Inactive Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

Title: Web-Based Respirator Medical Questionnaire and Evaluation Tool I. Introductory This is a Sources Sought. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose... Title: Web-Based Respirator Medical Questionnaire and Evaluation Tool I. Introductory This is a Sources Sought. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to gather information on the availability and capabilities of potential qualified sources and vendors interested in providing web-based services for medical evaluations related to respirators. We are particularly interested in identifying potential small businesses and their classification according to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code associated with these services. Furthermore, we seek insights into the pricing methods employed, including unit price for the services and the total quote for the specified requirements. The responses we receive will play a pivotal role in helping the government make informed decisions regarding the appropriate acquisition method. This includes evaluating the possibility of setting aside opportunities for small businesses. II. Project Description Background Federal Occupational Health (FOH), a component of the Program Support Center (PSC) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provides support for HHS and many other agencies across the federal government. The mission of Federal Occupational Health (FOH) is to improve the health, safety and productivity of the Federal workforce. In keeping with this mission, FOH supports customers through the provision of occupational health services in four areas: Clinical Health Services (CHS), Behavioral Health Services (BHS), Environmental Health and Safety Services (EHSS) and Wellness and Health Promotion Services (WHPS). FOH service network expands throughout the United States, U.S. Territories and internationally. FOH provides defined health services as well as consultation to federal customer agencies exclusively through Interagency Agreements (IAAs). FOH is the largest provider of occupational health services in the federal government, serving more than 360 federal agencies and reaching 1.8 million federal employees. Agreements are negotiated with federal departments and federal agencies’ national headquarters, and/or with their regional/local components for products ranging from a standard package of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) program components to an array of services, including expert consultation tailored to a particular federal agency’s OHS needs. FOH maintains sole responsibility for consulting with federal agencies. FOH sets the standard for a culture of health and safety across the federal workforce. The quality of services and strength of program effectiveness depends heavily on the expertise and experience of a contractor managed web-based respirator medical questionnaire and evaluation clearance tool. The online program will provide a rapid cost-effective method to perform respiratory medical clearances and a convenient method to evaluate geographically diverse federal employees. Purpose and Objectives FOH is conducting market research to prepare for the re-procurement of a Wed-based Respirator Medical Questionnaire and Evaluation Clearance Tool contract. The goal is to identify sources capable of providing a Web-Based Respirator Medical Questionnaire and Evaluation Clearance Tool that can service FOH customers 24 hours a day, seven (7) days a week. According to the Department of Labor (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the primary means to control occupational diseases caused by breathing contaminated air is using feasible engineering controls, such as enclosures, confinement of operations, ventilation, or substitution of less toxic materials. Respirators protect workers against insufficient oxygen environments, harmful dusts, fogs, smokes, mists, gases, vapors, and sprays. These hazards may cause cancer, lung impairment, other diseases, or death. Compliance with the OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard could avert hundreds of deaths and thousands of illnesses annually. When effective engineering controls are not feasible, or while they are being instituted, appropriate respirators shall be used pursuant to OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard, 29 CFR 1910.134(c)(1)(ii), “Medical evaluations of employees required to use respirators. Employers shall provide respirators, when necessary, which are applicable and suitable for the purpose intended.” The purpose of a web-based respirator medical questionnaire and evaluation clearance tool is to determine if employees can tolerate the physiological burden associated with respirator use, including the following: Burden imposed by the respirator itself (e.g., its weight and breathing resistance during both normal operation and under conditions of filter, canister, or cartridge overload) Musculoskeletal stress limitations on auditory, visual, and olfactory sensations Isolation from the workplace environment Certain jobs and workplace conditions in which a respirator is used can also impose a physiological burden on the user, therefore, the respirator medical questionnaire and evaluation clearance tool must also consider the following factors: Type and weight of the respirator to be worn Duration and frequency of respirator use Expected physical work effort Use of protective clothing and equipment to be worn Temperature and humidity extremes that may be encountered The respirator medical questionnaire and evaluation clearance tool is designed to identify general medical conditions that place