Inactive

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE #36C24120Q0052 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS NEW ENGLAND HEALTHCARE SYSTEM This is a Sources Sought Notice for the requirement listed below in the Performance Work Statement (PW... SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE #36C24120Q0052 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS NEW ENGLAND HEALTHCARE SYSTEM This is a Sources Sought Notice for the requirement listed below in the Performance Work Statement (PWS). This information will be used for solicitation planning purposes only. No quotes are being requested or accepted at this time. This is not a solicitation and no contract shall be awarded from this Sources Sought Notice. In accordance with Public Law 109-461, the Department of Veterans Affairs is particularly interested in Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) and Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSB) which are capable of providing the required services. Interested parties should read through the PWS carefully and then submit the following information: company name and address, point of contact with phone number, and DUNS number; company socio-economic status to identify business as being an SDVOSB, VOSB, Small Business, Hubzone, 8a, Woman Owned, etc. Primary NAICS for this procurement will be 541990 (All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services) with a small business size standard of $16.5 million; Statement of capability; if an SDVOSB or VOSB, provide proof of registration in the VA Vet Biz website and verification by VA Center for Veterans Enterprise (CVE) or intention of registration prior to submission of offers to a solicitation; all interested firms must be registered in SAM (www.sam.gov); all interested SDVOSB or VOSB firms must be registered in VETBIZ.GOV and Verified by VA CVE and registered in SAM to be eligible for award of Government contracts; and any other pertinent company documentation. The response date to this Notice is Friday, January 24, 2019, at 12:00 noon EST. ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS ONLY PLEASE. Send to: anna.norcross@va.gov. ========================================================================== PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT The Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN 01 Veterans Administration Medical Centers have a requirement for Cancer Registry Services. The contract will be firm fixed-price of indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity type for a base year and four (4) option years. The Contractor shall provide Cancer Registry Services for the following VA Medical Centers (VAMC) in VISN 01 as follows and as applicable: Boston, Manchester, Togus (Maine), with the potential of providing services for Bedford, Connecticut HCS, Northampton, Providence, and White River Junction facilities if and as needed and in accordance with the Statement of Work and all contract clauses. There is the possibility of multiple awardees with separate task orders being written for each participating VAMC. GENERAL STATEMENT OF WORK The Contractor(s) shall provide all necessary staffing and resources needed to properly maintain and provide Cancer Registry database services in accordance with the current American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Registry standards and Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Cancer Registry requirements as outlined in VHA Directive 1412. The VA reportable list will be shared with the receiving contractor(s) after award. The Contractor must have current experience managing a Cancer Registry program within the last two years and have recent experience with the American College of Surgeons (ACOS) Commission on Cancer (CoC) Standards. The duties and responsibilities of the Contractor shall include: Case Finding The Contractor shall electronically screen and accept all cases into the Cancer Registry database and shall flag all cases as suspense with demographics and ensure cases are primary site coded. The Contractor shall be responsible for monthly review of disease indices, pathology reports, radiology reports, treatment logs, and other computerized methods to identify reportable cancer cases. The Contractor shall be responsible for transcribing and interpreting information from patient records regarding treatment provided to an estimated 16,200 new VISN 01 VAMCs cancer patients annually using the approved Veterans Administration (VA) abstracting software program (currently the VistA Oncotrax). The Contractor shall review and abstract the cancer patient s medical record on an ongoing basis in compliance with the industry standards of the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR), National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program (SEER), World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICDC), American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC) Staging Manual Criteria, VA Central Cancer Registry (VACCR) Reportable List , American College of Surgeons / Commission on Cancer (ACOS / CoC), and the VISN 01 VAMCs Cancer Registry criteria. The contractor will be a Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR) and shall provide certification(s) of current credential status to provide abstracting services. Previous VA experience and OncoTrax experience is preferred