7/19/07 CMS Extends Bid Deadline

BALTIMORE–In a message sent late this afternoon, CMS said it will extend the deadline by one week for bid submission in the first round of its competitive bidding program. The notice follows in its entirety:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is extending the bid submission deadline for the first round of the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program.

Please note: All bids are now due by 9:00 p.m. prevailing Eastern Time on July 27, 2007.

• On May 15, 2007, CMS issued a request for bids for the first round of the Medicare DMEPOS competitive bidding program. The original due date was 9:00 p.m. prevailing Eastern Time on July 13, 2007. All bids are now due by 9:00 p.m. prevailing Eastern Time on July 27, 2007.
• The registration deadline for USER IDs and passwords has closed. CMS is continuing to process complete and accurate requests for USER IDs and passwords for suppliers that applied for registration by the July 7, 2007 deadline. If you applied for registration by the July 7, 2007 deadline but have not yet received your USER ID and password and have not already contacted the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC), please contact the CBIC via e-mail by 6 p.m. prevailing Eastern Time on July 20, 2007. The CBIC’s e-mail address is: [email protected]. The e-mail must contain the following information: supplier name; NSC number; contact name, e-mail address, and telephone number; authorized official name and telephone number; date of registration; and REQ number (this number can be found in the e-mail you received when you registered). Inquiries received after 6 p.m. prevailing Eastern Time on July 20, 2007 may not be able to be processed.
• Suppliers must be accredited or be pending accreditation to submit a bid and will need to be accredited to be awarded a contract. The accreditation deadline for the first round of competitive bidding is August 31, 2007. Suppliers should apply for accreditation immediately to allow adequate time to process their applications. For a list of the CMS-approved Deemed Accreditation Organizations, visit: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/CompetitiveAcqforDMEPOS/
• There are revised customer service hours at the CBIC. Effective immediately, the CBIC help desk will be available to assist you from 6 a.m. until midnight EST. The CBIC help desk will operate 24 hours a day the last day before bidding closes. You may call the help desk at 877-577-5331.

For more information on the program, please visit http://www.dmecompetitivebid.com/.