Description of the RFP Process
In the context of healthcare facility management, issues are unavoidable due to increasing quality standards and the necessity to promote growth despite budgetary constraints and other factors that may hamper progress. Therefore, it is essential to search for new ways of introducing positive alterations to the design and functioning of a particular facility. Moreover, the location of the factors that hinder the promotion of change and create the platform for conflicts is essential. However, pinpointing the root cause of a problem is often difficult due to the large array of factors that shape the contemporary healthcare environment and may contribute to the problem development. For this reason, the Request for a Proposal (RPF) exists. The specified tool helps determine whether the concern defined as the core problem is real and manageable, as well as evaluate the legitimacy of the claims regarding its root causes and management tools. Thus, the available resources for handling a specific conflict situation can be allocated efficiently, whereas the waste levels can be reduced to their logical minimum.
An RFP provides the chain of arguments that will allow the decision-making party, be it a research department within the target company, its leader, or any other agent responsible for handling the specified dilemmas, to select the most beneficial option. As a result, the opportunity for improving the existing design of an organization and enhance the quality of its services will be provided. In an RFP, a supplier lists the essential elements of the statement that will allow them to deliver the suggested information by the set deadline (Cooper & Schindler, 2013). Thus, the time frame of research is set, and the significance, legitimacy, and urgency of the proposed alterations are proven.
In addition, when considering the nature of an RFP, one must mention the development opportunities that it sets for an organization. By exploring the present problems and discovering the management techniques that will help address them respectively, one will be able to outline the elements of the framework that an organization will use in the future to handle the issues associated with conflict management in the workplace. In addition, the overview of the current factors that drive the development of the conflict can be identified so that future tendencies regarding the development of the workplace confrontation and its management could be identified. While it would be wrong to expect that every workplace conflict will repeat itself and require the same management strategy, general characteristics of the specified workplace will be identified, and the company-specific factors that affect the emergence of a confrontation between staff members will be controlled.
The fact that the problem defined within the RFP framework is managed by internal experts also deserves to be mentioned as the factor that makes RFP especially helpful in handling conflicts in the workplace. Being aware of company-specific issues, these experts can locate the solution to a particular argument comparatively fast. In addition, the promotion of interdisciplinary cooperation as an integral part of the RFP concept not only leads to a faster resolution of a workplace issue but also encourages unity across an organization. Thus, the communication process intensifies and becomes more productive, causing a company to locate emerging workplace issues faster and manage them more effectively. For instance, Cooper and Schindler (2013) mention that the RPF approach contributes to faster management of conflicts in the tourism section due to the opportunity for collaboration between commerce experts, branding managers, travel agents, and other participants of the travel processes management:
In the tourism study, members of the commerce department and experts in the hospitality, travel, advertising, and entertainment fields would have participated at the request of the governor. Once the problem is defined, the technical section of the RFP can be written. (Cooper & Schindler, 2013, p. 586)
Thus, the framework has paramount importance for improving the quality of services significantly, which is especially important for organizations operating in healthcare. Therefore, it is critical to ensure that every facet of the project is discussed with the participants in detail. For this purpose, weekly meetings with the following discussion of the associated tasks and schedules will be needed.
Instructions to Bidders (Proposal Administration Data)
The ACH Company issues the specified bids to set the framework within which the Management Department will promote the active improvement of care with the help of the tool and strategies involving disruptive innovations and the active focus on innovative thinking.
Background: Buyer’s Company
Addressing quality issues in the realm of healthcare is especially important since the identified industry serves several crucial functions in contemporary society. Healthcare organizations administer the necessary services assisting people in maintaining health, provide essential information regarding healthy habits and current health threats, and conduct studies to identify innovative treatment strategies for numerous health issues. Therefore, investing in the development of the specified industry is crucial to the well-being of the state population, in general, as well as specific vulnerable groups, in particular. The Akron Children Hospital (ACH) is the focus of the present RPF. While ACH has proven to be quite innovative in its approach toward managing the needs of its target population, the hospital has faced several controversies, the ethical dilemmas regarding patients’ needs and intent being the key ones (“Departments & programs,” 2018).