but is not mandatory. The Contractor shall abstract cases within 4-6 months from the time the contractor is given the cases to abstract. Rejects The Contractor shall delete those cases in the database that need to be purged because the case does not meet the requirements for a reportable case. Case Abstracting and Coding Abstracting is defined as coding and entering patient and disease specific information into the Veterans Administration Vista Cancer Registry database or other databases as identified within this statement of work, e.g. the Rapid Quality Reporting System (RQRS database). The Contractor shall utilize approved codes as indicated, i.e. ICD-O, ICD-9-CM, ICD-10-CM, etc. as appropriate. The Contractor shall abstract oncology cases with 100% accuracy and shall ensure that all Commission on Cancer requirements/standards are met. The Contractor shall ensure that all cases are cleared (within pre-established timeframes) in terms of passing all edits required by the VA Central Cancer Registry or by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, e.g., National Cancer Database edits, Vista Oncology package edits, Gen-edits, Program edits, etc. Contractor is responsible to transcribe and interpret information from patient records regarding treatment provided to new cancer patients annually using the approved Veterans Administration (VA) abstracting software program (currently the VistA Oncotrax). The Contractor shall review and abstract the cancer patient s medical record on an ongoing basis in compliance with the industry standards of the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR), National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program (SEER), World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICDC), American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC) Staging Manual Criteria, VA Central Cancer Registry (VACCR) Reportable List and the American College of Surgeons / Commission on Cancer (ACOS / CoC). The contractor shall be a Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR), and produce and provide proof of current credential status, to provide abstracting services. The Contractor shall abstract cases within 4-6 months of the cancer diagnosis. Follow-up The Contractor shall complete data entry to include all required Commission on Cancer Registry fields, including but not limited to text, recurrence, treatment and required death information fields. The Contractor shall be responsible for tracking the care all patients receive in accordance with the current standard being until the cancer survivor reaches the age of 100 years and following their cancer diagnosis at VISN 01 VAMCs and at all other health care institutions. The Contractor shall provide the Cancer Registry function of follow-up as described in the Standards of the American College of Surgeon s Commission on Cancer (ACOS CoC) Facility Oncology Registry Data Standards (FORDS). These functions shall include computer input, data review and report generation tailored to the needs of the VA as described herein. The Contractor shall provide follow-up of living cancer patients in compliance with accepted industry standards, posting information on recurrence, subsequent therapy, date of last contact, vital status, cancer status, any comments supporting the findings. The Contractor shall include outcome data when applicable. The Contractor shall maintain follow-up at a minimum of 90% on all patients in the registry data base, this is required to use registry data for survival (outcome) analysis, which is industry standard. Cases are delinquent (lost) if the follow-up interval exceeds 15 months. The Contractor shall provide a list of patient s completed follow-up along with the Contractor s monthly invoice. Consult Hours: The Contractor shall provide Consult Hours that shall include time spent working with the Cancer Committee and the Cancer Program Administrator. Consult hours shall also ensure all current ACOS and related Cancer Registry standards pertaining to the applicable VISN 01 VAMC Cancer Registry have been met such that all data entered into the Cancer Registry is 100% accurate and that all pre-established timeframes related to the Cancer Registry are met. Consult hours shall also include producing reports, ensuring that the Cancer Registry Policy and Procedure Manual meets the Commission on Cancer Standards and is up to date, and assisting and advising all Cancer Program staff and related staff with Commission on Cancer survey readiness and preparation. Consult hours shall also include preparation of data for transmission to the State Tumor Registry and any other entity as required by the VA, such as the NCDB for American College of Surgeons. The contractor will provide consultative services both by telephone and on site to assist in the Commission on Cancer approval process. At this time the VA Medical Centers in Boston, Manchester, Togus and White River Junction are not accredited by the ACoS. Should any VISN 01 VAMC facility that is not accredited wish to pursue and obtain accreditation at present time or at any point in the future during the period of performance of this contract, the Contractor shall provide needed consultative services to ensure the applicable VISN 01 VAMC facility program meets accreditation program standards. National Cancer Database (NCDB): The Contractor shall conform to all ACOS Commission on Cancer