Green Mountain Care Board Health Data Infrastructure Transformation

Department of Buildings and General Services Agency of Administration
Office of Purchasing & Contracting
133 State Street, 5th Floor | Montpelier VT 05633-8000
802-828-2211 phone |802-828-2222 fax
http://bgs.vermont.gov/purchasing
SEALED BID
Request For Proposal
Green Mountain Care Board
Health Data Infrastructure Transformation
ISSUE DATE May 15, 2026
BIDDERS CONFERENCE May 26, 2026 - 1:30 PM (ET)
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QUESTIONS DUE May 26, 2026 - 4:30 PM (ET)
RFP RESPONSES DUE BY June 12, 2026 - 4:30 PM (ET)
Please be advised that all notifications, releases, and addendums associated with this RFP will be
posted at:
http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php
The state will make no attempt to contact interested parties with updated information. It is the
responsibility of each bidder to periodically check the above webpage for any and all notifications, releases
and addendums associated with this RFP.
STATE CONTACT: Kyle Emerson, State Purchasing Agent
E-MAIL: sov.thepathforward@vermont.gov
USE SUBJECT: GMCB Health Data Infrastructure Transformation
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OVERVIEW
1.1. SCOPE AND BACKGROUND: Through this Request for Proposal (RFP) the Agency of Digital
Services, on behalf of the Green Mountain Care Board, (hereinafter the "State") is seeking to
establish contracts with one or more companies that can provide Health Data Infrastructure
Transformation Support.
1.2. CONTRACT PERIOD: Contracts arising from this RFP will be for a period of two years with an
option to renew for up to three additional twelve-month periods. The State anticipates the start
date for such contract(s) will be August 2026.
1.3. SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT: All communications concerning this RFP are to be addressed in
writing to the State Contact listed on the front page of this RFP. Actual or attempted contact with
any other individual from the State concerning this RFP is strictly prohibited and may result in
disqualification.
1.4. BIDDERS' CONFERENCE: A non-mandatory bidders' conference will be held remotely at the date
and time indicated on the front page of this RFP.
1.5. QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD: Any bidder requiring clarification of any section of this RFP or
wishing to comment on any requirement of the RFP must submit specific questions in writing no
later than the deadline for question indicated on the first page of this RFP. Questions may be e-
mailed to the point of contact on the front page of this RFP. Questions or comments not raised in
writing on or before the last day of the question period are thereafter waived. At the close of the
question period a copy of all questions or comments and the State's responses will be posted on
the State's web site http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php . Every effort will be made to
post this information as soon as possible after the question period ends, contingent on the number
and complexity of the questions. All information provided by vendors during this process will be
public and bidders shall not provide confidential information, except as described in 4.1 below.
1.6. CHANGES TO THIS RFP: Any modifications to this RFP will be made in writing by the State through
the issuance of an Addendum to this RFP and posted online at
http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php . Modifications from any other source are not to be
considered.
1.7. SOURCE OF FUNDS: This project is being funded in whole or in part using federal monies. If a bidder
requires assistance in preparing their proposal or needs guidance on socioeconomic certifications,
the bidder may contact the VT APEX Accelerator. The APEX Accelerator specializes in helping small
businesses navigate the documentation associated with State and Federal procurement. Their
website is: http://apex.vermont.gov
2. DETAILED REQUIREMENTS/DESIRED OUTCOMES
Please see Attachment 7.6 for details related to the Rural Health Transformation Grant that is funding this
project.
2.1. Background
The State of Vermont (State) has been awarded federal funding through the 2025 Rural Health
Transformation (RHT) Grant, in part, to support the transformation of the State's health data
infrastructure. The funds will be distributed over five years. In years one and two, the Green Mountain
Care Board (GMCB/Board), the State entity responsible for core data (e.g., VUHHDS, VHCURES,
etc.) critical to the State's health data infrastructure, is prioritizing:
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* Configuring GMCB's data infrastructure within the Statewide Data Lake managed by the
Agency of Digital Services ("Statewide Data Lake") (the Statewide Data Lake is for internal
State use and enables sharing across agencies),
* Modernizing data ingestion from external submitters,
* Governing data so that it is stewarded well, of quality, documented, and fit for purpose,
* Ingesting major datasets into the Statewide Data Lake, and
* Embedding strong project governance, management, communication, and change
management practices.
The Year 1 and 2 strategy for the RHT initiative is intentionally designed to build a modern, reliable
data infrastructure while simultaneously creating a staffing model that enables embedded team
members to effectively join the GMCB in this work. By establishing foundational capabilities-such
as modernized ingestion pipelines, entity resolution, robust governance practices, and Agile project
management-the plan ensures that new team members can integrate seamlessly into ongoing
operations and contribute meaningfully from day one.
