24-09007-000_Add_2_Q_A_Response.pdf

“Caring Today for a Safe and Healthy Tomorrow” Rev. (11/2018)

Addendum #2, IFB 24-09007-000

Temporary/Relief Healthcare Staffing Services

Procurement and Contracts Services Section 1215 O Street, MS-1 Sacramento, California 95814 www.dsh.ca.gov

September 27, 2024

ADDENDUM #2

Invitation for Bid 24-09007-000

The Department of State Hospitals (DSH) is issuing this Addendum to respond to potential Proposers’ questions, and to provide a revised Request for Proposals (deletions are in strikethrough and additions in bold italics). A clean IFB with all the changes accepted will also be provided.

1. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

Question 1: The requirements mention the need for compliance with the Medical Practices Act, primarily focused on physicians. As a Joint Commission certified healthcare staffing company. We’d like to confirm we can apply. Are registered nurses included, or is the bid limited to physicians and allied health professionals?

Answer 1: See II. Minimum Qualifications.

Question 2: Who is the current incumbent?

Answer 2: Multiple providers.

Northern California Region

1. Imperial Locum Services

2. Intuitive Health Services, Inc.

3. Correctional Healthcare Associates

Southern California Region

1. Imperial Locum Services

2. Intuitive Health Services, Inc.

3. Correctional Healthcare As

Question 3: How much is the award?

Answer 3: Multiple providers.

Northern California Region

1. Imperial Locum Services 21-09005-001 $19,796.465.60

2. Intuitive Health Services, Inc. 21-09005-002 $21,908,029.44

3. Correctional Healthcare Associates 21-09005-003 $23,477,921.28 http://www.dsh.ca.gov/

Southern California Region

1. Imperial Locum Services 21-09005-004 $29,696,198.40

2. Intuitive Health Services, Inc. 21-09005-005 $32,862,044.16

3. Correctional Healthcare Associates 21-09005-006 $35,216,881.92

Question 4: Attachment 3 states, “Bidders must either be medical corporations, be individual physicians licensed to practice medicine in the State of California, be entities which are otherwise physician owned, be entities as defined in Business and Professions Code section 2401, be a hospital owned and operated by a public entity (state or local) or be otherwise in compliance with the Medical Practices Act.” Why are only these business types, or professions, eligible to bid on this opportunity? Will this opportunity open to other business types or owners who are not physicians?

Answer 4: See question 1 for answer.

Question 5: Would a resume of the potential candidates suffice, or do you require a letter of intent for each candidate too?

Answer 5: See Attachment 4 – Bidder’s References.

Question 6: Can you confirm whether two resumes are needed per category in general, or two resumes per category per facility? (Meaning 10 in total per category)

Answer 6: See II. Minimum Qualifications.

Question 7: Would we need to submit two resumes and two Letters of Intent for each category, covering approximately 40 categories? Would this amount to roughly 80 resumes and Letters of Intent?

Answer 7: See II. Minimum Qualifications.

Question 8: For the Physicians and Surgeons role, is it correct that we need to submit two resumes, two Letters of Intent, and two medical licenses?

Answer 8: See II. Minimum Qualifications.

Question 9: Is it expected that the temporary services would most likely require a full-time, two-year contract?

Answer 9: DSH does not have this information at this time. Staffing requirements vary from time to time dependent upon the need of each DSH facility.

Question 10: Would all staff members be required to start simultaneously in November, or will there be a phased approach?

Answer 10: No. The contract term is 11/1/2024 through 10/31/27.

Question 11: Could you clarify if the "Dietetics Director’s Assistant" is an administrative support role assisting the Dietetics Director, or if it refers to an Assistant Dietetics Director position? Additionally, what qualifications are required for this role?

Answer 11: This position is an administrative support role. See II. Minimum

Qualifications.

Question 12: Can you confirm that the hourly rate needing to be lower than the civil service rate (Column D) refers to the total in Column H, which includes the hourly rate plus administrative fees, rather than the total in Column K, which accounts for hours and months?

Answer 12: Attachment 5 – Bidder’s Rate sheet has been updated.

Question 13: What specific specialties or qualifications for nurse practitioners are most needed or anticipated for this contract?

Answer 13: DSH does not have this information at this time.

Question 14: If we are awarded the contract, would we be allowed to serve as the primary for all locations?

Answer 14: DSH does not have this information at this time.

Question 15: You state that “In all other circumstances where two bidders submit the same hourly rate, the lower bidder for ranking purposes shall be the one who can provide more temporary healthcare staffing services.” If we are the lower bidder in a certain category, but higher in another, who is given preference?

Answer 15: Rates are determined based off input total. The award is based off lowest bidder. See IV. Bid Evaluation and Award section E. Multiple Provider Disclaimer and Breaking Tie Bids.

Question 16: Does DSH require any specific benefits to be provided to temporary healthcare staff under AB5, or does DSH itself provide any benefits to these staff members as part of the contract? Could you clarify the expectations regarding benefits compliance under AB5?

