17-Special Requirements.pdf

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS/INSTRUCTIONS

The following requirements and instructions supersede General Requirements where applicable. The term “Harris County” and “County" is understood to include the Harris County Toll Road Authority (“Toll Road Authority” or “HCTRA”).

VENDOR INSTRUCTIONS

Responses to this Request for Proposal (RFP) shall be formatted and organized in the following order for consistency and easy screening:

Preferred submission is via Bonfire.

Vendors may submit electronically through Bonfire or via hardcopy to 1111 Fannin, 12th Floor, Houston, TX 77002 no later than the due date and time as stated on the Bonfire Opportunity.

All proposals must be typed, single spaced, and if hard-copy, printed single-sided on 8 ½” by 11” paper and a tabbed divider page marked with the section number should separate each section.

Section I: Transmittal Letter - The transmittal letter should include:

Company name and address; name, title, email, telephone and fax number of person(s) to be contacted for clarifications or additional information regarding proposal;

Name, title, email, telephone and fax number of person authorized to contractually obligate vendor’s company with proposal and any future negotiations; and

A brief statement summarizing the vendor’s understanding of the project and relevant experience.

Section II: Scope of Services

Describe proposed methodology, technical solution and approach to the project, including a description of your understanding of the project.

Provide the greatest amount of meaningful detail as possible to describe the proposed equipment and specific deliverables. Indicate if your firm can meet expectations described in specifications, or if specifications can only be met under certain conditions.

Provide a timeline indicating deliverables, vendor responsibilities and resources needed from Harris County.

Mere reiterations of the specifications are strongly discouraged, as they do not provide insight into the vendor’s ability to meet the specifications.

Section III: Pricing Information

Provide completed Exhibit D – Compensation Model.

Section IV: Organizational Information/Qualifications/Experience Vendor’s history, background, and principal officers.

Company organization chart.

Description of project team organization; names and resumes of team members and the role of each team member.

Explain, describe, and provide examples of how the firm is qualified to provide the required services, with specific examples/references (Excel Questionnaire Q-26DP).

Staff qualifications and experience.

Demonstrate a history of financial stability and should include in its proposal, as a minimum:

o Current Dunn & Bradstreet Report;

o A narrative that describes the Vendor’s financial capacity to undertake and complete the project as proposed;

o Audited statements of financial condition, prepared by an independent certified public accountant, for the past three (3) years;

o Provide names and addresses of at least two (2) banking and lending institutions, which Harris County may contact for financial references;

o A statement disclosing any bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding that the Vendor has filed or that has been filed against the Vendor pursuant to Chapter 11 or Chapter 7 of the United States Bankruptcy Code, or any applicable state law of comparable effect;

o A copy of the Vendor’s most recent annual report (if applicable);

o If the proposal is submitted by a partnership and/or joint venture, provide full information concerning the nature and structure of the partnership and/or joint venture, including:

• Name of the entity that will be guaranteeing contract performance;

• Date that the joint venture or partnership was created;

• A statement that the agreement between members comprising the joint venture makes each jointly responsible and severally liable for contractual obligations of this project;

and

• A statement indicating that all parties to the partnership or joint venture agree to the terms and conditions set forth in this RFP.

Relevant Experience: At least five (5) years of experience managing toll, utility, or municipal debt collections with documented annual recoveries of no less than $5 million.

Public Sector Engagement: At least three (3) public sector client references with contracts involving $2 million or more in recovered revenue within the last five years.

Operational Capability: Demonstrated ability to handle daily placement volumes of at least 5,000 accounts segmented by delinquency age and jurisdiction

Certifications & Compliance: Active SOC 2 Type II and PCI-DSS Level 1 compliance, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Texas Debt Collection Act training for all collections personnel, and full American Disabilities Act (ADA) and Text Telephone (TTY) accessibility support.

Multilingual Support: Staffing of bilingual (English/Spanish) agents and provision of customer-facing materials in both languages.

