DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program Round 1 Recompete

Bidding is Now Open for the Round 1 Recompete of the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program

CMS is now soliciting bids for the Round 1 Recompete of the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program.

All bids must be submitted in DBidS, the online bidding system, before 9:00pm prevailing Eastern Time on December 14, 2012. All required hardcopy documents that must be included as part of the bid package must be received by the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) on or before December 14, 2012. The contract period for the Round 1 Recompete is January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2016.

All bidders must submit certain required hardcopy documents as specified in the Request for Bids (RFB) Instructions. CMS urges all bidders to take advantage of the covered document review process. Under this process, we will notify suppliers that submit their hardcopy financial documents by the covered document review date (CDRD) of any missing financial documents. The CDRD for the Round 1 Recompete is November 14, 2012 – financial documents must be received on or before November 14, 2012 to qualify for the covered document review process. This process only determines if there are any missing financial documents. It does not indicate if the documents are acceptable, accurate, or meet applicable requirements. Suppliers that submit financial documents by the CDRD will be notified of any missing financial documents within 90 days of the CDRD. Suppliers will be required to submit the missing financial document(s) within 10 business days of the notification.

Competitive bidding areas and product categories for the Round 1 Recompete, DBidS information, bid preparation worksheets, educational materials, and complete RFB instructions can be found on the CBIC website. Suppliers should review this information prior to submitting their bids. CMS will send important bidding updates via e-mail, so all suppliers interested in bidding are urged to sign up for e-mail updates on the CBIC website at www.DMECompetitiveBid.com. If you have any questions about the bidding process, please contact the CBIC customer service center at 1-877-577-5331.

The target registration dates for authorized officials (AOs) and backup authorized officials (BAOs) to register for a user ID and password in the CMS Individuals Authorized Access to the CMS Computer Services (IACS) system have passed. End users (EUs), as well as any AOs and BAOs who have not yet registered, should now be registering. Only suppliers that have registered in IACS and received a user ID and password will be able to access the online bidding system and submit bids. If the AO for your company has not already registered, we cannot guarantee that he or she will be able to complete the registration process before registration closes. If your AO does not register, you cannot bid and will not be eligible for a contract. In addition, suppliers whose AOs have not registered are at risk of experiencing delays in accessing the online bidding system to get a bidder number and thereby missing the opportunity to submit financial documents by the CDRD. 

Registration will close on October 19, 2012 at 9pm prevailing Eastern Time – no AOs, BAOs, or EUs can register after registration closes. Suppliers that do not register cannot bid and are not eligible for contracts.

Registration is typically a quick and easy process if you follow the step-by-step instructions in the “IACS Reference Guide” posted on the CBIC website.

To register, visit the CBIC website and click on Round 1 Recompete. Next, click, “REGISTRATION IS OPEN” above the Registration Clock on that page. Please note that suppliers with multiple locations typically must register only one Provider Transaction Access Number (PTAN) that will submit the bid for all locations. If you have any questions about the registration process, please contact the CBIC customer service center. 

To bid, visit the CBIC website and click on Round 1 Recompete. Next click “BIDDING IS OPEN” above the clocks on that page.

Please note that the RFB instructions initially posted on the CBIC website contained target bid submission deadlines. CMS is in the process of updating these instructions to reflect the actual bid submission deadlines, which are shown in this announcement. 

Registration Now Open for DMEPOS Competitive Bidding

Registration is now open to all suppliers interested in participating in the Round 1 Recompete of the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program.

In order to submit a bid for the Round 1 Recompete, you must first register in the Individuals Authorized Access to the CMS Computer Services (IACS) online application. Once you have registered in IACS, you will receive a user ID and password to access the online DMEPOS Bidding System (DBidS). You must register even if you registered during a previous round of competition (Round 1 Rebid, Round 2, or the national mail-order competition). Only suppliers who have a user ID and password will be able to access DBidS; suppliers that do not register will not be able to bid.

If you are a supplier interested in bidding, register now – don’t wait. Designate one individual listed as an authorized official (AO) on your organization’s CMS-855S enrollment form in the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) to act as your AO for registration purposes. The AO must be the first person in the organization to register in IACS. After an AO successfully registers, other individuals listed as authorized officials on the CMS-855S in PECOS may register as backup authorized officials (BAOs). The AO must approve a BAO’s request to register. For the AO and BAOs to register successfully, the name and Social Security number entered in IACS must match exactly with what is recorded on the CMS-855S and on file in PECOS. Individuals not listed as authorized officials on the CMS-855S in PECOS may register to serve as end users (EUs). The AO or a BAO must approve an EU’s request to register. Bidders are prohibited from sharing user IDs and passwords.

We strongly urge all AOs to register no later than September 7, 2012, to ensure that BAOs and EUs have time to register before bidding begins. We recommend that BAOs register no later than September 28, 2012, so that they will be able to assist AOs with approving EU registration.

Registration will close on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2012, at 9 pm prevailing Eastern Time

– no AOs, BAOs, or EUs can register after registration closes.

To register, go to the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) website, www.dmecompetitivebid.com, click on Round 1 Recompete, and then click on "REGISTRATION IS OPEN” above the Registration clock. Before you register, we strongly recommend that you review the IACS Reference Guide with step-by-step instructions and the Getting Started Registration Checklist.

If you have any questions about the registration process, please contact the CBIC Customer Service Center at 877-577-5331 between 9 am and 9 pm prevailing Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

The CBIC is the official information source for bidders. All suppliers interested in bidding are urged to sign up for “Email Updates” on the home page of the CBIC website. For information about the Round 1 Recompete, please refer to the bidder education materials on the CBIC website located under Round 1 Recompete > Bidding Suppliers.

CMS Announces Timeline for DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Round 1 Recompete; Begins Bidder Education Program

Bidding Timeline

CMS has announced the bidding timeline for the Round 1 Recompete of the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program.  To view the timeline, visit the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) web site at www.dmecompetitivebid.com .

Bidder Education Program

CMS has also launched a comprehensive bidder education program.  This program is designed to ensure that DMEPOS suppliers interested in bidding receive the information and assistance they need to submit complete bids in a timely manner.  The CBIC is the official information source for bidders and the focal point for bidder education.  The CBIC web site  features a comprehensive array of important information for suppliers, including bidding rules, user guides, policy fact sheets, checklists, and bidding information charts.   The education program will also include webcasts that will cover all the essential topics suppliers will need to know in order to bid.  These webcasts will be posted on the CBIC web site and will be available 24 hours a day/7 days a week.  When a webcast is posted, the CBIC will announce its availability through a CBIC email update announcement.  To sign up to receive webcast announcements and other key registration and bidding information, visit the CBIC web site  and subscribe to email updates.

In addition to viewing the information on the CBIC website, DMEPOS suppliers are encouraged to call the CBIC toll-free help desk, 877-577-5331, with their questions and concerns. 

DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program Round 1 Recompete Announced

CMS announced plans to recompete the supplier contracts awarded in the Round 1 Rebid of the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program. CMS is required by law to recompete contracts under the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program at least once every three years. The Round 1 Rebid contract period for all product categories except mail order diabetic supplies expires on Dec 31, 2013. The Round 1 Recompete product categories are:

• Respiratory Equipment and Related Supplies and Accessories
  • includes oxygen, oxygen equipment, and supplies; continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices, respiratory assist devices (RADs), and related supplies and accessories; and standard nebulizers
• Standard Mobility Equipment and Related Accessories
  • includes walkers, standard power and manual wheelchairs, scooters, and related accessories
• General Home Equipment and Related Supplies and Accessories
  • includes hospital beds and related accessories, group 1 and 2 support surfaces, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) devices, commode chairs, patient lifts, and seat lifts
• Enteral Nutrients, Equipment and Supplies
• Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Pumps and Related Supplies and Accessories
• External Infusion Pumps and Supplies

CMS is conducting the Round 1 Recompete in the same competitive bidding areas (CBAs) as the Round 1 Rebid.

A list of the specific items in each product category is available on the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) website. The specific ZIP codes in each Round 1 Recompete CBA are also available on the CBIC website.

To ensure that suppliers have ample time to prepare for the competition, CMS has announced the following next steps for the program:

Spring 2012

• CMS begins pre-bidding supplier awareness program

Summer 2012

• CMS announces bidding schedule
• CMS begins bidder education program
• Bidder registration period to obtain user ID and password begins

Fall 2012

• Bidding begins

If you are a supplier interested in bidding, prepare now – don’t wait!

• UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION:  The following contact information in your enrollment file at the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC) must be up-to-date before you register to bid. If your file is not current, you may experience delays and/or be unable to register and bid. DMEPOS suppliers should review and update:

DMEPOS suppliers can update their enrollment file via the Internet-based Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) or by using the 7/11/2011 version of the CMS-855S enrollment form. Suppliers not currently using PECOS can learn more about this system by accessing the Internet-Based PECOS page on the CMS website or reviewing the PECOS fact sheet. Information and instructions on how to submit a change of information via the hardcopy CMS-855S enrollment form may be found on the NSC website.

• GET LICENSED: Contracts are only awarded to suppliers that have all required state licenses at the time of bidding. Therefore, if you are bidding for a product category in a CBA, you must ensure that all required state licenses for that product category are either on file with the NSC or RECEIVED by the NSC by close of bidding. Every location must be licensed in each state in which it provides services. If you have only one location and are bidding in a CBA that includes more than one state, you must have all required licenses for every state in that CBA. If you have more than one location and are bidding in a CBA that includes more than one state, your company must have all required licenses for the product category for every state in that CBA.   Make sure that current versions of all required licenses are with the NSC BEFORE you bid.  If any required licenses are expired or missing from your enrollment file, your bid(s) may be rejected.

• GET ACCREDITED: Suppliers must be accredited for all items in a product category in order to submit a bid for that product category. If you are interested in bidding for a product category and are not currently accredited for that product category, take action NOW to get accredited for that product category. Your accreditation organization will need to report any accreditation updates to the NSC. CMS cannot contract with suppliers who are not accredited by a CMS-approved accreditation organization.

  More information about the DMEPOS accreditation requirements, including a list of the accreditation organizations and those who are exempt from accreditation, may be found on the DMEPOS Accreditation page on the CMS website.

Visit the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding page on the CMS website for more information about the DMEPOS competitive bidding program.

View the Fact Sheet.