25-10243_Sys_Consulting_Agreement.pdf

State of California—Health and Human Services Agency California Department of Public Health

ERICA PAN, MD, MPH, FAAP GAVIN NEWSOM

Director and State Public Health Officer Governor

October 14, 2025

RE: Request for Proposal (RFP) Number 25-10243, SyS Consulting Agreement

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is soliciting responses from qualified vendors to develop and continue the department's strategic deployment operations, provide daily management of Lean activities, develop targeted improvement in key areas, and coach CDPH’s internal Lean experts. The contract term will be from January 2, 2026 to June 30, 2028, with an option to amend for an additional year.

California Law requires Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) participation. CDPH policies require DVBE participation of 3-percent on all contracts exceeding $5,000. All Proposers, including out-of-state firms, must comply with California’s DVBE participation requirements. Proposals without a minimum 3-percent participation from a DVBE Certified prime or subcontractor will be deemed non-responsive. Direct all requests for DVBE assistance to CDPH’s SB/DVBE up to the proposal deadline:

Terry Thomas sbdvbe@cdph.ca.gov

Please read all instructions and forms thoroughly to ensure your proposal is in compliance with the requirements of the RFP. Regardless of postmark or method of delivery, the California Department of Public Health’s Centralized Contract Services Unit must receive proposal packages no later than 3 PM on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, as specified in this RFP.

In the opinion of CDPH, this RFP is complete and without need of explanation. However, if questions arise or there is a need to obtain clarifying information, put all inquiries in writing and mail or fax them to CDPH according to the instructions in the RFP section entitled, “Proposer Questions”.

Thank you for your interest in our department’s service needs.

Sincerely, Kamilah Morton Contract Analyst, Contract Services Unit 1616 Capitol Avenue, MS 1802 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 279-732-2499 Fax: 916-650-0110 Email: kamilah.morton@cdph.ca.gov

Request for Proposal – Secondary 25-10243 SyS Consulting Agreement

Centralized Contracts Services Unit

Kamilah Morton, Contract Analyst

MS Code 1802 1616 Capitol Avenue

Sacramento, CA 95814 279-732-2499 kamilah.morton@cdph.ca.gov

Section A – Purpose, Background and Description of Services by the Staff of the Information Technology Services Division.

Information Technology Services Division RFP # 25-10243 i

Table of Contents

A. Purpose and Description of Services

1. Purpose

2. Background

B. Time Schedule C. Contract Term and Funding Amount D. Reasonable Accommodations and Document Delivery Warning

1. Reasonable Accommodations

2. Document Delivery Warning

E. Proposer Questions

1. What to include in an inquiry

2. Question deadline

3. How to submit questions

4. Verbal Questions

5. Pre-Proposal Conference

F. Mandatory Non-Binding Letter of Intent

1. General information

2. Submitting the Letter of Intent

G. Scope of Work H. Deliverables-Based Agreement I. Use of GenAI J. Qualification Requirements K. Proposal Format and Content Requirements

1. General instructions

2. Format requirements

3. Content requirements

a. Proposal Cover Page

b. Table of Contents

c. Executive Summary Section

d. Agency Capability Section

e. . Project Personnel Section

f. Work Plan Section ii

g. Management Plan Section

h. Facilities and Resources Section

i. Cost Section

j. Appendix Section

k. Forms Section

L. Proposal Submission

1. General Instructions

2. Proof of timely receipt

3. Proposer costs

M. Evaluation and Selection

1. Stage 1 – Required Attachment / Certification Checklist review

2. Stage 2 – Narrative proposal evaluation/scoring

3. Stage 3 –Scoring the Cost Section

4. Stage 4 – Adjustments to Score Calculations for Bidding Preferences

5. Stage 5 – Final Score Calculation

N. Narrative Proposal Rating Factors

1. Executive Summary (25 Points after a Multiplier of 0.5)

2. Agency Capability (210 Points after a Multiplier of 1.0)

3. Project Personnel (180 Points after a Multiplier of 3.0)

4. Work Plan (160 Points after a Multiplier of 2.0)

5. Management Plan (30 Points after a Multiplier of 1.0)

6. Facilities and Resources (10 Points after a Multiplier of 1.0)

O. Bid Requirements and Information

1. Nonresponsive proposals

2. Proposal modifications after submission

3. Proposal mistakes

4. Withdrawal and/or Resubmission of Proposals

a. Withdrawal deadlines

b. Submitting a withdrawal request

c. Resubmitting a proposal

5. Contract award and protests

a. Contract award

b. Settlement of ties

c. Protests iii

6. Disposition of proposals

7. CDPH Rights

a. RFP corrections

b. Collecting information from Proposers

c. Immaterial proposal defects

d. Correction of clerical or mathematical errors

e. Right to remedy errors

f. Contract award or RFP cancellation

g. Contract amendments after award

h. Proposed use of subcontractors and/or independent consultants

i. Staffing changes after contract award

P. Bidding Certification Clauses

1. Certificate of Independent Price Determination

Q. Preference Programs

1. Small Business / Microbusiness Preference

2. Non-Small Business Subcontractor Preference

3. DVBE Bid Incentive

4. Nonprofit Veteran Service Agency (NVSA) Small Business Preference

5. Target Area Contract Preference Act and Enterprise Zone Act

6. Combined preferences

R. Contract Terms and Conditions

1. Sample contract forms / exhibits

2. Resolution of language conflicts (RFP vs. final agreement) iv

R. Required Attachments

Attachment # Attachment Name Attachment 1 Mandatory Letter of Intent

Attachment 2 Proposal Cover Page

Attachment 3 Proposer Previous Experience Summary

Attachment 4 Client References

Attachment 5 Project Personnel Summary

Attachment 6 Cost Proposal form

Attachment 7.1 Budget Detail Work Sheet (FY 2025/2026)

