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FBO DAILY - FEDBIZOPPS ISSUE OF DECEMBER 31, 2016 FBO #5517
DOCUMENT

R -- RFI for Bereavement Survey Services - Goal of this RFI is to determine SDVOSB and or VOSB capability / interest or to discover other available market resources. - Attachment

Notice Date

12/29/2016
 

Notice Type

Attachment
 

NAICS

541614 — Process, Physical Distribution, and Logistics Consulting Services
 

Contracting Office

Department of Veterans Affairs;VA Maryland Health Care System;Contracting Officer - Carl L. Henderson;209 W. Fayette Street;Baltimore, MD. 1201
 

Solicitation Number

VA24517N0042
 

Response Due

1/9/2017
 

Archive Date

3/10/2017
 

Point of Contact

Carl L. Henderson
 

E-Mail Address

ore,
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Description

CPL Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center (CMCVAMC) Nursing/Patient Care Services PROMISE Program - 2 - THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT TO CONDUCT MARKET RESEARCH. THIS NOTICE IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATIONAL AND PLANNING PURPOSES AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Department of Veterans Affairs to form a binding contract. Respondents are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this Sources Sought Notice. All interested firms shall provide the following information in one file / attachment: company name, address, point of contact, phone number, email address, capability statement not to exceed 10 pages single sided, 5 pages double sided, provide primary NAICS, PCS code and your primary business function. Also provide business type and status, ie. (WOSB, SB, 8a, HUBZone, VOSB and SDVOSB, etc.). This is a Sources Sought ONLY, not a Request for Quotes (RFQ), and does not commit the Government to award a contract now or in the future. SDVOSB s and VOSB s that are verified in vetbiz and technically capable to perform the work are encouraged to respond to this notice, as this RFI will be used to determine if there are a sufficient pool of SDVOSB and / or VOSB vendors to compete this acquisition as a SDVOSB or VOSB set aside. Failure to submit a response could result in false market determinations as the results of this market research will be used to determine the method of procurement. The purpose of this sources sought is to find capable contractors to assist the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center (CMCVAMC) (Philadelphia), 3900 Woodland Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104 with producing, printing, mailing and data collection services for a Bereaved Family Survey (BFS) to family members of deceased Veterans serviced by the VA Healthcare system. The VA currently utilizes existing templates for products mailed out to recipients (reference document appendix). The contract shall make minor changes to templates upon VA request at no cost to the VA. If contractor incurs costs in modifying the templates, VA Contracting Officer will approve all additional costs prior to work being performed by the contractor. Products will be produced in both English and Spanish. Spanish materials will be sent to households where Veterans are serviced within the VA Caribbean Healthcare System, is designated as a Spanish speaking household or where Spanish is the primary language language preference is identified by the VA to the Contractor. Any questions concerning this RFI should be emailed to the Contracting Officer NLT 1/4/17 before 12 noon. Questions will be consolidated and disseminated to all interested respondents by 1/6/2017. Email subject line should read Bereavement RFI Questions. Carl.Henderson3@va.gov. All responses to this RFI should be emailed to the CO NLT 1/9/2017 by 12 noon. Please adhere to the submission guidelines above as the VA has email restrictions on attachment size limits. Please use the performance work statement below to determine capability. PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT PROMISE PROGRAM SUPPORT SERVICES (Non-Personal Services) BACKGROUND The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) requires data collection and analysis services for the Performance Reporting and Outcomes Measurements to Improve Standards of care at End-of-Life (PROMISE) Center located at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center (CMCVAMC) (Philadelphia) [also known as the Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC) Resource Center]. The PROMISE Center was established in 2009 as part of the Comprehensive End of Life Care Initiative. The goal of the PROMISE Center and the Bereaved Family Survey (BFS) is to identify and reduce unwanted variability in end-of-life care throughout the VA and to define and disseminate processes of care that contribute to improved outcomes for Veterans near the end-of-life and their families. Beginning in FY2011, the BFS was one of two Veteran-centric measures in the National Directors