25-8347_Solicitation.pdf

COLLIER COUNTY

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

INVITATION TO NEGOTIATE (ITN)

FOR

COMPREHENSIVE VETERINARY SERVICES

SOLICITATION NO.: 25-8347

BARBARA LANCE, PROCUREMENT STRATEGIST

PROCUREMENT SERVICES DIVISION

3295 TAMIAMI TRAIL EAST, BLDG C-2

NAPLES, FLORIDA 34112

TELEPHONE: (239) 252-8998

Barbara.Lance@colliercountyfl.gov (Email)

This solicitation document is prepared in a Microsoft Word format (Rev 8/7/2017). Any alterations to this document made by the Vendor may be grounds for rejection of proposal, cancellation of any subsequent award, or any other legal remedies available to the Collier County Government.

SOLICITATION PUBLIC NOTICE

INVITATION TO NEGOTIATE (ITN)

NUMBER:

25-8347

PROJECT TITLE: COMPREHENSIVE VETERINARY SERVICES

LOCATION: PROCUREMENT SERVICES DIVISION, CONFERENCE ROOM A, 3295

TAMIAMI TRAIL EAST, BLDG C-2, NAPLES, FLORIDA 34112

ITN OPENING DAY/DATE/TIME: JANUARY 20, 2025, AT 3:00 PM EST

PLACE OF ITN OPENING: PROCUREMENT SERVICES DIVISION

3295 TAMIAMI TRAIL EAST, BLDG C-2

NAPLES, FL 34112

All proposals shall be submitted online via the Collier County Procurement Services Division Online Bidding System:

https://procurement.opengov.com

INTRODUCTION

As requested by the Domestic Animal Services Division (hereinafter, the “Division”), the Collier County Board of County

Commissioners Procurement Services Division (hereinafter, “County”) has issued this Invitation to Negotiate (hereinafter, “ITN”) with the intent of obtaining proposals from interested and qualified vendors in accordance with the terms, conditions and specifications stated or attached. The vendor, at a minimum, must achieve the requirements of the Specifications or Scope of Work stated.

The purpose of this Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) is to solicit proposals from qualified entities for the provision of comprehensive veterinary services. The purpose of this ITN is to solicit proposals from qualified veterinary service providers to support the needs of the Collier County Domestic Animal Services (DAS) Center, or to provide a provision for animal transport to the provider’s facility for specific veterinary services not available at the DAS Center.

BACKGROUND

Collier County Domestic Animal Services (DAS) seeks a qualified veterinary partner to manage and oversee veterinary care for all animals housed at DAS. This partnership aims to ensure a consistent, high standard of medical care for DAS animals, including dogs, cats, small furries, reptiles, and, if possible, livestock.

Animal Intake and Anticipated Caseload.

Operational scale:

• In 2023, DAS took in 5,463 animals. (2,087 dogs; 3,102 cats; 274 other including livestock, reptiles and small furries)

• In 2022, DAS took in 4,964 animals. (1,998 dogs; 2,681 cats; 285 other including livestock, reptiles and small furries)

TERM OF CONTRACT

The contract term, if an award(s) is/are made is intended to be for three (3) years with two (2) one (1) year renewal options.

Prices shall remain firm for the initial term of this contract.

Surcharges will not be accepted in conjunction with this contract, and such charges should be incorporated into the pricing structure.

DETAILED SCOPE OF WORK

A. Scope of Services

The veterinary service provider(s) will be responsible for the provision of veterinary services on behalf of Collier County

DAS.

I. Veterinary Staffing and Hours

• At least one Shelter Veterinarian:

o Time/Shift: Seven (7) days a week, eight (8) Hour Shifts.

o Requirements: Responsible for overseeing all medical care and treatment for all animals (dogs, cats, small furries, reptiles, etc.). This position will work with the existing Veterinarian if desired. DAS is open to a https://procurement.opengov.com/ management model where the Proposer trains and supervises DAS’s existing veterinarian, expediting the staffing process.

• At least one Surgical Veterinarian:

o Time/Shift: Three (3) to four (4) days a week (eight (8)-hour shifts) o Requirement: To focus on surgeries, which could include spay/neuter procedures, medical surgeries, etc.

