Inactive

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE: This is NOT a request for proposals/quotes; this is an industry inquiry for Market Research. A solicitation shall not be issued at this time. The intent of the procure... THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE: This is NOT a request for proposals/quotes; this is an industry inquiry for Market Research. A solicitation shall not be issued at this time. The intent of the procurement is to locate potential contractors for solicitation. The below specification defines the effort required for the purchase and period of performance. SOURCES SOUGHT & PWS ADDED NOTES: Contracting is not requesting comments at this time but rather responses to paragraph 14 only. While this Sources Sought PWS captures a majority of tasks and services, it may not embody the full description. Finalized description will be posted when/if the formal solicitation is posted. Government Anticipates a Virtual Industry Meeting. Responses from interested contractors shall RSVP; reference the enclosed invite and paragraph 14. PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT Background and Purpose: In July 2018, the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care System (PVAHCS) became a part of the national expansion of the Clay Hunt Community Rural Outreach Pilot program that shall be incorporated under one umbrella of multiple services. Public Law 114-2 was signed into law in 12 February 2015, requiring the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to initiate a Pilot Program on Community Outreach as part of Section 5 of the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act (Clay Hunt SAV Act). Since 2016, PVAHCS has worked with representatives and organizations statewide within the public and private sector to implement a Phase I of the Arizona Clay Hunt pilot program. PVAHCS is now looking to compete the established community-based organizations to administer and implement Phase II of the Arizona Clay Hunt Program. The aim in these efforts is to connect Veterans to the right resources and level of care at the right time based on situation and need. The Contractor shall work to bolster current work in suicide prevention through established mechanisms and increased staffing via development of a cadre of community based and Veteran peer support programs. This collaboration shall increase capacity to meet Veterans needs throughout the State and within various settings. The Arizona Clay Hunt "Be-Connected Program" shall decrease Veteran suicides annually and become the national model for statewide community-based collaborative partnership to implement the following phases of the its program goals: a. Conduct an outreach campaign. b. Connect people to the right resources and level of care at the right time according to their situation and needs. c. Respond effectively by developing specific training and response protocols. d. Staff the project by establishing a cadre of community-based Veteran peer support specialists and navigators and VA peer support providers who work collaboratively to assist service members, Veterans and their families. e. Gather baseline and on-going data, continually evaluate impact, adapt the program and disseminate the information. PVAHCS is now designated and funded to operate a Suicide Prevention Program consistent with the Clay Hunt Be-Connected Program. 2. General Information: a. The PVAHCS requires a Contractor to provide Suicide Prevention services consistent with the Clay Hunt Be-Connected Program. Services shall be provided to any VA eligible Veteran throughout the state of Arizona. Veterans may already be registered and receiving services at the one of the three (3) Health Care Systems (HCS): Phoenix VAHCS (PVAHCS), Northern Arizona VAHCS (NAVAHCS) Southern Arizona VAHCS (SAVAHCS) 3. Services and Tasks Defined: Peer Support Specialist - A Peer Support Specialist is a Veteran with recovery experience who is trained and certified to connect and resource a Veteran in need. Navigator - A Navigator is a person (Veterans or non-Veterans) without recovery experience but who is trained and able to connect and resource a Veteran in need. Support Line Specialist - A Support Line Specialist is a person experienced in working telephonic support to provide resource information to Veterans or those who may know a Veteran, such as family member, friend or concern citizen, to assist in providing resources where necessary. If the Veteran is in crisis, the support line shall transfer them to either community or Veterans crisis line. Basic Services - The contractor shall furnish each Veteran referred for care under this contract with the following basic services: Direct Service Personnel - All personnel who provide any kind of direct service that include call line and peer/navigator support to those Veterans in need. Outreach Services - Provides community-based outreach that include peer/navigational services along with collaboration and support with other organizational outreach providers where available. Transportation - Provides transportation to link Veterans in the appropriate nonemergent care or resource setting