requirements relating to the National Cancer Database (NCDB), including timely accurate submissions; timely accurate resubmissions; correcting edits; and monitoring CoC flash newsletters to ensure compliance with all Cancer Registry and related deadlines, etc. Cancer Registry data submitted by the Contractor to the NCDB shall meet the established quality criteria 100% of the time, as outlined in the NCDB Call for Data. Annually, cases submitted by the Contractor to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) that were diagnosed on January 1, 2003 or later meet the established quality criteria and resubmission deadlines as specified in the annual Call for Data. Staging Alerts At the time of case finding the Contractor shall send an email to the attending physicians confirming the completion of the staging form required by the American Joint Commission on Cancer. The Contractor shall carbon copy the Nurse Manager of Specialty Clinics on all email messages sent from the Contractor to VA staff. Rapid Quality Reporting System - The Contractor shall monitor the quality of the Cancer Registry data. The Contractor shall monitor the facility s performance based on the CoC performance indicators, using the CoC reporting tools for the Rapid Quality Reporting System (RQRS). The Contractor shall keep the COR, Cancer Liaison Physician, the Chair of the Cancer Program and the Cancer Program Administrator advised of the performance status as requested by the above-mentioned staff and no less than once monthly. (RQRS is a real time data collection program to assess hospital-level performance using National Quality Forum (NQF) endorsed quality of cancer measures). Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) The Contractor shall provide quality work, complete work, and accuracy as evidenced by meeting Commission on Cancer, National Cancer Data Base, National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA) and VA Central Cancer Registry standards and requirements. The Contractor shall perform a 100% quality assurance review on all newly abstracted cases for compliance noting any deficiencies or non-deficiencies. The Contractor shall forward a list to the COR via e-mail monthly noting any deficiencies or non-deficiencies. The Contractor shall institute a Cancer Registry Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan/Program to evaluate the quality of 100% of their staff s Cancer Registry data and 100% of their staff s Cancer Registry activities done on behalf of the VISN 01 VAMCs. The Contractors quality assurance plan shall do the following: Set the review criteria Set the quality control timetable Specify the quality control methods, sources, and individuals involved Include random sampling of annual analytic caseload to identify the activities to be evaluated: Case finding Abstracting timeliness Accuracy of abstracted data Class of Case Primary Site Histology AJCC Stage Collaborative Stage First Course of Treatment Follow-up information, including Date of First Recurrence, Type of First Recurrence, and Cancer Status The percentage of information coded as unknown (usually coded as 9 or a string of 9s) NCDB data submission, correction of data errors, and resubmission of corrected data. Required accuracy 100% Cancer Registry data submitted to the NCDB meet the established quality criteria included in the annual NCDB All other standards as outlined in the most current edition of the ACOS Commission on Cancer manual are met or exceeded. The Contractor shall conduct monitoring at least once monthly and shall send their Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) report findings to the COR and Administrative Officer monthly, at a minimum. The QASP report findings should also include the Contractor s process for conducting monthly random case finding audits and include a sample of the audit findings to demonstrate that all eligible analytical cases are reviewed and processed. The Contractor shall send report findings back to the applicable facilities CORs and Administrative Officer monthly and upon request as applicable. Monthly abstracting quality control audit checks shall be performed on 100% of cases abstracted by the Contractor s staff to ensure abstracts are 100% edit and error free prior to invoicing. Reports shall reflect the Contractor s process for error corrections for all tasks performed by the Contractor s staff and all tasks as required by the American College of Surgeons-Commission on Cancer for full accreditation; all errors identified either by the Contractor or by the applicable VISN 1 Government representative within one business week. The Contractor shall monitor each area of Cancer Registry activity and shall ensure all duties performed e.g. case finding, accessioning, follow up, edit corrections, data submissions, abstracting, etc. (i.e. all Cancer Registry tasks required by the American College of Surgeons- Commission on Cancer) are performed by a Certified Cancer Registrar. The Contractor shall provide written reports at least once monthly and upon request to the applicable COR and/or applicable Administrative Officer and take corrective action on any areas that fall below the measures specified in the QASP. The Contractor performance shall be evaluated and deductions applied if performance is found deficient as per Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan as follows as required to