2005_Hotline.doc

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Disabled Persons Protection Commission

Request for Response: Abuse Reporting Hotline

Answering and Processing Service

Project Title:

DPPC Hotline Answering Service

RFR Number:

DAC-HOTLINE05

Purchasing Department:

Disabled Persons Protection Commission

50 Ross Way

Quincy, MA 02169

Contact:

John Brown, Director of Administration & Finance / CFO

(617) 727-6465 Telephone & Voice Messages

(617) 727-6469 Fax

E-mail john.brown@dac.state.ma.us Response Due:

Thursday June 16, 2005 by 5:00 pm.

Contract Period:

July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006 with a one (1) year option to renew; total of two (2) years.

Maximum Funding Obligation:

No maximum obligation; this procurement will result in a fee-for-service contract.

Summary:

The DPPC is seeking a Call Answering and Processing Service to accept and process calls for its Abuse Reporting Hotline. Incoming calls are to be answered by a live operator using a script approved by the DPPC. Calls must be digitally recorded. Based on the specific circumstances of the call, when an emergency exists, the DPPC on-call staff person will be paged and/or contacted by telephone. All calls received by the Service on behalf of the DPPC will be documented and provided to the DPPC via e-mail at the beginning of the next calendar day and will also be available immediately via an internet account.

The terms of 801 CMR 21.00: Procurement of Commodities and Services are incorporated by reference into this RFR.

1. Description or Purpose of Procurement:

The DPPC is responsible for protecting vulnerable individuals with disabilities between the ages of eighteen (18) and fifty-nine (59) years from abuse by their caretakers. In its effort to accomplish this protection, the DPPC maintains a 24-hour Abuse Reporting Hotline and may conduct protective service investigations and develop recommendations to remedy risk to victims of abuse.

The DPPC is seeking a Call Answering and Processing Service to accept and process calls for its twenty-four (24) hour Abuse Reporting Hotline. The Hotline receives reports alleging abuse of individuals as well as reports of deaths of individuals with disabilities via a toll-free telephone number. Situations reported may include information indicating a disabled person is at risk of imminent serious injury and/or the caller may be emotionally upset. In addition, callers may require special equipment (i.e. TTY) or have cognitive limitations or impairments making it difficult to communicate, which may require Hotline operators to possess specific training or skills.

Incoming calls to the DPPC Hotline will be forwarded to the Call Answering and Processing Service primarily during non-business hours (weeknights, weekends, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts holidays). Occasionally calls may be forwarded to the Service during business hours.

The Service will document specified (scripted questions) information for all calls received and will digitally record all calls. This information will then be processed in a manner set out by the DPPC. For routine reports when no imminently dangerous situation is identified the reports will be forwarded to the DPPC Hotline Manager via e-mail at 9:00 A.M. on the next calendar day. A daily activity report will also be forwarded to the DPPC via e-mail at 9:00 A.M. daily. For situations that meet the criteria to be considered emergencies, a designated DPPC on-call staff person will be contacted immediately following the receipt of the report. The Service will provide written documentation to the DPPC for each report received and will make available the digital recordings as needed. DPPC and the Service will develop specific procedures that detail the process.

The DPPC Hotline receives approximately 12,000 calls annually, including abuse reports, death reports and requests for information. The DPPC Policy and Procedure manual outlines the manner in which these reports are to be addressed. A copy of the DPPC Policy and Procedural Manual is available to interested parties for the purpose of responding to this RFR.

2. Acquisition Method:

Fee for service.

3. Single or Multiple Contractors Required.

Single contractor required.

4. Single or Multiple Departments:

Only the procuring Department may contract under the RFR.

5. Expected Duration of Contract and any Renewal Options:

Duration is July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006 with a one(1) year option to renew, for a total potential contract term of two (2) years.

6. Anticipated Expenditures, Funding, or Compensation:

Contract will be fee for service and will not have a maximum obligation.

7. Contract performance Specifications:

The selected Contractor will provide call answering and processing services according to the procedures described in an agreement with the DPPC. Required service capabilities and characteristics are as follows:

· Ability to accept both voice and TTY calls

· Ability to accept calls originating in the DPPC’s Quincy office and sent to Call Answering Service by Call Forwarding

· All calls, both TTY and voice answered within ten seconds and by a live operator within 20 seconds

· Calls, both TTY and voice, answered with DPPC’s own greeting

· Ability to answer calls twenty-four hours per day; DPPC anticipates using the service primarily, but not exclusively during non-business hours

· Ability to digitally record calls and store recordings

· Ability to retrieve digitally recorded calls, and provide to DPPC as needed

· Ability to identify caller’s individual communication requirements and match them with trained personnel

