Hospital Preparedness Program Medical Response and Surge Exercise

**File contains bookmarks
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
FOR A CONSULTANT TO PLAN, DESIGN, FACILITATE, EVALUATE, & DOCUMENT
A HPP MEDICAL RESPONSE & SURGE EXERCISE
Solicitation # 2026RFP6-MRSE
1 S. Memorial Drive, Suite 1600
St. Louis, MO 63102
September 10, 2026

**File contains bookmarks

Request for Proposals
for
A Consultant to Plan, Design, Facilitate, Evaluate, & Document a HPP Medical
Response & Surge Exercise
East-West Gateway Council of Governments and St. Louis Area Regional Response System, on behalf of
the St. Louis Regional Healthcare Coalition, is seeking proposals for a qualified consultant or consulting
team to plan, design, facilitate, evaluate, and document the coalition's annual Hospital Preparedness
Program (HPP) Medical Response and Surge Exercise (MRSE). The engagement must result in an
operations-based functional exercise that meets current federal HPP and MRSE requirements and
produces complete, usable documentation for coalition improvement and recipient reporting.
Submittals are due no later than 1:00 p.m. local time on October 1, 2026 to the following address:
"Solicitation # 2026RFP6-MRSE"
c/o Ms. Leah Watkins
Sr. Manager of Contracts & Grants
East-West Gateway Council of Governments
1 S. Memorial Drive, Suite 1600
St. Louis, MO 63102-2451
Section III contains the formatting, content, and other requirements for a submittal. Unless otherwise
due to extenuating circumstances and approved by the Council in advance, any submittals received
after the date and time listed above will be rejected and returned unopened.
2026 HPP Medical Response & Surge Exercise RFP
Solicitation # 2026RFP6-MRSE
Page 3 of 43

Table of Contents Page 4 of 43
Section Page
I. Introduction & Background 5
II. Scope of Work 7
III. Submittal Requirements 18
IV. Evaluation & Selection Procedures 25
V. General Items 33
VI. Nondiscrimination Requirements 36
VII. D/S/W/MBE Participation & Equal Opportunity 37
VIII. Protest Procedures 40
IX. Inquiries & Submission Information 41
Attachments*
Time Availability for Key Personnel Form
Prior Work Experience / Past Performance Form
A Price Proposal
B Firm Information
C Affirmative Action Checklist
D Contract Terms & Conditions Comments
E RFP Minimum Requirements Checklist
F D/S/W/MBE Participation Form
G Letter of Intent to Perform as a D/S/W/MBE
*Fillable / savable version of the attachments can be found on the Council's website at www.ewgateway.org/about-us/what-we-do/doing-
business-with-ewg/contracting-opportunities/
Appendices**
1 Evaluation Criteria & Factors
2 Draft Contract Terms & Conditions
3 Conflicts of Interest Policy
4 Firm Responsibility Questionnaire
5 FAQs - Submittal Requirements
**Appendices are available on the Council's website at www.ewgateway.org/about-us/what-we-do/doing-business-with-ewg/contracting-
opportunities/
2026 HPP Medical Response & Surge Exercise RFP
Solicitation # 2026RFP6-MRSE
Page 4 of 43

