10-01. RFP 200-27 MRH Notice to Bidders.pdf

RFP 200-27 MRH Stop Loss Insurance Policy

CITY OF AMARILLO

PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS

Contract and Bidding Documents for

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

RFP 200-27 MRH

Stop Loss Insurance Policy

FOR

THE CITY OF AMARILLO, TEXAS

Bid No. RFP 200-27 MRH

Bid Closing:

Thursday, November 5th at 3:00 P.M

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

RFP 200-27 MRH

Stop Loss Insurance Policy

1. NOTICE TO PROPOSERS

1.1. Proposers may submit proposals electronically by uploading required documents at the City of Amarillo’s partner’s website, Euna Procurement. This Request for Proposals is for your convenience in submitting an offer for the specified services.

1.2. Proposals will be opened via teleconference as shown below on November 5th at 3:00 P.M or as changed by the issuance of formal addenda to all plan holders, to furnish all labor and materials and perform all work for the construction of the above referenced.

1.3. After the expiration of the time and date above first written, said sealed proposals will be opened at the scheduled location per the bid documents and publicly read aloud.

Bids will be opened via teleconference if date/time stamped on or before the deadline stated at the office listed above. The Zoom meeting information is as follows:

Website:https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/258911809727096?p=XyX0ItuT5ic

PLPCF7V

Meeting ID: 258 911 809 727 096 Passcode: iS77rX6U

1.4. Proposals may be withdrawn prior to the above scheduled time set for closing.

Alteration made before RFP closing must be initiated by offeror guaranteeing authenticity.

1.10. Please allow time to upload required documentation. 24 hours in advance is recommended.

2. The City of Amarillo hereby notifies all Proposers that in regard to any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, minority and women business enterprises will be afforded equal opportunities to submit proposals in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, sex, disability, or national origin in consideration for an award.

3. The City of Amarillo does not discriminate against persons with disabilities. City of

Amarillo preproposal openings are available to all persons regardless of disability. If you require special assistance, please contact the Purchasing Department at (806) 378-3028.

CITY OF AMARILLO,

Michael Lindley Director of Purchasing

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS

1. OFFEROR INQUIRIES AND CLARIFICATION OF REQUIREMENTS

1.1 It is the intent and purpose of the City of Amarillo that this request permits competitive proposals. It shall be the Proposers responsibility to advise the Director of Purchasing if any language, requirements, etc., or any combinations thereof, inadvertently restricts or limits the requirements stated in this RFP to a single source. Such notification must be submitted in writing and must be received by the Purchasing Department no later than

(10) calendar days before the proposal closing date. A review of such notifications will be made.

1.2 No Offeror shall request any information verbally. All requests for additional information or clarification concerning this request for proposals (RFP) must be submitted no later than ten (10) calendar days prior to the proposal closing date via bidding portal:

Website: City of Amarillo (bonfirehub.com)

2. BASIS OF PROPOSALS AND SELECTION CRITERIA

2.1 The City uses the Competitive Sealed Proposals procurement method as authorized by the Texas Legislature and further defined by Texas Government Code Section 2269.

The Maximum Point value is equal to 100 points. The weight factor is 40 points for Price, 20 points for Quality of Vendors Goods, 20 points for Extent to Which the Goods or Services Meet the City’s Needs, and 10 points for Vendors Past Relationship with The City, 5 points for Any Other Relevant Factor(s) specifically listed in the request for Proposals, and 5 points for Reputation of the Vendor and of the Vendor’s Goods and Services. The selection criteria used to evaluate each proposal include the following:

2.1.1 [40 POINTS] - PRICE: Purchase price [including without limitation, as applicable to a particular category of Services, price competitiveness, any extended rate, fee or financial guarantees, and other financial arrangements such as guaranteed cost contracts].

2.1.2 [20 POINTS] – QUALITY OF THE VENDORS GOODS OR SERVICES:

Quality of the Proposer's services [including without limitation, as applicable to a particular category of Services, the quality of service, staff experience, claims processing organization and procedures, management information reporting capabilities, and claims turnaround time].

2.1.3 [20 POINTS] – EXTENT TO WHICH THE GOODS OR SERVICES

MEET THE CITY’S NEEDS: Extent to which the services in a proposal meet the City’s needs, including without limitation, as applicable to a particular category of Services, responsiveness to the terms, conditions, and specifications contained in this RFP, the willingness and ability of the Proposer to work well with the current claims administrators, Aetna for Medical Claims Administration and RxBenefits, Inc., with OptumRx for Prescription Drug Administration.

