THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) SOURCES SOUGHT IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR MARKET RESEARCH AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION 1. Responses to this Sources Sought must be in writing. The purpose of this Sources Sought Announcement is for market research only to make appropriate acquisition decisions and to gain knowledge of Small Businesses , including Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses and Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB/VOSB), who are interested in submitting proposals for this procurement and who are capable of performing the work required for this procurement. 2. The NAICS for this requirement is 541519 Other Computer Related Services 3. The Contractor shall provide Red River Annual Software Subscription (brand name or equal to) for the PVAHCS (see attached DRAFT SOW). The required products shall be provided by the contractor along with all resources necessary to accomplish the deliverables described in the attached Draft Statement of Work (SOW). 4. Interested and capable Contractors are encouraged to respond to this notice not later than Wednesday, Dec 11st 2024, at 11:00 AM PDT, by providing the following information via email only to Jose.Espinoza3@va.gov. (a) Company name (b) Address (c) Point of contact (d) Phone, fax, and email of primary point of contact (e) Contractor s Unique Entity ID (SAM) number (f) Type of small business, if applicable, (e.g. Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB), 8(a), HUB-Zone, Woman Owned Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, or Small Business). (g) Statement indicating whether your company is considered small under the size standard for the NAICS code identified under this RFI. (h) Statement indicating the product name of the Red River Annual Software Subscription (brand name or equal to) for the PLAVAHCS product referenced above that you intend to provide for this procurement. (i) Statement indicating whether you are the manufacturer of the Red River Annual Software Subscription (brand name or equal to) for the PLAVAHCS that you intend to provide for this procurement. If you intend to provide products manufactured by a company other than your own, state the name of the company whose Red River Annual Software Subscription (brand name or equal to) for the PAVAHCS product you intend to provide, the country of origin, and whether the company that manufactures that product is a small business under the size standard for the NAICS code identified under this RFI. (j) Statement indicating if you have a current contract to provide the Red River Annual Software Subscription (brand name or equal to) for the PVAHCS product that you intend to provide for this procurement, along with the installation, configuration, validation, support, and maintenance services required by this procurement, under either the General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) or with the VA National Acquisition Center (NAC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP), or any other federal contract. If yes, provide the contract type and contract number, as well as the identity of the federal agency with whom you hold that contract. (k) Statement indicating if your product that you intent to provide for this procurement was assessed by VA Technical Reference Model Management Group and currently approved for use in the VA. (l) Statement indicating how many calendar days you estimate it would take you to implement, configure, and validate the Red River Annual Software Subscription (brand name or equal to) for the PAVAHCS that you intend to provide for this procurement in a medical center similar to the VA Medical Center. (m) General pricing for your products/solutions for market research purposes. (n) A capability statement that provides detailed information for one or more reference contracts that demonstrate your experience providing requested products that meets the requirements described in the attached Draft Salient Characteristics and demonstrates your experience providing the installation, configuration, validation, support, and maintenance services required by this procurement. GENERAL STATEMENTS OF CAPABILITY ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE. Respondents must provide the following information for each reference contract the respondent identifies as evidence of the respondent s capability to perform the work required by this procurement. Respondents must provide the following information for each reference contract: (1) the legal name of entity with whom the respondent held the contract; (2) the contract number; (3) a description providing details of the specific tasks the respondent performed under that contract; (4) the dates during which the respondent performed the contract; (5) the name, phone number, and email address of a person at the entity with whom the respondent held the contract who can verify the information the respondent provides regarding this reference contract. If a respondent offers to demonstrate experience through the proposed use of subcontractors, the respondent must provide all of the information required above for one or more reference contracts performed by each subcontractor the respondent intends to use. NOTE: The information requested above is required for the Government to evaluate whether there are sufficient small business concerns of a particular type who are capable of performing the work required by this procurement to determine if this procurement should be set aside for a given type of small business concern. FAILURE TO SUBMIT ALL OF THE INFORMATION REQUESTED ABOVE TO SUPPORT A RESPONDENT S CLAIMED EXPERIENCE MAY BE VIEWED BY THE GOVERNMENT AS EVIDENCE THAT THE RESPONDENT LACKS THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE THE PRODUCTS REQUESTED IN THIS PROCUREMENT. THIS, IN TURN, MAY AFFECT THE GOVERNMENT S DETERMINATION ABOUT WHETHER THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A SET-ASIDE PROCUREMENT HAVE BEEN MET. 5. All Offerors who provide goods or services to the United States Government must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database found at https://www.sam.gov. Registration must include Representations and Certifications. 