SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- Poison Control Center Support for a National Nurse Triage Line during a Severe Influenza Pandemic
- Notice Date
- 8/15/2013
- Notice Type
- Presolicitation
- NAICS
- 561421
— Telephone Answering Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Procurement and Grants Office (Atlanta), 2920 Brandywine Road, Room 3000, Atlanta, Georgia, 30341-4146
- ZIP Code
- 30341-4146
- Solicitation Number
- 2013-Q-15473
- Archive Date
- 8/24/2013
- Point of Contact
- Berta Biltz, Fax: 770-488-2670, Alan W Sims, Phone: 770-488-2896
- E-Mail Address
-
boh9@cdc.gov, auy0@cdc.gov
(boh9@cdc.gov, auy0@cdc.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Under the authority of FAR 6.302-1, Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirementst, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) contemplates entering into a Firm-Fixed Price contract using procedures under FAR Part 12, in conjunction with FAR Part 13 with applicable Sub-Part 13.5, Test Program for Certain Commercial Items, with The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) in Alexandria, VA. The contractor will be required to establish a network and infrastructure for poison control centers to rapidly become part of an activated national nurse triage line during a future severe influenza pandemic upon the request of CDC. This project will ensure that poison control centers and its specialists in poison information (SPIs) have established a core set of capabilities necessary for the national nurse triage line to operate. If required, this project will also support the activation of a national nurse triage line and its operations during an influenza pandemic or other public health emergency. Based on a market research, we determined that The AAPCC is the only organization that represents all 57 poison control centers in the United States. As a result, The AAPCC is the only organization that has a direct working relationship with every center and can influence the overall activities of each poison center at a national level to support the requirements of a nurse triage line during a severe influenza pandemic. Therefore, it is considered to be the only source that can satisfy this requirement. However, all responsible sources who wished to be considered by the CDC may submit a capability statement via email to bbiltz@cdc.gov by Noon, EST/DST, and August 23, 2013. Please enter the solicitation number as subject. Capability statements shall not exceed five pages long. The text shall be single spaced, single-sided, with a font not smaller than 11-pitch type. (Appendixes and exhibits are not part of the page limitation.) When submitting a capability statement, interested parties shall address how they are also able to represent all 57 poison control centers in the United States and a description of same or similar projects (experience). It is anticipated that the project will include the following tasks and sub-tasks. Task 1: Preparedness and Development of Capabilities for a National Nurse Triage Line 1.1 Identification of Poison Control Centers (15%) - The contractor shall identify a network of Poison Control Centers (at least 10-15 centers, with registered nurses, pharmacists, and other Specialists in Poison Information that are geographically spread across all HHS regions) that would be ready to handle calls should a Nurse Triage Line (NTL) be activated for a severe influenza pandemic in the United States. 1.2 Surge Planning (20%) - The contractor shall assure that in the event of a severe pandemic, these pre-identified and trained PCCs shall be able to participate in a national NTL within 72 -96 hours of a CDC decision to activate the system. 1.3 Implementation planning (20%) - The contractor shall establish an operational plan for each participating PCC should the NTL be activated during a severe pandemic. Each PCC plan shall include established contacts at local and state public health departments, electronic links to local and state health department and emergency response websites, a list of community healthcare and other referral resources that can be used when managing ill persons with influenza-like illness during a severe pandemic, a method that each participating poison center shall use to electronically or telephonically transfer authorized prescriptions to local pharmacies, and a template protocol that certified Specialists in Poison Information and other surge response agents can use to manage callers with influenza-like symptoms during a severe pandemic. In addition, each PCC needs to confirm access to non-English-speaking capabilities/language lines. 1.4 Training and Exercising (20%) - The contractor shall identify a national Training Coordinator and develop a training plan for each PCC to train the SPIs and other surge response agents at each location so that they are familiar with how to answer, manage, and triage NTL calls during a severe influenza pandemic. Each participating PCC shall participate in at least two drills/simulations-one a telephonic drill or simulation exercise with participating 2-1-1 centers and one PCC-focused surge drill. The contractor shall validate that the staff at each location is trained on how to manage these calls through participation in these drills/ simulation exercises. 1.5 Quality Assurance (5%) - The contractor shall ensure that each PCC has identified a staff member to provide quality assurance for NTL calls. This person shall be responsible for monitoring calls as needed and assisting SPIs with the triage and management of calls as appropriate, with technical assistance from the national Program Manager. The description of these activities should be included in a separate written quality assurance plan. 1.6 Build Telephonic capabilities and an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) capacity (15%) - The contractor shall assure that the standby telephony infrastructure is built to be able to receive calls from 2-1-1 centers without disrupting the usual telephone connections that the public uses to reach poison centers. The contractor shall assure that each participating PCC has the telephonic capacity to manage a large influx of calls (at least 250% greater than usual volume) and build the capacity for each PCC to have an interactive voice response system that shall interact shall incoming calls to the PCC when the NTL is activated. The contractor shall also create a telephony infrastructure that can be expanded to enable call transfer to other poison centers if needed during a public health emergency. The contractor shall also establish an electronic prescribing module at each center within existing systems for the poison control center to provide prescriptions directly to local pharmacies. 1.7 National Poison Data System Codes (5%) - The contractor shall identify standby codes that shall be used to classify NTL calls in the National Poison Data System (NPDS). The contractor shall ensure that these codes are included in the data entry options in the appropriate electronic systems, that all PCCs and their staff are aware of these codes and the rules for use, and that the NPDS can be queried for calls with these established codes. Task 2.0: Continued growth of the PCC network capability and readiness maintenance for the Nurse Triage Line. This task is optional at the request of CDC. The anticipated period of performance is 12 months for task one and 12 additional months for task two. The total base and option shall not exceed 24 months from date of award. All questions/concerns about the RFP shall be submitted via e-mail to BBiltz@cdc.gov by Noon, EST/DST, and August 23, 2013. The anticipated date of award is September 21, 2013. It is your responsibility to keep up with additional postings regarding this announcement on the Fedbizopps Website.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/CDCP/PGOA/2013-Q-15473/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Alexandria, Virginia, United States
- Record
- SN03151038-W 20130817/130816000219-04632fe347ec690fba94d9ab6963f498 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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