Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY - FEDBIZOPPS ISSUE OF JUNE 27, 2013 FBO #4233
DOCUMENT

R -- Development of Rates and Charges - Attachment

Notice Date

6/25/2013
 

Notice Type

Attachment
 

NAICS

541611 — Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
 

Contracting Office

Department of Veterans Affairs;Health Administration Center;3773 Cherry Creek Drive North, Suite 450;Denver CO 80209
 

ZIP Code

80209
 

Solicitation Number

VA74113I0201
 

Response Due

7/3/2013
 

Archive Date

9/1/2013
 

Point of Contact

Thomas Manning
 

E-Mail Address

.manning2@va.gov<br
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Description

Agency: Department of Veterans Affairs Office: SAO East, Program Contract Office Notice Type:Posted Date: Sources SoughtJune 25, 2013 Response Date: July 3, 2013 Original Set Aside: N/A NAICS Code: 541611 Synopsis: THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. This is a Request for Information (RFI)/Sources Sought notice issued in accordance with FAR 15.201(e) to conduct market research. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes - it does not constitute a Request for Quote (RFQ) - or a promise to issue a RFQ in the future. This request for information does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or services whatsoever. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is not, at this time, seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested vendor's expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFQ, if any is issued. Any information submitted by respondents to this RFI is strictly voluntary. All submissions become Government property and will NOT be returned. This announcement is based upon the best information available and is subject to future modification. Contracting Office Address Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Health Administration Center (HAC) 3773 Cherry Creek Dr. North, Denver, CO, 80209 Point of Contact: Thomas R. Manning, (303) 398-5574, Thomas.manning2@va.gov Overview: Development of Rates and Charges. Please review the attached draft Statement of Work (SOW) detailing the scope and requirements for the Development of Rates and Charges. Please respond to this RFI if your company can perform this requirement in accordance with FAR Part 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontraction (Nov 2011) As prescribed in 19.508(e) or 19.811-3(e), insert the following clause: Limitations on Subcontracting (Nov 2011) (a) This clause does not apply to the unrestricted portion of a partial set-aside. (b) Applicability. This clause applies only to- (1) Contracts that have been set aside or reserved for small business concerns or 8(a) concerns; (2) Part or parts of a multiple-award contract that have been set aside for small business concerns or 8(a) concerns; and (3) Orders set aside for small business or 8(a) concerns under multiple-award contracts as described in 8.405-5 and 16.505(b)(2)(i)(F). (c) By submission of an offer and execution of a contract, the Offeror/Contractor agrees that in performance of the contract in the case of a contract for- (1) Services (except construction). At least 50 percent of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees of the concern. (2) Supplies (other than procurement from a nonmanufacturer of such supplies). The concern shall perform work for at least 50 percent of the cost of manufacturing the supplies, not including the cost of materials. (3) General construction. The concern will perform at least 15 percent of the cost of the contract, not including the cost of materials, with its own employees. (4) Construction by special trade contractors. The concern will perform at least 25 percent of the cost of the contract, not including the cost of materials, with its own employees. (End of clause) This is only an overview/summary does not include all requirements to complete Performance Work Statement (PWS). Specific Response Instructions: Please submit your RFI response in accordance with the following: 1) No more than 15 pages (excluding transmittal page). Include the name, email address and phone number of the appropriate representative of your company; 2) Submit your response via email to Thomas.manning2@va.gov 3) Submit your response by 2:00 P.M. (EST) on July 3, 2013; 4) Mark your response as "Proprietary Information" if the information is considered business sensitive. 5) NO MARKETING MATERIALS ARE ALLOWED AS PART OF THIS RFI. The government will not review any other information or attachments included, that are in excess of the 15 page limit. Information Requested from Industry: In response to the RFI, interested contractors shall submit the following information: 1.Company Information / Socio-Economic Status 1.Provide the company size and POC information. 2.VA has identified the appropriate North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 541611 Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services, which has a size standard of $14 Million for this RFI. Please identify and explain any other NAICS codes your company believes would better represent the predominated work included in the attached PWS. 3.Indicate whether your company, subcontractors, teaming partners, joint ventures have a Federal Socio-Economic Status, e.g., Small Business, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, Veteran Owned Small business, Women-Owned Small Business, Disadvantaged Small business, and Hub Zone. If Service Disabled or Veteran Owned Small business, is your company and or partners registered in VA's VetBiz repository? 2.Background/Past Experience - Provide the following information on a maximum of three similar projects dealing with Third Party Payer reimbursement for healthcare services. All projects referenced must have been completed within the last three years for which the responder was a prime or subcontractor. 1.The name, address, and value of each project. 2.The Prime Contract Type, Firm Fixed-Price, Cost Reimbursement or Time and Material 3.The name, telephone and address of the owner of each project 4.A description of each project, including difficulties and successes 5.Your company's role and services provided for each project. 