6820 Z1 RFP FINAL.docx

State of Nebraska State Purchasing Bureau

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR CONTRACTUAL SERVICES

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!

SCOPE OF SERVICE

The State of Nebraska (“State”), Department of Administrative Services (“DAS”), Materiel Division, State Purchasing Bureau (“SPB”), is issuing this Request for Proposal (“RFP”) Number 6820 Z1 for the purpose of selecting a qualified Contractor to provide marketing services for a statewide public education campaign on voter identification for the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office (“Secretary”). A more detailed description can be found in Section V. The resulting contract may not be an exclusive contract as the State reserves the right to contract for the same or similar services from other sources now or in the future.

The term of the contract will commence upon execution of the contract by the State and the Contractor (“Parties”) and will end on June 30, 2025 (“Initial Term”). The Contract includes the option to renew for four (4) additional one (1) year periods upon mutual agreement of the Parties. The State reserves the right to extend the period of this contract beyond the termination date when mutually agreeable to the Parties.

In the event that a contract with the awarded bidder(s) is cancelled or in the event that the State needs additional contractors to supply the solicited services, this RFP may be used to procure the solicited services for up to eighteen (18) months from the date the Intent to Award is posted, provided that 1) the solicited goods or services will be provided by a bidder (or a successive owner) who submitted a bid pursuant to this RFP, 2) the bidder’s proposal was evaluated, and 3) the bidder will honor the bidder’s original proposal, including the proposed cost, allowing for any price increases that would have otherwise been allowed if the bidder would have received the initial award.

ALL INFORMATION PERTINENT TO THIS REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT: https://das.nebraska.gov/materiel/bidopps.html.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Pursuant to Neb. Rev. Stat. § 84-602.04, State contracts in effect as of January 1, 2014, and contracts entered into thereafter, must be posted to a public website. The resulting contract, the Request for Proposal, and the awarded bidder’s proposal and response will be posted to a public website managed by DAS, which can be found at http://statecontracts.nebraska.gov And https://www.nebraska.gov/das/materiel/purchasing/contract_search/index.php.

In addition and in furtherance of the State’s public records Statute (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 84-712 et seq.), all proposals or responses received regarding this Request for Proposal will be posted to the State Purchasing Bureau public website.

These postings will include the entire proposal or response. Bidder must request that proprietary information be excluded from the posting. The bidder must identify the proprietary information, mark the proprietary information according to state law, and submit the proprietary information in a separate file named conspicuously as "PROPRIETARY INFORMATION". The bidder should submit a detailed written document showing that the release of the proprietary information would give a business advantage to named business competitor(s) and explain how the named business competitor(s) will gain an actual business advantage by disclosure of information. The mere assertion that information is proprietary or that a speculative business advantage might be gained is not sufficient. (See Attorney General Opinion No. 92068, April 27, 1992). THE BIDDER MAY NOT ASSERT THAT THE ENTIRE PROPOSAL IS PROPRIETARY. COST PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED PROPRIETARY AND ARE A PUBLIC RECORD IN THE STATE OF NEBRASKA. The State will determine, in its sole discretion, if the disclosure of the information designated by the bidder as proprietary would 1) give advantage to business competitors and 2) serve no public purpose. The bidder will be notified of the State’s decision. Absent a determination by the State that the information may be withheld pursuant to Neb. Rev. Stat. § 84-712.05, the State will consider all information a public record subject to disclosure.

If the State determines it is required to release withheld proprietary information, the bidder will be informed. It will be the bidder's responsibility to defend the bidder's asserted interest in non-disclosure.

To facilitate such public postings, with the exception of proprietary information, the State of Nebraska reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable right to copy, reproduce, publish, post to a website, or otherwise use any contract, proposal, or response to this Request for Proposal for any purpose, and to authorize others to use the documents. Any individual or entity awarded a contract, or who submits a proposal or response to this Request for Proposal, specifically waives any copyright or other protection the contract, proposal, or response to the Request for Proposal may have; and acknowledges that they have the ability and authority to enter into such waiver. This reservation and waiver is a prerequisite for submitting a proposal or response to this Request for Proposal, and award of a contract. Failure to agree to the reservation and waiver will result in the proposal or response to the Request for Proposal being found non-responsive and rejected.

