12-001286 Administrator for CE Program - Question Response.pdf

North Carolina Solicitation Addendum Version Date: 11/2021

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SOLCITATION ADDENDUM

1. The following are questions received about the Solicitation and the State’s response to those questions:

Question # Document Section

Vendor Question State’s Response

1 RFP Section 3.4, Evaluation Criteria

Please clarify whether "extent to which the structured systems security engineering (SSE) process identifies and mitigates threat/vulnerability risks to the model's effectiveness and extent to which risk protection, detection, and response procedures/activities are incorporated into the model" is relevant to this RFP/Scope of Work.

Overall, the SSE process is relevant to the RFP SOW because it supports a risk-based approach to ensuring security requirements and risk management activities are being integrated into the model rather than addressed as a separate activity.

2 RFP Section 5.2.3, Customer Service, b

Please clarify how the Department defines the difference between "average time to answer telephone calls" and "average time for a caller to wait before speaking directly with a qualified customer service representative."

Average time to answer is the average time elapsed from when an incoming call enters the queue until that call is answered by a qualified CSR.

Whereas the average time for a caller to wait is the amount of time a caller remains in the queue before they are connected to a qualified CSR.

3 RFP Section 5.2.8, Annual Customer Satisfaction Survey, a

Please clarify whether "...specific to insurance exam services" is an error and should be "specific to continuing education services."

Yes, that is an error, and it should read “specific to continuing education services.”

Issuing Agency: Department of Insurance

Solicitation Number: 12-001286

Solicitation Description: Administrator for Continuing Education for NC Insurance

Solicitation Opening Date and Time:

August 28, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET

Addendum Number: 1

Addendum Date: August 13, 2026

Purchasing Agent: Sloane Chua

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Vendor Question State’s Response

4 RFP Section 6.3, Continuous Improvement

Please clarify "The State encourages the Vendor to identify opportunities to reduce the total cost to the State" as this is a no-cost contract to the State/Department.

If there are any required changes or enhancements to the Vendor programs or resources that normally would have a cost, these should be discussed and reviewed prior to being implemented since this is a no-cost contract.

5 RFP Section 5.1, General, Services to be Implemented

Please share whether it is acceptable to the Department to provide a cross-reference of each Service to be Implemented (i.e., items a through p) with its corresponding requirement in Section 5.2, Tasks/Deliverables, rather than repeating the information in both sections.

No, each section shall be completed accordingly.

6 RFP Section 5.2.4, Data Systems, Data Collection and Transmission, items p and q

Please clarify what the Department means by a "documented copy of the computer program developed to administer and transmit CE records to the Department...," "...documented copies of all changes to the program through the term of the contract...," and "...the State will retain, use in any manner and/or modify the program without cost or charge." Is the State/Department asserting ownership rights over the Vendor's CE recordkeeping platform? If this is not the State's/Department's intent, please clarify these requirements.

The intent is to require the Vendor to provide complete and current documentation for the computer application/platform developed or used to administer and transmit CE records. This documentation should be sufficient so that the Department can understand the system's functionality, data flow, security controls, and procedures for administering those records. The Department does not intend to require the Vendor to transfer ownership of its proprietary software or existing intellectual property.

However, the Department will retain ownership and control of all continuing education records and other data generated or maintained on behalf of the Department.

7 RFP Section 2.7, Proposal Contents, includes items A through J

Within the Sourcing Tool, Section 6, Vendor Response, has separate upload fields for: c) Body of the RFP/Execution Pages, and f) through j), Attachments A, D, E, F, and G.

However, there are no discrete upload sections for a) Cover Letter, b) Title Page, d) Addenda receipt pages, or e) Vendor's Proposal (as referenced in RFP Section 2.7).

Should those items be uploaded in Sourcing Tool Section 6.7, Additional Documentation, or will discrete sections be added to the portal for those items?

Vendors may combine their cover letter and title page with their proposal and submit it in Section

6.1. Alternatively, Section

6.7, Additional Documentation, is acceptable for submitting any supplementary documents.

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Vendor Question State’s Response

8 Section A:

Pricing

The referenced Excel file was not provided in the bid documents. Can the Department share the required form?

There is no default Excel template. Vendors are to construct their own pricing table and submit it in Attachment A.

9 Section 5.1 The Annual Calls in 2025 was 3,248. Does this volume include CE-related calls only? If not, can the Department provide the breakdown by call type?

a. Can the Department confirm that its Annual Calls for the last five calendar years are exclusively for CE related inquiries?

The Statistics in this section are all related to continuing education only.

10 Section 2.7 Attachments D, E, F must be signed.

However, there is no line for signature. We presume the State does not want vendors to modify its forms, and rather, by nature of the fact that bids are submitted electronically, authorized signers for the vendors are presumed to have agreed to the information on the forms as being true and correct. Can the State confirm if our understanding is correct?

Yes. If the form does not need signature, then signature is not needed.

Authorized signature on the execution page of the RFP signifies all documents submitted at the time remains true and correct.

11 RFP p. 6 The contract award is TBD. What is the anticipated contract award date?

The new contract will be effective January 1, 2027.

No definitive date has been set to name the awardee.

12 Section 5.2.7, d), v. and vi

Can the Department please clarify "Vendor review questions" and "provider, licensee, and Department review questions"? What are review questions in this context?

The Vendor review questions pertain to a standard assessment checklist filled out by the vendors to ensure they are continually meeting mandatory qualifications.

Provider, licensees, and Department review questions are a broader evaluation that involves the operational services of providers, individual licensees, and the oversight agency itself during compliance audits or program reviews.

ALL OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS REMAIN THE SAME

SOLCITATION ADDENDUM