Add._1_RFP_37498_CDPH_HBEDS.docx

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SERVICES

PROCUREMENT DIVISION

Request for Proposal Hospital Bed and Emergency Medical Services Data System (HBEDS)

Event ID# 0000037498 *Addendum #1* *March 17, 2026*

Section 1 – Introduction and Overview This Request for Proposal (hereafter called the RFP) is issued by the Department of General Services, Procurement Division (DGS-PD) on behalf of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). The RFP solicits proposals from firms qualified to establish a contract to provide a data subscription for a pre-existing, Contractor-hosted Software as a Service (SaaS) solution that displays real‑time staffed bed availability by bed type on a secure dashboard accessible to participating hospitals and local and state government officials. The solution is referred to as the Hospital Bed and Emergency Medical Services Data System (HBEDS).

Scope of the Request for Proposal (RFP) The Scope of the RFP includes an HBEDS SaaS solution and services as defined in Exhibit A, Scope of Work (SOW).

The State intends that the selected Bidder will work in cooperation with the State to furnish quality software access and services at the lowest price available in a timely and efficient manner. The selected Bidder will be the primary point of contact for all contract requirements.

Award will be made on an All or None basis to the Bidder who scores the highest number of points as described in Section 6, Evaluation. Bidders must propose all line items to be evaluated for award. The State reserves the right to eliminate any specific line item from the final award.

The contract term resulting from the RFP will be three (3) years. The contract will also contain options to extend for two (2) additional one-year periods, or portion thereof. If a mutual agreement cannot be reached, the contract will expire at the end of the current contract term. All terms and conditions will remain the same for the entire contract period, including any extension periods.

Any contract executed as a result of the RFP may be amended by mutual consent of the State and the Contractor.

1.1 Authority of the RFP and Bidder Advisement

The RFP is being conducted under the policies developed by the Department of General Services, Procurement Division (DGS-PD) as provided under PCC sections 12102, et seq and 12125, et seq. The RFP describes the software and services that must be included in the proposal, the format the proposal must follow, and how to properly submit a complete proposal. The RFP also addresses all requirements that Bidders must meet to be eligible for consideration as well as Bidders' responsibilities.

If a Bidder expects to be afforded the benefits of the steps included in this RFP (i.e., drafts, questions regarding requirements, protest of requirements, debriefing), the Bidder must take responsibility to:

· Carefully read the entire RFP.

· Ask appropriate questions in a timely manner if clarification is necessary.

· Submit all required responses, complete to the best of the Bidder’s ability, by the required dates and times.

· Make sure that all procedures and requirements of the RFP are accurately followed and appropriately addressed.

1.2 Availability

Bidders may propose software and services that exceed the RFP requirements, however, software and services meeting the mandatory requirements must be available throughout the duration of the contract term.

1.3 Procurement Official

The Procurement Official contact information for the RFP is listed below:

Eileen Tardiff Procurement Division Department of General Services 707 Third Street, 2nd Floor West Sacramento, CA 95605 Telephone: (279) 946-8013 E-mail: Eileen.Tardiff@dgs.ca.gov Proposal Submittal E-mail: TAU@dgs.ca.gov

The Procurement Official shall be the single point of contact. All inquiries and questions must be emailed to this person only. Oral communications are discouraged and shall not be binding to the State. Bidders should only rely on written statements issued by the Procurement Official.

Proposal submittals shall be sent to the Proposal Submission E-mail address identified above and in accordance with Section 5, Proposal Format.

1.4 Key Action Dates

The important dates and times by which actions must be taken or completed are identified in Attachment 2, Key Action Dates. If the State finds it necessary to change any of these dates, the State will release an addendum identifying the changes. All dates after the Final Proposal submissions are approximate and may be adjusted without addendum to the RFP.

1.5 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

To meet and carry out compliance with the nondiscrimination requirements of Title II, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it is the policy of the State to make every effort to ensure that its programs, activities, employment opportunities, and services are available to all persons, including persons with disabilities.

For persons with a disability needing reasonable accommodation to participate in the procurement process, or for persons having questions regarding reasonable accommodation for the procurement process, please contact the Procurement Division at DGSFrontDesk@dgs.ca.gov (main office). Procurement Division's TTY/TDD (telephone device for the deaf) and California Relay Service numbers are listed below. You may also directly contact the Procurement Official for this procurement.

IMPORTANT: To ensure that the State can meet your accommodation, it is best that requests are received at least 10 working days before the scheduled event (e.g., Bidder conference) or due date for procurement documents.

The Procurement Division TTY telephone number is:

· Sacramento Office: (916) 376-1891

The California Relay Service Telephone Numbers are:

· Voice: 1-800-735-2922 or 1-888-877-5379

· TTY: 1-800-735-2929 or 1-888-877-5378

· Speech to Speech: 1-800-854-7784

Section 2 – Rules Governing the Procurement Process Section 2 describes the proposal steps and includes the Bidder’s and the State’s rights and responsibilities in the procurement process. Specific guidelines for the submission of the RFP response are found in Section 5, Proposal Format.

1.6 Identification and Classification of RFP Requirements

Requirements The RFP identifies the requirements Bidders must adhere to for submitting compliant proposals. The use of "shall," "must," or "will" (except to indicate simple futurity) in the RFP indicates a requirement which is mandatory. A deviation from a mandatory requirement is material if the deficient response is not in substantial accord with the RFP requirements, provides an advantage to one Bidder over other Bidders, or has a potentially significant effect on the delivery, quantity, or quality of items proposed, amount paid to the supplier, or on the cost to the State. Material deviations cannot be waived. A deviation, if not material, may be waived by the State.

Desirable Items The words "should" or "may" in the RFP indicate desirable attributes or conditions but are non-mandatory in nature. Deviation from, or omission of, such a desirable feature, will not in itself cause rejection of the proposal.

Mandatory Requirements All items within the RFP labeled mandatory (M) are non-negotiable. A Pass/Fail evaluation will be utilized for all mandatory requirements. By signing the Agreement Cover Letter referenced in Section 2.3.4.5, Signature of Proposal and submission of a proposal response, the Bidder agrees to all mandatory RFP requirements.

Non-Mandatory Requirements The RFP may include both preference programs and product/contract performance items identified as non-mandatory (NM) requirements. Bidders are not required to comply with these requirements to be compliant with the RFP. However, if a Bidder applies for a preference, the Bidder must meet the applicable preference requirements and provide the required preference documentation as outlined in the relevant section. Bidders who offer the non-mandatory product/contract performance items in their proposal are required, if awarded, to provide those items for the duration of the resultant contract.

Scored Requirements The RFP may include both mandatory scored (MS) and non-mandatory scored (NMS) requirements. Mandatory scored requirements are non-negotiable. Mandatory and non-mandatory scored items will achieve points as identified Section 6, Evaluation, if the requirement is met.

Narrative Responses The RFP includes some items that require a narrative response. Those items have been listed on Attachment 3, Narrative Response. Bidders are to provide narrative responses on this attachment only, (unless otherwise stated) and only for the items requested. If necessary, Bidders may add attachments to the document to further explain its response. Attachment 3, Narrative Response, shall be submitted with the Bidder’s Final Proposal.

1.7 Bidding Requirements and Conditions

Validity of Proposal A Bidder's Final Proposal is an irrevocable offer for 120 calendar days following the scheduled date for Submission of Final Proposals in Attachment 2, Key Action Dates. A Bidder may extend its offer in the event of a delay of contract award.

RFP Documents If a Bidder discovers any ambiguity, conflict, discrepancy, omission, or other error in the RFP, attachments, or exhibits, the Bidder shall immediately notify the Procurement Official in accordance with Section 1.3, Procurement Official, in writing and request clarification or modification of the document. If necessary, modifications will be made by addenda issued pursuant to Section 2.2.7. Addenda.

If the RFP contains an error known to the Bidder, or an error that reasonably should have been known, the Bidder shall submit a proposal at its own risk. If the Bidder fails to notify the State of the error prior to the date fixed for submission of proposals, and is awarded the contract, the Bidder shall not be entitled to additional compensation or time by reason of the error or its later correction.

Questions Regarding the RFP Bidders requiring clarification of the intent or content of the RFP or on procedural matters regarding the competitive proposal process may request clarification by submitting questions in an email clearly referencing the Event ID number to the Procurement Official listed in Section 1.3, Procurement Official.

Question and Answer sets will be provided to all Bidders without identifying the submitters. At the sole discretion of the State, questions may be paraphrased by the State for clarity and to maintain anonymity. Oral answers shall not be binding on the State.

A Bidder who desires clarification or further information on the content of the RFP, but whose questions relate to the proprietary aspect of that Bidder's proposal and which, if disclosed to other Bidders, would expose that Bidder's proposal, may submit such questions in the same manner as above but must mark such correspondences as "CONFIDENTIAL”. The Bidder must explain why any questions are sensitive in nature.

