SAM #UCEDD

HHS RFI for UCEDD Network Technical Assistance, Capacity Building, and Digital Tools

HHS is seeking industry feedback on a planned, multi-year effort to strengthen the University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) network and improve outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. - Opportunity status: This is a Request for Information (RFI) for market research, not a solicitation or award. The Government is not committing to a purchase. - Buyer: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Community Living (ACL), Administration on Disabilities (AoD), including the Office of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (OIDD); acquisition support is through ACL’s Office of Mission Acquisition Solutions (OMAS). - Core services: Project management and network-wide tiered technical assistance (TA), including intensive community-driven, targeted, and universal assistance. Intensive engagements may include up to two per performance year. - Capacity building: Develop a Service-Learning Framework and Implementation Blueprint during the base year; in option years, provide implementation TA and peer learning, including support for up to three COR-approved demonstrations per performance year. - Knowledge sharing: Create and maintain Community Impact Blueprints documenting UCEDD practices and approaches across the four statutory core functions, and make approved materials available through contract-supported resources and the Knowledge Base. - Dashboard and search: Develop and maintain a Section 508-compliant public minimum viable dashboard with network- and UCEDD-level views, using approved federal data and COR-approved indicators, plus a public search function using existing Government-approved technology. - Knowledge Base and chatbot: Develop and maintain a curated, searchable UCEDD TA Knowledge Base in the base year. If options are exercised, develop and deploy an AI-assisted chatbot in Option Year 1 and maintain it thereafter; the chatbot must use approved Knowledge Base content, cite sources, handle uncertainty, and escalate questions to TA staff. - Reporting system: Operate and maintain the existing secure, accessible web-based system used by UCEDDs for annual Program Performance Reports and five-year plan updates. Work includes reporting data, user testing, improved forms and guidance, training, TA, and public search access to UCEDD initiatives and activities. - Key requirements: Community participation; privacy and security controls; Section 508 accessibility; evidence-informed performance measurement; and transition support. Detailed requirements are in the attached draft Performance Work Statement. - RFI response: The Government seeks feedback on scope feasibility, staffing and expertise, risks, annual rough-order-of-magnitude costs and cost drivers, prioritization or phasing, technology approaches, and possible acquisition structures and contract types. Technology feedback should address the dashboard and chatbot, including cost, timelines, privacy, security, and accessibility. - Submission and classification: Responses are limited to seven pages, excluding the cover page, and are to be submitted electronically to Khaled.Gohar@hhs.gov. NAICS 541611, Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services, is preliminary for market-research purposes. - Vendors and products: No specific vendor, OEM, product, or part number is identified.

Description

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

Title: University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service Community Impact and Capacity Building Initiative: Technical Assistance to Strengthen Outcomes for People with I/DD and Their Families

Issuing Office: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Community Living (ACL), Office of Mission Acquisition Solutions (OMAS), on behalf of the Administration on Disabilities (AoD)

NAICS Code: For purposes of this market research, the Government anticipates that NAICS Code 541611 – Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services may best represent the principal purpose of the contemplated requirement. This designation is preliminary and may be revised as a result of market research.

Respondents who believe another NAICS code more appropriately reflects the principal purpose of the contemplated requirement should identify the recommended NAICS code and briefly explain the basis for that recommendation.

PURPOSE OF THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

This Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for market research and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with RFO FAR 15.101(c).

The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or otherwise pay for the information requested. The Government will not reimburse respondents for costs incurred in preparing or submitting a response.

Responses to this RFI will be treated as information only and not as proposals. Responses are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.

The issuance of this RFI does not constitute a solicitation, a promise to issue a solicitation, or an obligation on the part of the Government to procure any products or services.

The purpose of this RFI is to:

Gather information from industry regarding the general approach, feasibility, staffing models, and anticipated cost of performing the type of work described in the draft Performance Work Statement (PWS); Obtain industry recommendations regarding potential prioritization, phasing, scaling, or restructuring of the contemplated work; Assess the relationship between the contemplated scope, anticipated resource requirements, and likely market pricing; and Inform ACL/AoD's decisions regarding scope, task structure, phasing, and acquisition strategy as the PWS is finalized.

