SOURCES SOUGHT
Q -- USMEPCOM Medical Ancillary and Laboratory Services (621511)
- Notice Date
- 2/8/2013
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 621511
— Medical Laboratories
- Contracting Office
- Center for Health Care Contracting, ATTN: MCAA C BLDG 4197, 2199 Storage Street, Suite 68, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234-5074
- ZIP Code
- 78234-5074
- Solicitation Number
- W81K04-13-R-ANCILLARY
- Response Due
- 2/22/2013
- Archive Date
- 4/9/2013
- Point of Contact
- David D. Robledo, 2102215490
- E-Mail Address
-
Center for Health Care Contracting
(david.robledo2@amedd.army.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- RFI - United States Military Command (USMEPCOM) Medical Ancillary and Laboratory Services The U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM), Center for Health Care Contracting (CHCC), on behalf of United States Military Entrance Processing Command (USMEPCOM), has developed this Request for Information (RFI) to solicit market research information from industry to assist the Government with analysis of a Government requirement and provide commercial insight on performance-based solutions, best practices, possible contractual arrangements, and potential issues. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. It is not a Request for Proposal, a Request for Quotation, an Invitation for Bids, a Solicitation, or an indication that CHCC will contract for the items contained in the RFI. This RFI is part of a Government market research effort to determine the scope of industry capabilities and interest and will be treated as information only. 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. Responses to this RFI are strictly voluntary and the Government will not pay respondents for information provided in response to this RFI. Responses to this RFI will not be returned and respondents will not be notified of the result of the review. If a Solicitation is issued, it will be announced on the Federal Business Opportunities website http://www.fbo.gov at a later date, and all interested parties must respond to that Solicitation announcement separately from any response to this announcement. This RFI does not restrict the Government's acquisition approach on a future Solicitation. The Government's requirement is to obtain a non-personal services contract to provide a network of clinical reference laboratory and ancillary services on an indefinite delivery/indefinite quality basis (IDIQ). The services are as required by each of the 65 Military Entrance Processing Stations (MEPS). These services are in support of the medical examinations provided to applicants processing for accession into the active and Reserve components of the military service, including the United States Coast Guard. The contractor's network shall consist of private civilian medical facilities to include radiological and laboratories. In addition, the contractor shall provide courier services (transportation) for shipping, pickup, and delivery of specimens from the MEPS to the contractor laboratory. The Government shall not exercise any supervision or control over the contractor or their network performing the services herein. The contractor's network shall be accountable solely to the Contractor who, in turn, is responsible to the Government. A draft performance work statement (PWS) is attached to this announcement. It is anticipated that any resultant contract(s) that might result from this survey would have a period of performance of a base year and 4 option years. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code is 621511 and the small business size standard is $30M. The Government desires that respondents offer their experience and recommendations on the following questions and issues related to the USMEPCOM requirements. We recommend that you first review the draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) so that you may have a better insight on the questions below. (1) What are commercial practices for providing these type of services for non-governmental entities on an as needed basis, e.g., contract type, pricing structure, task order driven contract, etc.? (2) Can a prime contractor provide a network system to support clinical reference laboratory, ancillary services, and courier services under one contract? If not, what do you recommend? (3) What type of personnel (i.e., labor category) will the prime contractor use to perform these services, as well as the type of personnel for the network they establish? (4) The Government contemplates having the right to conduct on-site inspections of any of the prime contractor's ancillary and laboratory network facilities. Is this considered a customary industry practice? (5) Can a prime contractor provide ancillary and laboratory service facility certification or accreditation documentation within 48 hours from the government request? If not, provide a reasonable timeframe. (6) Can a contractor maintain a network of laboratory or ancillary service facilities that are not located in areas that are considered depressed or have a high crime rate so we can ensure the safety of the armed forces applicant. (7) The contractor should expect to receive 70% of all requests for services from the MEPS from 0800-1200 Monday through Friday and on operating Saturdays. The Government expects the contractor to schedule the appointment and complete the laboratory or ancillary service on the same day if they are notified by 2:00 pm the same day. Is this achievable and if not explain why? Can most lab testing and ancillary services be completed within 24 hours? Are there any tests that cannot be completed within this timeframe? (8) What is the most cost effective contract type and payment method (i.e., monthly firm fixed-price, separate price per service (price list), cost reimbursement, or combination, etc.)