SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Expert Assistance with the Department of Commerce Workers' Compensation Program.
- Notice Date
- 12/6/2013
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541612
— Human Resources Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, Office of the Secretary, Commerce Acquisition Solutions, Office of the Secretary, 14th & Constitution Avenue NW, Room 6521, Washington, District of Columbia, 20230
- ZIP Code
- 20230
- Solicitation Number
- AA-HRM-WC-O-14-00078
- Point of Contact
- Mario D. Gray, Phone: 2024820577
- E-Mail Address
-
mgray@doc.gov
(mgray@doc.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- I. Introduction and Federal Regulatory Authority: This is a ‘Notice for Sources Sought' prepared in accordance with the format in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10-Market Research, and, is supplemented with additional information. Therefore, this notice is solely for the purpose of conducting market research to arrive at the most suitable approach to acquiring, distributing, and supporting services. This is not a solicitation, i.e. request for proposals, proposal abstracts, and quotations. This is not an invitation for bids. This Government Issuing Agency and Contracting Office, on behalf of the Government Requiring Agency and Program Office, seeks to obtain information regarding the interest and capability of any qualified business source to successfully meet the Government's requirements as described in this notice. II. Business Interest and Capability: This ‘Sources Sought Notice' seeks to allow any interested and capable business to fully identify itself, and, its interest and capabilities. Thus, the Government is seeking capability statements from interested and capable businesses including, but not limited to, the following types of business: 8(a), Veteran-Owned Small Business, Services-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, Historically Underutilized Business Zone Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, Women-Owned Small Business and Large Business. A business shall use its response and capability statement to demonstrate that: 1. The business possesses the capabilities to successfully meet the Government's requirements and need description described in this notice; and, 2. The business is competitive in terms of quality, delivery, and market prices. Based on the business responses received, or not received, to this notice, the Government's requirements may be solicited as a unrestricted, utilizing 100% Full-and-Open Competition or may be solicited as restricted, utilizing a type of set-aside, etc. III. Background: The Department of Labor's (DOL) Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) administers the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) for all federal agencies including the Department of Commerce (DOC). The DOC's Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM), Office of Occupational Safety and Health, manages the federal workers' compensation program and corresponding cases for the DOC to: 1. Limit the loss of valuable human resources; 2. Ensure employees' rights and benefits are protected; and, 3. Minimize the DOC's financial exposure. The DOC manages a centralized workers' compensation program, which includes its bureaus, excluding U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), and several organizations (e.g., Office of Administration Services, Office of General Counsel, etc.). As of June 17, 2013, the DOC's workers' compensation program services approximately 42,000 employees. In FY 2012 the DOC received approximately 466 new workers' compensation cases and in FY 2011 received approximately 570 new workers' compensation cases. The DOC estimates 550 new cases shall be received each year during the performance of a new contract. These include cases that may require intervention by the contractor to facilitate return-to-work. The DOC currently has approximately 315 long-term (Periodic Roll) cases that may have return-to-work potential, requiring additional actions by the Contractor including routine maintenance. In addition to the 550 new cases, approximately 800 injury and illness reports are submitted annually, but do not become workers' compensation cases. In addition to the estimated 550 new cases received annually, the DOC anticipates a major temporary increase in cases in the years 2018 through 2021 related to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2020 Decennial Census activities as each decennial cycle generates an increase in workers' compensation cases. Typically, these cases are from short-term employees, often working only six weeks to three months, but are covered by the FECA. For example, the number of new claims for the Census Bureau in 2009 and 2010 was 2,322 and 5,096 respectively before claims returned to more usual levels. The increase for the 2010 Decennial began in FY 2008 and increased gradually until FY 2010, when it peaked sharply and quickly declined. And again in 2011 through 2012 the Census Bureau conducted a special Housing Survey that, for about three months, created a temporary employee increase of 200,000 workers. The Contractor must show scalability to undertake contract modifications to meet the increased cyclical demands of Census Bureau requirements for claim intake as well as rapid and efficient case management to ensure short-term employees are returned to work as soon as medically possible. IV. Purpose/Scope/Objectives: The objectives of the DOC's requirements are to ensure that workers' compensation cases are reported, processed and managed effectively in accordance with the OWCP guidelines; a return to work strategy is implemented to return employees to work as soon as medically possible; and long-term disability or legacy cases are updated with appropriate documentation and adjudicated as the case file warrants. The DOC would like to further develop its centralized case management system or processes to collect, store, report or track