The file's text, extracted by GovTribe without its formatting.
PAGE AND PARAGRAPH
| OFFEROR'S QUESTIONS |
| GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE |
| 1) Page 27, FAR 52.222-59 |
| FAR 52.222.59 Compliance with Labor Laws (Executive Order E.O. 13673) (Dec 2016) has been removed from the FAR (now labeled RESERVED) and revoked by President Trump under E.O. 13782. Will this be removed from the RFP? |
| Yes, clause will be removed. The Government will amend the solicitation. |
| 2) Page 47, FAR 52.212-5 |
| FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders - Commercial Items (Deviation 2018-O0021) (Oct 2018) is dated in the RFP as (Oct 2018) and should be dated (Sep 2018). Will this be corrected? |
| Jan 2019 is the current clause. |
3) Page 51, Paragraph
1.4.3.1.
| Does the Government expect to add a Phase-Out CLIN? |
| No, there will be no Phase-out CLIN. |
| 4) Page 99, Exhibit H |
| The Department of Labor wage determination rates for the Puget Sound area are lower than the competitive compensation required to recruit and retain employees in that market. Is there anything that would prevent the contractor from paying above the Department of Labor wage determination rates? |
| No. |
| 5) Page 100, Exhibit I Pages 97-99, Exhibit F |
| Exhibit I: PSMHS Phase-In Milestone Chart includes a task to submit Exhibit F - Systems Redundancy & Contingency Plan; however, Exhibit F is the GENESIS Direct Care Specialty Appointing Procedures. Please provide a description of the required plan. |
| The required contingency plan will address response plan in the event of GENESIS system failures as well as contingency plans in the event of weather or other scenarios that limit or curtail MTF operations. The Government will provide a format of the plan during the phase-in period. |
| 6) Page 131, Paragraph 7 b) Page 134, Paragraph e) |
| The instructions for the Electronic Files (CD-Rs) on Page 131 state that “Electronic Files shall be submitted in a format that is compatible with Microsoft Office 2007 applications.” The RFP states on Page 134 that an electronic printout of the Online Representations and Certifications at the System for Award Management (SAM) can be submitted. Would the Government accept a PDF file of the SAM record as an electronic printout of the Representations and Certifications? |
| Yes, the file can be in .pdf format. |
| 7) Page 135, Paragraph 9, Sub-Factor 1B |
| The instructions for Sub-factor 1B: Phase-in Plan refers to a phase-in period of 120 days; however, the CLINs and Delivery Information are based on a 3- month Base/Phase-in Period. Please clarify whether the Phase-In Period is 90 or 120 days. |
| The Phase-in Period is 90 days. The Government will amend the solicitation. |
| 8) PDF page 102, Attachment 2 “Proposal File Naming Convention” and page 134, paragraph 11. |
| Attachment 2 identifies how each file on a CD will be named and provides separate names for each file. However, page 134 paragraph 11. States: “5. Submission of Technical Quality Proposals (Volume II). Technical Quality Proposal shall be submitted as one complete document. For example do not submit five separate documents for the Table of Contents, Sub-factors and the Glossary. |
Question: Are contractors to combine all the information for the Volumes as a single document on each CD or as separate files on each CD?
Change “Each document shall be saved” to “Each volume shall be saved”. The Government will amend the solicitation.
Yes, contractors are to combine all the information for the Volumes into a single document on each CD.
| 9) SF1449 |
| The SF1449 shows that this is an unrestricted opportunity. Does that mean that companies can bid as small only if they are within the size standard for the NAICS code for this opportunity? |
| The RFP is unrestricted which means that all offerors (small and large businesses) can submit an offer. |
| 10) None |
| What is the name of the current incumbent contractor, and what is the contract number? |
| Humana Government Business, Inc.; W81K04-19-C-0002. |
| 11) N/A |
| Can the Government provide the current value of the incumbent contract for these services? |
| No, the current contract is for PAS only while this requirement is for PAS, RMS, and CLRS. |
| 12) Page 134, Addendum to 52.212-1 |
| The instructions for the submission of Technical Quality proposals on page 134 states that the “Technical Quality Proposal shall be submitted as one complete document. For example do not submit five separate documents for the Table of Contents, Sub-factors and the Glossary.” However, the “Proposal File Naming Convention” (Attachment 2), lists five separate documents as part of the submission of this volume. |
Can the Government clarify which approach offerors should take for submission of these files (i.e. 5 separate or 1 complete)? If it is one complete document, can the Government provide the naming convention for this file?
See question 8.