Section V: Legal Documents – Include any standard agreement(s) and/or contracts(s) associated with vendor’s response and fill out the Litigation Questionnaire (Q-46HX).

Section VI: Minority/Women Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE)

Vendors shall include a M/WBE Utilization Plan Commitment Form, Signed Letters of Intent with each MWBE subcontractor and all other required supporting documentation to meet the 13.30% goal established for this project by Harris County. If unable to meet the established 13.30% goal, the vendor must illustrate a good faith effort was fulfilled which will be evaluated by Harris County. If the M/WBE Utilization Plan or documentation of a good faith effort is not submitted prior to the date and time set forth in this proposal, the Proposal will be considered non-responsive.

Section VII: Miscellaneous – State exceptions to any of the requirements (Q-14UZ) in this RFP and optional value-added services (Q-78JV), if any. Company brochures, marketing materials, or any other information vendor deems appropriate to the RFP response may be included in this section.

Harris County will not be liable for any costs incurred by the vendor in preparing a response to this RFP. Vendors submit proposals at their own risk and expense. Harris County makes no guarantee that any products or services will be purchased as a reserves the right to reject any and all proposals. All proposals and accompanying documentation will become the property of Harris County. All proposals are open to negotiation.

The vendor is expected to examine all documents, forms, specifications, and all instructions. Failure to do so will be at vendor’s risk.

At and after opening, proposals will NOT be part of the public record and subject to disclosure, but will be kept confidential until time of award and execution of an agreement. When an award is made and an agreement is executed, proposals are subject to review under the “Public Information Act”. To the extent permitted by law, vendors may request in writing non- disclosure of confidential data. Such data shall accompany the proposal, be readily separable from the proposal, and shall be CLEARLY MARKED “CONFIDENTIAL”. For those portions identified as confidential by the vendor, Harris County must rely on advice, decisions and opinions of the Attorney General of the State of Texas relative to the disclosure of data or information.

EVALUATION PROCESS

All proposals will be examined by an evaluation committee consisting of various Harris County personnel and Harris County Purchasing. Proposals that do not conform to the instructions or which do not address all the services as specified may be eliminated from consideration. However, Harris County reserves the right to accept such a proposal if it is determined to be in the best interest of Harris County.

While Harris County appreciates a brief, straightforward, concise reply, the proposer must fully understand that the evaluation is based on the information provided. Accuracy and completeness are essential. Omissions, ambiguous and equivocal statements may be construed against the proposer. The proposal response may be incorporated into any contract which results from this RFP, and vendors are cautioned not to make claims or statements it is not prepared to commit to contractually. Failure of the vendor to meet such claims will result in a requirement that the vendor provide resources necessary to meet submitted claims.

Harris County Purchasing may initiate discussions with selected vendors; however, discussions may not be initiated by vendors.

Harris County Purchasing expects to conduct discussions with vendor’s representatives authorized to contractually obligate the vendor with an offer. Vendors shall not contact any Harris County personnel during the RFP process without the express permission from the Office of the Harris County Purchasing Agent. Harris County Purchasing may disqualify any vendor who has made site visits, contacted Harris County personnel or distributed any literature without authorization from Harris County Purchasing.

All correspondence relating to this RFP, from advertisement to award shall be sent to Harris County Purchasing. All presentations and/or meetings between Harris County and the vendor relating to this RFP shall be coordinated by Harris County Purchasing.

