CME Joint Providership, Accreditation, and Administrative Support Services

Notice of Intent to Sole Source – CME Joint Providership Services

NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Surgeon General (OSG), intends to award a sole-source, firm-fixed-price contract to the American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) for Continuing Medical Education (CME) Joint Providership, Accreditation, and Administrative Support Services.

The anticipated total value of the acquisition is $23,125 for a three-year term. ACPM's quoted pricing includes fixed annual joint providership fees, annual administrative support fees, and CME credit-unit support associated with an OSG educational activity.

Character and Scope of the Services

The principal character of this requirement is CME Joint Providership capability. OSG requires an accredited CME provider capable of establishing and administering an ongoing joint providership relationship supporting multiple CME-eligible OSG educational activities throughout the contract period.

The contemplated activities may include Surgeon General reports, educational seminars, journal publications, live educational activities, and enduring/asynchronous educational materials. Under the joint providership arrangement, the accredited CME provider will exercise independent accreditation oversight and serve as the final decision authority regarding CME eligibility, accreditation, and credit designation for activities conducted under the arrangement. The underlying ACPM-OSG Joint Providership Agreement identifies ACPM as the accredited CME provider responsible for CME oversight and as the final arbiter regarding CME activities developed under the joint providership relationship.

Required joint providership services include participation in CME activity planning; review of professional practice gaps, educational needs, objectives, and educational content; review and management of financial disclosures and conflicts of interest; review of educational materials for scientific validity, balance, independence, and commercial bias; determination of CME eligibility and appropriate AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ designation; approval of required accreditation and credit-designation statements; review or administration of participant evaluations and knowledge assessments; issuance of CME certificates and certificates of completion, as applicable; maintenance of CME participation and credit records; and provision of activity and participant reporting to OSG. These functions are reflected in the Government's SOW.

OSG requires a provider capable of supporting this work through a portfolio-based joint providership model, rather than establishing a separate contractual relationship for each individual CME activity. The provider must be able to coordinate multiple OSG educational products and activities and provide centralized accreditation oversight and CME administration throughout the period of performance.

Basis for Intended Sole-Source Award

Market research identified more than one organization capable of providing accredited CME services generally. However, the Government's requirement extends beyond possession of ACCME accreditation.

The Government evaluated available sources based on their ability to support the complete OSG requirement, including the joint providership model, administrative approach, review timeline, participant administration, scalability, CME issuance, and anticipated cost.

Based on the market research conducted, ACPM was identified as the source that provides the combination of capabilities most closely aligned with the Government's complete requirement, including:

• an ongoing joint providership structure capable of supporting multiple OSG CME activities;
• centralized CME accreditation and administrative oversight;
• review of complete CME applications within an identified timeframe of no more than 10 days;
• administration of registration, examinations/assessments, learner tracking, and CME issuance;
• no per-participant fee under the pricing model evaluated; and
• support for recurring reports, publications, live activities, and asynchronous/enduring educational activities.

The Government's market research found that the alternative model evaluated required activity-specific applications and imposed a greater administrative burden, while ACPM's approach provides an annual joint providership structure covering multiple OSG CME activities. The market research therefore concluded that ACPM provides a predictable annual partnership model, rapid review, centralized administration, and a pricing structure favorable to OSG's anticipated audience and recurring CME portfolio.

Accordingly, based on the Government's market research and the specific operational characteristics of this requirement, ACPM is the only source presently identified as reasonably available to satisfy the complete OSG Joint Providership requirement as structured within the Government's required performance model and schedule.

Intended Acquisition

The Government anticipates a three-year period of performance beginning in September 2026 and continuing through September 2029, subject to the final award document.

The anticipated total contract value, inclusive of the contemplated three-year term, is $23,125.

The anticipated classification for this acquisition is:

NAICS: 611710 – Educational Support Services
PSC: U010 – Education/Training – Certifications/Accreditations for Educational Institutions

Response to This Notice

This notice is not a request for competitive quotations or proposals.

However, all responsible sources that believe they can satisfy the Government's complete requirement may submit a written capability statement demonstrating their ability to provide the required CME Joint Providership, accreditation, and administrative support services.

Responses should specifically demonstrate the source's ability to provide an ongoing joint providership arrangement supporting multiple OSG activities; current applicable CME accreditation; accreditation and content-review services; disclosure and conflict-of-interest management; CME credit designation; learner administration and credit tracking; issuance of CME documentation; required reporting; and the ability to perform within the Government's required schedule.

Interested parties must provide sufficient information for the Government to determine whether the source possesses the capability to satisfy the complete requirement. Responses consisting solely of a statement that the respondent is ACCME-accredited will not, by themselves, demonstrate capability to satisfy the Government's complete Joint Providership requirement.

Capability statements received by the response deadline will be considered by the Government before award. A determination not to compete the proposed acquisition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.

Responses shall be submitted electronically to:
Contracting Officer Mesfin Alemayehu
Email Address: mesfin.alemayehu@hhs.gov 

Response Deadline: September 18, 2026