Attachment 7.2 Budget Detail Work Sheet (FY 2026/2027)

Attachment 7.3 Budget Detail Work Sheet (FY 2027/2028)

Attachment 8.1 Subcontractor Budget Detail Work Sheet (FY 2025/2026)

Attachment 8.2 Subcontractor Budget Detail Work Sheet (FY 2026/2027)

Attachment 8.3 Subcontractor Budget Detail Work Sheet (FY 2027/2028)

Attachment 9 Required Attachment / Certification Checklist

Attachment 10 Business Information Sheet

Attachment 11 Payee Data Record & Supplement (STD 204 & STD 205)

Attachment 12 Bidder Declaration (GSPD-05-106)

Attachment 13 Commercially Useful Function (CUF) Certification

Attachment 14 Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Declarations

Attachment 15 Target Area Contract Preference Act (TACPA)

Attachment 16 Contractor Certification Clauses (CCC 04/2017)

Attachment 17 Follow-On Consultant Contract Disclosure

Attachment 18 Contractor Confidentiality Statement

Attachment 19 Conflict of Interest Compliance Certification Form

Attachment 20 Darfur Contracting Act of 2008

Attachment 21 California Civil Rights Laws Attachment

Attachment 22 Iran Contracting Act Verification Form v

Q. Sample Contract Forms / Exhibits

Exhibit # Exhibit Name

STD 213 Sample Agreement

Exhibit A Scope of Work

Exhibit B Budget Detail and Payment Provisions

Exhibit C

General Terms and Conditions (GTC 02/2025). View or download at this Internet site: https://www.dgs.ca.gov/OLS/Resources/Page- Content/Office-of-Legal-Services-Resources-List-Folder/Standard- Contract-Language?search=GTC

Exhibit D Special Terms and Conditions

Exhibit E Additional Provisions

Exhibit F Information Privacy and Security Requirements

Exhibit G Resumes

Exhibit H Contractor’s Release

A. Purpose and Description of Services

1. Purpose

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is soliciting proposals from firms that have extensive demonstrated knowledge and experience that would enable them to provide specialized services to support the statewide launch of the new California Syndromic Surveillance Program (CalSyS). The Contractor is primarily responsible for:

a. Contributing to the CalSyS program launch, including leading strategic planning and the development of program roadmaps and timelines; supporting the development of program staffing structures, the delineation of duties and responsibilities, and new team member onboarding protocols, trainings, and supportive materials; developing program budget analyses and tracking and monitoring processes; adhering to state legislative and regulatory requirements; and creating standard operating procedures (SOPs) for specified program efforts (e.g., administration and maintenance of California’s chosen syndromic surveillance system); and developing program evaluation plans, goals, objectives, metrics, and processes;

b. Supporting the onboarding of hospital facilities to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Syndromic Surveillance Program’s (NSSP’s) BioSense platform through quality control and report validation to ensure adherence to reporting requirements; querying, mining, and manipulating syndromic surveillance (SyS) data to support the development of customized research data queries and canned research data sets; and provisioning SyS user access and trainings; and

c. Researching the capabilities, resources, requirements, and structures of SyS programs/systems in other states and jurisdictions to draft recommendations and requirements for the CalSyS program’s future expansion potential within a comprehensive CalSyS interoperability feasibility plan and report; provide high-level technical consultation regarding syndromic surveillance, informatics, and tools and resources that can be used to achieve CalSyS program goals (i.e., having a cost-effective statewide system that can be used to meet related reporting requirements and monitor emerging public health threats so that data-driven actions can be implemented as needed to promote health and wellness throughout communities in California).

This support will help facilitate the launch and establishment of the new CalSyS program and will facilitate the necessary accelerated onboarding of hospital emergency departments statewide to the CDC NSSP BioSense Platform and/or California’s identified syndromic surveillance system, enabling these facilities to meet new California legislation and regulation requirements, and providing CDPH and local health departments (LHDs) with timely access to critical comprehensive emergency department data and analytical tools that will increase state and local situational awareness; enhance preparedness and response efforts; and inform the program design, implementation, and evaluation of public health initiatives.

Proposals must address all the services described in Exhibit A entitled, “Scope of Work”.

CDPH intends to make a single contract award to the most responsive and responsible firm offering the highest scoring bid. This procurement is open to all eligible firms and/or individuals that meet the qualification requirements, including commercial businesses, nonprofit organizations, State or public universities (including auxiliary organizations) and other entities.