employees who use respirators at risk of serious medical consequences. Medical conditions known to compromise an employee's ability to tolerate respirator-, job- and workplace-related physiological stress include the following: Cardiovascular and respiratory diseases (e.g., a history of high blood pressure, angina, heart attack, cardiac arrhythmias, stroke, asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, etc.) Reduced pulmonary function caused by other factors (e.g., smoking or prior exposure to respiratory hazards) Neurological or musculoskeletal disorders (e.g., ringing in the ears, epilepsy, lower back pain, etc.) Impaired sensory function (e.g., perforated ear drums, reduced or absent ability to smell, etc.) Psychological disorders (e.g., claustrophobia, severe anxiety, etc.) In any workplace where respirators are necessary to protect the health of the employee, or whenever respirators are required by the employer, the employer shall establish and implement a written respiratory protection program with worksite-specific procedures. In accordance with the OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Standard, cited above, Federal agencies must comply with this requirement to medically evaluate employees before they use a respirator to ensure that they are physically capable of using a respirator without adverse medical effects. Numerous federal agencies have implemented mandatory respirator protection programs. Anticipated Period of Performance The period of performance is expected to be five (5) years; one (1) year base with four (4) one (1) year options. Contract award is anticipated to begin May 01, 2025, to April 30, 2030. Project Requirements All prospective vendors will be required to have a current Authorization to Operate (ATO) with any federal agency in order to perform the required services. The web-based respirator medical questionnaire and evaluation clearance tool shall meet OSHA requirements for respiratory medical clearance and shall contain the following elements: Authorized to use, and currently using the OSHA Respirator Medical Evaluation Questionnaire as a base for the web-based clearance. Ascertain and consider work conditions under which the respirator(s) will be worn as part of the evaluation. A single evaluation shall apply to multiple respirator types of any brand/make, including negative and positive pressure respirators. All “Yes” medical responses shall generate appropriate follow-up questions within the questionnaire. All questionnaires shall be evaluated utilizing the same objectives criteria. Examinees shall be cleared for multiple respirators and sets of work conditions with a single evaluation. Respirator evaluation recertification via the medical questionnaire and evaluation clearance tool is based on FOH and/or customer agency program policies. Each participating customer agency have the capability to set their recertification times based on the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) age recommendations (ANSI/AIHA Z88.6-2006) or on a fixed interval (e.g., annually, biennially, etc.), with FOH approval. The average questionnaire shall not take more than 20 minutes to complete. Each registered customer employee shall receive a Used ID and password. As part of registration, the system must collect the employee’s first and last legal name, date of birth, and last 4 of their Social Security Number. An alternative 4-digit ID/PIN number may be provided in lieu of a Social Security Number if approved by FOH. The system must also collect a valid federal government work email (i.e., ending in .gov or .mil only). The customer employee shall only be permitted to access their system account, by entering their User ID and password. The User ID may be a customer employee’s federal government work email. The web-based tool shall allow the customer employee/user to enter their information into the questionnaire. The web-based tool shall apply algorithmic logic to identify survey questionnaire responses that are either cleared or referred for further evaluation, based on a formulaic review of the survey responses. Each customer employee shall be notified of their clearance status (i.e., cleared or not cleared/referred) to wear a respirator upon completion of the questionnaire. Any customer employee immediately cleared shall have the ability to print their clearance letter and/or have it sent to their email address. Users shall have the ability to login to the system to reprint and/or resend their clearance letter for up to 90 days post-completion. If the federal employee is cleared, the web-based tool shall have a mechanism to classify the federal employee as “complete/compliant”. Users not immediately cleared shall be referred to a Contractor-employed physician board certified in occupational medicine to perform initial questionnaire reviews. Referred users shall receive notice via email within one (1) business day indicating whether additional physician review of their questionnaire has resulted in clearance or referral for further evaluation. All cases referred to a Contractor-employed physician must be physically or electronically signed and dated post-review. This signature is required whether review has resulted in clearance or referral for further evaluation. Users referred for further evaluation shall be capable of receiving automated emails customized and approved by FOH. Additional details on the content of these automated emails shall be provided upon award. For example, the user may receive an email notification to login and print a packet of information they are to take to the medical provider where their face-to-face evaluation is performed. This packet shall