NCA Scheduling and Eligibility Office Mail Display and Handling Service
Request for Information
National Cemetery Administration (NVA) Digitized Mail Handing Service (DMHS)
TAC-18-49607
Introduction:
Currently, the NCA Scheduling and Eligibility Office Call Centers manually retrieve faxed and printed materials to determine the eligibility of and scheduling of interment in a national cemetery within defined timeliness standards. However, NCA is transitioning from a claims processing distributed mail system to a streamlined mail system to further reduce complexities and overall claims processing cycle time. Centralized Mail (CM) redirects claims-specific mail conventionally sent to Regional Offices (RO) to Intake, Conversion, and Mail Handling Services (ICMHS) vendors. Images and metadata are extracted by ICMHS vendors and electronically transferred to the Digitized Mail Handling Services (DMHS) solution DMHS provides the Government a service accessed and utilized by VA users, and includes functionality to identify, audit, assign, reassign, return for re-scan, apply final indexing values as needed, and in general prepare mail packets for upload to VBMS. Following processing in DMHS, CM packets are uploaded to the VBMS eFolder. In support of CM efforts, VA awarded a DMHS TO in June 2015. VA DOES NOT OWN the DMHS source code. The current DMHS solution includes a Mail Display and Handling Service. The Mail Display and Handling Service is currently geared to support VBA s processes claims related material and VA intends to request a modification the solution to now support NCA burial requests.
Request for Information:
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Technology Acquisition Center intends to issue a sole source Task Order (TO) to Systems Made Simple, Inc. (SMS) for the modification of its existing DMHS solution, currently supporting Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) RO, to provide the same digital access and services to the NCA Scheduling and Eligibility Offices to support scheduling and burial requests for Veterans. This Request for Information is being issued to collect additional market research in support of the Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition by reviewing the current marketplace for potential commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) mail handling portals and associated services which meet the functional, compatibility, and interoperability requirements set forth in the attached Performance Work Statement (PWS) entitled National Cemetery Administration (NCA) Mail Display and Handling Service. Specifically, VA is looking for information on current digitized mail handling services that may be available for comparison to the current DMHS solution provided by SMS specifically for VA/VBA. A key component that will determine if there are any additional vendors/suppliers capable of meeting VA s needs is the capability of the vendor s solution to be customized for VA s unique needs, specifically the ability to interface with VA systems notably Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS), with minimal re-work/development costs and within a limited timeframe. This RFI is only seeking information regarding potential DHMS solutions for NCA other than the existing DMHS solution provided by SMS; VA intends to compete and award a separate TO for an Intake, Conversion, and Mail Handling Service (ICMHS) vendor to support NCA.
This is an RFI only. Do not submit a proposal or quote. It is requested that all companies interested in participating in this effort please note their interest and provide information on their respective capabilities to perform the effort. This RFI is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered an Invitation for Bids, Request for Quotations, or a Request for Proposal. Additionally, there is no obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services described in this RFI. Your response to this RFI will be treated only as information for the Government to consider. You will not be entitled to payment for direct or indirect costs that you incur in responding to this RFI. This request does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter into negotiations to award a contract. No funds have been authorized, appropriated or received for this effort. The information provided may be used by the VA in developing its acquisition strategy and Performance Work Statement. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary, restricted or competition sensitive information contained in their response. The Government does not intend to pay for the information submitted in response to this RFI.
Submittal Information:
This is RFI only. It is requested that all companies interested in participating in this effort note their interest and provide indication of their respective capabilities to perform the effort described above. Marketing material will not be accepted as an indication of capability. Only responses related to the Government s requirements as listed above will be considered.
Provide, at a minimum, the following information in the initial paragraph of the submission:
Name of Company
Address
Point of Contact
Phone Number
Fax Number
Email address
Company Business Size and Status
NAICS code(s)
Socioeconomic data
Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number
Any and all scheduled contracts your company may have (i.e. General Services Administration (GSA) Schedules, Government Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWAC), etc.). Include Contract Number, expiration date, etc.
Provide a brief description of your company s COTS product, a brief description of the environment in which this solution currently operates, and address how this product will meet the functional, compatibility, and interoperability requirements to support receipt of NCA mail packets from ICMHS vendor(s), processing, and upload of packages to VBMS. If any customizations or interfaces will need to be developed, provide technical explanation of the work required to meet VA s needs, estimated cost, and estimated timeframe before your company s solution will be operational and ready to receive NCA mail packet submissions as well as upload to VBMS.
If your company is a Small Business, also include the following:
The intent and ability to meet set-aside requirements for performance of this effort.
Information as to proposed team members, the percentage of work each is to perform and which PWS requirements would be subcontracted.
Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) and Veteran Owned Small Businesses (VOSB) must indicate whether at least 50% of the cost incurred would be expended for prime employees or employees of other eligible SDVOSB/VOSB firms. This should also include the prime planned percentage and if under 50%, the names of the potential team members that may be used to fulfill the 50% SDVOSB/VOSB requirement.
NOTE: The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) for this requirement is 541512 with a size standard of $27.5 million. A company that is not a VIP registered and verified SDVOSB or VOSB (http://www.va.gov/OSDBU/index.asp) should not represent itself as an SDVOSB for purposes of this RFI.
All responsible sources may submit a response in accordance with the following:
No more than 15 pages (excluding transmittal page)
Include the name, email address and phone number of the appropriate representative of your company.
Responses to this RFI shall be submitted via email to Contract Specialist Lana Farber at lana.farber@va.gov no later than noon on February 23, 2018. Product information, brochures, part numbers, and/or other description information may be included with the submission. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. Do not submit a proposal or quote.
Lana J Farber
Contract Specialist
732-440-9702
lana.farber@va.gov