2.1.4 [10 POINTS] – VENDOR’S PAST RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY:

Past relationship of the Proposer with the City [in this regard, the non-existence of a prior relationship with the City will have a median value, with deductions or additions thereto for poor or good past relationships respectively].

2.1.5 [5 Points] – ANY OTHER RELEVANT FACTOR(S) SPECIFICALLY LISTED IN THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: The completeness of the proposal, the impact on the ability of the City to comply with applicable laws and rules, if any, relating to historically underutilized businesses [however, the City is not currently aware of any such laws or rules applicable in this instance].

2.1.6 [5 Points] – REPUTATION OF THE VENDOR AND OF THE VENDORS

GOODS AND SERVICES: Reputation of the Proposer and of the Proposer's services [including without limitation the Proposer's references, and the financial strength, stature, stability, and condition of the Proposer].

1.3 EVALUATION PROCESS: Evaluators independently review and score each proposal. The Committee meets, to discuss the individual scores of each evaluator. If the individual scores are similar, the Chairperson may average the scores then rank Proposers accordingly. If the scores are significantly diverse, the Chairperson initiates and will moderate discussion to determine the reasons for the differences and ensures that all evaluators are fully knowledgeable of all aspects of the proposals. Scores may then be adjusted by the committee based on committee discussion.

1.3.1 Please note that Proposers with higher qualifications scores could be ranked higher than Proposers with slightly better price scores.

1.4 Proposals shall be made using the forms provided.

2 ADDENDA & MODIFICATIONS

2.3 Any changes, additions, or clarifications to the RFP are made by ADDENDA information available over the Internet at City of Amarillo (bonfirehub.com). We strongly suggest that you check for any addenda a minimum of forty-eight hours in advance of the response deadline. BUSINESSES WITHOUT INTERNET ACCESS may use computers available at most public libraries.

2.4 Any offeror in doubt as to the true meaning of any part of the specifications or other documents may request an interpretation thereof from the Purchasing Department. At the request of the offeror, or in the event the Director of Purchasing deems the interpretation to be substantive, the interpretation will be made by written addendum issued by the Purchasing Department. Such addenda issued by the Purchasing Department will be available over the Internet at City of Amarillo (bonfirehub.com) and will become part of the proposal package having the same binding effect as provisions of the original RFP. NO VERBAL EXPLANATIONS OR INTERPRETATIONS WILL BE BINDING. To have a request for interpretation considered, the request must be submitted in writing and must be received by the City of Amarillo Purchasing and Contract Management Office no later than five (10) calendar days before the proposal closing date.

2.5 All addenda, amendments, and interpretations of this solicitation shall be in writing. The City of Amarillo shall not be legally bound by any explanation or interpretation that is not in writing. Only information supplied by the City of Amarillo Purchasing Department in writing or in this RFP should be used in preparing proposal responses.

All contacts that an offeror may have had before or after receipt of this RFP with any individuals, employees, or representatives of the City and any information that may have been read in any news media or seen or heard in any communication facility regarding this proposal should be disregarded in preparing responses.

2.6 The City does not assume responsibility for the receipt of any addendum sent to Proposers.

3 EXAMINATION OF DOCUMENTS AND REQUIREMENTS

3.3 Each offeror shall carefully examine all RFP documents and thoroughly familiarize itself with all requirements before submitting a proposal to ensure that their proposal meets the intent of these specifications.

3.4 Before submitting a proposal, each offeror shall be responsible for making all investigations and examinations that are necessary to ascertain conditions and requirements affecting the requirements of this Request for Proposals. Failure to make such investigations and examinations shall not relieve the offeror of the obligation to comply, in every detail, with all provisions and requirements of the Request for

Proposals.

3.5 Notices of any discrepancies or omissions in these plans, specifications, or contract documents, shall be given to the Purchasing Department and a clarification obtained before the proposals are received, and if no such notice is received by the Purchasing Department and prior to the opening of proposals, then it shall be deemed that the offeror fully understands the work to be included and has provided sufficient sums in its proposal to complete the work in accordance with these plans and specifications. If offeror does not notify the Director of Purchasing and Contract Management before offering of any discrepancies or omissions, then it shall be deemed for all purposes that the plans and specifications are sufficient and adequate for completion of the project. It is further agreed that any request for clarification must be submitted no later than five

(5) calendar days prior to the opening of proposals.

4 PROPOSAL PREPARATION COSTS

4.3 Issuance of this RFP does not commit the City of Amarillo, in any way, to pay any costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal.