3.Capabilities/Qualifications - Overview of proposed solution(s). Include a description of the capabilities/qualification/skills your company possesses for each of the below statements: 1.Assessment of capabilities to perform requirements noted in the RFI. 2.Assessment of the types of changes required to accomplish the goals. 3.Approach to be utilized to develop necessary changes to the systems to meet the organizational goals 4.Draft schedule to complete necessary changes. 4.Teaming Arrangements - Description of Teaming Partners, Joint Ventures that your company would consider to perform work. 5.Price Information - Provide your commercial price history and rough order of magnitude for the same or similar products/solutions. 6.Other Market Information - Provide any other relative information, this information must be included within the 15 page limitation. 7.Other Federal Experience - Identify the federal contract vehicles 8.GSA Contract information, if applicable - Provide GSA contract number with dates of contract. PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT A.GENERAL INFORMATION 1. Title of Project: Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Chief Business Office (CBO) Consolidated Patient Account Center (CPAC) Program Management Office (PMO) Development of Rates and Charges 2. Scope of Work: The Contractor shall provide support to the VHA CBO CPAC PMO Rates and Charges (RC) section with the development of rates and charges for medical care and services provided to Veterans and other beneficiaries by the Veterans Affairs (VA) and subsequently billed to a third party payer. The VHA CBO CPAC PMO requires consulting services and healthcare industry expertise to provide ongoing support for the planning, development, calculation, and implementation of rates and charges. The Contractor shall provide all resources necessary to accomplish the deliverables described in the Performance Work Statement (PWS), except as may otherwise be specified. 3. Background: 38 USC 1729 authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration to seek reimbursement from third party health insurers for the cost of medical care furnished to insured Veterans. VA is committed to delivering world-class service to Veterans and their families. To adequately fund world-class health care services, VA needs to collect funds from private health insurers and, where permitted by law, public health insurance. VA implemented the reasonable charges methodology as a way to set charges for medical care services and update them on an annual basis. This methodology sets VA charges at the 80th percentile of nationwide charges. This methodology has been employed since 1999. The VA requires Contractor support to assist in the development of rates and charges for a variety of services, in addition to providing support in evaluating opportunities to improve the methodology and prepare for the implementation of ICD10 and/or ICD11. B. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS 1. For every task, the Contractor shall identify in writing all necessary subtasks (if any), associated costs by task with associated sub milestone dates. The Contractor's subtask structure shall be reflected in the technical proposal and detailed project management plan. 2. The Contractor must provide staff experienced in healthcare consulting, including development of charges using a variety of methods for both Medicare and commercial insurance billing. The Contractor must be able to develop rates and charges based on the published VA methodology and perform an economic analysis on the expected changes in the rates and charges. The Contractor must be able to demonstrate extensive experience in the following categories: actuarial experience, healthcare billing experience, and exhibit comprehensive knowledge and understanding of common payment practices for Medicare and other third party payers. The Contractor must demonstrate an understanding of the federal regulatory process as well as the VA charge methodology detailed in 38 CFR 17.101. The Contractor must have current professional actuarial certifications and be a member of an actuarial society in good-standing (e.g. - FSA, ASA, MAAA). Contracted personnel shall have the following qualifications as a minimum: Partner/Principal Bachelor's degree and FSA Certification 10-15 years actuarial experience in the health insurance industry particularly with respect to facility and professional rate development, charge description master maintenance and evaluation of rates in relationship to Medicare Fee Schedules and payer agreements. Previous experience and working knowledge of CMS regulations and development of actuarial models based on MedPAR, MedStat, Essential RBRVS, FAIR Health databases, Medicare APC, Medicare Geographic Practice Cost Index for both practice and work expense, Medicare DME, Medicare Lab Fee Schedule, Medicare Conversion Factors, and Ingenix. Additionally, experience working with CPI-U in applied situations for statistical modeling. Senior Bachelor's degree and ASA Certification 5-10 years actuarial experience in the health insurance industry particularly with respect to facility and professional rate development, charge description master maintenance and evaluation of rates in relationship to Medicare Fee Schedules and payer agreements. Previous experience and working knowledge of CMS regulations and development of actuarial models based on MedPAR, MedStat, Essential RBRVS, FAIR Health databases, Medicare APC, Medicare Geographic Practice Cost Index for both practice and work expense, Medicare DME, Medicare Lab Fee Schedule, Medicare Conversion Factors, and Ingenix. Additionally, experience working with CPI-U in applied situations for statistical modeling. 3. All written deliverables will be phrased in layperson language. Statistical and other technical terminology will not be used without providing a glossary of terms. 4. Where a written milestone deliverable is required, the VHA will complete their review of the deliverable within 15 calendar days from date of receipt. The Contractor shall have 15 calendar days to deliver the final deliverable from date of receipt of the government's comments. 