East DFW News

In anticipation of the upcoming solicitation and resulting contract for STAR Kids, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is issuing this Request for Public Comment to seek information and comments regarding the proposed Best Value Criteria the agency will use to evaluate and select the successful Respondent. HHSC is required by Section 2155.144 of the Texas Government Code to acquire goods and services that provide best value to the agency.

HHSC is proposing the Best Value Criteria in Attachment 1 (Word) to be used for the upcoming STAR Kids managed care procurement. The Best Value Criteria and their descriptions will be considered in evaluating responses but are not the only factors that HHSC will use to determine best value to the agency. HHSC will develop other selection criteria that will be identified in the solicitation document and will develop specific evaluation questions for use during the evaluation.

This is only a Request for Public Comment. HHSC is not seeking proposals for services. HHSC encourages participation from managed care members, providers, prospective respondents, stakeholders and anyone else interested in the STAR Kids Program. All requests, questions or other communication about the proposed Best Value Criteria must be made in writing to HHSC’s Purchasing Department, and addressed and emailed to Jason Ochoa, the Sole Point of Contact, at jason.ochoa@hhs.texas.gov.

All comments should be in Microsoft Word format, in the “Comments” section of Attachment 1 (Word) and must be received by the Sole Point of Contact above no later than 5 p.m. Central time on Jan. 5, 2023. Additional attachments are not desired and will not be reviewed. Comments should be limited to the proposed Best Value Criteria and not address other aspects of STAR Kids or the solicitation process.

HHSC may, in its sole discretion, take any responses to this notice into consideration in developing and administering the upcoming STAR Kids procurement. HHSC will not publish a listing of responses received or the disposition, if any, of any such responses. Any information received in any form may or may not be used by HHSC without restriction for any purpose determined by HHSC.

The Sole Point of Contact will distribute responses to this posting to allow subsequent HHSC staff to review those responses without consideration and/or weight given to the submitting party.

Texas Public Information Act

A response submitted to this notice is subject to public disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act (the Act), Texas Government Code Chapter 552, unless the response, or any part of the response, can be shown to fall within one or more of the Act's exceptions to required public disclosure. If a Respondent believes that parts of the response are excepted from the required public disclosure, the Respondent must specify those parts and the exception(s) that it believes apply, with specific detailed reasons. HHSC will process any public information request for all or part of a response in accordance with the Act's procedures. Respondents should consult the Texas Attorney General's website at https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/ for information concerning the application of the Act's provisions to responses and potentially proprietary information.

Disclaimers

This notice does not constitute a solicitation for proposals, a commitment to conduct a procurement or an offer of a contract or a prospective contract. HHSC will not award a contract directly as a result of this notice. HHSC will not be liable for any costs incurred in the preparation and submission of comments in response to this notice. All information received by HHSC becomes the property of HHSC and will not be returned.

HHSC, at its sole discretion, may issue a related solicitation or may issue multiple solicitations based on the responses to this notice. Responding to this notice is not a condition for eligibility to respond to any subsequent solicitation. Responses to this notice will not have any bearing on the evaluation and respondent selection resulting from any proposals that may be received in response to any subsequent solicitation.

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