Process for Reviewing Covered Documents Fact Sheet

Bidders in the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program must upload the required financial documents specified in the Request for Bids (RFB) Instructions in Connexion, the program’s secure portal. The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) required the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to establish a process for reviewing bidders’ covered documents. As defined in 42 CFR §414.414(d)(2), this process provides bidders the opportunity to be notified of missing required financial documents and additional time to provide the missing financial documents.

Per 42 CFR §414.402, a covered document means a financial, tax, or other document required to be submitted by a bidder as part of an original bid submission under a competitive acquisition program in order to meet the required financial standards. The following are considered covered documents:

• Tax return extract
• Income statement
• Balance sheet
• Statement of cash flows
• Credit report with numerical credit score or rating

Note: A bid surety bond is not a covered document and, therefore, is not included in the process for reviewing covered documents.

Per 42 CFR §414.414(d)(2)(i), the covered document review date (CDRD) is either the date that is 30 days before the final date for the closing of the bid window or 30 days after the opening of the bid window, whichever is later. For Round 2021, the CDRD will be announced when the dates for the bid window are announced, and a clock counting down to the deadline will be posted on the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) website.

Bidders who upload their required financial documents in Connexion by the CDRD are included in the process for reviewing covered documents. These bidders will be notified within 90 days after the CDRD which, if any, required financial documents are missing and the date that all missing documents must be uploaded in Connexion. The process for reviewing covered documents is only to determine if required financial documents are missing and is not a review of whether the documents are accurate, acceptable, complete, or in accordance with the RFB Instructions.

Bidders who do not upload their required financial documents in Connexion by the CDRD will not be included in the process for reviewing covered documents, and will not be notified of any missing documents. All bidders participating in Round 2021 are urged to take advantage of the process by uploading their financial documents by the CDRD. 

The process for reviewing covered documents allows only bidders that are notified of missing documents to upload the specific missing documents. It does not permit bidders to upload revised versions of previously uploaded documents after the close of the bid window. Once the bid window closes, all bids are considered final and cannot be amended or changed.

It is important to note that documents are not considered submitted until they have been uploaded in Connexion. After each upload, a message will appear in Connexion confirming whether your file was uploaded successfully or if your upload failed. If you receive a message your upload failed, please attempt to upload the document again following the instructions. If problems persist or you have any questions, please contact the CBIC customer service center at 877-577-5331 for assistance. 

During the bid window, please visit your My Upload History page in Connexion to confirm receipt of your required documents. The My Upload History page displays details for all documents that have been uploaded in Connexion. However, it does not confirm the accuracy or completeness of your documents.