Answer 16: No. AB5 does not apply.

Question 17: Could you clarify what written evidence of interest should look like? Is it a signed statement or a brief sentence indicating the individual is willing to work at the specified location? Is there any specific language or format that is required for this evidence, or would a general letter of intent suffice?

Answer 17: IFB has been updated. Additions are in Bold and Deletions are in

Strikethrough.

Question 18: The services are stated to be provided Monday through Sunday, 24 hours per day, on an as-needed basis. Could you clarify if the staff will be working full-time regular hours under this schedule, or will they be scheduled based on fluctuating needs?

Answer 18: DSH does not have this information at this time.

Question 19: Could you clarify if Exhibit A-1 needs to be filled out and submitted with the bid, or is it only required after the award has been granted?

Answer 19: No. Please see Attachment 1 – Bid Submission Checklist.

Question 20: Could you confirm if there is a previous provider for this agreement? If so, what were the rates offered under that prior contract? Where can we see the details of that contract awarded?

Answer 20: Submit a Public Records Act (PRA) request at https://www.dsh.ca.gov/Legal/Public_Records_Act.html.

Question 21: Who is the current contractor?

Answer 21: See question 2 for answer.

Question 22: What is the current contract amount?

Answer 22: See question 3 for answer.

Question 23: If you are unable to provide the current contract amount, what is the current budget your agency has for this project?

Answer 23: See questions 2 and 3 for answer.

Question 24: Please can you let me know if the current bid for services includes psychiatrists.

Answer 24: See Attachment 5 - Bidders Rate sheet and Exhibit A section 6. Contractors

Responsibilities.

Question 25: Also, please can you let me know when the temp psychiatry services bid for DSH be released.

Answer 25: DSH does not have this information at this time.

Question 26: On Page 25 of the pricing document, it is missing column "F" within Proposer’s

Cost for Services . Can you kindly provide insight as to what F represents, or will you be posting an addendum to include column F?

Answer 26: Addendum 1 was released on September 17, 2024.

Question 27: Is this a re-compete IFB? If yes,

a. Could you please the name of Current Suppliers (who are currently providing services to Agency)?

b. Could you please share current Supplier’s pricing and Proposals?

c. How many awards were made in the Past?

d. When was the existing contract started, and what is the annual monetary spent value of the current contract since inception?

e. How many resources are currently engaged in the current contract?

f. Can you please share the no. of positions served in previous years under this contract?

g. Can you please share the amount of business each vendor did under this contract in previous years?

h. Is there any issue that the agency is currently facing with the incumbents?

i. Are incumbents allowed to bid on this IFB? Please confirm.

j. Please share the historical spending for the year 2021, 2022 and 2023?

k. How many nurses were used in year 2021, 2022 and 2023?

Answer 27: (a, b, c) See question 2 and 3 for answer.

Answer 27: (d, e) All contract negotiations will occur with awarded vendor.

Answer 27: (f) see question 20 for answer.

Answer 27: (g) see question 3 for answer.

Answer 27: (h) No, current contract(s) expire on 10/31/24.

Answer 27: (i) Confirmed.

Answer 27: (j, k) see question 20 for answer

Question 28: What will be the estimated annual budget for this project?

Answer 28: See questions 2 and 3 for answer.

Question 29: Can you share the details from where we can get old IFB details?

Answer 29: See question 20 for answer.

Question 30: Can you please tell us where we can see the records for the old contract?

Answer 30: See question 29 for answer.

Question 31: Can you please share the email id/details where we can raise the public record request for old IFB?

Answer 31: See question 29 for answer.

Question 32: In the IFB document it is mentioned that we need to provide Curriculum Vitae and letter of interest from a minimum of two (2) potential. So, our questions are:

Question: The agency is looking for whose Curriculum Vitae?

Question: The agency is looking for letter of interest from whom?

Answer 32: IFB has been updated. Additions are in Bold and Deletions are in

Strikethrough.

Question 33: Do we have to provide resumes of the candidates that we are proposing or do we have to provide resumes of the key personnel?

Answer 33: See question 32 for answer.

Question 34: Do we have to provide resumes of the candidates that we are proposing or do we have to provide resumes of the key personnel?

Answer 34: See question 32 for answer.

Question 35: Would you be accepting references from large commercial entities?

Answer 35: See Attachment 4 – Bidder’s References.

Question 36: How many positions are required under this contract?

Answer 36: See Attachment 5 - Bidders Rate sheet and Exhibit A section 6. Contractors

Responsibilities.

Question 37: How many positions are currently open?

Answer 37: See question 36 for answer.

Question 38: How many positions are currently used in a single day? Please give rough estimate.

Answer 38: DSH does not have this information at this time. Staffing requirements vary from time to time dependent upon the need of each DSH facility.

Question 39: Out of mentioned staffing positions, what are the most filled positions? Please share.

Answer 39: Ssee question 38 for answer.

