Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Notice of Future Solicitation VHA Integrated Healthcare Transformation The purpose of this Notice is to inform industry, including the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) community, that the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Procurement and Logistics, Strategic Acquisition Center- Frederick intends to soon release a solicitation for VHA Integrated Healthcare Transformation. Background VA previously released several Requests for Information and conducted an Industry Day related to a future requirement for VHA Integrated Healthcare Transformation (IHT). Based upon industry feedback, stakeholder input and associated refinements to the requirement, VA now anticipates release of a solicitation in August 2019. Purpose This requirement will support the needs of VHA program offices, specifically the Office of Healthcare Transformation (OHT) and its customers to best accomplish VHA s mission and strategic goals, priorities and initiatives. This work will be complex and agile and will be best supported through expert healthcare contractors providing critical market-based healthcare industry skills that augment the internal activities of the VHA program offices. This acquisition, referred to as Veteran Healthcare Administration Integrated Healthcare Transformation (VHA IHT), will provide a vehicle for a broad range of general management and business services and solutions in the broad health care environment. The functional categories (FCs) will include: FC 1: Health System Transformation and Innovation, FC 2: Implementation and Operations Support and FC 3: Specialized Health Systems Functions (previous service groups consolidated and categorized within these three primary categories). VHA IHT will provide best value healthcare and professional consulting services to VHA through a pool of highly qualified Veteran Integrated contractor Teams (VITs). The resulting acquisition vehicle is intended to be a multiple award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. This acquisition solution balances VA s obligation to provide to our Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) direct contracting opportunities and the VHA National Program need to obtain maximum value from healthcare related professional service expenditures. Opportunities for SDVOSBs are provided through set-aside IDIQ award(s) to Integrated Teams led by SDVOSBs serving as Veteran Integrated Team Agile Leads (VITAL), and SDVOSB teaming partners serving as VIT Eligible Partners (VITEPs). VHA National Programs will recognize maximum value from healthcare related professional service expenditures through integrated support crossing various Functional Categories, access to national healthcare consulting VIT Partners, and Team Partners with expert knowledge in any of the identified Functional Categories. Additional benefits include a vehicle that is focused on efficiency with streamlined ordering procedures and reduced procurement lead times. Task orders against this IDIQ contract will require contractor support for vast and complex healthcare programs and projects. VHA healthcare is a complex integrated system that must transform in response to both the changing needs of the Veteran population and changes in the healthcare industry. These shifts create challenges and require collaboration (internal and external partnerships) as well as new and innovative approaches to healthcare and healthcare delivery. The programs and projects will require diverse healthcare operations knowledge and experience. Subject matter expertise could be required to be rapidly available to provide national support under a potential task order including, but not limited to, the following areas: high reliability organization, electronic health records management, healthcare modernization and transformation (to include integration of artificial intelligence solutions and disruptive models), financial management business transformation in a healthcare setting, healthcare human resources (to include credentialing, privileging and licensing), healthcare regulatory compliance, healthcare analytics, mental health and suicide prevention, access to care, and population health. All work will support various areas under VHAs business functional framework. Requirements of this PWS and future task orders will require highly complex healthcare experience. Highly complex healthcare requirements may include the involvement of multiple Functional Categories and several program offices and/or departments e.g. DOD and VHA. Healthcare consists of the continuum of care and services that include but are not limited to: operations, management, and planning of diagnostic, preventative, remedial, therapeutic services in inpatient, outpatient, and telemedicine settings. Healthcare requirements may also include other activities such as management support of supply chain i.e. medical equipment, pharmacy services, healthcare claims processing and benefits administration. The scope of these requirements will also include the integration and management of various interrelated workstreams for a strategic, resource intensive, time constrained projects. Next Steps Interested firms (SVOSBs, other socio-economic categories and other than small businesses looking to play a role as VIT team members) are advised to monitor FBO for the solicitation, and to follow any included guidance/instructions included within the solicitation. This requirement will be a 100% SDVOSB set-aside, but fully mission capable VITs will likely require participation from the best firms within the gamut of socio-economic categories as well as leaders in private health care consulting. Additional Information Joint Ventures VIP Verified SDBOSBs considering submission as prospective VITALs may do so independently or as part of a Joint Venture (JV). For the VITAL assessment of the advisory phase (Phase I), the Government anticipates considering work done individually by each partner to the JV, and previous work of the JV itself; however, given the tremendously important responsibilities assigned to the SDVOSB in contracts awarded to a JV, the relative experience of the SDVOSB partner to the JV may receive greater consideration/scrutiny given the significant predictive value in ensuring the experience of the SDVOSB integrating and managing large complex healthcare requirements is adequately considered. Limiting the amount of experience that may be credited to the non-SDVOSB partner (amount TBD) ensures meaningful consideration of the experience of the SDVOSB member of the JV. During the Advisory Phase (Phase I), prospective JVs may be provided a conditional advisement letter indicating viability as VITAL subject to CVE verification. To be eligible to serve in the VITAL role, the JV must be a separate legal entity verified as an SDVOSB, prior to the date established for receipt of Phase II proposals (formal team submission), and must have carr(ied) out no more than three specific or limited-purpose business ventures for joint profit over a two year period. If not already formed and verified, prospective JVs are therefore encouraged to start the JV verification process now to maximize the potential that CVE will have the opportunity to process the verification application in time. The Contracting Officer does not intend to intervene in the CVE verification process and cannot guarantee expedited processing of applications. See the attached CVE Verification Assistance Brief Understanding Joint Venture and Mentor Protégé Eligibility for an overview and eligibility requirements. Questions regarding CVE process and additional details on verification eligibility should contact VA OSDBU/CVE. Contract Teaming Arrangements Contract Teaming Arrangements (CTAs) may be desirable from a Government and industry standpoint to enable companies involved to (1) complement each other s unique capabilities and (2) offer the Government the best combination of performance, cost, and delivery for the system or product being acquired. VITs will be fundamentally built upon formal CTAs. The Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) defines a CTA as [A]n arrangement in which--(1) Two or more companies form a partnership or joint venture to act as a potential prime contractor; or (2) A potential prime contractor agrees with one or more other companies to have them act as its subcontractors under a specified Government contract or acquisition program. For the IHT requirement, a joint venture CTA may be used to fill the VITAL role as described above. The second described CTA, prime contractor agreement with subcontractors, will be necessary to ensure robust, fully mission capable teams comprised of the prime (VITAL) and complementing VITEPs and VIT Subcontract-Only (VITSO) partners. Upon receipt of assessment results (Phase I), prospective VITALs will establish CTAs with those firms necessary to build the best possible team positioned to support any and all IHT task orders. Prospective VITALs should now be conducting the early dialog necessary to ensure CTAs in place prior to the date established for receipt of Phase II proposals (formal team submission). Questions regarding this notice should be sent to: Mr. William Milline (
[email protected]) Mr. Kevin Armillotti (
[email protected]) Mr. Allen Smith (
[email protected])