The Tricare Management Activity has begun to issue requests for proposals for task orders under the $5 billion, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract known as TEAMS.
Task order RFPs have been issued for strategic communications support, technology integration and design, and procurement support, according to Robin Portman, vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton, one of the 23 contract awardees.
The Tricare Evaluation, Analysis, and Management Support contract was awarded Feb. 1 and is designed to provide a range of services to Tricare, DOD’s health care plan organization.
The contract includes one base year and nine one-year options. Awardees will compete for task orders to carry out specific projects. Eight small businesses were included among the recipients.
TEAMS replaces activities of other contract vehicles, including D/SIDDOMS, the Department of Defense Systems Integration, Design, Development, Operations and Maintenance Services contract, and PMI II, the Program Management and Integration Blanket Purchase Agreement.
Booz Allen has been involved in several projects under D/SIDDOMS and PMI III, including training and planning for the Military Health System’s Office of Privacy and Security, strategic support for the Tricare procurement office and development work.
“We envision all of this kind of work being transferred to TEAMS,” Portman said. “We think this is a great opportunity because makes the procurement process more transparent and because the contract vehicle is also open to the departments of Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services.”
TEAMS may also provide MHS the opportunity to recompete existing contracts, said Roger Foxhall, managing director of the public service practice at BearingPoint.
“Procurement rules are more streamlined under TEAMS,” he said. “MHS might also be able to get better rates by recompeting task orders.”
BearingPoint is currently providing software engineering and testing services for AHLTA, DOD’s electronic health record program.
Portman believes TEAMS will benefit the government and vendors alike. “Potential bidders will go to one place to find a varied scope of work,” she said. “With 23 prime contractors, the government benefits from an increased richness of competition.”
Government Health IT presents Rick Friedman, director of the division of state systems for the Center for Medicaid and State Operations with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in this recent eSeminar regarding how the federal Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services is partnering with state Medicaid and health and human services officials to bring Medicaid into the digital age. Paul McCloskey, Government Health IT editor, moderates.
