DMEPOS Competitive Bidding - Round 2021: Bid Surety Bond Update

For Round 2021 of the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is granting bidders who uploaded a copy of their bid surety bond(s) in Connexion, the program’s secure portal, by the deadline for bid submission, the opportunity to submit a bid surety bond rider(s) and/or page two (2) of their bid surety bond(s) to ensure that their bid surety bond(s) meets the requirements in 42 CFR § 414.412(g)(2)(i). Requiring bid surety bonds for bidders is new to the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program and CMS must ensure all bonds that were submitted in Connexion prior to the deadline for bid submission are in compliance with the regulatory requirements. As a result, the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) has contacted those bidders from whom it is requesting this additional bid surety bond information.

CMS is only granting bidders who uploaded a copy of their bid surety bond(s) in Connexion, by the deadline for bid submission, the opportunity to submit a bid surety bond rider(s) and/or page two (2) of their bid surety bond(s) by Thursday, March 26th. If you uploaded a copy of your bid surety bond(s) in Connexion by the deadline for bid submission but have not received a notice in Connexion requesting a rider(s) and/or page two (2) of the bid surety bond(s), CMS believes your bond(s) complies with 42 CFR § 414.412(g)(2).  As a reminder, on December 3, 2019, CMS sent Preliminary Bid Evaluation (PBE) notices to bidders who did not submit a bid surety bond in Connexion by the deadline for bid submission, notifying them they were excluded from Round 2021 of the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program.  

Any submission other than a bid surety bond rider and/or page two (2) of the bid surety bond from those bidders the CBIC has contacted requesting this additional information will not be considered. CMS has not offered any bidder the opportunity to amend their bid(s) in any way other than through a bid surety bond rider and/or submission of page two (2) of their bid surety bond.

If you have any questions, please call the CBIC customer service center at 877-577-5331 between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. prevailing Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.