4.4 The issuance of this RFP does not obligate the City of Amarillo to enter a contract for any services or equipment.

4.5 All costs related to the preparation and submission of a proposal shall be paid by the offeror.

5 TRADE SECRETS, CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION AND THE TEXAS PUBLIC

INFORMATION ACT

5.3 If you consider any portion of your proposal to be privileged or confidential by statute or judicial decision, including trade secrets and commercial or financial information, clearly identify those portions.

5.4 Proposals will be opened in a manner that avoids disclosure of the contents to competing Proposers and keeps the proposals secret during negotiations. All proposals are open for public inspection after the contract is awarded, but trade secrets and confidential information in the proposals are not open for inspection. Tex. Loc. Govt. Code 252.049(a)

5.5 Marking your entire proposal CONFIDENTIAL/PROPRIETARY is not in conformance with the Texas Public Information Act.

5.6 Pursuant to Section 552.234(c) of the Texas Government Code, submit your open records request using the link provided below.

FOIA Management Software - GovQA

5.7 For more information, please see the City of Amarillo Public Information Act website at:

Open Records | City of Amarillo, TX

6 UTILIZATION OF LOCAL BUSINESS RESOURCES

6.3 Prospective Proposers are strongly encouraged to explore and implement methods for the utilization of local resources, and to outline in their proposal submittal how they would utilize local resources.

7 CONFLICT OF INTEREST

7.3 The offeror shall not offer or accept gifts or anything of value nor enter any business arrangement with any employee, official or agent of the City of Amarillo.

7.4 By signing and executing this proposal, the offeror certifies and represents to the City the offeror has not offered, conferred, or agreed to confer any pecuniary benefit or other thing of value for the receipt of special treatment, advantage, information, recipient's decision, opinion, recommendation, vote or any other exercise of discretion concerning this proposal.

7.5 It is not necessary to fill out the CIQ Form unless you have a business relationship that might cause a conflict of interest with the City of Amarillo.

7.6 Effective January 1, 2006, Chapter 176 of the Texas Local Government Code requires that any vendor or person considering doing business with a local government entity disclose in the Questionnaire, Form CIQ, the vendor or person’s affiliation or business relationship that might cause a conflict of interest with a local government entity. By law, the questionnaire must be filed with the records administrator of the City of Amarillo not later than the Seventh business day after the date the person becomes aware of the facts that require the statement to be filed. The questionnaire can be found at:

https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/forms/conflict/

For the City of Amarillo, these forms should be filed with the City Secretary’s Office, P.O. Box 1971, Amarillo, Texas, 79105

See Section 176.006, Local Government Code:

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/LG/htm/LG.176.htm#176.006

A person commits an offense if the person violates Section 176.006, Local Government Code. An offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor.

8 CONTRACT DOCUMENTS

8.3 All Proposers shall be thoroughly familiar with all of the requirements set forth on the contract documents for the construction of this project and shall be responsible for the satisfactory completion of all work contemplated by said contract documents.

9 CERTIFICATE OF INTERESTED PARTIES

9.3 Effective January 1, 2016, Section 2252.908, as amended, of Chapter 2252 of the Texas Government Code requires certain business entities to submit an electronic disclosure form to the Texas Ethics Commission before entering into a contract with a local government entity when any of the following apply:

1) Contract requires an action or vote by the City Council (governing body), OR

2) Contract value is $1 Million or greater, OR

3) Contract is for services that would require a person to register as a lobbyist under Chapter 305 of the Government Code.

This must be done before executing the contract. The disclosure form may be found at https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/whatsnew/elf_info_form1295.htm. You must log in and create an account the first time you fill out the form. Tutorial videos on how to log in for the first time and how to fill out the form can be found through the link above. After you electronically submit the disclosure form, a screen will come up confirming the submission and assigning a certificate number. Then, you must print the form, have an authorized agent complete the declaration and sign, and provide it to the city (scanned email copy is acceptable).

9.4 A contract described by Subsection (b) of Government Code Section 2252.908 entered into by a governmental entity or state agency is voidable for failure to provide the disclosure of interested parties required by this section only if: (1) the governmental entity or state agency submits to the business entity written notice of the business entity ’s failure to provide the required disclosure; and (2) the business entity fails to submit to the governmental entity or state agency the required disclosure on or before the 10th business day after the date the business entity receives the written notice under Subdivision (1).

10 TEXAS STATE SALES TAX

10.3 This contract is issued by an organization which qualifies for exemption provisions pursuant to provisions of Article 20.04 of the Texas Limited Sales, Excise and Use Tax Act.