2. Background

Recognizing the critical value of SyS data for public health, CDPH recently established the CalSyS Program to launch California’s first statewide, centralized SyS system, which currently uses the CDC NSSP’s BioSense Platform. BioSense, which is offered for free and without licensing requirements from CDC to states and jurisdictions across the U.S., facilitates real-time submission of and access to Emergency Department (ED) and other healthcare data (e.g., inpatient) from General Acute Care Hospitals (GACHs), as well as other healthcare settings (e.g., urgent care centers), that can be leveraged to inform public health early detection, monitoring, and emergency response actions. Although CDPH has adopted the BioSense Platform to date, with support made avaialble via this contract, CDPH would like to pursue the option of developing an indepdent SyS system that could be used in place of BioSense, while continue to meet related federal reporting requirements.

Newly enacted legislation (CA Senate Bill 159, or SB-159) that became effective July 1, 2024, has officially authorized CDPH to develop and administer this statewide SyS program and requires all GACHs with EDs in California to submit syndromic data to the chosen SyS platform (CDC NSSP BioSense platform at this time). With the passage of this legislation and soon-to-be-finalized regulations that will define the terms of its implementation, there will be accelerated demand from California GACHs with EDs over the next three years for support from CDPH with onboarding to BioSense to ensure they are in compliance. This demand for CDPH support will necessitate a short-term increase in staffing resources for the CalSyS program beyond its state-funded staffing positions, including an increase in program management and coordination support and more capacity for report validation and research data and analytics assistance for hospitals and LHDs.

Built into BioSense is ESSENCE, the "Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-based Epidemics," which is a tool that allows public health professionals to analyze, visualize, and share research data from BioSense. Once hospitals across California are onboarded to the California portal on the CDC BioSense Platform, this centralized system with its built-in ESSENCE tool will provide a mechanism for state and local health officials to exchange, access, analyze, and interpret standardized research data that are comparable across jurisdictions and other states. In these ways, the CalSyS program will facilitate more timely and broader monitoring of population health, ultimately leading to more rapid and targeted disease control and illness and injury prevention strategies as well as increased situational awareness for public health response.

With the recent launch of CalSyS, CDPH is working to rapidly hire numerous new state-funded staffing positions to lead and implement the program in a permanent structure within the CDPH Center for Infectious Diseases (CID) Office of Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response (OIDPR). As such, CDPH is seeking consulting support to contribute to the launch of the new program and staffing team, including providing consultation on program development and strategic planning efforts, supporting the development of new team member onboarding protocols and supportive materials, developing new programmatic budget analyses and tracking processes, and creating standard operating procedures (SOPs) for core program implementation efforts.

With the expanded SyS research data newly available through BioSense, CDPH will also be required in a short period of time to provision access to these data for hundreds of new LHD, hospital, and CDPH program users, and to support these new users through the development of new training and technical assistance materials to enable them to learn how to run research data queries and build standardized BioSense reports. This contract will assist the CDPH CalSyS team in meeting the onboarding demands from California hospital EDs and also ensuring the program has sufficient capacity to provision California SyS data access to internal and external partners in a timely manner.

Finally, to inform planning and preparations for the future expansion needs of the CalSyS program, CDPH is seeking consultative support for the implementation of a SyS needs assessment and the development of a comprehensive interoperability feasibility plan and report to explore and outline California’s SyS potential beyond BioSense.

B. Time Schedule

Below is the tentative time schedule for this procurement.

Event Date Time (If applicable)

RFP Released Tuesday, October 14, 2025, by 3 PM (PT)

Deadline to Submit RFP Questions Thursday, October 23, 2025, by 3 PM (PT)

Responses to RFP Questions Posted Tuesday, November 4, 2025, by 5 PM (PT)

Mandatory Non-Binding Letter of Intent Friday, November 7, 2025, by 3 PM (PT)

Proposals Due Date Wednesday, November 12, 2025, by 3 PM

(PT)

Notice of Intent to Award Posted (Estimated) Wednesday, December 3, 2025, by 5 PM

(PT)

Protest Final Filing Date (Estimated) Wednesday, December 10, 2025, by 5 PM

(PT)

Estimated Contract Start Date Friday, January 2, 2026, or upon final DGS approval, whichever is later.

C. Contract Term and Funding Amount

The term of the resulting agreement is expected to be from January 2, 2026, or upon DGS final approval, whichever is later, to June 30, 2028. The agreement term may change if CDPH makes an award earlier than expected or if CDPH cannot execute the agreement in a timely manner due to unforeseen delays. CDPH reserves the right to extend the term via an amendment as necessary to complete or continue the services for up to one additional year, or for additional funding up to 30-percent of the contracted amount (not to exceed $250,000.00), pursuant to State Contracting Manual (SCM) Volume 1 § 5.81.A.1.b. Contract extensions are subject to satisfactory performance, funding availability, and possibly approval by the Department of General Services.

The resulting contract will be of no force or effect until it is signed by both parties and approved by the Department of General Services, if required. The Contractor is hereby advised not commence performance until all approvals have been obtained. If performance commences before all approvals are obtained, said services may be considered to have been volunteered if all approvals are not obtained.

The maximum amount allocated for these services will be $3,000,000.00 (***Three million dollars and zero cents***). Any proposals over this amount will be deemed non-responsive.