5. All CMS mandated regulations relating to billing, rates, and charges must be incorporated into the rate development tasks identified in Section C. 6. All VA Reasonable Charges methodology as identified in 38 USC 17.101 (including data sources and calculations) must be followed. 7. If CMS requires use of ICD10 and/or ICD11 during the base or option year periods of this statement of work, the Contractor shall incorporate use of ICD10 and/or ICD11 into the methodology in place of ICD9. C. SPECIFIC MANDATORY TASKS AND ASSOCIATED DELIVERABLES Description of Tasks and Associated Deliverables: The Contractor shall provide the specific deliverables described below within the performance period stated in Section A.4 of this PWS. See the schedule of deliverable (Attachment A) for the specific dates. Task 1. The Contractor shall provide a project management plan to include inpatient and outpatient rate updates, as well as briefings for the VHA project team, which demonstrates the Contractor's plan for completing the task order. The Contractor's plan shall be responsive to this PWS and describe, in further detail, the approach to be used for each aspect of the task order as defined in the technical proposal. At a minimum, the project management plan shall include the risk, quality and technical management approach, detailed schedule, cost requirements, and proposed personnel. The Contractor shall keep the project management plan up to date throughout the period of performance. Deliverable 1. A detailed project management plan, in Microsoft Project format that correlates with deliverables outlined below and a briefing within 15 business days of award. Task 2. Inpatient Update. The Contractor shall submit the draft and final inpatient economic analysis to VA RC staff to include existing and new MS-DRGs (for inpatient and SNF updates) based on the CMS regulations published each fiscal year. The Contractor shall submit draft Host Files and Federal Register tables to the VA RC staff for review. The Contractor will provide updated final Host File and Federal Register tables related to the inpatient charge update upon VA RC Staff approval of draft documents. The Contractor shall review methodologies used previously in accordance with 38 CFR 17.101 and ensure that the regulations are followed while developing the Inpatient and SNF tables and charges. The rate updates must include updated tables based on CMS regulations published each fiscal year. The tables must be in the format used by VA for Federal Register publication and the Host file tables must be developed based on VA format (Excel spreadsheet) and reviewed by VA Office of Information Technology staff prior to acceptance. The Contractor shall provide a final project binder describing the methodology used for the MS-DRG rate update, a copy of the host files and federal register tables, as well as detailed reports showing the variance in rates per MS-DRG year over year. The Contractor will participate as needed on rate development conference calls and respond to questions directed to them within two business days of the receipt of the question. Deliverable 2. The Contractor shall: 2a. Provide a draft economic analysis in Excel spreadsheet format by the first week in July, annually. The economic analysis must include a detailed estimate of increase in revenue based on VA's prior year methodology used for calculating this economic impact analysis, as well as take prior year billing and expected collections into account. It must be developed using VA's collection data and take into account the components of the VA Reasonable Charges methodology. The economic analysis must include worksheets that show the trend forward calculation using the medical CPI tables. An internal peer review must be conducted by the contractor prior to submission to government. A final analysis is due within 3 days after government review and approval of the draft economic analysis. 2b. Provide the draft Federal Register and Host file rate update tables (Table A - Acute Inpatient Facility Nationwide Per Diem Charges by MS-DRG, and Table B - Skilled Nursing Facility/Sub-Acute Inpatient Facility Nationwide Per Diem Charge) and conduct an on-site review of the draft tables by the second week in August. After government review, the Contractor will make revisions to the tables and Data Source tables and provide the final Federal Register data tables to the VA RC staff and the Host Files to the IT Developer for final review. The final tables are due no later than the first week in September. The final Federal Register tables must be 508 compliant and provided in both an MS Excel format and a PDF copy. 2c. Provide detailed summary outlining the changes (variances from year to year) in rates for each rate increase and shall provide a detailed Excel spreadsheet listing each code and the rate increase. Detailed charge development review will be required for each MS-DRG subjected to significant change from the previous year. This information shall be provided within 2 weeks of the finalization of the rates for publication in the Federal Register. 2d. Attend weekly and ad hoc development calls and participate as requested. The Contractor shall provide detailed responses via email to questions on rates and charges, describing specific methodology used for charge calculations, within two business days of the receipt of the question. 2e. Provide an Inpatient final project binder describing the methodology and data used in the rate update. This Inpatient binder should consist of at least 3 sections. Section one should include "Scope of Project" with the Economic Impact analysis and supporting documentation. Section two should include all final Federal register and host file tables to include detailed schedules developed to show how the rates where calculate as well as the variance tables to show difference from year over year. Section three should have all Appendices to show Federal Register regulations, final and proposed tables, final supplementary data source tables as documented in the regulations., A face to face briefing to the COR must be provided to review and discuss the document. This final project binder shall be provided within 4 weeks of the finalization of the rates for publication in the Federal Register. Task 3. The Contractor shall analyze the existing Reasonable Charge rates and provide an update to all of