| 13) N/A |
| Can the Government provide Labor Categories and number of FTEs under the current contract? |
| No, it is the offeror’s responsibility to determine labor categories and number of FTE information is not available. |
| 14) Attachment 2 |
| What is the correct mailing address to send the CD package to? |
| Health Readiness Contracting Office |
Attn: Joe Watson
2199 Storage Street Suite 68, Bldg 4197
JBSA-Ft. Sam Houston, Texas 78234
| 15) Attachment 2 |
| What does DDMMMYY mean? Did the government mean DDMMYY? And should this refer to the due date for the proposal? |
| It means for example: 03 Apr 19. No. No, it does not refer to the due date for the proposal. The due date for the proposal is in the solicitation. . |
| 16) Pg. 134, para 5 |
| Paragraph 5 states do not submit 5 separate documents on the CD for Volume II. Attachment 2, however, says that each document shall be saved separately and gives naming conventions for each subsection. Please clarify whether each volume should be one file or if each should be saved as indicated in Attachment 2? |
| See question 8. |
| 17) Pg. 55, para 1 |
| Will the contractor be able to bill for any cost of travel for monthly F2F meetings? |
| No, there is no travel CLIN. |
| 18) Page 1/SF 1449, block 8 |
| Respectfully, will the Government allow a 2-week extension to the submission deadline? |
| No, the Government will amend solicitation extending the submission date. |
| 19) N/A |
| Can the Government provide all current incumbent company names and contract number information? Will the Government also include the number of staff provided for each current contract? |
| See questions 10 and 13, |
| 20) Page 99, Attachment H |
| Please confirm that this is an SCA contract with wage determination. If this is an SCA contract, which labor categories does the Government anticipate will be utilized in contract performance? |
| Yes, this is a SCA contract. Reference FAR 52.222-42 Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires (May 2014) on page 24 of the solicitation. It is the offeror’s responsibility to select the appropriate labor categories. |
| 21) Page 2, CLIN 0001; and page 135, Subfactor 1B |
| The CLIN notes a 3-month (90-day) transition period; however, the PWS references a 120-day transition period. Which time frame is correct? |
| See question 7. |
| 22) Page 55, para 1.9.2 |
| The solicitation notes that the Contractor shall be prepared to travel to the various MTFs in order to interface with the MTF and clinic leaders that they support. Does the Government anticipate adding travel CLIN funding or is all travel at the expense of the Awardee? |
| See question 17. |
| 23) Page 51, para 1.4.2 |
| What type of breakdown for the proposed price is needed for the Phase-In period? Can travel costs be included within the Phase-In? |
| There is no breakdown for the Phase-in Period. The offeror is required to provide a unit price and an extended total amount. (e.g. CLIN 0001) |
| 24) N/A |
| What is the current contract ceiling for the incumbent(s) currently working this project? |
| There is no contract ceiling. |
| 25) Page 102, Attachment 2; and page 132, Vol II; and page 134, para 5. Submission of […] |
| RFP pages 132 and 134 each state to submit the Technical Quality Proposal as a singular document, but Attachment 2 provides 5 separate file names. If Offerors are to submit this volume as only one file, what is the file name that should be used? |
| See question 8. |
| 26) p. 134, Para 11.5 |
| “Offeror’s technical quality volume shall include section, paragraph, and page number on each sub-factor page.” |
Can the government please clarify this requirement, e.g.,
1. Does this refer to header/footer information? i.e. is the intention that all this information appear in the header/footer of each page
2. If this is related to header/footer information can the government clarify what they expect in terms of section and paragraph
3. Alternatively, does the section paragraph requirement refer to the body of the document?
4. If so, how should offerors handle sections/paragraphs that roll-over to multiple pages?
See the Proposal Table of Contents chart, Volume II Technical Quality Proposal of the solicitation (answers to questions 1, 2, and 4). Submit as one complete document comprised of the Table of Contents, Sub-factors, and the Glossary (answer to question 3).
| 27) Pg. 135/Para 9 |
| The paragraph refers to 120-day transition period, however pg. 3/ Section SF 1449 - CONTINUATION SHEET refers to 3-month transition period. Would the government clarify the transition period? We recommend no shorter than 120-day transition period. |
| See question 7. |
| 28) Pg. 3, Price Schedule and Pg. 55, PWS 1.9.2 |
| Will the government be adding a CLIN for travel? |
| See question 17. |
| 29) Pg. 3, Price Schedule |
| Will the government be adding a separate CLIN for facility/supplies used in support of this contract? Or, should Offerors include these costs in our overhead/fee? |
| No, it is the offeror’s responsibility on how to apply these costs. . |
| 30) Pg. 134, item f) |
| Responsibility determination. Are all small businesses proposed by the prime contractor under the small business subcontracting plan required to provide responsibility determination information as part of the proposal submission? |
| No, applies only to prime contractor. |
| 31) Pg. 134, item f) |
| Responsibility determination. Since this is an unrestricted competition and not small business set aside, is a large prime contractor required to receive an affirmative responsibility determination or Certificate of Competency issued by SBA? |
| No, applies only to small business concerns. |
| PAGE AND PARAGRAPH |
| OFFEROR'S QUESTIONS |
| GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE |
32) Page 56, Paragraph
2.1.8. and Page 69, Paragraph 5.4.1.10.
| Paragraph 2.1.8. defines Call Processing Time as the total length of call to include call-waiting time, hold time, and talk time. Is it correct to assume that the Call Processing Time Report described in Paragraph 5.4.1.10. should report the sum of the call-waiting time, hold time, and talk time (and not report these as individual functions)? |
| Yes, it is correct that call processing time would be reported as the sum of call-waiting time, hold time, and talk time. |
33) Page 56, Paragraph
2.1.9.
| Section 2.1.9. defines CLR, but fails to define when a CLR is completed. When is a CLR considered complete?" |
| The language in DHA IPM 18-001 define when a CLR is completed. . |
34) Page 60, Paragraph
3.1.1.
| Paragraph 3.1.1. states the government will provide "train the trainer" MHS GENESIS training for up to 10 contractor personnel. This training will be critical to a successful phase in. How soon after contract award will the government conduct this training? |
| The training will be provided not earlier than 30 days following contract award. Contractor staff must all possess a CAC card to receive training. |
35) Page 62, Paragraph
4.6.2.
| Is a Common Access Card (CAC) required for PAS, RMS, and CLRS agents to complete MHS GENESIS training? |
| Yes, a CAC card is necessary to complete MHS GENESIS training. |
36) Page 62 Paragraph
4.6.3.1.1.
| Paragraph 4.6.3.1.1 says contractor provided training "shall not be conducted on the live MHS GENESIS system." Will the Government provide access to an MHS GENESIS training environment? |
| Yes, the government will provide access to the MHS GENESIS training environment. |
37) Page 63, Paragraph
5.1.6.