D. Reasonable Accommodations and Document Delivery Warning

1. Reasonable Accommodations

For individuals with disabilities, the Department will provide assistive services such as reading or writing assistance, and conversion of the Request for Proposal, questions/answers, RFP Addenda, or other Administrative Notices into Braille, large print, audiocassette, or computer disk. To request copies of written materials in an alternate format, please call the number below to arrange for reasonable accommodations.

Ravi Ayer Centralized Contracts Services Unit Program telephone number 916- 642-2474 (TTY) California Relay telephone number 711 - 1-800-735-2929

NOTE: The range of assistive services available may be limited if requestors cannot allow ten or more State working days prior to date the alternate format material is needed.

2. Document Delivery Warning

a. CDPH’s internal processing of U.S. mail may add 48 hours or more to the delivery time. If questions are mailed, consider using certified or registered mail and request a receipt upon delivery.

b. For hand deliveries, allow sufficient time to locate parking and to sign-in at the security desk. Please coordinate pickup with Ravi Ayer one business day before delivery by calling 916- 642-2474. If stopped at the security desk, ask security personnel to call Ravi Ayer at 916- 642-2474 to arrange for document pickup and receipt issuance.

c. Courier service personnel must sign-in at the security station and must obtain an access key card. Couriers will then be able to access pre-determined areas. If stopped at the security desk, ask security personnel to call Ravi Ayer at 916- 642-2474 to have appropriate staff collect the documents and issue a receipt.

E. Proposer Questions

Immediately notify CDPH if clarification is needed regarding the services sought or questions arise about the RFP and/or its accompanying materials, instructions, or requirements. Put the inquiry in writing and transmit it to CDPH as instructed below. At its discretion, CDPH reserves the right to contact an inquirer to seek clarification of any inquiry received.

Proposers that fail to report a known or suspected problem with the RFP and/or its accompanying materials or fail to seek clarification and/or correction of the RFP and/or its accompanying materials shall submit a proposal at their own risk. In addition, if awarded the contract, the successful Proposer shall not be entitled to additional compensation for any additional work caused by such problem, including any ambiguity, conflict, discrepancy, omission, or error.

Following the question submission deadline, CDPH will summarize all general questions and issues raised and post the responses to https://caleprocure.ca.gov/event/4265/25-10243.

If an inquiry appears to be unique to a single firm or is marked “Confidential”, CDPH will mail, email, or fax a response only to the inquirer if CDPH concurs with the Proposer’s claim that the inquiry is sensitive or proprietary in nature. If CDPH does not concur, the inquiry will be answered in the manner described herein and the Proposer will be so notified. Inquiries and/or responses that CDPH agrees should be held in confidence shall be held in confidence only until the Notice of Intent to Award is posted.

To the extent practical, inquiries shall remain as submitted. However, CDPH may consolidate and/or paraphrase similar or related inquiries.

1. What to include in an inquiry

a. Inquirer’s name, name of firm submitting the inquiry, mailing address, email address, and telephone number

b. A description of the subject or issue in question or discrepancy found.

c. RFP section, page number or other information useful in identifying the specific problem or issue in question.

d. Remedy sought, if any.

A prospective proposer that desires clarification about specific RFP requirements and/or whose inquiry relates to sensitive issues or proprietary aspects of a proposal may submit individual inquiries that are marked “Confidential”. The Inquirer must include with its inquiry an explanation as to why it believes questions marked “Confidential” are sensitive or surround a proprietary issue.

2. Question deadline

Regardless of delivery method, written inquiries must be received no later than the date and time stated in the section entitled, “Time Schedule.”

Notwithstanding the question submission deadline, CDPH will accept questions or inquiries about the following issues if such inquiries are received prior to the proposal submission deadline.

a. DVBE participation requirements and how to complete the DVBE attachments,

b. The reporting of RFP errors or irregularities.

3. How to submit questions

Submit inquiries using one of the following methods.

U.S. Mail, Hand Delivery or Overnight Express:

Email:

Questions RFP 25-10243 California Department of Public Health Kamilah Morton Centralized Contracts Services Unit

MS 1802

1616 Capitol Avenue Sacramento, CA 95814

Subject: Questions RFP 25-10243 California Department of Public Health Kamilah Morton Centralized Contracts Services Unit Email: kamilah.morton@cdph.ca.gov

4. Verbal Questions

Verbal inquiries are discouraged. CDPH reserves the right not to accept or respond to verbal inquiries. Verbal remarks provided in response to inquiries are unofficial and are not binding on CDPH unless later confirmed in writing.

Direct all requests for DVBE assistance to CDPH’s SB/DVBE up to the proposal deadline:

Terry Thomas sbdvbe@cdph.ca.gov

5. Pre-Proposal Conference

No Pre-Proposal Conference will be held.

F. Mandatory Non-Binding Letter of Intent

1. General information

Prospective proposers that intend to submit a proposal are required to indicate their intention to submit a proposal. Failure to submit the mandatory Letter of Intent will result in proposal rejection. The mandatory Letter of Intent is not binding, and prospective proposers are not required to submit a proposal merely because a Letter of Intent is submitted. Use the Letter of Intent (Attachment 1) for this purpose.