Any entity awarded a contract or submitting a proposal or response to the Request for Proposal agrees not to sue, file a claim, or make a demand of any kind, and will indemnify and hold harmless the State and its employees, volunteers, agents, and its elected and appointed officials from and against any and all claims, liens, demands, damages, liability, actions, causes of action, losses, judgments, costs, and expenses of every nature, including investigation costs and expenses, settlement costs, and attorney fees and expenses, sustained or asserted against the State, arising out of, resulting from, or attributable to the posting of the contract or the proposals and responses to the Request for Proposal, awards, and other documents.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Addendum: Something to be added or deleted to an existing document; a supplement.

Agency: Any state agency, board, or commission other than the University of Nebraska, the Nebraska State colleges, the courts, the Legislature, or any other office or agency established by the Constitution of Nebraska.

Agent/Representative: A person authorized to act on behalf of another.

Amend: To alter or change by adding, subtracting, or substituting.

Amendment: A written correction or alteration to a document.

Appropriation: Legislative authorization to expend public funds for a specific purpose. Money set apart for a specific use.

Automated Clearing House: (ACH) Electronic network for financial transactions in the United States

Award: All purchases, leases, or contracts which are based on competitive proposals will be awarded according to the provisions in the Request for Proposal.

Best and Final Offer (BAFO): In a competitive proposal, the final offer submitted which contains the bidder’s most favorable terms for price.

Bidder: A contractor who submits a proposal in response to a written Request for Proposal.

Breach: Violation of a contractual obligation by failing to perform or repudiation of one’s own promise.

Business: Any corporation, partnership, individual, sole proprietorship, joint-stock company, joint venture, or any other private legal entity.

Business Day: Any weekday, except State-recognized holidays.

Calendar Day: Every day shown on the calendar including Saturdays, Sundays, and State/Federal holidays.

Cancellation: To call off or revoke a purchase order or contract without expectation of conducting or performing it at a later time.

Change Order: Document that provides an addendum and/or amendments to an executed purchase order or contract.

Collusion: An agreement or cooperation between two or more persons or entities to accomplish a fraudulent, deceitful, or unlawful purpose.

Confidential Information: Unless otherwise defined below, “Confidential Information” shall also mean proprietary trade secrets, academic and scientific research work which is in progress and unpublished, and other information which if released would give advantage to business competitors and serve no public purpose (see Neb. Rev. Stat. § 84-712.05(3)). In accordance with Nebraska Attorney General Opinions 92068 and 97033, proof that information is proprietary requires identification of specific, named competitor(s) who would be advantaged by release of the information and the specific advantage the competitor(s) would receive.

Contract: An agreement between two or more parties creating obligations that are enforceable or otherwise recognizable at law; the writing that sets forth such an agreement.

Contract Administration: The administration of the contract which includes and is not limited to; contract signing, contract amendments and any necessary legal actions.

Contract Award: Occurs upon execution of the State document titled “Service Contract Award” by the proper authority.

Contract Management: The management of day-to-day activities at the agency which includes and is not limited to ensuring deliverables are received, specifications are met, handling meetings and making payments to the Contractor.

Contract Period: The duration of the contract.

Contractor: An individual or entity lawfully conducting business in the State, or licensed to do so, who seeks to provide goods or services under the terms of a written Request for Proposal.

Copyright: A property right in an original work of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, giving the holder the exclusive right to reproduce, adapt and distribute the work.

Customer Service: The process of ensuring customer satisfaction by providing assistance and advice on those products or services provided by the Contractor.

Default: The omission or failure to perform a contractual duty.

Deviation: Any proposed change(s) or alteration(s) to either the terms and conditions or deliverables within the scope of the written Request for Proposal or contract.

Evaluation: The process of examining an offer after opening to determine the bidder’s responsibility, responsiveness to requirements, and to ascertain other characteristics of the offer that relate to determination of the successful award.

Evaluation Committee: Individuals selected by the requesting agency for the evaluation of proposals (offers made in response to written Request for Proposals).

Extension: Continuance of a contract for a specified duration upon the agreement of the parties beyond the original Contract Period. Not to be confused with “Renewal Period”.

Foreign Corporation: A foreign corporation that was organized and chartered under the laws of another state, government, or country.

Installation Date: The date when the procedures described in “Installation by Contractor“ and “Installation by State” as found in the Request for Proposal or contract are completed.

Interested Party: A person, acting in their personal capacity, or an entity entering into a contract or other agreement creating a legal interest therein.

Late Proposal: An offer received after the Opening Date and Time.

Mandatory/Must: Required, compulsory, or obligatory.

May: Discretionary, permitted; used to express possibility.

Must: See Mandatory/Must and Shall/Will/Must.