Project Overview (and Problem Statement)
The significance of technological innovations in addressing childhood cancer can hardly be underestimated. It is essential to introduce the tools that will help make the management of a cancerous disease as effectively as possible. At the same time, one must keep in mind the dilemma of innovative solutions in the treatment of childhood cancers. Specifically, the fact that the proposed approach needs to be well tested and proven to have a profoundly positive effect on patients deserves attention (Gupta, Rivera-Luna, Ribeiro, & Howard, 2014). However, on closer inspection of the ACH, one will notice that the organization lacks the focus on innovation and, thus the technology that could improve the quality of cancer management and the overall level of care significantly. Particularly, the ACH needs to consider introducing the tools for managing the needs of child patients that have undergone surgery and require intensive therapy. Therefore, there is a strong need to introduce innovative devices for improving the quality of care and addressing the issues faced within the organization.
The specified alteration within the ACH will require a shift toward the culture of innovation and the focus on disruptive innovation as the platform for enhancing the quality of healthcare services. It is expected that when exposed to an environment that requires innovative thinking and the active use of innovative tools, healthcare experts will be capable of delivering services of improved quality. When provided with sufficient training that will be enough to acquire the relevant skill and apply them to the context of a specific health-related situation, the staff of the ACH will use the available tools to deliver better services.
Hus, the project will imply a change within the ACH at the organizational level and the active participation of HR managers for staff training and PR experts to enhance the visibility of the organization and make it look attractive to the vendor as a possible business partner. Thus, the required devices can be purchased for a reasonable price, whereas the number of expenses will be reduced to its logical minimum.
Project Requirements (Functional Requirements and Constraints)
The current requirements of the project include human resources, appropriate equipment, and the quality standards set for the product. Particularly, it is necessary to ensure that the staff members are capable of navigating the newly acquired technology and using it to benefit the patients. For this purpose, training sessions provided by the organization that will supply the necessary tools will be designed. During these sessions, the staff members of the ACH will learn the crucial information about using the tools and frameworks for addressing the needs of children with cancer and cancer-related issues. It is expected that the services and products provided by the MVH will allow improving the quality of care significantly, leading to more efficient management of the needs of cancer patients.
It is assumed that the project will lead to the introduction of a new and improved framework for managing the needs of children with cancer. Specifically, nurses will be capable of assisting during surgeries and ensure the successful management of the newly purchased equipment. Particularly, the project is bound to lead to the introduction of the TrueBeam Linear Accelerator and similar tools into the setting of the ACH (Nguyen, Knutson, Schmidt, & Price, 2016). The identified device will lead to a significant improvement in the precision of surgeries and the removal of cancer tissue. As a result, a range of complications that are typically observed after the performance of the surgery will be avoided. In addition, the identified tool will help conduct surgeries more efficiently, thus leading to a major improvement in patient outcomes and a drop in the possibility of comorbid issues (Shiinoki et al., 2016).
However, the specified project also implies certain constraints the issue of time being the key one. While creating a set of guidelines according to which the training will be performed and based on which nurses will act in the operation room environment will be very helpful, nurses may face certain difficulties acquiring the necessary skills and abilities. Specifically, given the current environment at ACH, the nursing staff may be reluctant to participate in the program. Thus, a new model of HRM and an improved leadership framework are required to address the specified issues and
Vendor Information
Company Profile
When considering the organizations that may provide innovative technology for addressing the issue of childhood cancer, one should consider the Miami Valley Hospital (MVH) (“New tools for fighting cancer,” 2018). The technology provided by the organization will raise patients’ chances for survival and create a setting in which faster recovery will become possible. The organization has been focusing on the management of the needs of vulnerable groups (“Patient and visitor info,” 2018).
Legal Summary (Active Lawsuits or Pending Litigation)
At present, the target facility does not have any legal issues. The history of the MVH can be considered rather impressive given the time during which it has been operating (“Patient privacy,” 2018). Therefore, the vendor organization can be considered the perfect candidate for delivering the tools that will allow ACH to improve the quality of its services and meet the needs of the target population.
Partnerships and Alliances
The organization does not currently have any partnerships or alliances. However, it is expected that partnering with ACH will help it improve its current situation.
Proposed Solution
When considering the options that the MVH provides, one should mention the chance to improve the quality of communication and cooperation between staff members, as well as the development of their prowess in using innovative tools. To establish collaboration between ACH and MVH, one will have to focus on the active use of cross-cultural communication and the introduction of negotiation management techniques among the staff members. However, by far the most important issue is the enhancement of interdisciplinary communication. In the context of a situation that involves active knowledge sharing between ACH and MVH, it is essential to ensure that the employees should cooperate actively and coordinate their actions. Thus, strategies for encouraging interdisciplinary teamwork must be deployed. The specified solution is likely to be especially important to apply in the scenarios that involve communication between physicians and nurses (Lancaster, Kolakowsky‐Hayner, Kovacich, & Greer‐Williams, N. (2015). According to recent studies, conflicts and significant tension are quite common between nurses and physicians due to different interpretations of the workplace process (Manojlovich et al., 2015). However, the use of negotiation tactics based on a compromise will allow reducing the negative effects of workplace conflicts.