2. Submitting the Letter of Intent

Regardless of delivery method, the mandatory Letter of Intent must be received by the date and time stated in the section entitled, “Time Schedule.”

Submit the Letter of Intent using one of the following methods.

U.S. Mail, Hand Delivery or Overnight Express:

Email:

Letter of Intent RFP 25-10243 California Department of Public Health Kamilah Morton Centralized Contracts Services Unit

MS 1802

1616 Capitol Avenue Sacramento, CA 95814

Subject: Letter of Intent RFP 25-10243 California Department of Public Health Kamilah Morton Centralized Contracts Services Unit Email: kamilah.morton@cdph.ca.gov

G. Scope of Work

See Exhibit A entitled, “Scope of Work” that is included in the Sample Contract Forms and Exhibits section of this RFP. Exhibit A contains a detailed description of the services and work to be performed as a result of this procurement. This can be found alongside this solicitation within the file named “Sample Agreement and Exhibits” at https://caleprocure.ca.gov/event/4265/25- 10243.

H. Deliverables-Based Agreement The Contract resulting from this Solicitation is deliverable-based and utilizes a unit rate approach as described in SCM V1 § 7.30. The resulting contract will follow applicable Public Contract Code (PCC) provisions, including but not limited to PCC § 10371(c), which states that, “[e]ach state agency shall, prior to signing a consulting services contract totaling five thousand dollars ($5,000) or more, prepare detailed criteria and a mandatory progress schedule for the performance of the contract and shall require each selected contractor to provide a detailed analysis of the costs of performing the contract.”

I. Use of GenAI The State of California seeks to realize the potential benefits of GenAI, through the development and deployment of GenAI tools, while balancing the risks of these new technologies.

Bidder / Offeror must notify the State in writing if it: (1) intends to provide GenAI as a deliverable to the State; or (2), intends to utilize GenAI, including GenAI from third parties, to complete all or a portion of any deliverable that materially impacts: (i) functionality of a State system, (ii) risk to the State, or (iii) Contract performance. For avoidance of doubt, the term “materially impacts” shall have the meaning set forth in State Administrative Manual (SAM) § 4986.2 Definitions for GenAI.

Failure to report GenAI to the State may result in disqualification. The State reserves the right to seek any and all relief to which it may be entitled to as a result of such non-disclosure.

Upon notification by a Bidder / Offeror of GenAI as required, the State reserves the right to incorporate GenAI Special Provisions into the final contract or reject bids/offers that present an unacceptable level of risk to the State.

Government Code 11549.64 defines “Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)” as an artificial intelligence system that can generate derived synthetic content, including text, images, video, and audio that emulates the structure and characteristics of the system’s training data.

J. Qualification Requirements

Failure to meet the following requirements by the proposal submission deadline will be grounds for CDPH to deem a proposer nonresponsive. Evaluators may choose not to thoroughly review or score proposals that fail to meet these requirements. In submitting a proposal, each proposer must certify and prove that it possesses the following qualification requirements.

1. At least three (3) consecutive years of experience of the type(s) listed below. All experience must have occurred within the past five (5) years. It is possible to attain the experience types listed below during the same time period. Proposers must have experience:

a. Contributing to coordination of program development and leading strategic planning services, including defining program objectives, developing recommendations and strategic roadmaps, and establishing clear roles and responsibilities to enhance program effectiveness

b. Developing new budget analysis and tracking processes

c. Developing and implementing communication strategies to engage key stakeholders across entities, facilitating smooth communication, and promoting shared objectives

d. Mentoring junior staff and fostering the development of technical and leadership capabilities within teams

e. Facilitating the collaborative development of program charters, vision statements, and branding

f. Evaluating the progress of programs against key performance indicators and recommending adjustments to meet strategic objectives

g. Establishing customer service and communication best practice protocols and standards

h. Developing policies, procedures, and best practices for reporting quality control and validation

i. Creating standard operating procedures (SOPs) for core program implementation efforts, analytics, and research data processes

j. Utilizing tools like SQL, R, Python, SAS, Tableau, and Power BI for research data processing, quality analysis, and visualizations

k. Developing educational materials and providing technical assistance for customers and stakeholders.

l. Strategically overseeing reporting quality assurance and control efforts, focusing on process improvement initiatives to enhance reliability and effectiveness;

m. Identifying and addressing barriers to achieving long-term research data integration and analytics goals

n. Developing customized research data queries and canned research data reports, and using these to build visual dashboards

o. Consulting on the comparative analytical and integration capabilities, use cases, and interoperability needs of cloud-based research data warehousing and analytics software such as Snowflake and Data Bricks

p. Performing comprehensive needs assessments, presenting related feasibility findings and recommendations, and developing final plan and reports

2. Proposers must certify they have read and are willing to comply with all proposed terms and conditions addressed in the RFP section entitled, “Contract Terms and Conditions”, including the terms appearing in the referenced contract exhibits.

3. Proposers must achieve actual Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) participation.

Detailed requirements are outlined in Attachment 14 (DVBE Instructions/Forms). This requirement applies if the total cost or price offered equals $5,000 or more. Participation must meet or exceed 3-percent of the total proposed cost.