If the State concurs that the disclosure of the question or answer would expose the proprietary nature of the proposal, the question will be answered, and both the question and answer will be kept in confidence. If the State does not concur with the proprietary aspect of the question, the question will not be answered in this manner, and the Bidder will be so notified. To ensure a response, questions and clarifications must be received in writing by the scheduled date given in Attachment 2, Key Action Dates.

Request to Change the Requirements of the RFP If the Bidder believes that one or more of the RFP requirements is onerous, unfair, or imposes unnecessary constraints to the Bidder in proposing less costly or alternate solutions, the Bidder may request a change to the RFP by submitting in writing the recommended change, the facts substantiating this belief, and justification for making the recommended change. Such requests must be submitted to the Procurement Official by the date specified in Attachment 2, Key Action Dates.

Failure by any Bidder to raise any concern related to a solicitation requirement will be deemed a waiver of any claim regarding the contract award relating to the specific solicitation requirement.

Bidders’ Conference A Bidders' Conference will be held, during which suppliers will be afforded the opportunity to meet with State personnel and discuss the content of the RFP and the procurement process. Suppliers are encouraged to attend the Bidders’ Conference. The time, date, and place of the conference are listed in Attachment 2, Key Action Dates.

Suppliers are encouraged to submit questions to the Procurement Official prior to the Bidders’ Conference so that the State can address them during the conference. The State may accept oral questions during the conference and will make a reasonable attempt to provide answers prior to the conclusion of the conference. Oral answers will not be binding. Following the conference, the State will publish a Question-and-Answer set addressing all submitted questions, both written and oral.

Supplier’s Intention to Submit a Proposal Suppliers who want to participate in the proposal process are asked to state their intention by submitting an email to the Procurement Official with the following elements:

· Company Name and address

· Contact name, email, and phone number

Bidders that submit their intention to submit a proposal will be placed on a notification list to receive email notifications of any changes or clarifications to any part of the RFP. All addenda, Question and Answer Sets, and Requests for Change will be published on the California State Contracts Register located on Cal eProcure.

Addenda The State may modify the RFP prior to the Final Proposals due date by issuance of an addendum. Addenda will be numbered consecutively. Bidders are required to meet all requirements of the most current addendum, which includes using any updated forms, if applicable. If any supplier determines that an addendum unnecessarily restricts its ability to submit a proposal, the supplier is allowed five (5) working days to ask a question, request a change, or submit a protest to the addendum according to the instructions contained in Section 2.5.1, Protests. Working days are defined as Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Bonds Not Applicable.

Discounts The Prompt Payment Act requires payment of properly submitted and undisputed invoices no later than 45 calendar days after delivery of product or receipt of an undisputed invoice, whichever is later. The State encourages Bidders to offer cash discounts for prompt or early payment. When a testing period is required prior to acceptance by the State, the payment period shall begin after the specified testing period and subsequent acceptance by the State. Payment is deemed to be made, for the purpose of earning the discount, on the date of mailing the State warrant or check.

Cash discounts offered by Bidders for the prompt payment of invoices will not be considered in evaluating cost for award purposes; however, all offered discounts will be taken if the payment is made within the discount period, even though not considered in the evaluation of offers.

Joint Proposals Joint proposals are not acceptable for this solicitation.

Exclusion for Conflict of Interest No consultant shall be paid out of State funds for developing recommendations on the acquisition of information technology (IT) products or services or assisting in the preparation of a feasibility study, if that consultant is to be a source of such acquisition or could otherwise directly and/or materially benefit from State adoption of such recommendations or the course of action recommended in the feasibility study. Further, no consultant shall be paid out of State funds for developing recommendations on the disposal of State surplus IT products, if that consultant would directly and/or materially benefit from State adoption of such recommendations.

1.8 Proposal Process

General The procurement process to be used in this RFP consists of multiple steps. Refer to Attachment 2, Key Action Dates, to determine which steps are included in this RFP.

The Final Proposal is a mandatory step for all Bidders; all other steps are optional. However, Bidders are strongly encouraged to follow the scheduled steps of this procurement to increase the chance of submitting a compliant Final Proposal.

Final Proposals Final Proposals must be complete with all required cost information, signatures, forms, and documentation.