Question 40: To be responsive, is it mandatory to bid for all the positions in a specific region? Please confirm.

Answer 40: Yes, you must submit rates for all classifications.

Question 41: Can we bid for both regions?

Answer 41: Yes. The DSH intends to award up to three (3) agreements per region to various service providers of Temporary/Relief Healthcare Staffing Services for the Northern and Southern regions of California.

i. Northern California Region:

a. Napa State Hospital

b. Coalinga State Hospital

ii. Southern California Region:

a. Atascadero State Hospital

b. Metropolitan State Hospital

c. Patton State Hospital

Question 42: Can we bid for Physicians from our separate entity and all other positions from another entity? Please confirm.

Answer 42: See Attachment 5 – Bidders Rate Sheet Important Considerations.

Question 43: Can you please provide Job descriptions and qualifications for all positions?

Answer 43: DSH does not have this information at this time.

Question 44: What would be the estimated hours for given positions?

Answer 44: DSH does not have this information at this time.

Question 45: Please confirm minimum guaranteed hours per week for these positions.

Answer 45: DSH does not have this information at this time.

Question 46: Are these positions full-time of weekly assignments?

Answer 46: Bidder shall provide an hourly rate of pay for each classification listed in the tables below for all DSH locations (Atascadero, Coalinga, Metropolitan, Napa, and Patton).

Question 47: Can you please confirm the weekly assignments duration (7 week/13 week or more) if any?

Answer 47: DSH does not have this information at this time.

Question 48: What is weekend and holiday shift work rate policy of County such as 1.5-time standard hourly rate? Please confirm.

Answer 48: DSH does not have this information at this time.

Question 49: What is average response time to provide resume of qualified resources?

Answer 49: Must be submitted in the bid package.

Question 50: Do we have to provide Sample Insurance Certificate with the proposal response? Please confirm.

Answer 50: See Attachment 6 Insurance Certifications.

Question 51: Will you award this contract to the lowest responsive bidders? Please confirm.

Answer 51: Yes. DSH intends, if an award is made, to award to a single service provider.

However, DSH reserves the right to award agreements to multiple providers, up to five (5) per DSH location, unless DSH received fewer responsive and responsible bids. The awarded agreements will be based upon the lowest responsive and responsible bids in accordance with Section V, Preference and Incentive Programs. Bidders should submit bids accordingly.

Question 52: Will the agency be giving any preference to local vendors? Please confirm.

Answer 52: See section V. Preference and Incentive Programs in the IFB.

Question 53: To be responsive, is it mandatory to have physical office in California? Please confirm.

Answer 53: Bidders are required to provide proof of legal right to do business in the

State of California at the time of IFB submission. The State reserves the right to determine if information provided is a material or immaterial deviation, and may ask for additional information, as necessary.

Question 54: Do we have to provide admin fee less than the DSH Admin fee cap?

Answer 54: Attachment 5 – Bidder’s Rate Sheet: Important Considerations

9. ANY BID RECEIVED THAT EXCEEDS THE CIVIL SERVICE

CLASSIFICATION MAXIMUM RATE WILL BE REJECTED.

Question 55: Are there any Subcontracting requirements to comply with the bid requirements? if yes, please confirm the subcontracting goal for the bid?

Answer 55: See section V. Preference and Incentive Programs.

Question 56: Can you please share the list/directory of qualified DVBE and Small businesses?

Answer 56: You can conduct a SB/DVBE search at https://caleprocure.ca.gov/pages/PublicSearch/supplier-search.aspx?psNewWin=true.

Question 57: Please share the incumbent vendors and their pricing.

Answer 57: See question 2 and 3 for answer.

Question 58: What is the budget for this bid? OR the estimated annual spending in the past under this contract for similar services?

Answer 58: See question 3 for answer.

Question 59: Is there any challenge fulfilling the needs with the existing contracts for related services or any specific improvements you are looking for?

Answer 59: DSH does not have this information at this time.

Question 60: Is there any preference for the local vendor?

Answer 60: See section V. Preference and Incentive Programs in the IFB.

Question 61: Please share the type of background check and drug test required.

Answer 61: All contract negotiations will occur with the awarded contractor(s).

Question 62: Will there be a kick-off meeting once the contract is awarded?

Answer 62: All contract negotiations will occur with awarded contractor(s).

https://caleprocure.ca.gov/pages/PublicSearch/supplier-search.aspx?psNewWin=true https://caleprocure.ca.gov/pages/PublicSearch/supplier-search.aspx?psNewWin=true

Question 63: How many resources/candidates are currently active at this time under incumbent contracts? Please provide the breakdown of numbers under each incumbent vendor.

Answer 63: See question 2 and 3 for answer.

Question 64: What is the spending to date against each of the incumbent vendors?

Answer 64: See questions 2 and 3 for answer.

Question 65: Will active candidates under the incumbent vendors be transitioned to the new vendors if the same incumbent vendors are not awarded the contract this time?

Answer 65: No.