| Paragraph 5.1.6. states, "When a cancellation notification is received from the beneficiary, the appointing agent shall cancel the appointment and offer to reschedule the appointment IAW DHA and PSMHS standardized business rules. The Referral agent will cancel the referral in the EHR per the DHA IMP 19-001 business rules." Is this a reference to an MTF appointment cancellation or a network referral appointment cancellation? |
| No, this paragraph is referring to MTF Specialty Referrals to be appointed within the MTF direct care system. |
38) Page 63, Paragraph
5.1.10.
| Paragraph 5.1.10. requires the contractor to auto reconfigure unused Future (FTR), Specialty (SPEC), and Procedures (PROC) appointments to 24 hour appointment type 48 hours in advance to ensure an appointment is fully bookable by Appointing agents. How many clinics will the contractor need to auto reconfigure? What is the process? Will MHS GENESIS provide the data or a report? |
| This requirement applies to all Puget Sound Market Primary Care teams totaling approximately 45 distinct primary care teams. The process map with detailed instructions will be provided upon contract award during the transition period. The contractor will be responsible for providing the report. |
39) Page 63, Paragraph
5.1.12.
| Paragraph 5.1.12. states, "The contractor shall employ the same drive time mapping software system approved by the government for the MCSC." What software is currently used by the MSCS? |
| Spectrum is the system currently utilized by the MCSC. |
40) Page 64, Paragraph
5.1.14.
| Paragraph 5.1.14. requires the contractor to maintain clinic level documentation of calls made, by date and time, corresponding success rates, and details of letters mailed with tracking of beneficiaries that eventually schedule the direct care specialty appointments in MHS GENESIS. Will this information be available in MHS GENESIS? If not, how will the contractor obtain this information? |
| The contractor shall document call volume information to include success rates as well as documentation documenting mailed correspondence. Some of the information is in MHS GENESIS; however, the contractor is responsible for maintaining clinic level documentation. |
| PAGE AND PARAGRAPH |
| OFFEROR'S QUESTIONS |
| GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE |
41) Page 64, Paragraph
5.1.14.
| Paragraph 5.1.14. requires the contractor to mail specialty care appointment information to beneficiaries. Would the Government provide volume estimates for required mailed correspondence? |
| This information is not available. See Attachment 12 for RMS and CLRS projections. |
42) Page 64, Paragraph
5.1.16.
| Will the Appointing agents be given access to DEERS to check eligibility and perform the mini-registration in the DEERS system or will this be done in the MHS GENESIS appointing system with an interface to DEERS? |
| Yes, appointing agents will be given access to DEERS. |
43) Page 64, Paragraph
5.1.17.
| Paragraph 5.1.17 states that outbound calls to patients with MTF specialty referrals would begin on day two following the date of the referral. Does the day of referral count as Day 0 or Day 1? Does this requirement refer to Calendar Days or Business Days? |
| It counts as day zero, as the first business day will be the order date plus the entire following day. The requirement refers to business days. |
44) Page 64, Paragraph
5.1.20.
| Is the preferred Secure Messaging system already in use? Are the required reports available in the Secure Messaging system? |
| No, MHS GENESIS has secure messaging; however, it is not currently utilized. |
45) Page 64, Paragraph
5.2.14.
| Will the Government provide an estimate on the volume of mailed correspondence that will be required? |
| See question 41. |
46) Page 65, Paragraph
5.1.23.2
Page 70, Paragraph 5.4.5 Page 100, Exhibit I
| Paragraph 5.1.23.2. requires the contractor to provide a copy of its inclement weather/contingency plan to the Government no later than 15 calendar days prior to full contract performance start. Paragraph 5.4.5. requires the inclement weather plan to be submitted to the COR for approval no later than 2 weeks prior to start of contract operations and annually thereafter. Exhibit I includes a phase-in task to "establish contingency/continuity of service delivery plan and submit for approval" by Week 9 of phase-in (or 4 weeks prior to start of contract operations). Please clarify when the inclement weather/contingency plan must be submitted. |
| Contingency plan to be submitted to the COR for approval no later than 2 weeks prior to start of contract operations and annually thereafter. |
| 47) Page 65, Paragraph 5.2. |
| What system and process will the contractor use to verify that a referral is deferred to the network? |
| MHS GENESIS, and in accordance with Market written business process maps. |
| 48) Page 65, Paragraph 5.2. |
| What process will the contractor follow to validate network provider data needed to process referrals? |
| Network appointed referrals will not require validation of provider data. |
49) Page 66, Paragraph
5.2.3.1., 5.2.4.7, and
5.2.4.8.
| Please clarify when the contractor will receive or send HIPAA-compliant 278 transactions versus using MHS GENESIS or other processes as identified by the Government. |
| This will be done when correspondence is being conducted outside of MHS GENESIS to a network provider. |
50) Page 66, Paragraph
5.2.3.2.
| Paragraph 5.2.3.2. requires the contractor to process incoming referrals (ROFR) from the MCSC network providers and MTFs. How is the ROFR information input into MHS GENESIS? Is this the responsibility of the contractor?" |
| ROFR’s will be transmitted via GENESIS from the MCSC for appointing within the MTFs and available to the contractor. Input of ROFR data is a standard GENESIS system business process. |
51) Page 66, Paragraph
5.2.3.3.
| Paragraph 5.2.3.3. requires the contractor to record and track status and disposition of all Prime/Select/VA/ROFRs, MTF, and network referrals. How does the process for handling VA referrals differ from TRICARE Prime and Select? |
| VA referrals are received as requests for specialty care services. If there is both capability and capacity, VA referrals are appointed for specialty care within the MTF clinics. |
| PAGE AND PARAGRAPH |
| OFFEROR'S QUESTIONS |
| GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE |
52) Page 66, Paragraph
5.2.3.3.