the case information necessary to effectively manage case activities and processes. While these issues are being improved, injury reporting, case management and closure of legacy cases shall be sourced to a contractor that is an expert Workers' Compensation Case Management Administration. The DOC is seeking a contractor with the knowledge and experience in federal workers' compensation including, but not limited to, Workers' Compensation claims reporting and case management as well as having an electronic data collection system capable of collecting, storing and reporting of claims management activities that shall assist the DOC in carrying out its responsibilities under the FECA. The Contractor shall provide services for receiving, processing, and managing the DOC's workers' compensation cases. The objectives for these services are to: A. Achieve documented reductions, with the DOC's cooperation and assistance, in the total costs to the DOC arising from work-related injuries and illnesses; B. Ensure that cases are processed and submitted to the OWCP within the established the OWCP timeframes and that sufficient information is provided to the DOL for proper and timely adjudication of cases; C. Expedite return of injured employees to full or partial duty status. Provide assistance to the bureau in making a job offer and the RTW process that includes, but is not limited to, notifying the DOC Workers' Compensation Coordinator when the employee is able to return to gainful employment; D. Establish cooperative working relationships and open communication with the DOC Workers' Compensation Coordinators and the appropriate OWCP's Headquarters and District Office personnel to aid in the timely and accurate processing and adjudication of cases and in successfully returning injured employees to work; E. Promote and facilitate the DOC's use of the OWCP services that support claimant recovery and return to full or modified duty, including but not limited to: case nurse intervention, vocational rehabilitation, and assisted re-employment services. V. Government's Requirements and Need Description: The DOC shall transfer all active cases by traceable delivery method showing chain of custody, which includes an estimated 315 long-term cases to the Contractor for review, case management, including facilitation of return to work where appropriate, and monitoring. The DOC shall also provide the Contractor with periodic access to the Continuation of Pay (COP) records so that the Contractor can monitor the use of COP within the DOC and suggest any adjustments to the DOC claimant leave, where necessary. The Contractor shall be responsible for successfully meeting and completing contract requirements: tasks and deliverables, associated with categories as follows: A. Case Reporting Process. B. Case Management Operation. C. Case File Maintenance. D. Provision of Management Reports. E. Data Disposition. VI. Period of Performance or/and Delivery Information: The period of performance of this contract is from the date of award through a single month span in duration, which tentatively is 4/1/2014 - 3/21/2015. The contract shall include 4 option years. Each option year shall be a single twelve month span in duration and contiguous to the previous year {period of performance}. Therefore, if an option year is exercised, all services of this Statement of Work and contract shall continue and extend throughout the option period. Table 1: Periods of Performance Year Begin and End Dates Base Year 4/1/2014 through 3/31/2015 Option Year 1 4/1/2015 through 3/31/2016 Option Year 2 4/1/2016 through 3/31/2017 Option Year 3 4/1/2017 through 3/31/2018 Option Year 4 4/1/2018 through 3/31/2019 VII. Response: A. Any interested and capable business can respond with its capabilities statement in response to this ‘Sources Sought Notice'. The response and capabilities statement be as follows: 1. Shall accurately, clearly, completely define the business' capabilities with facts, technical information and details sufficient to allow the Government to understand and assess these business' capabilities. 2. Shall include: the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number; Tax Identification (Tax I.D.) Number; Legal Business Name; "Doing Business as Name", Physical Address; Point of Contact Information; applicable North American Industry Classification System Code; Type of Business; and, Business Size. 3. Shall be in Microsoft Office or/and Adobe PDF format which is limited to 15 pages total. B. The response and capabilities statement shall be submitted ONLY to M.Gray@doc.gov by the closing date of this ‘Sources Sought Notice'. VIII. Legal Considerations: A. The Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of a response or to provide feedback about/to a response based on this ‘Sources Sought Notice". This notice does not obligate the Government to: 1. Award a contract or order to a respondent to this notice; 2. Pay for the time and materials used by a respondent to this notice; and, 3. Pay for the information provided by a respondent to this notice. B. A respondent whom provides classified, confidential, proprietary, or/and sensitive information does so voluntarily, entirely at its own risk, and, without the Government being subject to liability. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by any respondent for any purpose the Government determines to reasonable, appropriate, and, lawful. Therefore, the Government reserves the right to use information provided by any respondent for any later announcement, notice, solicitation, synopsis or/and postings.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOC/OS/OAM-OSBS/AA-HRM-WC-O-14-00078/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Washington, D.C. 20230, Washington, District of Columbia, 20230, United States
- Zip Code: 20230
- Zip Code: 20230
- Record
- SN03247190-W 20131208/131206234029-b1bf69759c30939b72b0d24980940527 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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