SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality National Resource Center for Health IT
- Notice Date
- 12/18/2008
- Notice Type
- Presolicitation
- NAICS
- 541611
— Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Contracts Management, 540 Gaither Road, Rockville, Maryland, 20850
- ZIP Code
- 20850
- Solicitation Number
- AHRQ-2009-10003
- Archive Date
- 3/30/2009
- Point of Contact
- Sharon L. Williams,, Phone: 301-427-1781
- E-Mail Address
-
sharon.williams@ahrq.hhs.gov
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is soliciting proposals for multiple IDIQ/Task Order contracts through which individual Task Orders will be awarded to maintain, serve, and support the AHRQ National Resource Center for Health Information Technology (NRC). The solicitation and any documents relating to this requirement will only be available by downloading from the Internet through www.fedbizopps.gov or through the AHRQ website at www.ahrq.gov. Potential offerors are responsible to monitor these sites for the release of the solicitation and any subsequent amendments. It is anticipated that the solicitation will be available for downloading on or about 15 days after publication of this synopsis. AHRQ anticipates awarding multiple contracts under this RFP for each of four separate domain areas: (1) Support for Health IT Program Management, Guidance, Assessment and Planning; (2) Health IT Technical Assistance, Content Development, Program Related Projects and Studies; (3) Health IT Dissemination, Communication and Marketing; and (4) Health IT Portal Infrastructure Management and Website Design and Usability Support. Offerors may choose to submit proposals for one or more of these four domains, but are strongly encouraged to submit proposals only for those domains which they are particularly qualified. Resultant contracts will specify the domain under which the contractor is eligible to compete and receive task orders. It is anticipated that multiple awards will be made in each of four Domains with a base period of performance of one year with four option years. Multiple awards of master contracts are expected by the end of May 2009, and multiple individual task orders are expected to be awarded by August 2009. AHRQ anticipates awarding approximately 3-6 contracts per domain with no more than 10 contracts per domain. However, this is an estimate only. AHRQ reserves the right to award more or fewer contracts per domain area. Through the issuance of task orders, AHRQ expects to award approximately $25 million, contingent on available funds, over the course of the one year base and four option year periods, with the potential of $50 million if the program expands and gains federal partners. It is AHRQ’s desire to award contracts to a mixture of large and small businesses. While the solicitation is full and open competition, AHRQ’s intent is to reserve some awards in some of the domains for small business. For Domains 2 and 4, AHRQ reserves at least 20% of the contract awards to small business; for Domain 3, AHRQ reserves at least 50% of the contract awards to small business. Domain 1 is unrestricted. Should an insufficient number of small businesses be deemed to be technically qualified in each domain, AHRQ reserves the right to award to other than small business to reach the required number of awards needed in each domain. Offerors must have an understanding of and experience in the Domain areas described below for which proposals are being submitted. Sources must possess, or be able to obtain (in-house or through subcontracting / consulting arrangements) the staff and other resources needed to expeditiously carry out the different types of activities listed. For Domain 1 - Support for Health IT Program Management, Guidance, Assessment and Planning, the contractor shall have the ability to effectively manage complex projects, demonstrate organizational structure and capabilities to meet project milestones in a timely manner, manage resources and cost expenditures, and adhere to performance based contracting and earned value management contracting. Also, experience managing health IT projects, managing stakeholder input mechanisms, and coordinating numerous complex work efforts across multiple contractors and organizations is desired. Demonstration of extensive project management expertise and experience for large complex government contracts is required (5-10 government contracts of at least $40 million per contract). Key personnel shall include a Project Director with extensive experience in health IT and program management and either a doctoral degree or senior level management experience directing at least $5M projects. For Domain 2 - Health IT Technical Assistance, Content Development, Program Related Projects and Studies, the contractor shall have the ability to effectively perform technical assistance, establish and support collaborative efforts among government, academic and other public and private organizations, develop and evaluate Health IT tools and products, develop content and syntheses of Health IT topics, project results and best practices, perform Health IT research, development and implementation projects and studies, and propose new visionary approaches for applying Health IT, to improve the quality, safety, effectiveness and efficiency of health care. Areas of focus are likely to include ambulatory safety and quality, patient safety, electronic health records, clinical decision support, electronic prescribing, health services and methodological research, consumer