11 PREPARATION FOR PROPOSAL

11.3 The bidder shall submit his bid on forms furnished by the City, and all blank spaces in the form shall be correctly filled in, stating the price in numerals for which he intends to do the work contemplated or furnish the materials required. Such prices shall be written in ink, distinctly and legibly, or typewritten. In case of discrepancy between the unit price and the extended total for a bid item, the unit price will be taken. A bid that has been opened may not be changed for the purpose of correcting an error in the bid price.

11.4 If the proposal is submitted by an individual, his name must be signed by him or his duly authorized agent. If a proposal is submitted by a firm, association, or partnership, the name and address of each member must be given and the proposal signed by a member of the firm, association or partnership, or person duly authorized.

If the proposal is submitted by a company or corporation, the company or corporate name and business address must be given, and the proposal signed by an official or duly authorized agent. Powers of attorney authorizing agents or others to sign proposals must be properly certified and must be in writing and submitted with the proposal. The proposal shall be executed in ink.

11.5 Pursuant to Texas Local Government Code 252.043(g), a competitive sealed proposal that has been opened may not be changed for the purpose of correcting an error in the proposal price. THEREFORE, ANY CORRECTIONS TO THE PROPOSAL PRICE

MUST BE MADE ON THE PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL FORM PRIOR TO

PROPOSAL OPENING.

11.6 Proposal submittals may be withdrawn and resubmitted at any time before the time set for opening of the proposals, but no proposal may be withdrawn or altered thereafter.

12 SELECTION

12.3 Selection shall be based on the responsible offeror whose proposal is determined to be the most advantageous to the City of Amarillo considering the relative importance of evaluation factors included in this RFP.

12.4 NO INDIVIDUAL OF ANY USING DEPARTMENT HAS THE AUTHORITY TO

LEGALLY AND/OR FINANCIALLY COMMIT THE CITY TO ANY CONTRACT,

AGREEMENT OR PURCHASE ORDER FOR GOODS OR SERVICES, UNLESS

SPECIFICALLY SANCTIONED BY THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS

INVITATION TO BID.

12.5 The City shall select the offeror that offers the best value for the City based on the published selection criteria and on its ranking evaluation. The City shall first attempt to negotiate a contract with the selected offeror. The City and its engineer or architect may discuss with the selected offeror options for a scope or time modification and any price change associated with the modification. If the City is unable to negotiate a contract with the selected offeror, the City shall, formally and in writing, end negotiations with that offeror and proceed to the next offeror in the order of the selection ranking until a contract is reached or all proposals are rejected.

12.6 In determining best value for the City, the City is not restricted to considering price alone, but may consider any other factor stated in the selection criteria.

12.7 A proposal will be subject to being considered irregular and may be rejected if it shows omissions, alterations of form, conditional alternate proposals, additions or alternates in lieu of the items specified, if the unit prices are obviously unbalanced (either more than or below reasonably expected values), or irregularities of any kind.

13 ANTI-LOBBYING PROVISION

13.3 DURING THE PERIOD BETWEEN PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DATE AND THE

CONTRACT AWARD, PROPOSERS, INCLUDING THEIR AGENTS AND

REPRESENTATIVES, SHALL NOT DISCUSS OR PROMOTE THEIR PROPOSAL

WITH ANY MEMBER OF THE AMARILLO CITY COUNCIL OR CITY STAFF

EXCEPT UPON THE REQUEST OF THE CITY OF AMARILLO

PURCHASING DEPARTMENT IN THE COURSE OF CITY-

SPONSORED INQUIRIES, BRIEFINGS, INTERVIEWS, OR

PRESENTATIONS.

13.4 This provision is not meant to preclude bidders from discussing other matters with City Council members or City staff. This policy is intended to create a level playing field for all potential bidders, assure that contract decisions are made in public, and to protect the integrity of the bid process. Violation of this provision may result in rejection of the bidder's bid.

14 PROTEST

14.3 All protests regarding the RFP process must be submitted in writing to the Director of

Purchasing within 5 working days after the protesting party knows of the occurrence of the action which is protested relating to advertising of notices deadlines, proposal opening and all other related procedures under the Local Government Code, as well as any protest relating to alleged improprieties with the RFP process. This limitation does not include protests relating to staff recommendations as to award of contract. Protests relating to staff recommendations may be directed to the City Manager. All staff recommendations will be made available for public review prior to consideration by the City Council as allowed by law.

Failure to protest within the time allotted shall constitute a waiver of any protest.

Attachments:

2. Stop Loss RFP for 2027 Scope of Work (Please see in Bonfire