· Operators that follow a computer assisted script for accurate and consistent call processing

· Ability to facilitate training by DPPC staff to the Operators directly, prior to Operators taking calls for the DPPC

· Ability to make changes to script as needed, and within 48 hours

· Operator able to make and receive telephone calls to/from on-call DPPC staff and other relevant persons as part of processing calls

· Ability to e-mail documentation of all calls to DPPC at the close of each service period or at 9:00 A.M. daily

· Ability to e-mail a detailed activity report at 9:00 A.M. daily. Report will include, but is not limited to, statistics on number of calls received during daily service period, answer time, hold time and abandoned calls

· Ability to provide a detailed/itemized monthly invoice, including a detailed activity/statistical report

· Ability to designate a single individual as the DPPC’s account manager

These performance specifications will be incorporated into the DPPC’s contractual agreement with the successful bidder, and will be subject to monitoring by DPPC throughout the course of the contract. Should the Contractor’s performance fall below these service characteristics and requirements, the Contractor will be subject to a warning, progressive discipline and/or penalty as determined by DPPC in conjunction with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Operational Services Division. Continued failure to meet these service characteristics and requirements may result in termination of this contract.

8. Instructions for Submission of Response:

· Cover page, including the RFR number; the RFR short title; and name, address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address of bidder

· Bidder narrative statement summarizing interest in qualifications for this contract. Statement should include, but not be limited to, the following:

· Overview of the organization size and capacity (approximate number of clients, approximate number of calls per 24-hour period, number of operator working each shift, ratio of supervisors to operators on overnight shifts, and so forth)

· Telecommunications equipment, including redundancies and protection against service interruptions

· Means of meeting DPPC’s service needs: equipment to be used (including provisions for answering TTY calls, number of TTYs available, ratio of operators to TTYs, and related information), operator training, any ongoing supervision and monitoring activities, designation of dedicated operators, supervisors, coordinators, and account managers, and so forth

· Special experience, background, and qualifications for providing emergency service

· Proposed rate schedule, which will include all charges likely to be incurred in delivering the services described in this document. Rates should be itemized for charges including but not limited to:

· Basic monthly or periodic charge, which is independent of usage

· Charge for answering incoming calls and making outgoing calls, including method of computing charges

· Faxing/reporting/delivery charges

· Charges incurred due to DPPC initiated scripting or procedural changes

· Set-up and/or activation charges

· Any expected modifications to these rates during Years Two, Three and/or Four if the proposed contract

· Minimum of three references form businesses or agencies requiring similar services; at least one reference with TTY callers strongly preferred; at least two references must be current customers

· Bidder certification by the State Office of Minority and Womens Business Assistance (SOMWBA), if applicable

Proposal submission:

Mail or hand-deliver one original and two (2) copies of the completed proposal to:

John W. Brown

Director of Administration & Finance / CFO

Disabled Persons Protection Commission

50 Ross Way

Quincy, MA 02169

Contractor Qualifications:

· Experience providing call answering and processing services; five or more years experience preferred

· Experience providing emergency call answering services; five or more years experience preferred

· Current experience providing service to TTY callers

· Prior service to a Commonwealth of Massachusetts public sector agency strongly preferred

· Location within Massachusetts strongly preferred

· Single facility location preferred

9. Deadline for Response and Procurement Calendar:

The tentative calendar of events associated with this procurement is as follows:

May 17, 2005

Solicitation posted on Comm-PASS

June 16, 2005

Proposals due by 5:00 p.m.

June 17 – June 24, 2005 Evaluation of Proposals

June 27, 2005

Contract award announced

June 27 - 30, 2005

Additional contract terms negotiated

June 30, 2005

Contract documents signed

July 1, 2005

Contract begins

10. Proposal Evaluation Proposals containing all required components listed in section 8, above, will be deemed “responsive.” All non-responsive proposals will be eliminated from further consideration. A team of DPPC staff will review responsive proposals. The proposal team will rate and rank proposals that meet basic minimum selection criteria using the scoring listed below. Selected bidders may be requested to provide a presentation and/or tour of their facilities. Final grant awards will be contingent on approval by the Commissioners of DPPC.

Scoring criteria (0 to 4 points each):

· Bidder has desired/required general and emergency experience

· Bidder has desired/required TTY experience

· Bidder possesses adequate organizational, staff, and equipment capacity

· Bidder’s plan for training and monitoring operators is adequate; Bidder is willing to designate a single account manager/coordinator

· Bidder’s proposed means of meeting DPPC service needs is responsive and adequate

· Bidder’s list of cost categories is comprehensive

· Bidder’s rates and reasonable and appropriate, including any charges in subsequent contract years

· Bidder’s references are satisfactory

· Bidder possesses SOMWBA certification

· Unannounced calls to Bidder’s service are answered promptly and appropriately

· (if applicable) Bidder’s presentation and/or facility tour is satisfactory

11. Additional Information:

(a) No bidder’s conference is offered.