maintain data and performance quality. Education/CTR Certification: The contractor shall show proof that those providing abstracting services are Certified Tumor Registrars through the National Cancer Registrars Association. Contractor personnel functioning under this contract shall be certified by the National Cancer Registrars Association. The Contractor shall verify its personnel s current certification status with the National Cancer Registrars Association and shall provide evidence of certification with their proposal submission. Ongoing cancer-related education enhances knowledge and skills. All Contractor Cancer Registry staff who performs case abstracting must: Hold a current Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR) credential. The CTR credential is granted through the National Cancer Registrars Association, which provides details on eligibility, testing, and re-credentialing. High-quality Cancer Registry data is essential to accurately access treatment outcomes and patient survival. Successful operation of the Cancer Registry requires credentialed staff that is trained and knowledgeable in all aspects of oncology data collection and case abstracting. Abstracting is defined as coding and entering patient- and disease specific information into the Cancer Registry data base. Certified Tumor Registrars apply knowledge obtained from formal education and work experience to correctly interpret and code cancer diagnosis and stage treatment and outcomes information for each case that is seen at VISN 01 VAMCs that meets CoC reporting requirements. The case abstracting responsibilities of the CTR are documented by the Contractor. In addition, the Contractor shall provide documentation upon request and annually that all members of their Cancer Registry staff are maintaining their CTR status this requires 20 CEUs every 2 years as in accordance with industry standards. Per the Commission on Cancer Standards, full-time and part-time registry staff for whom annual education is required are: CTR staff Contract CTR staff who are contracted to work for 3 or more consecutive months during the calendar year, regardless of the number of hours worked Management or supervisory personnel This education could include topics in the following areas: Advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment Changes in cancer program standards Changes in data collection requirements Educational activities that can be used to fulfill the standard include, but are not limited to, the following: A cancer-related lecture offered by the program (local activity) A face-to-face meeting or workshop Local involves 1 program or facilities located in 1 city (local activity) State involves 1 state (state activity) Regional involves more than one state organization working collaboratively to develop the workshop. Agendas and meeting notices indicate the collaborative effort (regional activity) National is sponsored by a national organization and targeted to a national audience (national meeting) A video conference (local activity) A webinar (local activity) A Web-based training module (local activity) Journal-based articles that offer continuing education credits (local activity) Educational activities exclude patient management cancer conferences in any format. National organizations that sponsor national meetings include: American Health Information Management Association (cancer-related educational activities) Association of Community Cancer Centers Commission on Cancer National Cancer Registrars Association National Comprehensive Cancer Network North American Association of Central Cancer Registries Policy and Procedure Manual: The Contractor shall maintain current Cancer Registry policies and procedures in compliance with CoC, NCDB and VACCR standards, and submit them to the COR at the applicable VISN 01 VAMC annually (or upon request) for review. The Contractor s Cancer Registry policy and procedure manual must be specific to the applicable VISN 01 VAMC and specifying current CoC data definitions and coding instructions used to describe all reportable cases. The Contractor shall use the data standards defined by the CoC appropriate for the year of diagnosis for any specific case. The Contractor s Cancer registrars shall be required to comply with additional mandates pertaining to case and data reporting as established by the Veterans Administration, federal or state government or by the applicable VISN 01 VAMC cancer committee. The Cancer Registry policy and procedure manual includes: Abstracting American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) and Collaborative Stage staging policies Cancer Registry reference date Case eligibility Case finding Case accessions Confidentiality and release of information Computer operations Dates of implementation or changes in policies for registry operations Disaster recovery policy Documentation of first course of treatment Follow-up History of the registry for the program or health system (which may include facility mergers, network formation, facility name changes, vendor information, and identification of previous staff) Job descriptions Maintaining and using the suspense system NCDB reporting requirements and mechanisms Operational requirements for facility based cancer registries Policy for CoC SAR documentation Quality control of registry data Registry purpose Request log Required coding manuals Retention