4. Corporations must certify they are in good standing and qualified to conduct business in California.

5. Nonprofit organizations must certify their eligibility to claim nonprofit status.

6. Proposers must have a past record of sound business integrity and a history of being responsive to past contractual obligations.

7. Proposers must certify they are financially stable and solvent and have adequate cash reserves to meet all financial obligations while awaiting reimbursement from the State.

California Law requires Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) participation. CDPH policies require DVBE participation of 3-percent on all contracts exceeding $5,000. All Proposers, including out-of-state firms, must comply with California’s DVBE participation requirements. Proposals without a minimum 3-percent participation from a DVBE Certified prime or subcontractor will be deemed non-responsive.

8. Proposers must certify their proposal response is not in violation of the requirements of the Darfur Contracting Act of 2008, Public Contract Code Sections 10475, et seq.; Stats. 2008, Ch 272.

9. Proposers must certify their proposal response is not in violation of Public Contract Code (PCC) Section 10365.5 and, if applicable, must identify previous consultant services contracts that are related in any manner to the services, goods, or supplies being acquired in this solicitation.

Detailed requirements are outlined in Attachment 17.

10. The winning Proposer must supply, before contract execution, proof of liability insurance that meets the requirements of Section 5 of Exhibit E entitled, Additional Provisions. This can be found alongside this solicitation within the file named “Sample Agreement and Exhibits” at https://caleprocure.ca.gov/event/4265/25-10243.

11. Proposers must agree to contain their indirect costs at a percentage rate not to exceed 20% of the total amount.

12. Proposers must certify and submit proof that no prohibited conflict of interest exists in Attachment 19.

K. Proposal Format and Content Requirements

1. General instructions

a. Each firm or individual may submit only one proposal.

For the purposes of this paragraph, “firm” includes a parent corporation of a firm and any other subsidiary of that parent corporation. If a firm or individual submits more than one proposal, CDPH will reject all proposals submitted by that firm or individual.

A firm or individual proposing to act as a prime contractor may be named as a subcontractor in another Proposer’s proposal. Similarly, more than one proposer may use the same subcontractors and/or independent consultants.

b. Develop proposals by following all RFP instructions and/or clarifications issued by CDPH in the form of question-and-answer notices, clarification notices, Administrative Bulletins or RFP addenda.

c. Before submitting a proposal, seek timely written clarification of any requirements or instructions that are believed to be vague, unclear or that are not fully understood.

d. In preparing a proposal response, all narrative portions should be straightforward, detailed and precise. CDPH will determine the responsiveness of a proposal by its quality, not its volume, packaging or colored displays.

e. Arrange for the timely delivery of the proposal package(s) to the address specified in this RFP. Do not delay until shortly before the deadline to submit the proposal.

2. Format requirements

a. Submit one (1) original proposal and two (2) copies or sets.

1) Write “Original” on the original proposal set.

2) Each proposal set must be complete with a copy of all required attachments and documentation.

b. Format the narrative portion of the proposal as follows:

1) Use one-inch margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.

2) Use a font size of not less than 12 points.

3) Print pages single-sided on white bond paper.

4) Sequentially paginate the pages in each section. It is not necessary to paginate items in the Forms Section or Appendix Section.

c. Bind each proposal set in a way that enables easy page removal. Loose leaf or three-ring binders are acceptable.

d. All RFP attachments that require a signature must be signed in ink, preferably in blue ink, or via e-signature.

1) Have a person who is authorized to bind the proposing firm sign each RFP attachment that requires a signature. Signature stamps are not acceptable.

2) Place the originally signed attachments in the proposal set marked “Original”.

3) The RFP attachments and other documentation placed in the extra proposal sets may reflect photocopied signatures.

e. Do not mark any portion of the proposal response, any RFP attachment, or other item of required documentation as “Confidential” or “Proprietary”. CDPH will disregard any language purporting to render all or portions of a proposal confidential.

3. Content requirements

This section specifies the order and content of each proposal. Assemble the materials in each proposal set in the following order:

a. Proposal Cover Page

A person authorized to bind the Proposer must sign the Proposal Cover Page (Attachment 2). If the proposer is a corporation, a person authorized by the Board of Directors to sign on behalf of the Board must sign the Proposal Cover Page.

b. Table of Contents

Properly identify each section and the contents therein. Paginate all items in each section with the exception of those items placed in the Forms Section and Appendix Section.

c. Executive Summary Section

This section must not exceed three (3) pages in length. Evaluators may not review or evaluate excess pages.

In preparing the Executive Summary, do not simply restate or paraphrase information in this RFP. Describe or demonstrate, in the Proposer’s own words, the following information.

1) An understanding of CDPH’s needs and the importance of this project.

2) The tangible results that are expected to be achieved.

3) A sincere commitment to perform the scope of work in an efficient and timely manner.

4) How this project will be effectively integrated into the proposing firm’s current obligations and existing workload.

5) Why the proposing firm should be chosen to undertake this work at this time.

d. Agency Capability Section

This section must not exceed ten (10) pages in length, outside of the forms detailed in this section. Evaluators may not review or evaluate excess pages.