Selected vendors may be expected to make a presentation/product demonstration to an evaluation committee. Proposals, vendor presentations and product/service evaluations may develop into negotiating sessions with the vendor(s) as selected by the Evaluation Committee. Harris County expects to conduct negotiations with vendor’s representatives authorized to contractually obligate the vendor with an offer. If vendor is unable to agree to contract terms and conditions, Harris County reserves the right to terminate contract negotiations with that vendor and initiate negotiations with another vendor. In addition to a presentation, visits by the Evaluation Committee to representative vendor client sites may be conducted where the proposed solution can be demonstrated in a production environment.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Award shall be made to the responsible vendor whose proposal is determined to be the best evaluated offer resulting from negotiations and taking into consideration all aspects of proposal impact items and the following in order of relative importance:

Technical Approach & Methodology .……………………………………………..….……………………………25% Relevant Experience and Past Performance..…………………………………………………………………….. 30% Key Personnel Qualifications………………………………………………………………………………….…....25% Pricing (Section III)................................................................................................................................................20%

Submission of a proposal implies the vendor's acceptance of the evaluation criteria and vendor’s recognition that subjective judgments must be made by the Evaluation Committee.

1. Technical Approach & Methodology Respondents shall describe in detail their proposed technical approach to performing the services contemplated by this RFP.

The response must demonstrate a clear understanding of HCTRA’s objectives, as outlined in the Specifications. Respondents should equally possess knowledge regarding HCTRA’s operational environment, legal constraints, and performance expectations.

At a minimum, the response shall address:

Respondent’s overall methodology for identifying, managing, and resolving delinquent accounts, including the sequence of activities from account referral through resolution.

Tools, systems, and technologies proposed for account management, data security, reporting, and compliance monitoring.

Compliance controls to ensure adherence to applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, including consumer protection and data-privacy requirements.

Quality assurance and performance management processes, including internal audits, error-correction mechanisms, and continuous improvement practices.

Respondent’s approach to coordination and communication with HCTRA, including reporting cadence, escalation procedures, and responsiveness standards.

Any innovative practices or efficiencies that distinguish the firm’s approach and add measurable value to HCTRA.

Proposals will be evaluated on the clarity, feasibility, completeness, and effectiveness of the proposed methodology, as well as Respondent’s demonstrated understanding of the scope and risks of the work

2. Relevant Experience and Past Performance Respondents shall provide information demonstrating their experience performing services similar in size, scope, and complexity to those described in this RFP.

At a minimum, the response shall include:

A description of the firm’s relevant experience providing delinquent account collection or comparable services for public agencies, toll authorities, or similarly regulated entities.

A summary of at least three (3) representative projects completed or currently underway within the last five (5) years, including:

o Client name and type of agency, o Contract term and scope of services, o Volume or scale of accounts handled, o Performance outcomes (e.g., recovery rates, compliance metrics).

Discussion of any experience working under statutory, regulatory, or contractual constraints similar to those applicable to HCTRA.

Disclosure of any material contract terminations, defaults, or adverse findings related to similar work within the past five (5) years.

Proposals will be evaluated based on the relevance, depth, and demonstrated success of prior experience, as well as the firm’s ability to transfer that experience to HCTRA’s specific needs.

3. Key Personnel Qualifications Respondents shall identify the key personnel who will be assigned to perform the services under this contract and describe their qualifications and roles.

At a minimum, the response shall include:

Identification of a primary point of contact / project manager, including name, title, and years of relevant experience.

A description of each key team member’s role and responsibilities under the proposed contract.

Resumes or qualifications summaries highlighting education, certifications, licenses (if applicable), and relevant professional experience.

The firm’s staffing model, including anticipated allocation of resources and backup personnel to ensure continuity of service.

Any proposed use of subcontractors, including their roles and oversight mechanisms.

Proposals will be evaluated on the experience, competence, availability, and demonstrated ability of proposed personnel to successfully perform the required services.

4. Cost / Fee Proposal Overview and Required Pricing Format

Respondents shall submit their Cost / Fee Proposal using Exhibit D – Compensation Model, without modification. The Compensation Model establishes a contingency-based fee structure with defined units, stages, and allowable maximum fee amounts.

All pricing must conform strictly to the structure, assumptions, and limitations set forth in Exhibit D, so respondents may be compared equally. Alternative pricing models, revised formats, or conditional pricing will not be accepted and may result in disqualification.

Instructions for Completing the Compensation Model

A. Respondent Proposed Compensation

For each line item in Exhibit D, Respondents shall enter a proposed fee amount in the column labeled “Respondent Proposed Compensation ($)”.