of documents State registry reporting requirements and mechanisms For the Policy and Procedure Cancer Registry manual, the Contractor provides a table of contents in accordance to Commission on Cancer standards. Outcome Studies / Special Studies: The Contractor shall provide Cancer Registry data for outcome studies / special studies, and assisting with preparation of the reports. The Contractor shall provide outcome studies / special studies for the medical staff, Cancer Committee, Cancer Conference / Tumor Board, Veterans Administration Central Cancer Registry (VACCR), and quality management upon request. The Contractor shall compare the data to the national data to determine effectiveness of treatment, programs and survival. The contractor shall also provide patient care evaluation studies for the annual cancer program report. Corrections: The Contractor shall correct any mistakes in the registry cases made by them. This includes any data corrections as a result of edit error reports received from the NCDB or VACCR or records rejected because they lack supporting English text and/or have missing data elements. The Contractor shall correct all inconsistencies found through any quality assurance review within 1 month (or sooner if it impacts adversely on accreditation of the cancer program) of submission of inconsistencies, errors, warnings, or any other data quality problems. Other: At the time if any of the VISN 01 VAMCs are prepared to seek accreditation through the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Registry, the Contractor shall assist the applicable VISN 01 VAMC to obtain and maintain accreditation. This will ensure that requirements and initiatives are implemented and met; this includes ensuring all Rapid Quality Reporting System (RQRS) requirements are met and includes developing a Cancer Registry policy and procedure manual which meets the current Commission on Cancer Standards. If abstracts are inadvertently re-opened after being in the completed status (e.g. when Vista Oncotrax patches are put in for example) , the Contractor shall maintain thorough documentation as to the reason the case reopened on 100% of the cases entered into by the Contractor, and shall resolve the issue within one working day and shall re-close the case and send the documentation to the COR or designee monthly with the monthly invoice (this documentation may be reviewed by the ACOS Surveyor during the accreditation process). The Contractor may be asked to speak directly to an ACOS Cancer Program Surveyor; if requested, the Contractor shall speak with the ACOS Surveyor. The Contractor shall be responsible for preparing Cancer Registry reports for the Cancer Committee which meets 4-6 times a year as applicable to the VISN 01 VAMC facility that is being provided services. The Contractor shall prepare reports on TNM staging completion, timeliness of abstracting, follow-up, and quality improvement of the Cancer Registry services. The Contractor shall bear all costs of reports prepared for Cancer Committee meetings. ACoS / Commission on Cancer Approval: The Contractor shall be responsible for coordinating the Cancer Registry portion of the Commission on Cancer / American College of Surgeons surveys in collaboration with the facility COR., facility Certified Tumor Registrar and facility Cancer Program Administrator and/or Physician Cancer Liaison; for assisting with preparation of the survey; and updating the Survey Application Record in collaboration with the assigned and applicable VISN 01 VAMC representatives. The Contractor shall ensure that applicable VISN 01 VAMCs meets the standards of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Registry standards. The Contractor and the Cancer Program Administrator share responsibility for the survey by the ACoS. The Contractor shall also provide phone consultation about Cancer Registry issues to VISN 01 VAMCs upon request during normal working hours, Mondays through Fridays, 8:00am -4:30pm, Eastern Standard Time. Reporting Cancer Data / Transmission of Data: The Contractor shall be responsible for transmitting required submissions / resubmissions to the VA Center Cancer Registry (VACCR) and the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) within prescribed timeframes; shall requests/maintain the required software for the transmissions; shall submit/and complete accurate reports, and make corrections, as required. The Contractor shall demonstrate knowledge of the VACCR and NCDB reporting requirements, complete required privacy reports and submit them to the privacy officer in collaboration with the applicable VISN 01 VAMC Cancer Registry contact. If applicable, (VAMC and prospective State has a Data Transfer Agreement (DTA) enforced), state transmission is submitted in accordance with state requirements. Continuing Education / Competency: The Contractor shall show proof of attendance at recent continuing education activities including state Cancer Registry trainings and Cancer Registry association education meetings. The Contractor shall maintain competency/training folders and to be made available upon request by VAMC 01 staff. If the COR has a concern about competency, the Contractor staff may be requested to take the NCRA Cancer Registrar Employment Screening at the contractor s cost (see: http://www.ncra-usa.org, under the tab Certification Verification, to evaluate competency), or the COR may request a VA CTR review a specified number of abstracts to evaluate competency and ensure required elements are being properly completed. If the National VA Central Cancer Registrar and/or other Quality Assurance reviewer s documents continue to be processed with uncorrected errors and quality control deficiencies from the Contractor continue uncorrected, this shall be considered adequate basis and documentation to terminate the contract as a result of non-adherence to contractually required quality control standards. VA-Specific / Privacy Training: The contractor will complete the VHA Privacy Policy Training and Cyber Security training and any other mandated training is at no cost to the government. Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) in VISTA: VA will provide contractor with electronic access to CPRS for use by the Certified Tumor Registrars. Contractor employees are responsible to access the system a minimum of once every ninety (90) days. Failure to access VA system at least once every ninety (90) days will result in the contractor s employees being locked out of the VA system. If necessary, VA will provide Contractor with remote access to the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) in VISTA. It is expected that electronic access will be done monthly by Contractor s abstracting personnel. There are going to be times (such as survey prep) that the contractor and or contractor abstracting personnel may or will need to be onsite, at such times transportation and lodging shall be the responsibility of the Contractor, to perform the abstracting functions and/or from remote locations by computer modem and shall comply with the VA standard of case completion of four to six (6) months after date of diagnosis. A list of cases completed shall be provided to the Contracting Officer s Representative (COR) along with monthly invoices submitted. Abstracting shall encompass the full and complete data set (required, optional and supplemental fields) to present a complete patient summary in the VistA Oncotrax package. Text field shall be utilized to document finds on Physical Exam, Scans, Scopes, Labs, Diagnostic OPS and Pathology. Collaborative Stage and American Joint Committee on Cancer, Topography, Nodes, Metastatic (TNM) staging shall be performed on all cases meeting the criteria as established by SEER and the American Joint commission on Cancer, latest Manual for the Staging of Cancer, in conjunction with accepted principles. All required abstract fields must be completed with 100% accuracy. Security Applicable staff background information checks and VA systems training and certifications will be required before system access is granted by the Veterans Service Center (VSC) and the local facility Information Security Officer (ISO) prior to commencement of work. VistA Oncotrax System Applicable system software functionality training will be provided by VISN Cancer Tumor Registry (CTR) staff as needed. Prior to commencement of work the Contractor and Contractor staff shall have a working knowledge and competencies required for effective utilization of the VA abstracting software programs and computer hardware. Work will begin within 30-60 days from date of contract award. CONTRACTORS RESPONSIBILITIES Contractor will be responsible for completing and providing all Background Investigation documentation, Information Security, Rules of Behavior, Privacy Training, and completing the VISN 01 VAMC VPN requests for computer access for each applicable VISN 01 VAMC for all V.A. assigned contractor personnel. NATIONAL HOLIDAYS The 10 holidays observed by the federal Government, i.e., New Year s Day, Martin Luther King s Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas and any other specifically declared by the President of the United States to be a Federal holiday. There is no expectation that the contractor will work during these recognized Holidays. INFORMATION MANAGEMENT Documentation and record keeping shall be in accordance with the VAMC policies and procedures. All timeframes required by applicable VISN 01 VAMC policies and procedures for documentation and authentication in the electronic medical record shall be adhered to. Strict adherence to all documentation shall be maintained. CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL SECURITY REQUIREMENTS All contractor employees who require access to the Department of Veterans Affairs computer systems shall be the subject of a background investigation and must receive a favorable adjudication from the VA Office of Security and Law Enforcement prior to contract performance. This requirement is applicable to all subcontractor personnel requiring the same access. If the investigation is not completed prior to the start date of the contract, the contractor will be responsible for the actions of those individuals they provide to perform work for VA, until the time such investigation is completed and VA has accepted the proposed individual. The position sensitivity has been designated as Moderate Risk and the level of background investigation commensurate with the required level of access is National Agency Check with Written Inquiries. The contractor shall bear the expense of obtaining background investigations. If the investigation is conducted by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the contractor shall reimburse VA within 30 days of receipt ...