Question 66: Is this a newly initiated project, or is it a continuation of an existing one?

Answer 66: See questions 2 and 3 for answer.

Question 67: If it is ongoing, kindly provide the names of the current service providers/incumbent vendors?

Answer 67: See question 2 for answer.

Question 68: Could you provide details on the previous expenditure associated with this contract?

Answer 68: See question 3 for answer.

Question 69: Could you confirm if it is possible to obtain the proposals or pricing details of the incumbent vendors?

Answer 69: See question 20 for answer.

Question 70: Are there any specific challenges or issues currently being faced with the existing vendors?

Answer 70: DSH does not have this information at this time.

Question 71: Can you clarify the expected number of awards for this solicitation?

Answer 71: See question 51 for answer.

Question 72: Is there any preference or priority given to local vendors for this contract?

Answer 72: Section V. Preference and Incentive Programs.

Question 73: As we are bidding as a prime, are we still qualified to respond to this RFP if we do not have a DBVE classification?

Answer 73: See V. B.1.Preference and Incentive Programs.

Question 74: Is it necessary to have an active insurance policy as a bidder, or would a letter of intent from an insurance agency stating intent to activate the policy upon contract award suffice?

Answer 74: See Attachment 6 – Insurance Certifications.

Question 75: Is this a new contract or renewal of an existing contract?

Answer 75: See question 20 for answer.

Question 76: If there is an existing contract, could you please share the names of the current vendors and their pricing?

Answer 76: See question 2 and 3 for answer.

Question 77: In order to be considered responsive for this solicitation, is it mandatory to bid on all positions?

Answer 77: Yes.

Question 78: What is the estimated budget for this contract?

Answer 78: See question 3 for answer.

Question 79: Is it mandatory to subcontract?

Answer 79: See section V. Preference and Incentive Programs.

Question 80: Could you please provide information on the daily duration of shifts required for the necessary professions? For example, the number of hours per day?

Answer 80: DSH does not have this information at this time.

Question 81: Can healthcare staffing agencies bid on these services? Based on information provided under Minimum Qualifications, this was not clear.

Answer 81: Yes.

Question 82: Please may California Department of State Hospitals extend the due date of the bid submission.

Answer 82: Addendum 1 was released on 9/17/24 extending the bid submission due date to 10/1/24.

Question 83: Please may California Department of State Hospitals consider electronic submission of the bid.

Answer 83: No. See III. C. 1. Bid Requirements and Information.

Physical Submission:

Question 84: Can vendors bid on both regions, north and south? Can we submit one bid for both regions?

Answer 84: See question 41 for answer.

Question 85: Please may California Department of State Hospitals clarify the number of awards it intends to make as well as how the contractors will be assigned/delegated per facility.

Answer 85: See question 41 for answer.

Question 86: Please may California Department of State Hospitals clarify the percentage of subcontracting it requires overall and per category of business enterprise.

Answer 86: See section V. Preference and Incentive Programs.

Question 87: Do offerors need to provide references for the sub-contractors? If yes, how many references per sub?

Answer 87: See section V. Preference and Incentive Programs.

Question 88: Can you please clarify if the psychologist needed will be a School Psychologist or Clinical Psychologist?

1. If School Psychologist, can you please clarify the scenario/setting for this position within the State Hospitals?

Answer 88: All contract negotiations will occur with awarded contractor(s).

Question 89: Regarding rate table: The categories for Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant and Physician/Surgeon are very broad, and depending on the specialty required will encompass a very large rate range (ex. Primary Care Physician v.

Psychiatrist v. Cardiothoracic Surgeon). Is the state open to responders breaking these out into separate line items to account for varying market rates?

If not, can the state please specify which specialties these rates will encompass?

Answer 89: See Attachment 5 – Bidder’s Rate Sheet.

Question 90: What sub-specialties within the Physician, Nurse Practitioner, and Physician

Assistant categories do the facilities typically require (ex. Psychiatry, Specialty Surgery, Primary Care etc.)?

Answer 90: DSH does not have this information at this time.

Question 91: Can the state please name the highest clinical authority within CA DSH, and what their educational background is by degree (MD, ARNP etc.)?

1. Is this individual a direct employee of the state?

2. Does the state ever intend to utilize this contract to staff Medical-director-level roles?

Answer 91: No.

Question 92: Can California Department of State Hospitals please clarify how they will rank vendors based on evaluation criteria?

Answer 92: See IV. 4. F Award and Protest.

Question 93: Can California Department of State Hospitals please clarify how needs will be distributed to vendors post award?

Answer 93: All contract negotiations will take place with awarded vendor.

Question 94: Please provide the name of all incumbent providers and their pricing for the services outlines in this ITB.

Answer 94: See question 2 and 3 for answer.

Question 95: Can California Department of State Hospitals provide the following information around usage from 2021 RFP 20-09012-000 awarded vendor(s)?