Proposed amounts may not exceed the applicable HCTRA Allowable Maximum Fee Amount.

Proposed amounts may be equal to or less than the allowable maximum.

Proposed amounts shall be stated clearly and consistently for each unit of service (e.g., per account, per hearing, per lawsuit).

Respondents are responsible for ensuring that their proposed fees accurately reflect all labor, overhead, administrative, compliance, and operational costs associated with performing the described services.

B. Early-Stage and Late-Stage Pricing

The Compensation Model distinguishes between Early-Stage and Late-Stage activities. Respondents must complete pricing for all applicable stages, including but not limited to:

Early-Stage administrative collection activities;

Administrative hearings and pre-hearing resolution;

Litigation, post-hearing, and post-judgment activities.

Respondents should carefully review the descriptions of each step and ensure that pricing is internally consistent across stages and aligned with the anticipated progression of accounts.

C. Contingency-Based Compensation Structure Payments to the selected Firm(s) will be made only on a contingency basis, as defined in Exhibit D.

Key principles include:

Fees are payable only upon successful collection of delinquent amounts.

Firm(s) will be compensated only for fees actually accrued on a given account.

If an account accrues less than the allowable maximum fee, the Firm(s) will receive only the amount actually accrued, not the maximum.

Respondents shall price their proposals with the understanding that no guaranteed volumes or revenues are implied.

D. Case Expenses and Attorney’s Fees

Respondents shall acknowledge and price their proposals in accordance with the following requirements:

Case expenses are reimbursable up to the stated per-case limit and are subject to a standing agreement with the Authority.

Attorney’s fees must be approved by the Authority prior to being pled and are retained by the Firm(s) only when awarded and paid.

All fees remain subject to the HCTRA Allowable Maximum Fee Amounts established by governing policy.

Respondents shall not include reimbursable expenses or attorney’s fees in the proposed compensation amounts unless expressly directed by the Compensation Model.

Price Evaluation Methodology Cost proposals will be evaluated on a comparative basis using the completed Compensation Model.

Respondents proposing the lowest overall pricing, within the allowable maximums and fully compliant with the Compensation Model, will receive the highest score in the Cost / Fee Proposal category.

Higher proposed fees will receive proportionally fewer points.

ONLY PROPOSALS THAT FULLY CONFORM TO THE REQUIRED PRICING STRUCTURE

WILL BE EVALUATED.

Harris County reserves the right to verify calculations, request clarification, and reject proposals that are incomplete, internally inconsistent, or non-conforming.

Vendor Responsibility

By submitting a Cost / Fee Proposal, the Respondent confirms that:

It has reviewed and understands the Compensation Model;

All proposed fees comply with the allowable maximums and contingency requirements;

The pricing submitted represents the Respondent’s best and most competitive offer.

Harris County intends to award a contract to the Respondent whose proposal provides the best overall value, with cost competitiveness evaluated in conjunction with technical qualifications.

AWARD

No award can be made until approved by Harris County Commissioners Court. This RFP does not obligate Harris County to the eventual purchase of any product/service described, implied or which may be proposed. Progress toward this end is solely at the discretion of Harris County and may be terminated at any time prior to execution of an agreement.

CERTIFICATE OF INTERESTED PARTIES (FORM 1295)

Texas law requires all parties who enter into any contract with the County which must be approved by Commissioners Court to disclose all interested parties. Form 1295 must be completed in its entirety at the following website:

https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/filinginfo/1295/ prior to submitting your response. Failure to do so may result in disqualification of your response.

LEGAL DOCUMENTS

Vendor should submit any agreement for products/services which may be required by the vendor’s organization to enter into a contract with Harris County. The awarded vendor will be required to execute an agreement with Harris County which finalizes the terms and conditions set forth in vendor’s proposal, best and final offer, and any negotiations between vendor and Harris County. The agreement is subject to review and amendment by the Harris County Attorney’s Office.

