SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- The Agency for Healthcare Policy Research and Quality Ombuds Services Program
- Notice Date
- 5/19/2006
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 541611
— Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, Program Support Center, Division of Acquisition Management, Parklawn Building Room 5-101 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD, 20857
- ZIP Code
- 20857
- Solicitation Number
- RFP06R000099
- Response Due
- 6/9/2006
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned
- Description
- This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This notice constitutes the only solicitation; written proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The solicitation is being issued as a Request for Proposal entitled: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Ombuds Services Program? . The solicitation number is RFP06R000099 and incorporates provisions and clauses through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-09. This is a Set-Aside for Service Disable Veteran-owned Businesses. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541611 with a corresponding small business size standard of $6.5 million. SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS: Base Year $___________, Option Year I ________, Option Year II _________. Introduction: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is the lead Federal agency for enhancing the quality, appropriateness, and effectiveness of health services and access to such services. AHRQ is one of several public health service agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) along with fellow agencies including the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration. Located in Rockville, Maryland, AHRQ is supported by a staff of approximately 300 federal employees with diverse and varied administrative, operational and research responsibilities. AHRQ conducts and supports a broad base of scientific research and promotion of improvements in clinical and health system practices, including the prevention of diseases and other health conditions. The AHRQ mission is to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. AHRQ sponsors and conducts applied and development research which produces information that can be used by decision makers in the public and private sectors to improve the outcomes and quality of health care, reduce its costs, address patient safety and medical errors, broaden access to effective services and facilitate its rapid translation, utilization and adoption into practice. The agency maintains 9 major functional components: Office of the Director directs the activities of the Agency to ensure that strategic objectives are achieved. Office of Communications and Knowledge Transfer designs, develops, implements, and manages programs for disseminating the results of Agency activities with the goal of changing audience behavior. Office of Extramural Research, Education and Priority Populations directs the scientific review process for grants and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts, manages Agency research training programs, evaluates the scientific contribution of proposed and ongoing research, demonstrations, and evaluations, and supports and conducts health services research on priority populations. Office of Performance Accountability, Resources, and Technology directs and coordinates Agency-wide program planning and evaluation activities and administrative operations. Center for Delivery, Organization, and Markets provides a locus of leadership and expertise for advances in health care delivery, organization, and markets through research. Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends conducts, supports, and manages studies of the cost and financing of health care, the access to health care services and related trends. CFACT also develops data sets to support policy and behavioral research and analyses. Center for Outcomes and Evidence conducts and supports research and assessment of health care practices, technologies, processes, and systems. Center for Primary Care, Prevention, and Clinical Partnerships expands the knowledge base for clinical providers and patients and to assure the translation of new knowledge and systems improvement into primary care practice. Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety works to improve the quality and safety of our health care system through research and implementation of evidence. Background: AHRQ is considered a small Operational Division (Op/Div) in HHS which presents unique challenges in implementing an Ombudsperson program. As such, the Human Relations functions such as Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Employee Relations have been centralized off site with access provided to employees and members of the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Services upon request. By their design, these rights based programs are formal in nature. As a consequence, when an issue is raised by an employee, it may rise to a higher administrative level when no other recourse is available. Therefore, an organizational Ombudsperson, as a designated neutral and impartial dispute resolution practitioner, is being established at AHRQ whose primary function is to provide independent, confidential, and informal assistance to all of the organization?s employees. The Ombudsperson role has a long and valued tradition as a means of protecting employees against perceived abuse, bias, and other improper treatment or unfairness and enhancing the values of the organization?s culture. As a designated neutral party, the Ombudsperson is neither an advocate for an individual or the organization but, rather, acts as an advocate for fairness. The Ombudsperson acts as a source of information and referral, aids in answering individuals? questions, and assists in the