Nevada Average Acquisition Cost

The Nevada Health Authority is requesting proposals for development, operation, and maintenance of the Nevada Average Acquisition Cost (NVAAC) pharmacy reimbursement program under RFP 41NHA-S3922, with proposals due August 24, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. PST. This is a single-award contract with an initial four-year term beginning January 1, 2027, subject to Board of Examiners approval, plus an optional two-year extension.

The NVAAC program, mandated by Senate Bill 389, establishes a state benchmark measuring prescription drug prices purchased directly from manufacturers and wholesalers to replace the current National Average Drug Acquisition Cost model. The contractor must survey pharmaceutical purchasing entities quarterly (at minimum) for actual acquisition prices on covered outpatient drugs, including brand and generic legend drugs and covered over-the-counter drugs; calculate NVAAC prices at National Drug Code, generic equivalency group, and Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System levels; interface with the Nevada Health Authority's fiscal agents and Pharmacy Benefit Manager to transmit updated prices weekly; and operate a provider appeals process with toll-free help desk support and a public-facing transparency website with current and archived price lists, search functionality, and appeal submission mechanisms. The contractor must generate mandatory reports on specified schedules (weekly through annual) and maintain service performance standards with financial penalties up to 5% of total contract value for failures including incomplete surveys, inaccurate determinations, missed deadlines, website downtime, and untimely provider inquiry resolution. All work must comply with HIPAA and HITECH requirements, with data encrypted in transit and at rest and stored stateside.

Evaluation uses weighted scoring: technical factors (vendor experience in AAC program design, statistical methodology, survey administration, reporting, communications, and provider appeals) total 55 points; cost proposal is 30 points; and vendor presentation scheduled for September 14, 2026 is 90 points.

Mandatory requirements include vendor registration on nevadaepro.com, maintenance of specified insurance (Commercial General Liability with $2 million General Aggregate, $1 million Each Occurrence; Automobile Liability $1 million Combined Single Limit; Workers' Compensation per statute; Professional Liability $1 million per claim / $2 million annual aggregate), data encryption and stateside storage, and submission of financial statements for the past two years plus current interim statements, Dun and Bradstreet numbers, subcontractor disclosures, and conflicts-of-interest documentation. Vendors must provide three client references from similar projects completed within the last six years, with references submitted directly via the reference questionnaire due August 21, 2026. Questions are due July 27, 2026. All proposal terms remain valid for 180 days following the due date and, for the awarded vendor, throughout the contract term.