COMPLIANCE AND STANDARDS

County and its designee shall have the right to conduct examinations, studies and audits of the services , payments, and efficiencies provided under these specifications and County may make such examinations, studies, and audits at any time whether before or after payment. Vendor shall cooperate with such examinations, studies, and audits and provide County with such records, data, documents, including all of Vendor’s backup and support data for billings, and Vendor shall provide access to such records, data, documents and personnel as are requested by County or the County Auditor. All payments made by

County are subject to re-evaluation and refund or withholding of future payments conditioned on the results of the audit. This section shall survive termination of this Agreement.

AUDIT RIGHTS

Audit Rights - The Vendor shall cooperate to the fullest extent with any and all federal, state, local, or County audits to this Agreement. The Vendor’s cooperation shall include, but not be limited to access to all books, records, contracts, spreadsheets, correspondence, and documents, in whatever form, that are applicable to this Agreement and requested by any federal, state, local, or County entity that has rights or jurisdiction over any part of this Agreement or the funds applicable to this Agreement.

Record Retention - The Vendor agrees to retain within the boundaries of Harris County, for six (6) years after the expiration of this Agreement, all books, records, contracts, spreadsheets, correspondence, and documents applicable to this Agreement.

The Vendor will retain and make available, and insert the requisite clause in each applicable subcontract requiring its subcontractors to retain and make available, the books, records, contracts, spreadsheets, correspondence, and documents applicable to this Agreement.

OPTIONAL/VALUE-ADDED SERVICES

Vendor may propose optional/value-added services. Vendor must identify the use, functionality and purpose of the optional/value-added item(s), and how Harris County would benefit from electing to procure those item(s). Pricing for proposed item(s) shall be clearly labeled as optional/value-added. Optional/Value-Added Fee Schedule shall be uploaded to Bonfire in an Excel format under the Requested Information section of this solicitation.

TOLL/PARKING FEES

Any and all toll/parking FEES incurred by the vendor during the term of this contract will be the responsibility of the vendor.

INVOICES

Vendor shall submit an invoice upon completion of each deliverable. Deliverables will be considered complete only upon written acceptance by Harris County. Each invoice shall include deliverable(s) and services completed and the price for each.

Invoice shall be submitted on a monthly basis for work performed during the previous month. All payment requests will be accompanied by applicable: weekly/monthly reports, backup tabulations, and copies of employee time sheets for hourly T&M (Time and Material) tasks. No charges may be billed to Harris County unless such costs are explicitly included in the agreement.

Invoices will be sent to the requesting department and Accounts Payable:

If emailed: VENDORINVOICES@HCTX.NET

If mailed: Harris County Auditor’s Office c/o Accounts Payable

1001 Preston, Suite 800 Houston, Texas 77002

The exact format for monthly invoices and other attachments will be agreed upon between the vendor and Harris County during contract negotiations.

PURCHASE ORDER

Services and/or products must not be provided, and invoices will not be paid without a purchase order, signed by the Harris County Purchasing Agent. Purchase orders will be written in annual increments when applicable. Once a purchase order is issued, the using department will contact the vendor directly to place service orders.

PAYMENTS

Vendor shall be compensated monthly based on a milestone or progress-payment basis. Payments will be provided for monthly progress based on completion of accepted milestones. Invoices shall contain a written report of the project progress and the progressed project schedule showing the completion percentages for each task and milestone.

POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Notwithstanding any other requirements contained in the General Requirements section, the Potential Conflicts of Interest section specifically disqualifies any consultant, contractor and or any other entity who may have been a contributor to the creation of this RFP from proposing on this RFP and shall constitute a “prohibited proposal”.

