HALIFAX, Va., Oct. 19, 2012—According to the National Association of Independent Medical Equipment Suppliers (NAIMES), 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 9:00 p.m. 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 and 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 877-577-5331.