R -- EXPERT CONSULTANT SERVICES FOR DEVELOPMENT AND ANALYSIS OF DISABILITY AND LONG-TERM CARE ISSUES.

Notice Date

March 15, 2001

Contracting Office

DHHS, Office of the Secretary, Office of Acquisition Management; Room 443H, Humphrey Building; 200 Independence Avenue, S.W.; Washington, D.C. 20201

ZIP Code

20201

Solicitation Number

RFP-5-01-HHS-OS

Response Due

April 4, 2001

Point of Contact

Point of Contact: Eleanor Nolan, Contract Specialist, 202-720-1906

Description

This is a combined synopsis solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested in response to the following statement of work and a written solicitation will not be issued. This is a request for proposal, RFP-5-01-HHS-OS, for work to be performed for the Office of The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This solicitation document and its incorporated provisions are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular #97-22. The period of performance shall be from the effective date of contract award through twelve months. This award may be renewed for two additional twelve month performance periods. This acquisition is being conducted as a full and open competition. The NAICS code is 541618 and the size standard is $5.0 million. Work is to be performed at the contractor's place of work. No relocation or daily travel expenses will be provided. A level of effort Blanket Purchase Agreement will be awarded. Offers from individuals who have specific expertise in one or more areas of expertise are encouraged. These awards are not intended to be a substitute for existing or future task order contracts or general Request for Proposals that will continue to be used for defined research projects. Background: Expert consultant services are needed to assist the Office of Disability, Aging, and Long-Term Care Policy (DALTCP) in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The office has a broad range of responsibilities for advising the Office of the Secretary and other parts of the department on issues involving disability, aging, and long-term care. To further familiarize yourself with DALTCP, you may visit The office frequently must analyze new and complex policy initiatives, such as proposed legislation, within a very short time period; moreover, the issues are sometimes not well defined and subject to change in focus. The purpose of these contracts is to allow the office to quickly obtain the assistance of experts to help staff analyze policy proposals and alternatives. Work may include demographic, legal, economic, statistical, health policy, or organizational analysis that is quantitative or qualitative in nature. Scope of Work: Offerors with expertise in one or more of six areas listed below are requested to apply. Because of the broad nature of these areas, examples of relevant issues and topics are listed under each area. It is worth noting that these examples are not exhaustive and that they are listed to aid offerors in submitting their applications. The areas are: 1. Disability measurement and population issues: disability measurement (e.g. developing conceptual models, definitions, estimation, and monitoring trends) and disability population issues (e.g. population projections and micro-simulation modeling). 2. Disability related services: managed care for persons with disabilities, mental health policy issues and services for persons with disabilities, employment options/policies for persons with disabilities, and housing options. 3. Long-term care: policies (eligibility, financing, options, services..etc.), long-term care insurance, long-term care services (e.g. home and community-based waiver services, nursing home services, home health and hospice services...etc.), and housing options (e.g. Assisted Living). 4. Post-acute care: types of services, data collection instruments, quality of care, and payment policies. 5. Statistical analysis of complex health related databases: Medicare/Medicaid claims data, the National Long-Term Care Survey, the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey, the National Health Interview Survey...etc. 6. Editorial assistance: for reports related to the above areas and other health service research areas. Offerors are requested to submit a resume, an hourly/daily billing rate (this rate will remain constant for all periods of performance), and a statement of technical capabilities which demonstrates the individual's experience and expertise in UP TO THREE of the above six areas. For the statement of technical capabilities, offerors are requested to list the area(s) they wish to be considered for and describe in NO MORE THAN THREE PAGES PER AREA, their expertise and experiences that are directly related to the identified area(s). This statement will be used in evaluating the offeror's understanding of key policy issues as well as expertise in the area(s) selected. Organizations may submit proposals for individuals (with the organization's loaded billing rate for the individual expert consultant), however, evaluations will be based on the individuals' own expertise, not the organization's . If the hourly or daily rate is a previously established government rate, offeror may submit copies of prior invoices paid to facilitate the evaluation. A contractor may be expected to be available on short notice to provide expert assistance to an ASPE contract monitor in ways that increase ASPE's knowledge and understanding of an issue in the most efficient way possible. General time commitments will be negotiated when work is initially assigned and may change as the project necessitates. The contractors may supplement work performed by staff or may be asked to prepare a deliverable product. The scope of work initially assigned may change as work progresses. Evaluation Criteria: Evaluation of individual submissions will be assessed, in part, by the nature and complexity of the work that has been done. Three evaluation factors will be used in the selection process: 1) understanding of, and unique expertise with, the key policy issues in the area(s) for which they wish to be considered (weight: 60%), past performance in terms of completed work, published papers, and presentations (weight: 40%). Technical factors dominate the evaluation but the price (the third evaluation factor) proposed must be reasonable. Although the expectation is that the offeror will perform most of the work assigned, offerors must also submit loaded hourly rates for clerical and technical staff that they plan to assist them in completing assigned work. The rates for clerical and technical staff will not be evaluated. Offers should be submitted in one original and five copies. The Department anticipates awarding a number of Blanket Purchase Agreements to individuals for different areas of work. The number of awards will depend on the breadth of expertise of the offerors and the needs of the government. Zero dollar awards will be made. There is no guaranteed minimum. Projects will be awarded only on an as needed basis. No Blanket Purchase Agreement awarded pursuant to this solicitation will exceed $100,000, in value which would include the cost of clerical or professional assistance and overhead. The cost of related services, such as mailing or copying, will be borne by the offeror. Offerors must include a completed copy of the provision at FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items, with their offer (as part of the business proposal). The clauses at FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items and FAR 52.212-1, instructions to Offerors-Commercial, apply to this acquisition. Any clauses or provisions referenced in this notice can be accessed through the Internet address that follows: Offers are due April 4, 2001 by 12:00 NOON EST, at the following location: Department of Health and Human Services, OS/Office of Acquisition Management, Room 443H, Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20201. The contact point for questions shall be Eleanor Nolan, 202-720-1906. If hand delivering, offerors must go to the main Independence Avenue entrance to the guard desk and call either Eleanor Nolan on 720-1906, or call 690-8539, ask for the receptionist and request an escort to pick up your proposal for delivery to the contracting office. The Hubert H. Humphrey Building is a controlled access building. If you intend to handcarry your proposal, you should allow at least 30 minutes for visitor access. It is your responsibility to ensure that proposals are delivered by the due date and time required in the solicitation. Amendments to this solicitation, if any, shall also be published as a Commerce Business Daily synopsis.

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010319/RSOL019.HTM (D-074 SN50G3N9)