Contracts with CHCA

If a Vendor, who maintains a direct contract with CHCA, or a Vendor who has attempted to obtain a direct contract with CHCA, believes in good faith that they have a grievance in connection with the CHCA contracting process, then the Vendor should submit in writing or verbally to the Compliance Hotline, the facts and concerns related to Vendor's grievance with sufficient specificity to enable CHCA to respond promptly.

Communications must be submitted to the CHCA Compliance Officer or the Compliance Hotline at (800) 684-6469 within thirty (30) days of the contract award date.

*Please include the contact information for the organization, a primary point of contact in the event additional information is necessary, date of bid submission and CHCA staff member that facilitated the process.

*Indicate whether the grievance is:

- a general concern, grievance or complaint
or is
- relevant to the contracting award process for innovative and/or clinical/physician preference products

The aggrieved party shall be contacted in writing (including via e-mail) within seven business days after receipt of the grievance with the following information:

• An overview of the grievance process
• A request for additional information (if applicable)
• An initial timeline for review and resolution of the grievance

A formal written response shall be provided to the aggrieved party within sixty (60) days of receipt of the original grievance indicating disposition of the matter, unless such time period is extended in order to obtain feedback from outside experts. Grievances relating to the contracting award process for innovative and/or clinical/physician preference products or services will be reviewed and the decision will be considered final.

Contracts with Premier

If a Vendor, who maintains a contract with Premier, and who provides goods or services to CHCA Owner Hospitals, believes in good faith that they have a grievance in connection with Premier's contracting process, then Vendor must file a written grievance using the Vendor Grievance form stating facts and concerns. The completed form must be sent via e-mail to vendor_grievance@premierinc.com within sixty (60) days of the contract award effective date.

Disqualifying Factors of a Grievance

The factors listed below could result in a grievance being dismissed:

• Failure to submit an RFP by the deadline specified in the RFP instructions, or other failures to satisfy procedural or minimum requirements, do not qualify as a grievance and may not be subject to review
• Failure of an aggrieved party to meet established timelines for filing a grievance (as set forth above)
• Failure of an aggrieved party to cooperate with the investigation of the grievance, including without limitation the failure to provide requested information in a timely manner

A copy of the complete Vendor Grievance Policy and Procedure will be posted on the Premier Web site at http://www.premierinc.com.