Non-Responsive Proposal: Any proposal that does not comply with the requirements of the Request for Proposal.

Opening Date and Time: Specified date and time for the public opening of received, labeled, and sealed formal proposals.

Point of Contact (POC): The person designated to receive communications and to communicate.

Pre-Proposal Conference: A meeting scheduled for the purpose of clarifying a written Request for Proposal and related expectations.

Project: The total scheme, program, or method worked out for the accomplishment of an objective, including all documentation, commodities, and services to be provided under the contract.

Proposal: Bidder’s response to a written Request for Proposal.

Proposal Opening: The process of opening correctly submitted offers at the time and place specified in the written Request for Proposal and in the presence of anyone who wished to attend.

Protest/Grievance: A complaint about a governmental action or decision related to a Request for Proposal or resultant contract, brought by a bidder who has submitted a proposal response by the opening date and time in connection with the award in question, to AS Materiel Division or another designated agency with the intention of achieving a remedial result.

Release Date: The date of public release of the written Request for Proposal to seek offers.

Renewal Period: Optional contract periods subsequent to the original Contract Period for a specified duration with previously agreed to terms and conditions. Not to be confused with Extension.

Request for Proposal (RFP): A written solicitation utilized for obtaining competitive offers.

Responsible Contractor: A contractor who has the capability in all respects to perform fully and lawfully all requirements with integrity and reliability to assure good faith performance.

Responsive Bidder: A vendor who has submitted a proposal which conforms to all requirements of the Request for Proposal document.

Shall/Will/Must: An order/command; mandatory.

Should: Expected; suggested, but not necessarily mandatory.

Specifications: The detailed statement, especially of the measurements, quality, materials, and functional characteristics, or other items to be provided under a contract.

Subcontractor: Individual or entity with whom the contractor enters a contract to perform a portion of the work awarded to the contractor.

Termination: Occurs when either Party, pursuant to a power created by agreement or law, puts an end to the contract prior to the stated expiration date. All obligations which are still executory on both sides are discharged but any right based on prior breach or performance survives.

Third Party: Any person or entity, including but not limited to fiduciaries, shareholders, owners, officers, managers, employees, legally disinterested persons, and sub-contractors or agents, and their employees. It shall not include any entity or person who is an interested Party to the contract or agreement.

Trade Secret: Information, including, but not limited to, a drawing, formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique, code, or process that (a) derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being known to, and not being ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use; and (b) is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy (see Neb. Rev. Stat. § 87-502(4)).

Trademark: A word, phrase, logo, or other graphic symbol used by a manufacturer or contractor to distinguish its product from those of others, registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Vendor: An individual or entity lawfully conducting business with the State.

Will: See Mandatory/Shall/Will/Must.

Work Day: See Business Day.

ACRONYM LIST

ACH – Automated Clearing House

BAFO – Best and Final Offer

COI – Certificate of Insurance

DAS – Department of Administrative Services

RFP – Request for Proposal

SPB – State Purchasing Bureau

PROCUREMENT PROCEDURE

A. GENERAL INFORMATION

The Request for Proposal is designed to solicit proposals from a qualified bidder who will be responsible for providing marketing services for a statewide public education campaign on voter identification for the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office (“Secretary”) at a competitive and reasonable cost. Terms and Conditions, Project Description and Scope of Work, Proposal instructions, and Cost Proposal Requirements may be found in Sections II through VI.

Proposals shall conform to all instructions, conditions, and requirements included in the Request for Proposal. Prospective bidders are expected to carefully examine all documents, schedules, and requirements in this Request for Proposal, and respond to each requirement in the format prescribed. Proposals may be found non-responsive if they do not conform to the Request for Proposal.

B. PROCURING OFFICE AND COMMUNICATION WITH STATE STAFF AND EVALUATORS

Procurement responsibilities related to this Request for Proposal reside with State Purchasing Bureau. The point of contact (POC) for the procurement is as follows:

From the date the Request for Proposal is issued until the Intent to Award is issued, communication from the bidder is limited to the POC listed above. After the Intent to Award is issued, the bidder may communicate with individuals the State has designated as responsible for negotiating the contract on behalf of the State. No member of the State Government, employee of the State, or member of the Evaluation Committee is empowered to make binding statements regarding this Request for Proposal. The POC will issue any answers, clarifications, or amendments regarding this Request for Proposal in writing. Only the SPB or awarding agency can award a contract. Bidders shall not have any communication with or attempt to communicate or influence any evaluator involved in this Request for Proposal.

