5400026574 Amendment 2.pdf

SAP

State of South Carolina

Request for Proposal Amendment 2

Solicitation:

Date Issued:

Procurement Officer:

E-Mail Address:

Mailing Address:

5400026574 03/15/2024 Shannon Hicks hickssc@dhec.sc.gov

SC DHEC

Attn: Procurement Services Division 301 Gervais Street, 4th Floor Columbia SC 29201-3073

DESCRIPTION: LEAD TESTING

USING GOVERNMENTAL UNIT: SC Dept of Health & Environmental Control

SUBMIT YOUR OFFER ON-LINE AT THE FOLLOWING URL: http://www.procurement.sc.gov SUBMIT OFFER BY (Opening Date/Time): 03/28/2024 04/04/2024 2:30 PM ET (See "Deadline For Submission Of Offer" provision) QUESTIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY: DEADLINE HAS PASSED (See "Questions From Offerors" provision) NUMBER OF COPIES TO BE SUBMITTED: Online Submission Preferred CONFERENCE TYPE: Non-Mandatory Prebid Conference

DATE & TIME: 03/06/2024 11:30 AM ET

(As appropriate, see "Conferences - Pre-Bid/Proposal" & "Site Visit" provisions)

LOCATION: Microsoft Teams (online) Email Shannon Hicks for meeting access instructions, no later than 4:00 PM ET, 03/05/2024. hickssc@dhec.sc.gov

AWARD &

AMENDMENTS

Award will be posted on 05/28/2024. The award, this solicitation, any amendments, and any related notices will be posted at the following web address: http://www.procurement.sc.gov

You must submit a signed copy of this form with Your Offer. By signing, You agree to be bound by the terms of the Solicitation. You agree to hold Your Offer open for a minimum of thirty (30) calendar days after the Opening Date. (See "Signing Your Offer" provision.)

NAME OF OFFEROR

(full legal name of business submitting the offer)

Any award issued will be issued to, and the contract will be formed with, the entity identified as the Offeror. The entity named as the offeror must be a single and distinct legal entity. Do not use the name of a branch office or a division of a larger entity if the branch or division is not a separate legal entity, i.e., a separate corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, etc.

AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE

(Person must be authorized to submit binding offer to contract on behalf of Offeror.)

DATE SIGNED

TITLE

(business title of person signing above)

STATE VENDOR NO.

(Register to Obtain S.C. Vendor No. at www.procurement.sc.gov)

PRINTED NAME

(printed name of person signing above)

STATE OF INCORPORATION

(If you are a corporation, identify the state of incorporation.)

OFFEROR'S TYPE OF ENTITY: (Check one) (See "Signing Your Offer" provision.)

___ Sole Proprietorship ___ Partnership ___ Other_____________________________

___ Corporate entity (not tax-exempt) ___ Corporation (tax-exempt) ___ Government entity (federal, state, or local)

COVER PAGE - ON-LINE ONLY (MAR. 2015)

http://www.procurement.sc.gov/ mailto:hickssc@dhec.sc.gov http://www.procurement.sc.gov/

AMENDMENT TWO

Solicitation No. 5400026574

DESCRIPTION: LEAD TESTING

AMENDMENTS TO SOLICITION (JAN 2004)

(a) The Solicitation may be amended at any time prior to opening. All actual and prospective Offerors should monitor the following web site for the issuance of Amendments: www.procurement.sc.gov (b) Offerors shall acknowledge receipt of any amendment to this solicitation (1) by signing and returning the amendment, (2) by identifying the amendment number and date in the space provided for this purpose on Page Two, (3) by letter, or

(4) by submitting a bid that indicates in some way that the bidder received the amendment. (c) If this solicitation is amended, then all terms and conditions which are not modified remain unchanged. [02-2A005-1]

QUESTIONS FROM OFFERORS – AMENDMENT (JUN 2017)

This solicitation is amended as provided herein, information or changes resulting from questions will be shown in a question–and-answer format. All questions received have been reprinted below. The “State’s Response” should be read without reference to the questions. The questions are included solely to provide a cross-reference to the potential offeror that submitted the question. Questions do not form a part of the contract; the “State’s Response” does. Any restatement of part or all of existing provision of the solicitation in an answer does not modify the original provision except as follows: underlined text is added to the original provision. Stricken text is deleted. [02-2A097-1] Changes

‘SUBMIT OFFER BY’ IS CHANGED FROM 03/28/2024 TO 04/04/2024 2:30 PM ET.

The following prospective offeror questions and agency responses are hereby incorporated into the solicitation:

1. A. We are requesting a complete list of facilities to be tested.

State’s Response:

Because this is a voluntary program, there is not a hard list of facilities needing to be tested.

There are approximately 1700 childcare facilities and 1300 public schools within the state of South Carolina that would be eligible for participation in the WIIN Lead Testing in Public Schools and Childcare Facilities Grant. A list of facilities within the state will be provided after the award along with a list of facilities already sampled.

