MarketScan Database

Pursuant to FAR 6.302-1(a)(2)(ii)(A)&(B), the Department of Commerce (DOC)/Enterprise Services intends to negotiate a sole source, firm fixed price contract with Truven Health Analytics, Inc. for access to their "MarketScan Database" at the estimated price of $540,000. This procurement will provide the MarketScan Database to the DOC, Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), Office of the Chief Economist so that users can obtain medical claims-level data for the ten-year period beginning in 1998, in sufficient detail for their research needs. Understanding the changing role of health care in the U.S. economy and its impact on economic growth is critical to addressing many of the important policy issues being raised regarding health care. Improving the available data is an obvious first step in that direction. Data for spending by disease, along with BEA's proposed disease-level price indexes, will help provide a much clearer picture of the drivers of medical care costs increases. Improvements to the deflator for medical care will provide a better measure for how much of the rising cost of health care may be attributed to price increases versus growth in real services. In addition, the gross domestic product accounts currently include a complete accounting for health care, but the health-related components are in different sections of the health data to present a comprehensive picture of the health sector that is consistent with BEA's existing accounts. Researchers at the BEA have already constructed these measures for the production of the Health Care Satellite Account using MarketScan data among other sources. BEA plans to continue to use this data for the production of the Health Care Satellite Account and also to continue researching improvements in the estimates for this sector. BEA prefers the MarketScan Database that provides claim-level data, processed with the most recent version of the Medstat Grouper, which includes the statistical weights, therefore, would like to procure the proprietary database from Truven Health Analytics, Inc.

The intent of this notice is not to request competitive proposals, and any information received from interested parties will only be considered solely for determining whether a competitive procurement should be conducted. However, interested parties may submit a description of their firm's capabilities for satisfying this requirement, which demonstrates they possess the ability to successfully perform this effort. The responses must be received no later than

December 18, 2018 at 5:00 PM EST. All questions concerning this matter should be addressed directly to Courtney Palmer via email at cpalmer@doc.gov.

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