I. Introduction & Background Page 5 of 43
1. Purpose, Contract Term, and Funding Information
1.1 Purpose
East-West Gateway Council of Governments (the Council) and St. Louis Area Regional Response System
(STARRS), on behalf of the St. Louis Regional Healthcare Coalition (HCC), are seeking a qualified
consultant or consulting team to plan, design, facilitate, evaluate, and document the coalition's annual
Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) Medical Response and Surge Exercise (MRSE). The engagement
must result in an operations-based functional exercise that meets current federal HPP and MRSE
requirements and produces complete, usable documentation for coalition improvement and recipient
reporting.
The selected consultant will serve as the lead exercise planning and evaluation contractor. The
consultant will work closely with the HCC project manager, coalition members, the HPP recipient, health
care facilities, emergency medical services, public health, emergency management, and other response
partners. STARRS retains final acceptance authority to prevent scope or mission creep and to ensure
grant compliance. The HCC and partners will drive content and objectives, but STARRS must ensure
the project stays within the approved scope and completes the deliverables.
1.2 Contract Term, Budget and Funding Source
Anticipated term: November 1, 2026, through June 1, 2027
Not-to-exceed amount: $55,000.00
Funding Source: This project is being funded 100% through the Bioterrorism Hospital Preparedness
Program grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) through the State of
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (MoDHSS).
2. Background and Project Objectives
2.1 Background
The HPP MRSE is intended to challenge the health care delivery system under medical surge conditions
and assess the coalition's ability to coordinate a response across participating organizations. The MRSE
must be conducted as an operations-based functional exercise. It may not be conducted as a discussion-
based exercise, such as a tabletop exercise or symposium. The exercise must use the current ASPR MRSE
materials and reporting process in effect at the time of the engagement. The consultant must account
for any updated instructions issued by the HPP recipient or ASPR during the project.
The exercise must require participants to work together to manage a medical surge representing at least
10% of the HCC's licensed general medical/surgical patient bed capacity. For this number of patients,
participants must seek access to the patient beds, personnel, and resources needed to support the
response. Movement of actual patients, personnel, or resources is not required.
The exercise must be designed, staffed, and facilitated to accommodate up to 100 exercise participants
representing multiple disciplines and participating organizations.
2026 HPP Medical Response & Surge Exercise RFP
Solicitation # 2026RFP6-MRSE
Page 5 of 43

I. Introduction & Background Page 6 of 43
The HCC expects the exercise to be based on a realistic, locally relevant hazard or threat selected
through the coalition's risk and hazard vulnerability processes. The scenario should align with one of the
top five hazards in the HCC's current Hazard Vulnerability Assessment (HVA). If another hazard is
selected, the consultant must document the rationale for HCC approval and reporting. The exercise
should validate applicable coalition and member plans, identify strengths and gaps, and result in
practical corrective actions with responsible parties and target completion dates.
2.2 Project Objectives
The objectives for this project are:
Plan and conduct one compliant, operations-based functional MRSE within the required budget
period.
Design and facilitate an exercise that accommodates up to 100 participants representing
multiple disciplines and participating organizations.
Incorporate all current required MRSE objectives, including partner and executive engagement,
incident notification and ongoing information sharing, assessment and coordination of critical
resources, and appropriate patient placement during medical surge.
Evaluate coalition and partner performance in participation, notification and information
sharing, resource needs and coordination, and patient movement during a medical surge event.
Assess the coalition's ability to coordinate access to patient beds, personnel, and resources for a
surge representing at least 10% of the HCC's licensed general medical/surgical patient bed
capacity.
Test relevant HCC response plans, procedures, communication systems, resource processes, and
patient tracking or movement processes.
Collect complete qualitative and quantitative exercise data and prepare the information
required for recipient and ASPR reporting.
Prepare and validate a complete, field-mapped reporting package for entry into the online MRSE
Reporting Tool in the HPP Cooperative Agreement Community within ASPR CAAMP.
Produce a clear, HSEEP-consistent After-Action Report and Improvement Plan (AAR/IP) that
converts observations into specific, measurable, assigned, and time-bound corrective actions.
Transfer all editable exercise products, data, and facilitation materials to the HCC for future use.
2026 HPP Medical Response & Surge Exercise RFP
Solicitation # 2026RFP6-MRSE
Page 6 of 43

II. Scope of Work Page 7 of 43
The tasks described below provide a generalized scope of work for the project. A responding firm's
submittal must, at a minimum, address the tasks described below. Please note that the tasks described
below reflect the minimum number of broad elements that will be included in the project. Each
responding firm is encouraged to identify other key elements that it expects may be an important part
of the project and describe its approach to addressing those elements. For more information regarding
submittal requirements please refer to Section III of this RFP.
3. Scope of Work
3.1 Project Management and Coordination
Conduct an in-person kickoff meeting at a location designated by STARRS within 10 business
days after notice to proceed, consistent with D1a, and deliver the Project Work Plan within 5
business days thereafter, consistent with D1b.
Facilitate planning meetings at the frequency and with the requirements set forth in Section
3.1.1.
Coordinate with the HPP recipient or its designee, as requested by the HCC, including required
phase reviews and reporting expectations.
Identify schedule, participation, data, or compliance risks early and provide written mitigation
recommendations.
Maintain secure, organized project files and protect confidential, sensitive, or facility-specific
information.
3.1.1 Planning Meeting Cadence
The consultant must facilitate all planning meetings described below and distribute a written agenda at
least two business days in advance of each meeting. The consultant must distribute meeting notes,
action items, owners, and due dates within two business days after each meeting. The HCC project
manager may cancel or reschedule individual meetings; the consultant must not reduce meeting
frequency without written STARRS approval.
Kickoff Meeting (one-time, in person)
Held in person at a location designated by STARRS within 10 business days of notice to proceed.
Required attendees: HCC project manager and all consultant staff with primary responsibility for a
project deliverable. Purpose: confirm scope, schedule, roles, communication protocols, document
review process, and initial data and document requests.
Monthly Planning Meetings - Phase I (November through December)
Held once per calendar month during the Plan and Scope phase. Required attendees: HCC project
manager and consultant project lead. Purpose: review schedule and milestone status, track outstanding
data and document requests, surface scenario and design decisions requiring STARRS approval, and
identify emerging risks or issues.
2026 HPP Medical Response & Surge Exercise RFP
Solicitation # 2026RFP6-MRSE
Page 7 of 43

II. Scope of Work Page 8 of 43
Bi-Weekly Planning Meetings - Phase II Production (January through mid-February)
Held every two weeks beginning in January and continuing through delivery of Final Exercise Materials
(D3). Required attendees: HCC project manager, consultant project lead, and any planning team
members with open action items. Purpose: review production milestones, resolve open design
decisions, confirm participant recruitment and logistics status, and track deliverable review cycles.
Weekly Coordination Calls - Pre-Exercise Period (final three weeks before the exercise)
Held weekly beginning three weeks before the exercise date. Required attendees: HCC project manager
and consultant project lead; the Exercise Director and Exercise Facilitator must attend at least the final
two calls. Purpose: confirm exercise-day logistics, staffing and equipment readiness, participant
communications, and contingency plans.
Post-Exercise Check-Ins - Phase III (three milestone-triggered meetings)
Phase III meetings are triggered by deliverable milestones rather than a fixed recurring schedule.
Required attendees for all three: HCC project manager, HCC leadership designee, and consultant project
lead.
Immediate After-Action Review: held within five business days of exercise conduct. Purpose:
review preliminary findings, confirm data collection status, and align on AAR/IP priorities.
Reporting Check-In: held within five business days of delivery of the draft MRSE Data and
Reporting Package (D5). Purpose: review data completeness, resolve open data validation items,
and confirm ASPR CAAMP entry schedule.
AAR/IP Review: held within five business days of delivery of the draft AAR/IP (D6). Purpose:
review findings and improvement plan, collect consolidated HCC comments, and confirm final
delivery timeline.
Closeout Briefing (one-time)
Held within 10 business days of final AAR/IP acceptance. Required attendees: HCC project manager and
HCC leadership. Purpose: present final performance summary, corrective action priorities, and
recommendations for the next exercise cycle; confirm file-transfer status and remaining closeout
actions.
3.2 Phase I: Plan and Scope
Begin Phase I at least 90 calendar days before the exercise and maintain a planning schedule
that allows sufficient time for HCC and STARRS decisions, participant coordination, and
completion of required materials.
Develop a participant recruitment, registration, communication, logistics, and exercise-
management approach capable of supporting up to 100 participants from multiple disciplines
and participating organizations. The registration approach must identify the platform or system
to be used, establish a registration opening and cutoff date, include a confirmation process for
registered participants, and define how registration data will feed into exercise-day check-in and
post-exercise attendance reporting.
2026 HPP Medical Response & Surge Exercise RFP
Solicitation # 2026RFP6-MRSE
Page 8 of 43

II. Scope of Work Page 9 of 43
Review relevant HCC and partner documents, including the risk assessment or hazard
vulnerability analysis, readiness assessments, response plans, training and exercise plan, prior
AAR/IPs, and current corrective actions.
Recommend a realistic scenario, scope, participating jurisdictions and organizations,
assumptions, limitations, and exercise rules for HCC approval.
Document the HCC's top five HVA hazards and align the scenario with at least one of them, or
provide a written rationale if the HCC approves a different hazard.
Identify the communities most impacted by disasters that are relevant to the scenario, the
partnerships available to support them, and the actions that will be tested to address their
needs.
Assess the feasibility and value of conducting the exercise in a low- or no-notice format and
recommend an approach for HCC approval. A low- or no-notice format is encouraged but not
required.
Develop measurable exercise objectives aligned with current MRSE requirements and the HCC's
priorities.
Establish a responsibility matrix and support assignment of the required exercise planning roles,
including the Exercise Director, Exercise Evaluator, HCC Clinical Advisor, and Duty Officer.
Identify the Exercise Facilitator and any additional controllers, simulators, evaluators, and data
collectors required for conduct.
Recruit and plan for participation by the HCC's core partner types. Unless the HPP recipient
provides different written direction, participation must include at least two acute care hospitals,
two EMS agencies, two public health agencies, and two emergency management agencies.
Additional partner types should be included when relevant to the scenario and HCC priorities.
Determine surge targets and resource requirements using the current MRSE methodology and
recipient-provided data.
Develop the exercise design, sequence of events, injects, communication approach, evaluation
methods, safety considerations, and contingency plan.
2026 HPP Medical Response & Surge Exercise RFP
Solicitation # 2026RFP6-MRSE
Page 9 of 43

II. Scope of Work Page 10 of 43
3.3 Phase II: Exercise Conduct
Deliver participant, controller, simulator, evaluator, and leadership briefings before the exercise
begins.
Provide sufficient qualified personnel and scalable logistics to direct, control, simulate, facilitate,
evaluate, time, and document an exercise involving up to 100 multidisciplinary participants
without requiring the HCC project manager to fill contractor staffing gaps. The consultant is
responsible for executing the full registration process, including operating the registration
platform, sending confirmation communications, managing registration changes and
cancellations, closing registration no later than five business days before the exercise, and
providing the HCC project manager with a final pre-exercise registration report at that time.
Conduct the approved functional MRSE and manage the Master Scenario Events List, inject
delivery, exercise tempo, simulation, issue resolution, and exercise termination.
Conduct exercise play in real time using the HCC's applicable command, control, coordination,
communication, and response processes. Clearly label all simulated communications as exercise-
related to prevent confusion with real-world operations.
Observe and document activation, notification and mobilization, information sharing, resource
coordination, patient tracking and movement, and other approved objectives.
Collect all required quantitative and qualitative data, including participant rosters, participant
counts and estimated hours by organization, timestamps, decisions, notifications, information
requests, resource data, patient distribution data, evaluator observations, executive
participation, and exercise feedback.
Immediately report any real-world safety or operational concern to the HCC exercise director
and follow the approved pause or stop process.
3.4 Phase III: Review and Improvement Planning
Facilitate a participant hotwash immediately after the exercise and a structured After-Action
Review with HCC leadership and key partners.
Secure and document participation in the After-Action Review by at least one executive from
each participating HCC health care partner facility or organization, to the extent practicable, and
promptly report any participation gap to the HCC.
Validate observations through evaluator notes, participant feedback, available system records,
exercise data, and HCC review.
Before the After-Action Review, ensure all required exercise data have been entered into the
working data-collection tool and reconciled for review.
2026 HPP Medical Response & Surge Exercise RFP
Solicitation # 2026RFP6-MRSE
Page 10 of 43