Request for Proposal s44

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Multi-Regional Three Year Training and Exercise Plan for Hospitals

I. Introduction

Funding for this RFP will be provided through grants to the Research and Education Foundation (REF) of the Ohio Hospital Association (OHA), the Greater Cincinnati Health Council, the Center for Health Affairs and the Akron Regional Hospital Association, from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) who was awarded funding for health care system disaster preparedness from the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response (ASPR).

The above mentioned associations are located within five (5) of the Ohio Homeland Security Planning regions and have an estimated one hundred and nine (109) hospitals that will benefit from this plan. The development of this plan will ensure that education and training opportunities/programs exist for healthcare workers who respond to incidents or emergencies during the stated three year period and ensure those opportunities encompass the sub-capabilities described herein. The plan must ensure that all education and training opportunities/programs enhance the ability of healthcare workers to respond in a coordinated and non-overlapping manner and demonstrate coordination with relevant entities such as local healthcare system partnership/coalitions, Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) entities, local Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) and the Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI) jurisdictions, to the extent possible.

The one hundred and nine hospitals have conducted and participated in individual and multi-agencies exercises in the past. To enhance the response capabilities of each of these facilities, the above mentioned associations seeks professional services from parties, hereinafter referred to as Bidders, to develop five (5) individual training and exercise plans. The plans in part must describe the role of healthcare systems in exercise development, participation, evaluation, development of after action reports, and participation in evaluation and improvement plans and include the following:

1. The development of five (5) independent plans that follow the same format but will contain regional priorities. Format should include: Preface, Point of Contact, Purpose, Target Capabilities List (if appropriate), Planning Scenarios, HSEEP Building Block Approach, Evaluation, Regional Priorities, and Training and Exercise Schedule.

2. Provide for an annual Training and Exercise Workshop.

3. Follows the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) template and principles. (See Appendix B)

of 12 4. Includes a “building-block approach” and trainings and exercise activities wich gradually escalate in complexity.

5. Includes training and exercise priorities based on overarching regional strategy and previous improvement plans.

6. Includes yearly trainings and exercises which test at a minimum: . Interoperable Communications . Bed Tracking . Fatality Management . Medical Evacuation/Shelter in Place . Partnership/Coalition Development

7. Includes trainings on ICS/HICS and SNS/Medical Resources Request.

8. Reflects all exercises in which the regional hospitals and health care facilities will participate.

9. Includes provisions to have responsible agencies conduct annual updates to the plan within 60 days of the Training and Exercise Plan Workshop.

The successful bidder will adhere to the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP), the FY09 Hospital Preparedness Program Funding Opportunity Announcement, the FY09 Ohio Department of Health Regional Health Care Coordination Preparedness Program and the Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI) and all appropriate sections of the Ohio Department of Health Grant Administration Policies and Procedures Manual (GAPP). Additionally Bidder is encouraged to utilize the abridged Tools for Evaluating Core Elements of Hospital Disaster Drills, at www.ahrq.gov/prep/drillelements/index.html.

Qualified Bidders must demonstrate that they have an understanding of and experience; 1. Exercises planning specific to hospitals; 2. HSEEP; 3. Existing web based resources for hospital reporting to state and federal partners.

II. Scope of Services

The Bidder shall meet all of the following project requirements:

A. General Requirements of the Bidder

1. Perform all deliverables in accordance with a contract executed by the parties. 2. Document previous experience in training and exercise planning specific to healthcare and healthcare workers.

of 12 3. Demonstrate financial stability, sufficient staffing and training to administer this project. 4. Bidders must provide documentation that reflects the depth of knowledge, experience, and resources necessary to complete projects such as this. 5. Bidder must provide at least two references for which they have successfully provided services on projects that were similar in nature, size, and scope of this Proposal. (Appendix A) 6. Demonstrate technical capacity to administer this project. 7. Demonstrate capability to conduct five independent regional meetings to include representative from hospital association and other partners as requested by the association. 8. Adhere to all ASPR Federal requirements and ODH state requirements for hospital disaster preparedness grants.

At sole discretion of all associations identified in this RFP, additional information may be requested of Bidder

B. Requirements of the Project

1. Develop a staffing and work plan for completion of deliverables to REF by February 5, 2010. 2. Complete individual face to face meetings with representatives from the five (5) associations and any partners they would like to include to gain information on regional specific priorities by March 30, 2010. 3. Prepare five reports that identify regional specific priorities as captured in the association interviews, and an outline of their regional plan in format noted above. Forward the plans to each individual association in an electronic format, preferably Microsoft Word or Excel by April 30, 2010 5. Modify the report based on feedback from association and provide revised plan back to respective association in an electronic format for final review by May 30, 2010 6. Complete the development of the five regional plans and deliver to each respective association in an electronic format by June 15, 2010.