The following exceptions to these restrictions are permitted:

Contact made pursuant to pre-existing contracts or obligations;

Contact required by the schedule of events or an event scheduled later by the RFP POC; and Contact required for negotiation and execution of the final contract.

The State reserves the right to reject a bidder’s proposal, withdraw an Intent to Award, or terminate a contract if the State determines there has been a violation of these procurement procedures.

C. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

The State expects to adhere to the procurement schedule shown on the following page, but all dates are approximate and subject to change.

NOTE: All ShareFile links in the Schedule of Events below, are unique links for each schedule step. Please click the correct link for the upload step you are requesting.

Schedule of Events

Last day to submit written questions

ShareFile link for uploading questions: https://nebraska.sharefile.com/r-r4df8f0db7ae047fcbaa0ad5eda67b838 September 15, 2023

IT IS THE BIDDER’S RESPONSIBILTY TO UPLOAD ELECTRONIC FILES BY OPENING DATE AND TIME. EXCEPTIONS WILL NOT BE MADE FOR TECHNOLOGY ISSUES.

ShareFile Electronic Proposal Submission Link: https://nebraska.sharefile.com/r-r264a128c4fa84c1fa19293ad5abda77d

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86272787704?pwd=UE5mdTZhejVvZitRYVpnNG9RMG5jdz09 Meeting ID: 862 7278 7704 Passcode: 485128 One tap mobile +13462487799,,86272787704#,,,,*485128# US (Houston)

+16694449171,,86272787704#,,,,*485128# US

Dial by your location

• +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

• +1 669 444 9171 US

• +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

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• +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

• +1 564 217 2000 US

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• +1 689 278 1000 US

• +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)

• +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)

• +1 305 224 1968 US

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• +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

• +1 360 209 5623 US

• +1 386 347 5053 US

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Meeting ID: 862 7278 7704 Passcode: 485128 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kerEF9eggr September 27, 2023

2:00 PM

Central Time

TBD

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D. WRITTEN QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Questions regarding the meaning or interpretation of any Request for Proposal provision must be submitted in writing to State Purchasing Bureau and clearly marked “RFP Number 6820 Z1 Voter Identification Public Education Campaign Questions”. The POC is not obligated to respond to questions that are received late per the Schedule of Events.

Bidders should present, as questions, any assumptions upon which the bidder’s proposal is or might be developed. Any proposal containing assumptions may be deemed non-responsive. Non-responsive proposals may be rejected by the State. Proposals will be evaluated without consideration of any known or unknown assumptions of a bidder. The contract will not incorporate any known or unknown assumptions of a bidder.

Questions should be uploaded using the ShareFile link provided in the RFP Schedule of Events, Section I.C.

It is recommended that bidders submit questions using the following format:

Written answers will be posted at https://das.nebraska.gov/materiel/bidopps.html per the Schedule of Events.

E. SECRETARY OF STATE/TAX COMMISSIONER REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

All bidders must be authorized to transact business in the State of Nebraska and comply with all Nebraska Secretary of State Registration requirements. The bidder who is the recipient of an Intent to Award may be required to certify that it has complied and produce a true and exact copy of its current (within ninety (90) calendar days of the intent to award) Certificate or Letter of Good Standing, or in the case of a sole proprietorship, provide written documentation of sole proprietorship and complete the United States Citizenship Attestation Form, available on the Department of Administrative Services website at:

https://das.nebraska.gov/materiel/docs/pdf/Individual%20or%20Sole%20Proprietor%20United%20States%20Attestation%20Form%20English%20and%20Spanish.pdf This should be accomplished prior to execution of the contract.

F. ETHICS IN PUBLIC CONTRACTING

The State reserves the right to reject proposals, withdraw an intent to award or award, or terminate a contract if an ethical violation has been committed, which includes, but is not limited to:

Offering or giving, directly or indirectly, a bribe, fee, commission, compensation, gift, gratuity, or anything of value to any person or entity in an attempt to influence the bidding process;

Utilizing the services of lobbyists, attorneys, political activists, or consultants to influence or subvert the bidding process;

Being considered for, presently being, or becoming debarred, suspended, ineligible, or excluded from contracting with any state or federal entity:

Submitting a proposal on behalf of another Party or entity; and Colluding with any person or entity to influence the bidding process, submit sham proposals, preclude bidding, fix pricing or costs, create an unfair advantage, subvert the proposal, or prejudice the State.