health informatics applications, the electronic exchange of health information, and workflow analysis, organizational processes, nursing, and health IT, patient centered care, health systems administration and human factors. Key personnel for Domain 2 shall include a Project Director with a PhD or MD or equivalent and have specialized experience with Health IT. For Domain 3 - Health IT Dissemination, Communication and Marketing, the contractor shall have the ability to perform dissemination, synthesis, communication and marketing of AHRQ and other federal Health IT research and project results, and the ability to create varied and appropriate dissemination products and vehicles, determine the most appropriate target audiences and determine their content needs, perform and promote website marketing and dissemination, and convene Health IT expert panels and meetings. Key personnel for Domain 3 shall include a Project Director who has specialized experience with marketing, dissemination and communication in areas involving Health IT. For Domain 4 - Health IT Portal Infrastructure Management and Website Design and Usability Support, the contractor shall have the ability to effectively manage and operate websites and collaborative portals, establish and operate knowledge management databases and related capabilities, perform website usability studies, perform website user requirements analyses, adhere to the Section 508 of the amended Rehabilitation Act, and adhere to other HHS and federal regulations regarding management, privacy and security of IT systems; or design websites, create website graphics, and design and develop Web 2.0 features for collaborative portals, and have extensive experience with developing, operating, enhancing, upgrading, customizing and managing portal websites using the Oracle BEA ALUI (WebCenter Interaction) portal product and Oracle WebCenter Document Management feature. Contractors are sought who have specific knowledge in one or more of these areas. Key personnel for Domain 4 shall include a technical and management staff with at least 5 years direct experience with one or more of these technologies. Background In 2004, AHRQ established a single external NRC and a web site (healthit.ahrq.gov) to support its efforts to advance the goals of the HHS and AHRQ for transforming health care through the best and most effective use of health IT. The NRC supports the AHRQ health IT program by serving as a central national source of information and assistance to help the nation and assistance to help the nation embrace the power and efficiency of health information technology. Under the direction of AHRQ staff, the NRC provides direct technical assistance and consulting services to AHRQ projects involved in developing, testing, and using health IT applications. In doing so, the NRC is helping AHRQ to build the nation's capacity across health care settings - large and small, urban and frontier - for the effective use of health IT. In addition, through the development of a web presence, the NRC helps AHRQ serve as the link between the health care community at large and the researchers and experts who are on the front lines of health IT. By assisting AHRQ in developing a central repository for lessons learned from AHRQ's health IT initiative, the NRC assists in encouraging the adoption of health IT to improve quality, safety and efficiency by disseminating the latest tools, best practices, and research results. By providing direct technical assistance to AHRQ's health IT projects and supporting effective dissemination of lessons learned, the NRC maximizes the benefit of the Agency's investment in health IT. The NRC helps AHRQ support its grantees, contractors, and federal partners through a variety of services including: providing technical assistance and consultative support; serving as a repository for best practices, developing, synthesizing, and disseminating executable knowledge for clinicians and patients; facilitating communication and sharing of ideas among grantees; organizing and leading educational activities; and developing and disseminating tools to help providers and organizations utilize health IT to improve patient safety and quality of care in their communities. The NRC assists the Agency by serving as a link among the grantees and contractors of health IT program. The NRC also assists the Agency in planning and implementing program and initiative evaluations and by collecting and aggregating research findings and synthesizing new knowledge about health IT for multiple audiences. The NRC has provided the Agency with additional expertise in multiple areas including health IT standards, hardware and software, financing, sustainability strategies, and privacy and security. Given the success of the initial NRC, AHRQ has committed to continuing this effort through this solicitation of multiple master contracts. The AHRQ Health IT Program envisions that the next phase of activities for the NRC will focus on driving use and satisfaction of the NRC presence and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of developing, synthesizing, and disseminating information for the program’s diverse stakeholders, including researchers, implementers and decision-makers.
- Web Link
-
FedBizOpps Complete View
(https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=f6a33e7e1c82486bdddb1307fab45a05&tab=core&_cview=1)
- Record
- SN01721627-W 20081220/081218220144-f6a33e7e1c82486bdddb1307fab45a05 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |