Sources Sought Notice – R– BS EAP Services
Notice Type: Sources Sought Notice
Posted Date:
Office Address: 00504;
Subject: R-- BS EAP Services
Classification Code: R - Professional, administrative, and management support services
Solicitation Number: VA25717Q0389
Contact:
Setaside: Total Small BusinessTotal Small Business
Place of Performance (address):
Place of Performance (zipcode): 79720
Place of Performance Country:
Description:
NOTE: TO QUALIFY SDVOSB AND VOSB VENDORS MUST BE CERTIFIED IN THE VA VENDOR INFORMATION PAGES (VIP) DATABASE.
The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is 624190. Any SDVOSB or VOSB firms who wish to identify their interests and capability to provide this product must provide product specifications, performance and delivery information by notifying the Contract Specialist no later than
DISCLAIMER
This Source Sought Notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this Notice that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. In accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation, responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this Notice.
The contractor shall establish and coordinate an EAP to provide services as specified herein based on the fixed estimate of the number of employees anticipated to seek assistance in a given month for each health care system. The program shall be established in close collaboration and under general oversight of the Contracting Officer s Representative (COR) at each health care system. Services will be provided at the contractor s facilities. One counseling facility must be provided and located within a 30-minute commute or 15 miles of each location identified in technical exhibit 3.
The contractor shall provide all resources necessary to accomplish the tasks and deliverables described in this Performance of Work Statement (PWS). The contractor will independently provide support services to satisfy the overall operational objectives of WTVAHCS. The primary objective is to provide services and deliverables through performance of employee counseling and assistance services that may be needed by the
The program provided shall be multi-faceted, providing confidential assessment, short-term counseling and/or referral for those presenting with personal problems; biannual training seminars for managers and supervisors on using EAP services to help deal with the troubled employee or for conflict resolution, sexual harassment, workplace violence, for staff as requested by Human Resources; workshops for staff to identify and help resolve behavioral, health, or job performance problems; education, assessment referral, and back-to-work services for alcohol and drug problems, as needed to comply with the policies of the VAMC; and for consultation with Human Resources regarding employees with job performance issues, who may benefit from referral to EAP.
Any care, which cannot be accomplished within the six sessions, per problem, per person and/or is not classified by the most current edition of the
Counselors may refuse to provide services, if a client is unwilling to cooperate. However, every effort to encourage an employee to seek/continue treatment shall be made. In the case of failure to cooperate or an employee dropping out of the program prior to satisfactory resolution, the case file shall be documented to indicate the relevant facts.
When management referrals to EAP are due to unacceptable, unusual or deviant behavior, the Program Coordinator or EAP Counselor shall have documented dialogue with the referring office/individual to define the job behavior, which resulted in the referral. The referred employee will be required to comply with attendance for at least one session.
Quality Control (QC): The contractor shall develop and maintain an effective quality control program to ensure services are performed in accordance with this PWS. The contractor shall develop and implement procedures to ensure appropriate counseling services are being provided. The contractor s quality control program assures that work complies with the requirement of the contract. A proposed Quality Control Plan shall be submitted with the offeror s proposal. After acceptance of the quality control plan the contractor shall receive the contracting officer s acceptance in writing of any proposed change to the QC system. The contractor agrees to an ongoing Quality Assurance Surveillance Program.
The quality control plan shall include an on-going quality improvement program designed to objectively and systematically monitor and evaluate the quality and appropriateness of patient care, resolve identified problems, and pursue opportunities to improve patient care. The contractor shall implement a case review process which will consist of reviewing ten percent (10%) of cases anonymously including the presenting problems/symptoms, treatment plan including referral, and outcome. Cases reviewed will include a representative from all case types that were seen during the last 12 months. The quality control plan shall also describe how satisfaction surveys will be conducted. The contractor will maintain a record of patient complaints, to include problem/resolution in a retrievable file.
Quality Assurance: The government shall evaluate the contractor s performance under this contract in accordance with the performance requirements identified in Technical Exhibit 1. The performance requirements are designed to ensure the contractor has performed in accordance with the performance requirements and identify the means by which the Government will monitor the contractor s performance. It defines how the performance standards will be applied, the frequency of surveillance, and the minimum acceptable defect rate(s).
Recognized Holidays: Contractor is not required to perform in person services on the following holidays.
Independence
Hours of Operation: The contractor shall provide general services from
Telephonic emergency crisis intervention service shall be available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Emergency appointments shall be available within 24 hours of contact.
Secure web (online) resources and information and tools available twenty-four (24) hour, seven (7) day per week.
Place of Performance: The majority of the work to be performed under this contract will be performed at the contractor s facility.
Security Requirements:
Confidentiality: Proper confidentiality should be maintained regarding identifying and personal information of clients and/or family members to include social security numbers, telephone numbers, and interview information. Security will be maintained both physically and with automation equipment. Ethics and standards of confidentiality will be followed according to industry professional standard of conduct.
To ensure employee confidentiality, the contractor shall be monitored by a blind survey procedure during the contract performance period. The contractor will coordinate the dates/times for these training sessions thru the COR.
Case Files Privacy Act:
The contractor shall maintain complete, individual case files for all employees referred for assistance, consistent with industry standards. Case files shall be maintained in accordance with the confidentiality requirements of PL 93-282 and the implementing Federal Regulations, section 2.11(n) of 42 CFR Part 2 and PL 93-579 (Privacy Act).
Medical records of employees with alcohol and/or drug abuse problems will be protected in accordance with sections 523 and 527 of the Public Health Services Act, 42 U.S.C. 290dd-3 and 290ee-3, which is implemented by 42 CFR, part 2. The counseling records of employees' biopsychosocial problems will be protected in the same manner to ensure confidentiality and will be maintained and disposed of in accordance with applicable
VHA Privacy Awareness:
Pursuant to the
The contractor may substitute its own Privacy Awareness Training that meets the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule as determined by VHA.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA):
In accordance with 45 CFR 164.502(e), the Privacy Rule includes exceptions to the Business Associate standard. This contract and its requirements meet the following exception and does not require a Business Associate agreement in order for Covered Entity to disclose Protected Health Information to: a health care provider for treatment. Based on this exception, a Business Associate agreement is not required for this contract.
Eligibility for Services: Services shall be provided for all employees located at each health care system and their outlying clinics (CBOC, mobile clinics etc. or equivalent). EAP Services may be made available to immediate family members as needed in assisting the employee per Veterans Health Administration Handbook 5019, paragraph 2b. Immediate family is defined as spouse, children, and step-children. Significant other is defined as the individual whom the employee shares a household with and has a significant emotional relationship. Significant emotional relationship is defined as a relationship similar to that of a spouse.
Verification of eligibility will be made by viewing employee identification issued by the health care system, samples of the employee badges will be provided during the contract kick off meeting.
Employee Transportation: Each employee will be responsible for his/her own transportation to appointments.
Referrals: Requests for employee assistance program services may be made by the employee (self-referral) and by the Contracting Officer s Representative (management-directed).
Management-directed referrals include those requested by a manager/supervisor, union representative, or member of the facility s occupational health office and may involve a single employee or a group of employees.
Special Qualifications of Contract Personnel: The contractor shall ensure all personnel performing under this contract:
Licensed and/or certified staff for the specialty area required by the inquiry. This includes, but is not limited to: all applicable state and professional licenses for the specialty concerned.
Master s Degree for Social Worker and PhD for Psychologist
Standardized credentialing processes, including maintenance of credentialing records to ensure providers are properly credentialed and privileged to provide necessary services. The credentialing process should verify the provider s malpractice claims, verification of licensures/certifications, and any
Contractor s patient records shall be maintained in accordance with all applicable regulations.
The contractor agrees to assign referrals to the appropriate qualified staff as represented in its proposal.
Contractor shall identify each person functioning as Key Personnel under this contract. At a minimum, key personnel are defined as the project manager who will interface with the CORs, and a clinician who will be serving in the close proximity of each primary facility location.
The contractor shall provide, at the request of the Contracting Officer or Contracting Officer s Representative, documentation of qualifications, training and experience, of personnel performing under this contract. Failure to ensure personnel meet the necessary qualifications may be cause for termination of the contract. Qualifications of contractor personnel shall be subject to review.
The Government will have the right to request the Contractor replace any individual who is determined by the government to be a security risk, has been determined to have violated client confidentiality/privacy, or has been determined to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs or is physically or mentally impaired to the extent that they cannot perform tasks established in this PWS. This determination shall be made within the sole discretion of the Contracting Officer or his/her designee. This determination shall not relieve the Contractor from meeting the performance requirements of this contract.
Substitution of Personnel: The contractor agrees that during the first ninety (90) days of the contract performance period, no personnel substitutions shall be permitted unless such substitutions are necessitated by an individual s sudden illness, death, or termination of employment. In any of these events, the contractor shall immediately notify the Contracting Officer or the Contracting Officer s Representative and provides the information required below.
After the initial 90-day period, all proposed substitutions must be submitted, in writing, at least fifteen (15) days in advance of the proposed substitutions to the Contracting Officer or the Contracting Officer s Representative and provides the information required below.
Requests for substitutions shall include: a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitution; resume for the proposed substitute; financial disclosure statement; and other information requested by the Contracting Officer or the Contracting Officer s Representative necessary to review and approve or disapprove. All proposed substitute personnel shall have the equivalent qualifications as the person they are replacing.
Post Award Conference/Periodic Progress Meetings: The Contractor agrees to attend any post award conference convened by the contracting activity or contract administration office in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 42.5. The contracting officer, Contracting Officers Representative (COR), and other Government personnel, as deemed appropriate by the contracting officer or COR, may meet periodically with the contractor to review the contractor's performance. At these meetings the contracting officer or COR will apprise the contractor of how the Government views the contractor's performance and the contractor will apprise the Government of problems, if any, being experienced. Appropriate action shall be taken to resolve outstanding issues. These meetings shall be at no additional cost to the Government.
Contracting Officer Representative (COR): The COR will be identified by separate letter for each health care system. The COR monitors all technical aspects of the contract and assists in contract administration. The COR is authorized to perform the following functions: ensure that the Contractor performs the technical requirements of the contract, perform inspections necessary in connection with contract performance, maintain written and oral communications with the Contractor concerning technical aspects of the contract, issue written interpretations of technical requirements, specifications: monitor Contractor's performance and notifies both the Contracting Officer and Contractor of any deficiencies; coordinate availability of Government furnished property, and provide site entry of Contractor personnel. (see 1.7.5 ) A letter of designation issued to the COR, a copy of which is sent to the Contractor, states the responsibilities and limitations of the COR, especially with regard to changes in cost or price, estimates or changes in delivery dates. The COR is not authorized to change any of the terms and conditions of the resulting order.
Transportation and Travel Time: The contract price shall include the transportation of contractor personnel. No additional charges shall be authorized for any transportation expenses incurred during the performance of this contract.
Performance Survey Procedures: The contractor shall provide a performance survey form. The anonymous performance survey shall be offered to all employees at the conclusion of their counseling. Surveys of services provided shall be provided to the Contracting Officer s Representative in an analysis format on a quarterly basis.
Contractor Reports: The contractor shall provide statistical reports on a quarterly basis. The report shall include, at a minimum, demographic information, as well as types of service provided. See Technical Exhibit 5, Deliverable Specifications.
Verification of Management-Directed Referrals: The contractor shall issue a verification of attendance with the Contracting Officers Representative on the next business day on all employees who have been management-directed to obtain counseling services, whether or not the employee has requested leave to attend counseling.
Financial Disclosure Statement: If requested by the Government, the contractor agrees that all personnel performing under this contract shall provide a financial disclosure statement detailing the extent of any financial interest in any community treatment facility or other resource to which employees might be referred as a result of their counseling under the EAP.
Administration:
Correspondence. All correspondence shall be submitted through the COR within the established suspense dates and time limits and shall be accurate, complete, and submitted to the correct office or person. Client confidentiality will be protected at all times when preparing and sending written material, or electronic messages.
Release of Information. Non-confidential information will be released to requesting military or civilian agencies on a need-to-know basis as determined by the COR. Confidential information will be released upon obtaining the appropriate consent for release of information form signed by the client.
Training. Cost of needed training will be at Contractor s expense.
Over and Above Services: The monthly service includes EAP related services to include Critical Incident Stress Management,
PART 3-GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY, EQUIPMENT, AND SERVICES
GOVERNMENT FURNISHED ITEMS AND SERVICES:
Materials: None unless the contractor is on site for training purposes in which case the contractor will be issued a temporary badge if required by health care system policies.
Services: None.
Facilities: The
PART 4-CONTRACTOR FURNISHED ITEMS AND SERVICES
CONTRACTOR FURNISHED ITEMS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
General: The Contractor shall furnish all supplies, equipment, facilities, and services required to perform work under this contract that are not listed under Part 3 of this PWS.
Materials: The Contractor shall provide all materials required to conduct counseling sessions, training(s), critical outbriefs, maintain appropriate documentation, and administer the contract. Any exceptions are detailed in Part 3 of the PWS.
Personnel: The contractor shall furnish all personnel required to perform the functions of this PWS to include an account manager or project manager with the authority to act on behalf of the contractor. The account manager or project manager will provide his/her name, telephone number, and any other contact information to the COR in writing and any changes that might occur.
PART 5-SPECIFIC TASKS
Specific Tasks:
SUB CLIN A: Basic Services
Local, in-person problem assessment, initial counseling toward identifying and assessing the complexity of personal problems which may affect job performance. Follow up counseling will be limited to a maximum of six (6) visits per identified problem, per person, per year.
Twenty-four (24) hour/day emergency telephone number for immediate professional help. Provider shall forward medical emergency calls to 911 when applicable.
Employee awareness materials such as brochures, posters, quarterly newsletters, business cards, etc.
Feedback on employee progress to the COR for management-directed referrals, as authorized by the employee. The COR shall receive a verification of attendance upon completion of the program or as requested
Guidance to supervisors when personal problems of subordinate staff cause unsatisfactory job performance.
Promotion of the EAP program by making the following available:
Initial orientation for employees and supervisors at each station (WTVAHCS), and bi-annually thereafter as requested by each station.
Employee brochures and wallet cards.
A monthly newsletter regarding various mental health topics for distribution to all employees (may be electronic or hard copy).
Supervisor manuals provided for distribution as requested by each station.
EAP promotional materials for distribution to employees at each station.
Posters displaying a toll-free hotline telephone number to each an EAP counselor 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
SUB CLIN B: Critical Incident Stress Management
On-site crisis intervention, as requested by the COR, with individual or section group of employees up to ten (10) sessions per year. Each session shall be limited to one (1) hour. A plan of action will be provided to the COR after the initial sessions outlining future sessions for approval. Additional hours may be arranged thru the COR at additional cost.
SUB CLIN D:
Team building/conflict resolution or other similar activity sessions shall be available to employee groups as requested up to twenty (20) sessions per year. Each session shall be limited to one (1) hour. A plan of action will be provided to the COR after the initial sessions outlining future sessions for approval. Additional hours may be arranged thru the COR at additional cost.
SUB CLIN D: Training and Educational Services
The contractor shall develop and conduct separate initial EAP awareness training, quarterly but no less than annually each year to all shifts (day, evening, and nights). The contractor will coordinate the dates/times for these training sessions thru the COR:
Supervisors/Managers, Union officials, and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Staff
General employees.
The contractor shall provide a representative on-site, once per quarter each fiscal year, available to answer general employee questions and discuss relevant topical information about the
Additional training may be required during the contract period specifically addressing mandatory drug testing, or other similar mandated policies, for both employees and management staff. The contract may substitute the above noted quarterly visits with the staff mandatory training with the approval of the COR. The contractor will coordinate the dates/times for these training sessions thru the COR. Additional hours may be arranged thru the COR at additional cost.
The contractor shall provide
PART 6-APPLICABLE PUBLICATIONS
APPLICABLE PUBLICATIONS (CURRENT EDITIONS)
The Contractor must abide by all applicable regulations, publications, manuals, and local policies and procedures.
Veterans Administration Handbook 5019, Part VI.
PART 7-ATTACHMENT/TECHNICAL EXHIBIT LISTING
Technical Exhibit List:
Technical Exhibit 1 Performance Requirements Summary
Technical Exhibit 2 Deliverables Schedule
Technical Exhibit 3 Estimated Workload Data
Technical Exhibit 4 Historical Workload Data
Technical Exhibit 5 - Deliverable Specifications
TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 1-Performance Requirements Summary
The contractor service requirements are summarized into performance objectives that relate directly to mission essential items. The performance threshold briefly describes the minimum acceptable levels of service required for each requirement. These thresholds are critical to mission success.
Performance Objective
(The Service required usually a shall statement)
Standard
Performance Threshold (This is the maximum error rate. It could possibly be Zero deviation from standard )
Method of Surveillance
PRS # 1
The contractor shall schedule all routine calls for services in a timely manner.
The contractor shall schedule all routine calls for services within 24 hours after a request is made by an employee.
Timely scheduling shall occur 98% of the time.
COR surveillance utilization report
PRS # 2
The contractor shall provide utilization reports in the designated format to the COR.
The contractor shall submit reports to the COR on a quarterly basis by the 15th of the month (Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct).
Timely submission shall occur 100% of the time.
COR surveillance date report received.
PRS #3
The contractor shall submit a counseling plan for all group sessions.
The contractor shall submit a plan showing the number of type of contract hours proposed for review/approval to the COR within 3 business days after the first group meeting.
Timely submission shall occur 100% of the time.
COR surveillance date report received.
PRS # 4
The contractor shall submit proper invoices for payment in a timely manner.
The contractor shall submit proper invoices for monthly services in arrears to the
Timely submission shall occur 90% of the time.
COR surveillance date invoice received.
TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 2- Deliverables Schedule
Deliverable
Frequency
# of Copies
Medium/Format
Submit To
Utilization Report
Quarterly
1 copy
Via email in Portable Document Format (.pdf)
To COR
Counseling Plan
Within 3 business days after first group meeting
1 copy
Via email in Portable Document Format (.pdf)
To COR
Invoice
Monthly
2 copies
1 copy via email in Portable Document Format (.pdf) and 1 electronic copy
To COR and OB10
TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 3- Estimated Workload Data
This technical exhibit lists the fixed estimate of the number of employees anticipated to seek assistance in a given month for each health care system.
ITEM
DESCRIPTION
ESTIMATED NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES ANTICIPATED TO SEEK SERVICES
1
Hospital
CBOC s
Permian Basin CBOC
Abilene CBOC
3850 Ridgemont
San Angelo CBOC
2018 Pulliam
Hobbs CBOC
1601
Ft. Stockton CBOC
2071 North Main
Ft. Stockton, TX 79735
Stamford Veteran s Clinic
1601
650
ITEM
DESCRIPTION
ESTIMATED NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES ANTICIPATED TO SEEK SERVICES
VET CENTERS
Midland Vet Center
Taylor County Vet Center
TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 4-Historical Workload Data
This technical exhibit lists the historical data relating to EAP services provided to each health care system in the past year based on the following number of employees at each facility:
WTVAHCS = 650
ITEM
DESCRIPTION
1
Number of Users
Number of cases opened
Number of number of individuals served within each case
Number of hours of critical incident activity
Number of hours of team building/conflict resolution activity
Number of hours of training and educational services provided
Number of web hits
650
30
32
0
0
0
20
TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 5-Deliverable Specifications
The three reporting deliverables identified in Technical Exhibit 2 should provide the following fields of data.
1. Invoices (individual invoices shall be submitted by site WTVAHCS):
Contractor s name and address
Contractor s point of contact to include telephone number
Contract number and annual obligation number
Invoice period (e.g.,
Itemized listing of CLIN services provided along with charges
Invoice total
2. Utilization Reports: (for the reporting period and YTD. An individual report is required for each site WTVAHCS.):
(for the reporting period and YTD):
1) EAP Return on Investment
2) Return on Investment Ratio
3) Number of calls received each month within the reporting period
4) Number scheduled within 24 hours
5) Total New Cases (Face-to-Face) both by number of participants and number of hours
6) Total Continued Cases (Face-to-Face) both by number of participants and number of hours
7) Crisis Case Management broken down by category (i.e., crisis intervention, crisis telephone, etc) by number of participants and number of hours
8) Number of employee participants by number of participants and number of hours
9) Number of dependent participants by number of participants and number of hours
10) Statistical depiction of primary assessed problems
11) Statistical depictions of client demographics (gender, marital status, age, etc)
12) Breakdown of organizational support services by category and action
13) Economic analysis and calculation by service category and service to include number of participants, cost savings, and economic value
14) Number of satisfaction surveys conducted and number of satisfied employees
3. Counseling Plan:
a) Title assigned by the COR
b) Number of contract hours to be used and type of services to be provided
4. Contractor Staff List:
a)
b) Experience, education, licensure/certification/registration, special skills, and demographics.
c) Verification of credentialing processes, including maintenance of credentialing records to ensure counselors/providers are credentialed to provide the necessary services. The credentialing process shall verify the provider s malpractice claims, verification of licensures/certification and any
Link/URL: https://www.fbo.gov/spg/VA/VAAHCS/VAAHCS/VA25717Q0389/listing.html
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