C. Contract Award and Duration

One contract will be awarded contingent upon the availability of funds. The successful Bidder will be required to contract with the REF to perform the Scope of Services described in this RFP. The contract shall be in effect for a period commencing on or about January 30, 2010 and ending June 15, 2010. The total contract amount will not exceed $75,000 (seventy-five thousand dollars), payable upon successful completion of each deliverable.

of 12 III. Submittal Process

A. RFP Questions

1. Persons who have questions concerning this RFP are encouraged to submit written questions to:

Carol Jacobson, RN [email protected] Director Emergency Preparedness The Ohio Hospital Association 155 E. Broad Street Columbus, OH 43215 614-221-7614 Fax: 614-221-4771

2. Questions must be received at one of the above-mentioned addresses no later than January 13, 2010.

The above mentioned parties shall respond to any questions by close of business on January 13, 2009. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted .

B. Submittal Information

1. Time Schedule

The following is the projected timetable to be applied to submission, receipt, and evaluation of proposals:

January 13, 2010 Deadline for Written Questions Noon, Local Time

January 15, 2008 Deadline for Proposal 2:00 P.M., Local Time

January 30, 2010 Notification of Vendor Contract Award

2. The Bidder shall submit one (1) original proposal and (5) complete copies of the formal proposal. The original proposal should be marked as such or be readily identifiable as the original. The material must be received at the REF at this address:

of 12 The Research and Education Foundation of the Ohio Hospital Association 155 E. Broad Street Columbus, OH 43215 Attn: Carol Jacobson

3. Packages containing the proposal material shall be sealed and plainly marked on the outside in the following manner:

Multi-Region Three Year Training and Exercise Plan

4. Late or fax proposals will not be accepted. Envelopes or packages received after the above date and time will not be opened. Proposals will not be read aloud on the proposal opening date, but will be available for public inspection upon completion of the proposal review process.

IV. Selection Process

A. The identified associations will serve as the review committee for this RFP. The association representative will review and evaluate all properly submitted proposals that are received on or before the deadline. The committee will then rank the proposals according to those that are most advantageous to the REF and association taking into account, but not limited to, the evaluation factors set forth below:

1. Background and Related Project Experience 2. Performance on Previous Projects 3. Office Location 4. Familiarity with Relevant Local, State, and Federal Standards and Requirements 5. Current Workload 6. Understanding of Project 7. Schedule/Staffing 8. Cost Summary

To ensure competitive proposals for the procurement of the professional services requested, proposals should include the following information and will be evaluated according to these criteria:

a) Background and Related Project Experience: Provide a history of the submitting organization, including the number of employees (identify professional staff and support staff) and available facilities.

of 12 Related project experience, similar to the requested work, should be included in this section. Specify relevant experience with hospitals. Identify the cities, the dates of service, and the key contacts. b) Performance on Previous Projects: The Bidder should also provide a summary of performance for each project relevant to timeliness, actual performance and any savings or benefits that were provided to the agency. List any projects similar to the requested work with other governmental agencies. c) Location: Name and address of submitting organization and the state in which it is incorporated. This should include the location of the firm’s primary office and the location of the office available for handling the requested service. This should also include a discussion on staff accessibility for the project and the amount of work to be performed. d) Familiarity with Relevant Local, State and Federal Standards and Requirements: This should include a description of the firm’s or individual's familiarity with all applicable federal standards and requirements. Specific local standards, ordinances, state laws, state requirements and federal regulations should be listed in this Section. e) Current Work Load: Discusses the Bidder’s ability to complete the project by the June 15, 2010 deadline. f) Understanding of the Project: The Bidder submitting a proposal shall describe in detail the services to be rendered to complete the project and perform the tasks listed in Section II, Scope of Services. g) Staffing and Schedule: The Bidder shall provide a detailed project schedule and workflow diagram for all tasks identified in Section II, Scope of Services. Provide a list of staff members assigned to this project. Designate a primary and alternate contact within the organization and include electronic mail addresses and telephone numbers (voice and facsimile). h) Cost Summary: Provide an outline detailing the cost, charges, and overhead resulting from each of the tasks identified in Section II, Scope of Services. i) Willingness to comply with the Copeland “Anti-kick-back Act” (18 U.S.C. 874.)

of 12 j.) Agreement to comply with the Ohio Department of Health GAPP Manual (available online from the Ohio Department of Health website) directive that states: “Sub--grantees may not contract for extra compensation with its employees to provide services to the program without prior written authorization of ODH. Consideration will only be given in the following two situations: (1) a salaried faculty member of an educational institution when the consultation is across departmental lines or involves a separate or remote operation, and the work performed by the consultant is in addition to his regular departmental load; or (2) a sub-grantee employee when the agency’s policies permit such consulting fee payments to its own employees regardless of whether federal or state grant funds are involved, when the work involved is clearly outside the scope of the employee’s salaried duties. Any request to approve such a contract must address these issues.

k.) Agreement to insure that all contracts and subcontracts subject to the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (40 U.S.C> 327) etseq) shall include a provision requiring the contractor to comply with the applicable sections of the Act and the Department of Labor’s supplementing regulations (29 CFR Parts 5 and 1926).

