The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is conducting market research for the National Provider Directory (NPD) for a planned, authoritative, freely accessible source of healthcare provider information. CMS has issued a Request for Information (RFI) with a draft Statement of Objectives (SOO) covering NPD Work Areas A and E: Ground Truth Data Sourcing and Licensing, and Data Aggregation, Quality & Assurance. The RFI is a planning step, and CMS has signaled a future Request for Quotation (RFQ) will follow.
The acquisition is deliberately structured into separate work areas. This procurement addresses Work Areas A and E, while Work Areas B, C, and D are supported through separate government and/or contractor teams, with follow-on or concurrent awards anticipated as the program matures. This modular design is the defining feature that supports NPD building a multi-team program rather than a single monolithic contract, creating multiple entry points for specialized firms.
The acquisition strategy is the key variable to watch. CMS has not yet fixed the contract vehicle, the number of awards, or a set-aside, and is asking industry whether any scope aspects would limit competition. Firms with authoritative provider-data relationships, healthcare data-quality engineering, and an active GSA MAS or GWAC vehicle will be best positioned to help shape the SOO before the RFQ lands.
OPPORTUNITY SNAPSHOT
- Opportunity: National Provider Directory (NPD) Work Areas A and E – Data Sourcing, Aggregation, Quality & Assurance Services
- Agency: HHS, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Office of the Administrator with OAGM
- Current Stage: Request for Information (RFI) with draft SOO; future RFQ anticipated (no committed date)
- RFI Solicitation No.: 261007
- RFI Responses Due: July 10, 2026
- Estimated Value: TBD
- Acquisition Structure: Modular, multi-work-area program; WA A and E procured here, with separate/follow-on awards anticipated for WA B, C, and D
- NAICS: 541519 – Other Computer Related Services
- Set-Aside / Vehicle: Both TBD; RFI collects small-business subcategory and asks respondents to identify active GSA MAS, GWAC, or other vehicles
- Place of Performance: To be defined; CMS is headquartered in Baltimore, MD
- Delivery Approach: Agile, outcome-based, with WA A and WA E performance metrics and rapid Initial Operating Capability (30 days WA A, 45 days WA E)
WHY NPD MATTERS
Provider directory data underpins the U.S. healthcare system, yet today it is fragmented, inaccurate, and difficult to access across NPPES, PECOS, state licensing boards, and commercial sources. CMS intends NPD to fix that, enabling 2+ million providers to maintain accurate information, helping Medicare Advantage plans and payers eliminate “ghost networks,” and helping 100+ million Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries find the right provider.
This scope also carries durable policy momentum. NPD advances CMS’s interoperability and provider-data transparency goals, supports fraud, waste, and abuse reduction, and is designed to eventually subsume core NPPES and PECOS functions. A License-Free Data Output Mandate requires that published NPD data be usable by industry, payers, and the public without licensing restrictions.
WHO SHOULD CONSIDER NPD
NPD Work Areas A and E are designed for firms experienced in authoritative data sourcing and healthcare data-quality services. Firms with the following capabilities should assess their fit now:
- Authoritative data licensing: direct relationships with sources of clinician license, board certification, pharmacy, payer, hospital, and credentialing data
- Data normalization and delivery: transforming source data to CMS-specified formats and cadence, with source-level quality monitoring
- Data aggregation and quality assurance: upstream and downstream validation, error and gap detection, enrichment, and API write-back
- Healthcare interoperability: familiarity with NPPES, PECOS, provider enumeration/enrollment, and CMS interoperability policy
- Agile, outcome-based delivery: iterative teams measured on data-quality outcomes, with rapid Initial Operating Capability timelines
- Vehicle and set-aside readiness: an active GSA MAS or GWAC position and, if a set-aside results, verified small-business status able to meet limitations on subcontracting
HOW OST CAN HELP
With NPD still at the RFI stage, early engagement now allows for the shaping of the SOO and positioning ahead of the RFQ. OST supports firms pursuing complex HHS, CMS, and federal data and IT services opportunities with:
- Bid/no-bid assessment: evaluating your data-sourcing and data-quality capabilities, vehicle eligibility, small-business status, and past performance against the WA A and E objectives
- RFI response and shaping: crafting a capabilities response that answers CMS’s questions and helps shape the SOO and competition approach
- Capture planning: developing win themes and tracking the move from RFI to RFQ, including vehicle and set-aside decisions
- Teaming strategy: identifying partners across data licensing, aggregation, quality assurance, and adjacent Work Areas B, C, and D
- Proposal development: technical approach, agile staffing and metrics plans, IOC and transition approach, and quality control
If you are evaluating whether CMS’s National Provider Directory opportunity aligns with your firm’s capabilities or want help shaping a strong RFI response before the RFQ, we are happy to help you determine your fit and path to win. If this interests you, please book a call with OST Partner and President Bill Schalik via the button below.
