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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has awarded 17 companies positions on the RMADA 3 contract, a five-year, $3.5 billion blanket purchase agreement that covers a broad range of data-related and research services. This third iteration of the Research, Measurement, Assessment, Design and Analysis contract was awarded on Wednesday, receiving 34 offers in total, according to Sam.gov records.
What the CMS RMADA 3 Contract Covers
RMADA 3 tasks winners to provide analytical support and technical assistance to aid in models and demonstrations. Those models are used for programs such as the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, and those covered under private payer sources, making the RMADA 3 contract a broadly applicable vehicle across nearly all major federal healthcare programs.
Scope of Work Under the Contract
Solicitation documents released in June describe the scope of work for RMADA 3 as including support for all aspects of model design and operations, except for IT needs, since those are covered by other contracts. This distinction keeps the RMADA 3 contract focused specifically on analytical and research functions rather than technical infrastructure work.
Who Won the CMS RMADA 3 Contract
The awardees named under the RMADA 3 contract include:
- Abt Global (incumbent)
- Acumen (incumbent)
- American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences (incumbent)
- Arbor Research Collaborative for Health (incumbent)
- Booz Allen Hamilton (incumbent)
- Deloitte Consulting (incumbent)
- General Dynamics’ IT services unit (incumbent)
- Guidehouse (newcomer)
- L&M Policy Research (newcomer)
- The Lewin Group, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth’s Optum arm (incumbent)
- Livanta, now part of Commence (newcomer)
- Mathematica (incumbent)
- National Opinion Research Center (incumbent)
- Tria Federal (newcomer)
- Westat (incumbent)
A Mix of Incumbents and Newcomers
Given the nature of blanket purchase agreements, additional awardees could be named to the RMADA 3 contract over time. The list reflects a strong continuity of incumbent contractors alongside four newcomers, suggesting the agency largely retained its existing research and analytics vendor base while opening the door to additional competition.
How the CMS RMADA 3 Contract Compares to Its Predecessor
The current RMADA 2 pact was awarded in 2019 and is slated to expire on July 31. A total of $1.2 billion in task order volume has been obligated against RMADA 2, according to GovTribe data. The jump to a $3.5 billion ceiling under the RMADA 3 contract suggests higher demand for research and analytical services over the coming five years.
Specific Tasks Awardees Will Perform
They are also tasked to help design and carry out data collection activities such as surveys, obtain and analyze secondary data sources, provide rapid cycle evaluation feedback to CMS and other model participants, create summaries and reports of program findings, and provide grant proposal reviews. This range of responsibilities positions winners of the RMADA 3 contract as key partners in how the agency evaluates and refines its healthcare payment and delivery models going forward.
What This Contract Means for CMS Program Evaluation
With 17 companies now positioned to compete for task orders under the RMADA 3 contract, there will be a deep bench of research and analytics vendors to support the ongoing evaluation of Medicare, Medicaid, ACA, and CHIP programs. Given the significant increase in contract ceiling compared to RMADA 2, the scale of research and evaluation work supporting policy decisions appears set to expand meaningfully over the life of this agreement.