B. And does this list include charter schools & adult education facilities?

State's Response:

According to EPA’s FAQ Documentation:

(A) Childcare Program- The term ‘childcare program’ has the meaning given the term ‘early childhood education program’ in section 103(8) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.

1003(8)).

(B) Local Education Agency- The term ‘local education agency’ means: 1. a local education agency (as defined in section 8101 of Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20

U.S.C. 7801)); 2. a tribal education agency (as defined in section 3 of the National Environmental Education Act (20 U.S.C. 5502)); and 3. a person that owns or operates a child care program facility. The term "local education agency" (LEA) as defined in section 8101 of Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801) means a public board of education or other public authority legally constituted within a state to administer a service for, public elementary schools or secondary schools in a city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of a state, or recognized in a state as an administrative agency for its public elementary schools or secondary schools. For example, this would include public school districts, Educational Service Agencies, such as Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), Intermediate Educational Units, and those charter schools that operate as LEAs under state law. Private schools are not included within the definition of LEA. States can also use grant funding to test lead in drinking water at public and private childcare facilities

2. Do you have elevated concrete moisture on your project, and are you looking for a time saving waterproof solution?

This is not included in the Scope of Work.

3. What is the estimated amount of facilities to be sampled over 12 months?

Because this is a voluntary program, there is no set number of expected facilities to be sampled within a 12-month period.

4. What is the estimated amount of Lead samples to be collected over 12 months?

Because this is a voluntary program, there is no set number of expected samples to be collected within a 12-month period.

5. a. Per Section IV 4.6 Pricing: Can you give an example of the cost breakdown the department is looking for?

State's Response:

The state is looking for an all-inclusive cost per sample collected. This inclusive cost could include, but is not limited to: staff time, travel costs to sample locations, laboratory analysis costs, supplies, etc.

Additionally, invoicing should be monthly. Example, if 50 samples (Grab and Flush) were collected in Month A at $30/per sample; an invoice should be received the following month, Month B, for $150 (50 inclusive samples @ $30/sample).

b. Also, this section states “The state will not reimburse for travel cost”. Should travel cost to complete initial walkthrough, mobilization to collect samples, reporting, outreach, equipment expendables, etc.be wrapped up into the “All-inclusive” price per test rate?

Yes.

6. Does DHEC have personnel contact information at eligible schools and childcares? Or will the awarded contractor be responsible for gathering this information?

State’s Response:

The agency has contact information for school districts and childcare facilities provided by partnering agencies. The awarded contractor would not be responsible for gathering contact information.

7. If a facility incurs a lead exceedance, is the facility required to remediate?

Remediation is based upon the exceedance level and handled by SCDHEC.

8. If remediation is required, what role will the contractor play in executing remediation? If none, is there availability for the scope of work to expand and incorporate the contractor assisting with remediation?

Remediation is not part of the Scope of Work.

9. Is the collection going to be first draw only or first and fifth flush?

Collection should be first draw and then again after a 60 second flush.

10. Will we be collecting in 250mL wide mouth?

It is the understanding of the state that offerors will use industry standard collection containers in accordance with requirements from laboratory that is conducting the analysis.

11. Can you estimate the number of sites per area/number of taps per site?

The team has sampled anywhere from 1 tap per site to approximately 30+ taps per site. Really, it just depends on how large the facility is. On average, we like to sample no less than 8 taps per typical-sized public school. These samples need to be strategically spread throughout the facility so as to obtain the best “birds-eye view” as possible. Should taps come back with a detection, further sampling is available.

12. Would you consider a bid with school/day care employees collecting?

Should the vendor be unable to collect, the agency would rather see coordination with municipalities that serve the childcare facilities and public schools as opposed to the facility sampling themselves.

13. Will the reports be sent to DHEC, to the schools/day cares, or both?

The awarded vendor will only send reports to DHEC.

14. Do you have provisions for recollections for exceedances?

Yes, should a facility have a detection, recollections are available to cue the type of remediation necessary.

15. Will both first draw and flush samples collected during the initial sampling event be analyzed immediately upon delivery to the lab or will flush samples only be analyzed if the first draw result results in an exceedance?

Both samples will be analyzed immediately.

16. Many statewide WIIN programs that provide sample kits and require facility staff to collect samples have had a history of low participation because of the added workload on facility staff. Onsite sampling assistance from a contractor can be helpful to improve program completion and participation rates. However, in some instances sample kits can be faster and more cost effective, for instance sampling childcare facilities that only have a handful of samples or conducting post remediation sampling. Would DHEC consider a hybrid approach wherein most initial sampling is completed by the contractor, and follow-up/post remediation sampling is completed by facility personnel using a mailed sample kit?

State’s Response:

The agency would rather see coordination with municipalities that serve the childcare facilities and public schools rather than childcare center or school staff sampling.

17. Is DHEC using an action level (e.g., 10 ppb, 15 ppb) at which schools and childcare facilities should remove a water outlet until corrective actions can be implemented?

