Survey Users Network (SUN)

Request for Proposals

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Solicitation No. AHRQ-01-0003; (Full and Open Competition, with Recommended Small Business Goals)

Proposals Due: March 26, 2001

Contracting Office: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Division of Contracts Management, 2101 East Jefferson Street, Suite 601, Rockville, MD 20852.

Printed copies of the Request for Proposals (RFP) may be obtained by writing to AHRQ, Attn: Darryl Grant, Contracting Officer, Division of Contracts Management, 2101 East Jefferson Street, Suite 601, Rockville, MD 20852. Include the offeror's name, affiliation, address, and telephone and fax numbers. No telephone requests for the RFP will be accepted.

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The synopsis for this requirement was published in the Commerce Business Daily on January 24, 2001. The solicitation was issued on February 9, 2001. Full text can be downloaded from the AHRQ Web site. Select to access Downloading Information. Printed copies are also available, as detailed below.

A 5-year cost-reimbursement contract is contemplated. It is expected that one award will be made for this requirement.

The purpose of this contract is to carry out the work of the Survey User Network (SUN) in coordination with and in support of the Consumer Assessment of Health Plans (CAHPS®) project. In 1995, AHRQ funded a consortium to work with the agency to carry out the the CAHPS® project with the following objectives:

1. Produce reliable, valid, and rigorously tested survey protocols for collecting information from consumers regarding their assessments of health plans and services.
2. Develop and test the effectiveness of different formats for conveying resulting information to consumers.
3. Demonstrate the resulting survey protocols in real-world settings.
4. Evaluate the usefulness of this information in assisting consumers, and purchasers acting on their behalf, in making informed selections of health care plans and services.

The SUN contract was awarded in 1995 to assist in development and dissemination of CAHPS® products. This acquisition will continue that support for the next 5 years. The SUN contractor must be able to:

1. Coordinate the work of the CAHPS® consortium.
2. Prepare CAHPS® products for dissemination to potential users in electronic and hardcopy format.
3. Deliver a range of technical assistance to users.
4. Provide technical and logistical support for conferences and meetings.
5. Operate the National CAHPS® Benchmarking Database (NCBD).
6. Provide technical support to AHRQ.

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Downloading Information

Shift-click from this Web page: Your browser may support downloading the RFP and Attachments from this Web page. To download the RFP from this Web page, click on the following links with the right mouse button and select "Save Link As" (Netscape) or "Save Target As" (Internet Explorer). The RFP is available as WordPerfect® and PDF Files; the Attachment Instructions are in Word® and PDF:

• Survey Users Network (SUN): Request for Proposals (WordPerfect® file, 334 KB; PDF File, 269 KB).
• Attachment: Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (PDF File, 7 KB).
• Attachment Instructions (Word® file, 8 KB; PDF File, 9 KB).
• Amendment 1, Questions and Answers: (PDF file, Revised cover, 48 KB; WordPerfect®, 35 KB).
• Amendment 2, SIC Code Information: (PDF File, 48 KB).

PDF Files require the Adobe® Acrobat® Reader™, which you can download free from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2_allversions.html

Current as of February 2001

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Internet Citation:

Survey Users Network (SUN): Request for Proposals. February 2001. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/fund/contarchive/rfp010003.htm