The bidder shall include this clause in any subcontract entered into for the exclusive purpose of performing this contract.

Bidder shall have an affirmative duty to report any violations of this clause by the bidder throughout the bidding process and throughout the term of this contract for the awarded bidder and their subcontractors.

G. DEVIATIONS FROM THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

The requirements contained in the Request for Proposal (Sections II thru VI) become a part of the terms and conditions of the contract resulting from this Request for Proposal. Any deviations from the Request for Proposal in Sections II thru VI must be clearly defined by the bidder in its proposal and, if accepted by the State, will become part of the contract. Any specifically defined deviations must not be in conflict with the basic nature of the Request for Proposal, requirements, or applicable state or federal laws or statutes. “Deviation”, for the purposes of this Request for Proposal, means any proposed changes or alterations to either the contractual language or deliverables within the scope of this Request for Proposal. The State discourages deviations and reserves the right to reject proposed deviations.

H. PRICES & COST CLARIFICATION

Discount and Price provisions are discussed in Sections II.E and II.F. The State reserves the right to review all aspects of cost for reasonableness and to request clarification of any proposal where the cost component indicates a significant and unsupported deviation from industry standards or in areas where detailed pricing is required.

I. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

The State is only accepting electronic responses submitted in accordance with this RFP. The State will not accept proposals by mail, email, voice, or telephone, unless otherwise explicitly stated in writing by the State.

Pages may be consecutively numbered for the entire proposal or may be numbered consecutively within sections. Figures and tables should be numbered and referenced in the text by that number. They should be placed as close as possible to the referencing text. The Technical Proposal should not contain any reference to dollar amounts. However, information such as data concerning labor hours and categories, materials, subcontracts and so forth, shall be considered in the Technical Proposal so that the bidder’s understanding of the scope of work may be evaluated. The Technical Proposal shall disclose the bidder’s technical approach in as much detail as possible, including, but not limited to, the information required by the Technical Proposal instructions.

It is the bidder’s responsibility to ensure the RFP is received electronically by the date and time indicated in the Schedule of Events. Proposals must be submitted via ShareFile by the date and time of the proposal opening per the Schedule of Events. No late proposals will be accepted.

It is the responsibility of the bidder to check the website for all information relevant to this RFP to include addenda and/or amendments issued prior to the opening date. The website can be found here: https://das.nebraska.gov/materiel/bidopps.html.

Emphasis should be concentrated on conformance to the RFP instructions, responsiveness to requirements, completeness, and clarity of content. If the bidder’s proposal is presented in such a fashion that makes evaluation difficult or overly time consuming the State reserves the right to reject the proposal as non-conforming.

1. Bidders must submit responses via ShareFile using the proposal submission link.

Note to bidders: Not all browsers are compatible with ShareFile. Currently Chrome, Internet Explorer and Firefox are compatible. After the bidder clicks the proposal submission link, the bidder will be prompted to enter contact information including an e-mail address. By entering an e-mail address, the bidder should receive a confirmation email confirming the successful upload directly from ShareFile.

ShareFile link for uploading RFP response(s) provided in the RFP Schedule of Events, Section I.C.

a. The Technical, Cost Proposal and Proprietary information should be uploaded as separate and distinct files.

i. If duplicated proposals are submitted, the State will retain only the most recently submitted response.

ii. If it is the bidder’s intent to submit multiple proposals, the bidder must clearly identify the separate submissions.

iii. It is the bidder’s responsibility to allow time for electronic uploading. All file uploads must be completed by the Opening date and time per the Schedule of Events. No late proposals will be accepted.

b. ELECTRONIC PROPOSAL FILE NAMES The bidder should clearly identify the uploaded RFP proposal files. To assist in identification the bidder should use the following naming convention:

i. RFP 6820 Z1, Company Name If multiple files are submitted for one RFP proposal, add number of files to file names:

ii. If multiple RFP proposals are submitted for the same RFP, add the proposal number to the file names:

RFP 6820 Z1 Company Name Proposal 1 File 1 of 2.

The “Request for Proposal for Contractual Services” form must be signed manually in ink or by DocuSign and returned by the proposal opening date and time along with the bidder’s Request for Proposal and any other requirements as stated in the Request for Proposal document in order for the bidder’s Request for Proposal response to be evaluated.

By signing the “Request for Proposal for Contractual Services” form, the bidder guarantees compliance with the provisions stated in this Request for Proposal.

