236938 Public Health Services at the Local and Regional Level RFR updated.docx

APPLICATION FOR GRANTS AND SUBSIDIES (PP OBJECT CLASS)

COMMBUYS REGISTRATION

It is the responsibility of the prospective Bidder and awarded Contractor to maintain an active registration in COMMBUYS and to keep current the email address of the Bidder’s contact person and prospective contract manager, if awarded a contract, and to monitor that email inbox for communications from the Purchasing Department, including requests for clarification. The Purchasing Department and the Commonwealth assume no responsibility if a prospective Bidder’s/awarded Contractor’s designated email address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with the prospective Bidder’s/awarded Contractor’s computer, network or internet service provider (ISP) cause email communications sent to/from the prospective Bidder/Awarded contractor and the Purchasing Department to be lost or rejected by any means including email or spam filtering. To register review the COMMBUYS Job Aide COMMBUYS Vendor Registration or go to www.COMMBUYS.com.

VENDOR ACTIVATION

To receive a contract with state a vendor must be active in The Massachusetts Management Accounting and Reporting System (MMARS). MMARS is the official accounting system of the Commonwealth and once registered a vendor will be issued a Vendor Code number or a “VC” number. This VC number is used for all contracts that a vendor has with state agencies. An organization with existing state contracts or a vendor who has had state contracts with any state agency in the past has been registered in MMARS and does not need to re-submit paperwork again unless existing information in MMARS will need to be updated. As part of this RFR application a potential bidder who is new to the state system or who will need to update existing information in MMARS must follow the instructions found in the Vendor Activation Folder (VENDACT) in the Attachments for this RFR.

Name/Title of Grant: Public Health Services at the Local and Regional Level

DPH RFR Document File Number: 236938

1. Contact Information

Contact Person: Sarah Trager

Title: Director of Engagement and Policy, Office of Local and Regional Health

Address: 67 Forest St. Marlborough, MA 01752

E-mail or Internet Address: Sarah.Trager@mass.gov

1. Description or Purpose of Grant:

The purpose of this Request for Response (RFR) is to establish a pre-qualified list of approved vendors, namely local and regional public health entities, to be eligible for potential future funding from the Department of Public Health (DPH). This approach will provide a simplified process for eligible entities to access DPH funding and consolidate multiple sources of funding from DPH. Similarly, through this RFR, DPH is looking to establish a vehicle to support the Commonwealth’s eligible entities and create a more efficient process for how certain funding is distributed.

Future activities will provide funding to these entities to strengthen capacity across local, regional, and tribal public health officials and their respective agencies. Because each eligible entity has its own unique needs and areas for growth, capacity will be broadly defined to include, but not be limited to: training, staffing, specialty programming, shared service arrangements, coordination enhancement across eligible entities infrastructure improvement, equipment procurement and/or upgrades, IT modernization, assessment and evaluation, and other related services.

Vendors who qualify and are added to the master agreement will then be eligible to receive funding through the Quote processes described below.

As needed, bureaus, programs, and hospitals within DPH will engage vendors for specific services and negotiate and execute an engagement agreement (process described below) that describes the specific services and compensation with the selected vendor.

Engagements can be executed by DPH bureaus throughout the life of the contract. References to “bureau” in this document include all Department of Public Health bureaus, offices, programs, and hospitals.

2. Applicable Procurement Law

Executive Branch Goods and Services

3. Anticipated Payment Methodology: No funding is available through this RFR. Payment will be tied to future engagements.

4. Whether Single Or Multiple Grantees Are Required For Grant(s)

Check One (“X”):

5. Expected Duration of Grant (Initial Duration and Any Options to Renew) (Subject to appropriation or the availability of sufficient non-appropriated funds under the grant funding authority)

Anticipated Initial Duration up to: |_| ____months; |X| _5___ year(s)

Anticipated Renewal Options: _2___ options to renew for ___5__ year(s) each option

Final End Date of this Procurement: June 30, 2038________________________

6. Anticipated Expenditures, Funding Or Compensation For Expected Duration

Estimated Value of Procurement including all potential renewals $_2,500,000,000________

Estimated Annualized amount $_166,666,667________

Will Federal Funds be used to fund any part of Grant(s)? |_| NO |X| YES

Funding Procedures for Future Engagements

Payment through Electronic Funds Transfer is required for any contract awarded through future solicitations. The EFT form and instructions on how and when to submit this form can be found in the Vendor Activation Folder (VENDACT) in the Attachments for this RFR.

Grantees receiving federal grant funds will be considered sub-recipients for federal grant purposes and will be required to comply with applicable federal requirements, including but not limited to sub-recipient audit requirements under OMB Circular A-133.

