Experience in developing and maintaining a complex survey website

• Expertise in developing and maintaining a data submission portal capable of handling at minimum 1.0 million surveys from 3,300 or more entities

• Expertise in providing survey technical assistance to a large volume of hospices and survey vendors on a daily basis

• Expertise in training survey vendors in complex subject matter.

• Experience analyzing and manipulating complex data for quarterly public reporting on high visibility, high traffic websites

• Expertise in determining and applying case-mix adjustment

• Expertise in questionnaire development and survey updates

• Ability to know how to implement a very large survey

• Ability to store, retrieve, transmit, and analyze data files associated with the survey

• Prior experience in analyzing data and producing reports

• Prior experience that demonstrates the ability to perform data production requirements using the most cost efficient methods available

• Prior experience working collaboratively with large organizations such as a

Government agency or other Governmental organizations in large scale multiple data file preparation efforts using multiple data sources

• Ability to manage multiple tasks

• Ability to respond to inquiries from hospices, survey vendors, stakeholders, and the public about survey development, implementation, and fielding

• Thorough understanding of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

(HIPAA) requirements and Protected Health Information (PHI) rules and regulations

• Ability to produce ad hoc reports in response to inquiries and deadlines

• Prior experience performing multiple analyses under tight timeframes

• Prior experience using large data sets and merging data from multiple sources

C. Capability Statement Requirements

CMS requests that the respondent specifically address the requirements listed below.

Respondents should provide enough information for CMS to make an informed determination of their capability to perform the work identified below. It is acceptable for certified small business potential offerors to concentrate on a subset of the capabilities identified below. A certified small business potential offeror as prime contractor should describe how the respondent will provide more than 50% of the cost of labor (including indirect charges) required to perform the services. Please provide a list of contract numbers that your organization has had (if applicable) and your role on the contract (prime contractor or subcontractor). If you were a subcontractor on a particular contract, please clarify the work that you did on that contract.

Responses based upon anticipated teaming arrangements and Joint Ventures are acceptable. The capability of each team member (prime contractor and subcontractors) shall be demonstrated relative to the anticipated functions/roles to be performed by each.

Potential small businesses shall also include the business information outlined in Section D below as part of their response.

Please describe your capabilities and detailed experience performing similar activities on projects similar in size, scope, and complexity to the needs of the CAHPS Hospice Survey Program. Your responses should clearly demonstrate your ability to perform and demonstrate an understanding of the requirements. Please clearly specify your role, prime or subcontractor, while describing your capabilities and experience:

1. Demonstrating knowledge and understanding of the hospice benefit and hospice providers;

2. Developing and overseeing project management and planning;

3. Developing national implementation protocols for large-scale survey efforts;

4. Developing a complex sample design;

5. Creating and applying case-mix adjustment factors and perform data analysis;

6. Designing survey administration procedures for large scale surveys;

7. Designing and preparing minimum business requirements, online application processes, training, and oversight of survey vendors;

8. Developing an infrastructure to provide ongoing technical assistance for survey vendors;

9. Creating and maintaining a survey program website and related online resources;

10. Conducting ad hoc CMS policy/program analyses; and

11. Providing analysis and data to support determinations for the annual payment update for Medicare hospices.

D. Instructions for Submitting Responses to CMS

The following specific information is requested: (a) company descriptive literature; (b) specific related corporate experience; (c) experience with the type of capability expectations mentioned above; (d) references, including points of contact, email addresses, and phone numbers; and (e) business information outlined below.

a. Sources Sought Notice number, title, and date of issuance

b. SAM UEI

c. Company Name

d. Company Address

e. Company Point of Contact, Phone and Email Address of individuals who can verify the demonstrated capabilities identified in the responses

f. Certified small business under GSA MAS Category 541611 (Management and financial consulting, acquisition and grants management support, and business program and project management services)

g. Current GSA Schedules appropriate to this Sources Sought Notice

h. Type of Company (e.g., small business, 8(a), woman owned, veteran owned, etc.) as validated via the System for Award management at www.sam.gov.

Registration via System for Award management (www.sam.gov) is a requirement for qualifying as a prime contractor with CMS.

Please limit your documentation to the following Page Size, Font Type and Size, Spacing, and Page Numbering. Responses shall be submitted using a Microsoft Word document with page size 8.5 by 11 inches. Font type shall be Times New Roman, size 10-12 using standard tabs and indent software features with no less than single spacing between lines.

Responses are limited to a total of no more than ten (10) pages for the entire capability statement. Cover Page is not included in the total page count.

Respondents should be aware that this SSN is for marketing purposes only and any responses thereto, or lack thereof, will not constitute a commitment by CMS to treat any potential offeror more or less favorably in the anticipated forthcoming solicitation and/or ultimate award. Please be advised that CMS will not respond directly to organizations submitting information in response to this SSN.

All capability statements can be submitted via e-mail to Glenda.Aliceaparrilla@cms.hhs.gov and Megan.Famodu@cms.hhs.gov.

Responses must be submitted no later than 11:00 AM EST on June 10, 2026.

Confidentiality

No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).

Disclaimer and Important Notes

This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. 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.

Teaming Arrangements

Firms seeking to respond to this notice as a team or to rely on subcontractors to perform any portion of the work must include the above-requested information and certifications for each entity on the proposed team or each proposed subcontractor. Responses must clearly indicate the nature of the teaming arrangement.

The contractor and any subcontractors must not have any relationships or arrangements through business operations or its employees that could be considered as possibly lessening the company’s objectivity concerning any aspect of the proposed tasks. If such relationships or arrangements exist, contractors or subcontractors shall be required, during the procurement process (if one occurs), to identify potential conflicts of interest and discuss how the conflicts will be addressed and mitigated.