that includes; VA Medical Centers (VAMC), VET Centers, Veteran Service Organizations and community organizations that can support the Veteran s need. Call Center Services - Contractor ensures 24/7 call center support to include connecting to Veteran Crisis Line services and utilizing Crisis Response Network where necessary in providing services to Veterans in need 4. Contract Requirements: The Contractor shall: Have the infrastructure in place to provide resources, education and network coordination with community program outreach efforts with a focus on linking Veterans to resources and care at the right time utilizing community-based Veteran peer support specialists and navigators. Resource Management - Provides resource network development that include administrative and management, audit evaluations and other needed support a resource for overall program implementation Provide oversight and management of their suicide prevention services consistent with the Clay Hunt Be-Connected Program, which includes a call center support line and both peer support specialists and navigators that are embedded within the community support systems. Service Location - Provides services throughout the state of Arizona. Ensure navigation services are complementary to and in coordination with VA's Peer support providers. Conduct on-going activities to identify best practices for the VA-community partnerships in suicide prevention. Once a year host a statewide symposium in support of service members, Veterans & their families in Phoenix in support of the Clay Hunt Be Connected program. Invitations shall be extended to other pilot program sites and national key stakeholders to attend. Conduct community-based outreach services that provides community-based outreach that include peer/navigational services along with collaboration and support with other organizational outreach providers where available. Provide transportation services for Veterans to link Veterans in the appropriate nonemergent care or resource setting to the appropriate VA Medical Centers (VAMC), VA Community Resource and Referral Center (CRRC), VET Centers, Veteran Service Organizations or other community organizations that can support the Veteran's immediate needs. \ Operate or oversee a dedicated community-based call center line during business hours that is complementary to and in coordination with a 24/7 local crisis specialist and the National VA Crisis Line. Support line specialists shall connect Veterans to a Veteran Crisis Line when appropriate and utilize the Arizona Crisis Response Network as necessary. Call center shall be operational Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, from 8:00am to 5:00pm. Call line shall have voicemail capability with a message directing callers where to seek assistance for emergent needs. The 10 holidays observed by the Federal Government are located at the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/federal-holidays/ Service Coverage Area - The contractor shall provide Suicide Prevention services consistent with the Clay Hunt Be-Connected Program to eligible Veterans throughout the state of Arizona. Education and Training - The contractor shall offer and provide as a minimum once a month Peer/Navigational training to their staff and community providers and partners. Required Staffing - The contractor shall always maintain sufficient qualified staffing positions to meet the terms and conditions of this contract. The contractor shall be responsible for defining the amount of staffing and identifying labor categories required. Referrals to a VA Medical Center - Utilizing a "No Wrong Door" approach, accessibility is open to walk in services where needed and direct VA peer support services. The contractor shall ensure all Be-Connected community agencies, Veteran Service and other organizations have the ability to connect Veterans to the VA's Community Resource and Referral Centers and/or other non-VA community services where applicable. Veteran Complaints - The contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) immediately of any safety or behavioral incidents involving a Veteran. Quality Improvement - Conducts quarterly audits that ensure appropriate expenditures reflect work conducted, resources provided, and Veterans connected to care they need. Governing Law - This contract shall be governed, construed and enforced in accordance with applicable Federal, State and Local Law. Order of Precedence - The terms, conditions, and attachments referenced herein, including any formal written modifications thereto, constitute the complete agreement between the parties and take precedence over any other language, oral or written. Personnel - Sufficient staff shall be provided in numbers and positions qualified to carry out the policies, responsibilities, and services of the overall program. Contractor Staff Conduct/Complaints Handling - The contractor shall notify the authorizing VA Clay Hunt POC and representative immediately of any incidents involving Veterans. 