1.8.1.1 Draft Proposal

At the State’s sole discretion, it may declare the Final Proposal to be a Draft Proposal if the State determines that Final Proposals from all Bidders contain material deviations. Bidders may not protest the State’s determination that all proposals have material deviations. If all proposals are declared noncompliant, the State may issue an addendum to the RFP. Should this occur, confidential discussions will be held with Bidders who are interested in continuing to participate in the proposal process. Notifying the Bidder of defects is intended to minimize the risk that the Final Proposal will be deemed non-compliant; however, the State will not provide any warranty that all defects in the Draft Proposal have been detected. Notification of defects in the Draft Proposal will not preclude rejection of the Final Proposal if undiscovered defects contained in the declared Draft Proposal are later found in the Final Proposal. Oral statements made by either party during confidential discussions shall not be binding.

Each Bidder will be notified of the due date for the submission of a new Final Proposal. This submission must conform to the requirements of the original RFP and, if applicable, any subsequent addenda. The new Final Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with Section 6, Evaluation.

Public Record Final proposals are public upon posting of Notice of Intent to Award. Bidders should be aware that marking a document "confidential" or "proprietary" in a final proposal will not prevent that document from being released after notice of intent to award as part of the public record, in accordance with the California Public Records Act.

Submission of Proposals The instructions contained herein apply to the Final Proposal. They also apply to the Draft Proposal, except as noted.

1.8.1.2 Preparation

Proposals are to be prepared in such a way as to provide a straightforward and concise description of capabilities to satisfy the requirements of the RFP. Expensive bindings, colored displays, promotional materials, etc., are not necessary or desired. Emphasis should be concentrated on conformance to the RFP instructions, responsiveness to the RFP requirements, and on completeness and clarity of content.

Before submitting each document, the Bidder should carefully proof it for errors and adherence to the RFP requirements.

1.8.1.3 Bidder’s Cost

Costs for developing proposals are entirely the responsibility of the Bidder and shall not be chargeable to the State.

1.8.1.4 Completion of Proposals

Proposals must be complete in all respects in accordance with Section 5, Proposal Format. A Final Proposal may be rejected if it is conditional or incomplete, or if it contains any alterations of form or other irregularities of any kind. A Final Proposal must be rejected if any such defect or irregularity constitutes a material deviation from the RFP requirements. The Final Proposal must contain all costs required by the RFP in accordance with Section 4, Cost, and Section 5, Proposal Format.

1.8.1.5 False or Misleading Statements

Proposals which contain false or misleading statements, or which provide references which do not support an attribute or condition claimed by the Bidder, may be rejected. If, in the opinion of the State, such information was intended to mislead the State in its evaluation of the proposal, and the attribute, condition, or capability is a requirement of this RFP, it will be the basis for rejection of the proposal.

1.8.1.6 Signature of Proposal

All Bidders must complete the Agreement Cover Letter and include it with the proposal. The Agreement Cover Letter shall be signed by an individual who is authorized to contractually bind the firm submitting the proposal. An unsigned Agreement Cover Letter will result in the Final Proposal being rejected.

1.8.1.7 Delivery of Proposals

Bidders are required to deliver proposals no later than the specified date and time identified in Attachment 2, Key Action Dates and formatted in accordance with Section 5, Proposal Format. Bidders should ensure their email is set to receive a delivery receipt when submitting the electronic proposal. The Bidder shall bear all risks associated with delivery of proposals, including but not limited to, delivery delays due to file size, DGS server malfunction, etc.

Final Proposals not received by the date and time specified in Attachment 2, Key Action Dates will be rejected. If Final Proposals are submitted electronically through multiple emails, only emails received by the specified date and time will be accepted.

In accordance with Section 5, Proposal Format, cost data must be in a separate attachment and clearly labeled. If cost data is not submitted in this manner, the proposal may be rejected. Proposals submitted under improperly labeled documents may be rejected.

1.8.1.8 Withdrawal and Resubmission/Modification of Proposals A Bidder may withdraw its Final Proposal at any time prior to the Final Proposal submission date and time specified in Attachment 2, Key Action Dates, by submitting via email a written notification of withdrawal in accordance with Section 2.3.4.5, Signature of Proposal. The Bidder may thereafter submit a new or modified Final Proposal prior to the proposal submission due date and time. Modification offered in any other manner, oral or written, will not be considered. Other than as allowed by law, Final Proposals cannot be changed or withdrawn after the date and time designated for receipt, except as provided in accordance with Section 2.3.6.3, Errors in the Final Proposals.

Rejection of Proposals The State may reject any or all proposals and may waive any immaterial deviation or defect in a proposal. The State's waiver of any immaterial deviation or defect shall in no way modify the RFP documents or excuse the Bidder from full compliance with the RFP specifications if awarded the contract.

Evaluation and Selection Process

1.8.1.9 General

Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with Section 6, Evaluation.