resolution of concerns and critical situations. In considering any given instance or concern, the interests and rights of all parties who might be involved are taken into account. The Ombudsperson supplements and does not replace or circumvent the formal Administrative Grievance Procedure, EEO system or the duties and responsibilities of the Office of Inspection General. Rather the Ombudsperson accesses these programs as needed in service to the employee. Scope (Function) The Contractor shall establish, provide and operate an effective Organizational Ombudsperson services program utilizing a conflict resolution management system that assists all federal employees and members of the Commission Corps of the Public Health Service to identify, manage, mitigate and resolve all types of problems that impact their work experience, including those disputes that do not fall into a category protected by statute, contract, or specific policy (such as interpersonal disputes that relate to employee responsibilities). An effective Organizational Ombudsperson services program shall also identify and assess systemic trends in the organization that adversely impact on its overall function, and recommend systems improvements that benefit and enhance the work life of AHRQ?s employees, its function and its culture. The Contractor shall implement a systematic approach that focuses on the causes of conflict within the organization. The purview of the Ombudsperson position includes "non-hierarchical" disputes between and among employees and managers. Such an integrated system is available to all federal employees in the workplace (i.e., workers, managers, professionals, groups, teams involved in disputes). Service Requirements (Tasks) A. Establish Organizational Structure for Ombudsperson Service Program. 1. The Contractor shall establish and provide an on-site, full-time organizational Ombudsperson and office. The office shall be independent of, and separate from, the human resource and any other existing administrative structures. 2. The Ombudsperson shall report to the AHRQ Director. 3. The Ombudsperson shall establish and maintain an Ombuds Advisory Board whose members reflect the diversity of the Agency and which meets monthly with the Ombudsperson. The Advisory Board shall act as a vehicle for information sharing, communication, and solution building for organizational and system issues. B. Establish Overall Framework and Culture for Ombuds Service Program. 4. The Ombudsperson shall establish and provide an Ombuds services program that is understandable to all, flexible and user-friendly. 5. The Ombudsperson shall establish and provide a process that ensures confidentiality of individual and group communications, organizational neutrality and independence. 6. The Ombudsperson shall establish and provide mechanisms that encourage employees and managers to voice concerns and constructive dissent early. 7. The Ombudsperson shall promote and maintain a culture that welcomes good faith dissent, and encourages resolution of conflict at the lowest level through direct negotiation. 8. The Ombudsperson shall establish and maintain a collaborative problem-solving approach, which promotes direct negotiation between those involved in a dispute. 9. The Ombudsperson shall establish and maintain multiple access points to enable employees to receive advice concerning conflict management issues and assistance in addressing their concerns. C. Develop and Provide Processes and Procedures to Implement the Ombuds Services Program. 10. The Ombudsperson shall provide options (rights-based and interest-based) for most types of problems and for all AHRQ employees, including staff, supervisors, professionals, and managers to address conflicts, disputes, issues and concerns. These may occur between two individuals, groups, or organizations. Interest-based options shall include: a. Active listening. b. Provision of information. c. Assistance to reframe issues and develop options. d. Referral- access to additional resources or helping networks. e. Coaching- assistance in using a direct approach. f. Informal Inquiry: availability of someone to "look into" the problem informally. g. Shuttle diplomacy. h. Formal mediation. (Mediation is the only formal interest-based option. In mediation, an impartial third party, with neither decision-making authority nor the power to impose a resolution, works with the disputants to help them reach a mutually acceptable resolution to all or some of the issues in dispute.) i. Generic approaches (i.e. to dispel a problem linked to some individual without explicitly drawing attention either to that individual or to themselves). The Ombudsperson shall suggest a generic approach aimed at changing a process in the workplace or at alerting possible offenders to the need to stop their inappropriate behavior. 11. The Ombudsperson shall establish and maintain the capacity to act as an information and referral agent for employees. The Ombudsperson shall provide referrals for health and/or life planning services, e.g. Employee Assistance, legal consultation etc. 12. The Ombudsperson shall establish and provide mechanisms that describe each of the Agency?s formal conflict management practices (e.g. EEO, Employee Relations, etc.) and how they differ and complement one another. 13. The Ombudsperson shall establish and provide mechanisms for continuous and constructive communication to all AHRQ employees, with a focus on information sharing, education, and stakeholder feedback and systems improvement. 14. The Ombudsperson shall establish and provide training programs for the Agency in dispute/conflict resolution, mediation, negotiation, facilitation, civility, and related topics. 15. The Ombudsperson shall establish and provide on-going education and communication about the office?s role to all AHRQ employees and members of the Commission Corps including line staff, supervisors, professionals, and managers. D. Provide Management Reporting of Ombuds Services Program Activities. 