5. Documentation and Reporting: The PVAHCS provides the contractor with the following VA sensitive information: Veterans name, age, address, phone number, email address (contact information), and/or area location, if known, about any vulnerable Veterans in need of peer navigational support within the community. Contracted employees do not require patient information and will not require access to VISTA or CPRS. With this statement of work, the vendor will not have access to VISTA or the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS). Contracted employees use numeric-documentation reporting only when in contact with Veterans are made at outreach events (see sub-section d.). Contracted employees do not require or request PHI information such as age, contact information, etc. on numeric reporting documentation or ask for PHI information during communication with Veteran at outreach events (see sub-section d.). Contracted employees documentation is a numeric reporting of how many Veterans communicated with during outreach events only (see sub-section d.). Coordination of information for health care services will be provided telephonically or in person between the contractor and the PVAHCS CRRC Clay Hunt Outreach program or directly to an assigned POC within the VAMC. Required tracking documentation is provided weekly through the PVAHCS CRRC. The contractor provides the following documentation in accordance to the VHA Clay Hunt SAV Act Section 5 and VAMC coordination of care that includes: Peer navigator engagements in providing resources and/or referred to VAMC/VBA. Documents identifying the total number of Veterans, Active Duty, Reserves and National Guard members seen only. Documentation of total number of trainings and meetings conducted and attended. All reporting documents will contain number reporting values only and having no PHI information within reporting documents. 6. Management Team: Individuals that orchestrate, implementation and coordinate overall organizational support in managing the services provided to include: The Contracting Officer Representative (COR) shall ensure a Contractor Security Control Assessment (CSCA) is completed within 30 days of the contract approval and yearly on the renewal date of the contract. The COR shall ensure that the CSCA is sent to the ISO and the OCS Certification Program Office for review to ensure that appropriate security controls are being implemented in service contracts. The COR shall ensure a copy of the CSCA is maintained in the Security Management and Reporting Tool (SMART) database. COR shall provide a copy of the completed CSCA to ISO for uploading into SMART database. Contracted employees shall not require access to VISTA or CPRS. With this statement of work, the vendor shall not have access to VISTA or the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS). 7. Security and HIPPA Compliance Considerations: In reference to VHA Handbook 6500.6 Appendix A, Block 6, the equipment (or service) included in this contract does not involve connection of IT devices to a VA network. Therefore, C&A, SAP, & the following from App C apply In reference to VHA Handbook 6500.6 Appendix A, Block 7, the equipment (or service) does not involve storing, generating, transmitting, or exchanging VA sensitive information. Therefore, the following from App C apply. (Appendix B) The contractor, their personnel, and their subcontractors shall be subject to the Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks regarding information protection, patient privacy, and information system security as delineated in this contract. During contract performance, contractor may require access to VA facility, equipment, information systems, or sensitive data; to provide services, install, train, maintain or repair equipment. VA Course No. VA10176 is privacy training required for VA contractors requiring access to VA facilities for more than 2 consecutive days or any access to VA information systems. Training will be completed prior to being granted access to facilities, equipment, or to the data therein. Training is available on VA TMS website at: https://www.tms.va.gov/SecureAuth35/. Contractor will provide evidence of training to the COR, if requested. If contracted staff have access to protected health information (PHI) or access to VA systems (e.g., CPRS, JLV, CAPRI, VHIE or VistAWeb) they are also required to take the Privacy and HIPAA Focused training (VA10203). 8. Performance Monitoring: a. The contractor's performance shall be monitored by COR in accordance with the contract s PWS, Terms & Conditions and QASP. The COR shall capture any substandard performance(s) via a Deficiency Report and forward to the Contracting Officer upon discovery of a contract deviation. See the enclosed QASP for performance standards. 