| Paragraph 5.2.3.3. requires the contractor to record and track communications received. Please define "communications received." |
| This refers to the requirement for the contractor to document the volume, date and any related information regarding referrals in order to ensure that accountability is maintained. |
53) Page 67, Paragraph
5.2.4.13.
| Paragraph 5.2.4.13 requires the contractor to process all incoming routine referrals for acceptance to the MTF or declination and returned to the MCSC, MTF or network provider within one business day IAW DHA IPM 18-001. Is this process referring to ROFRs? How will the contractor obtain this data? |
| Incoming routine referrals will be accessed through the MHS GENESIS referral queues. Appoint to MTF or defer to network will be determined by capacity, capability and access to care within the MTF direct care system. |
54) Page 67, Paragraph
5.2.4.14.
| Paragraph 5.2.4.14 requires the contractor to report urgent and routine referrals that are declined by the clinic or RMC and deferred to the MCSC per Care Radius, or per RMC protocol. Please provide more information on Care Radius and how it operates. |
| Care radius is an information, analytics and communication platform utilized by the MCSC. |
| 55) Page 67, Paragraph 5.3 |
| Are West Region network providers currently connected to MHS GENESIS and providing CLRs through those connections? If so, what is the contractor's responsibility to ensure there are no errors? |
| No, only four MTFs (including Puget Sound Market) are currently utilizing MHS GENESIS. The DHA implementation plan for GENESIS calls for additional West Region MTFs to transition to GENESIS in the upcoming fiscal years. The contractor is responsible CLRs tasks in the PWS. |
56) Page 68, Paragraph
5.3.3.4
| Paragraph 5.3.3.4. states "When a CLR has not been documented in the EHR, check the applicable claims database for a claim." What is the system and process for locating and accessing the correct database in search of a claim, and how long, on average, does the process take? |
| There is a specific claims system by which the contractor will access and validate claims information. The system (Government Portal) is managed by the MCSC. |
57) Page 68, Paragraph
5.3.3.4.
| Paragraph 5.3.3.4. states “Consultants must send preliminary reports for urgent and emergency specialty care consultations to the referring provider within 24 hours.” Who is considered a "consultant?" If consultant refers to "provider," does that mean this provider would be responsible for sending urgent and emergency specialty care consultation report directly to the referring provider, or would it be sent to the contractor who would upload it into EHR and notify the referring provider per the process outlined in PWS? |
| The MTF referring provider may refer a patient to a network provider for the purposes of clinical consultation. In these scenarios, the referral is considered ‘urgent’ with a response required within 24 hours. The response would be uploaded in GENESIS for the requesting MTF provider to review. |
58) Page 68, Paragraph 5.4.
Page 70, Paragraph 5.5
| Sections 5.4. and 5.5. provide descriptions of required reports. Will MHS GENESIS provide the capability to create these reports? If not, can the data for the reports be extracted from MHS GENESIS or another Government source? |
| Required reports will report data from several system sources to include, GENESIS, telephony, claims databases and the contractor’s propriety information systems. |
59) Page 68, Paragraph
5.4.1.1.
| Paragraph 5.4.1.1. requires the contractor to report call volume as inbound, outbound, and total number of calls, stratified at the MTF level. Is the contractor required to report the number of warm transfers attempted to MTF clinics due to lack of appointment availability for the patient within Access To Care (ATC) standards or patient need? If so, would the contractor also be required to report the number of successful versus failed warm transfer attempts? |
| The answer is yes to all elements of this question. |
60) Page 68, Paragraph
5.4.1.2.
| Paragraph 5.4.1.2 requires "inbound calls handled to completion by the IVR." What is the definition of "completion by IVR?" |
| Completion is defined as when the IVR options have met the needs of the caller. |
| PAGE AND PARAGRAPH |
| OFFEROR'S QUESTIONS |
| GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE |
61) Page 69, Paragraph
5.4.1.8.
| In Paragraph 5.4.1.8., does "Average Speed of Answer" include abandoned call time? |
| Yes. |
62) Page 69, Paragraph
5.4.1.10.
| Paragraph 5.4.1.10. requires the reporting of Call Processing Time. Does this report combine both inbound and outbound calls? If so, the Government may want to consider requiring separate inbound and outbound reports in order to provide more meaningful data. |
| Quantifying discrete data for inbound and outbound calls is the objective. |
63) Page 69, Paragraph
5.4.1.11.
| Paragraph 5.4.1.11. describes First Call Resolution. What is the definition of "completely resolved"? |
| First Call Resolution refers to the operational goal of a service level where every patient’s request for services is satisfied. The patient should never be asked to call back. |
64) Page 70, Paragraph
5.4.7.
Page 71, Paragraph 5.8.
| Please clarify whether there are two separate reporting requirements for Manpower Reporting. Paragraph 5.4.7. refers to "Manpower Reporting" as a Performance Standard that requires the contractor to report all contractor labor hours and FTEs on a monthly basis. Paragraph 5.8. refers to "Contractor Manpower Reporting" which is included in the CLINs and submitted in October of each fiscal year via the http://www.ecmra.mil website. |
| Monthly the contractor will be required to report the number of fulltime employees, part-time employees and total FTE. |
65) Pages 68 - 70, Paragraphs 5.4 - 5.4.7.