1. Historical usage by labor category

2. Contracted staff hours by year

3. Total spend by year

4. Current budget for this program

5. Typical workday hours for each labor category

6. Average length of assignment

Answer 95. (1, 2, 3, 4): See question 2 and 3 for answer.

Answer 95 (5): DSH does not have this information at this time.

Answer 95 (6): DSH does not have this information at this time.

Question 96: Why is California Department of State Hospitals going out for bid at this time?

Answer 96: Multiple award contracts 21-09005-001 through 006 expire on 10/31/24.

Question 97: Will contractor ever need to travel between state hospital locations or will they only be contracted at one location at a time?

Answer 97: DSH does not have this information at this time.

Question 98: Will California Department of State Hospitals accept blind copies of resumes as an example of our staffing abilities?

Answer 98: No. See II.D. Minimum Qualifications.

Question 99: May we submit exceptions to contract terms and conditions?

Answer 99: All contract negotiations will occur with awarded contractor(s).

Question 100: If permitted, to what extent will revisions/exceptions impact proposal scoring and award decisions?

Answer 100: All contract negotiations will occur with awarded contractor(s).

Question 101: Will client be open to reasonable changes to insurance requirements?

Answer 101: All contract negotiations will occur with awarded contractor(s).

Question 102: In terms of insurance, is the state only requesting to be added as an additional insured as it relates to our general liability coverage?

Answer 102: See Exhibit G - Insurance Requirements.

Question 103: Can California Department of State Hospitals please clarify invoicing and payment terms?

Answer 103: See Exhibit B – Budget Detail and Payment

Question 104: What is the payroll work week for California Department of State Hospitals? (ie

Sunday-Saturday, Monday-Sunday, etc)

Answer 104: See Exhibit A.6.v. Contractor Responsibilities.

Question 105: How can new vendor(s) enhance customer satisfaction?

Answer 105: All contract negotiations will take place with awarded contractor.

Question 106: Please clarify Description of Services, Section 5. Contractor shall provide all necessary materials, supplies, tools, equipment, transpiration, licenses, permits, insurance, and personnel…”. Can you please define what will be needed for this specific opportunity?

Answer 106: All contract negotiations will take place with awarded contractor.

Question 107: Can you please clarify the reference requirement stating that “if bidder has provided these services to a government entity during the timeframe above, they must be used as a reference.” Is this referring to any government agency located in California?

Answer 107: Any government agency is acceptable.

Question 108: Can you please provide details for vendors to attend the bid opening on

September 25th? Will that be held virtually or in person?

Answer 108: Addendum 1 was released on 9/17/24 which extended the bid opening to

10/2/24. The bid opening will take place in person at 1215 O Street Sacramento, CA 95814.

Question 109: How will references provided be part of the evaluation criteria of this ITB?

Answer 100: See question 35 for answer.

Question 110: How will DSH communicate needs – will each facility reach out or will needs for all facilities be communicated centrally?

Answer 110: Contract manager information will be provided to the awarded contractor(s).

Question 111: Section II (D). Qualifications- In the evidence of interest, do they need to commit to a certain amount of time to work at DSH

Answer 111: All contract negotiations will take place with awarded contractor.

Question 112: Which schedule does DSH foresee utilizing: 8 hour shifts, 10 hour or 12s?

Answer 112: All contract negotiations will take place with awarded contractor.

Question 113: Are overtime hours billable on a daily basis, or weekly?

• How is overtime approved - in writing, email or another way?

Answer 113: See Exhibit A.6.v. Contractor Responsibilities.

Question 114: Has California Department of State Hospitals gone through the exempting into alternating work week?

Answer 114: As stated within the IFB, staffing schedules may include Alternate Work

Week Schedules (AWWS) at the sole need and discretion of DSH.

Question 115: Please clarify the pre-license social worker is an associate social worker or a medical social worker?

Answer 115: The classifications are clinical social worker and social worker clinical pre-license.

Question 116: Do we have to provide pricing for all classifications provided for pricing? If not, do we just put N/A in response columns?

Answer 116: To be a responsive bidder you must submit rates for all classifications.

Question 117: What is the process and how often will California Dept. of State Hospitals audit the pay rate for contractors of awarded vendors?

Answer 117: DSH does not have this information at this time.

Question 118: Can we submit two different pricing sheets for north region and south region?

Answer 118: See question 41 for answer.

Question 119: Would the California Department of State Hospitals consider more than one project contract manager?

Answer 119: All contract negotiations will occur with awarded contractor(s).

Question 120: Bidders that do not utilize GenAI - do they need to submit GenAI Reporting and

Factsheet (STD 1000)? Will a statement reporting no use of GenAI for service provision suffice?

Answer 120: See page 3 of STD 1000 for instructions.

Question 121: Please may the DSH provide an outline of information it would like to see as a technical response from vendors?

Answer 121: See attachment 1 – Bid Submission Checklist.

Question 122: Assuming the Proposed Hourly Rate + Admin Fee % value (i.e. Bill Rate) would remain unchanged, can the Proposed Hourly Rate fluctuate higher or lower depending on the qualifications of a particular candidate within a role?