9. Contract Type and Funding: This is firm-fixed-price contract. Prices in this schedule represent an all-inclusive rate including labor, travel, training, incidental costs, overhead, insurance premium payments for applicable insurance coverage. Costs not incorporated into the contractor's price will not be reimbursed by the Government. This pricing will apply to any extension pursuant to FAR 52.217-8 included herein. Additionally, neither the VA nor contractor shall exceed the obligated funding amount on each purchase order. If there are any funding or contract adjustments required, the contractor and/or the COR are responsible for notifying the Contracting Office prior to violating The Anti-Deficiency Act. 10. VA Parking, Smoking, and VA Regulations: It is the responsibility of the Contractor to park in the appropriate designated parking areas. Contractor shall not invalidate or make reimbursement for parking violations of the Contractor under any conditions. Smoking is prohibited inside and outside of all VA Medical facilities. Possession of weapons is prohibited. Enclosed containers, including tool kits, shall be subject to search. Violations of VA regulations shall result in citation answerable in the United States (Federal) District Court, not a local district, state, or municipal court. 11. Coverage of Network Contracting Office 22: While not anticipated, this procurement may be extended to include similar to the enclosed services items/scheduled pricing to other facilities located throughout VA Medical Centers for VISN 22. VISN 22 medical facilities encompasses Southern California (Greater LA, Loma Linda, San Diego, Long Beach), Arizona (Phoenix, Prescott, Tucson), New Mexico (Albuquerque) and all associated VA Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC). 12. Estimated Period of Performance: Base Year - 10/01/2019 thru 09/30/2020 Option Year One - 10/01/2020 thru 09/30/2021 Option Year Two - 10/01/2021 thru 09/30/2022 Option Year Three - 10/01/2022 thru 09/30/2023 Option Year Four - 10/01/2023 thru 09/30/2024 13. SOURCES SOUGHT DETAILS NAICS CODE: 624190 - Other Individual And Family Services As identified on the Small Business Administration s table of small business size standards, the size standard for this NAICS code is $11 million in average annual receipts. The term of the contract is intended to be base contract plus 4 option years. It is anticipated that a solicitation will be issued in August 2019. Award of contract is contemplated by October 2019; however, the government makes no guarantee of award at this time. This notice is published to conduct market research to determine if there is a sufficient number of certified Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB), Veteran Owned Small Businesses (VOSB), Small Businesses (SB), or Large Business capable of performing the requirements to warrant a socio-economic set-aside or full & open competition. It is strongly recommended that interested parties register in the US Department of Veterans Affairs Vet Biz database and the Small Business Administration (SBA) database. Registration may be accomplished at http://www.vip.vetbiz.gov/, www.sba.gov/ and https://sam.gov/SAM/ respectively. 14. INTERESTED PARTIES RESPONDING VIA EMAIL TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT REQUEST SHALL SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION AT A MINIMUM: Company name, address, point of contact, phone number. DUNS number and company social-economic status. Lead time for providing enclosed service description. Can your firm provide all services or just partial? (If partial, which items?) Intentions of subcontracting program to include set-asides. Yes or No. (5a) If yes to (5), as the prime contractor, your firm shall confirm if it will comply with 15 USC 657s and 13 CFR 125.6 - limitations on subcontracting. Bottom line, your firm shall conduct over 50% of the service performance. If SDVOSB or VOSB, proof of current registration in the VA Vet Biz websites or intention of registration prior to submission of offers to a solicitation - http://www.vip.vetbiz.gov/ Any other pertinent company documentation or product information. Interested contractors shall response to the Virtual Industry Meeting invite with their RFI response. The response date to this Sources Sought notice is July 22, 2019 at 12:00 pm EST time. Electronic submissions are preferred via email address of: dena.hallaren@va.gov and james.moran2@va.gov . This market research is for informational and planning purposes only to determine if a socio-economic set-aside, or full & open competition, or sole-source procurement is appropriate. The Government shall not pay any costs for responses submitted. NO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE OTHER THAN WHAT IS NOTED HEREIN. ALL FIRMS SHALL NOT TO CALL THE INDIVIDUAL VA MEDICAL CENTERS REQUESTING MORE INFORMATION. DIRECT ALL QUESTIONS TO POC ONLY. 15. IMPORTANT INFORMATION: The Government is not obligated to nor shall it pay for or reimburse any costs associated with responding to these sources sought synopsis request. This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. The Government will in no way be bound to this information if any solicitation is issued. The VA is mandated by Public Law 109-461 to consider a total set-aside for Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business set aside. However, if response by Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business firms proves inadequate, an alternate set-aside or full and open competition may be determined. 16. DISCLAIMER This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. (END OF RFI & PWS DESCRIPTION)