1.8.1.10 Evaluation Questions

During the evaluation and selection process, DGS-PD may request the Bidder's representative to answer specific questions in writing to clarify its submitted information but will not allow the Bidder to change its proposal. Additionally, the State may ask the Bidder to clarify their submitted response if it contains conflicting information regarding a requirement for which compliance cannot be determined. Clarification will not be requested if the Bidder has been deemed non-compliant to other requirements.

Except for clerical errors, the State will not ask clarifying questions for proposals where the response to the requirement is non-compliant as this would result in a change to the proposal.

1.8.1.11 Errors in the Final Proposals

An error in the Final Proposal may cause the rejection of that proposal; however, the State may, at its sole option, retain the proposal and make certain corrections.

To determine if a correction is appropriate, the State will consider the conformance of the proposal to the format and content required by the RFP, and any unusual complexity of the format and content required by the RFP.

If the Bidder's intent is clearly established based on review of the complete Final Proposal submittal, the State may at its sole option correct an error based on that established intent.

If hard copies are submitted and there is a discrepancy between the Master copy and the additional copies, the Master copy shall have priority over the additional copies.

The State may at its sole option correct obvious clerical errors, arithmetic errors, and discrepancies. If necessary, the cost extensions and summary will be recomputed accordingly, if obviously misstated. If the unit price is ambiguous, unintelligible, uncertain for any cause, or is omitted, it shall be the amount obtained by dividing the extended total price by the quantity of the item.

The State may at its sole option correct errors of omission, and in the following two situations, the State will take the indicated action if the Bidder's intent is not clearly established by the complete proposal:

1. If cost for an item is omitted from the cost data provided in the proposal it will be interpreted to mean that the item will be provided by the Bidder at no cost.

2. If an item is not mentioned at all in the Final Proposal and is essential to satisfactory performance, the proposal will be interpreted to mean that the item will be provided at no cost.

If the re-computations or interpretations, as applied in accordance with this section, result in significant changes in the amount of money to be paid to the Bidder (if awarded the contract), the Bidder will be given the opportunity to promptly establish the grounds justifying relief from its proposal.

It is absolutely essential that Bidders carefully review the cost elements in their final proposal since they will not have the option to correct errors after the date and time for submission of the final proposals.

If prior to contract award, a Bidder discovers a mistake in their proposal which renders the Bidder unwilling to perform under any resulting contract, the Bidder must immediately notify the Procurement Official and request to withdraw the proposal. It shall be solely within the State’s discretion as to whether withdrawal will be permitted. If the solicitation’s evaluation and award methodology indicates an “all or none” award of the items, then any withdrawal must be for the entire proposal. If the solicitation’s evaluation and award methodology indicate an award by line item or combination of items, the State may consider permitting withdrawal of specific line items or combination of items.

Award of Contract Award of contract, if made, will be in accordance with Section 6, Evaluation, to a responsible Bidder whose Final Proposal complies with all the requirements of the final RFP documents, including all addenda, except for such immaterial deviations as may be waived by the State.

The State reserves the right to modify or cancel in whole or in part the RFP.

Debriefing A debriefing may be held after contract award at the request of any Bidder. The discussion will be based primarily on the administrative, technical, and cost evaluations of the Bidder's Final Proposal. A debriefing is not the forum to challenge the RFP specifications or requirements.

1.9 Contractual Information

Contract General Provisions, Terms, and Conditions The State has contract general provisions to be used by State agencies when contracting for information technology (IT) good and services. The contract general provisions appropriate for the specific requirements of this RFP and resultant contract(s) are as follows:

· DGS PD 402-ITGP Cloud, Rev. 02/20/2025

Bidder also agrees to comply with all applicable statues, rules, regulations, and orders of the United States and the State of California which may include, but are not limited to:

· Non-Discrimination Toward WTO GPA Signatories

· Fair Employment and Housing Commission Regulations (Government Code Section 12990)

· Unfair Practices Act and Other Laws (Business and Professions Code Section 17000 et seq.)

· Tax delinquency (Public Contract Code Section 10295.4): FTB Top 500 Delinquent Taxpayers and CDTFA Top 500 Sales & Use Tax Delinquencies in California

By signing the Agreement Cover Letter and submitting a proposal, Bidder agrees to all of the above terms and conditions without addition or modification.

Contract Documents The contract to be awarded will include the RFP in its final form, the intended awardee’s final proposal, and the STD 213. The Standard Agreement shall be signed by all parties.