• Veterinary Technicians: DAS currently employs four (4) veterinary technicians.

o Time/Shift: Technicians would work four (4) days a week (ten (10)-hour shifts each). Two (2) technicians are scheduled each day, with some crossover.

o Requirements: Two (2) are full time employees and two are temporary. These techs can either remain as

DAS employees under the proposer’s supervision or be fully absorbed into the proposer’s staffing plan, or even reassigned. The role would include assisting with exams, treatments, surgeries, and daily animal care.

DAS is open to a management model where the Proposer trains and supervises DAS’s existing veterinary technicians, expediting the staffing process.

• Clinic Supervisor:

o Time/Shift: Full-time; Five (5) days a week (eight (8) hour shifts) o Requirement: Would manage clinic operations, scheduling inventory control, and communication between DAS and the Proposer for medical supply ordering, ensuring smooth day-to-day functions.

II. Services Required

• Veterinary care must be provided for all animals taken in by DAS, including dogs, cats, small furries, and reptiles.

• Review and develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for all clinic processes to ensure consistency and efficiency.

• Discuss potential veterinary care for livestock, as DAS is required to take in livestock. This care could either be provided by the Proposer or managed by an external specialist (subcontractor).

• Rotations for on-call doctors to approve after-hours medical treatments and make euthanasia decisions for animals brought to emergency hospitals by field officers.

• On-call veterinary technicians after hours to assist with foster animal care support.

III. Surgeries and Medical Procedures

• Routine health assessments

• Vaccinations and preventative care

• Emergency and urgent care services

• Spay and neuter services

• Surgical procedures

• Microchipping

• Diagnostic testing and treatments

• Specialty services, as needed

• Animal wellness programs

• Additional veterinary services required by Collier County DAS

Veterinary services may be provided directly at the DAS Center or through an arrangement for animal transport to the provider's facility, if certain procedures cannot be performed at the DAS Center. The provider must have the ability to transport animals safely to their facility or provide necessary arrangements to ensure the safe and humane transport of animals for care.

INVITATION TO NEGOTIATE (ITN) PROCESS

1.1 The Proposers will submit proposal which will be scored based on the criteria in Grading Criteria for Development of

Shortlist, which will be the basis for short-listing the vendors.

The Proposers will need to meet the minimum requirements outlined herein in order for their proposal to be evaluated and scored by the COUNTY. The COUNTY will then grade and rank to at least the top three short-listed vendors and enter into negotiations with the top ranked vendor or multiple vendors to establish cost for the services needed. The COUNTY reserves the right to issue an invitation for oral presentations to obtain additional information after grading and before the final ranking. With successful negotiations, a contract will be developed with the selected firm, based on the negotiated price and/or scope of services and submitted for approval by the Board of County Commissioners.

1.2 The COUNTY will use a Selection Committee in the ITN selection process.

1.3 The intent of the scoring of the proposal is for respondents to indicate their interest, relevant experience, financial capability, staffing and organizational structure.

1.4 The intent of the oral presentations, if deemed necessary, is to provide the vendors with a venue where they can conduct discussions with the Selection Committee to clarify questions and concerns before providing a final rank.

1.5 Based upon a review of the proposals, the COUNTY will rank the Proposers based on the discussion and clarifying questions on their approach and related criteria, and then negotiate with one or more vendors as authorized in Section 11, Paragraph 7 of County Procurement Ordinance Number 2017-08.

1.6 The COUNTY reserves the right to negotiate any element of the proposals in the best interest of the COUNTY.

GRADING CRITERIA FOR RANKING PROPOSALS:

1.7 For the development of a shortlist, this evaluation criterion will be utilized by the COUNTY’S Selection Committee to score each proposal. Proposers are encouraged to keep their submittals concise and to include a minimum of marketing materials. Proposals must address the following criteria:

Evaluation Criteria Maximum Points

1. Cover Letter / Experience and qualification of the service provider 20 Points

2. Certified Woman and/or Minority Business Enterprise 5 Points

3. Quality and Scope of Veterinary Services Offered including Provider’s commitment to animal 25 Points welfare and industry best practices

4. Compliance with all relevant state and federal regulations, including DEA licensing 15 Points

5. Cost – effectiveness and proposed pricing 25 Points

6. Local Vendor Preference 10 Points

TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS 100 Points

Tie Breaker: In the event of a tie at final ranking, award shall be made to the proposer with the lower volume of work previously awarded. Volume of work shall be calculated based upon total dollars paid to the proposer in the twenty-four

(24) months prior to the RFP submittal deadline. Payment information will be retrieved from the County’s financial system of record. The tie breaking procedure is only applied in the final ranking step of the selection process and is invoked by the

Procurement Services Division Director or designee. In the event a tie still exists, selection will be determined based on random selection by the Procurement Services Director before at least three (3) witnesses.

