SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Sources Sought Notification for Virtual Reality Training
- Notice Date
- 6/18/2008
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541720
— Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Army, U.S. Army Medical Command, Western Regional Contracting Office, Western Regional Contracting Office, ATTN: MCAA W BLDG 9902, 9902 Lincoln Street, Tacoma, WA 98431-1110
- ZIP Code
- 98431-1110
- Solicitation Number
- W68MX38169N7W1
- Response Due
- 6/25/2008
- Archive Date
- 8/24/2008
- Point of Contact
- Brandon York, 253-968-4916
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This sources sought notification is being submitted for Virtual Reality Training. No solicitation will be posted with this notification. No contract award will be made as a result of this notification. If you are able to provide the services mentioned in the Performance Work Statement (below), email Brandon York at brandon.york2@us.army.mil. Performance Work Statement (PWS) Telehealth and Technology Virtual Reality Clinical Training 1.0 Introduction: The Telehealth and Technology Directorate is acquiring training support services for the development and delivery of Therapist Clinical Training for treatment of Wounded Warriors (WW) with Psychological Health (PH) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) using Virtual Reality (VR) Technology. The functions performed as a part of this scope of work are generally not considered inherent government functions (FAR Subpart 7.503 (c)). 2.0 Background: Virtual Reality (VR) Therapy, has its foundation in two well established forms of psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, (CBT) and exposure therapy. However, unlike CBT and exposure therapy which rely on the patient/subjects ability to recall and imagine the stimuli or incidents that caused anxiety or trauma, VR creates a multisensory scenario which may resemble aspects of the original stimuli. In doing so, the patient/subject is exposed to increasing levels of anxiety producing scenarios while maintaining a sense of mastery while in the environment. VR is a tool that can be used by trained clinicians for treatment or assessment of psychological and physical disorders. Examples of clinical applications that use VR include treatment of anxiety disorders, such as phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder. One of the advantages of VR is that it allows more control for the therapist in conducting exposure therapy. Ideally, the exposure should be repeated so that the individual can confront the fear numerous times. The requirements contained in this PWS are urgently needed to provide adequate treatment for our Wounded Warriors returning from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. This project is receiving attention and oversight from the highest levels. The identification of sources that are readily prepared to meet the requirements is essential to getting timely treatment to beneficiaries across the military services. 3.0 Scope 3.1 The scope of this contract is for the contractor to deliver two (2), two-day trainings during the contracted period to up to 24 DoD mental health professionals, per 2-day training session, on virtual reality exposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Contractor shall provide a course of instruction that will provide clinicians with an academic and practical experience that will enable participants to use Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRE) within their practices. The contract is to deliver a course of instruction to therapists assigned to Army Medical Treatment Facilities that covers the history of VR and mental health applications with an emphasis on PTSD applications, and the use of VRE for treatment of Wounded Warriors (WW) with Psychological Health (PH), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and PTSD. 3.2 The initial two-day training workshop shall be accomplished prior to 30 September 2008 and shall include instruction for up to 24 attendees. Post training shall be accomplished within six months of completion of initial training and shall include the 24 attendees trained in the initial training period. Pending availability of funds, the second two-day workshop shall be completed within 180 days of contract award. Post-training for the second workshop shall be accomplished within six months of completion of the second workshop. 4.0 Qualification Requirements: The Contractor must provide a lead instructor who: a) Holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) degree in clinical or counseling psychology from a program approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) b) Possess and maintain a valid, unrestricted license to practice psychology in one of the 50 states, District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands c) Has 10 or more years of expertise researching prolonged exposure therapy with adults with posttraumatic stress disorder. d) Has 10 or more years of expertise providing prolonged exposure therapy to adults with posttraumatic stress disorder. e) Has demonstrated clinical experience and/or research experience using virtual reality technologies to treat U.S. combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder. f) Has demonstrated teaching experience training mental health providers to use virtual reality technologies for exposure therapy. 5.0 Performance Requirements: The Contractor shall provide those services, personnel, materials, to perform the tasks identified below. The Contractor shall cover the history of VR and mental health applications with an emphasis on PTSD applications, and present training on the use of Virtual Reality to therapists assigned to Army Medical Treatment Facilities. 5.1 The Contractor shall provide a course of instruction that will provide clinicians with an academic and practical experience that will enable participants to use Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRE) within their practices. 