Evaluation of Vermont's Rural Healthcare Transformation Program

Background

The Vermont Agency of Human Services is seeking to establish deliverables-based contracts for the evaluation of Vermont's Rural Healthcare Transformation (RHT) Program. The goal is to design, implement, and deploy a comprehensive evaluation that includes quarterly updates, annual reports, and an interactive dashboard to assess the program's performance. This initiative is funded in part by federal monies from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Work Details

The contractor will provide comprehensive data and evaluation services to assess the impact of RHT Program funding. Key deliverables include: 1. A detailed Project Work Plan and Timeline due 60 days after contract execution, including task sequencing and milestone dates. 2. An Evaluation Design document due by December 1, 2026, which will serve as the methodological foundation for data collection and reporting activities. 3. A Measurement Framework operationalizing metrics and performance objectives. 4. Quarterly project progress reports and an annual program evaluation report that synthesizes all metrics and performance measures. 5. A public-facing data dashboard to be delivered by September 1, 2027, enabling user-friendly exploration of metrics at various geographic levels. 6. Ad hoc communication materials as requested by AHS, including executive summaries and presentations.

Period of Performance

The contract will last for fourteen (14) months starting from August 1, 2026, with options to renew for up to three additional twelve-month periods and one additional ten-month period.

Place of Performance

The evaluation services will be performed statewide in Vermont.

Bidder Requirements

Bidders must have experience evaluating large-scale federally-funded healthcare transformation programs and familiarity with rural health delivery challenges. They must comply with worker classification requirements if the bid exceeds $250,000. Bidders are required to be registered with the Vermont Secretary of State's office and obtain a Contractor’s Business Account Number from the Vermont Department of Taxes.