R -- TELEPHONE CUSTOMER SERVICE (TCS) STRATEGY

Notice Date

December 6, 2000

Contracting Office

Health Care Financing Administration, Acquisition and Grants Group, C2-21-15, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD., 21244-1850

ZIP Code

21244-1850

Solicitation Number

HCFA-01-0003

Point of Contact

Debbie Strittmatter, Contract Specialist (410)786-5136

E-Mail Address

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT THE CONTRACT SPECIALIST VIA (TCSS@HCFA.GOV)

Description

The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) is soliciting proposals for multiple award indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts in support of its Telephone Customer Service (TCS) Strategy for the Medicare program. The solicitation is expected to be available on or about Dec 22, 2000. HCFA will also be holding a pre-proposal conference on Jan 04, 2001, which will address the IDIQ requirement. BACKGROUND: The goal of the TCS strategy, the operating model for ongoing and future telephone customer service operations, is to continuously improve Medicare customer satisfaction through the delivery of high quality and cost effective telephone customer service. In addition to call center operations, the TCS strategy covers functions such as: human resources, customer satisfaction, information technology, training, telephone voice and data networking and continuous improvement through performance measurement (e.g., call quality, level of service quality, continuous feedback loop for operations monitoring.). Currently, HCFA provides a wide range of telephone information services through standalone and linked call centers operated by contractors using a variety of technologies. As a result, HCFA must work to standardize responses to inquiries, while establishing communication among and across call centers and developing standards for monitoring contractor performance and measuring satisfaction. With the implementation of TCS strategy initiatives, much improvement has been achieved in monitoring contractor performance uniformly and measuring beneficiary satisfaction among HCFA's contractors. Additionally, establishing 1-800-Medicare in March 1999, led to improvements in standardizing responses to beneficiary inquiries and communicating across the call centers that respond to 1-800-Medicare calls. Improvements are still needed in standardizing responses to inquiries by HCFA's other contractors as well as in communications among these call centers. Task Orders awarded under these IDIQ contracts will provide for further improvements in these areas through the use of network management and standardization of a customer service desktop. SCOPE: This requirement represents the critical work of comprehensive call center operations for the Medicare program. The functions covered under this requirement include all of the work and activities to operate, manage and deliver successful customer telephone services to a business enterprise serving 39 million people and other HCFA agents, partners and customers. Operating and managing a call center includes the ability to perform work such as: providing call center start up, operations and management; recruiting customer service representatives (CSRs); training CSRs on programmatic as well as call center operations; developing and maintaining training material; providing quality assurance/quality management/quality improvement (QA/QM/QI); providing and operating a Reference Center (specialized problem resolution unit to research and handle calls escalated from front line CSRs); responding to customer service needs of special needs populations; processing transactions; developing and managing desktop content; providing network management; providing print fulfillment; providing call center desktop applications; providing and operating an information warehouse; and, performing other related functions. We anticipate that the first task order will be to operate the Medicare Choices Helpline, 1-800-Medicare, a toll free call center for people with Medicare. Customer service representatives at the Helpline, in operation nationwide since March 15, 1999, assist beneficiaries, family members and caregivers with questions about Medicare (enrollment, replacement Medicare cards, Medigap, waste, fraud and abuse, coverage, Medicaid, quality of care, etc.) and Medicare health plan options. In many instances, callers are referred to the appropriate HCFA agent/partner. Services offered through 1-800-Medicare include a Reference Center for research and assistance with complex questions, support for Medicare members requesting to disenroll from Medicare health plans, and a print/fulfillment operation for Medicare publications. Between October 1, 1999, and September 30, 2000, (Federal Fiscal Year 2000), approximately 4 million calls were made to 1-800-Medicare. Anticipated call volume for Fiscal Year 2001 is 4.8 million. As the TCS strategy is further developed and ongoing projects are fully implemented, call volume will increase. The total national call volume from people with Medicare experienced by HCFA's other existing agents exceeds 16 million annually. ABOUT THE TCS SOLICITATION: This is a full and open competition with an NAICS code of 561422 that has a size standard of $5 million. HOW TO OBTAIN THE TCS SOLICITATION: The TCS solicitation will be available to the general public on or about Dec 22, 2000. You may obtain the solicitation either by: 1) Internet (WWW.HCFA.GOV/CONTRACTS) or 2) for interested sources who do not have Internet access, a paper copy of the document will be provided. ABOUT THE PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE: HCFA will hold a pre-proposal conference on Jan 04, 2001, to explain the solicitation requirement to interested sources. The conference will be held in the HCFA auditorium and will start at 9:30 a.m. It is anticipated that the conference will run to approximately 4:00 p.m. The conference date is subject to change. Therefore, you should visit the HCFA web site to confirm the date before traveling to Baltimore. Organizations wishing to attend the conference must RSVP by Dec 29, 2000, and may do so by sending an E-mail communication to TCSS@HCFA.GOV. E-mail communications should include company name, address, name of attendees, phone number and E-mail address. HCFA is not responsible for travel costs to the pre-proposal conference. TCS BIDDER'S LIST: Those wishing to be included on the bidders list should send an E-mail to TCSS@HCFA.GOV which includes company name, address, point of contact, phone, fax and E-mail address. QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS: HCFA prefers that interested parties submit questions and comments regarding the TCSS solicitations via E-mail to the addresses mentioned above. However, for parties who do not have E-mail access please submit questions and comments via postal mail on a 3 1/2 inch diskette in Microsoft Word 97 to: HCFA, Acquisitions and Grants Group, Attn: Debbie Strittmatter, 7500 Security Blvd, C2-21-15, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850. HCFA will attempt to answer those questions received prior to Jan 04, 2001, at the pre-proposal conference.

Web Link

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE RFP (WWW.HCFA.GOV/CONTRACTS)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20001208/RSOL002.HTM (W-341 SN508330)