1) Include a brief history of the proposing firm, including:

a) Date of establishment. If applicable, explain any changes in business history (i.e., name change, ownership, partnership arrangements, etc.) or organizational structure that will assist CDPH in determining the qualifications of the proposing firm.

b) A description of the proposing firm’s goals that are relevant, closely related, or will complement this project.

2) Describe experience that qualifies the proposing firm to undertake this project. At a minimum, demonstrate the proposing firm possesses three consecutive years of experience of the types listed in this section. All experience must have occurred within the past five years. It is possible to attain the experience types listed below during the same time period. Proposers must have experience:

a) Contributing to coordination of program development and leading strategic planning services, including defining program objectives, developing recommendations and strategic roadmaps, and establishing clear roles and responsibilities to enhance program effectiveness

b) Developing new budget analysis and tracking processes.

c) Developing and implementing communication strategies to engage key stakeholders across entities, facilitating smooth communication, and promoting shared objectives.

d) Mentoring junior staff and fostering the development of technical and leadership capabilities within teams.

e) Facilitating the collaborative development of program charters, vision statements, and branding.

f) Evaluating the progress of programs against key performance indicators and recommending adjustments to meet strategic objectives.

g) Establishing customer service and communication best practice protocols and standards.

h) Developing policies, procedures, and best practices for reporting quality control and validation.

i) Creating standard operating procedures (SOPs) for core program implementation efforts, analytics, and research data processes

j) Utilizing tools like SQL, R, Python, SAS, Tableau, and Power BI for research data processing, quality analysis, and visualizations

k) Developing and implementing communication strategies to engage key stakeholders across entities, facilitating smooth communication, and promoting shared objectivesStrategically overseeing reporting quality assurance and control efforts, focusing on process improvement initiatives to enhance reliability and effectiveness;

l) Identifying and addressing barriers to achieving long-term research data integration and analytics goals

m) Developing customized research data queries and canned research data reports, and using these to build visual dashboards

n) Consulting on the comparative analytical and integration capabilities, use cases, and interoperability needs of cloud-based research data warehousing and analytics software such as Snowflake and Data Bricks

o) Performing comprehensive needs assessments, presenting related feasibility findings and recommendations, and developing final plan and reports

3) Using Attachment 3 found at https://caleprocure.ca.gov/event/4265/25-10243, describe the accounts or work projects begun and/or completed in the past three years that involved services similar in nature or closely related to the Scope of Work in this RFP. For each account or project listed, include the following information:

a) Name of agency or firm for whom services were performed,

b) Duration or length of the project,

c) Total cost or value of the project,

d) Indicate if the account or project is “active/open” or “closed/settled”,

e) Describe briefly the type and nature of the services performed.

4) Briefly describe any experience that demonstrates the proposing firm’s ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with government entities, local community-based organizations, and private nonprofit organizations.

5) Identify three client references that the proposing firm has serviced in the past five years that can confirm their satisfaction with the services and confirm if the proposing firm provided timely and effective services or deliverables. Use the Client References form (Attachment 4) for this purpose. Place the completed Client References form in the Forms Section of the proposal.

e. . Project Personnel Section

This section must not exceed five (5) pages in length, outside of the forms, documents, and resumes detailed in this section. Evaluators may not review or evaluate excess pages.

1) In this section, describe the proposed staffing plan using Attachment 5 found at https://caleprocure.ca.gov/event/4265/25-10243. In the staffing plan, include at a minimum:

a) Position titles for all proposed employees (persons on the proposing firm’s payroll).

b) Number of personnel in each position.

c) By position, indicate the full time equivalent (FTE) or percentage of staff time devoted to this project (e.g., full time = 1.0, 1/2 time = .50, 3/4 time = .75, 1/4 time = .25, projected number of hours, if hourly, etc.).

d) Monthly salary rate or wage range for each position title. It is the Proposer’s responsibility to project annual merit increases and/or cost of living increases into each wage rate.

Note: Salary rates paid to contract staff should not normally exceed the rates paid to State personnel holding comparable classifications or performing duties with a comparable level of responsibility. CDPH reserves the right to require substantiation of any proposed cost of living percentage/rate increase that exceeds those anticipated to be granted to California state civil service employees during the resulting contract term. CDPH further reserves the right to negotiate a lower cost of living percentage increase/amount if CDPH determines the proposed cost of living percentage/rate increase is less than fully justified or is excessive.

e) Identify by name and/or position title, each key staff person that will have primary responsibility for managing, directing, overseeing and/or coordinating the work of assigned staff, subcontractors and/or independent consultants and who will maintain effective communications with CDPH (i.e., Project or Program Manager, Project or Program Director, Contract Manager, etc.).

i. Briefly, describe each person’s expertise, capabilities, and credentials.

ii. Emphasize any relevant past experience in directing, overseeing, coordinating, or managing other government projects.

f) Include a job description or duty statement for each position title or classification that will perform work under this project. The job descriptions must indicate the typical tasks and responsibilities that will be assigned to the position and may include desired or required education and experience. If extra space is needed, please place all job descriptions or duty statements at the end of the Project Personnel Section.

2) Include a one to two (1-2) page resume for each key staff person (professional, managerial or supervisory) that will exercise a major administrative, policy, or consulting role in carrying out the project work. Place staff resumes in the Appendix Section. To the extent possible, resumes should not include personal information such as a social security number, home address, home telephone number, marital status, sex, birth date, age, etc.