J. PROPOSAL PREPARATION COSTS

The State shall not incur any liability for any costs incurred by bidder’s in replying to this Request for Proposal, including any activity related to bidding on this Request for Proposal.

K. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Violation of the terms and conditions contained in this Request for Proposal or any resultant contract, at any time before or after the award, shall be grounds for action by the State which may include, but is not limited to, the following:

Rejection of a bidder’s proposal, Withdrawal of the Intent to Award, Withdrawal of the Award, Negative documentation regarding Vendor Performance, Termination of the resulting contract, Legal action; and Suspension of the bidder from further bidding with the State for the period of time relative to the seriousness of the violation. Such period to be within the sole discretion of the State.

L. PROPOSAL CORRECTIONS

A bidder may correct a mistake in a proposal prior to the time of opening by uploading a revised and completed proposal if the original proposal was electronically submitted.

1. If a corrected electronic proposal is submitted, the file name(s) date/time stamped with latest date/time stamp will be accepted. The corrected proposal file name(s) should be identified as:

Changing a proposal after opening may be permitted if the change is made to correct a minor error that does not affect price, quantity, quality, delivery, or contractual conditions. In case of a mathematical error in extension of price, unit price shall govern.

M. LATE PROPOSALS

Proposals received after the time and date of the proposal opening will be considered late proposals. Late proposals will be considered non-responsive. The State is not responsible for proposals that are late or lost regardless of cause or fault.

N. PROPOSAL OPENING

The opening of proposals will be public and the bidders will be announced. Proposals WILL NOT be available for viewing by those present at the proposal opening. Proposals will be posted to the State Purchasing Bureau website once an Intent to Award has been posted to the website. Once proposals are opened, they become the property of the State of Nebraska and will not be returned.

O. REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL/PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

The proposals will first be examined to determine if all requirements listed below have been addressed and whether further evaluation is warranted. Proposals not meeting the requirements may be rejected as non-responsive. The requirements are:

Original Request for Proposal for Contractual Services form signed manually in ink or by DocuSign;

Clarity and responsiveness of the proposal;

Completed Corporate Overview;

Completed Sections II thru VI;

Completed Technical Approach (Attachment A); and Completed State Cost Proposal Template.

P. EVALUATION COMMITTEE

Proposals are evaluated by members of an Evaluation Committee(s). The Evaluation Committee(s) will consist of individuals selected at the discretion of the State. Names of the members of the Evaluation Committee(s) will not be published prior to the intent to award.

Any contact, attempted contact, or attempt to influence an evaluator that is involved with this Request for Proposal may result in the rejection of this proposal and further administrative actions.

Q. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS

All proposals that are responsive to the Request for Proposal will be evaluated. Each evaluation category will have a maximum point potential. The State will conduct a fair, impartial, and comprehensive evaluation of all proposals in accordance with the criteria set forth below. Areas that will be addressed and scored during the evaluation include:

Corporate Overview may include, but is not limited to:

the ability, capacity, and skill of the bidder to deliver and implement the system or project that meets the requirements of the Request for Proposal;

the character, integrity, reputation, judgment, experience, and efficiency of the bidder;

whether the bidder can perform the contract within the specified time frame;

the bidder’s historical or current performance; and such other information that may be secured and that has a bearing on the decision to award the contract.

In evaluating the corporate overview, the State may consider, past experiences with the vendor, references, the State’s record of the vendor which may include, but is not limited to Vendor Performance Notices, Vendor Improvement Requests, vendor performance reports, and any information related to the vendor’s historical or current character, integrity, reputation, capability, or performance with the State or a third-party.

Technical Approach (Attachment A); and, Cost Proposal.

Neb. Rev. Stat. § 73-107 allows for a preference for a resident disabled veteran or business located in a designated enterprise zone. When a state contract is to be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, a resident disabled veteran or a business located in a designated enterprise zone under the Enterprise Zone Act shall be allowed a preference over any other resident or nonresident bidder, if all other factors are equal.

Resident disabled veterans means any person (a) who resides in the State of Nebraska, who served in the United States Armed Forces, including any reserve component or the National Guard, who was discharged or otherwise separated with a characterization of honorable or general (under honorable conditions), and who possesses a disability rating letter issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs establishing a service-connected disability or a disability determination from the United States Department of Defense and (b)(i) who owns and controls a business or, in the case of a publicly owned business, more than fifty percent of the stock is owned by one or more persons described in (a) of this paragraph and (ii) the management and daily business operations of the business are controlled by one or more persons described in (a) of this paragraph. Any contract entered into without compliance with this section shall be null and void.