the Inpatient, Outpatient, Professional, and SNF Geographic Area Adjustment Factors (GAAFs) tables included in the VA reasonable charge files, as outlined by the Reasonable Charges methodology. Deliverable 3. Contractor shall provide the following GAAF Tables: Acute Inpatient Facility Charges Geographic, Skilled Nursing Facility/Sub-Acute Inpatient Facility Charges GAAFs by Zip Code, Outpatient Facility Charges GAAFs by Zip Code, Durable Medical Equipment, Supplies, Vision and Hearing Hardware Charges GAAFs by Zip Code, and the Outpatient Dental Professional Charges GAAFs by Zip Code. Additionally the Contractor shall provide a variance table that compares the GAAFs from year to year for every impacted VA Medical Center. The draft GAAF tables will be provided to VA no later than the 2nd week of October and the final GAAF tables will be provided no later than the 2nd week of November. Task 4. Outpatient Update: The Contractor shall develop the economic analysis for the rate updates for each existing and new CPT and HCPCS codes (for facility and professional charge updates) based on the CMS regulations published for each fiscal year. The RC Contractor shall submit the draft and final inpatient economic analysis to VA RC staff to include existing and new CPT/HCPCS codes based on the CMS regulations published each fiscal year. The rate updates must include updated tables based on CMS regulations published each fiscal year. The tables must be in the format used by VA for Federal Register publication and the Host file tables must be developed based on VA's format (Excel spreadsheet) and presented for review by Office of Information Technology staff prior to acceptance. The Contractor shall provide a final project binder describing the methodology used for the CPT/HCPCS rate update, as well as detailed reports showing the variance in CPT/HCPCS rates by code year over year. The Contractor will participate as needed on rate development conference calls and respond to questions directed to them within 2 business days of receipt of the question. The Contractor must also develop the quarterly National Interim Charge rate updates based on VA's rate methodology for the development of charges when no charge exist from our standard source data. The quarterly National Interim charge table should include charges for new CPT and HCPCS codes published by CMS on a quarterly basis as well as charges for old CPT and HCPCS codes without charges. Deliverable 4.The Contractor shall: 4a. Provide a draft economic analysis in Excel spreadsheet format by the first week in October, annually. The economic analysis must include a detailed estimate of increase in revenue based on VA's prior year methodology used for calculating this economic impact analysis, as well as take prior year billing and expected collections into account. It must be developed using VA's collection data and take into account the components of the VA Reasonable Charges methodology. The economic analysis must include worksheets that show the trend forward calculation using the medical CPI tables. An internal peer review must be conducted by the contractor prior to submission to government. A final analysis is due within 3 days after government review and approval of the draft economic analysis. 4b. Provide the draft Federal Register and Host file rate update for the following categories: partial hospitalization facility charges, outpatient facility charges, physician and other professional charges, including professional charges for anesthesia services and dental services, pathology and laboratory charges, observation care facility charges, ambulance and other emergency transportation charges, and charges for durable medical equipment, drugs, injectables, and other medical services, items, and supplies identified by Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) Level II codes. The Contractor must conduct an on-site review of the draft tables by the second week in November. After government review, the Contractor will make revisions to the tables and Data Source tables and provide the final Federal Register data tables to the VA RC staff and the Host Files to the IT Developer for final review. The final tables are due no later than the first week in December. The final Federal Register tables must be 508 compliant and provided in both an MS Excel format and a PDF copy. Additionally, the Contractor will provide, along with the draft and final Federal Register and Host File tables, the Professional Service conversion Factors table and Charge Adjustment Factors for Professional Services Charge Modifiers table. 4c. Provide a detailed summary outlining the change (variances from year to year) in rates for each rate increase and shall provide a detailed Excel spreadsheet listing each code and the rate increase. Detailed charge development review will be required for each CPT/HCPCS Code subjected to significant change from the previous year. This information shall be provided within 2 weeks of the finalization of the rates for publication in the Federal Register. 4d. Attend weekly and ad hoc development calls and participate as requested. The Contractor shall provide detailed responses via email to questions on rates and charges, describing specific methodology used for charge calculations, within two business days of the receipt of the question. 4e. Provide an Outpatient final project binder describing the methodology and data used in the rate update. This Outpatient final project binder should consist of at least 3 sections. Section one should include the Scope of Project and the Economic Impact analysis and supporting documentation. Section two should include all final Federal register and host file tables to include detailed schedules developed to show how the rates where calculate as well as the variance tables to show difference from year over year. Section three should have all Appendices to show Federal Register regulations, final and proposed tables, final supplementary data source tables as documented in the regulations., A face to face briefing to the COR must be provided to review and discuss the document. This Outpatient final project binder shall be provided within 4 weeks of the finalization of the rates for publication in the Federal Register. 