On April 13, 2011, CMS published a notice announcing its intention to sponsor a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) to facilitate the modernization of business processes and supporting systems and their operations. The contractor will be available to provide a wide range of support activities, including, among many others, strategic planning for future CMS program policy; procurement assistance; assessment of new technologies/advice on medical and technical innovation and health information; analysis of the effectiveness of HHS systems to provide health care services and implement new healthcare initiatives; and development of measurable performance metrics. CMS will accept comments on the notice until July 5, 2011. A related request for proposal will be posted on FedBizOpps in the summer of 2011.