NURSE AIDE COMPETENCY EVALUATION PROGRAM

The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) is soliciting proposals for the Nurse Aide Competency Evaluation Program (SCNACEP), a comprehensive program to provide standardized examinations and maintain the South Carolina Nurse Aide Registry. The contractor will be responsible for delivering psychometrically sound written, oral, and clinical examinations to evaluate nurse aide competency, including application processing and score reporting. The program must comply with federal requirements under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services guidelines. Approximately 10,000 nurse aide evaluations and 7,000 recertification requests are projected annually. The solicitation (Number 5400018114) was originally due December 13, 2019, with a pre-proposal conference held on November 8, 2019, at 2:00 PM EST. The contract term is five years, consisting of an initial one-year term beginning February 12, 2020, with four optional one-year renewal terms. Offerors must submit unit rates for various examination types and recertification processes, with all costs embedded in the unit pricing.

The procurement does not specify explicit set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises. Contractors must meet stringent qualifications, including maintaining liability insurance with $1,000,000 per occurrence for Commercial General Liability and Auto Liability, and $5,000,000 per occurrence for Information Security and Privacy coverage. Contractors must comply with HIPAA standards, encrypt government data both in transit and at rest, and adhere to various federal and state legal requirements including civil rights regulations. While no specific budget range is explicitly stated, the pricing template indicates an estimated annual transaction volume of approximately 24,855 service units across different examination and certification categories. The contract requires extensive record-keeping, with contractors mandated to maintain financial and programmatic records for five years following final payment and allow audits by multiple government entities. Notably, no workers located outside the United States may perform contract duties, and contractor personnel must be pre-approved and possess equivalent qualifications if replacements are necessary.