1.10 Other Information

Protests Before a protest is submitted regarding any issue other than selection of the "successful Bidder," the Bidder must make full and timely use of the procedures in accordance with Section 2.2.3, Questions Regarding the RFP, and Section 2.2.4, Request to Change the Requirements of the RFP, to resolve any outstanding issues between the Bidder and the State. This procurement procedure is designed to give the Bidder and the State adequate opportunity to submit questions and discuss the requirements before the Final Proposal is due. The protest procedure is made available in the event that a Bidder cannot reach a fair agreement with the State after exhausting these procedures.

There are two types of protests:

1. Requirements protests

2. Award protests

A protest shall be submitted according to the procedure below.

1.10.1.1 Requirements Protest

Protests regarding any issue other than selection of the "successful Bidder" are requirements protests and will be heard and resolved by the Deputy Director of the DGS-PD, whose decision will be final.

All protests must be made in writing, signed by an individual authorized under Section 2.3.4.5, Signature of Proposal, and contain a statement of the reason for protest, citing the law, rule, regulation or procedures on which the protest is based. The protestant must provide facts and evidence to support the claim.

Requirements Protests must be mailed or delivered to the address below and/or emailed to the Procurement Official identified in Section 1.3, Procurement Official.

Street Address:

Deputy Director Procurement Division 707 3rd Street, 2nd floor West Sacramento, CA 95605

All protests to the RFP requirements or procedures must be received by the Deputy Director of the Procurement Division as promptly as possible, but not later than the respective time and date specified in Attachment 2, Key Action Dates.

1.10.1.2 Award Protest

This solicitation/acquisition is being conducted under the provisions of the Alternative Protest Process (Public Contract Code Section 12125, et seq.) By submitting a bid or proposal to this solicitation, the bidder consents to participation in the Alternative Protest Process and agrees that all protests of the proposed award shall be resolved by binding arbitration pursuant to the California Code of Regulations, Title 1, Division 2, Chapter 5.

A Notice of Intent to Award for this solicitation will be publicly posted in the Procurement Division website and sent via email to any bidder who submits a written request for notice and provided a valid email address.

During the protest period, any participating bidder may protest the proposed award on the following grounds:

1. For major information technology acquisitions – that there was a violation of the solicitation procedure(s) and that the protesting bidder’s bid should have been selected; or

2. For any other acquisition – that the protesting bidder’s bid or proposal should have been selected in accordance with the selection criteria in the solicitation document.

A written Notice of Intent to Protest the proposed award of this solicitation must be received (email/fax acceptable) by the Coordinator before the close of business 5 p.m. PST/PDT on the 2nd working day after issuing the notice of intent, as specified in the solicitation. Failure to submit a timely, written Notice of Intent to Protest waives bidder’s right to protest.

Bidder is to send the notice of protest to:

Alternative Protest Process Coordinator/Support Services Unit Department of General Services Procurement Division Statewide Procurement Oversight, Consulting and Support Services Section 707 Third Street, 2nd Floor South West Sacramento, CA 95605 Fax: 916 / 376-6226 Email: PDProtest@dgs.ca.gov

Within seven (7) working days after the last day to submit a Notice of Intent to Protest, the Coordinator must receive from the protesting bidder the complete protest filing, including the signed, written detailed statement of protest, including exhibits, filing fee and deposit or small business certification as applicable. Untimely submission of the complete protest filing waives the bidder’s right to protest.

Protest bond requirement: bond amount for this Alternative Protest Process shall be 10 percent of the estimated contract value as specified in the solicitation. See California Code of Regulations, Title 1, Section 1418.

Disposition of Proposals All materials submitted in response to the RFP will become the property of the State of California and will be returned only at the State's option and at the Bidder's expense. At a minimum, the Master Copy of the Final Proposal will be retained for official files and will become a public record after the Notification of Intent to Award. However, materials the State considers confidential information (such as confidential financial information submitted to show Bidder responsibility) will be returned upon request of the Bidder.

Section 3 – Bidding Requirements This section contains the technical and administrative proposal requirements pertaining to the RFP and will be applicable to the resulting contract.

Prior to award of the contract, the State may require confirmation that the Bidder selected has all the resources to successfully perform under the contract. These include but are not limited to personnel in the numbers and with the skills required; equipment of appropriate type and in sufficient quantity; and experience in similar endeavors. If, during the evaluation process, the State is unable to assure itself of the Bidder's ability to perform under the contract if awarded, the State has the option of requesting from the Bidder any information that the State deems necessary to determine the Bidder's responsibility. If such information is required, the Bidder will be notified and will be permitted approximately five (5) working days to submit the requested information.