| There are various reports described in these sections of the RFP. Do these reports currently exist within the appointing system or will they need to be built? (This question pertains to all reports excluding phone metric reporting which would be the responsibility of the contractor.) |
| These reports do not exist in the appointing system. It is the contractor’s responsibility to extract required data elements and generate the required reports. |
| 66) Page 100, Exhibit I |
| Exhibit I: PSMHS Phase-In Milestone Chart includes a reference to a Call Center (CLR/Referral Management facility(ies) staffing & management plan. We found no description of this plan in the RFP. Please provide a description of the required plan. |
| This refers to a plan delineating the contractor’s operational plan describing the volume and types of staff that the contractor will employ to meet contract requirements. |
| 67) Page 100-101, Exhibit I |
| Exhibit I: PSMHS Phase-In Milestone Chart includes start and end weeks for each implementation task. Since the transition plans used by individual contractors will certainly vary, does the Government recommend these dates as guidelines rather than requirements to ensure readiness for start of work on October 1, 2019? |
| While there may be details of the transition plan that may be amended, the intent of the transition plan provided was to communicate the relative operational priorities and the associated deadlines in order to ensure that the contractor can assume full operational capability NLT 30 SEP 2019. |
| PAGE AND PARAGRAPH |
| OFFEROR'S QUESTIONS |
| GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE |
| 68) Page 101, Exhibit I |
| Exhibit I: PSMHS Phase-In Milestone Chart includes a task for "Post start-up In- Process Review (IPRs) (performance/quality feedback)" with completion dates ranging from Week 5 to Week 8. Please clarify "post start-up" since this would seem to indicate a time after Week 12 (contract start). |
| Due to the complexity and range of service provided via this contract, the intent of the post implementation IPRs is to ensure that there are formal review and communication forums scheduled to support validation of services rendered meet the Market and MTF’s operational service level requirements. |
69) Page 111, Attachment 8
Page 112, Attachment 9
| Attachments 8 and 9 provide enrollment data and projected call volume. What is the projected volume of processed referrals, including ROFRs? |
| See Attachment 12 of the solicitation. |
| 70) Page 112, Attachment 9 |
| Puget Sound Call Volume Projections are listed in Attachment 9. Do the call volumes include calls for Referrals and CLRs or only calls for Patient Appointing Services? If not, will the Government provide these volumes? |
| No, the call volume projections only reflect Patient Appointing Services related workload. See Attachment 12 for Referrals and CLRs projections. |
| 71) Page 129, Attachment 12 |
| Are the projected monthly volumes provided in Attachment 12 limited only to Madigan? If so, would the Government provide these volumes for the other eMSM locations? |
| The volume data provided are Puget Sound Market projections. |
| 72) Page 129, Attachment 12 |
| What process does the Daily Closing Volume (13,000 per month) on Attachment 12 refer to? |
| Attachment 12 has been updated to correct erroneous information. |
| 73) Page 129, Attachment 12 |
| What types of calls are included in the "Daily Volume Customer Service Calls + TFL Calls" referenced in Attachment 12? How is this related to the Daily Closing Volume (13,000 per month)? How was the 20 minutes per call determined? |
| Attachment 12 has been updated to correct erroneous information. |
| 74) Page 129, Attachment 12 |
| Please define "scrubbing" used in the Daily Volume CLR/Scrubbing (4,800 monthly) shown in Attachment 12. |
| Attachment 12 has been updated to correct erroneous information. |
75) Page 61, PWS 4.5 PAS, RMS, and CLRS Center Location
| Can the Government provide the address of the current PAS, RMS, and CLRS Center under the existing contract? |
| 3600 Port of Tacoma Rd, suite 400, Tacoma, WA 98424. This is for PAS only, CLRS/RMS are not currently contracted services. |
76) Attachment 9, Page 112 Puget Sound Call Volume Projections
| Can the Government provide the historical inbound and outbound call volumes for the past 12 months? |
| There is no historical data. See Attachment 9 for projections. |
77) Page 100, Exhibit I PSMHS Phase-In Milestone Chart
| Given the number of significant milestones related to connectivity, security and software associated with the start-up of a new center, a 90 day transition time seems aggressive. Would the Government consider expanding the Phase-In period to 120 days? |
| No. |
| 78) Page 50, 1.2.5 |
| Would the Government provide the historical volume for Clear and Legible Reporting Services (CLRS)? |
| There is no historical data. See Attachment 12 for projections. |
| 79) Attachment 9 |
| Can the Government provide actual and accurate reports indicated in Attachment 9 for the last three years, so we can better understand the operational tempo to assist with forming our staffing solution? If the examples provided in the RFP are not accurate, there could be an unfair advantage to the incumbent as they would have the correct information to price accordingly. |
| The Patient Appointing services volume was projected based upon total Market enrollment, average utilization rates, and historical workload. Furthermore, call volume projections account for changes in business models as directed by the Defense Health Agency per DHA IPM 18-001. |
| 80) Pg. 62, para 1 |
| What type of experience is required for the 10 personnel serving as MHS Genesis trainers during the transition period? |
| There is no type of experience. The contractor is responsible for providing qualified personnel in accordance with PWS. |
| 81) N/A |
| Can the government please tell us the specific referral backlog that may currently exist for the following: |
Are new referrals processed within 24 hours of issuance by the Primary Care Physician? If not, what is the current backlog for the referral staff to process referrals?
Referral Results: Are all referral results uploaded into the system and closed within 3 days of receipt of the result? If not, what is the current backlog to process/upload and close?
Is Madigan currently chasing results for all non-MTF network referrals? Are these being chased within all DHA guidelines? If not, how much backlog exists?
