[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 114 (Tuesday, June 14, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34713-34714]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-14706]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-7031-NC3]


Proposed Establishment of a Federally Funded Research and 
Development Center--Third Notice

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Department of 
Health & Human Services (DHHS).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice announces our intention to sponsor Federally 
Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) to facilitate the 
modernization of business processes and supporting systems and their 
operations. This is the third of three notices which must be published 
over a 90-day period in order to advise the public of the agency's 
intention to sponsor an FFRDC.

DATES: We must receive comments on or before July 5, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Comments on this notice must be mailed to the Centers for 
Medicare & Medicaid Services, Candice Savoy, Contracting Officer, 7500 
Security Boulevard, Mailstop C2-01-10, Baltimore, MD 21244 or e-mail at 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Candice Savoy, (410) 786-7494 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 
(CMS), an operating division within the Department of Health and Human 
Services (DHHS), intends to sponsor a Federally Funded Research and 
Development Center (FFRDC) to facilitate the modernization of business 
processes and supporting systems and their operations. Some of the 
broad task areas that will be utilized include strategic/tactical 
planning, conceptual planning, design and engineering, procurement 
assistance, organizational planning, research and development, 
continuous process improvement, Independent Verification and Validation 
(IV&V)/compliance, and security planning. Further analysis will consist 
of expert advice and guidance in the areas of program and project 
management focused on increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of 
strategic information management, prototyping, demonstrations, and 
technical activities. The FFRDC may also be utilized by non-sponsors, 
within DHHS.
    The FFRDC will be established under the Federal Acquisition 
Regulations (48 CFR 35.017).
    The FFRDC will be available to provide a wide range of support 
including, but not limited to:
     Strategic/tactical planning including assisting with 
planning for future CMS program policy, innovation, development, and 
support for Medicare and Medicaid.
     Conceptual planning including operations, analysis, 
requirements, procedures, and analytic support.
     Design and engineering including technical architecture 
direction.

[[Page 34714]]

     Procurement assistance, review/recommendations for current 
contract processes to include, contract reform, technical guidance, 
price and cost estimating, and source selection evaluation support.
     Organizational planning including functional and gap 
analysis.
     Research and development, assessment of new technologies 
and advice on medical and technical innovation and health information.
     Continuous process improvement, Investment Life Cycle 
(ILC)/current practices review and recommendations, implementation of 
best practices and code reviews.
     IV&V/Compliance, DUA surveillance and Web site content 
review.
     Security including Security Assessments and Security Test 
and Evaluations (ST&E). Identify, define, and resolve problems as an 
integral part of the sponsor's management team.
     Providing independent analysis about DHHS vulnerabilities 
and the effectiveness of systems deployed to make DHHS more effective 
in providing healthcare services and implementation of new healthcare 
initiatives.
     Providing intra-departmental and inter-agency cross-
cutting, risk-informed analysis of alternative resource approaches.
     Developing and deploying analytical tools and techniques 
to evaluate system alternatives (for example, policy-operations-
technology tradeoffs), and life-cycle costs that have broad application 
across CMS.
     Developing measurable performance metrics, models, and 
simulations for determining progress in securing DHHS data or other 
authorized data sources, (non-DHHS data sources, such as the census 
data or Department of Labor data, Veterans Administration, Department 
of Defense, data in developing performance metrics, and models).
     Providing independent and objective operational test and 
evaluation analysis support.
     Developing recommendations for guidance on the best 
practices for standards, particularly to improve the inter-operability 
of DHHS components.
     Assessing technologies and evaluating technology test-beds 
for accurate simulation of operational conditions and delivery system 
innovation models.
     Supporting critical thinking about the DHHS enterprise, 
business intelligence and analytic tools that can be applied 
consistently across DHHS and CMS programs.
     Supporting systems integration, data management, and data 
exchange that contribute to a larger DHHS intra and inter-agency 
enterprise as well as collaboration with States, local tribal 
governments, the business sector (for-profit and not-for-profits), 
academia and the public.
     Providing recommendations for standards for top-level DHHS 
systems requirements and performance metrics best practices for an 
integrated DHHS approach to systems solutions and structured and 
unstructured data architecture.
     Understanding key DHHS organizations and their specific 
role and major acquisition requirements and support them in the 
requirements development phase of the acquisition lifecycle.
     The FFRDC must function so effectively as to act as an 
agent for the sponsor in the design and pursuit of mission goals.
     The FFRDC must provide rapid responsiveness to changing 
requirements for personnel in all aspects of strategic, technical and 
program management.
     The FFRDC must recognize government objectives as its own 
objectives, partnering with the sponsor in pursuit of excellence in 
public service.
     The FFRDC must allow for non-sponsor (other than CMS) work 
for operating Divisions within DHHS.
    We are publishing this notice in accordance with 48 CFR 5.205(b) of 
the FAR, to enable interested members of the public to provide comments 
on this proposed action. We note that this is the third of three 
notices issued under the FAR.
    The Request for Proposal will be posted on FedBizOpps in the Summer 
of 2011. Alternatively, a copy can be received by contacting the person 
listed in the ``FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT'' section above.

    Dated: June 8, 2011.
Donald M. Berwick,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2011-14706 Filed 6-13-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P