4f. Provide a draft National Interim Charge table utilizing VA's current format, no later than two weeks after the end of each government quarter. The purpose of this table is to provide nationwide procedure charges for billing on an interim basis until charges are provided through the annual Outpatient Reasonable Charge update. A new table of these National Interim Charges will be posted on a quarterly basis when new codes are released and published by CMS. This table will provide national charges for newly released codes as well as existing codes that did not have a charge. The government quarters end in December, March, June and September. A final table is due within 2 days after government review. The final tables must be 508 compliant and provided in both an excel format and a PDF copy. Task 5. The Contractor shall analyze the existing reasonable charge rates and methodology, evaluate key factors in setting rates in industry and for similar providers, identify data sources that may be used for setting rates and develop recommendations and prepare detailed executive briefing report that may assist in the identification of revenue enhancements. Deliverable 5.The Contractor shall provide a detailed executive briefing report on the recommendations, along with suggestions for implementation of the recommendations. A draft report and briefing will be required after 90 days and a final report and briefing will be required at 120 days. The contractor shall provide the detailed analysis that contributes to the formulation of both the draft and the final reports. Task 6. The Contractor shall develop an impact analysis on the conversion of rates and charges to the use of ICD10 and/or ICD11, and provide recommendations for the conversion effort, as well as proposed methodology changes, including the Federal Register notice. Deliverable 6. The Contractor must provide a draft report identifying impacts to rates and charges, billing procedures, methodology, draft Federal Register notice (if required) and recommendations to implement ICD10 and/or ICD11 in the current environment within 120 days of award. The report shall include a briefing to the COR. The Contractor shall provide the final report within 150 days of award. Task 7. The Contractor shall provide a monthly status report for the duration of the project. Deliverable 7. For the monthly status report, the Contractor shall identify work in-progress or completed, as well as any issues or risks that need to be communicated to the COR. The report will be delivered the fourth Wednesday of each month to the COR and briefing will be conducted once per month at a mutually convenient date. D. SCHEDULE FOR DELIVERABLES 1. The contractor shall meet the Delivery Schedule in Attachment A for each deliverable specified. 2. Unless otherwise specified an electronic copy of deliverables (using Microsoft Office products) shall be provided to the COR. A hardcopy of final products shall also be delivered by noon on the due date to the COR. E. CHANGES TO PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT Any changes to this PWS shall be authorized and approved only through written correspondence from the CO. 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 CO shall be borne by the contractor. F. TRAVEL VHA CBO CPAC PMO may require the Contractor to make approximately fifteen (15) trips during the performance period of this task order. The estimate for each trip is $2500. The Travel and per diem will be reimbursed in accordance with VA/Federal Travel Regulations. Each Contractor's invoice must include copies of all receipts that support the travel costs claimed in the invoice. Travel, including a cost estimate, must be pre-approved by the COR. Travel must be priced separately in the price schedule. The Contractor shall support this effort at the Department of Veterans Affairs, 90 K St, NE, Washington, DC 20007, or at approved Contractor facilities as directed by the COR and mutually agreed to by the Contractor. Local travel, including parking, taxi, metro, will not be reimbursed. Other expenses (such as photocopying) will not be reimbursed. G. GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES The government shall assure that the Contractor has access to VHA CBO CPAC PMO reference material, program documentation and the VHA CBO CPAC PMO SharePoint site as appropriate. K. CONTRACTOR EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS - KEY PERSONNEL The Contractor shall be responsible for managing and overseeing the activities of all Contractor personnel, as well as subcontractor efforts used in performance of this effort. The Contractor's management responsibilities shall include all activities necessary to ensure the accomplishment of timely and effective support, performed in accordance with the requirements contained in the statement of work. The Contracting Officer may notify the Contractor and request immediate removal of any personnel assigned to the task order by the Contractor that are deemed to have a conflict of interest with the government or if the performance is deemed to be unsatisfactory. The reason for removal will be documented and replacement personnel shall be identified within three business days of the notification. Employment and staffing difficulties shall not be justification for failure to meet established schedules. 1. Key Personnel: Certain skilled experienced professional and/or technical personnel are essential for accomplishing the work to be performed. Personnel assigned by the Contractor to perform the services covered by this contract shall possess 5 - 15 years' experience in public and private health care insurance programs and financing, particularly with respect to actuarial and managed care experience in the health care arena, rate setting, and consulting to perform successfully the work of the position. The Project Manager should be available during normal business hours (8:00 AM - 5:30 PM). These individuals are defined as "Key Personnel" and are those persons whose resumes were submitted and marked by the vendor as "Key Personnel". Substitutions shall only be accepted if in compliance with "Substitution of Key Personnel" provision identified below. 