1.11 Technical Requirements

Proposed Hospital Subscription Access and Hospital Onboarding Fees (M) This RFP requires Bidders to submit a proposal meeting all requirements as described in the RFP and all Exhibits/Attachments. All requirements listed within Section 3, Bidding Requirements, shall apply to all categories unless otherwise noted.

Bidders shall propose solutions for the categories listed below:

· Quarterly per Hospital Subscription Access

· Hospital Onboarding Fees

Attachment 1, Cost Workbook must be completed in accordance with Section 4, Cost, and submitted in accordance with Section 5, Proposal Format.

Statement of Work (SOW) (M) Exhibit A, Statement of Work (SOW) comprises the minimum requirements for all line items included in this RFP. All line items shall meet or exceed the minimum requirements at time of proposal submittal and during the contract term.

Bidder Skills/Experience (M) Bidders must provide a detailed response demonstrating their experience in the successful implementation of a solution with a similar scope as defined in this RFP. Specifically, Bidders shall address the three (3) parts of a project, as identified below, in Attachment 4, Bidder Skills and Experience.

Bidders may use one (1) project or multiple projects to demonstrate this experience, however, only one (1) project may be used per topic (i.e., do not use two separate projects to address topic 1). All projects must be within the last five (5) years from the proposal submission due date. The project’s skills and experience topics are:

1. Operational System: Bidder must describe a project which successfully implemented an operational hospital bed capacity system, or a comparable solution in a similar healthcare environment.

2. Client Onboarding and Deployment Capability: Bidder must describe a project which successfully implemented a solution demonstrating experience working with customers to establish a hospital bed capacity system, or a comparable solution within a similar healthcare environment.

3. Health Care/Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Engagement: Bidder must describe a project working with healthcare facilities or EMS providers, within the United States, with comparable operational needs.

Each project listed must include:

a. Project Name/Description

b. Start date and completion date of the project

c. Total Years/months of the project

d. Customer/Agency name

e. Project Scope (i.e., fully detailed response to questions 1-3 above)

f. Customer/Agency Name/Title, telephone number, and email address.

The State may contact these customers/agencies to verify the information and experience as stated.

The Bidder’s Skills/Experience response should be submitted with the Bidder’s Final Proposal, or within five (5) working days after notification from the State.

Bidder’s Approach and Understanding (MS) Bidders must submit a written detailed response explaining the Bidder’s approach and understanding of the HBEDS project. The response must address the following:

1. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Requirements Describe the overall approach and/or method to satisfy the National Health Care Safety Network (NHSN) reporting requirements and California requirements outlined in Assembly Bill 177 (AB 177). The response should describe the understanding of the tasks and activities to perform the contract but, at minimum, must address how the Bidder will meet the following requirements:

a. Software must integrate with healthcare hospital Electronic Health Records (EHR)/Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems for staffed bed availability by bed type.

b. Support integration with any EHR/EMR used in California.

c. Collect data elements required by CDC Hospital Bed Connectivity Project and CDC Hospital Respiratory Reporting program.

d. Meet all current and future CDC requirements for Bed Connectivity and Respiratory Reporting programs.

e. Collect data continuously, 24/7, in 15-minute increments.

f. Support data transmission through Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP), Application Programming Interface (API), or Fast Health Interoperability Resources (FHIR).

g. Ensure secure access with Single Sign On (SSO) using Security Assertion Markup Language OpenID Connect (OIDC)/Open Authorization 2 (OAuth2) protocols.

h. Transmit bed capacity data to CDC NHSN at least twice daily.

i. Comply with all current and future CDC data submission requirements.

j. Ensure 24/7 availability of real-time bed data.

2. Program Requirements Describe the overall capability in procedures, methods, and approaches to meet the requirements for the HBEDS system and services as described in the RFP and all associated Exhibits/Attachments. The response, at minimum, must include how the Bidder will meet the following requirements:

a. Software must be a secure, web-based data subscription software that enables specified hospitals and other government stakeholders to view a dashboard that displays real-time staffed hospital bed availability by bed type.

b. Collect participation agreements electronically and submit signed copies to CDPH.

c. Dashboard must allow filtering by hospital, bed type, and region.

d. Enable users to download historical data post-enrollment.

e. Grant access to authorized state and local agency users within 24 hours of request.

f. Require Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) for privileged access, sensitive data access, and official communication accounts.

g. Conduct webinars for stakeholders upon CDPH request.

h. Transmit data to CDPH via Application Programming Interface (API), [every 15 minutes] *at least twice daily*.

i. Provide help desk support and respond to user inquiries related to data access and functionality.

