Update (06/15/21): Thank you to all respondents to this notice. Following the closing of this special notice, this requirement was substantively revised. The Government will now be soliciting for three separate requirements related to the Immunization (IZ) Gateway and submission of vaccination information to CDC: 1. Immunization Gateway Operations and Maintenance , which will involve establishing a comprehensive, integrated infrastructure for operations and maintenance (O&M), enhancement and optimization, and end-user support for the IZ Gateway. 2. Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) of the Immunization Gateway , which will involve an independent review and assessment of the IZ Gateway requirements, specifications, design decisions, system architecture, hardware/software technology decisions, and other development life cycle decisions used to establish, operate, and maintain the existing IZ Gateway infrastructure. 3. CDC Immunization Data Repository Technical Assistance , which will involve providing technical assistance to CDC, prioritized federal and non-federal vaccination providers, and IIS jurisdictions to facilitate the submission and maintenance of the submission of immunization information to CDC through methods and processes outside of the IZ Gateway. Please note: The entity that is selected to conduct the Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) of the IZ Gateway must not be the same entity that is selected to perform the IZ Gateway Operations and Maintenance (O&M) requirement in order for the IV&V review and assessment to be independent. Therefore, any entity that submits a quote for the IZ Gateway O&M requirement will be ineligible for consideration of the IZ Gateway IV&V requirement. If an entity which submitted a quote in response to the IZ Gateway O&M requirement submits another quote in response to the IZ Gateway IV&V requirement, the quote submitted in response to the IZ Gateway IV&V requirement will be ruled ineligible and not evaluated. The Government anticipates soliciting all three requirements using the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Information Technology. The Government anticipates issuing the Request for Quotes (RFQ) for the IZ Gateway O&M requirement shortly. This RFQ will be provided directly to schedule contractors identified during market research and is not anticipated to be posted on GSA e-Buy. The RFQs for the IZ Gateway IV&V requirement and CDC Immunization Data Repository Technical Assistance requirement are anticipated to be released in a similar fashion over the next few weeks. A. Introduction This special notice provides a draft performance work statement, sources sought notice, and request for information. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) seeks industry input for an upcoming solicitation. All responses received in response to this notice will be used to develop a sound acquisition strategy for this upcoming requirement. B. Background CDC has a mission to protect America from health, safety, and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S. The mission of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), a component of CDC, is the prevention of disease, disability, and death through immunization and by control of respiratory and related diseases. Immunization information systems (IIS) are confidential, population-based, computerized databases that record all immunization doses administered by participating providers to persons residing within a given geopolitical area. The Immunization Gateway (IZ Gateway) is a portfolio of components that share a common IT infrastructure. These components support the exchange of immunization data between IIS, provider organizations, and consumer applications. The IZ Gateway facilitates the exchange of immunization information among IIS, provider organizations, consumer applications, and with CDC. Previous non CDC contracts supported the development, maintenance, optimization, and end-user support for the IZ Gateway. CDC contract number 75D30121C10030 awarded to Audacious Inquiry LLC on October 5, 2020, supported the rapid on-boarding of IIS and provider organizations to the IZ Gateway to support the COVID-19 response. CDC now has a requirement for a consolidated, comprehensive operations and maintenance contract for the IZ Gateway to ensure the necessary services and resources to develop, maintain, optimize, deploy, and provide end-user support on an ongoing basis. CDC is contemplating a single-award indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract with a 12-month base year and two (2) 12-month options. The base year period of performance would begin September 7, 2021. C. Draft Performance Work Statement Attached is the draft performance work statement for this requirement. CDC welcomes industry questions and feedback on this document. D. Sources sought notice CDC is seeking industry’s input on the availability of qualified sources with the technical capability to fulfill this requirement. Prospective offerors are encouraged to identify themselves as interested parties and submit a copy of their capability statement. Please indicate if your company is a small business concern. The successful offeror is expected to possess the following technical proficiencies: Demonstrated knowledge of immunization information systems (IIS), their application for clinical and public health decision making, and immunization tracking best practices. Demonstrated knowledge and experience with initiatives, practices, and guidelines related to immunization systems and programs. Examples could include but are not limited to: the CDC Vaccines for Children Program, the Meaningful Use initiative, the CDC HL7 Implementation Guide, IIS Functional Standards, American Immunization Registry Association (AIRA)- Modeling of Immunization Registry Operations Workgroup (MIROW) operational best practices for IIS, and immunization stakeholder position statements related to IIS use. Demonstrated experience implementing national efforts to advance immunization information systems capability to exchange vaccine administration data, including facilitating/supporting submissions of immunization information from jurisdictions to the Federal Government and demonstrated experience carrying out nationwide initiatives supporting vaccination tracking efforts. Demonstrated experience producing system documentation consistent with industry best practices and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Enterprise Performance Life Cycle (EPLC) framework best practices. Demonstrated experience engaging with IIS jurisdictions to establish data exchange with other public health and healthcare systems, and demonstrated experience supporting the message routing efforts facilitating the exchange of immunization data between various public health and healthcare organizations. E. Request for Information (RFI) The following information is requested from prospective offerors: Would your company provide these services as commercial services (within the Federal Acquisition Regulation section 2.101 definition of “commercial item”) or non-commercial services? What contract type(s) (e.g., firm-fixed-price, cost-reimbursement, time-and-materials, indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity) would your company consider proposing for the work outlined in the draft performance work statement? CDC is contemplating the use of a single-award indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract, with task orders issued to the contractor as requirements are identified. What additional data or technical specifications for this requirement, if any, would a prospective offeror reasonably need beyond what is currently provided in the draft performance work statement in order to submit a proposal? If an IDIQ contract type is not used, is there a specific contract vehicle that you would suggest CDC use to solicit this requirement, such as the General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Information Technology (formerly IT Schedule 70) or specific governmentwide acquisition contracts (GWACs)? F. Submitting information to CDC Information in response to this notice must be submitted electronically to Joshua Houston, Contract Specialist, at
[email protected]. Please reference “Consolidated Immunization Gateway Services” in your e-mail. Information may be submitted in the body of an e-mail or in document(s) attached to an e-mail. For questions or feedback to the draft performance work statement, respondents are encouraged to submit a copy of the draft performance work statement with “red-lined” edits and comments using the Microsoft Word track changes tool. An editable Microsoft Word copy of the draft performance work statement is attached to this notice. Respondents need not address all aspects of this notice in their submission. Submission of information to CDC in response to this notice is requested no later than April 12, 2021, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) . Questions and feedback received after this date and time may not be considered. No phone calls or meetings will be accepted in response to this notice. G. Disclaimer This notice does not constitute a solicitation or a promise of a solicitation in the future. This notice is being provided for planning purposes only and does not commit the Government to any contractual agreements. No entitlement or payment of direct or indirect costs or charges will arise as a result of submission of responses to this notice. CDC will not accept proposals in response to this notice. No awards will be made in response to this notice. Responses to this notice are voluntary and will not affect any contractor's ability to submit a proposal if or when a formal solicitation is released. Proprietary information shall not be submitted in response to this notice. The Government shall not be liable for or suffer any consequential damages for any improperly identified proprietary information.