(b) The bidder is responsible for any and all costs associated with the preparation of the RFR response.

(c) This RFR is posted on the Internet on Comm-Pass, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Procurement and Solicitation System. It is the responsibility of the bidder to check Comm-PASS for any changes to this RFR. The Internet address of Comm-PASS is: http://www.comm-pass.com.

(d) All RFR responses become the property of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Disabled Persons Protection Commission.

(e) All materials developed by the winning Contractor under this contract such as handouts, outlines, mailing lists, workshop agenda, publicity notices, and other materials will remain the property of the Disabled Persons Protection Commission.

(f) In the event that no bidder possesses all of the qualifications outlined in this RFR, DPPC will consider the most qualified of the bidders.

12. Required Specifications

Bidder Communication. Bidders are prohibited from communicating directly with any employee of the procuring department except as specified in this RFR, and no other individual Commonwealth employee or representative is authorized to provide any information or respond to any question or inquiry concerning this RFR. Bidders may contact the contact person for this RFR in the event this RFR is incomplete or the bidder is having trouble obtaining any required attachments electronically through Comm-PASS.

Reasonable Accommodation. Bidders with disabilities or hardships that seek reasonable accommodation, which may include the receipt of RFR information in an alternative format, must communicate such requests in writing to the contact person. Requests for accommodation will be addressed on a case by case basis. A bidder requesting accommodation must submit a written statement which describes the bidder’s disability and the requested accommodation to the contact person for the RFR. The PMT reserves the right to reject unreasonable requests.

Public Records. All responses and information submitted in response to this RFR are subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, M.G.L., Chapter 66, Section 10, and to Chapter 4, Section 7, Subsection 26. Any statements in submitted responses that are inconsistent with these statues shall be disregarded.

Best Value Selection and Negotiation. The PMT may select the response(s), which demonstrates the best value overall, including proposed alternatives, that will achieve the procurement goals of the department. The PMT and a selected bidder, or a contractor, may negotiate a change in any element of contract performance or cost identified in the original RFR or the selected bidder’s or contractor’s response which results in lower costs or a more cost effective or better value than was presented in the selected bidder’s or contractor’s original response.

Costs. Costs which are not specifically identified in the bidder’s response, and accepted by a department as part of a contract, will not be compensated under any contract awarded pursuant to this RFR. The Commonwealth will not be responsible for any costs or expenses incurred by bidders responding to this RFR.

Comm-PASS. If this RFR has been distributed electronically using the Comm-PASS system, RFR attachments that are referenced are available either as separate .pdf files with this RFR or in the Comm-PASS Forms and Information section: www.comm-pass.com. Bidders are solely responsible for obtaining and completing the required attachments that are identified in this RFR and for checking Comm-PASS for any addenda or modifications that are subsequently made to this RFR or attachments. The Commonwealth and its subdivisions accept no liability and will provide no accommodation to bidders who fail to check for amended RFRs and submit inadequate or incorrect responses. Bidders are advised to check the “last change” field on the summary page of RFRs for which they intend to submit a response to ensure that they have the most recent RFR files. Bidders may not alter (manually or electronically) the RFR language or any RFR component files. Modifications to the body of the RFR, specifications, terms and conditions, or which change the intent of this RFR are prohibited and may disqualify a response.

Northern Ireland Notice and Certification. All bidders must complete the Northern Ireland Notice and Certification form to satisfy M.G.L. c.7 section 22C, which states that no state agency may procure commodities or services from any bidder employing ten (10) or more employees in an office or other facility located in Northern Ireland unless the bidder certifies through the notice and certification form that if it employs ten or more employees in Northern Ireland, a) the bidder does not discriminate in employment, conditions and privileges of employment on account of religious or political belief, b) the bidder promotes religious tolerance within the workplace and the eradication of any manifestations of religious and other illegal discrimination and, c) the bidder is not engaged in the manufacture, distribution or sale of firearms, munitions, including rubber or plastic bullets, tear gas, armored vehicles or military aircraft for use or deployment in any activity in Northern Ireland.

Subcontracting Policies. Prior approval of the department is required for any subcontracted service of the contract. Contractors are responsible for the satisfactory performance and adequate oversight of its subcontractors. Subcontractors are required to meet the same state and federal financial and program reporting requirements and are held to the same reimbursable cost standards as contractors.

