SOURCES SOUGHT
Q -- RFI-Operation of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) - Statement of Work dated Septmeber 30, 2005
- Notice Date
- 1/6/2012
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541690
— Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Office of Acquisitions Management and Policy, 5600 Fisher Ln., Room 13A-19, Rockville, Maryland, 20857, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20857
- Solicitation Number
- RFI-HHSH2012-DCS1
- Archive Date
- 3/3/2012
- Point of Contact
- Mario Checchia, Phone: 301-443-3556, Francis R Murphy, Phone: (301) 443-5165
- E-Mail Address
-
mchecchia@hrsa.gov, fmurphy@hrsa.gov
(mchecchia@hrsa.gov, fmurphy@hrsa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The attached file is the Statement of Work of the current OPTN contract. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH and HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Healthcare Systems Bureau Division of Transplantation Request for Information Concerning the Contract for the Operation of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). AGENCY: Division of Transplantation, Healthcare Systems Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, United States Department of Health and Human Services. ACTION: Request for Information (RFI) from the public. SUMMARY: This RFI is for planning purposes only; this is not a request for Quotations or Proposals. No solicitation document exists. The Government will not be liable for payment of any response preparation expenses. This notice is a request for information from the public concerning input on a future proposal to operate the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), the Nation's organ procurement and transplantation system. The current OPTN contract expires at the end of September 2012. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is seeking this public comment to assist HRSA is developing the request for proposals to award a new contract for the continued operation of the OPTN. The National Organ Transplant Act of 1984, as amended, requires the OPTN to be operated under contract with a private non-profit entity with expertise in organ procurement and transplantation. The OPTN is a well-functioning national system that facilitates life saving transplants for thousands of patients each year. With this RFI, HRSA is seeking information about whether any changes should be made to the statement of work to enhance or improve existing processes and operations of the OPTN. HRSA is seeking comments and recommendations on the effectiveness of the scope of the current contract in supporting the operation of the OPTN and in meeting the needs of the patients that are served by the system. In this regard, HRSA is seeking comments about the operations and processes of the OPTN and not the specific policies of the OPTN. Issues of interest to HRSA include: response to the need to update allocation and other OPTN policies; access to the deliberations and policy making process of the OPTN; available information to the public and other interested stakeholders about the mission and operation of the OPTN; and assistance to OPTN members in continuous performance improvement of transplant programs and organ procurement organizations. HRSA is also seeking comments from stakeholders on whether or not the operation of the OPTN would be improved if certain tasks or elements of tasks were done by entities under subcontract with the prime OPTN contractor. Consistent with contracting principles and applicable law, the OPTN contract could be operated exclusively by a single contractor satisfying the statute's requirements (i.e. a private nonprofit entity with the required expertise) or by such a contractor who ensures that certain contract requirements are performed by subcontractors. HRSA is seeking comments from the public about which contract tasks coould be performed by the prime contractor and which contract tasks could be performed by a subcontractor with specialized expertise (e.g., information systems engineering and management, media relations, public and professional education, continuity of operations, operations management, travel and logistics management, etc.) and whether and how such sub-contracting arrangements might enhance the performance and efficiency of the OPTN. HRSA may accept, but will not require, that any entity submitting a proposal to serve as the OPTN Contractor fulfills contractual requirements through such subcontracting arrangements. Attached is the statement of work (SOW) for the expiring contract. It explains, among other things, that the OPTN Contract is and has been a cost sharing contract. As with previous contracts, the next contract will be awarded using a competitive contracting process. While many of the elements of the SOW are mandated by law, HRSA is open to assessing and revising existing requirements. In addition, the new statement of work may include, but may not be limited to, the following new provisions and expansions of existing provisions to address evolving requirements and developments in the field of organ donation, procurement, and transplantation: 1) Kidney Paired Donation. The OPTN is currently conducting a national pilot project to determine the benefit provided to patients by a national system of kidney paired donation (KPD). This pilot project matches living donors and their intended candidates with other living donor/intended candidate pairs when it is determined that the living donors cannot donate to the persons they initially hoped would receive their kidneys. A forthcoming SOW may address the possibility of converting the pilot project into a permanent component of the OPTN to be offered as an option to appropriate candidates and will potentially create a large national pool of living donors and their intended candidates for matching with other donor/candidate pairs. 2) Enhanced public involvement in the OPTN policy-making process, including: OPTN member nominations, opportunities for broader participation of transplant constituencies and the public in OPTN meetings, and increased opportunities for comment from patients, families, transplant recipients, living donors, and the general public. 3) Expanded policy compliance and monitoring for transplant recipient and living donor safety and disease transmission. 4) Expanded role for the OPTN in educating the transplant community and the public on transplant safety and disease transmission information gained through the OPTN. This may include regular reporting on this information to the HHS Secretary's Advisory Committee on Organ Transplantation. 5) Expanded research capacity to support informed OPTN policy development, including operations research, failure analysis, economic impact analysis, and forecasting behavioral changes related to OPTN policy changes. Simulation modeling related to proposed changes to OPTN organ allocation policies would remain the responsibility of the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR). 6) Increased ability of the OPTN's data system to quickly utilize advancements in information technology to improve the organ allocation system. Given the pace of advancement in this area, the OPTN system should be poised to incorporate advancements that will increase the efficiency and safety of organ allocation. Examples may include, but are not limited to, bar coding, tracking capabilities, and incorporation of uniform international classification schemes. To be considered, comments or suggestions for changes must be postmarked, if mailed, or transmitted, if e-mailed, by Friday, February 17, 2012. Comments may be mailed to Mario Checchia, Contract Specialist, Health Resources and Services Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 13A-43, Rockville, Maryland 20857 or e-mailed to mchecchia@hrsa.gov. Please submit only one copy of your comments by only one method. No facsimile transmissions will be accepted. Electronic submissions, where possible, are encouraged to reduce expense. We recommend that responses be clear, concise, and to the point. Responses should not exceed 20 pages. Responses must be double-spaced and single-sided on 8.5" x 11" plain white paper, pages sequentially numbered, with 1" margins on all side, using a standard font no smaller than 12 point. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION, NOR A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP), INVITATION FOR BID (IFB), REQUEST FOR QUOTES (RFQ), REQUEST FOR APPLICATION (RFA) OR AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF A SOLICITATION AND DOES NOT ASSUME THE GOVERNMENT WILL AWARD A CONTRACT OR PROCEED WITH ANY OF THE ABOVE TYPES OF SOLICITATIONS IN THE NEAR FUTURE. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for information provided in any response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. Any proprietary information should be so marked.
- Web Link
-
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- Place of Performance
- Address: To be determined, United States
- Record
- SN02650161-W 20120108/120106234443-688247240ad023d397fe16007a378aed (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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