2. Substitution of Key Personnel: All Contractor requests for approval of substitutions hereunder shall be submitted in writing to the COR and the Contracting Officer at least thirty (30) calendar days in advance of the effective date, whenever possible, and shall provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitution, a complete resume for the proposed substitute, and any other information requested by the Contracting Officer necessary to approve or disapprove the proposed substitution. New personnel shall not commence work until all necessary security requirements, as defined in Section J, have been fulfilled and resumes provided and accepted. The COR and the Contracting Officer will evaluate such requests and promptly notify the Contractor of approval or disapproval in writing. I. SECURITY Information System Security The contractor shall ensure adequate LAN/Internet, data, information, and system security in accordance with VA standard operating procedures and standard contract language, conditions laws, and regulations. The contractor's firewall and web server shall meet or exceed the government minimum requirements for security. All government data shall be protected behind an approved firewall. Any security violations or attempted violations shall be reported to the VA project manager and the VHA Headquarters Information Security Officer as soon as possible. The contractor shall follow all applicable VA policies and procedures governing information security, especially those that pertain to certification accreditation. Security Training All contractor employees and subcontractors under this contract or order are required to complete the VA's on-line VA Privacy and Information Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior annually. Contractors must provide signed certifications of completion to the CO during each year of the contract. This requirement is in addition to any other training that may be required of the contractor and subcontractor(s). Contractor Personnel Security All contractor employees who require access to the Department of Veterans Affairs' computer systems shall be the subject of a background investigation and must receive a favorable adjudication from the VA Security and Investigations Center (07C). The level of background security investigation will be in accordance with VA Directive 0710 dated September 10, 2004 and is available at: http://www1.va.gov/vapubs/ (VA Handbook 0710.01, Appendix A-C). Appropriate Background Investigation (BI) forms will be provided upon contract (or task order) award, and are to be completed and returned to the VA Security and Investigations Center (07C) within 30 days for processing. Contractors will be notified by 07C when the BI has been completed and adjudicated. These requirements are applicable to all subcontractor personnel requiring the same access. If the security clearance investigation is not completed prior to the start date of the contract, the employee may work on the contract while the security clearance is being processed, but the contractor will be responsible for the actions of those individuals they provide to perform work for the VA. In the event that damage arises from work performed by contractor personnel, under the auspices of the contract, the contractor will be responsible for resources necessary to remedy the incident. The investigative history for contractor personnel working under this contract must be maintained in the databases of either the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) or the Defense Industrial Security Clearance Organization (DISCO). Should the contractor use a vendor other than OPM or Defense Security Service (DSS) to conduct investigations, the investigative company must be certified by OPM/DSS to conduct contractor investigations. 1. Background Investigation The position sensitivity impact for this effort has been designated as Limited Risk and the level of background investigation is NACI. 2. Contractor Responsibilities a. The contractor shall bear the expense of obtaining background investigations. If the investigation is conducted by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) through the VA, the contractor shall reimburse the VA within 30 days. b. Background investigations from investigating agencies other than OPM are permitted if the agencies possess an OPM and Defense Security Service certification. The Vendor Cage Code number must be provided to the Security and Investigations Center (07C), which will verify the information and advise the contracting officer whether access to the computer systems can be authorized. c. The contractor shall prescreen all personnel requiring access to the computer systems to ensure they maintain a U.S. citizenship and are able to read, write, speak and understand the English language. d. After contract award and prior to contract performance, the contractor shall provide the following information, using Attachment B, to the CO: (1) List of names of contractor personnel. (2) Social Security Number of contractor personnel. (3) Home address of contractor personnel or the contractor's address. e. The contractor, when notified of an unfavorable determination by the Government, shall withdraw the employee from consideration from working under the contract. f. Failure to comply with the contractor personnel security requirements may result in termination of the contract for default. g. Further, the contractor will be responsible for the actions of all individuals provided to work for the VA under this contract. In the event that damages arise from work performed by contractor provided personnel, under the auspices of this contract, the contractor will be responsible for all resources necessary to remedy the incident." 