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Page 4 of 4 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS The Office of Community Care [OCC] Revenue Operations [RO] Pharmacy Price Data Subscription Service Sources Sought Notice [SSN] Request for Information [RFI]... Page 4 of 4 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS The Office of Community Care [OCC] Revenue Operations [RO] Pharmacy Price Data Subscription Service Sources Sought Notice [SSN] Request for Information [RFI] This Sources Sought Notice RFI is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered as an invitation for bid, request for quotation, request for proposal, or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products and/or services. Your response to this Sources Sought Notice will be treated as information only. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise because of contractor submission of responses to this announcement or the Government use of such information. This request does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter negotiations to award a contract. The information provided may be used by the Department of Veterans Affairs in developing its acquisition approach, statement of work/statement of objectives and performance specifications. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. The Government does not intend to otherwise pay for the information submitted in response to this Sources Sought Notice. The submission of pricing, capabilities for planning purposes, and other market information is highly encouraged and allowed under this Sources Sought Notice in accordance with [IAW] FAR Part 15.201(e). The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice announcement is for market research to make appropriate acquisition decisions and to gain knowledge of potential qualified Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses [SDVOSB], Veteran Owned Small Businesses [VOSB], Women Owned Small Businesses [WOSB], 8 [a], Certified HUBZone Small Businesses and other Small Businesses interested and capable of providing the products and/or services described below. Interested and capable firms are requested to provide the following data/information to the attention of the Contract Specialist identified herein. Documentation of technical expertise must be presented in sufficient detail for the Government to determine that your company possesses the necessary functional area expertise and experience to compete for this acquisition. Affirmative responses to this notice shall include the following: Item Information Requested Vendor Response a. Company Name b. Company Full Address c. Point of Contact Name and Title d. Point of Contact Phone, Fax, and Email e. UEI Number f. Cage Code Number g. Tax ID Number h. Company website, if available i. Company Size Small or Large j. If Small, Type of Small Business, e.g., Services Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, Veteran Owned Small business, 8 [a], HUBZone, Women Owned Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, or Small Business HUBZone business, etc. k. State whether your firm is registered with: the System for Award Management [SAM] at https://sam.gov and/or the VetCert Portal at https://veterans.certify.sba.gov l. Which NAICS Codes are associated with your firm? m. Does your firm provide Pharmaceutical Data which will allow the VA to determine if the rates pharmacy benefit managers or other third-party payers meet federal payment requirements? n. Must provide a response containing a written statement, confirming you can comply with ALL of the government needs Please see Performance Work Statement [PWS] for this requirement below. p. Must provide a response containing a written statement, confirming that your firm is able to provide Nationwide support for this requirement below. All responders to this Sources Sought Notice understand, by submitting this written statement, they are certifying they can meet ALL criteria. Requirement: Please see attached Performance Work Statement for more specifics and details. The proposed qualifying North American Industry Classification System Code [NAICS Code] for this effort is 541990 All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services and the 2022 SBA Size Standard of $19.5 Million. Affirmative responses to this notice shall be submitted via email to Orangella Bittick at Orangella.Bittick@va.gov and Haley Turner at Haley.Turner@va.gov. Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses must be received no later than Wednesday, 12 June 2024, at 2:00 PM CDT. If a solicitation is issued it shall be announced at a later date, and all interested parties must respond to that solicitation announcement separately from the responses to this sources sought. Responses to this sources sought notice are not a request to be added to a prospective bidders list or to receive a copy of the solicitation. Attachment 1: DRAFT PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT Title of Project: Pharmacy Price Data Subscription Service Purpose The Department of Veterans Affairs [VA], Veterans Health Administration [VHA], Office of Finance, Revenue Operations [RO], Consolidated Patient Account Centers [CPAC], and Payer Relations and Services [PRS] is seeking a monthly subscription service to industry Pharmacy Average Wholesale Pricing [AWP] data, which is a pricing value determined by industry to be the average wholesale price offered by manufacturers for known pharmacy products. The pharmacy AWP pricing is used to assist with the continued development of agreements with pharmacy benefit managers [PBMs] and other pharmacy agreements with third party payers [TPPs] to enforce compliance with federal regulation by comparing reimbursement rates established for commercial retail pharmacies with reimbursement rates established for VA. Background 38 USC 1729 authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to seek reimbursement from third party payers for the cost of non-service-connected medical care furnished to insured Veterans. The money collected from TPPs help to offset the cost of delivering world-class health care services to our nation's Veterans, and is revenue anticipated in the President's budget. The Veterans Health Administration Consolidated Patient Accounts Centers has developed a plan to address opportunities for improving revenue cycle business functions, identify new strategies to increase revenue and assist the field facilities in maximizing their revenue stream. Within this effort, CPAC will determine whether and how a PBMs meet federal payment requirements using contractor services to [1] review and document PBMs agreements, [2] provide data analysis and draft recommendations for CPAC to determine if PBMs agreements and rate proposals meet federal payment requirements, and [3] provide additional data analyses related to special projects within Payer Relations Office business objectives. PRS is responsible for management and development of outpatient pharmacy agreements with pharmacy benefit managers and other types of third-party payers and requires pharmacy AWP pricing data to determine if agreements and rate proposals from PBMs and other third-party payers for outpatient pharmacy services meet federal payment requirements. Performance Objectives The monthly pharmacy AWP price data will provide information which will allow VA to determine if the rates pharmacy benefit