MODIFICATION
Q -- Medical Assistance/Emergency Services
- Notice Date
- 10/19/2007
- Notice Type
- Modification
- NAICS
- 524114
— Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers
- Contracting Office
- Millennium Challenge Corporation, MCC, Washington DC, 875 Fifteenth Street, N.W., Washington, DC, 20005, UNITED STATES
- ZIP Code
- 20005
- Solicitation Number
- MCC-08-0014-RFQ-79
- Response Due
- 10/24/2007
- Point of Contact
- Olena Evans, Contracting Specialist, Phone 202-521-3600, Fax 202-521-3947
- E-Mail Address
-
evansoo@mcc.gov
- Description
- The purposes of this Amendment are to: 1. Publish questions and answers relative to this Solicitation; and 2. Extend the deadline for offers to 5:00 p.m., EDT, on October 29, 2007. NO MORE QUESTIONS ARE ALLOWED BETWEEN THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS AMENDMENT AND THE DEADLINE FOR OFFERS. Specifically, this Solicitation is amended as follows: 1. The questions and the MCC?s responses are provided below. Question 1: Section entitled "Description". In the third paragraph, you state "A medical emergency is defined as physical, mental, and/or natal." We would like to suggest that you augment this statement with language that will define when an evacuate needs to occur. A suggestion would be to follow this with "a physical, mental, and/or natal condition in which either the person is currently hospitalized in an in-patient capacity, or has a condition which requires in-patient hospitalization." This definition would establish a finite criterion for evacuation and avoid the issue of having a mandated evacuation for a person who just needs limited out-patient treatment (sutures, blood tests, etc.) where an evacuation would not be medically appropriate. Answer 1: The third paragraph will remain unchanged. Question 2: In the following paragraph, you reference the term "eligible family members". Can we have a description of who the MCC considers to be eligible? Is this just the spouse or dependant children of an MCC employee, or does it extend to the employee's siblings, parents, and other relatives that might be visiting them in their host country? Answer 2: An eligible family member refers to the individual's dependent children and spouse. Question 3: Towards the end of that paragraph, it is specified that the "final decision on medical evacuations for MCC employees and eligible family members are to be made in joint consultation between the contractor, the U.S. Embassy medical staff, and if possible the injured party or his/her guardian." There is no language in the current RFP specifying that the final choice destination hospital be made by the patient (or the patient's emergency contact person if the patient is incapacitated). We suggest that the decision making be in the hands of the patient, with the assistance of the U.S. Embassy medical staff, eligible family members, and the patient's current attending physician and their own home primary care physician as it relates to choice of destination hospital. The contractor should also be responsible for providing expert-level medical advisory services from a top-50 U.S. Hospital to assist the patient in making this decision. This will ensure that the patient has the right to determine and be transported to wherever the best medical care for their condition can be obtained. There is also no specific language calling for evacuation back to the United States. Without language such as this, the contractor can elect to transport the patient to the least expensive destination, perhaps not even back to their home country. The notion of "closest appropriate hospital", as defined by a contractor, could be one that just provides "adequate" care which could result in the patient receiving a lower quality of care than they deserve. The nightmare of a sick MCC employee stationed in Mongolia, for example, would only get magnified by their evacuation to "the closest appropriate hospital" in Kazakhstan, as could be currently allowed by the RFP as written. Answer 3: The evacuation does not need to be back to the United States but to the closest appropriate hospital. The U.S. Embassy will determine the "closest appropriate hospital." Question 4: Is there a limit to the number of possible evacuations per employee or family member per year? Similarly, is there a cap limit to how much the contractor would be expected to spend per evacuation? Most standard agreements specify no more than two evacuations per person per year and a cap of $500,000 per evacuation. (The most expensive evacuations do not cost over $250,000, so this amount should be more than adequate.) Answer 4: A single person could, in theory, have multiple evacuations. This is, however, unlikely since anyone living abroad must receive a medical clearance before going back overseas. A person traveling on TDY should not be limited to the number of evacuations. Question 5: In the section identified as a service that is "Highly Desirable", can you specify where the pregnant person and her dependant children need to be evacuated to? Once again, we suggest that language is included that indicates the destination be the patient's choice. Of course, a woman in her third trimester of pregnancy does not necessarily require in-patient hospitalization. We would like to suggest that the evacuation destination be the closest appropriate commercial airport to the employee?s permanent home address. We would also like to suggest that the father-to-be also be evacuated back to their home airport (if it is possible for him based on his workload) a few days prior to the expected due date to be available during the birth of his child. We also would like to ask if the MCC is expecting the contractor to pay the cost of the return transportation for the mother, dependants, and father/employee back to the host country after the six-week post-birth period has elapsed. Answer 5: The pregnant employee or pregnant spouse has the option of going to a MCC designated site or to return to the United States. Preferred would be for the contractor to cover medevac costs to/from point of birth for pregnant employee or spouse and dependent children. Question 6: Under the Deliverables heading, item B. states the contractor will coordinate for a family member to join a traveler who is left alone or hospitalized for more than 7 days. Does this mean the contractor is expected to pay the costs of transporting this family member? Is the contractor responsible for hotel arrangements and costs and per diem expense costs for this family member? Is the contractor responsible for the costs of returning this family member back to their point-of-departure when they are ready to be returned or after the traveler is discharged? Answer 6: The vendor should include what they are prepared to offer. Question 7: Under the Deliverables heading, item C. states the contractor will coordinate for the return home any minor children left unattended due to a medical emergency and provide a qualified escort if necessary. Again, does the term "coordinate" mean the contractor is expected to pay for these transportation costs or simply arrange them and pass the invoice on to MCC or the family? Is the contractor responsible for the costs of returning the minor children back to the host country if the medical issue resolves and the parents wish for their children's return? Can you define "qualified escort"? Should this escort be an actual deployable employee of the contractor with advanced medical and/or military training who can safeguard the minor children until they are reunited with their family? Answer 7: The vendor should include what they are prepared to offer. Question 8: Under the Deliverables heading, item D. states that a traveler's mortal remains should be returned to their permanent residence. We would suggest this statement be amended to state "permanent residence or other place designated by their estate." (This would allow remains to be transported only once in the event that a family would like their deceased buried in a location other than their current permanent residence.) Answer 8: The vendor should include what they are prepared to offer. Question 9: Under the Deliverables heading, item E. states the contractor will facilitate the transfer of medication, vaccines, and blood products as necessary. Again, can you state whether or not the contractor is expected to pay for either the products themselves or their shipping, or just ar NOTE: THIS NOTICE MAY HAVE POSTED ON FEDBIZOPPS ON THE DATE INDICATED IN THE NOTICE ITSELF (19-OCT-2007). IT ACTUALLY APPEARED OR REAPPEARED ON THE FEDBIZOPPS SYSTEM ON 03-DEC-2007, BUT REAPPEARED IN THE FTP FEED FOR THIS POSTING DATE. PLEASE CONTACT fbo.support@gsa.gov REGARDING THIS ISSUE.
- Web Link
-
Link to FedBizOpps document.
(http://www.fbo.gov/spg/MCC/MCCMCC/MCCMCC01/MCC-08-0014-RFQ-79/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: 875 Fifteenth Street, NW Washington, D.C.
- Zip Code: 20005
- Country: UNITED STATES
- Zip Code: 20005
- Record
- SN01462553-F 20071205/071203231105 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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