6. Small Business respondents. (a) If respondent is VOSB or SDVOSB, respondent is encouraged to provide proof of www.vetbiz.gov certification. In addition, SDVOSB/VOSB Contractors are asked to acknowledge that they understand the limitations on sub-contracting pursuant to FAR 52.219-14, Limitations on Sub-Contracting, which will be included in the impending solicitation. Further SDVOSB/VOSB contractors are asked to respond that they are capable of providing the requested services keeping within the parameters of this clause. (b) Small businesses, including SDVOSB/VOSBS are also advised that per 13 CFR, § 125.6 the prime contractor's limitations on subcontracting are as follows: (1) General. In order to be awarded a full or partial small business set-aside contract with a value greater than $150,000, an 8(a) contract, an SDVO SBC contract, a HUBZone contract, a WOSB or EDWOSB contract pursuant to part 127 of this chapter, a small business concern must agree that: (2) In the case of a contract for services (except construction), it will not pay more than 50% of the amount paid by the government to it to firms that are not similarly situated. Any work that a similarly situated subcontractor further subcontracts will count towards the 50% subcontract amount that cannot be exceeded. (c) Please note that if VA s pending market research establishes that two or more verified VOSB or SDVOSB can provide the services required, VA will set aside the underlying solicitation per 38 U.S.C. §8127. --End of Sources Sought Announcement-- DISCLAIMER This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. STATEMENT OF WORK SPECIFICATIONS SUMMARY: Southern Arizona Health Care System (SAVAHCS) requires an annual membership/participation in a national nursing database (one base year). Reports must capture nursing unit level data concerning nursing sensitive outcomes, RN satisfaction, and Magnet preparation. B. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Participation/Membership in a national nursing quality database effective Date of Award: Base Year: 1/1/2025 to 12/31/2025 C. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The National Database for Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI®) is a large, centralized information pool that collects nursing data from private and VA hospitals across the nation. The database is a repository for nursing-sensitive indicators. This allows the VA to obtain information on nursing-sensitive indicators and their operational definitions, NDNQI enrollment procedures, quarterly reports to participating facilities, and examples from facility nurse liaisons of how NDNQI reports have been used to improve care. NDNQI provides national comparison data for acute care and behavioral health units based on bed size, teaching status, geographic status, and most importantly facilities of excellence (for example, Magnet status). NDNQI is the only database that provides data from Magnet hospitals. From this comparison, benchmarking is possible to provide stimulus for care improvements. New nursing-sensitive indicators are added to the database; new projects are initiated; and new facilities join regularly. The guiding forces behind NDNQI are constantly trying to determine how this program can be enhanced to better serve the participating facilities and the nursing profession. N.B.: The VA/VHA data supplied to the contractor would be a form of a Limited Data Set, as defined in the HIPAA Privacy Rule (defined below). IHI is a subset of health information including an individual's demographic information that is created or received by a health care provider, health plan, or health care clearinghouse that relates to the past, present, or future physical or mental health/condition of an individual, the health care provided to that individual, or the past, present, or future payment for the same, or that identifies the individual or provides a reasonable basis to be used to identify the individual. PHI is individually identifiable health information transmitted or maintained by a Covered Entity in any form or medium. NOTE: PHI excludes employment records held by a Covered Entity in its role as an employer or health information belonging to an individual deceased more than 50 years. SPI, with respect to an individual, means any information about the individual maintained by an agency, including the following: (1) education, financial transactions, medical history, and criminal or employment history, and/or (2) information that can be used to distinguish or trace the individual's identity, including name, Social Security number, date and place ofbi1th, mother's maiden name, or biometric records, 38 C.F.R. §75.112, and see also The Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. §552a. Service: Data from hospitals participating in the NDNQI Program are aggregated in groups with comparable institutions ("Comparison Data") at least quarterly. VA's data are included in Comparison Data in accordance with NDNQI Program procedures. The contractor reserves the right to determine whether or not VA's data are included in Comparison Data. Comparison Data excludes any SPI, PHI, or other IHI; therefore, the VA-provided data poses no risk of unauthorized disclosure or use of Veteran or VA staff data or breach of confidentiality. A Clinical and Staffing Measure report that includes information on trends and Comparison Data, provided data is received for the NDNQI nursing quality measures within the scheduled timeline; and Assurance of quality standards for data