DHS seeks to contract with procurement professionals with experience and expertise in the procurement of Medicaid Enterprise systems and Arkansas State Procurement Procedures to supplement DHS procurement capabilities. Strong bidders will have experience and expertise in market and vendor research, sister state solicitation reviews, procurement planning, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) funding requirements, all aspects of public sector solicitation development, evaluation, demonstration, negotiation, protest, and award. The Awarded Contractor will Lead the procurement process for the identified projects. That is, the Contractor will be able to leverage their experience and expertise to identify and recommend a procurement strategy for each awarded project, transform existing materials provided by DHS and/or draft materials in support of new services into compliant solicitation(s), conduct the solicitation process through contract execution, and handoff to the service project management team. DHS has identified the following objectives for this service: 1. Successfully establish specified Medicaid and other Human Services contracts that will provide the next generation of services that maximize value, innovation, and effectiveness for Arkansans. 2. Manage risk and support the success of each solicitation project, including without limitation: a. Receive timely, well-informed, and project-specific initial recommendations for procurement strategies. b. Receive ongoing recommendations to manage risk associated with emergent issues, such as revisions in Federal guidance or regulation, market changes, or shifts in business needs that may occur throughout the solicitation process. 3. Reduce the resource investment of DHS program and executive staff in the solicitation process, including without limitation: a. Limiting the number of hours spent by subject matter experts and executive staff in developing scopes of work and associated solicitation materials. b. Establishing effective targeted communication strategies for all DHS stakeholders.