16. The Ombudsperson shall meet with the Director monthly. Prior to each meeting the Ombudsperson shall provide a brief one-page summary that, while maintaining total client confidentiality, identifies current patterns, problem areas and system and organizational issues in the Agency?s operations, functions, policies and practices. The Ombudsperson shall provide the one page summary developed for the monthly Director?s meeting to Advisory Board members- as a means to foster organizational information sharing and communication of overarching system-wide organizational issues. 17. The Ombudsperson shall provide quarterly reports and additional reports as deemed appropriate or requested by the Director. The quarterly reports shall, while maintaining client confidentiality, (1) identify patterns, problem areas and system and organizational issues in the Agency?s operations, functions, policies and practices; (2) present recommendations for revisions and improvements in such; and (3) assess the climate and wellness of the organization. Required Skills/Competencies: 1. Communication and Problem-Solving Skills The Ombudsperson shall have excellent communication skills and communicate effectively with individuals at all organizational levels and cultures. The Ombudsperson shall have excellent problem-solving skills to gather and analyze information, assist employees in developing appropriate options and actions to address their needs. 2. Systems Communication, Problem Solving and Leadership Coaching Skills The Ombudsperson shall have excellent communication and coaching skills to effectively communicate and persuade relevant parties and leadership of the importance and value of issues and recommendations. The Ombudsperson shall have excellent organizational problem solving skills to gather, analyze and synthesize systems-related information to coach relevant parties and leadership in developing appropriate options, directions and actions to address, improve and enhance the organization, its culture and functions. 3. Decision Making/Strategic Thinking Skills The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to be aware of how all decisions might impact the employee(s), as well as other stakeholders and the organization. The Ombudsperson shall be aware of options for proceeding with issues and help the employee(s) assess who should be involved and at what stage. The Ombudsperson endeavors first of all to do no harm. 4. Conflict Resolution Skills The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to facilitate the resolution of conflict between parties The Ombudsperson shall have a thorough knowledge and understanding of what leads to conflict, the nature of conflict, and methods for resolution. The skills used to assist inquirers resolve their conflicts include: helping people learn how to deal with the matter directly if they wish to do this, serving as a communication conduit between the parties ( e.g. shuttle diplomacy), informally bringing the parties together, bringing them together through an informal mediation process, approaching the conflict generically (especially when the inquirer is afraid of retaliation), and influencing systems change which could obviate the individual problem. The Ombudsperson shall have the ability to help the inquirer determine which conflict resolution method would be appropriate for the specific situation. 5. Organizational Knowledge and Networking Skills The Ombudsperson shall be knowledgeable about AHRQ as an organization (e.g., its structure, culture, policies, practices and resources). The Ombudsperson shall have excellent networking skills, understand and participate in collaboration with others and be able to establish and maintain contacts throughout the organization. 6. Sensitivity to Diversity Issues The organization's expectation is to create an environment that values human differences. The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to sensitively deal with individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures. The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to be open, objective, and seek to understand issues from different perspectives. The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to be innovative in developing options and actions that are responsive to differing needs. 7. Composure and Presentation Skills The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to maintain a professional demeanor, shall have strong presentation skills, and shall be able to organize and communicate information to a variety of groups of people. 8. Integrity The Ombudsperson shall have an established reputation for integrity and for dealing fairly, comfortably and responsibly with all constituents as well as with potential external inquirers. The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to be sensitive to cultural issues within the organization. The Ombudsperson shall be viewed as ethical and honest, as well as neutral, impartial, independent, and accessible. The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to be a role model for organizational values An Ombuds office is based on the offer of near absolute confidentiality. The Ombudsperson shall have the demonstrated competency to keep information confidential and use good judgment about when and how any information can be shared while being mindful of maintaining professional standards that are consistent with the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice of The Ombudsperson Association and the Ethical Principles of the University and College Ombuds Association. The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to not be risk-averse and shall have the competency and skill to understand that the Ombuds practitioner may, on occasion, feel the need to challenge even the highest levels of the organization in an effort to foster fair and just practices. 