The staffing approach, which includes architects, engineers, governance roles, and change
management support, is structured not merely to deliver technical outputs but to embed shared
practices, transparent workflows, and durable organizational capacity within GMCB. This model
positions embedded staff to become fully aligned partners in advancing data modernization,
strengthening operational agility, and sustaining long-term transformation.
Years 3 and following will be executed depending on the availability of funding. Future years and
phases of this work will include moderate priority datasets and integration of the new data
environment into standard workflows focusing on advancing governance, the enterprise data model,
AI-driven automation and analytics, a culture of data literacy, and operational sustainability.
The Agency of Digital Services (ADS) is Vermont's centralized, full-service technology agency. ADS
has established a shared responsibility model for data management. Through this procurement,
ADS is working to establish an environment that GMCB staff can use to self-serve data management,
analysis, and use activities while building on the established common platform and framework and
supported by ADS in the Statewide Data Lake.
2.2. Existing Technology Environment
The Board is currently engaged in a project to standardize and improve their existing Azure DevOps
(ADO) and Azure Databricks environments by fully integrating them and establishing more mature
agile practices and processes.
ADO is the organization's centralized DataOps environment, supporting Agile workflow management,
automation, knowledge management, and reporting across governance, data, and operational
activities.
Core Technology Stack:
* Azure DevOps: Boards, Repos, Pipelines, Wikis, Analytics
* SharePoint: Knowledge and documentation repository
* Power BI: Executive and operational dashboards
* Power Automate: Process automation and notifications
* Teams: Collaboration and ADO integration
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The State has implemented a Statewide Data Lake on AWS, following a medallion architecture and
focusing on native services. The State maintains standard templates that must be utilized to ingest
and schedule processing of data. Part of the scope of this RFP is to implement the following
architecture for the GMCB.
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Refer to Attachment 7.7 for information on this layer
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2.3. Key Outcomes
Years outlined below are for planning purposes only, specific activities may blend between years as
the detailed project plan is established.
2.3.1. Year 1
* Initial Configuration of GMCB's data environment within the Statewide Data Lake
The GMCB environment will be configured using State templates and data standards.
Adjustments made specific to GMCB will be documented and all components version
controlled for simplified management. The State uses Terraform and Python to manage
environments. Year 1 will be focused on configuring the medallion architecture and
infrastructure that will be shared across all GMCB datasets.
* Modern ingestion framework operational
A fully operational ingestion pipeline will be built on the Statewide Data Lake ingestion
templates and standards, enabling automated, secure, and scalable data flows from
external submitters into the Statewide Data Lake. The State uses AWS Glue and Python-
based templates for all data ingestion into the bronze layer.
* Governance, Entity resolution, and Cataloging solutions live and integrated
Data governance, Entity resolution, and data cataloging will be deployed and configured to
support entity resolution and metadata governance. Governance processes will be
established. Security and privacy controls will be embedded in ingestion and storage
processes. Audit-ready environment will be aligned with state regulatory requirements. The
governance, entity resolution, and cataloging solutions are currently under separate
procurement and specifics will be included in the contract resulting from this procurement.
* Integration of Priority Datasets
VUHHDS: Vermont has been collecting and reporting hospital discharge data since
o
the early 1980s. All 14 of Vermont's general acute care hospitals currently
contribute records for Vermont residents and non-residents to the Vermont
Uniform Hospital Discharge Data System (VUHDDS).
* Year 1 - Management of VUHHDS in the new environment, optimize existing
ELTs and standards to use the patterns and capabilities of the new
environment.
ASSR: Annual data submission from health insurance payers providing enrollment
o
and lines of business
* Year 1 - Management of ASSR in the new environment, optimize existing ELTs
and standards to use the patterns and capabilities of the new environment.
* Key Characteristics of Year 1 End State
Operational agility: Ability to onboard new datasets quickly using standardized
o
ingestion and governance processes.
Data integrity and trust: Entity resolution ensures accurate linkage and use of
o
records across systems, and is managed at scale via the Data Catalog and Business
Glossary
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Scalable architecture: Built within SOV enterprise frameworks for future
o
expansion.
2.3.2. Year 2 [Please Note: All Year 2 Work is Contingent on Continued RHT Funds]
* Configuration of advanced features within the Statewide Data Lake
AI infrastructure, automated cross-dataset quality check framework
(1) Advanced feature configuration within the existing AI-enabled Statewide Data Lake
infrastructure, and (2) design and deployment of an automated framework for cross-dataset
data quality checking.
* Automated ingestion from providers
A template process for interacting with and ingesting directly from providers. DataOps
principles actively applied. Central management via ADO. Pipelines are monitored,
versioned, and tested with automated orchestration to reduce manual failure points.
CI/CD for data pipelines.
* Governance processes and tools support automated data quality processes
Data quality automation implemented using traditional quality tools and processes as well
as AI-driven anomaly detection. Datasets are well-documented including lineage and
metadata, with regular processes to ensure documentation is regularly refreshed.
Establish dashboarding reporting, to reduce the need for ad-hoc requests and
provide faster time-to-insight for partners.
* Ingestion of High Priority Datasets
VHCURES: Vermont's All-Payer claims database (APCD), is a comprehensive,
o
longitudinal, multi-payer dataset. The VHCURES database contains medical and
pharmacy claims and demographic information for 60 percent of commercially
insured Vermonters and 100 percent of Medicaid and Medicare enrollees, allowing
for population-based analyses of health care system performance.
Information related to regulatory processes, including but not limited to Hospital
o
Budgets, Certificate of Need (CON), and Financial Data.
* Integration of High Priority Data sets
Enforceable entity resolution applied to integrate VUHDDS, ASSR, and VHCURES
o
data within the Statewide Data Lake.
DQ/QA and SPC applied at scale across core datasets.
o
BI tools implemented to replace legacy workflows for information products.
o
* Legacy retirements/migrations
High-risk manual scripts replaced by resilient pipelines and domain teams consume
governed, linked data.
2.3.3. Success Metrics at Year 2 Completion
* Pipeline reliability: 95% success rate; mean time to recovery (MTTR) < 4 hours on
failures. (Driven by ADO CI/CD + Monitor/Log Analytics.)
* Governance throughput: 90% of releases include updated glossary/lineage entries;
100% new datasets cataloged.
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* Legacy retirement progress: 70% of prioritized high-risk workflows decommissioned
by Q2 2027.
* Self-service adoption: 60% of routine requests served via Power BI products;
reduction in ad-hoc extract tickets.
2.4. Detailed Deliverables: see Attachment 7.1 for a complete list of expected deliverables.
3. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
3.1. PRICING: Bidders must price the terms of this solicitation at their best pricing. Any and all costs that
Bidder wishes the State to consider must be submitted for consideration. If applicable, all equipment
pricing is to include F.O.B. delivery to the ordering facility. No request for extra delivery cost will be
honored. All equipment shall be delivered assembled, serviced, and ready for immediate use, unless
otherwise requested by the State.
3.3.1. Prices and/or rates shall remain firm for the initial term of the contract. The pricing policy
submitted by Bidder must (i) be clearly structured, accountable, and auditable and (ii) cover
the full spectrum of materials and/or services required.
3.3.2. Cooperative Agreements: Bidders that have been awarded similar contracts through a
competitive bidding process with another state and/or cooperative are welcome to submit
the pricing in response to this solicitation.
3.4. STATEMENT OF RIGHTS: The State shall have the authority to evaluate Responses and select the
Bidder(s) as may be determined to be in the best interest of the State and consistent with the goals
and performance requirements outlined in this RFP. The State of Vermont reserves the right to obtain
clarification or additional information necessary to properly evaluate a proposal. Failure of bidder to
respond to a request for additional information or clarification could result in rejection of that bidder's
proposal. To secure a project that is deemed to be in the best interest of the State, the State reserves
the right to accept or reject any and all bids, in whole or in part, with or without cause, and to waive
technicalities in submissions. The State also reserves the right to make purchases outside of the
awarded contracts where it is deemed in the best interest of the State.
3.4.1. Best and Final Offer (BAFO): At any time after submission of Responses and prior to the
final selection of Bidder(s) for Contract negotiation or execution, the State may invite
Bidder(s) to provide a BAFO. The state reserves the right to request BAFOs from only those
Bidders that meet the minimum qualification requirements and/or have not been
eliminated from consideration during the evaluation process.
3.4.2. Presentation: An in-person or webinar presentation by the Bidder may be required by the
State if it will help the State's evaluation process. The State will factor information
presented during presentations into the evaluation. Bidders will be responsible for all
costs associated with providing the presentation.
3.2. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
3.2.1. Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCOI): An OCOI arises when a bidder as a business
entity has interests (for example, customers, partners, contracts) that could undermine,
or reasonably be perceived to undermine, its faithful and unbiased performance of a
contract with the State that may result from this solicitation.
3.2.2. Personal Conflict of Interest (PCOI): A PCOI arises when an interest held by an individual,
agent or employee of a bidder could undermine, or reasonably be perceived to undermine,
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its faithful and unbiased performance of a contract with the State that may result from this
solicitation.
3.2.3. Requirements: The State does not seek to contract with any individual or business entity
having a conflict of interest which cannot be mitigated to the State's satisfaction. To
ensure the State's awareness of actual, potential, or reasonably perceived PCOIs and
OCOIs, bidders shall:
a) Prior to submitting a proposal, conduct an internal review of its current affiliations and
activities and identify actual, potential, or reasonably perceived PCOIs or OCOIs
relative to a contract with the State that may result from this solicitation.
b) Disclose in your proposal any actual or potential PCOI or OCOI or the existence of any
facts that may cause a reasonably prudent person to perceive a PCOI or OCOI with
respect to a contract with the State that may result from this solicitation. Disclose,
also, any actions proposed to mitigate the PCOI or OCOI.
3.2.4. The State shall have sole discretion to determine whether a PCOI or OCOI can be mitigated
to the State's satisfaction and may discuss the conflict with the bidder if and to the extent
the State deems discussion necessary to its determination. The State reserves the right to
(a) reject from further consideration any proposal having a PCOI or OCIO that cannot be
mitigated to the State's full satisfaction and (b) terminate a contract upon discovery that a
contractor failed to disclose facts pertaining to a PCOI or OCOI in its proposal, or otherwise
misrepresented relevant information to the State.
3.3. WORKER CLASSIFICATION COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS: In accordance with Section 32 of
The Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54), Bidders must comply with the
following provisions and requirements.
3.3.1. Self-Reporting: For bid amounts exceeding $250,000.00, Bidder shall complete the
appropriate section in the attached Certificate of Compliance for purposes of self-
reporting information relating to past violations, convictions, suspensions, and any other
information related to past performance relative to coding and classification of workers.
The State is requiring information on any violations that occurred in the previous 12
months.
3.3.2. Subcontractor Reporting: For bid amounts exceeding $250,000.00, Bidders are hereby
notified that upon award of contract, and prior to contract execution, the State shall be
provided with a list of all proposed subcontractors and subcontractors' subcontractors,
together with the identity of those subcontractors' workers compensation insurance
providers, and additional required or requested information, as applicable, in accordance
with Section 32 of The Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54). This
requirement does not apply to subcontractors providing supplies only and no labor to the
overall contract or project. This list MUST be updated and provided to the State as
additional subcontractors are hired. A sample form is available online at
http://bgs.vermont.gov/purchasing-contracting/forms. The subcontractor reporting
form is not required to be submitted with the bid response.
3.4. EXECUTIVE ORDER 05-16: CLIMATE CHANGE CONSIDERATIONS IN STATE PROCUREMENTS
For bid amounts exceeding $25,000.00 Bidders are requested to complete the Climate Change
Considerations in State Procurements Certification, which is included in the Certificate of Compliance
for this RFP.
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After consideration of all relevant factors, a bidder that demonstrates business practices that
promote clean energy and address climate change as identified in the Certification, shall be given
favorable consideration in the competitive bidding process. Such favorable consideration shall be
consistent with and not supersede any preference given to resident bidders of the State and/or
products raised or manufactured in the State, as explained in the Method of Award section. But, such
favorable consideration shall not be employed if prohibited by law or other relevant authority or
agreement.
3.5. METHOD OF AWARD: Awards will be made in the best interest of the State. The State may award one
or more contracts and reserves the right to make additional awards to other compliant bidders at any
time if such award is deemed to be in the best interest of the State. All other considerations being
equal, preference will be given first to resident bidders of the state and/or to products raised or
manufactured in the state, and then to bidders who have practices that promote clean energy and
address climate change, as identified in the applicable Certificate of Compliance.
3.5.1. Evaluation Criteria: Consideration shall be given to the Bidder's project approach and
methodology, qualifications and experience, ability to provide the services within the defined
timeline, cost, and/or success in completing similar projects, as applicable, and to the extent
specified below.
Evaluation Criteria Description Weight
* Alignment with Objectives: Does the proposal clearly
Technical 25%
address the purpose and objectives outlined?
Approach &
* Work Plan Detail: Is there a comprehensive work
Methodology
breakdown structure, timeline, and Gantt chart for
tasks and deliverables?
* Credentials: Do the proposed resources hold
Expertise & 20%
certifications?
Qualifications
* Relevant Experience: Prior experience with similar
projects, especially in public sector and health data
infrastructure.
* Technical Familiarity: Experience with Azure DevOps,
SharePoint, Power BI, and related tools.
* Completeness of Deliverables: Are all required
Deliverables & 20%
deliverables addressed?
Quality Assurance
* Example Acceptance Criteria Compliance: Do
proposed deliverables meet the Example Acceptance
Criteria specified?
* Fixed Price Structure: Is pricing clear, competitive, and
Cost & Value 15%
inclusive of all expenses?
* Cost vs. Benefit: Does the proposal demonstrate value
relative to scope and complexity?
* Schedule Feasibility: Are proposed timelines realistic
Timeline & 15%
and aligned with program milestones?
Resource
* Staffing Plan: Are roles and hours clearly defined, with
Availability
resumes provided for key personnel?
Compliance & Risk Risk Management: Are risks identified, including 5%
mitigation strategies?
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