Therefore, if a resident disabled veteran or business located in a designated enterprise zone submits a proposal in accordance with Neb. Rev. Stat. § 73-107 and has so indicated on the Request for Proposal cover page under “Contractor must complete the following” requesting priority/preference to be considered in the award of this contract, the following will need to be submitted by the Contractor within ten (10) business days of request:

17. Documentation from the United States Armed Forces confirming service, Documentation of discharge or otherwise separated characterization of honorable or general (under honorable conditions), Disability rating letter issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs establishing a service-connected disability or a disability determination from the United States Department of Defense; and Documentation which shows ownership and control of a business or, in the case of a publicly owned business, more than fifty percent of the stock is owned by one or more persons described in subdivision (a) of this subsection; and the management and daily business operations of the business are controlled by one or more persons described in subdivision (a) of this subsection.

Failure to submit the requested documentation within ten (10) business days of notice will disqualify the bidder from consideration of the preference.

R. ORAL INTERVIEWS/PRESENTATIONS AND/OR DEMONSTRATIONS

The State may determine after the completion of the Technical and Cost Proposal evaluation that oral interviews/presentations and/or demonstrations are required. Every bidder may not be given an opportunity to interview/present and/or give demonstrations; the State reserves the right, in its discretion, to select only the top scoring bidders to present/give oral interviews. The scores from the oral interviews/presentations and/or demonstrations will be added to the scores from the Technical and Cost Proposals. The presentation process will allow the bidders to demonstrate their proposal offering, explaining and/or clarifying any unusual or significant elements related to their proposals. Bidders’ key personnel, identified in their proposal, may be requested to participate in a structured interview to determine their understanding of the requirements of this proposal, their authority and reporting relationships within their firm, and their management style and philosophy. Only representatives of the State and the presenting bidder will be permitted to attend the oral interviews/presentations and/or demonstrations. A written copy or summary of the presentation, and demonstrative information (such as briefing charts, et cetera) may be offered by the bidder, but the State reserves the right to refuse or not consider the offered materials. Bidders shall not be allowed to alter or amend their proposals.

Once the oral interviews/presentations and/or demonstrations have been completed, the State reserves the right to make an award without any further discussion with the bidders regarding the proposals received.

Any cost incidental to the oral interviews/presentations and/or demonstrations shall be borne entirely by the bidder and will not be compensated by the State.

S. BEST AND FINAL OFFER

Each bidder should provide its best offer with their original proposal response and should not expect the State to request a best and final offer (BAFO).

The State reserves the right to conduct more than one BAFO or to not offer every bidder an opportunity to submit a BAFO. If requested by the State, the BAFO must be submitted on the BAFO Cost Proposal form and in accordance with the State’s instructions. Failure to submit a requested BAFO or failure to submit a BAFO in accordance with the State’s instructions may result in rejection of the bidder’s entire proposal response. BAFOs may be scored and ranked by the Evaluation Committee.

T. REFERENCE AND CREDIT CHECKS

The State reserves the right to conduct and consider reference and credit checks. The State reserves the right to use third parties to conduct reference and credit checks. By submitting a proposal in response to this Request for Proposal, the bidder grants to the State the right to contact or arrange a visit in person with any or all of the bidder’s clients. Reference and credit checks may be grounds to reject a proposal, withdraw an intent to award, or rescind the award of a contract.

U. AWARD

The State reserves the right to evaluate proposals and award contracts in a manner utilizing criteria selected at the State's discretion and in the State’s best interest. After evaluation of the proposals, or at any point in the Request for Proposal process, the State of Nebraska may take one or more of the following actions:

Amend the Request for Proposal, Extend the time of or establish a new proposal opening time, Waive deviations or errors in the State’s Request for Proposal process and in bidder proposals that are not material, do not compromise the Request for Proposal process or a bidder’s proposal, and do not improve a bidder’s competitive position, Accept or reject a portion of or all of a proposal, Accept or reject all proposals, Withdraw the Request for Proposal;

Elect to rebid the Request for Proposal;

Award single lines or multiple lines to one or more bidders; or, Award one or more all-inclusive contracts.