Answer 122: See Attachment 5 - Bidders Rate Sheet Important Considerations.

Question 123: Please provide more clarification and guidance in terms of how the state defines

"key personnel"?

Answer 123: This IFB is requesting resumes from Key Personnel from the Proposer’s firm who will serve in the provision of services requesting with the IFB, in addition to provision of an Organizational Chart defining the roles identified individuals within firm.

Question 124: Is the state receptive to broadening termination rights so as to be mutual?

Answer 124: All contract negotiations will occur with the awarded contractor(s).

Question 125: Is the state receptive to rate and pricing adjustments necessitated by unexpected market forces that might arise during the contract?

Answer 125: No, the rates submitted in the IFB response are final.

Question 126: Please clarify the managerial and supervisory structure in place relative to the staff vendors assign to applicable state facilities?

Answer 126: Contract negotiations will occur with awarded contractor(s).

Question 127: Are vendors expected to monitor the provision of care to DSH patients, provided by their staff?

Answer 127: See Exhibit A. 6. Contractor Responsibilities.

Question 128: Do vendors have to bid all positions listed?

Answer 128: Yes.

Question 129: Do vendors have to submit candidate profiles with background checks completed within the 3 day window as presented in Point E, in Exhibit A - Scope of Work?

Answer 129: All contract negotiations will occur with awarded contractor(s).

Question 130: In Exhibit A, Scope of Work, point Y speaks to DSH trainings, does the DSH expect the contractor or its contract workers for DSH to attend the necessary training?

Answer 130: Yes, all job-related trainings.

Question 131: Page 27

ATTACHMENT 6 - INSURANCE CERTIFICATIONS

Bidder certifies that, should Commercial General Liability insurance be required, and should the bidder use a subcontractor to complete a portion of this Agreement, the bidder shall either:

• Include Verify the subcontractor as an additional named insured under the bidder’s policy, meets the insurance requirements as stated herein and collects COI verifying such polices

• Ensure that each subcontractor is insured under their own Commercial General Liability policy.

Answer 131: All contract negotiations will occur with the awarded contractor(s).

Question 132: Page 50

EXHIBIT B

BUDGET DETAIL AND PAYMENT PROVISIONS

1. INVOICING AND PAYMENT:

A. Contractor shall submit all invoices not more frequently than monthly weekly in arrears.

Answer 132: All contract negotiations will occur with the awarded contractor(s).

Question 133: Page 54

EXHIBIT D

SPECIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. SUBCONTRACTS:

B. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall create any contractual relationship between DSH and any subcontractors, and DSH shall not be responsible for any fees, expenses, salaries or benefits of subcontractors or their employees. DSH shall pay Contractor for services of subcontractors as included in Contractor invoices and Contractor shall remain is solely responsible for payment of any and all fees, expenses and payment for services of, salaries and benefits of subcontractor. No subcontract shall relieve Contractor of its responsibilities and obligations hereunder.

Contractor is fully responsible to DSH for the acts and omissions of its subcontractors and of persons either directly or indirectly employed or acting as an agent by any of them. Contractor agrees to indemnify and hold DSH harmless for any costs, losses or claims, including reasonable attorney fees, resulting from its subcontractors.

Answer 133: All contract negotiations will occur with the awarded contractor(s).

Question 134: Page 59

EXHIBIT D

SPECIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

22. CANCELLATION PROVISIONS:

A. Unless otherwise specified, this Agreement may be canceled at any time by

DSH either party, in writing, with thirty (30) days advance notice. If canceled, payment shall be made only for the provision of services expressly authorized by this Agreement until the date of cancellation and only at the rates set forth in Exhibit B, Budget Detail. In the case of early termination, a final payment will be made to Contractor upon receipt of an invoice covering all authorized costs, at the rates set forth in Exhibit B, incurred prior to the date of cancellation or termination. DSH shall not be responsible for unamortized costs, overhead or capital costs or any other related costs, including but, not limited to costs incurred in connection with the cancellation of leases or contracts pertaining to facilities, equipment or supplies, labor and employee benefits costs, and expenditures incurred after the date of notice of cancellation.

Answer 134: All contract negotiations will occur with the awarded contractor(s).

Question 135: Page 60

EXHIBIT D

SPECIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

24. LIABILITY FOR LOSS AND DAMAGES:

A. Any damages by Contractor, or their personnel, subcontractors, and other service providers through this Agreement to DSH’s facility, including equipment, furniture, materials, or other State or DSH property, shall be repaired or replaced by Contractor to the satisfaction of DSH at Contractor’s expense. DSH, at its option, may repair any such damage and deduct the cost thereof from any sum due Contractor under this Agreement.

Answer 135: All contract negotiations will occur with the awarded contractor(s).