The funds received in advance of expenditure by a grantee for a capital budget item must be held in a segregated non-interest bearing account and must be expended within 60 days (for policy information on spending capital funds see: Office of the State Comptroller, State Grants and Federal Sub-grants: 815 CMR 2 (mass.gov)

Funds Balance Forward Requirement for Capital, Trust and Federal Accounts Only: Any funds designated in the budget that are unspent in any fiscal year will not be available for expenditure in the subsequent fiscal year without a formal contract amendment re-authorizing these funds.

7. Indicate Eligibility, Grant Scope and Performance Requirements:

RFR Eligibility:

To be eligible to apply to this Master Agreement contract, a vendor must be a municipality, regional planning agency, regional council of governments, or regional health districts.

8. Funding Mechanism:

All funding will be distributed through one of the following quote mechanisms:

1. Request for Quote (RFQ) Process: Used when there is limited funding available and there will be competition for that funding. Qualified grantees will be required to submit a quote response. DPH will conduct a review process. The description of the process and results of that process will be posted on COMMBUYS through a Notice.

2. Best Value: In certain circumstances certain grant awards do not meet any of the procurement exceptions, but still present a situation in which conducting an open public process does not support the efficient use of administrative, staff resources or effective grant disbursement. For example, grant funding may not be earmarked, but the pool of eligible grantees is known and the grant disbursement methodology is formula based or otherwise would not change if an application process was conducted. A Notice will be posted to COMMBUYS outlining how DPH determined the funding distribution.

3. Equal Distribution of Funding: Funding is available to all qualified grantees and will be distributed evenly between all of them. A Notice will be posted to COMMBUYS outlining how DPH determined the funding distribution.

4. Budgetary or Legislative Language: Funding for a specific municipality as defined by budget or legislative language

Grant Engagements:

Engagements executed through this procurement will be disbursed as scheduled periodic installments. The exact payment schedule will be outlined in a future engagement and may differ between engagements. An initial payment will be made upon a fully executed engagement and payment voucher. Subsequent payments will be contingent upon receipt of required reports and other deliverables outlined in procurement parameters for future engagements.

All or some of the following information may be required to participate in future engagements:

· Triannual or quarterly narrative reports and expenditure reports

· Annual strategic workplan

· Willing participation in engagement-specific programming and initiatives

· A detailed annual budget which itemizes:

· Personnel

· Supplies

· Training

· Other program support, occupancy, and agency overhead

· Travel expenses and all other expenses (if needed). In no case will the amount of the travel reimbursement expense exceed those of the agency or the IRS/GSA rate.

· If applicable, a signed Confidentiality or Business Associate Agreement.

· Failure to comply with the engagement of interest’s scope requirements can lead to termination of contract.

Invoicing:

Grantees are required to submit a completed payment voucher in order to receive a grant installment payment as specified in each engagement.

In accordance with the Commonwealth’s Bill Paying Policy – and General Payment Policies, payments under state grants and federal subgrants present unique payment circumstances. Grant payments are subject to the EFT requirement for any grant payments as well as the standard payment cycle of 45 days from an invoice or the start of the grant or periodic payment date.

Financial hardship is not a sufficient justification for accelerated payments for all payments under a grant. Initial grant or contract payments may be accelerated for the first invoice or initial grant installment, but subsequent periodic installments or invoice payments should be scheduled to support the Payee cash flow needs and the standard 45 day EFT payment cycle.

9. Criteria for Evaluating RFR Response

The proposal will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

· Applicant meets eligibility requirement

· RFR response is complete and accurate. Instructions for submitting a complete RFR response are found in Section 10 below.

10. Instructions for Submission of Responses:

A complete RFR Response includes:

· An application response form

Submitting Responses:

Responses should be submitted electronically only via email to Sarah.Trager@mass.gov.

Please put RFR __236938___ Response in the subject line. This is a rolling-enrollment procurement. Proposals will be reviewed as received.

Do not submit via COMMBUYS.

Additional Response Requirements/Information:

The forms listed on the COMMBUYS Attachment section for this RFR must be submitted with your response where indicated.

To assist bidders in identify the purpose of the attachments for this procurement; the forms posted on the COMMBUYS attachment section have a prefix according to the following chart:

Must complete and return document with application

11. DEADLINE FOR RESPONSES or Grant Procurement Calendar (eliminate row if N/A):

Deadline for Questions and Answers All Questions must be received in writing. Questions can be sent by email no later than the date and time indicated in the Procurement Calendar. The issuing department reserves the right not to respond to questions submitted after this date. All Questions with answers will be posted on the COMMBUYS Attachment section for this procurement.

June 30th, 2024, At. Sarah.Trager@mass.gov.

4:00pm

The BID opening date (Deadline for Submission of Response) June 30, 2028, at 5PM This is a rolling-enrollment procurement. Proposals will be reviewed as received.