3. Government Responsibilities a. The VA Security and Investigations Center (07C) will provide the necessary forms to the contractor or to the contractor's employees after receiving a list of names and addresses. b. Upon receipt, the VA Security and Investigations Center (07C) will review the completed forms for accuracy and forward the forms to OPM to conduct the background investigation. c. The VA facility will pay for investigations conducted by the OPM in advance. In these instances, the contractor will reimburse the VA facility within 30 days. d. The VA Security and Investigations Center (07C) will notify the contracting officer and contractor after adjudicating the results of the background investigations received from OPM. e. The contracting officer will ensure that the contractor provides evidence that investigations have been completed or are in the process of being requested. J. ELECTRONIC AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS INTERNET/INTRANET The contractor shall comply with Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Directive 6102 and VA Handbook 6102 (Internet/Intranet Services). VA Directive 6102 sets forth policies and responsibilities for the planning, design, maintenance support, and any other functions related to the administration of a VA Internet/Intranet Service Site or related service (hereinafter referred to as Internet). This directive applies to all organizational elements in the Department. This policy applies to all individuals designing and/or maintaining VA Internet Service Sites; including but not limited to full time and part time employees, contractors, interns, and volunteers. This policy applies to all VA Internet/Intranet domains and servers that utilize VA resources. This includes but is not limited to va.gov and other extensions such as, ".com,.edu,.mil,.net,.org," and personal Internet service pages managed from individual workstations. VA Handbook 6102 establishes Department-wide procedures for managing, maintaining, establishing, and presenting VA Internet/Intranet Service Sites or related services (hereafter referred to as "Internet"). The handbook implements the policies contained in VA Directive 6102, Internet/Intranet Services. This includes, but is not limited to, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), Web pages, Active Server Pages (ASP), e-mail forums, and list servers. VA Directive 6102 (Internet/Intranet Services Directive 6102) and VA Handbook 6102 (Internet/Intranet Services Handbook 6102) are available at: http://www.va.gov/vapubs/ Internet/Intranet Services Handbook 6102 Change 1 - updates VA's cookie use policy, Section 508 guidelines, guidance on posting of Hot Topics, approved warning notices, and minor editorial errors. http://www.va.gov/pubs/handbooks/Information-Resources-Management-(IRM)/61021h.doc In addition, any technologies that enable a Network Delivered Application (NDA) to access or modify resources of the local machine that are outside of the browser's "sand box" are strictly prohibited. Specifically, this prohibition includes signed-applets or any ActiveX controls delivered through a browser's session. ActiveX is expressly forbidden within the VA while.NET is allowed only when granted a waiver by the VA CIO *PRIOR* to use. JavaScript is the preferred language standard for developing relatively simple interactions (i.e., forms validation, interactive menus, etc.) and Applets (J2SE APIs and Java Language) for complex network delivered applications. SECTION 508 The contractor shall comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. § 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220), August 7, 1998. In December 2000, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board), pursuant to Section 508(2)(A) of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, established Information Technology accessibility standards for the Federal Government. Section 508(a)(1) requires that when Federal departments or agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use Electronic and Information Technology (EIT), they shall ensure that the EIT allows Federal employees with disabilities to have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access to and use of information and data by other Federal employees. The Section 508 requirement also applies to members of the public seeking information or services from a Federal department or agency. Section 508 text is available at: http://www.opm.gov/HTML/508-textOfLaw.htm http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Content&ID=14 K. CONFIDENTIALITY AND NONDISCLOSURE It is agreed that: 1. The preliminary and final deliverables and all associated working papers, application source code, and other material deemed relevant by the VA which has been generated by the contractor in the performance of this task order are the exclusive property of the U.S. Government and shall be submitted to the CO at the conclusion of the task order. 2. The CO will be the sole authorized official to release verbally or in writing, any data, the draft deliverables, the final deliverables, or any other written or printed materials pertaining to this task order. No information shall be released by the contractor. Any request for information relating to this task order presented to the contractor shall be submitted to the CO for response. 3. Press releases, marketing material or any other printed or electronic documentation related to this project, shall not be publicized without the written approval of the CO. L. INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK: M. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION: Notwithstanding the Contractor's responsibility for total management during the performance of this contract, the administration of the contract will require maximum coordination between the Government and the Contractor. The following individuals will be the Government's points of contact during the performance of this contract: 1.Contracting Officer:Rhonda Horner Contract Specialist: Thomas Manning All contract administration shall be performed by the Contracting Officer unless otherwise designated. 