Q201--CBOC - Short-Term Helena Contract POP 07/01/2021 to 06/30/2022

THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD A SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT. Network Contracting Office 9 (NCO 9) is posting this notice of intent because it is anticipated that a short-term Community Based Outreach Clinic CBOC contract will be awarded for the Helena, AR CBOC to Sterling Medical Associates. The CBOC will continue to provide Primary Health Care (PHC) and Mental Health Care (MHC) in Helena, AR for veteran beneficiaries of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Memphis VA Medical Center, 1030 Jefferson Avenue, Memphis, TN 38104-2127. This notice is for informational purposes only. Responses to this notice should be sent via email to Dewana Raynor at [email protected]. No phone calls will be accepted. This is not a request for quote/proposal. Demonstration that the Contractor s Unique Qualifications or Nature of the Acquisition Requires the Use of the Authority Cited Above (applicability of authority): The Memphis VA Medical Center has a need to maintain Primary Care and Mental Health Services to Veterans in and around the rural area of Helena, AR located in Phillips County. In 2018, the U.S. Congress ordered Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to conduct a Market Assessment. All VAs and their outpatient clinics were reviewed in depth on several factors (uniques served, workload, market profile, etc.). The Memphis VA Medical Center would like to relocate the clinic to Forrest City, AR, to greatly increase the number of Veterans seen. However, the Medical Center was advised to delay this move by VISN 9 until the results of the Market Assessment are known. As Helena is a very small CBOC with low utilization, it could be recommended for closure. However, if it is not, the Medical Center will proceed with its plan of relocating to Forrest City. VISN 9 is the last to be assessed. The findings and recommendations will first be issued to Secretary Wilkie and then to Congress. A decision by the Memphis VAMC regarding a long-term contract cannot be made with certainty until the Market Assessment is complete and results received, which is anticipated in the Spring of 2021. A sole source contract to the current contractor, Sterling Medical Associates, Inc. will keep the Helena AR CBOC open for the Veterans currently receiving care at this location while the Memphis VAMC awaits the results of the Market Assessment. Sterling Medical Associates already has the CBOC facility in place, along with staffing to work at the CBOC. A new contractor would require time to find, lease, and build out a new facility. In addition, a new contractor would have to find staff to work at the clinic and ensure that those staff have had background checks and have been credentialed to begin performing services. Buildout of a new facility and hiring new staff takes 120-180 days to complete and those construction costs are normally paid for by the Government during the first year of performance of the CBOC contract. Given that the market assessment results will be received in the Spring of 2021 and a possible recommendation will be to close the Helena CBOC, it is impracticable and would be too costly for the Government to obtain the potentially short-term services from any other contractor.