Services and Support (Management Section)
To facilitate an easy transition from the use of traditional techniques to the application of innovative tools, the ACH managers will need to develop training courses that will encourage nurses not only to acquire the relevant technical skills but also develop the ability to learn independently. Thus, the principles of lifelong learning will be promoted successfully to the target demographic. The specified step will have a positive effect on the application of newly developed abilities, as well as communication among nurses and between nurses and patients.
In addition, one must focus on maintaining the motivation levels of the participants high. Because of the vast array of new responsibilities with which nurses will be provided, there is a high probability of the staff members developing reluctance (Johansson, Åström, Kauffeldt, Helldin, & Carlström, 2014). Another aspect of management concerns the schedule of the project. It is crucial to ensure that all steps of the project will be taken in a timely fashion. Therefore, the project must adhere to a rigid schedule. During the first week, a new set of guidelines and instructions for nurses to follow will be designed. The specified instructions will incorporate detailed information about the steps that they will have to take to manage the new equipment and cooperate within an interdisciplinary setting of an operation room (Eskola et al., 2016). Thus, the probability of errors will be reduced along with the threats to patients’ well-being. afterward, the assessment of nurses’ skills in managing the new devices and using innovative techniques for addressing cancer patients’ needs will be assessed.
The next three weeks will be used for conducting training sessions, during which nurses will be provided with crucial information, materials, and an opportunity to train their skills during simulations. For this purpose, the use of the Transformational Leadership framework will need to be adopted. The specified approach will lead to the enhancement of change and encourage nurses to acquire the essential skills (Manchester et al., 2014). During the training process, the nurses’ progress will be evaluated based on the set of guidelines developed specifically for assessing their skills of managing the equipment, providing assistance, and transferring the crucial data.
Schedules, Training, Quality Control
To introduce the proposed system successfully and control future changes, one will need to implement the framework of the iSix Sigma. The specified approach implies the transition from the current situation to the improved scenario by institutionalizing change. Particularly, the approach known as the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) will be required to prompt the necessary change. Specifically, the Define stage will require locating the problem and the available solution, stating the stages of its implementation. The Measurement stage will imply determining the shift in the quality of care. Specifically, the degree of nurses’ proficiency in managing the newly acquired tools and their compliance with the newly established guidelines will be defined (Tagge, Thirumoorthi, Lenart, Garberoglio, & Mitchell, 2017).
The Analysis stage will incorporate the assessment of the progress that will have been made by the specified time and the issues that will need to be addressed again. The Improvement stage will require handling the concerns that have been identified throughout the process, whereas the Control step will require introducing tools for institutionalizing change (Yaduvanshi & Sharma, 2017). Specifically, it will be required to introduce a set of guidelines for nurses to follow during surgeries and the post-surgery stage and ensure that the nurses follow them precisely. In addition, quality control will be executed with the help of reports submitted on a daily basis. Thus, both the progress of nurses and the effects that the newly proposed tools have on patients’ well-being will be determined respectively.
Cost Proposal
Due to the nature of the problem, the proposal will require substantial financing. While most of the processes of data collection are going to be free, the expenses associated with transportation, tests, and model creation will need financial support. As shown in Table 1, the provision of services is going to be the most expensive item. Therefore, a sustainable approach toward managing costs will be deployed.
Table 1. Pricing for the Proposal.
As the table provided above shows, the project will require a substantial number of costs, mostly due to the salaries paid to the participants and the acquisition of the costly equipment. However, it is believed that the suggested change within the ACH will have a positive effect on patients’ well-being and the enhancement of care. Specifically, the introduction of the new tools and the improved strategy of care will allow for a rapid increase in the number of positive outcomes among child patients.
Maintenance Pricing
In addition, the introduction of innovative technology into the hospital will be coupled with the promotion of innovative thinking. Particularly, nurses will be encouraged to acquire new knowledge and update their skills regularly to enhance the quality of care and create the foundation for the unceasing improvement within the organization. Thus, the ACH will be transferred to an entirely new mode of operating due to the focus on innovative thinking. Moreover, the specified framework will help nurses manage the scenarios that will involve the introduction of disruptive innovations into the context of the organization. In their essence, disruptive innovations in healthcare help to advance a range of processes, including not only the successful management of surgeries as shown in the case of ACH but also the improvement of organizational issues such as the promotion of the relevant values. Specifically, the redesign of the staff members’ approach toward addressing the needs of diverse patients, arranging and transferring the necessary patient information, and performing their duties in the context of an operating room should be seen as a necessary step for enhancing the efficacy of nursing care.