REFERENCES

Vendor must provide a minimum of six (6) references as or letters of reference from companies for whom vendor has provided similar services in the past ten (10) years as demonstration of vendor’s prior experience. Letters must include the following information:

Organization/client name/address Name of contact person Telephone number for contact Vendor services provided to this client Professional relationship with the organization/client Description of vendor’s ability to fill recruitment requests Description of quality of personnel provided by vendor Whether the organization/client would recommend vendor

References provided must be current and verifiable. Harris County will conduct reference checks to verify and validate vendor’s past performance. Reference checks indicating poor or failed performance by vendor will be cause for rejection of the response submitted. In addition, failure to provide verifiable letters of reference or References, will be cause for rejection of the response submitted. References from large government entities are preferred.

BID BOND, CASHIER’S CHECK, AND FIDELITY BOND

A bid bond or bank cashier’s check only (company checks are not acceptable) in the amount of five percent (5%) of the total proposed contract value is required, and must be submitted with the Vendor’s proposal. When submitting through Bonfire and electing to provide a cashier’s check in lieu of a bid bond, the cashier’s check must be physically dropped off in a sealed envelope referencing Job No. 26/0048 before the due date at 1111 Fannin, 12th Floor, Houston, TX 77002.

The successful Vendor(s) is required to furnish a fidelity bond in the amount of at least TEN PERCENT (10%) of the estimated annual toll revenue collections within ten (10) days of the award. The fidelity bond must remain in effect for the duration of the contract including renewals and extensions. Upon award, Harris County Purchasing will send awarded Vendor(s) a bond application. If a Vendor is not awarded, bank cashier’s checks will be returned within (10) ten days of award. If a Vendor is awarded, checks will be returned (10) ten days after receipt of fidelity bond.

DAMAGES

In the event a vendor fails to satisfactorily complete the work contemplated in this RFP, and or response times are not met, vendor, at the sole discretion of HCTRA, may be subject to damages. Harris County shall deduct from the payments due the vendor each month, the sum indicated in this RFP for actual, compensatory, consequential and/or liquidated damages.

Where liquidated damages are mentioned, which is agreed upon not as a penalty, but as fixed and liquidated damages for each day/hour of such delay, to be paid in full and are subject to no deduction. If the payments due to vendor are less than the amount of such damages said damages shall be deducted from any other monies due or to become due the vendor or shall be paid by the vendor’s surety. Vendor shall identify, in writing to the HCTRA Project Manager (PM), the reasons, conditions or any mitigating circumstances for the non-compliance. The HCTRA PM will review and determine the appropriate action to be taken. The HCTRA PM will notify the vendor in writing as to any determination regarding the assessment of damages.

PAYMENT CARD INDUSTRY COMPLIANCE

As a merchant accepting payment cards, the County is required to maintain compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS). This requirement extends to all cardholder information and systems within the County’s control, including information and systems that may be accessed or managed by County contracted vendors.

A County contracted vendor may have access to confidential information, which may include customer credit card information, that may be accessed and utilized by the vendor to perform services under the terms of this Agreement and/or other agreements between the County and said vendor. The vendor acknowledges that any such confidential information is the sole property of the County and the vendor agrees to protect and secure the information from unauthorized access, whether by the vendor’s employees or other parties.

The vendor agrees to comply with the PCI DSS in all vendor-owned systems, networks, and hosts which interface with County-owned systems. The vendor agrees that the processes it uses for developing and/or accessing systems that contain client confidential information will be PCI DSS compliant. The vendor agrees to promptly notify the County of any security breach or failure of a vendor-owned system that affects confidential information belonging to the County.

REVOLVING DOOR RESTRICTIONS

In accordance with the principles of ethical governance, Harris County requires that all proposers and their subcontractors agree to the following revolving door restrictions:

Prohibited Employment Any individual who has served as an employe of Harris County in general, or a HCTRA employee who has served in a policymaking or procurement decision-making role at HCTRA, or Harris County in general, within the preceding four (4) years for executive-level positions or two (2) years for all other roles may not:

o Be employed by, o Act as a consultant to, or o Otherwise receive compensation from a proposer or subcontractor submitting a response to this RFP.

