Health Care Financing Administration 7500 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD. 21244-1850

T -- PUBLICATIONS CLEARINGHOUSE SERVICES POC Jimmie Curtis,Contract Speialist,410-786-7859 PUBLICATIONS CLEARINGHOUSE SERVICES SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) is seeking to identify sources of services for a potential Internet-based Publications Clearinghouse Services contract. This Clearinghouse will perform functions that are currently being performed by HCFA Central & Regional offices and HCFA contractors, namely: database creation, printing, maintaining inventories, distributing, warehousing and archiving publications. This clearinghouse and its associated fulfillment system, would be connected to the HCFA Web Site and be available to HCFA's Toll-Free-Number contractors for their use. HCFA has over 150 Toll-Free-Numbers nationwide for beneficiary questions and requests for publications, and approximately 100 Toll-Free-Numbers for providers. The fulfillment system would be used to control inventory and link with local and remote print-on-demand systems for small jobs. HCFA is seeking a single integrated electronic documents management and distribution system for handling all functions related to this publications clearinghouse. This system would provide automated control in a highly distributed, remotely accessible LAN/WAN and Internet environment for the production, storage and dissemination of Medicare and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) related publications through their entire life cycle; i.e., from database creation, through storage and dissemination, to final archiving. The publications involved would include the multitude of pamphlets, guidebooks, handbooks, brochures and other documents totaling approximately 1,300 documents (over 1,300,000,000 pages) distributed to Medicare and CHIP physicians/providers, beneficiaries and the general public annually. HCFA processes over 5 million requests annually through partners and central office distribution points. HCFA plans to promote the use of this system to the 280,000 physicians who are already submitting Medicare bills to HCFA electronically. These physicians are expected to be high volume, repeat users, and their number should increase significantly over the next five years. HCFA requires a single, integrated system that incorporates the various functions of electronic document management, including image storage and retrieval (electronic and hard copy), work flow management and compound document management. As part of this market survey, HCFA is also interested in available commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products that can meet these requirements and provide connectivity to HCFA and its contractors to allow for database publication preparation and revision. Responses to this Request For Information (RFI) should address design and budgetary information for the publications clearinghouse services described above. Your response should include your capabilities in the following areas: 1. Document storage/retrieval, ordering distribution databases and capabilities including: Internet, CD-ROM, download sites, remote printing and print-on-demand; 2. Ability to inventory, warehouse, and distribute information in various medias and languages (currently HCFA translates primarily into Spanish); 3. Underlying infrastructure and methodology including Internet connectivity in a millennium compliant, client server environment to HCFA and it's contractors nationwide; 4. Implementation, operation, and maintenance of the overall system; 5. Database creation; and 6. Estimated development costs and operational costs to provide the publications clearinghouse services described above, including: work hours, storage, and postage costs. Include the name, telephone and e-mail address of a POC and indicate your size status under SIC Code 7389 with a small business size standard of $5.0 million average annual sales IAW FAR 19.102. This synopsis is for information purposes only, does not constitute a Request For Proposal (RFP), and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. The information that you provide will be evaluated to identify capable potential sources if funding is allocated for this effort. Respondents will be included on any mailing list for any RFP that may result from this Sources Sought. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this notice or otherwise pay for any information solicited. The purpose of this sources sought is to identify potential responsible sources and status prior to possible solicitation. Interested firms should submit appropriate documentation of your capability to HCFA, 7500 Security Boulevard, Attn: J. Curtis, C2-21-15, Baltimore, MD 21244 by July 27, 1998. (0167)

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