R--Call Center Overflow Services

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY TO DETERMINE AVAILABILITY OF INTERESTED CONTRACTORS. THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME AND THIS IS NOT A FORMAL REQUEST FOR QUOTATION OR PROPOSAL. The Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Revenue Center maintains a state of the art call center operation handling in excess of four million calls per year, with operating hours Monday through Friday 6 AM to 7 PM Central time. Additional business services provided to various components within the Department of Veterans Affairs include activating emergency call center support services (recent examples include support for VA Facilities affected by Hurricane Katrina and the San Diego wildfires). Due to unknown variables and the unpredictable nature of emergency activation, our internal capacity may be insufficient to accommodate the call volume. The purpose of this synopsis is to identify resources available on a contractual basis to support overflow capacity as needed. The HRC invites all qualified sources to respond to this sources sought notice. The HRC requests all interested parties submit information that addresses the items listed in the Requirements and Instructions sections of this document. Requirements: (1) Experience: The vendor must demonstrate their experience, within the last five years, in rapidly standing up and staffing a Call Center in order to provide informational responses to individuals and family members affected by a medium to large-scale emergency. The vendor must have demonstrated ability to: a) quickly establish Call Center services; b) maintain those services for an extended period of time; c) staff the Call Center with trained professionals who are able to deal with the complex needs of distraught callers; d) provide a dedicated number in advance of a disaster, to which a toll-free, publicized number could be directed. An hourly call capacity of over 1,000 is required, and the ability to augment these phone services with a website; e) provide a system to input, remotely access, and maintain data received via phone calls; and f) provide translation capabilities and the ability to receive international calls. (2) Past Performance: The contractor is requested to provide past performance references relevant to requirements a) through f) above along with complete and current contact information (customer name, project name/contract number, address, contact name, phone number and email). Instructions: Responses to this sources sought request are due to the POC identified herein no later than March 10, 2008 close of business. Responses may be submitted electronically via email to the attention of Barry Fetzer, Contracting Officer at [email protected] or via U.S. Mail or Express Delivery Service to the address below. The response shall not exceed ten (10) pages. Phone or e-mail inquiries requesting additional information beyond what has been provided herein will not be honored. THIS SYNOPSIS IS FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION ANNOUNCEMENT FOR PROPOSALS AND A CONTRACT WILL NOT BE AWARDED FROM THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO REIMBURSEMENT WILL BE MADE FOR ANY COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH PROVIDING INFORMATION IN RESPONSE TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND ANY FOLLOW-UP. The Government will evaluate the information received and make a determination if a solicitation will be issued from this announcement in fiscal year 2008. Please address your responses to: Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Revenue Center, Contracting Officer, 3401 SW 21, Bldg 9, Topeka, Kansas 66604.