management in order to ensure data integrity and security. The SAVAHCS agrees to and understands that the contractor reserves the right to delete erroneous data. Except for data errors that appear in the VA's error reports, the contractor will notify the VA of any erroneous data and will give the VA ten (1 0) business days or five (5) business days post data submission deadline (whichever is sooner), to confirm whether such data are erroneous before the contractor deletes same. Provided that VA has complied with the obligations identified in VA Responsibilities below, reports will be provided, at least quarterly. VA RESPONSIBILITIES VA shall: Integrate data collection into the institutional infrastructure, accountabilities, and processes in order to optimize the collection of valid and reliable data for the NDNQI Program Measures, related definitions, and coding guidelines. For the purposes of this Agreement, "Measures" shall mean those variables, monitored over time, that focus on (i) how patients and their conditions are affected by their interaction with nursing staff, (ii) how care is delivered, (iii) staffing patterns expected to affect quality and quantity of care provided by nurses, and (iv) measurements of nursing satisfaction as described below. Identify data collection stakeholders within its institution and systematically negotiate their assistance and commitment to the success of the data collection and compilation. Identify a Site Coordinator for VA. The Site Coordinator will (i) be responsible for data collection and timely submission, (ii) be available to answer questions from NDNQI Program staff and provide clarification on the data submitted, and distribute the NDNQI reports to responsible parties in the VA. Identify and submit accurate data according to NDNQI specifications, respond to queries for clarification, and/or make data submission corrections within the prescribed timeframes. VA understands and agrees that, in order to ensure data integrity, erroneous or invalid data may be deleted in accordance with NDNQI procedures. Any data submitted to NDNQI are considered to be a limited data set under HIPAA. Adhere to the data use obligations. Note: A "limited data set" is a limited set of identifiable patient information as defined in the Privacy Regulations issued under HIPAA. A "limited data set" of information may only be disclosed pursuant to the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Clinical and Staffing Measures The NDNQI Clinical and Staffing Measures are nursing sensitive metrics that are collected on specific types of hospital units. VA shall complete the Clinical and Staffing Indicator collection process according to NDNQI specifications and submit the data on the NDNQI Database website as set forth in posted timelines. RN Survey The contractor shall measure RN satisfaction yearly. If VA enrolls in the RN Survey, VA agrees to adhere to posted timelines and procedures for the RN Survey. This includes adhering to the NDNQI RN Survey. Coordinator Data Collection Protocol and VA's local Institutional Review Board requirements for human subject's protection. The Parties acknowledge that full performance of their respective obligations may depend on certain acts of the other party. As required by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR 52.212-4) and the Contract Dispute Act, in the event of a dispute or concern, the Parties will confer in good faith to identify the cause of the dispute or concern - including whether the failure of the complaining Party to perform contributed to the concern - and to resolve the dispute or concern amicably and professionally. CONFIDENTIALITY Confidential Information" Defined. "Confidential Information" means (a) all data and information transmitted electronically by (or on behalf of) VA or its employees to the NDNQI (regardless of whether or how marked), and (b) all data and information provided in writing or transmitted electronically to VA (regardless of whether or how marked), including NDNQI benchmarks, extensible markup language (XML), unique data identifiers, programs, educational materials, definitions, and other codes or algorithms. "Confidential Information" does not include any particular information that the receiving party can demonstrate: (a) was rightfully in the possession of or known by the receiving party without an obligation to maintain its confidentiality prior to receipt from the disclosing party; (b) was or has become generally available to the public other than as a result of disclosure by the receiving party or its agents; (c) after disclosure to the receiving party, was received from a third party who, to the receiving party's knowledge, had a lawful right to disclose such information to the receiving party without any obligation to restrict its further use or disclosure; (d) was independently developed by the receiving party without use of or reference to any Confidential Information of the disclosing party; or (e) that the disclosing party has disclosed to unaffiliated third parties without similar restrictions. "Confidential Information" shall not include any Protected Health Information received from, or received, maintained, transmitted or created on behalf of, VA by the contractor in connection with the services provided to VA (collectively, "PHI"). All PHI shall be subject to Section F hereof ("Limited Data Set"). "Disclosure" is the release of, transfer of, provision of access to, or divulging to a third party in any manner outside of VHA. VA's participation as a participant in the NDNQI Program, along with identity of VA's key contact personnel will be known by the contractor and NDNQI Program personnel. The contractor may disclose VA's participation in the NDNQI Program to outside entities; however, such disclosure will be limited to VA's participation in the NDNQI Program and will not affect the contractor's obligations to maintain