5.2 The Contractor shall present the rationale for VRE and indications/contraindications along with empirical Support and presentation of a case study involving an active duty Soldier (VRE for PTSD). 5.3 The Contractor shall present an overview of the VRE protocol and provide associated questions and answers to participants. 5.4 The Contractor shall conduct VRE in session with the trainees participating through role plays. 5.5 The Contractor shall present a minimum of one case study involving active duty VRE followed by discussion and a question and answer session addressing the case history. 5.6 The Contractor shall discuss issues involved in VRE implementation with coverage of, at least, the following topics: a. Cultural Competence b. Using PE and VR in Research vs. Clinical Settings c. Training and Supervision d. Ethical Issues e. Adaptation of VRE and PE for special populations (e.g., TBI) 5.7 The Contractor shall train the government trainees on hardware set-up, use, and troubleshooting through the use of breakout groups, role-plays, and practice. 5.8 The Contractor shall incorporate the scenarios from the Virtual Iraq software tool developed by the University of Southern California under funding provided by the Office of Naval Research, or provide a comparable training tool. 5.9 The Contractor shall maintain training attendance records and collect student critiques from trainees as they complete training. Completed training attendance records, and student critiques shall be maintained by the Trainer, in either electronic of paper file, and shall be available to the Contracting Officers Representative (COR) within two (2) duty days of request. 5.10 The Contractor shall prepare classroom, facilities, and necessary equipment for VR training. Support shall be provided in sufficient time to permit scheduled delivery of training. 5.11 The Contractor shall work directly with the Project Manager and COR to ensure both MTF and specific TeleHealth user training needs identified in this PWS are met. 5.12 The Contractor shall maintain communication with the COR, Program Manager and/or MTF POC regarding all issues pertinent to support and training. 5.13 The Contractor shall maintain a high level of workshop participant satisfaction through use of an interactive teaching method that sustains participant interest and results in successful participant completion of the training. 6.0 Pre-Training Preparation: The Government shall provide all students with required reading materials for the course. This list will be provided to the contractor, who shall provide any additional recommended reading materials to all students no later than two weeks prior to the workshop. 7.0 Post-Training: 7.1 The Contractor shall mentor each Government clinician trained through two (2) post-training cases. This consultation shall be provided no more than once a week, by telephone group conference call, at mutually agreed upon times by the trained clinicians and the Contractor. 7.2 Once monthly, all clinicians trained within one cohort, supervisors, and trainers shall participate on a group conference call to discuss clinical issues and troubleshoot. These shall continue until all clinicians have seen two (2) cases, or for six (6) months, whichever comes first. 8.0 Deliverables 8.1 The Contractor shall provide to the COR or designated representative a monthly report detailing the number of trainees trained, the number of training hours accomplished and any problem areas encountered along with the solution applied. 8.2 The Contractor shall deliver all training records, critiques and training materials to the COR within 15 days after completion of the final training session. 9.0 Place of Performance Training shall be accomplished at the US Army Madigan Medical Center located in Fort Lewis, Washington. 10.0Point of Contact (POC) Information Name: Gregory A. Gahm Title and Organization Code: Director, Telehealth and Technology Directorate Comm. Phone Number: (253) 968-2700 Fax Number: (253) 968-5602 Location: Department of Psychology, 9040A Fitzsimmons Drive, Tacoma, WA 98431 11.0COR Designation Contact Information Name: Ann Horrell Title and Organization Code: Administrative Officer, T2 DSN Phone Number: None Comm. Phone Number: 253-320-5213 Fax Number: None Location: Old Madigan, Building 9933A 12.0 PROPRIETARY INFORMATION The Contractor shall abide by all Government and DoD regulations regarding the promulgation and use of proprietary information. The Government retains the right to all intellectual property produced in the course of this task. All documentation developed or acquired by the Contractor in support of the project, and any modifications thereto, remain the property of the Government. 13.0 Privacy Act: The Contractor shall comply with DOD 5400.11R (May 2007) and will be held accountable, to include any costs associated with a breach of personally identifiable information, caused by the Contractor. 14.0 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT (HIPAA) OF 1996 HIPAA is comprised of several different sections, each to be implemented by the Dept. of Health and Human Services. The AFMS and its components are specifically listed as covered entities (CE) under HIPAA. Currently, HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules, as set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations, are in effect for all AFMS CEs. The specific implementation of HIPAA Privacy for DOD medical facilities is set forth in DOD 6025.18-R, and for HIPAA Security, the requirements for the AFMS are contained in DOD 8580.02-R and AFI 41-217, which also contains additional Information Assurance requirements. DOD 6025.18-R, DOD 8580.02-R and AFI 41-217 are incorporated herein by reference. AFMS organizations are responsible to insure overall compliance with HIPAA requirements, which includes incorporation of certain requirements in contracts entered into or amended after the respective implementation dates. IAW these regulations, the