There is no referral backlog.
| 82) N/A / General |
| The consolidation of contracts and appointment scheduling which extends to the civilian provider network would appear to create the potential for conflicts of interest for some of the incumbent contractors. E.g., one incumbent may be a competitor to the West Region Managed Care Support Contract, and processing referrals on this contract is a conflict. Please advise whether any or all of the incumbent contractors will be prohibited from bidding on the basis of said conflict. |
| The Government will ensure there is no conflict of interest. |
| 83) Page 112, Attachment 9 |
| Attachment 9 provides projected annual call volumes for 2018. In order for Offerors to develop a customized, efficient and cost-effective staffing plan that covers all hours of call center operations, please provide the actual 2018 call volumes by month, day, and hour as collected by the incumbent enterprise reporting system(s). |
| See question 76. |
| 84) Page 112, Attachment 9 |
| Attachment 9 provides the estimated call volumes (inbound and outbound). Are these solely appointment line calls, or do these numbers include calls for the referral process? If these are both appointment line and referral calls, will the Government break these estimates out by appointing service calls and calls related to referrals? |
| See question 70. |
| 85) Pages 135-136, subfactor 1C |
| For offerors to effectively form a staffing plan, will the Government provide the average calls of all types into the appointing line by hour by day of week? |
| The government is unable to predict call volumes as there are numerous variables that drive call volume. Call volumes related to Patient Appointing represent the largest proportion of total calls. Generally, call volumes tend to be highest early and late in the week with peak daily volume typically in the morning, as well as experience seasonal variability. |
| 86) Page 129, Attachment 12 |
| Will the Government please clarify the difference between an RN referral and a non-RN referral? |
| RN referrals represent more complex specialty care cases that typically would require coordination, and/or ordering of diagnostic services in advance of the patient’s appointment with the specialist. |
| 87) Page 61, para. 4.2.1 |
| Please confirm: While performance facilities are expected to be contractor facilities, personnel will utilize Government-furnished computers that will be taken to the contractor facilities after verifying VPN/etc. access at a Government facility? |
| The contractor will only use government furnished computers initial access to MHS GENESIS. . |
| 88) Page 129, Attachment 12 |
| Are the referral numbers provided in Attachment 12 inclusive of the other MTFs that Madigan currently provides RMC services to? |
| The information in Attachment 12 applies to MTFs covered in the PWS. |
| 89) N/A |
| Is it the Government’s intent for patients to ever go to the contractor facility? |
| No. |
| 90) N/A |
| Do the incumbent contractors currently have an off-site hub, and can the Government provide information on the incumbent residing there for transitional purposes? |
| See question 75, |
| 91) Page 67, PWS 5.3 |
| Will the Government clarify the specific CLR duties required? Will these duties include making attempts at chasing, uploading to the system, and closing? |
| Yes, these are required CLR duties. Please refer to the PWS. |
| 92) Page 65, PWS 5.2 |
| Will the referral services required also include front-end referral processes, such as pushing referrals to the MCSC and reviewing the referral for medical necessity, assisting beneficiaries with questions and correcting inaccurate referrals? |
| Yes. |
| 93) N/A |
| Will the successful offeror have access to all legacy systems in addition to GENESIS? |
| Yes. |
| 94) N/A |
| Is nurse triage for the appointment line an expected service within this contract, or is that function handled on a separate contract? |
| No, nurse triage is not an appointment line requirement. |
| 95) Pages 114-118, Attachment 10, para 6 |
| As there are a number of circumstances that will consistently prevent a 100% AQL rate, will the Government consider lowering the AQL expectation to 95%? |
| No. |
| 96) 1.2.2 and 5.1.11 and 2.1.17 |
| The RFP state the mission for this work is “to deliver quality, timely services to TRICARE beneficiaries….and increase MTF capacity.” We believe it would be in the best interest of the government to ensure that the contract awardee has no inherent financial ownership with a TRICARE Managed Care Contractor. This approach is to eliminate any perceived or real incentives to drive services to MSCS network versus the MTFs. We recommend the government consider and revise the RFP accordingly. |
| The Government will ensure there is no conflict of interest. |
| 97) 5.1.15 |
| How often has the government updated the MTF marketing/educational messages in the past two years? |
| Market and MTF marketing and communication messaging is an ongoing effort that is updated routinely. |
| 98) 5.1.15 |
| Does the government use the messages to alert beneficiaries of any urgent health issues such as outbreaks of infectious diseases or health screening reminders? |
| Yes. |
99) Pg. 56; Para 2.1.9
Pg. 61; Para 4.5
| The RFP specifies that “The PAS, RMS and CLRS functions will be provided via a consolidated location.” Yet “The government reserves the right to conduct site visits in all contractor-operated facilities.” Please provide clarification as to whether all operating functions for this contract are required to be in a singular location within a 25 miles radius from the PS eMSM headquarters or just the PAS, RMS and CLRS functions. |
| The contract requirement is for all services to be provided from a singular, consolidated location within a 25 mile radius of the Puget Sound Market headquarters. |
100) Pg. 65; Para 5.1.23 & 5.1.24
Pg. 70; Para 5.4.5
| The RFP references the need for contingency operations due to inclement weather and/or natural or man-made events. Typically, contingency operations are not in the same locale as the primary operations. Will the Government allow for contingency operations to be outside of the 25 mile radius from PS eMSM headquarters? |
| This will not be feasible at this time, as MHS GENESIS is currently only utilized in this region. |
| 101) Pg 111 Attachment 9 |
| The data provided is flat for the entire period. In order for the government to ensure a competitive environment without incumbent access to data that could result in an unfair competitive advantage, can the government provide actual data for the last 12 months, including Weekly, reflecting seasonal fluctuations in call volumes? |
| The Government can only provide projection information (see Attachment 9). |
| 102) A.01.02 Exhibit E –Example Performance Report Formats |
| Can the government provide actual data for the last 12 months reflecting seasonal fluctuations in calls, referrals managed, and CLRS handled? |
| The Government can only provide projection information (see Attachment 12). |
| 103) A.01.02 Exhibit E –Example Performance Report Formats |
| Will the government please provide daily call volumes (in & out) in order to reflect the day to day staffing requirements and impact of holidays on operations? |
| See question 101. |
| 104) Pg 56 Para 2.1.10 Clear and Legible Report accountability services. |
| The PWS provides a descriptor of the services expected but does not include and data regarding volumes of services performed. Will the government please provided historical data for the following: |
· # referrals sent to the network for care
· % of referrals sent to network and seen
· Total volume in pages of referral results received
· # or ROFRs received
· # ROFRs accepted
· # ROFRs seen
· # ROFRs resulted There is no historical data. See Attachment 12 for projections. .
| 105) Pg 67 Para 5.3.3 CLR Accountability. |
| The PWS indicates provides and overview of the CLR process. What is the volume both in total results and total pages, or average pages per result received/expected per week? |
· Routine
· STAT/Urgent/Priority
· Unreturned See question 104.
| 106) 54 ;1.9.1 |
| The government states” the contractor shall provide onsite operations”, but then makes mention of a contractor provided facility (2.1.9). Is the government providing facilities as well as the contractor? |
| This is to mean that contract personnel will work onsite, at the contractor provided facility, and not at another location or telework. |
| 107) 55; 1.11 |
| What is the time zone for the hours of service? |
| Pacific time zone. |
| 108) 55; 2.1.1 |
| What constitutes agent error? |
| See paragraphs 2.1.1. and 2.1.11 of the PWS. |
| 109) 55; 2.1.1 |
| How are agent errors recorded and tracked? |
| Errors will consolidated at the market level. The contractor will have the opportunity to research and validate the errors. |
| 110) 55; 2.1.1 |
| Are there SLA’s for this requirement? |
| No. See performance standards within PWS and as outlined in the Performance Requirement Summary of the PWS. |
| 111) 56; 2.1.4 |
| Can the government please provide peak normal and surge event call arrival patterns so the contractor can engineer to avoid blockage. |
| No. See Attachment 9 for projections. |
| 112) 56 ; 2.1.7 |
| Can the government please confirm that ‘hold ‘time is calculated as ‘Queue’ time plus time when agent puts caller on hold? |
| Call hold time includes both Queue’ time plus time when agent puts caller on hold. |
| 113) 56; 2.1.11 |
| How is CLR error tracked and reported and from what system? |
| Self-identified, clinic/patient/MTF reported. Tracked through government and contractor collaboration. |
| 114) 57; 2.1.19 |
| Given there may be necessary back and forth (calls) during an appointment encounter or other customer service issue; please provide details as to what issues would qualify as First Call resolvable issues? |
| First Call Resolution refers to the operational goal of a service level where every patient’s request for services is satisfied. The patient should never be asked to call back. This standard applies to appointing, referral and CLR functional areas. |
| 115) 57; 2.1.20 |
| This requirement is confusing since IVR is a voice system and the definition of how IVR average response will be tabulated is for “non-voice inbound customer contact.” Can the government please reconcile or clarify this contradiction and state how IVR Average response time will be measured? |
| This is an average of the amount of time, rounded to hours, that elapse for a contact center to respond to a non-voice inbound customer contact. |
| 116) 60; 3.1.1 |
| Is the government providing training space or is training to take place at the contractor facility (2.1.9)? |
| No, the Government will only provide space for initial training. Training of contractor-employed trainers will be in the contractor’s facility unless alternate arrangements are required by the government. |
| 117) 61; 4.1 |
| What government telephony is being provided for the contractor to interface to? Where is this equipment located? Will the contractor be able to terminate telephony services (e.g. circuits) to the government facility to interface with government systems? |
| The contractor is responsible for providing a telephony system that is capable of interfacing with MTF phone systems. |
| 118) 61; 4.1 |
| Where is the government telephony equipment located? |
| The switch is at Madigan Army Medical Center. |
| 119) 61; 4.1 |
| Will the contractor be able to terminate telephony services (e.g., circuits) to the government facility to interface with government systems? |
| See question 117. |
| 120) 61; 4.1.2 |
| Can the government please provide peak call volumes? |
| No. Generally, call volumes tend to be highest early and late in the week with peak daily volume typically in the morning, as well as experience seasonal variability. |
| 121) |
| Can the government please provide telephone performance standard? |
| See performance standards within PWS and as outlined in the Performance Requirement Summary of the PWS. |
| 122) 61; 4.2 |
| Can the government please provide specific requirement for contractor provided connectivity? |
| See paragraph 4.2 of the PWS.. |
| 123) 61; 4.3 |
| The RFP currently provides detailed specification for ASA, call blockage, and call abandonment. Are there other specification by which contractors will be measures and if so, can the government please provide additional detailed specifications for contractor provided telephony? |
| See question 121. |
| 124) 61; 4.4 |
| Can the government please provide details regarding contractor reporting requirement? For example” |
1. Where are clinical schedules located electronically?
2. How does contractor access that systems in order to generated required reports?
The clinical schedules are located within MHS GENESIS. The contractor will be granted MHS GENESIS access through Citrix.
| 125) 61 ; 4.5 |
| Can the government please provide requirements regarding “electronic communication mediums”? |
| The ability to remote access and work within the government’s electronic health record, MHS GENESIS. |
| 126) 62; 4.7.1 |
| Given the governments statement that they will provide all training materials, what is the contractor’s responsibility for this requirement? |
| Once trained by the government, the contractor’s internal trainers will train the remaining staff to include sustainment training as well as future staff. |
| 127) 62; 5.1.1 |
| The RFP states that the government is providing all training but PWS 5.1.1 states that the contractor is to provide trained staff which would infer the contractor is training its own staff? Can the government please clarify how requirement? |
| The Government will provide initial training (i.e., MHS GENESIS) and other government unique training. The contractor is responsible for providing a trained staff in accordance with PWS. |
| 128) 63; 5.1.7 |
| Blocked Call Rate. The contractor shall provide sufficient phone lines to ensure there are no blocked calls - please provide peak call statistics. |
| See Attachment 9 for projections. |
| 129) 63; 5.1.8 |
| Call Abandonment. The contractor shall provide sufficient personnel to prevent call abandonment- please provide details on abandonment rates / call volumes to allow the contractor to forecast. What is the metric/ SLA for this requirement? |
| See question 128 and 110. |
| 130) 63; 5.1.9 |
| Call Wait Time. The contractor shall ensure a live agent answers all calls within 60 seconds - this is contradictory to requirement in 2.1.3- please clarify |
| This means that the call should be answered within 3 rings whether automated or live agent, but the caller should be speaking to a live agents within 60 seconds. |
| 131) 64; 5.1.13 |
| Given the requirement for first call resolution that appointing agents are not to ask beneficiaries to call back, would it be appropriate for the agents to call beneficiaries back and would this be considered first call resolution? |
| There may be cases where call center agents may have to call patients back to achieve First Call Resolution standards. |
| 132) 64; 5.1.14 |
| Can the government please provide the following details on mail requirements: |
· Volumes
· Weights
· types of materials
· number of pages
· envelopes
· paper/ letterhead.