include details on the specific medical concern(s) and clear instructions regarding the next steps in the clearance process. The web-based tool shall allow users “referred for further evaluation” to electronically submit additional follow-up documentation. Based on the additional documentation submitted, a Contractor-employed physician board certified in occupational medicine shall perform secondary review of the questionnaire and documentation. Within one (1) business day the user shall receive notice via email indicating their clearance status (e.g., cleared, cleared with restrictions, or not cleared). The web-based tool will update the user’s status and have a mechanism to classify the user as “complete/compliant”. The system shall allow follow-up documentation supplied by medical providers to be attached to the employee’s record for review. All cases referred to a Contractor-employed physician must be physically or electronically signed and dated post-review. This signature is required regardless of the updated clearance status. The Contractor shall ensure proper handling of any medical information. The web-based tool shall allow FOH designated representatives to enter/view additional follow-up information/documentation for secondary review. The web-based tool shall allow approved FOH medical practitioners access to user questionnaires and follow-up information/documentation, and enter a clearance status (e.g., cleared, cleared with restrictions, or not cleared). Within one (1) business day, the web-based tool shall notify the user of their clearance (cleared, cleared with restrictions, or not cleared) via email, update the user’s status, and contain a mechanism to classify the federal employee as “complete/compliant”. FOH board certified physicians performing secondary reviews may be assigned to one of more FOH customer agencies and assignments are subject to change. Customer employees that follow-up at an FOH Occupational Health Center (OHC) are provided copies of their follow-up assessment reports. The web-based tool shall allow the customer employee to upload this documentation. Based on the additional follow-up documentation submitted, a Contractor-employed physician board certified in occupational medicine will perform secondary review of the questionnaire and documentation. Within one (1) business day the web-based tool will notify the user of their clearance status (e.g., cleared, cleared with restrictions, or not cleared) via email, update the user’s status and contain a mechanism to classify the federal employee as “complete/compliant”. The system shall allow follow-up documentation supplied by medical providers to be attached to the employee’s record for review. All cases referred to a Contractor-employed physician must be physically or electronically signed and dated post-review. This signature is required regardless of the updated clearance status. The Contractor shall ensure proper handling of any medical information. FOH practitioners shall be provided a unique User ID and password permitting access to assigned customer agency user questionnaires. The Contract Officer Representative (COR) shall provide the Contractor with the assignments upon award, and updates as they occur. FOH customer agencies shall have the ability to assign administrators that can view the clearance status of employees under their purview. Please provide the URL to your company’s webpage and any applicable promotional materials related to the requested service. Information Submission Instructions Questions regarding the contents of this Sources Sought shall be submitted via email to: angeleana.torres@psc.hhs.gov no later than 9:00am EST on December 19, 2023. Phone calls will not be accepted. The Government reserves the right to respond to some, all, or none of the questions that will be submitted. Interested companies should review the attached and then submit a response that provides feedback, if any, on the attached and that addresses all of the information listed under “Capability Statement/Information Sought”. Capability statements and responses shall be submitted via email to angeleana.torres@psc.hhs.gov no later than 9:00am EST on December 19, 2023. The subject line for the email heading shall be “Web-Based Respirator Medical Questionnaire and Evaluation Tool”– (enter the Source Sought reference number PSC321814). Please provide succinct detail and depth to enable Government review and assessment. Please limit responses to ten (10) pages (8 ½ x 11, single-spaced, Times New Roman, 12-point font, ¾ inch margins). Please add a cover letter to your response with the following information: 1. Company Name 2. Company Unique Entity ID number 3. Company point of contact, mailing address, telephone and website address 4. Business Size relative to NAICS code 518210 - Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services 5. Type of Company (e.g., large business, small business, 8(a), woman owned, veteran owned, etc.) as registered in the System for Award Management (SAM). 6. Identify any/all teaming arrangements III. Disclaimer and Important Notes This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by the respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed. Information provided will be used to assess tradeoffs and alternatives available for the potential requirement and may lead to the development of a solicitation. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. Any solicitation resulting from the analysis of information obtained will be announced to the public in SAM in accordance with FAR Part 5. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate to responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).