Contractor and its employees meet the definition of Business Associate. Therefore, a Business Associate Agreement is required by law to comply with both the HIPAA Privacy and Security regulations. This clause serves as that agreement for this contract, whereby the Contractor and its employees agree to abide by all HIPAA Privacy and Security requirements regarding health information as defined in this clause, DOD 6025.18-R, DOD 8580.02-R, and AFI 41-217. Additional HIPAA requirements will be addressed when implemented. Introduction (a) Definitions. As used in this clause generally refer to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) definition unless a more specific provision exists in DOD 6025.18-R, DOD 8580.02-R or AFI 41-217. Individual has the same meaning as the term individual in 45 CFR 164.50 1 and 164.103 and shall include a person who qualifies as a personal representative in accordance with 45 CFR 164.502(g). Privacy Rule means the Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information at 45 CFR part 160 and part 164, subparts A and E. Protected Health Information has the same meaning as the term protected health information in 45 CFR 164.501, limited to the information created or received by The Contractor from or on behalf of the Government. Electronic Protected Health Information has the same meaning as the term electronic protected health information in 45 CFR 160.103. Required by Law has the same meaning as the term required by law in 45 CFR 164.501 and 164.103. Secretary means the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services or his/her designee. Security Rule means the Health Insurance Reform: Security Standards at 45 CFR part 160,162 and part 164, subpart C. Terms used, but not otherwise defined, in this Agreement shall have the same meaning as those terms in 45 CFR 160.103, 160.502, 164.103, 164.304 and 164.501. (b) The Contractor agrees to not use or further disclose Protected Health Information other than as permitted or required by the Contract or as Required by Law. (c) The Contractor agrees to use appropriate safeguards to prevent use or disclosure of the Protected Health Information other than as provided for by this Contract. (d) The Contractor agrees to use administrative, physical, and technical safeguards that reasonably and appropriately protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the electronic protected health information that it creates, receives, maintains, or transmits in the execution of this Contract. (e) The Contractor agrees to mitigate, to the extent practicable, any harmful effect that is known to the Contractor of a use or disclosure of Protected Health Information by the Contractor in violation of the requirements of this Contract. (f) The Contractor agrees to report to the Government any security incident involving protected health information of which it becomes aware. (g) The Contractor agrees to report to the Government any use or disclosure of the Protected Health Information not provided for by this Contract of which the Contractor becomes aware of. (h) The Contractor agrees to ensure that any agent, including a subcontractor, to whom it provides Protected Health Information received from, or created or received by the Contractor on behalf of the Government agrees to the same restrictions and conditions that apply through this Contract to the Contractor with respect to such information. (i) The Contractor agrees to ensure that any agent, including a subcontractor, to whom it provides electronic Protected Health Information, agrees to implement reasonable and appropriate safeguards to protect it. (j) The Contractor agrees to provide access, at the request of the Government, and in the time and manner designated by the Government to Protected Health Information in a Designated Record Set, to the Government or, as directed by the Government, to an Individual in order to meet the requirements under 45 CFR 164.524. (k) The Contractor agrees to make any amendment(s) to Protected Health Information in a Designated Record Set that the Government directs or agrees to pursuant to 45 CFR 164.526 at the request of the Government or an Individual, and in the time and manner designated by the Government. (1) The Contractor agrees to make internal practices, books, and records relating to the use and disclosure of Protected Health Information received from, or created or received by the Contractor on behalf of, the Government, available to the Government, or at the request of the Government to the Secretary, in a time and manner designated by the 'Government or the Secretary, for purposes of the Secretary determining the Government's compliance with the Privacy Rule. (m) The Contractor agrees to document such disclosures of Protected Health Information and information related to such disclosures as would be required for the Government to respond to a request by an Individual for an accounting of disclosures of Protected Health Information in accordance with 45 CFR 164.528. (n) The Contractor agrees to provide to the Government or an Individual, in time and manner designated by the Government, information collected in accordance with this Clause of the Contract, to permit the Government to respond to a request by an Individual for an accounting of disclosures of Protected Health Information in accordance with 45 CFR 164.528. General Use and Disclosure Provisions Except as otherwise limited in this Agreement, the Contractor may use or disclose Protected Health Information on behalf of, or to provide services to, the Government for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations purposes, in accordance with the specific use and disclosure provisions below, if such use or disclosure of Protected Health Information would not violate the HIPAA Privacy Rule, DOD 6025.18-R, the HIPAA Security Rule, or DOD 8580.02-R if done by the Government. Specific Use and Disclosure Provisions (a) Except as otherwise limited in this Agreement, the Contractor