Question 136: Page 74

EXHIBIT G

INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

Motor Vehicle Liability:

Contractor shall maintain motor vehicle liability insurance with limits of not less than $1,000,000 per accident. Such insurance shall cover liability arising out of an accident involving a motor vehicle in use by Contractor during the provision of services under this Agreement, including, but not limited to, Contractor owned, hired, and non-owned motor vehicles.

Requirement to Insure the State: Contractor is required to name the “State of California, its officers, employees, and agents” as additional insured parties, insofar as operations under the Agreement are concerned. To satisfy this requirement, Contractor shall ensure that the following requirement(s) are met:

• Policy Endorsement: Contractor, when providing a signed contract to DSH and unless otherwise specified, shall provide proof that Contractor has insured the State of California, its officers, employees, and agents. This proof shall come in the form of an endorsement to Contractor’s insurance policy, or in the form of a copy of Contractor’s current insurance policy that shows that the policy insures all parties required to be insured by this Agreement.

Answer 136: All contract negotiations will occur with the awarded contractor(s).

Question 137: Is this a new contract or renewal of an existing contract?

Answer 137: See question 75 for answer.

Question 138: If there is an existing contract, could you please share the names of the current vendors and their pricing?

Answer 138: See question 76 for answer.

Question 139: What is the estimated budget for this contract?

Answer 139: See question 3 for answer.

Question 139: Could you please share the previous spending on this contract?

Answer 139: See question 3 for answer.

Question 140: Under I.A.5 - What specific materials, supplies, tools, equipment are need to be provided by the Contractor?

Answer 140: See question 105 for answer.

Question 141: Under D. Curriculum Vitae and Letters of Interest: Please clarify statements 1 and 2.

Answer 140: Please see 24-09007-000 IFB Add 2 Bold and Strikethrough.

Question 142: Would you consider electronic signature (using Adobe) an original signature?

Answer 142: Yes, wet signatures and electronic signatures are accepted.

Question 143: In Attachment 5: Bidder's Rate Sheet, Statement #2 - Does this mean that we need to submit two sets of rate sheets - 1 for Northern California Region and 1 for Southern California Region?

Answer 143: See question 41 for answer.

Question 144: In Attachment 5: Bidder's Rate Sheet, Statement #7 - This instruction somehow contradicts with statement number two. Please clarify.

Answer 144: See Addendum 1.

Question 145: In Attachment 5: Bidder's Rate Sheet, Statement #9 - Does the bid that should not exceed Civil Service Rate mean the base/pay rate or bill rate?

Answer 145: It does not.

Question 146: Can you tell us who won the previous contracts and what the pay rates were?

Can we see the contract?

Answer 146: See questions 2 and 3 for answer. Please submit a PRA request for past contract.

Question 147: Can we have a subcontractor?

Answer 147: See section V. Preference and Incentive Program.

Question 148: How many providers will you need per provider category?

Answer 148: DSH intends, if an award is made, to award to a single service provider.

However, DSH reserves the right to award agreements to multiple providers, up to five (5) per DSH location, unless DSH received fewer responsive and responsible bids. The awarded agreements will be based upon the lowest responsive and responsible bids in accordance with Section V, Preference and Incentive Programs. Bidders should submit bids accordingly.

Question 149: Would you like board certification or will you accept board eligibility where appropriate?

Answer 149: See Exhibit A section 6. Contractor’s Responsibilities.

Question 150: In the table of contents, under II. Minimum Qualifications, it lists E. Medical

License, but when turning to the minimum qualifications section, E. Medical License is not included in the section. Can the Department please advise if that was left out in error?

Answer 150: TBD

Question 151: Attachment 3 – Minimum Qualifications Response, Page 21: The second to last box states “Bidders must provide written evidence of interest and ability to provide services for a clearly identified region at DSH, from all the classifications listed in Attachment 14-Sample Agreement.” Attachment 14 is listed as the Iran Contracting Act Certification. Can the Department please confirm if this was an error and should be Attachment 15 – Sample Agreement?

Answer 151: Confirmed. Please see 24-09007-000 IFB Add 2 Bold and Strikethrough.

Question 152: Attachment 3 – Minimum Qualifications Response, Page 21: The eighth box from the top states “Bidders must provide written evidence of interest and ability to provide services at DSH, from each of the same eighteen (18) potential insert appropriate subspecialty.” Can the Department please clarify what “the same eighteen (18) potential insert appropriate subspecialty” means?

Answer 152: Please see 24-09007-000 IFB Add 2 Bold and Strikethrough.

Question 153: II. Minimum Qualifications (MQ), D. Curriculum Vitae and Letters of Interest, #1:

The IFB states: “Bidders must provide with their bid package current Curriculum Vitae from a minimum of two (2) potential for all the classifications listed in Attachment 15-Sample Agreement”. Please clarify the term “potential” as used here, and if there is supposed to be a word following “potential”, such as “potential candidate”.

Answer 153: Please see 24-09007-000 IFB Add 2 Bold and Strikethrough.

