BLIND SAMPLES PROGRAM FOR DRUG SCREENING QUALITY ASSURANCE

70B06C22Q00000019 R1 This amendment to RFQ 70B06C22Q00000019 extends the submission date to Monday 01/10/2022, 12 Noon EST, and incorporates questions received for this solicitation.Any other questions regarding this solicitation must be received no later than Friday 01/07/2022, 14:00 EST via e-mail to daniel.g.stiller@cbp.dhs.gov.  Questions received after this deadline will not be acknowledged.BACKGROUNDExecutive Order 12564 established the goal of a drug-free workforce and mandated that all Federal employees refrain from illegal and illicit drug use as a condition of  employment.  In accordance with Executive Order 12564 and Section 503 of Public Law 100-71, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) promulgates mandatory       guidelines for the Federal Drug Testing Program.  Under the guidance set forth by HHS, Federal agencies are required to send “blind” urine specimens for drug analysis to test the

accuracy of the urinalysis test results reported by CBP’s designated HHS-certified laboratory. Pursuant to HHS Mandatory Guidelines, each Federal agency must submit at least three (3) percent blind samples along with its donor specimens based on the projected total number of donor specimens collected for drug testing per year (up to a maximum of 400 blind samples).  Of the three (3) percent blind samples submitted annually by CBP, 75 percent of the blind samples must be negative, 15 percent must be positive for one or more drugs, and 10 percent must either be adulterated or substituted.The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Drug-Free Workplace Program (DFWP) is administered by the Office of Human Resources Management (HRM), National Programs Division (NPD).  NPD implements CBP’s employee drug testing program.  CBP Hiring Center (CBP HC) implements the drug testing program for candidates in the preemployment process.NPD reports monthly, the number of employee urine specimens that were collected during the previous month, to CBP Laboratory Research Analyst (SPLab).  Due to the lower volume of collected specimens from candidates, HC CBP reports the preemployment numbers at the end of each quarter to CBP laboratory.  Based on numbers provided by NPD and CBP HC, the SPLab research analyst will submit the request to the Supplier of Blind Samples, the number of negative, positive, adulterated or substituted blind samples to be submitted to the designated HHS-certified laboratory to which CBP sends employee and candidate urine specimens for analyses. SCOPE OF WORKThis requirement is for the services of a supplier of blind quality control samples to serve as the Contractor for CBP’s DFWP Blind Samples Program for Drug Screening Quality Assurance in accordance with HHS Mandatory Guidelines.A separate contractor, hereafter referred to as the “Medical Services DFWP contractor,” subcontracts for the services of certified specimen collectors, HHS-certified forensic laboratory, and Medical Review Officer.  The specimen collection subcontractor staff members collect the urine specimens from the employee and candidates, referred to as donors. The urine specimens will be analyzed for the presence of drugs of abuse by the designated subcontractor, HHS-certified forensic laboratory.  The testing laboratory will report all drug test results only to the designated subcontractor, Medical Review Officer (MRO).  The MRO will post the verified results of the blind specimen within 24 hours of receipt of the testing laboratory drug test results and the associated chain of custody form from the blind sample supplier.  The MRO will report to NPD, the result of a blind sample that is inconsistent with the expected result as set forth in the HHS Mandatory Guidelines.The Contractor shall provide the following services:Submit blind urine samples that are Drug Enforcement Administration registered Exempt Chemical Preparations intended for in vitro forensic usage to CBP’s designated testing laboratory; Submit each blind specimen as a split collection;Submit with each blind sample, a completed Federal Drug Custody and Control Form (CCF);Submit the MRO copy of the CCF to the MRO at the time of submission of blind samples to the designated testing laboratory; andMaintain records and prepare monthly reports.To successfully perform the services required by this Contract, the Contractor must comply with HHS Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Testing Programs, hereafter referred to as “HHS Guidelines.”  In addition, the blind urine samples preparations containing controlled substances must be Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registered Exempt Chemical Preparations.The Contractor shall support NPD and CBP HC.  NPD conducts employee drug testing under the following circumstances:  random testing, reasonable suspicion of drug use, post-accident, or unsafe practice, voluntary, and as follow-up to counseling or rehabilitation.  CBP HC conducts preemployment drug testing.  The chart below summarizes the number of preemployment, and employee drug tests conducted during Fiscal Years (FY) 2017 through FY 2020.  The number of blind samples requested represents 3 percent of the total number of drug tests requested each year.NOTE:  HHS DEA certification is required in order to submit a quote for this requirement.