may use Protected Health Information for the proper management and administration of the Contractor or to carry out the legal responsibilities of the Contractor. (b) Except as otherwise limited in this Agreement, the Contractor may disclose Protected Health Information for the proper management and administration of the Contractor, provided that disclosures are required by law, or the Contractor obtains reasonable assurances from the person to whom the information is disclosed that it will remain confidential and used or further disclosed only as required by law or for the purpose for which it was disclosed to the person, and the person notifies the Contractor of any instances of which it is aware in which the confidentiality of the information has been breached. (c) Except as otherwise limited in this Agreement, the Contractor may use Protected Health Information to provide Data Aggregation services to the Government as permitted by 45 CFR 164.504(e)(2)(i)(B). (d) Contractor may use Protected Health Information to report violations of law to appropriate Federal and State authorities, consistent with 45 CFR 164.502(j)(1). Obligations of the Government Provisions for the Government to Inform the Contractor of Privacy Practices and Restrictions (a) Upon request the Government shall provide the Contractor with the notice of privacy practices that the Government produces in accordance with 45 CFR 164.520, as well as any changes to such notice. (b) The Government shall provide the Contractor with any changes in, or revocation of, permission by Individual to use or disclose Protected Health Information, if such changes affect the Contractor's permitted or required uses and disclosures. (c) The Government shall notify the Contractor of any restriction to the use or disclosure of Protected Health Information that the Government has agreed to in accordance with 45 CFR 164.522. Permissible Requests by the Government The Government shall not request the Contractor to use or disclose Protected Health Information in any manner that would not be permissible under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, DOD 6025.18-R, the HIPAA Security Rule, or DOD 8580.02-R, if done by the Government, except for providing Data Aggregation services to the Government and for management and administrative activities of the Contractor as otherwise permitted by this clause. Termination (a) Termination. A breach by the Contractor of this clause, may subject the Contractor to termination under any applicable default or termination provision of this Contract. (b) Effect of Termination. (1) If this contract has records management requirements, the records subject to the Clause should be handled in accordance with the records management requirements. If this contract does not have records management requirements, the records should be handled in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3) below. (2) If this contract does not have records management requirements, except as provided in paragraph (3) of this section, upon termination of this Contract, for any reason, the Contractor shall return or destroy all Protected Health Information received from the Government, or created or received by the Contractor on behalf of the Government. This provision shall apply to Protected Health Information that is in the possession of subcontractors or agents of the Contractor. The Contractor shall retain no copies of the Protected Health Information. (3) If this contract does not have records management provisions and the Contractor determines that returning or destroying the Protected Health Information is infeasible, the Contractor shall provide to the Government notification of the conditions that make return or destruction infeasible. Upon mutual agreement of the Government and the Contractor that return or destruction of Protected Health Information is infeasible, the Contractor shall extend the protections of this Contract to such Protected Health Information and limit further uses and disclosures of such Protected Health Information to those purposes that make the return or destruction infeasible, for so long as the Contractor maintains such Protected Health Information. Miscellaneous (a) Regulatory References. A reference in this Clause to a section in DOD 6025.18-R, HIPAA Privacy Regulation or DOD 8580.02-R, HIPAA Security Regulation or any CFR or AFI provisions means the section as currently in effect or as amended, and for which compliance is required. (b) Survival. The respective rights and obligations of Business Associate under the Effect of Termination provision of this Clause shall survive the termination of this Contract. (c) Interpretation. Any ambiguity in this Clause shall be resolved in favor of a meaning that permits the Government to comply with DOD 6025.18-R, the CFR HIPAA Privacy Rule, DOD 8580.02-R, the CFR HIPAA Security Rule and AFI 41-217. 15.0 Travel 15.1 Trainers shall be required to travel to Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis Washington, to conduct the training. Travel shall not be reimbursed but will be included in the cost of the training. 16.0 Safety and Security 16.1 Contract personnel shall comply with the local installation requirements for vehicle registration and operation on the military facility. Any vehicle operated by contract personnel on the military installation must have the minimum liability coverage required by the state. 16.2 The contract personnel shall comply with all installation safety regulations. Such regulations include, but are not limited to, general safety, fire prevention, and waste disposal. Copies of these regulations are on file in the medical activity safety office or may be obtained through the COR.
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- Place of Performance
- Address: Western Regional Contracting Office ATTN: MCAA W BLDG 9902, 9902 Lincoln Street Tacoma WA
- Zip Code: 98431-1110
- Zip Code: 98431-1110
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