Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Sys. Survey Admin/Report

The South Dakota Department of Social Services (DSS), Division of Medical Services (DMS) is soliciting qualified vendors to administer the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) surveys for the state's Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) populations. The procurement seeks a contractor to conduct Adult Medicaid CAHPS, Child Medicaid CAHPS, and CHIP CAHPS surveys, including the Children with Chronic Conditions (CCC) supplemental item set. Vendors must demonstrate experience administering CAHPS surveys in accordance with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) protocols and be familiar with technical specifications, sampling methods, and data submission requirements from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Preference will be given to vendors certified by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The RFP requires vendors to handle comprehensive survey administration, including sampling, survey material preparation, response tracking, and result submission to the AHRQ CAHPS Database. Key deadlines include a proposal submission due date of December 3, 2025, with inquiries accepted via email to Kirsten.Blachford@state.sd.us until a specified date in the Schedule of Activities. All inquiries and state responses will be posted on the state's e-procurement system and DSS website.

The solicitation does not explicitly outline specific set-aside designations or restrictions on respondent types. The contract is anticipated to be awarded in February 2026, with a three-year term ending May 31, 2029, and potential for up to three one-year renewals. While specific budget ranges are not detailed, the contract will be funded through state resources with the total contract amount to be negotiated based on proposal submissions. Vendors will be expected to provide comprehensive project management, including timeline development, progress monitoring, and regular communication with the state agency. The selected contractor must demonstrate robust data quality assurance and compliance with CMS requirements. Interested vendors can review South Dakota Medicaid enrollment data on the DSS website at https://dss.sd.gov/keyresources/statistics.aspx. Potential bidders should carefully review the attached RFP Document and Security and Vendor Questions document to understand the full scope of requirements and technical specifications for the survey administration project.