Inactive

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY (as defined in FAR 15.201(e)); this is not a solicitation. A formal solicitation is not available at this time. This notice does not constitute a commitmen... THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY (as defined in FAR 15.201(e)); this is not a solicitation. A formal solicitation is not available at this time. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the United States Government and does not obligate the Government to award a contract or pay for the information provided in response. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. Digital Health Office-Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence Program Support INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESPONDING TO THIS RFI Response Format/Page Limitations: The overall total page limit for responses to this RFI has no limit; however, the Government recommends a clear and concise response to reduce the number of pages submitted to ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed. Interested parties should limit marketing material in order to allow sufficient space for adequately, directly, and substantively responding with the information of most interest to the Government. When responding, please also confirm your company’s Socio-Economic Category and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). If responding as a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business or Veteran Owned Small Business, please submit proof of your certification with your submission. Verification of your certification can be found through https://veterans.certify.sba.gov/. IMPORTANT NOTE: If your company has an existing contracting vehicle that can fulfill this need i.e. GSA Schedule, Federal Supply Schedule (FSS), Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract, Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, or any other existing contracts, Basic Ordering Agreements (BOA), etc., in your response, please provide enough information for the Government to analyze those resources to include points of contact, contract number/name, etc. **************************************************************************** Submission: Responses to this RFI shall be submitted to William Milline and Cristine Carmody via email William.Milline@va.gov and Cristine.Carmody@va.gov no later than August 7, 2024 at 12:00 pm/ET. **************************************************************************** 52.215-3 Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes (Oct 1997) (a) The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this solicitation or to otherwise pay for the information solicited except as an allowable cost under other contracts as provided in subsection 31.205-18, Independent Research and Development and Bid and Proposal costs, of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. (b) Although “proposal” and “offeror” are used in this Request for Information, your response will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal. (c) This solicitation is issued for the purpose of: seek information from interested and capable firms. (End of provision) Digital Health OfficeTrustworthy Artificial Intelligence Program Support The National Artificial Intelligence Institute (NAII) is a program within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Digital Health Office (DHO) that seeks to develop the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) artificial intelligence (AI) capacity and capabilities to support Veterans, their families, survivors, and caregivers. The purpose of this RFI is to seek information from interested and capable firms who can assist the Government in advancing AI operations and improving the trustworthiness of AI solutions for real-world impact and outcomes to ensure Veteran health and well-being. Any responding contractor may respond to any number of questions posed in this RFI, and a submission does not mandate a response to each question asked. Any and all socioeconomic categories are encouraged to respond. Expected time frame to begin work: Q4, FY24 Expected Period of Performance: One Year after contract award (may have option years included, dependent on quality of responses and agency need) Introduction: As the largest integrated health care system in the country and one that trains the most nurses and doctors in the United States, VHA under the VA can offer ample opportunities to advance AI and improve the future health AI workforce. VA is uniquely positioned to advance AI implementation at the frontiers of health care delivery for our nation's Veterans, and the population at large. The NAII is a program within the VHA DHO that seeks to develop the VA’s AI capacity and capabilities to support Veterans, their families, survivors, and caregivers. The NAII designs and collaborates on large-scale AI initiatives, national AI policy, and partnerships across agencies, industries, and academia. Moreover, the NAII is dedicated to advancing AI operations and improving the trustworthiness of AI solutions for real-world impact and outcomes to ensure Veteran health and well-being. In July 2021, VA released its Artificial Intelligence Strategy which identifies four strategic goals for increasing its readiness to lead in AI and machine learning. To help advance VA’s agenda and keep pace with the rapidly changing AI field, the NAII seeks to become the premier institute of excellence in AI in operational healthcare, trustworthiness, and implementation. Moreover, the NAII will provide thought leadership, advisement, and support across the VA to help ensure Veteran health and wellbeing, while sharing its innovations to benefit Veterans around the globe. Scope of Work – High Level Overview The details of the scope of work can be found within the PWS; however, below is an overview of the primary objectives to be met: 1. Operational support to optimize the outcomes and production delivery of projects. 2. Operational support in creating the foundation for enabling the systems and processes. 3. Provide Discovery & Development in AI expertise, support for underlying project and portfolio tools. 4. Support communications to disseminate and proliferate AI messaging publicly to increase awareness of AI developments. 5. Provide AI program administration and support the NAII with Tech Sprint initiatives and pilot projects. 6. Assist with business process engineering, providing best practices, and documenting standard operating procedures. Questions to be answered in response to this RFI: 1. The Government anticipates using a hybrid contract and CLINs, i.e., Fixed Price and Labor Hour; however, do you think that is feasible? a. If so, why? b. If not, how would you structure the CLINs? 2. What contract type should be used for this effort? Please explain your rationale. a. Fixed Price b. Labor Hour c. Time and Materials d. Cost Reimbursement e. Other 3. If the Labor Categories provided in the PWS is not enough or too much, what labor categories do you believe are needed to support this effort? a. Provide labor categories. b. Provide estimated hourly rates. 4. Based on the PWS and work required, the Government is seeking anticipated costs for a 12-month effort. Do you have adequate information to provide a rough estimate of costs with your response? If so, the Government respectfully requests your rough estimate for 12-months of effort. 5. Do you believe the PWS provides enough information to be incorporated into a contract? a. If not, what is missing to better define the PWS? 6. Does your company have extensive experience supporting AI Use-case, Business Process Engineering, Project Support related to AI Healthcare in large-scale health systems and organizations outside the healthcare industry, including the public sector? a. If so, what is your level of experience in the private and public health sectors in the US and/or internationally? Please explain. b. If not in healthcare, in what capacity and industry did you support? Please explain. 7. Does your company have the current resources or the ability to obtain the required resources and provide these robust services? Briefly outline how you would resource, and partner with other companies to provide the requested services if considered for award. 8. Are there any other considerations the Government should be aware of? Please explain. ***End of RFI***