Question 154: II. Minimum Qualifications (MQ), D. Curriculum Vitae and Letters of Interest, #1:

In relation to the question above, is the Department requesting that bidders obtain and submit two (2) curriculum vitae for each of the 35 classifications (totaling 70 curriculum vitae prior to the September 24th due date) from actual candidates for the position categories listed in Attachment 15? If so, it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for bidders to identify actual candidates for positions before being awarded the contract. Would the Department reconsider this requirement? Requiring the submission of curriculum vitae places non-incumbent bidders at a disadvantage and recruiting candidates prior to an official contract award discourages potential candidates, therefore complicating the recruitment process. Would the Department consider an alternative method of demonstrating successful recruitment, such as evidence of successful recruitment in other contracts or allowing bidders to provide samples of curriculum vitae or job descriptions?

Answer 154: Please see 24-09007-000 IFB Add 2 Bold and Strikethrough.

Question 155: II. Minimum Qualifications (MQ), D. Curriculum Vitae and Letters of Interest, #2:

Is the Department also requesting a cover letter from each “potential [candidate?]” detailing the candidate’s interest and experience to accompany the curriculum vitae of each candidate? As in the question above, this would be a nearly impossible task for non-incumbent bidders to accomplish in advance of an award of contract, and would in effect require bidders to recruit two candidates for each position category, and obtain the letters and curriculum vitae from dozens of individuals in an approximate two-week period of time.

Would the Department also reconsider this requirement due to the short-turn around time to obtain what would be 70 cover letters from potential candidates.

Answer 155: IFB has been updated. Additions are in Bold and Deletions are in Strikethrough.

Question 156: Attachment 5 – Bidder’s Rate Sheet: Can the Department please confirm if bidders should provide five separate rate sheets for each location or one rate sheet for the Northern region and one rate sheet for the Southern region if bidding both regions?

Answer 156: See question 41 for answer.

Question 157: Attachment 5 – Bidder’s Rate Sheet: Column H states “proposed hourly rate + admin fee % (D x F).” There does not appear to be a Column F in the table provided. Can the Department please clarify if that is an error and issue a revised rate sheet if so.

Answer 157: See Addendum 1.

Question 158: Can the Department please provide the actual historical number of staff needed by location and by position for the past two years?

Answer 158: See question 20 for answer.

Question 159: Does this solicitation serve to replace any existing contracts with existing vendors? If so, what existing contracts are affected?

Answer 159: See questions 2 and 3 for answer.

Question 160: The staffing tables on pages 25 and 26 of the IFB do not include the category of

"Psychologist". In a previous solicitation for these services from March of 2021, the IFB included a line for "Psychologist" and showed "15" as the Estimated Staff Needed per Facility in the staffing table. Did the Department intend to NOT include "Psychologist" in this solicitation?

Answer 160: All requested classifications are listed in Attachment 5 – Bidder’s Rate Sheet and Exhibit A section 6. Contractors Responsibilities.

Question 161: This bid has a total of 35 disciplines, how can the State guarantee that the chosen registries will be financially stable as the State funds sometimes take 45- 60 days to come.

Answer 161: See Exhibit B – Budget Detail and Payment Provisions.

Question 162: Which disciplines does the hospital need the most?

Answer 162: See questions 38 and 39 for answer.

Question 163: Page #3 paragraph 3 of the bid invitation indicates that “The DSH intends to award up to three (3) agreements per region to various service providers of Temporary/Relief Healthcare Staffing Services for the Northern and Southern regions of California.” On Page 11 section D it is indicated that “DSH intends, if an award is made, to award to a single service provider. However, DSH reserves the right to award agreements to multiple providers, up to five (5) per DSH location, unless DSH received fewer responsive and responsible bids. The awarded agreements will be based upon the lowest responsive and responsible bids in accordance with Section V, Preference and Incentive Programs. Bidders should submit bids accordingly.” – Please clarify if the agreement can be awarded to up to three (3) or five (5) service providers.

Question 164: If a company uses a small business and is in a TACPA zone, will the company get one incentive for both or two separate incentives?

Answer 164: See V. Preferences and Incentive Programs.

Question 165: Can we submit the bid by email?

Answer 165: See question 83 for answer.

‘Question 166: While providing temporary services, if the temporary staff would like to convert to a state employee, will there be any conversion fee provided to the vendor as the company worked hard to provide staff to the Hospital? If not, will there be at least 6-month period before they can switch to State Employee?

Answer 167: No.

Question 168: Most of the estimated staff needed per facility for each discipline on page 25 is

1, does the Hospital need 1 for each discipline or there is more needed for each facility?

Answer 168: The estimates listed in the Rate Sheet are a good faith estimate and are not a guarantee of business and is subject to change depending on fluctuation in patient population. The DSH makes no guarantee, expressed or implied for actual number of hours to be used.

PLEASE SEE ATTACHED REVISED IFB #24-09007-000.

Deletions are noted in strikethrough; additions are noted in bold italic.

END OF ADDENDUM #2