B. Failure by the Bidder submitting a proposal to respond to a specific requirement may be a basis for elimination for consideration during the comparative evaluation. REF reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals. REF also reserves the right to elect not to award a contract based on this Request for Proposal for any reason.

C. List references for all similar projects previously completed using the format outlined in Appendix A. Provide at least two (2) references for projects conducted within the last five (5) years that can attest to the Bidder’s qualifications to do the work requested for this project, especially noting similar or related projects. Include names of contact persons, telephone numbers, project objectives, strategy, service rendered, budget, and beginning and completion dates for each referenced project.

D. Provide a conflict of interest statement indicating that the firm or firms, and the individuals assigned to this project do not have, and shall not have for the duration of the subject contract any other interests in or business association with the REF.

E. The REF is not liable for any costs incurred by the Bidder in responding to this RFP, or for any costs incurred in connection with any discussions or correspondences required for clarification of any subject contained in this RFP. Any and all costs incurred in responding to this RFP, including oral

of 12 interviews, demonstrations, or other related activities shall be the responsibility of the Bidder.

F. Selection Criteria

A selection advisory committee comprised of regional representatives from the named associations will review and evaluate all proposals submitted in response to this RFP. The REF will consider whether all proposals submitted are complete and whether they meet all of the requirements outlined in the Request for Proposal and the specific criteria for evaluating competitive proposals earlier detailed in this section. Proposals will be evaluated in such a manner and no further clarification requests will be accepted.

G. Selection Procedures

The selection of the Bidder will follow the outline below.

1. The selection committee shall review each proposal. The criteria outlined in this section will be used to review all the proposals.

2. The REF may require on-site interviews with the top three (3) qualified Bidders. These interviews will be at the expense of the Bidders without reimbursement by the REF

3. Upon completion of review, the REF shall enter into negotiations with the best possible Bidder as determined selection committee. If successful negotiations are not completed within a reasonable time period, then negotiations shall commence with the next best Bidder. A reasonable time period is at the discretion of the REF.

4. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the REF reserves the sole and exclusive right to reject any and all proposals.

V. Contract

If a contract is awarded, the successful Bidder shall enter into a Professional Service Agreement with the REF. The contract entered into between the successful Bidder, the REF shall be similar to other standard agreements for professional services involving the FY09 ASPR grant award from the Ohio Department of Health with the REF

H. The REF reserves the right to amend or withdraw the RFP any time prior to the award of a contract. The Bidder may withdraw a response to the RFP any time prior to the award of a contract.

of 12 I. All products that result from the proposed contractual agreement will be the sole property of the U.S. Department of Health Resources and Human Services Administration (HRSA) National Bioterrorism Hospital Preparedness Program, FY09.

J. All bids will be considered firm and in the event a contract ensues as a result of this solicitation, the Bidder selected will be required to fulfill the contractual obligations at the amount quoted in the cost proposal.

K. Pursuant to Section 149.43 of the Ohio Revised Code, the proposal may be considered a public record and be released upon request.

L. The REF does reserves the right not to award a contract under this RFP.

I. Other Considerations

A. Public Records: The REF will treat any documents submitted with the proposal as a public document unless informed in writing by Bidder that it considers the document to contain trade secrets under Ohio law. The REF may require additional information in support of such a claim.

B. Background Information regarding the REF of is available on the OHA website: http://www.ohanet.org

C. Appendices and Reference Documents

Appendix A: Reference List Forms Appendix B: HSEEP Guidelines

of 12 APPENDIX A

RFP for Multi-Regional Three Year Training and Exercise Plan

(Duplicate form as necessary)

Reference List

List at least two (2) references that most closely reflect similar scope of work projects within the past five (5) years.