Performance Plan (NDPP). The Bereaved Family Survey (BFS) is comprised of 19 items. Sixteen forced-choice items focus on specific aspects of care that the Veteran received at a VA inpatient facility during the last month of life. These items evaluate performance on areas of care including communication, emotional and spiritual support, pain/PTSD management, benefits, and personal care needs. Two open-ended questions solicit comments about both positive and negative aspects of care (e.g., how could the care be improved, and what else would you like to share about the Veteran's care during the last month of life?). The BFS Performance Measure (BFS-PM) consists of a single item on the BFS that asks respondents to provide a global rating of care during the last month of life. The BFS-PM is dichotomized into Excellent versus all other responses (i.e., Very good, Good, Fair, Poor ) and the facility / organizational level BFS-PM score reflects the percentage of respondents that rate care as Excellent. The BFS-PM is endorsed by the National Quality Forum (http://www.qualityforum.org/ProjectMeasures.aspx?projectID=73867). A slightly modified BFS is currently being expanded to support the Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) programs throughout the VA. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS SERVICES REQUIRED: The Contractor(s) shall provide the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center (CMCVAMC) (Philadelphia), 3900 Woodland Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104 with producing, printing, mailing and data collection services for the BFS to family members of deceased Veterans serviced by the VA Healthcare system as outlined below, but not limited to: Creation of Mailing Products/Surveys The VA currently utilizes existing templates for products mailed out to recipients (reference document appendix). The contract shall make minor changes to templates upon VA request at no cost to the VA. If contractor incurs costs in modifying the templates, VA Contracting Officer will approve all additional costs prior to work being performed by the contractor. Products will be produced in both English and Spanish. Spanish materials will be sent to households where Veterans are serviced within the VA Caribbean Healthcare System, is designated as a Spanish speaking household or where Spanish is the primary language language preference is identified by the VA to the Contractor. Fielding of Surveys and Data Collection Contractor shall provide: Survey instruments Envelope Duplication and Printing Address File Cleaning Addressing Matching Mailing Data Collection Service Transfer of Resultant Survey Data White Mail Handling Results Reporting The contractor shall provide all services and written materials required to support the analyses of data and report preparation needed to produce the periodic reports from the Bereaved Family Survey (BFS), to include, but not limited to: Quarterly (4 times a calendar year) VHA Support Service Center (VSSC) reports Quarterly (4 times a calendar year) VISN reports. The contractor shall develop full national, VISN (Veterans Integrated Service Network), facility and bed section data as required for each BFS Report on at least on a monthly basis Provide technical training and documentation to PROMISE as needed to insure maximum practical use at all organizational levels. The data will contain tagging, so as to link individual surveys to a specific decedent. These items must be reported at the national, VISN, facility and bed section, as applicable. Question level results are required; including both positive scores for appropriate questions and frequencies by each response category on a continuous basis. All results are to be made available to PROMISE staff. Data Collection Methodology PROMISE requires that the surveys are sent via first class mail using a carefully timed mailing sequence designed to produce the highest possible response rate while keeping postal costs as low as possible. The mailing and response cycle requirements are delineated in Appendix A: Mailing and Response Time Schedule. A web-based option is available in English and Spanish for NOKs to complete if they choose. The web-based option is secure and does not allow for multiple completions of the survey online. Details of Process and Deliverables Table 2.1 outlines some details regarding the frequency and sample size of each survey project. The estimated total number of Next of Kin of Veterans to be mailed a survey for all population groups is approximately 25,000/year. The Survey Preparation phase will involve intense collaboration between PROMISE and the contractor as questionnaires are changed into a scannable format, cover-letters and envelopes are set-up and proofed, incorrect addresses are eliminated, and final sample sizes are determined. Active Data Collection, regular reports of progress, and delivery of accurate final data sets and related files will be the prime responsibility of the contractor. The forms to be used, the approximate numbers of patients, and the frequency for each study are annotated in Table 2.1. Survey - Patient Population Survey Cycle and Data Collection Frequency Number of Patients per cycle Booklet Characteristics Key Patient Characteristics Reporting Frequency Recently Deceased Inpatients Monthly 1,750 approx. 