Cooling-Off Period Former HCTRA, or Harris County employees or officials shall not participate in any manner in the preparation or submission of a proposal or contract negotiation related to this procurement for a minimum of four (4) years for executive-level positions or two (2) years for all other roles following the termination of their official duties with the County or HCTRA.

Disclosure Requirement Each proposer must disclose:

o Whether any of its principals, employees, agents, or subcontractors were employed by or served at HCTRA or Harris County within the past four (4) years for executive-level positions or two (2) years for all other roles.

o The role they held and date of separation from Harris County or HCTRA.

o Any proposed role on the contract and whether it may create a potential or perceived conflict of interest.

Certification By submitting a response to this RFP, the proposer certifies that it is in compliance with this revolving door restrictions and will continue to comply throughout the term of the contract. Any violation may result in:

o Disqualification of the proposal, o Termination of the contract for cause, o Possible referral to law enforcement for further investigation.

County Rights Harris County reserves the right to:

o Disqualify any proposer determined to be in violation of this policy, o Request additional documentation to confirm compliance, and o Enforce any remedy as allowed under law and contract.

BACKGROUND SCREENING

In accordance with HCTRA employment policies for new hires, including temporary personnel, a pre and post-employment background check are required on each temporary. Vendors must provide the following information before placement is accepted:

a) Verification of previous employment.

b) License / certifications, if appropriate (from original source, if possible).

c) Recent performance evaluations (if available).

d) Test scores (if required i.e. aptitude, skills testing).

e) Proof of criminal activity background check.

f) A drug and alcohol test with confirmatory testing in the event of a positive screen.

g) All personnel must have the necessary education, training, certification and registration for the position.

h) Vendor shall administer and be financially responsible for all applicable testing, screening an evaluation of new hires, including temporary personnel.

i) All personnel must meet, on a continuing basis, all training and regulatory requirements appropriate to their duties.

Note: Vendors shall be responsible for all costs for background checks, alcohol and drug screens. Harris County and HCTRA will not reimburse.

REQUIRED ALCOHOL AND DRUG SCREENING

Vendor agrees that the alcohol and drug testing will be conducted at a U.S. laboratory certified by the Department of Health and Human Services under the National Certification Program to perform Department of Transportation drug and alcohol screening (“Certified Laboratory”). Vendor agrees that the Certified Laboratory will use Evidential Breath Testing (EBT) to detect and measure the presence of alcohol. If the result of the initial screening EBT test is an alcohol-concentration of 0.02 or greater, a confirmation EBT will be performed after the expiration of not less than fifteen (15) minutes to confirm that the test has properly measured the alcohol concentration. If the confirmation test is an alcohol-concentration of 0.02 or greater, Vendor agrees not to assign or refer personnel for duties at HCTRA facilities. The initial drug screening is an enzyme immunoassay technique (EMIT) test to detect the following prohibited drug group levels:

Substance EMIT Cut-Off Level

1. Marijuana metabolites

2. Cocaine metabolites

3. Phencyclidine (PCP)

4. Amphetamines 1000

5. Opiate metabolites

50 ng/mL 300 ng/mL 25 ng/mL 1000 ng/mL 2000 ng/mL

All specimens identified as positive on the initial test are confirmed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) techniques. The confirmation test conducted is given to detect the following prohibited drug group levels:

Substance GC/MS Cut-Off Level

1. Marijuana metabolites

2. Cocaine metabolites

3. Phencyclidine (PCP)

4. Amphetamines Amphetamine Methamphetamine (specimen must also contain amphetamine at a concentration of > 200 ng/mL.)

5. Opiate metabolites Codeine Morphine 6-acetylmorphine (6-AM is only tested when morphine concentration exceeds 2,000 ng/mL.)

15 ng/mL 150 ng/mL 25 ng/mL

500 ng/mL 500 ng/mL

10 ng/mL

If the confirmation test is level greater than the GC/MS Cut-Off Level above, vendor shall not assign or refer personnel for duties at Harris County facilities.