the confidentiality of VA's data. VA's participation in the NDNQI Program would generally be used to recognize VA's commitment to quality, including recognition that may be in the form of communication with the participants or recognition at meetings, and to provide speaking opportunities, publishing opportunities, access to marketing information about related products and services, and other similar activities. Obligations of Confidentiality. The receiving party may only disclose Confidential Information to personnel who have a legitimate need to know the information for the purposes of this Contract and who are obligated to protect the confidentiality of the information in a manner substantially equivalent to that required of the receiving party. The receiving party will keep Confidential Information confidential and secure and will protect it from unauthorized use or disclosure by using at least the same degree of care as the receiving party employs to avoid unauthorized use or disclosure of its own confidential information of a similar nature, but in no event less than reasonable care. If any unauthorized disclosure or loss of any Confidential Information occurs, the receiving party will promptly notify the disclosing party and will cooperate with the disclosing party and take all such actions as may be necessary or reasonably requested by the disclosing party to minimize the violation and any damage resulting from it. No Implied Rights. Confidential Information will remain the property of the disclosing party. Nothing contained in this section will be construed as obligating a party to disclose Confidential Information, or as granting to or conferring on the receiving party, expressly or by implication, any rights or license to Confidential Information. Any such obligation or grant will only be as provided by other provisions of this Contract. Compelled Disclosure. If the receiving party is legally compelled to disclose any Confidential Information in a manner not otherwise permitted by this Contract as the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) considers, the receiving party will (a) promptly notify the disclosing party, describing the subpoena, court order, or other similar process pursuant to which the receiving party is compelled to disclose the Confidential Information, (b) provide the disclosing party with documentation thereof, and (c) permit the disclosing party reasonable time to seek a protective order or other appropriate remedy to limit disclosure. Duration of Confidentiality Obligations. Each party's obligations under this Section (Confidentiality) apply to Confidential Information, whether disclosed to the receiving party before or after the Effective Date, and will continue during the Term and survive the expiration or termination of this Agreement LIMITED DATA SET For the purposes of this Agreement, the terms "Protected Health Information" and "Limited Data Set" shall have the same definitions as found in the HIPAA Privacy Rule 45 CFR §164.50 I and 45 CFR §164.514(e)(2), as amended as noted supra. All data included in the Program database that constitute a Limited Data Set and the use thereof shall be permitted by VA in accordance with the Data Use Agreement for a Limited Data Set Between the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and The contractor Associates effective March 3, 2016, as amended which is attached hereto and made part of this Agreement, and the following terms and conditions: The NDNQI Program collects nursing quality-related data including the month and quarter of individual subject's outcomes and neonate subject's ages, making the NDNQI Program a Limited Data Set pursuant to HIPAA regulations. Except as otherwise specified herein, the contractor may make all uses and disclosures of the Limited Data Set necessary to conduct the NDNQI Program and any affiliated research projects. In addition to the contractor, the individuals, or classes of individuals, who are permitted to use or receive the Limited Data Set include: all NDNQI Program staff including researchers and subcontractors performing services on behalf of or in association with the contractor. The contractor may make the Limited Data Set available to third parties for research approved by the contractor provided that (i) the data cannot be identified by the third party as VA data, (ii) the data cannot be identified by the third party as data of an individual subject, and (iii) the third party signs a data use agreement that complies with the HIPAA Privacy Rule. The contractor agrees to not use or disclose the Limited Data Set for any other purpose other than as described herein or as required by law. Duration of Limited Data Set Obligations. The obligations under this Section F (Limited Data Set) will continue during the Term and survive the expiration or termination of this Agreement for as long as the contractor retains VA Data." DATAUSE In addition to the allocation of rights as described in the FAR, the contractor retains all right, title and interest in and to specialized database software, the Measures used as part of the NDNQI Program, tutorials and the Program database. Provision of services hereunder does not transfer to VA any of The contractor's right, title and interest to its intellectual property, including Confidential Information defined in the Confidential Information Section in this Agreement, and reserves all rights thereto.VA may use the NDNQI Comparison Data and benchmarks only during the term of this Agreement and only for (i) self evaluation for purposes of performance and quality improvement including improving nursing services, patient care, nurse satisfaction as well as for targeting internal nursing education needs, internal research, satisfaction of external reporting requirements for Magnet, state hospital association, Baldrige, or Beacon awards and (ii) marketing to recruit patients or nurses. The parties acknowledge and agree that any VA-specific reports (including quarterly reports and any report created by VA using a contractor online application) and VA-specific data analyses created by the contractor for VA under this Agreement (collectively, "Work Product") shall be owned by VA. Subject to (b), above, all right, title and interest in the Work Product will vest in VA and all Work Product will be deemed to be works made for hire for VA. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in (e) above, the contractor owns, and reserves all rights in and to, the contractor Knowledge Base Materials. The phrase "Knowledge Base Materials" shall mean any survey questions, methodologies, comparative and benchmark databases and any related documentation generated by or on behalf of the contractor or any contractor personnel (including, without limitation, all de-identified survey-level responses and other measures of patient satisfaction or clinical performance) as well as any technology, software, code, processes, know-how, or tools that have independent value outside of the Work Product. In the event that the Work Product contains or references any the contractor Knowledge Base Materials, the contractor hereby grants to VA a perpetual, non exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, limited license to use or access those the contractor Knowledge Base Materials that may be contained in the Work Product solely for VA's own internal purposes. The contractor will retain all right, title and interest (including, without limitation, all intellectual property rights) in and to the contractor Knowledge Base Materials. VA shall not, and shall not permit any third party to, (i) decompile, disassemble or reverse engineer the contractor Knowledge Base Materials; (ii) modify the contractor Knowledge Base Materials, or create any derivative product from any of the contractor Knowledge Base Materials; (iii) use the contractor Knowledge Base Materials except as incorporated into the Work Product; or (iv) market, sell or distribute the contractor Knowledge Base Materials on a stand-alone basis or together with any other products or services. Any copy, modification, revision, enhancement, adaptation, translation, or derivative work of or created from the contractor Knowledge Base Materials shall be owned solely and exclusively by the contractor, as shall any and all patent rights, copyrights, trade secret rights, trademark rights, and all other proprietary rights, worldwide therein and thereto, and VA hereby assigns to the contractor any and all of its interests, title or ownership in the contractor Knowledge Base Materials or any modification to or derivative work of the contractor Knowledge Base Materials. VA shall not permit any VAMC or other third party to attempt to re-identify any contractor Knowledge Base Materials, including any de-identified VA Data therein. VA acknowledges and agrees that electronic, raw data files containing patient-level responses, measurement or improvement scores or compilations thereof, that may be provided by the contractor to VA ("Data Files") also contain the contractor proprietary information and intellectual prope1iy. VA may request, and the contractor may agree to provide VA with access to the Data Files in a manner determined by the contractor after the Parties enter into a separate data use agreement in the form and substance approved by the contractor. In the event that the contractor provides VA with access to any Data Files, VA agrees to: (i) only use the Data Files for its own internal purposes and not for the benefit of any third party; (ii) only share, disclose, or transmit the Data Files to a person who is an employee of VA or has a written contractual relationship with VA to provide further analysis of VA's own internal business purposes; (iii) not, and VA shall not permit any third party to, combine any of the information in the Data Files with other information to generate benchmarks; and (iv) not, and VA shall not permit any third party to, share Data Files with any other entity that provides satisfaction/experience/engagement measurement reporting tools, services, or other activities or services similar or reasonably competitive to those offered by The contractor. USE OF NAME Except as permitted pursuant to the Confidentiality Section, this Use of Name Section, and the Database Use/Ownership/Intellectual Property Section, the parties agree that they will not use the other party's (or its employees, agents, investigators, or affiliates) name, symbols, trademarks, service marks or logos, including the contractor and NDNQI names, symbols, marks, or logos, in any advertisement, promotion, brochure, solicitation or similar document or for any marketing, public relations, advertising, display or other business purpose, or any statement to the public, without the other party's prior written consent. Notwithstanding the foregoing: (i) VA may elect to disclose its participation in the NDNQI Program, including the RN Survey, and the parties shall have the right to refer to this Contract as appropriate in the conduct of its business and in any filings required with any governmental agency or as otherwise required by law; and (ii) VA grants The contractor the right to include VA's name in The contractor's client list, including its list of participants in the NDNQI Program database, and list of award winners, when applicable. A party shall immediately cease using the Marks of the other party in any manner found objectionable by that party. Each party shall retain all right, title and interest in and to its Marks, and each party's use of the other party's Marks shall inure to the benefit of such other party." The VA retains the sole discretion to dictate how its name, logo, etc. are used. See 38 C.F.R. §1.9. VA's name or logo shall not be used in conjunction with any marketing done by the vendor.