4 pages, approx. Recently discharged as a result of death. Monthly performance measure reports, quarterly reports, semi-annual VSSC reports Recently Deceased Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) Patients Monthly 138 approx. 4 pages, approx. Recently Deceased Recipients of VA Home-Based Primary Care. Monthly performance measure reports, quarterly reports, semi-annual VSSC reports Table 2.1: Survey Type and Projected Numbers by Population Quantities for All Surveys PROMISE annually will target an estimated 25,000 Next of Kin who meet selection criteria for all population groups. It is anticipated that the National Change of Address (NCOA) and Code 1 processes will reject a percentage of these addresses. The PROMISE team projects HBPC to be approximately 1,650 patients in the 2016 cycle that meet the criteria for the BFS. Every year, it is projected the PROMISE program will expand to an additional 2 to 3 VISNs, or an additional 500-750 patients each cycle. Table 2.2 annotates the forecasted surveys to be executed within the HBPC patient population. BFS 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 HBPC Patient 1,650 approx. 2,150 approx. 2,700 approx. 3,200 approx. 3,750 approx. Table 2.2: HPBC Forecasted Patient Numbers per Cycle SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS SERVICES: Materials Copies of existing materials, including VA letterhead will be supplied to the contractor by the VA. The materials list, descriptions and specifications are annotated in Table 3.1. For patients serviced through the VA Caribbean Healthcare System or is designated as a Spanish speaking household, all materials will go out with both English and Spanish language version. Item Description Survey Cover Letter 8 1/2 by 11 #288 blue letterhead, black text Survey Questionnaire variable page double side booklet; male and female versions Outgoing Envelope 9 x 12 window, #288 blue return address and indicia Magnet 2 x 3.5, color Business Reply Envelope #10 closed face, #288 blue or black return address and business reply address and indicia, postage pre-paid Follow-up Survey Questionnaire (English) (duplicate for those that did not respond) 8 1/2 by 11 #288 blue letterhead, black text, variable page double side booklet; male and female versions Website for online survey completion Table 3.1: Materials for BFS Process VA will provide the vendor the address files in Excel 2010 file (compressed if necessary using PKZIP), and must undergo Code 1 mail-streaming and National Change of Address (NCOA) cleaning. The vendor s systems must be compatible with these methods. An output file containing the rejected names and addresses must be provided to PROMISE along with the reject code or some explanation for reason of rejection. The output containing the names and addresses of those records retained after NCOA cleaning (i.e. cleared for mailing) must be provided to PROMISE in the layout described in Appendix B: Mailing Output File Format. Information regarding the NCOA process can be obtained from the Post Office or other survey vendors that provide mailing services. NCOA software is available through a software retailer. NCOA software must be updated monthly, at a minimum, to guarantee accuracy. The PROMISE is currently using SAS 9.3 and Microsoft Office 2010 on a Windows 7 Enterprise operating system. The vendor must have compatible systems in order to work with all VA systems and must adhere to Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Protocols and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), as appropriate, in the transference of any sensitive patient identifiable data. All data transfers must be completed via PKI encrypted email through the VA virtual private network (VPN) access that will be provided. Personalization of Survey Materials Four versions of the survey, male and female specific, each in English and Spanish, will be mailed according to the gender of the deceased Veteran and facility of death (VA Caribbean Healthcare System decedents or other identified by the VA will receive the gender specific Spanish language version of the survey). The addressing for the survey cover letter will, at a minimum, contain the name and address of the Veteran s Next of Kin (NOK), the name of the Veteran, and his/her unique identification number (provided by the PROMISE Center). The purpose of the patient unique identification number serves as a way of tracking respondents so that their names will not appear directly on the questionnaire. The PROMISE Center guarantees survey respondents anonymity. The