Name of City, County or Agency______

Address:______

______

Telephone: ______

Project Name: ______

Contact: ______/Title: ______

Service Dates: ______

Project Manager: ______

of 12 APPENDIX B FY09 Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) Guidelines The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) is a capabilities and performance-based exercise program. The intent of HSEEP is to provide a common exercise policy and program guidance capable of constituting a national standard for all exercises. HSEEP includes consistent terminology that can be used by all exercise planners, regardless of the nature and composition of their sponsoring agency or organization. Starting this year exercise programs funded all or in part by HPP CA funds must meet the intent of the HSEEP practices for exercise program management, design, development, conduct, evaluation and improvement planning. This means if a healthcare system participates in an exercise sponsored by another agency, they must ensure the exercise is HSEEP compliant. If the healthcare system sponsors the exercise the following four distinct performance requirements must be evidenced:

1. Participating healthcare systems are required to conduct annual Training and Exercise Plan Workshops (T& EPW), and maintain a Multi-year Training and Exercise Plan. This includes: a. Training and exercise priorities based on overarching strategy and previous improvement plans. b. Capabilities from the Target Capabilities List (TCL) that the facility will train for and exercise against. c. A multi-year training and exercise schedule which: (1) Reflects the training activities which will take place prior to an exercise, allowing exercises to serve as a true validation of previous training. (2) Reflects all exercises in which the facility participates. (3) Employs a “building-block approach” in which training and exercise activities gradually escalate in complexity. d. A new or updated Multi-year Training and Exercise plan must be formalized and implemented within 60 days of the T& EPW. e. The Multi-year Training and Exercise Plan must be updated on an annual basis (or as necessary) to reflect schedule changes.

2. Participating healthcare systems should plan and conduct exercises that are: a. Consistent with the entity’s Multi-year Training and Exercise Plan. b. Based on capabilities and their associated critical tasks, which are contained within the Exercise Evaluation Guides (EEGs). For Example, if a facility, based on its risk/vulnerability analysis, determines that it is prone to hurricanes, it may want to validate its evacuation capabilities. In order to validate this capability it would first refer to the “Citizen Protection: Evacuation and/or In-Place Protection” EEG. c. Tasks associated with this capability include: “make the decision to evacuate or shelter in place;” “identify and mobilize appropriate healthcare workers;” and activate approved traffic control plan.” d. Facilities may wish to create their own Simple, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Task- oriented (S.M.A.R.T.) objectives based on its specific plans/procedures associated with these capabilities and tasks, such as: 1) “Examine the ability of local response agencies to conduct mass

of 12 evacuation procedures in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures; and 2) Evaluate the ability of local response agencies to issue public notification of an evacuation order within the timeframe prescribed in local Standard Operating Procedures. e. Tailored toward validating the capabilities, and based on the facility’s risk/vulnerability assessment. f. Exercise planners should develop the following documents to support exercise planning, conduct, evaluation, and improvement planning: (1) For Discussion-based Exercises: 1 Situation Manual (SITMAN) 2 (2) For Operations-based Exercises this requires: 3 Exercise Plan (EXPLAN) 4 Player Handout 5 Master Scenario Events List (MSEL) 6 Controller/Evaluator Handbook (C/E Handbook) 7 Templates and samples of these documents can be found in HSEEP Volume VI: Sample Templates and Formats, are available on the HSEEP website at www.hseep.dhs.gov 8 g. Reflective of the principles of the NIMS. 9 10 3. Developing and submitting a properly formatted After-Action Report/Improvement Plan (AAR/IP). Format is found in HSEEP Volume III. 0 a. AAR/IPs created for exercise must conform to the templates provided in HSEEP Volume III: Exercise Evaluation and Improvement Planning. 1 b. Following each exercise, a draft AAR/IP must be developed based on the information gathered through the use of EEGs. 2 c. Following every exercise, an After-Action Conference (AAC) must be conducted, in which: 3 (1) Key healthcare workers, and the exercise planning team are presented with findings and recommendations from the draft AAR/IP. 4 (2) Corrective actions addressing a draft AAR/IP’s recommendation are developed and assigned to responsible parties with due dates for completion. 5 d. A final AAR/IP with recommendations and corrective actions derived from discussion at the AAC must be completed within 60 days after the completion of each exercise. 2 3 4. Tracking and implementing corrective actions identified in the AAR/IP. 4 a. An improvement plan will include broad recommendations from the AAR/IP organized by target capability as defined in the TCL. 5 b. Corrective actions derived from ACC are associated with the recommendations and must be linked to a capability element as defined in the TCL. 6 c. Corrective actions included in the improvement plan must: 7 (1) Be measurable. 8 (2) Designate a projected start and completion date. 9 (3) Be assigned to a facility and a point of contact (POC) within that facility. 10 d. Corrective actions must be continually monitored and reviewed as a part of an Corrective Action Program. An individual should be responsible for managing a Corrective Action Program to ensure corrective actions resulting from exercises, policy discussions and real-world events are resolve and support the scheduling and development of subsequent training and exercises. 11