? (9) Are there normally any special terms or conditions or unique contract structure associated with a contract requiring a contractor to establish a network of ancillary and laboratory service facilities for armed forces applicants for a contract of this magnitude for these services? (10) The ancillary and laboratory services facilities are required to be within a 30 mile radius of a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS). Because MEPS locations are geographically dispersed within the Continental U.S. (CONUS) and Outside the CONUS (OCONUS) locations, based on industry standards, what would be the best way for a competing contractor to structure their pricing for these services? (i.e., by MEPS location, county, state, regions, composite rates encompassing all locations by type of service or some other method) Explain why? (11) Is 30 days a sufficient amount of time for a contractor to prepare a proposal given the scenario of a full trade-off best value source selection requiring both a technical and price proposal and past performance references? If 30 days is not sufficient, please provide a reasonable timeframe to prepare a proposal and rational for your time frame. (12) We anticipate the contract will have a 4 month phase-in period so that the contractor may perform all pre-contract functions in order to be ready to begin full performance of the PWS by the contract start date. Is 4 months a sufficient amount of time since the contractor will have to establish a facility network for lab, ancillary services and courier services to support all 65 MEPS locations within a 30 mile radius? Based on your experience for similar efforts, should this period be shorter or longer? Does the PWS address all the efforts that may be entailed in a phase-in period? (13) When nearing completion of this type of contract, is a 3 month phase-out period adequate? If not, what do you recommend? (14) Do you consider maintaining an 8-week inventory and storage of materials and supplies reasonable? If not, what do you recommend? Do you have a recommended process for efficiently providing an inventory of materials and supplies to each of the 65 MEPS as described in the PWS? (15) Since this requirement will be on an as needed basis, what type of historical data (e.g., estimated quantity by type of service) do you recommend the government provide to industry in order for you to provide a firm fixed price that is realistic? (16) Please describe your experience or recommended solution for incorporating courier services for the transport of laboratory specimens from each of the 65 MEPS locations to the respective network laboratory on an as needed basis. (17) Are their standard commercial rates for these types of services? Can prices be standardized (on a composite basis) across all 65 MEPS locations? (18) Do you have a catalog or other published product literature on these services? If so, please provide this information. (19) Would a competing offeror be receptive to utilizing standard Medicare Part B rates for the required laboratory and ancillary services if the solicitation allowed for a competitively proposed mark-up rate? (20) Are there any innovative approaches used by your company for these type of services? If so, please explain. (21) What makes your company a market leader for this type of service? (22) How relevant is your past performance concerning this requirement? Please give examples with specific contract numbers, dollar values and the magnitude of those similar services currently or previously performed and where they are performed, including the name of your customer. (23) Please provide a brief description on establishing a program that provides a network of clinical reference lab and ancillary services for 65 MEPS located throughout the US. Your description should include but not be limited to: Acceptance of referrals from the Government Handling of patient information Handling of specimen or other bodily fluids Providing test results to Government Accountability of patient treatment while performing under this contract Billing process in support of this contract (24) What is the business size standard of your company (small business, SDB, SDVOSB, Hub Zoned, 8a, Large, etc)? If 8a eligible, please provide current status regarding your scheduled graduation date from the 8a program under this NAICS code. (25) What types of performance assessment methods are commonly used by your company? (26) Respondents to this RFI should describe their interest and ability to perform the requirements summarized within this notice by submitting a capability statement. (27) Discuss any concerns, comments or recommendations you may have with the attached draft PWS. Give specific PWS paragraph numbers for reference. Responses should contain their Company Name, Address, Point of Contact, Phone Number, Fax Number, CAGE Code, Size of Business pursuant to NAICS code 621511 (size standard $30,000,000) and GSA contract number. Please submit all responses through e-mail to the point of contact identified in the section below. Responses should be formatted as either MS Word (.doc) or Adobe Portable Document Format (.pdf) and should be limited to a maximum of five (5) pages (excluding price lists or catalogs). Proprietary/Competition Sensitive information (appropriately marked) will be protected from disclosure to the greatest extent practical, however it is preferred that respondents do not provide proprietary or otherwise restricted responses. Responses should be submitted by e-mail to both POCs listed below no later than 3:00 PM CDST, Friday, 22 Feb, 2013. No faxes, courier delivered, or telephone inquiries/submissions will be accepted. Center for Health Care Contracting POCs Contract Specialist: David Robledo, 210-221-5490 david.d.robledo.civ@mail.mil Contracting Officer: Dora Hernandez, 210-225-4570 dora.a.hernandez.civ@mail.mil Contracting Office Address: ATTN: MCAA-C-PA USAMEDCOM, Health Care Acquisition Activity Center for Health Care Contracting 2199 Storage Street, Suite 68 Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234-5074 Attachment: Draft Performance Work Statement (PWS)
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USA/MEDCOM/DADA10/W81K04-13-R-ANCILLARY/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Center for Health Care Contracting ATTN: MCAA C BLDG 4197, 2199 Storage Street, Suite 68 Fort Sam Houston TX
- Zip Code: 78234-5074
- Zip Code: 78234-5074
- Record
- SN02983532-W 20130210/130208235551-0af0fbf56dd23af4b0d5dd8893e403f0 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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