The draft PWS provided with this RFI is for market research purposes only and remains subject to revision. Respondents should not assume that the final scope, task structure, deliverables, or performance standards in the PWS will appear in any resulting solicitation. The Government is specifically interested in industry feedback that identifies where the described scope may be too broad, too narrow, under-resourced, or structured in a way that drives unnecessary cost, so that the requirement can be refined prior to release of a solicitation.

BACKGROUND

The Administration on Disabilities (AoD), within ACL/HHS, is responsible for administering the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (DD Act), which establishes the National Network of University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (UCEDDs). AoD is considering a contract vehicle to provide network-wide training, technical assistance (TA), and capacity-building support to UCEDD.

Through this RFI, the Government seeks industry feedback concerning the feasibility, resource requirements, potential cost drivers, and appropriate structure of the contemplated requirement. The Government is also interested in identifying opportunities to prioritize, phase, scale, or otherwise structure the work to achieve program objectives efficiently.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESPONDENTS

Interested parties are requested to submit a written response of no more than seven (7) pages, excluding the cover page.

Please include in your response:

Company name, address, point of contact, phone,  email, and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), if the respondent elects to provide it; Business size, applicable socioeconomic status (small business, 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB, etc.) and applicable NAICS code(s) under which your firm is classified; Provide a brief  description of the organization’s capabilities and relevant  experience performing comparable technical assistance, capacity-building, evaluation, knowledge management, or technology support contracts, particularly any involving disability networks, university-based centers, HHS/ACL, or similarly structured federal TA contracts; and Responses to the questions below.

RFI QUESTIONS

Respondents are encouraged to provide concise, specific information directly responsive to the questions below. Marketing materials or general corporate information that does not address the contemplated requirement are not necessary.

Interested and capable organizations are requested to address the following questions:

Based on the draft PWS, describe whether the contemplated scope appears feasible and identify any tasks, deliverables, performance requirements, or assumptions that may create significant performance, staffing, schedule or cost risk. Identify any areas of the draft requirement that industry recommends clarifying, restructuring, consolidating, or otherwise revising; Describe the general staffing model and categories of labor or expertise that would reasonably be required to perform the contemplated work. Identify any specialized expertise, staffing assumptions, or other resources that would materially affect performance or cost; Provide a  rough order of magnitude (ROM) estimate of annual cost to perform the general scope described in the PWS, and the basis for that estimate. The ROM is requested solely for acquisition planning and market research purposes. Please identify the significant assumptions and primary cost drivers underlying the estimate; Provide recommendations on which elements of the contemplated scope should be prioritized, phased, scaled, or consolidated to achieve the greatest programmatic value without materially affecting the overall objectives of the requirement. Respondents may recommend alternative approaches or scope adjustments that could improve efficiency, reduce cost, or enhance the likelihood of successful performance; Based on the technology related functions contemplated in the draft PWS, describe, the technology approach your organization would propose for supporting the Core Functions Dashboard and AI-assisted chatbot (e.g., existing commercial/Government-authorized platforms vs. custom development), including anticipated cost drivers, timeline, and relevant privacy/security/accessibility (Section 508) considerations; and Based on the nature of the contemplated services, identify and recommendations regarding acquisition structure or  contract type that the Government should consider.

Respondents may address, as applicable:

Fixed-price, cost-reimbursement, time-and-materials, labor-hour, or hybrid approaches; Use of a single contract or other acquisition structure; Task organization or phasing approaches; and Any acquisition structure that could reduce performance risk, administrative burden, or unnecessary cost.

Recommendations should include a brief explanation of the underlying rationale.

Submission Instructions:

Responses must be submitted electronically to Khaled.Gohar@hhs.gov no later than November 03, 2026, 2:00 PM ET.  Responses should reference RFI - UCEDD Technical Assistance in the subject line. Proprietary information must be clearly marked.

Respondents should avoid including proprietary or confidential information unless it is necessary to meaningfully respond to the RFI.

The Government may use information submitted in response to the RFI for market research and acquisition planning purposes, including refinement of the requirement and acquisition strategy.

Disclaimer: This RFI is for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. Respondents will not be notified of the results of this market research. A solicitation, if issued, will be synopsized separately through the applicable Government point of entry, including  SAM.gov as appropriate. Interested parties will be responsible for responding to any future solicitation in accordance with its terms.  The Government reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue this market research effort at any time.

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