identification numbering system used to track surveys specifies a unique number to each individual in the sample. This number will be used during data analysis to link survey respondents to their demographic data. The numbering system will be provided by the PROMISE Center to the vendor. Data Collection Data collection for the surveys will be done using optical scanning or digital image capture techniques backed up by direct double entry keypunching where necessary for damaged surveys. Data shall be reported back to PROMISE based on the schedule detailed in Attachment A: Mailing and Response Time Schedule and in the format provided in Attachment C: Data File to PROMISE Format. The Bereaved Family Survey contains two questions that are open-ended to allow additional feedback from families. All these responses shall be provided in full as digital images and transcribed with the responses linked to the unique identifier for correct identification by the PROMISE Center. These responses shall be transmitted to PROMISE on a monthly basis with the raw survey data. Whitemail Processing Additional comments that NOKs enclose on attached sheets of paper, recorded audiocassettes, photographs, etc. are commonly called white mail. The vendor will be required to screen all whitemail for NOKs in distress or in need of critical assistance. These conditions include but, are not limited to: language consistent with threats of suicide, homicide or other threats to self or others, threats of lawsuit, and indications of depression and or desperation, or complaints being brought to the President, members of Congress or the local media. Any instance of a critical alert in whitemail must be brought to the attention of PROMISE immediately for review and response via telephone or fax, depending on the urgency, and follow up next day mailing of any original correspondence to PROMISE. All contractor staff screening whitemail will be required to complete available suicide and depressions training courses available through the VA s Talent Management System (TMS). Non-critical whitemail must be returned to PROMISE for processing, at a minimum, once a week as some of the material may be time sensitive. Each piece of white mail sent to PROMISE must have the patient s ID code to allow rapid follow-up in critical situations. Special care must be taken to ensure the security of these identified documents in transit and to ensure that items received by PROMISE are in the form it was received by the Vendor. Return to Sender (RTS) and Deceased NOKs The file containing the sample of patients provided by PROMISE will only include Veterans that were known to have died as an inpatient and deceased Veterans with HBPC at time of the sample pull, and although PROMISE requires the vendor to run the mailing list through NCOA and Code 1 mail streaming to remove any incorrect addresses, some Veteran s Next of Kin pass away or move before the surveys reach them. Any survey returned to the vendor as undeliverable will be coded in the data set as returned to sender or deceased according to the reason noted on the envelope. This information is important for statistical purposes to compute our true and adjusted response rates. Any whitemail forwarded to PROMISE from returned surveys marked as deceased must have some indicator written on them by the vendor that the accompanying survey has been coded as deceased in the data file. Mailing The business reply envelopes must have the name of the PROMISE Center and the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC as the recipient of the returned piece along with the address of the data processing facility of the vendor. The mailing of all components must be done via first class mail, taking advantage of all available sorting and bulk mail discounts. At the completion of each mailing segment (reference Attachment A: Mailing and Response Time Schedule), a postal summary of all activity, including postage costs incurred, will be supplied to the VA by the vendor. APPENDIX A: Mailing and Response Time Schedule APPENDIX B: Mailing Output File Format APPENDIX C: Data File to PROMISE Format APPENDIX D: Sample Bereavement Survey Letter
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/VA/VAMHCS512/VAMHCS512/VA24517N0042/listing.html)
 

Document(s)

Attachment
 

File Name: VA245-17-N-0042 VA245-17-N-0042.docx (https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/FBODocumentServer/DocumentServer.aspx?DocumentId=3186391&FileName=VA245-17-N-0042-000.docx)

Link: https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/FBODocumentServer/DocumentServer.aspx?DocumentId=3186391&FileName=VA245-17-N-0042-000.docx

 

Note: If links are broken, refer to Point of Contact above or contact the FBO Help Desk at 877-472-3779.
 

Record

SN04361008-W 20161231/161229234209-308d47e2a64dcd82d0940e1bf27e5575 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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