3) Briefly, describe the administrative policies or procedures will be used to ensure that the proposing firm will recruit and select well-qualified, competent, and experienced in-house staff, subcontractors and/or independent consultants.

a) If employee recruitment/selection policies or procedures are present in an operations manual, Proposers may cite excerpts from such manuals. Do not simply indicate that such policies exist and do not attach copies of any policies or manuals to the proposal. If deemed necessary, CDPH may request copies of the Proposer’s existing manuals or policies.

4) Briefly, describe the processes or procedures that will be used to ensure that vacancies are filled expeditiously and that services are continued despite the presence of vacancies.

5) If subcontractors (including independent consultants) will be used to perform contract services, proposers must do the following at the time of proposal submission:

a) Indicate if the Proposer has pre-identified any firms/persons to perform the work or if the Proposer will recruit them later.

i. For each pre-identified subcontractor and independent consultant include:

A. Full legal name.

B. A job description or duty statement that outlines the duties and functional responsibilities that will be assigned to the subcontracted firm or independent consultant.

C. A brief explanation as to why the subcontracted firm or independent consultant was chosen. Stress things such as applicable skills, knowledge, capabilities, past experience or accomplishments, availability, reasonableness of rates, notoriety in a field or specialty, etc.

D. A one to two (1-2) page resume for each pre-identified subcontractor and independent consultant. Place all subcontractor and/or consultant resumes in the Appendix Section. To the extent possible, resumes should not include personal information such as a social security number, home address, home telephone number, marital status, sex, birth date, age, etc.

E. A letter of agreement, signed by an official representative of each subcontracted firm or independent consultant. Place all subcontractor and/or consultant letters of agreement in the Appendix Section.

Specific subcontractor and/or independent consultant relationships proposed in response to this RFP (i.e., identification of pre-identified subcontractors and independent consultants) shall not be changed during the procurement process or prior to contract execution. The pre-identification of a subcontractor or independent consultant does not affect CDPH’s right to approve personnel or staffing selections or changes made after the contract award.

ii. For subcontractors and/or independent consultants that cannot be identified when the proposal is submitted to CDPH or are to be determined (TBD) after the contract is executed, include:

A. An identification of the functions, activities, and responsibilities that will be assigned to each subcontractor and/or independent consultant.

B. A description of the process that will be used to obtain CDPH approval of each subcontractor and/or independent consultant selection along with approval of their budgeted costs and assigned responsibilities.

f. Work Plan Section

This section must not exceed twenty (20) pages in length. Evaluators may not review or evaluate excess pages.

1) Overview

a) CDPH is interested in proposals that provide well-organized, comprehensive, and technically sound business solutions. Vague explanations will undermine the proposing firm’s credibility and will result in reduced proposal scores.

b) The Work Plan must include an in-depth discussion and description of the methods, approaches, and step-by-step actions that will be carried out to fulfill all Scope of Work requirements.

c) If the nature of a task or function hinders specific delineation of in-depth methods and procedures (e.g., a task is dependent upon a future action or multiple approaches may be used), explain the probable methods, approaches, or procedures that will be used to accomplish the task or function. Also, describe, in this instance, how the proposing firm will propose the ultimate strategies and detailed plans to CDPH for full consideration and approval before proceeding to carry out the project.

2) Rejection of tasks, activities or functions

a) If full funding does not become available, is reduced, or CDPH determines that it does not need all of the services described in this RFP; CDPH reserves the right to offer an amended contract for reduced services.

b) If the Work Plan contains proposed methods or approaches; functions, tasks, or activities known by CDPH to be ineffective or determined to be unacceptable, CDPH reserves the right to require the substitution of comparable items that can be performed at the same or similar cost.

3) Work Plan content

a) Briefly, explain or describe the overall approach and/or methods that will be used to accomplish the scope of work.

a) Explain why the particular approaches and methods that are proposed were chosen (e.g., proven success or past effectiveness, etc.).

b) If applicable, explain what is unique, creative, or innovative about the proposed approaches and/or methods.

c) If any major complications or delays are envisioned at any stage of performance, describe those complications or delays and include a proposed strategy for overcoming those issues. Likewise, indicate if no major complications or delays are anticipated.

d) If, for any reason, the Work Plan does not wholly address each Scope of Work (SOW) requirement, fully explain each omission. Likewise, indicate if the Work Plan contains no omissions.

e) Indicate the assumptions made in developing the Work Plan in response to CDPH’s Scope of Work. For each assumption listed, explain the reasoning or rationale that led to each assumption. Likewise, indicate if no assumptions were made.

f) If applicable, identify any additional Contractor and/or State responsibilities that were included in the Work Plan that are believed to be necessary to ensure successful performance, but were omitted from CDPH’s Scope of Work. Likewise, indicate if no additional Contractor and/or State responsibilities, outside of those identified in CDPH’s SOW were included in the Work Plan.

g) Identify the specific tasks/activities and functions that will be performed in the order they are likely to occur. Include the following in-depth information for each task/activity or function in the work plan:

i. Indicate who will have primary responsibility for performing each major task/activity or function.