9. Dispute Resolution/Consultation and Referral The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to provide impartial and confidential consultation to individuals who are aggrieved or concerned about an issue. The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to remain independent, neutral and impartial, and exercise good judgment. The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to assist inquirers in interpreting the organization?s policies and procedures. The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to provide assistance to clients by clarifying issues and generating options for resolution. The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to facilitate the inquirer?s assessment of the alternatives for possible options. The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to obtain the client?s written agreement and permission before proceeding if direct action by the Ombudsperson may be an appropriate option. The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to conduct if necessary, and while maintaining confidentiality, appropriate informal fact-finding in order to better understand an issue from all perspectives. The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to consult with managers to develop cooperative strategies for complaint resolution. The Ombudsperson shall have the competency with the client?s written permission to consult with all parties to clarify and analyze problems, focus discussions, and develop a mutually-satisfactory process for resolution. The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to facilitate group meetings, use shuttle diplomacy, or negotiation skills to facilitate communication among parties in conflict. The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to encourage flexible administrative practices in so far as practical to maximize the organization?s ability to meet the needs of all individuals equitably. The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to refer individuals to existing problem resolution channels within the organization. 10. Policy Analysis and Feedback The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to serve as an organizational resource in formulating or modifying policy and procedures, raising issues that may surface as a result of a gap between the stated goals of the organization and actual practice. The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to periodically review the patterns of issues and make appropriate recommendations for policies or practices that would reduce or eliminate recurring problems. The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to act as a liaison between individuals or groups and the organization?s administrative structure, serving as a communicator or informal facilitator, as appropriate. The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to provide early warning of new areas of organizational concern, upward feedback, critical analysis of systemic need for improvement, and make systems change recommendations. 11. Organizational Outreach and Education The Ombudsperson shall have demonstrated competencies to provide on-going education and communication about the office?s role to all AHRQ employees and members of the Commission Corps including line staff, supervisors, professionals, and managers. The Ombudsperson shall demonstrated competencies to establish, operate and provide training programs for the organization in dispute/conflict resolution, mediation, negotiation and facilitation skills and theory, civility, and related topics. 12. Establish/Maintain Office of the Ombudsperson The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to establish, operate and maintain Ombuds services that is consistent with the ethical codes and standards of practice of The Ombudsman Association and/or the University and College Ombuds Association. The Ombudsperson shall have the competency to ensure that the integrity of the office is maintained by anyone who may become a part of the Ombuds office staff through independence, fair process, neutrality, impartiality, confidentiality and timely attention to the resolution of issues while treating people with dignity and respect. 13. Education and Work Experience The Ombudsperson shall demonstrate an advanced degree that supports expertise in human and organizational behavior, systems analysis and improvement and culture. The Ombudsperson shall have relevant professional experience which includes experience in managerial/staff relations, and the dynamics of small governmental organizations, demonstrated communication, conflict resolution, mediation and leadership skills, demonstrated ability to implement and manage a broad-based conflict resolution program and a working knowledge and understanding of diverse cultures and backgrounds. The incumbent shall be an active member in good standing of professional Ombudsperson associations, e.g. The Ombudsman Association, the University and College Ombuds Association, the Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution, etc., in order to stay on the leading edge of critical ombud's issues such as confidentiality and privilege. 14. Ethical Codes and Standards of Practice The Ombudsperson practices the Code of Ethics and the Standards of Practice of The Ombudsman Association (TOA), the University and College Ombuds Association (UCOA) or to the similar precepts of another ombuds association. The Ombudsperson will have no ethical adverse actions on record. EVALUATION TO FOLLOW IN AMENDMENT (NOT ENOUGH SPACE)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Rockville, Maryland
- Zip Code: 20850
- Country: USA
- Zip Code: 20850
- Record
- SN01053686-W 20060521/060519220421 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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