From a managerial perspective, the proposed alterations are expected to lead to a better arrangement of roles and responsibilities among nurses, as well as an improved hierarchy within the hospital and stricter compliance with the set rules. The specified changes, in turn, will make the management of the key operations and the available resources, including staff members, more effective. With a shift in the corporate philosophy and the introduction of values and ethics based on crucial nursing principles, one will be able to motivate nurses to excel in their performance. The identified change will require the introduction of not only enhanced technology but also different communication principles aimed at knowledge sharing, the philosophy of innovative thinking, and the idea of building an active dialogue with patients to define their needs more precisely.
Ethical Standards
The project will adhere to a rigid system of ethical standards and principles. Particularly, the concept of non-disclosure has to be seen as the cornerstone of information management within the framework thereof. Since the project will require analyzing the personal and professional progress of the participants, as well as the management of patient’s needs, the information will be secured. For this reason, the latest technological tools for enhancing the security of electronic data will be utilized.
In addition, the principles of nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice, and autonomy as the cornerstones of nursing ethics will be used in the study. None of the parts of the research will jeopardize the well-being of patience of the ACH in any way, nor will the project imply overstepping the rights to which nurses and healthcare staff members are entitled. Patients’ well-being will remain the priority, while the needs of other stakeholders will also be taken into account when making project-related decisions. Furthermore, the principles of shared decision-making will become the platform for project management. Thus, the project will lead to objective results that will be representative of the situation within the ACH and the change that it will have experienced.
Contracts and License
The project will be intended for the improvement of the existing standards of care and the enhancement of patient outcomes. The scope of work is restricted to testing the efficacy of the proposed management technique and innovative approach regarding the improvement of patients’ well-being and the promotion of the active acquisition of the relevant knowledge and skills by the staff members. Therefore, the organization agrees to perform the research for the vendor to promote the enhanced quality of care and test the efficacy of the selected tools for managing the needs of children with cancer, as well as improving the general performance of the staff.
The organization will pay MVH compensation for using the equipment required for the work. In addition, the monthly payment will be provided to the staff, who will assist the ACH employees in acquiring the relevant knowledge and skills. Particularly, the weekly payments will be submitted based on the information in the weekly invoices that will be submitted to the organization. Written reports will be given to the vendor regularly to give detailed information about the use of the equipment and the training session conducted by its staff to educate the ACH nurses.
References
Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2013). Business research methods (12th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
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Eskola, S., Roos, M., Mccormack, B., Slater, P., Hahtela, N., & Suominen, T. (2016). Workplace culture among operating room nurses. Journal of Nursing Management, 24(6), 725-734.
Gupta, S., Rivera-Luna, R., Ribeiro, R. C., & Howard, S. C. (2014). Pediatric oncology as the next global child health priority: the need for national childhood cancer strategies in low-and middle-income countries. PLoS Medicine, 11(6), e1001656.
Johansson, C., Åström, S., Kauffeldt, A., Helldin, L., & Carlström, E. (2014). Culture as a predictor of resistance to change: a study of competing values in a psychiatric nursing context. Health Policy, 114(2-3), 156-162.
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Nguyen, N., Knutson, N., Schmidt, M., & Price, M. (2016). SU‐F‐P‐36: Automation of Linear Accelerator Star Shot measurement with advanced XML scripting and electronic portal imaging device. Medical Physics, 43(6Part5), 3366-3366.
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Shiinoki, T., Kawamura, S., Uehara, T., Yuasa, Y., Fujimoto, K., Koike, M.,… Shibuya, K. (2016). Evaluation of a combined respiratory‐gating system comprising the TrueBeam linear accelerator and a new real‐time tumor‐tracking radiotherapy system: a preliminary study. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics, 17(4), 202-213.
Tagge, E. P., Thirumoorthi, A. S., Lenart, J., Garberoglio, C., & Mitchell, K. W. (2017). Improving operating room efficiency in academic children’s hospital using Lean Six Sigma methodology. Journal of Pediatric Surgery, 52(6), 1040-1044.
Yaduvanshi, D., & Sharma, A. (2017). Lean Six Sigma in health operations: Challenges and opportunities—‘Nirvana for operational efficiency in hospitals in a resource limited settings’. Journal of Health Management, 19(2), 203-213.