Notice Type: Request for Information
Agency/Office:
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Location:
Healthcare Systems Bureau (HSB)
Title:
Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN)
I. Description:
This is a Request for Information notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this market research is two fold: 1) to get potential sources' feedback, comments and suggestions on how the procurement requirement may be improved upon, made clearer, or changed for the better, and 2) to request statements of intent from prospective offerors who intend to bid on the upcoming solicitation.
II. Purpose:
The purpose of this requirement is to support the operations and continual improvement of the OPTN. In performing the activities of the OPTN, the Contactor shall allocate and distribute donor organs to individuals waiting for an organ transplant. The allocation of organs is guided by organ allocation policies developed by the OPTN with analytic support provided by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR).
The major objectives to be accomplished for this performance period include:
(1) Support efforts of the OPTN and HRSA to be consistent with the National Organ Transplant Act as amended and the OPTN final rule;
(2) Support the continued improvement of national organ allocation policies to maximize the benefit of transplantation to those with end-stage organ failure;
(3) Continuous evaluation and performance improvement of the OPTN to minimize organ wastage and to maximize transplant benefit, patient safety, and system efficiencies;
(4) Support and increase transparency and efficiency of the OPTN policy development process;
(5) Support the OPTN in the development and implementation of strategic and operational planning systems;
(6) Support the ongoing operation and improvement of the OPTN Data System to provide timely, complete, efficient, and accurate information for policy development, research, and organ placement purposes;
(7) Provide and implement a system for evaluating member compliance with federal regulations, OPTN Bylaws, and policies, to evaluate and improve program performance and to review patient safety;
(8) Conduct research independently and collaborate on research and other analyses with the SRTR and the transplant community to support increased understanding of organ transplant and donation issues that will improve performance of the national transplant system; and
(9) Disseminate information for use by patients and their families, physicians, payers, researchers, and other interested stakeholders.
The functions of the OPTN that the Contractor will conduct are as follows:
(1) Maintaining a national list of individuals in need of one or more organ(s) for transplantation.
(2) Matching organs to individuals on the waiting list.
(3) Establishing and enforcing membership criteria for member entities.
(4) Creating policies for the allocation of donated organs consistent with the OPTN final rule.
(5) Providing and maintaining a twenty-four-hour system to facilitate organ-recipient matching.
(6) Assisting organ procurement organizations (OPO) in the nationwide distribution of organs.
(7) Collecting, analyzing, and publishing organ donation and transplantation data.
(8) Working actively to increase the supply and utilization of donated organs.
(9) Having infrastructure and facilities to support the OPTN.
III. RESPONSES
The Government is requesting industry assessment of our draft requirements documentation. This information will be used to revise, if necessary, our documentation in support of anticipated solicitations. All responses will be accepted in PDF format via email to Patrick Mauro at PMauro@HRSA.gov no later than 4:00 PM EST on Friday, December 22, 2017. HRSA will allow all interested parties to submit questions in response to this RFI. Questions shall be submitted to Patrick Mauro at PMauro@HRSA.gov no later than 4:00 PM EST on Wednesday, December 13, 2017. HRSA will respond to all questions via amendment to the RFI. HRSA is under no obligation to consider responses to the RFI or questions received after the aforementioned due dates.
Vendors should provide the following information to HRSA:
A. Feedback for the PWS to ensure industry is clear about the Government's requirements;
B. Feedback on the documentation to ensure HRSA / HSB is utilizing best practices;
C. Feedback on the structure of the PWS; and
D. Potential contract type that will best serve the public's interest.
This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice regarding its capability to respond to the future solicitation should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. 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. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.
Confidentiality. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).