Each criterion and methodology for scoring is further described below.

EVALUATION CRITERIA NO. 1: COVER LETTER / EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS OF THE

SERVICE PROVIDER (20 Total Points Available)

Provide a cover letter, signed by an authorized officer of the firm, indicating the underlying philosophy of the firm in providing the services stated herein. Include the name(s), telephone number(s) and email(s) of the authorized contact person(s) concerning proposal. Submission of a signed Proposal is Vendor's certification that the Vendor will accept any awards as a result of this ITN.

Proposer must include the following but not limited to:

• Provide a statement of relevant experience. The proposer should thoroughly describe, in the form of a narrative, its experience and success as well as the experience and success of its subcontractors, if applicable, in providing and/or supporting the proposed solution.

• List proposer’s qualifications for meeting the requirements outlined in the scope.

• Elaborate on proposer’s ability to provide timely and efficient services, including transport, if necessary. Details on transport capabilities, including how animals will be safely transferred to the provider's facility if necessary.

• Explain provider’s commitment to animal welfare and industry best practices.

• Provide a written plan for meeting Collier County’s standard and requirements for animal care.

EVALUATION CRITERIA NO. 2: CERTIFIED WOMAN AND/OR MINORITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISE (5

Total Points Available)

Submit certification with the Florida Department of Management Service, Office of Supplier Diversity as a Certified Woman and/or Minority Business Enterprise.

EVALUATION CRITERIA NO. 3: QUALITY AND SCOPE OF VETERINARY SERVICES OFFERED

INCLUDING PROVIDER’S COMMITMENT TO ANIMAL WELFARE AND INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICES (25

Total Points Available)

In this criteria, include but not limited to:

• Proposer to provide the quality and scope of veterinary services offered (a list of proposed veterinary services available at the DAS Center or provider’s facility).

• Elaborate on how the proposer represents and guarantees that it possesses the knowledge, skill, experience and capability required to provide and perform all goods and services detailed in the scope of work; that each person that will provide goods or services is duly qualified to perform such services by all appropriate governmental authorities, where required, and is sufficiently experienced and skilled in the area(s) for which such person or entity will render such goods or services;

• Proposer guarantees that all professional services shall be performed to the highest professional standards in the field.

• Explain how proposer can adhere to the industry’s best practices.

• Expand on the proposer’s ability to timely and efficient services, including transport, if necessary.

EVALUATION CRITERIA NO. 4: COMPLIANCE WITH ALL RELEVANT STATE AND FEDERAL

REGULATIONS, INCLUDING DEA LICENSING (15 Total Points Available)

In this criteria, include but not limited to:

• The proposer must also possess and provide the necessary Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) license to handle and administer controlled substances used for veterinary procedures at the DAS Center.

• The successful provider must comply with all applicable state and federal regulations regarding the storage, administration, and disposal of controlled substances.

The County requests that the vendor submits no fewer than three (3) and no more than ten (10) completed reference forms from clients (during the last 5 years) whose projects are of a similar nature to this solicitation as a part of their proposal. Provide information on the projects completed by the vendor that best represent projects of similar size, scope and complexity of this project using form provided in Form 5. Vendors may include two (2) additional pages for each project to illustrate aspects of the completed project that provides the information to assess the experience of the Proposer on relevant project work.

EVALUATION CRITERIA NO. 5: COST-EFFECTIVNESS AND PROPOSED PRICING (25 Total Points

Available)

In this criteria, provide the hourly rate for the following positions:

Position Hourly Rate

Shelter Veterinarian $

Surgical Veterinarian $

Veterinary Technician $

Clinic Supervisor $

EVALUATION CRITERIA NO. 6: LOCAL VENDOR PREFERENCE (10 Total Points Available)

Local business is defined as the vendor having a current Business Tax Receipt issued by the Collier or Lee County Tax

Collector prior to proposal submission to do business within Collier County, and that identifies the business with a permanent physical business address located within the limits of Collier or Lee County from which the vendor’s staff operates and performs business in an area zoned for the conduct of such business.