2. Contracting Officer's Representative (COR): Romona Greene The COR shall be designated on the authority of the Contracting Officer at the time of contract award to monitor all technical aspects of the contract. In no event is the COR empowered to change any of the terms and conditions of the contract. Changes in any section of this contract shall be made only by the Contracting Officer pursuant to a properly executed modification. The types of actions within the purview of the COR's authority are to ensure that the Contractor performs the technical requirements of the contract, and to notify both the Contractor and the Contracting Officer of any deficiencies observed. A memorandum of designation shall be issued to the COR and a copy shall be sent to the Contractor at the time of contract award setting forth in full the responsibilities and limitations of the COR. O. DATA RIGHTS Performance of this effort may require the Contractor to access and use data and information proprietary to a Government agency or Government contractor which is of such a nature that its dissemination or use, other than in performance of this effort, would be adverse to the interests of the Government and/or others. If the Contractor must procure data for use in the development of the rates and charges tasks, the estimate for the cost of this data must be included in the cost proposal as a separate line item, if it will be charged back to the Government. If the cost is charged back to the Government, it must be at the direct cost of the data and the data will become the property of the Government and must be turned over to Government upon completion of the task. The Contractor and/or contractor personnel shall not divulge or release data or information developed or obtained in performance of this effort, until made public by the Government, except to authorize Government personnel or upon written approval of the Contracting Officer. The contractor shall not use, disclose, or reproduce proprietary data that bears a restrictive legend, other than as required in the performance of this effort. Nothing herein shall preclude the use of any data independently acquired by the contractor without such limitations or prohibit an agreement at no cost to the Government between the contractor and the data owner which provides for greater rights to the contractor. The Department of Veterans Affairs shall have unlimited rights to and ownership of all deliverables provided under this effort, including reports, recommendations, briefings, work plans and all other deliverables. This includes the deliverables provided under the basic award as well as and any optional task deliverables that are exercised by the Contracting Officer. The definition of "unlimited rights" is contained in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 27.401, Definitions. Deliverable No.ItemQtyDelivery Date 1A detailed project management plan in Microsoft Project format and briefing.1Within 15 business days after award 22a. A draft economic analysis in Excel spreadsheet format12a. Draft due the second week in July, 2014. A final analysis is due within 3 days after government review. 22b. Provide the draft Federal Register and Host file rate update tables by the last week in August. 12b. After government review, the final tables are due no later than first week of September, 2014 22c. Provide a detailed summary outlining the changes (variances from year to year) in rates for each rate increase and shall provide a detailed Excel spreadsheet listing each code and the rate increase.12c. This information shall be provided within 2 weeks of the finalization of the rates for publication in the Federal Register. 22d. Attend the weekly development call and participate as requested.12d. Responses via email to questions on rates and charges within two business days of the receipt of the question. 22e. Provide a final project binder describing the methodology and data used in the rate update. A face to face briefing to the COR must be provided to review and discuss the document.12e. This report shall be provided within 4 weeks of the finalization of the rates for publication in the Federal Register. 3The Contractor shall provide the draft tables for GAAF updates.1Draft due to Government by the second week in October. Final due to Government no later than the second week in November. 44a. Provide a draft economic analysis in Excel spreadsheet format. Final analysis after government review.14a. Draft due the 1st week in October. A final analysis is due within 3 days after government review. 44b. Provide the draft Federal Register and Host file rate update tables. A face to face briefing with the COR must be provided to review and discuss the tables.14b. Draft due the 2nd week in November. After government review, the final tables are due the first week in December. 44c. Provide a detailed summary outlining the changes (variances from year to year) in rates for each rate increase and shall provide a detailed Excel spreadsheet listing each code and the rate increase. 14c. Shall be provided within 2 weeks of the finalization of the rates for publication in the Federal Register. 44d. Attend the weekly development call and participate as requested. 14d. Provide responses via email to questions on rates and charges within two business days of the receipt of the question. 44e. Provide a final project binder describing the methodology and data used in the rate update. A detailed briefing to the COR must be provided to review and discuss the project binder.14e. Project binder shall be provided within 4 weeks of the finalization of the rates for publication in the Federal Register. 44f. Provide a draft National Interim Charge table utilizing VA's current format. 14f. Draft due two weeks after the end of each government quarter. A final table is due within 2 days after government review. 5The Contractor shall provide a detailed executive briefing report on the recommendations, along with suggestions for implementation of the recommendations.1A draft report and briefing will be required after 90 days after award and a final report and briefing will be required at 120 days. The contractor shall provide the detailed analysis that contributes to the formulation of both the draft and the final reports. 6The Contractor must provide a draft report identifying impacts to rates and charges, billing procedures, methodology, draft Federal Register notice (if required) and recommendations to implement ICD10 and/or ICD11 in the current environment.1Draft due within 120 days of award. The report shall include a briefing to the COR. The final report is due within 150 days of award. 7The Contractor shall identify work in-progress or completed, as well as any issues or risks that need to be communicated to the COR. 1Report will be due fourth Wednesday and a briefing will be conducted once per month at a mutually convenient date.
 

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