R--PERM 12-3 - NQF MEMBERSHIP NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE

Statement of Work (SOW) VHA Office of Informatics and Analytics (OIA) Analytics and Business Intelligence (ABI) Office (10P2B) 1. Project Title: National Quality Forum (NQF) membership 2. Background: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) represents a leading national healthcare system and has been actively engaged with NQF collaborating on conceptual approaches, performance measures, other emerging tools and guidance to improve health care. This includes providing VHA expertise, attending appropriate activities, and providing comments and agency endorsement of specific measurement sets. The VHA has been a member of NQF since its inception in 1999. This is an important partnership as it keeps VHA up to date on industry-wide advances in quality measurement and quality improvement. The National Quality Forum is a public-private partnership and public benefit corporation established following the recommendation of the President's Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry in 1998, and incorporated in 1999. Its mission is to improve American healthcare through the endorsement of consensus-based national standards for measurement and public reporting of healthcare performance data that provide meaningful information about whether care is safe, timely, beneficial, patient-centered, equitable, and efficient. NQF is funded through membership dues, foundation grants, and project-related funding. Together, the organizational members of the NQF work to promote a common approach to measuring health care quality and fostering system-wide capacity for quality improvement. NQF's membership represents a broad spectrum of organizational stakeholders in healthcare, and its Board of Directors includes pioneers and leaders in the field of healthcare quality improvement. 3. Scope of Work: NQF shall provide VHA full membership including participation on member councils and workgroups. Membership allows VHA to participate on NQF Steering committees which guide projects selected for implementation. This Statement of Work (SOW) provides a description of the membership privileges that will be provided by NQF and project activities that will be elaborated in Task Orders. 3. Period of Performance: Date of award to September 30, 2012 plus four (4) one year option periods 4. Type of Order: Firm Fixed Price 5. Place of Performance: Contractor's site. 6. Travel and Per Diem: Not applicable. No travel is required for this contract. 7. SPECIFIC MANDATORY TASKS AND PRICE/COST SCHEDULE: The contractor shall provide a full membership with the associated privileges as follows within the overall period of performance. Said privileges begin immediately upon inception of contract performance period. 7.1 Membership Privileges. " VHA participation on member councils and workgroups. " Regular, advance updates on NQF activities " Advance access to NQF products and documents for review and endorsement " Exclusive or preferential participation on NQF Steering Committees, which guide projects " Reduced registration fees for attendees at the Annual Meeting " Gratis reports and reduced rates on publications " An NQF membership directory " Access to a "Members Only" web site (www.qualityforum.org)