Affirmative Market Program. Massachusetts Executive Order 390 established a policy to promote the award of state contracts in a manner that develops and strengthens Minority and Women Business Enterprises (M/WBEs). As a result, M/WBEs are strongly encouraged to submit responses to this RFR, either as prime vendors, as joint venture partners, or as subcontractors

Non-M/WBE bidders are strongly encouraged to develop creative initiatives to help foster new business relationships with M/WBEs within the primary industries affected by this RFR. The highest number of points may be awarded for responses that clearly illustrate how the proposed business relationship(s) will result in the development and growth of the M/WBEs within these primary industries. A lesser number of points may be awarded for traditional subcontracting relationships. The least number of points may be awarded for ancillary uses of M/WBEs.

In order to satisfy this section, the bidder must submit: the names, addresses, phone numbers and contact persons of each M/WBE firm; a description of each business relationship to be established; and the actual dollar amounts, or percentages, to be awarded to each M/WBE firm. MBE and WBE firms must submit a copy of their SOMWBA certification letter for the current period. A directory of SOMWBA certified firms is available via the Internet at www.state.ma.us/somwba.

A Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) or a Woman Business Enterprises (WBE) is defined as a business that has been certified as such by the State Office of Minority and Women Business Assistance (SOMWBA). Minority and women-owned firms that are not currently SOMWBA-certified but would like to be considered as an M/WBE for this RFR should apply for certification. A fest track application is available, and will be considered for the purposes of this RFR. For further information on SOMWBA certification contact the State Office of Minority and Women Business Assistance at (617) 727-8692 or via the Internet at www.magnet.state.ma.us/somwba.

Contract Expansion. If additional funds become available during the contract duration period, the department reserves the right to increase the maximum obligation to some or all contracts executed as a result of this RFR or to execute contracts with contractors not funded in the initial selection process, subject to available funding, satisfactory contract performance and service or commodity need.

Multi-State EMall™. Required for statewide and OSD-designated statewide contracts only. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has implemented the Multi-State EMall according to the Open Buying on the Internet (OBI) model. The Commonwealth has adopted this method of Electronic Commerce and is in the process of selecting contracts for implementation. This new method of Electronic Commerce or others may become a requirement of this contract at a later date. At least 120 days notice will be given before an implementation requirement will be enforced. More information about OBI is available at: www.openbuy.org.

Information Technology – Clarification of Language in Section 11, Indemnification of the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions. Required for the following object codes within the “Expenditure Classification Handbook” as issued by the Office of the Comptroller

E08- Telecommunication Services, Voice

EE8- Telecommunication Services, Data

E09- Software purchases

H03- IT consulting & Maintenance

J08- IT Cabling/installation & maintenance

K01- IT equipment purchases

L01- IT TELP

L21- IT Rental or Lease

L41- IT Technical Support

Pursuant to Section 11. Indemnification of the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions, the term “other damages” shall include, but shall not be limited to, the reasonable costs the Commonwealth incurs to repair, return, replace or seek cover (purchase of comparable substitute commodities and services) under a contract. “Other damages” shall not include damages to the Commonwealth as a result of third party claims, provided, however, that the foregoing in no way limits the Commonwealth’s right of recovery for personal injury or property damages or patent and copyright infringement under Section 11 nor the Commonwealth’s ability to join the contractor as a third party defendant. Further, the term “other damages” shall not include, and in no event shall the Contractor be liable for damages for the Commonwealth’s use of contractor provided products or services, loss of Commonwealth records, or data (or other intangible property), loss of use of equipment, lost revenue, lost savings or lost profits of the Commonwealth. In no event shall “other damages” exceed the greater of $100,000, or two times the value of the product or service (as defined in the contract scope of work) that is the subject of the claim. Section 11 sets forth the contractor’s entire liability under a contract. Nothing in this section shall limit the Commonwealth’s ability to negotiate higher limitations of liability in a particular contract, provided that any such limitation must specifically reference Section 11 of the Commonwealths Terms and Conditions.

13. Required Attachments

The following attachments are required to be completed when submitting a bid for the above RFR:

(a) Standard Contract Form

(b) Commonwealth Terms and Conditions

(c) W-9 (Massachusetts Substitute W-9 Format)

(d) Consultant Contractor Mandatory Submission Form (if applicable)

(e) Affirmative Action Plan – Employers (if applicable)

(f) Authorization for Electronic Funds Payment (EFT)

(g) Northern Ireland Notice and Certification

Blank forms and instructions for the above required documents are located on the Commonwealth’s solicitation website at http://www.comm-pass.com