Quality Improvement Network (QIN) National Coordinating Center (NCC)

This notice serves to inform industry that CMS intends to release a solicitation for a QIN NCC.

The purpose of this contract is to procure expert healthcare quality improvement technical support services of a National Coordinating Center (NCC) to assist the network of Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organizations (QIN-QIOs). National Coordinating Centers (NCCs) support QIOs in achieving the QIO Program's Three-Part Aim for better care, better health for populations and communities, and lower costs of care. The QIO Program 11th Statement of Work (SOW) operational structure includes two NCCs; one supporting the BFCC-QIOs and the other supporting the QIN-QIOs. NCCs are considered QIOs and must comply with QIO eligibility requirements in order to provide technical assistance, improvement tools, and facilitate communication between QIOs, providers, state and federal agencies, internal and external stakeholders, communities, caregivers/families, and Medicare beneficiaries at both the national and local levels to promote better health, improve the healthcare delivery system, and lower healthcare costs through improvement. In addition, NCCs assist CMS with creating an environment for continuous learning across the country, and perform data collection, evaluation, analysis, and reporting.

The QIN NCC solicitation, once issued, will comply with all applicable statute and regulations associated with the criteria contractors must meet in order to win the QIN NCC contract award.

In accordance with FAR 5.203, CMS hereby notifies industry of its intent to solicit for this requirement under full and open competition and plans to publish this solicitation to FedBizOpps.gov websited on or about May 1, 2014.

CMS anticipates issuance of a single Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) type contract under the forthcoming solicitation.

Important: CMS anticipates that certain contracts awarded under potential solicitations for the QIO Program will be cost-reimbursement type contracts. Therefore, in accordance with FAR 16.301-3, offerors must have an
accounting system that has been deemed adequate for determining applicable costs prior to contract award. Further, in accordance with FAR 42.302(a)(12), contractor's accounting systems should remain adequate during
the entire period of contract performance. (This applies to cost-reimbursement contracts.) This requirement flows down to any proposed subcontractor for cost-reimbursement services.

Businesses, both large and small, who are interested in teaming or subcontracting on this work, should add its information to the interested vendors list on the FedBizOpps posting relative to this effort.