managers or other third-party payers meet federal payment requirements. Scope of Work Pharmacy AWP pricing data subscription should provide the industry s most comprehensive drug price data, including: Average Wholesale Price [AWP] Wholesale Acquisition Price [WAC] Direct Price [DP] Mandatory Tasks and Deliverables The data file should be updated monthly with the most current electronic drug files and pricing. This will be uploaded and installed by VA staff via secure website. The Contractor shall provide the update within the contract performance period. If for any reason, any update cannot be delivered on time, the contractor shall provide a written explanation three days prior to the due date to the Contracting Officer Representative [COR]. This written transmittal shall include a firm commitment of when the file [per agreed upon file type] shall be updated. This transmittal to the COR shall cite reasons for the delay, and the impact on the overall project. The COR will review collaboratively with the program office facts and issue a response in accordance with the contract terms and conditions. Schedule for Mandatory Deliverables Electronic file updates will be made available on a secure site for upload by VA on a monthly cycle. Deliverables Table Reference Deliverable # Deliverable Due Date Deliverable 1 5.1 Electronic Drug File monthly update 5th day of the month Service Standards Customer Account Requests Completed Within Four [4] Business Hours of Receipt: Web delivery set-up File Transfer Protocol [FTP] delivery set-up Replacement product Evaluation data User name and password assistance W-9 documents Product-related questions where the Customer Support Representative has immediate access to the information needed Subscribe to newsletter Customer Account Requests Completed Within Sixteen [16] Business Hours of Receipt: Invoice reprints Account/invoice research [breakdown of fees and other charges] Renewal letter copy request User fee survey copy request [metrics] Vendor registration [online] Order entry general questions/changes Order entry license agreements, amendments, metric updates, account changes Subscription modifications Delivery Delivery of the initial data file will be on December 6, 2024, for the base period and will be available through December 5, 2025. Monthly updates will be delivered on by the 5th calendar day of each month for 12 consecutive months after award date. The contract will consist of four [4] additional option years. Option years will be reviewed, and a determination made on whether the database subscriptions are still needed 60 days prior to the end of the base period and for each optional year. There are eleven [11] Federal holidays set by law [U.S.C. Title 5 Section 6103]: Under current definitions, five [5] are set by date: New Year's Day January 1 Juneteenth June 19 Independence Day July 4 Veteran's Day November 11 Christmas Day December 25 If any of the above falls on a Saturday, then Friday shall be observed as a holiday. Similarly, if one falls on a Sunday, then Monday shall be observed as a holiday. The other six [6] are set by a day of the week and month: Martin Luther King Day Third Monday in January Washington's Birthday Third Monday in February Memorial Day Last Monday in May Labor Day First Monday in September Columbus Day Second Monday in October Thanksgiving Fourth Thursday in November Place of Performance Non-Applicable Travel None Type of Contract A Firm-Fixed Price [FFP] Contract will be issued for this effort. Changes to the SOW Any changes to this PWS shall be authorized and approved only through written correspondence from the Contracting Officer. A copy of each change will be kept in a project folder along with all other products of the project. Costs incurred by the contractor through the actions of parties other than the Contracting Officer shall be borne by the contractor. Government and Contractor Responsibilities The PRS shall provide the contractor with copies of documents that the VA is required to provide. The contractor shall request other VA documentation deemed pertinent to the work accomplishment directly from the COR. The contractor is expected to use common knowledge and resourcefulness in securing all other reference materials, standard industry publications, and related materials that are pertinent to the work. The contractor shall maintain frequent communications with the PRS and the COR to conduct work in progress reviews. Formal Acceptance or Rejection of Deliverables The VA shall have 15 business days to review each document and provide feedback and comments. The contractor shall have five business days to incorporate comments. A final review shall be conducted with the COR. Delivery of the post-final review document with incorporated comments from the final review meeting shall constitute acceptance by the VA with COR's written approval. Quality Standards for Deliverables Deliverable Task Number Description Acceptable Performance Standards Distribution 1 5.1 Electronic Drug File monthly update Updates received by the 5th of each month COR Privacy Requirements General Contractors, contractor personnel, subcontractors, and subcontractor personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks as VA and VA personnel regarding information and information system security. Access to VA Information and VA Information System A contractor/subcontractor shall request logical [technical] or physical access to VA information and VA information systems for their employees, subcontractors, and affiliates only to the extent necessary to perform the services specified in the contract, agreement, or task order. All contractors, subcontractors, and third-party servicers and associates working with VA information are subject to the same investigative requirements as those of VA appointees or employees who have access to the same types of information. The level and process of background security investigations for contractors must be in accordance with VA Directive and Handbook 0710, Personnel Suitability and Security Program. The Office for Operations, Security, and Preparedness is responsible for these policies and procedures. Contract personnel who require access to national security programs must have a valid security clearance. National Industrial Security Program [NISP] was established by Executive Order 12829 to ensure that cleared U.S. defense industry contract personnel safeguard the classified information in their possession while performing work on contracts, programs, bids, or research and development efforts. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not have a Memorandum of Agreement with Defense Security Service [DSS]. Verification of a Security Clearance must be processed through the Special Security Officer located in the Planning and National Security Service within the Office of Operations, Security, and Preparedness. Data file transfer must be initiated within the United States. If such services are proposed to be performed abroad and are not disallowed by other VA policy or mandate, the contractor/subcontractor must state where all non-U.S. services are provided and detail a security plan, deemed to be acceptable by V.A., specifically to address mitigation of the resulting problems of communication, control, data protection, and so forth. Location within the U.S may be an evaluation factor. END OF PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT