Heather Kirk October 5, 2023 5 Comments

A soon-to-be mid-tier consulting firm and national healthcare quality, research, evaluation and implementation specialist is seeking potential partners who have direct Prime or subcontractor past performance to support a potential upcoming Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) support RFP out of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Medicare Drug Rebate and Negotiations Group (MDRNG). 

The Ask: “We are tracking an active RFI out of [CMS] which will be responsible for assisting the agency with certain aspects of the IRA activities related to project management, program support, negotiation, logistics, and analytics. We are seeking partners, small are preferred, that have the capability, experience, and knowledge to support CMS MDRNG to implement and operationalize certain activities related to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022. 

Specific to this requirement, CMS/MDRNG will implement work related to the following IRA sections. 

  • Sections 11001, 11002: Certain aspects of the Drug Price Negotiation Program consistent with the statutory requirement to establish “maximum fair prices” of selected qualifying single-source drugs dispensed to certain Medicare enrollees and to ensure exemptions and exceptions are applied appropriately during the selection process. The drugs selected for negotiation will include single-source drugs and biologicals with the highest expenditures in Medicare Part B and Part D that meet the statutory criteria for selection, unless a delay for expected biosimilar market entry is requested and approved.
  • Sections 11101, 11102: Certain aspects of the Medicare Part B and Part D Inflation Rebate Programs consistent with the statute, which requires 1) drug manufacturers of most single-source Medicare Part B drugs and biological products to pay quarterly rebates to Medicare for the amount that the price of these “rebatable drugs” exceeds the drugs’ quarterly inflation-adjusted average sales prices, and 2) manufacturers of certain Part D-covered drugs to pay rebates to Medicare if the manufacturers raise the products’ price above an allowable rate of inflation.”

If you have specific capabilities and/or past performance supporting similar efforts or elsewhere, to include in the commercial sector, comment below so this requestor and other parties who may be seeking partners may see.  

Pro Tip 1 – If you are a firm with capabilities and socio-economic status that might support this or any related effort, comment below and let others know you are interested. Comments are some of the most viewed portions of any article. 

Pro Tip 2 – Feel like you are missing out on some of the key action at CMS? It can be hard to keep up. Make sure you are in the know by checking out the new CMS Intel Segment page, chock full of insights and intelligence related to the agency.

Key Points of Contact (Current or Past) 

  • Dan Berkovitz, Contract Specialist, CMS – Dan.Berkovitz@cms.hhs.gov 
  • Benjamin Stidham, Contracting Officer, CMS – Benjamin.Stidham@cms.hhs.gov 
  • Christina Ritter, Director, Medicare Drug Rebate and Negotiations Group (MDRNG), CMS 
  • Lara Strawbridge, Deputy Director, Medicare Drug Rebate and Negotiations Group (MDRNG), CMS 
  • Rebecca Yip, Director, Division of Data Assessment and Analytics, Medicare Drug Rebate and Negotiations Group, CMS 
  • Mike McCormick, Director, Division of Manufacturer Data and Inflation Rebate Operations, Medicare Drug Rebate and Negotiations Group, CMS 
  • Brede Eschliman, Deputy Director, Division of Data Assessment and Analytics, Medicare Drug Rebate and Negotiations Group, CMS 

Looking for an IT and consulting firm to partner with at CMS? Click Here  You can filter the list by several key indicators, including socio-economic status, NAICS, Contract vehicle, etc.    

Firms drawing the most attention:        

Below is a list of more than three dozen large and small companies we have noted as drawing the most views by Government and industry leaders on the OrangeSlices AI consultant directory over the past eight weeks and that bring direct past performance and/or related relationships in support of CMS.  

Several of the companies on this list are Elev8 GovCon Honorees, noted for a corporate culture that demonstrates excellence, making them a beacon for talent, for partners, and for clients.              

We cannot and will not speculate here as to the reasons for the increased interest, but whether it is a company evaluating them as a potential partner; a federal acquisition leader doing their due diligence; or a consultant weighing their next job move, this group of companies has been receiving increased interest.    


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  3. Aida Zyryku

    Navitas would be interested to talk. We bring HRSA and CMS past performance.

  4. Matt Fowler

    Bland & Associates (an OrangeSlices’ 2024 Elev8 GovCon Honoree) is interested in having a conversation regarding this Data Analytics and Program Support SSN. We have relevant prime past performance with CMS.