Does the government provide printing or is the contractor required to provide that service?
This was not a past requirement. No historical data exists to answer these questions, with the exception of the government’s estimate of 10 to 15% of specialty referrals requiring a letter. The government will not provide printing services.
| 133) 64; 5.1.19 |
| Can the government please provide the number of possible transfer numbers? |
Are these local / LD / 800?
What is the procedure if there is no answer or answer by an IVR?
Collectively there are approximately 150 clinics among the three MTFs that receive warm-transfer calls from the Call Center. The MTFs/clinics are located in three different area codes.
| 134) 64; 5.1.20 |
| Can the government please provide details and requirements for contractor provided secure messaging services (SMS)? SMS could mean secured email or a variety of other mediums so we are seeking as specific information as possible to respond accordingly. |
| This paragraph refers to monitoring and responding to secure message requests for appointments from patients sent through MHS GENESIS. |
| 135) 64; 5.1.21 |
| Is the government providing a tool for the agents to use to house; present and track phone the phone scripts or is the contractor to provide a workflow tool to meet that requirement? |
| The government will provide standardized phone scripts. |
| 136) 65; 5.1.23.2 |
| PWS 5.1.23.2 alludes to contractor DR capabilities. To meet these scenarios the contractor will need to support a DR location in another geographic area. Is this the government’s requirement? Further, is it the government’s requirement that this DR site but hot-site, meaning a fully staffed, fully equipped, site with 100% functional redundancy? This is important to know for pricing purposes. |
| The typical Disaster Recovery (DR) scenario is due to severe inclement weather that curtails MTF operations thereby necessitating cancellation and rescheduling of patients by the call center. While it may be ideal to shift call volume to a DR facility, there may be limitations caused by GENESIS system access. |
| 137) 65; 5.1.25 |
| Please provide the quality metrics for the 5% agent monitoring. |
| This would mean that the agent is being monitored to determine if they were providing professional and courteous customer service and that they were following policy and process guidelines. |
| 138) 66; 5.1.26 |
| How are errors/ complaints tracked and reported (in what system) for the contractor to comply with this requirement? |
| Errors are to be tracked and submitted to the COR, standard Microsoft office applications such as Excel are sufficient. |
| 139) 66; 5.2.2.9 |
| How are errors/ complaints tracked and reported (in what system) for the contractor to comply with this requirement? |
| See question 138. |
| 140) 67; 5.2.4.10 |
| What is the contractor requirement to meet: The contractor shall route all STAT/Urgent referrals to the RMC within two hours upon receipt when located in the routine pool? Is this outside of business hours? |
| This time standard only applies to standard business hours. |
| 141) 67; 5.3.3.2 |
| What is the mechanism and process for the contractor to meet the requirement for: The receiving agent will ensure a message is generated to the referring provider and/or provider’s clinic informing the clinic of the priority result |
| When CLR is requested from a network provider on a priority basis, this information/documentation if critical to ongoing patient care for the particular patient. The contractor shall notify the referring provider immediately upon uploading the results within MHS GENESIS. |
| 142) 68; 5.3.3.6 |
| Please provide the quality metrics for the 5% agent monitoring. |
| Refer to question 127 |
| 143) 68; 5.4.1.2 |
| Please provide specific IVR functional requirements; what services is the IVR to provide that will result in self-service; e.g. completed calls. |
| Options for the IVR are designed to support the highest standards of customer service and may include, but not limited to; cancellations, Nurse Advice Line requests, information regarding Network referrals,etc. IVR options are updated as necessary to meet operational needs. |
| 144) 68; 5.4.1.3 |
| Please provide the quality metrics for the agent monitoring. |
| See question 137. |
| 145) 70; 5.5 |
| Please provide specific metrics/ SLA/ Details for tracking in performance reports. |
| See question 110. |
| 146) 47: 5.2-212-5(2) |
| Per the RFP language that reads, “(2) The Contractor shall make available at its offices at all reasonable times the records, materials, and other evidence for examination, audit, or reproduction, until 3 years after final payment under this contract or for any shorter period specified in FAR Subpart 4.7, Contractor Records Retention, of the other clauses of this contract,” |
Is it the government’s intent for the contractor to retain call data and recording data?
Yes.
| 147) Pg. 61/Para 4.1.2 |
| Does the government own the current 1-800 number? |
| Yes. |
| 148) Pg. 61/Para 4.1.2 |
| If the 1-800 number is owned by the incumbent, will the government manage and facilitate all coordination with the incumbent so that a smooth transition of the 1-800 number to the new vendor occurs? |
| See question 147. |
| 149) Pg. 61/Para 4.5 |
| What is the current address of the call center? |
| 3600 Port of Tacoma Rd, suite 400, Tacoma, WA 98424 |
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Department of the Army Medical Command