The Request for Proposal does not commit the State to award a contract. Once intent to award decision has been determined, it will be posted to the Internet at:

https://das.nebraska.gov/materiel/bidopps.html

Any protests must be filed by a bidder within ten (10) business days after the intent to award decision is posted to the Internet. Grievance and protest procedure is available on the Internet at:

https://das.nebraska.gov/materiel/docs/pdf/ProtestGrievanceWithGuidance_08042021.pdf

V. LUMP SUM OR “ALL OR NONE” PROPOSALS

The State reserves the right to purchase item-by-item, by groups or as a total when the State may benefit by so doing. Bidders may submit a proposal on an “all or none” or “lump sum” basis but should also submit a proposal on an item-by-item basis. The term “all or none” means a conditional proposal which requires the purchase of all items on which proposals are offered and bidder declines to accept award on individual items; a “lump sum” proposal is one in which the bidder offers a lower price than the sum of the individual proposals if all items are purchased but agrees to deliver individual items at the prices quoted.

W. REJECTION OF PROPOSALS

The State reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, wholly or in part, in the best interest of the State.

X. RESIDENT BIDDER

Pursuant to Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 73-101.01 & 73-101.02, a Resident Bidder shall be allowed a preference against a Non-resident Bidder from a state which gives or requires a preference to bidders from that state. The preference shall be equal to the preference given or required by the state of the Nonresident Bidders. Where the lowest responsible bid from a Resident Bidder is equal in all respects to one from a Nonresident Bidder from a state which has no preference law, the Resident Bidder shall be awarded the contract. The provision of this preference shall not apply to any contract for any project upon which federal funds would be withheld because of the provisions of this preference.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Bidders should complete Sections II thru VI as part of their proposal. Bidder is expected to read the Terms and Conditions and should initial either accept, reject, or reject and provide alternative language for each clause. The bidder should also provide an explanation of why the bidder rejected the clause or rejected the clause and provided alternate language. By signing the Request for Proposal, bidder is agreeing to be legally bound by all the accepted terms and conditions, and any proposed alternative terms and conditions submitted with the proposal. The State reserves the right to negotiate rejected or proposed alternative language. If the State and bidder fail to agree on the final Terms and Conditions, the State reserves the right to reject the proposal. The State of Nebraska is soliciting proposals in response to this Request for Proposal. The State of Nebraska reserves the right to reject proposals that attempt to substitute the bidder’s commercial contracts and/or documents for this Request for Proposal.

The bidders should submit with their proposal any license, user agreement, service level agreement, or similar documents that the bidder wants incorporated in the Contract. The State will not consider incorporation of any document not submitted with the bidder’s proposal as the document will not have been included in the evaluation process. These documents shall be subject to negotiation and will be incorporated as addendums if agreed to by the Parties.

If a conflict or ambiguity arises after the Addendum to Contract Award have been negotiated and agreed to, the Addendum to Contract Award shall be interpreted as follows:

If only one Party has a particular clause then that clause shall control, If both Parties have a similar clause, but the clauses do not conflict, the clauses shall be read together, If both Parties have a similar clause, but the clauses conflict, the State’s clause shall control.

1. GENERAL

Accept (Initial) Reject (Initial)

The contract resulting from this Request for Proposal shall incorporate the following documents:

Request for Proposal, including any attachments and addenda;

Amendments to the Request for Proposal;

Questions and Answers;

Bidder’s properly submitted proposal, including any terms and conditions or agreements submitted by the bidder; and Amendments and Addendums to the Contract.

These documents constitute the entirety of the contract.

Unless otherwise specifically stated in a future contract amendment, in case of any conflict between the incorporated documents, the documents shall govern in the following order of preference with number one (1) receiving preference over all other documents and with each lower numbered document having preference over any higher numbered document: 1) Amendment or Addendum to the executed Contract with the most recent dated amendment or addendum having the highest priority, 2) Amendments to the Request for Proposal, 3) Questions and Answers, 4) the original Request for Proposal document and any Addenda or attachments, and 5) the Contractor’s submitted Proposal, including any terms and conditions or agreements submitted that are accepted by the State.

Unless otherwise specifically agreed to in writing by the State, the State’s standard terms and conditions, as executed by the State, shall always control over any terms and conditions or agreements submitted or included by the Contractor.

Any ambiguity or conflict in the contract discovered after its execution, not otherwise addressed herein, shall be resolved in accordance with the rules of contract interpretation as established in the State of Nebraska.

1.

NOTIFICATION

Accept (Initial) Reject (Initial)

Bidder and State shall identify the contract manager who shall serve as the point of contact for the executed contract.

Communications regarding the executed contract shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been given if delivered personally; electronically, return receipt requested; or mailed, return receipt requested. All notices, requests, or communications shall be deemed effective upon receipt.

Either party may change its address for…