HEALTH CARE FINANCING ADMINISTRATION OFFICE OF ACQUISITION AND GRANTS 6325 SECURITY BOULEVARD, BALTO., MD., 21207

R -- RESEARCH AND DEMONSTRATION TASK ORDER CONTRACTS SOL HCFA-RFP-95-055/DB POC Dave Barbato, Contract Specialist, 410-966-5145. HCFA is soliciting proposals for Research and Demonstration Centers, Task Order Contracts. These Contracts will involve the organizations in the performance of a variety of research and demonstrations projects associated with the Medicare and Medicaid (and related) programs. The contractor will be required to perform tasks involving the development, implementation, and/or evaluation of health care financing research and demonstration studies, projects and analyses. Such functions and activities are diverse and require that the contractor have, or be able to acquire under the terms and conditions of their contractual agreement, the resources and expertise to perform these functions on an almost immediate basis. Typically, a research study involves any or all of the following three categories of work functions and activities: (1) Research Planning and Design --framing of the basic concept and technical approach, meet with appropriate individuals to solidify the technical approach, and other activities, such as literature reviews, expert consultation, and administrative approvals (e.g., Privacy Act Systems Notices/Paperwork Reduction Clearance Act/data clearances) may also need to be addressed, develop a detailed data acquisition plan, and refinements of the resources (costs) that will be incurred, (2) Research Performance and Analysis -- the work involved in this category relates to the actual doing of the particular activities described in an approved work/analysis plan(s) and research design, perform such studies, briefings, data acquisition, data analysis, convening expert panels, devising or conducting surveys, conducting interviews, performing simulations, conceptually analyzing issues or policies, statistically examining issues, or performing other functions and tasks that are required to by a particular project's research design and work/analysis plan(s), (3) Research Reporting and Dissemination -- technical reporting includes the design itself, work plan, analysis plan, data acquisition plan, Technical Advisory Meeting reports, case study reports, interview reports, other meeting reports, issues/options papers, survey reports, data files, interim reports, final reports, briefing materials, articles, etc., management reporting includes the monthly and/or quarterly progress reports and any necessary supporting documentation required under the particular task order project. Dissemination includes activities that are intended to inform researchers, policy makers, or other audiences of the status, content, or meaning of a particular project or set of projects. The HCFA research and demonstration program experiences requirements for specific studies whose results must be available in a relatively short period or which must be initiated rapidly in order to have information available for program decisions by the Administration and/or the Congress. To avoid the use of noncompetitive procurements and to meet the rapid timeliness requirements for certain studies, a contracting vehicle has been established (Task Order Contracts) under which the preliminary screening of multiple awardees of high caliber has been accomplished as a part of the original award process. The contractors are then asked to undertake individual studies. We believe the use of multiple Task Order Contracts provides a solution which resolves the conflict between the need to move rapidly to accomplish high quality research and the requirement to preserve competition. The approach we have adopted in this procurement vehicle has the following characteristics: (a) the use of multiple Task Order Contracts, (b) once awarded, these contracts may exist for up to 60 months and involve individual orders/projects (tasks) which could extend up to 60 months, but would normally be about 12 months in length and involve two to three person-years of effort), and (c) the encouragement of all potential bidders. Contractor team arrangements are encouraged. This announcement has been done in a level of detail sufficient to inform the marketplace of all the types of studies that would be acquired under this procurement. No further announcements will be made as the individual project tasks are initiated with the Task Order Contract holders. Award of contracts will be made pending the availability of funds and receipt by HCFA of required internal/external clearances. Requests for the RFP must be in writing and marked ATTN: RFP-HCFA-95-055/DB. The RFP will be released on a first come, first serve basis until the supply is exhausted. Telephone requests will not be honored. (0114)

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