State’s Response:

The action level DHEC has implemented is 15ppb. Any detection of lead above this level should result in the removal of use until corrective action can be implemented.

18. In the context of this solicitation, can you clarify if the preferences mentioned on page 2 are not applicable to the solicitation as a whole, or are they specifically not applicable to vendors based within the state?

State’s Response:

Preferences to not apply to a bid for an item or work by the bidder if the annual price of the bidder’s work exceeds fifty thousand dollars or the total potential price of the bidder’s work exceeds five hundred thousand dollars.

19. Will the government receive a redacted version of the proposal through the online portal at the moment of submission, rather than post-submission? Additionally, is there a specific portal feature designated for submitting this redacted copy? Any additional requirements not outlined in section sub-heading, “DISCLOSURE OF YOUR BID / PROPOSAL and SUBMITTING CONFIDENTIAL DATA (FEB 2021)” on page 13?

State’s Response:

It is preferred that the redacted copy is uploaded at time of submission along with the original bid. Please use the same naming convention followed by REDACTED.

20. Does the state plan to hold back any funds aside from the 4% administrative fee for other non-contractor-related costs (e.g., to pay for an employee salary)?

This is not relevant for the purpose of this solicitation.

21. What is the total number of public and public charter school facilities in South Carolina?

Within the state of South Carolina, there are approximately 1700 licensed childcare facilities and 1300 public schools that are able to request sampling at this time.

22. What is the total number of licensed childcare facilities in South Carolina?

Approximately 1700.

23. Will the state provide listings of childcare centers and schools including addresses and contact information to support program enrollment and outreach?

Yes, as well as a list of facilities that have previously been sampled.

24. Is South Carolina planning to go with the lowest bidder or the proposal that will provide the most support to achieve the objectives of the program?

State’s Response:

Award will be based on the evaluation factors and weightings outlined on page 21 of the solicitation under EVALUATION FACTORS – PROPOSALS (MODIFIED).

25. Can you provide an extension to submit the proposal, so we have sufficient time to prepare a proposal in accordance with responses to questions?

The bid opening has been postponed to April 4th, 2024, 2:30 PM ET.

26. Will you consider proposals using a participatory science approach that includes training and quality assurance, mail-out sample kits, and an online portal that allows for enrollment and results reporting if the bidder shows justification for its effectiveness, scientific rigor, and efficiency?

It may be considered with review of above-mentioned documentation.

27. Will South Carolina allow for acidification to occur in the laboratory following sample collection to meet EPA Method 200.8 while only requiring digestion for water samples that exceed turbidity standards and enabling participatory scientists to handle sample collection?

State’s Response:

South Carolina does allow for sample acidification upon laboratory receipt according to the provisions in section 8.3 of EPA Method 200.8. Sample digestion is only required for samples with turbidity >1.0 NTU. Drinking water samples with a turbidity <1.0 NTU can be prepared for “direct analysis” as outlined in section 11.2.1 of EPA Method 200.8. Any participatory scientist and/or other volunteers must be adequately trained for proper sample collection. Providing training and maintaining records of training activities are the responsibility of the bidder/offeror.

28. I see through the DHEC website that a WIIN Grant/School & Daycare program existed in the past, and has a lot of really good collateral and information currently available.

a. Is this program still active?

State’s Response:

The grant was placed on hold while funding was being awarded to the state. No samples are currently being collected and would only resume with the awarded vendor.

b. How many schools are or were enrolled or participating?

In the last round of WIIN for South Carolina, 75 Childcare Centers, 72 Elementary Schools and 41 Middle/High Schools were sampled.

c. How many schools and daycares are expected to participate in the new program?

Within the state of South Carolina, there are approximately 1700 licensed childcare facilities and 1300 public schools that are able to request sampling at this time.

d. Is there a goal for participant numbers?

There is not a set number.

e. How is/was the current past program managed? Internally or through a 3rd party?

The last round of WIIN that South Carolina held was managed and run through the agency. This round would still be managed by the agency but would be contracted through a third-party vendor.

f. What organization and person ran the program?

The agency held the grant in-house and it was managed by Caleb Snelling.

g. Was the program abandoned or allowed to lapse? Why?

Neither. Because the Grant became too large to hold in-house, the program was placed on hold to allow for a third-party vendor to assist in the day-to-day activities.

h. Can the state confirm that all 3T's sampling conducted in the previous program satisfies the 2027 requirement of these for LCRI?

State’s Response:

EPA has not released a finalized version of LCRI and at this time the state cannot confirm that all sampling conducted in the previous program satisfies future LCRI requirements.

i. Will all schools/DCs need to be sampled or just those that had been missed under the previous program (for LCRI)?

State’s Response:

Because this is a voluntary program, facilities sampled will depend upon those that request participation.

j. If so, can a list be provided of these remaining schools and DCs?

Yes. A list will be provided to the awarded vendor of facilities that have and have not already been sampled.