3. Hospital Requirements Describe the approach for hospital outreach and coordination for onboarding and training in the use of the system. The response, at minimum, must include how the Bidder will meet the following requirements:

a. Provide an outreach plan for service enrollment with onboarding timeline and annual enrollment targets.

b. Provide virtual enrollment sessions for facilities.

c. Supply documentation and onboarding instructions.

d. Offer customer support for hospital IT staff and EHR report writers.

e. Conduct meetings with hospital staff as needed for enrollment and reporting requirements.

f. Support access management for healthcare hospital users.

g. Provide training materials, demonstration videos, and user manuals.

4. Coordination Requirements Describe the capability to effectively coordinate with CDPH staff, hospital networks and providers, and other CDPH partners in standing up the HBEDs program. The response, at minimum, must include how the Bidder will meet the following requirements:

a. Deliver a detailed HBEDS Activation Plan including schedule, milestones, and hospital participation agreement language to CDPH.

b. Automate bed reporting after hospital enrollment.

Bidder’s response should clearly identify Bidder’s company name and should not exceed 40 pages (average 10 pages per topic). In addition, the response should be single-spaced, 12 pt Arial font, and each topic and subtopic should be clearly identified within the response.

In preparing the response, Bidders should not simply restate or paraphrase information in the RFP and the SOW. Narratives will be evaluated and scored based on the completeness and detailed relevance of responses to the criteria listed above. Each item must be addressed to be considered responsive to the RFP.

Each response will be scored for completeness and relevance using the scoring criteria listed in Section 6.3.2, Bidder’s Approach and Understanding Score Calculation. The Bidder’s Approach and Understanding response must be submitted with the Bidder’s Final Proposal.

Question & Demonstration Meeting (M&MS) Following the evaluation of the administrative and technical responses, the State will invite compliant Bidders to participate in a two (2) hour question and product demonstration meeting. The meeting will be virtual and conducted via Teams or similar platform.

Invited Bidders will be notified via email of their scheduled date and time. The State reserves the right to request demonstration focus areas for each Bidder based on the content of their technical response and areas of interest identified during evaluation.

The State will make every effort to provide a minimum of two (2) day advanced notice. Bidders should plan accordingly to ensure availability upon notification.

A. Questions (M): The question portion of the meeting is intended to supplement and validate the Bidder’s technical response in accordance with Section 2.3.6.2 Evaluation Questions. The questions should be considered an expansion of, and support for the technical response, not a replacement or a re-presentation of written content as Bidders will only be allowed to clarify and supplement. Changes to responses will not be allowed in accordance with Section 2.3.6.2 Evaluation Questions.

B. Demonstration (MS): The demonstration portion of the meeting will allow the Bidder to demonstrate their solution. The Bidder may structure the demonstration to its discretion to highlight strengths and value; however, the objective is to demonstrate to the State the specific functional and technical areas required in the SOW.

At minimum, Bidders will be required to demonstrate the following:

· Secure login process

· 15-minute interval updates of staffed beds by type

· Filtering functionality by hospital, bed type, and region

· Operational insights into emergency management -

· Historical data search and download for bed capacity trends

· Surge capacity indicators for emergencies

· Geographic display of available beds

· CDC/NHSN reporting compliance

The Demonstration will be scored for responsiveness and completeness using the scoring criteria listed in Section 6.3.3, Demonstration Score Calculation.

The State may request clarification or additional information during or after the question and demonstration meeting. Failure to participate in the question and demonstration session will result in the proposal being considered non-responsive.

Unspecified Subordinate Product (M) It is the intent of the State to describe a complete working configuration. Any incidental items omitted from the RFP and/or SOW, but needed to make a complete working configuration, will be provided by the Bidder and will be included in the proposal price.

Title (Software/Firmware) (M) Bidder represents and warrants that it is the sole owner of the software or, if not the owner, has received all proper authorization from the owner to license the software/firmware product, and has the full right and power to grant the rights contained in this contract. Bidder further warrants and represents that the software/firmware package and its use will not violate or infringe upon any patent, copyright, trade secret, or other property right of any other person.

1.12 Administrative Requirements

Pricing (MS) Pricing shall be proposed in Attachment 1, Cost Workbook and will be evaluated and scored in accordance with Section 6, Evaluation.

Seller’s Permit and Secretary of State (M) Bidders are required to provide their Seller’s Permit number and, if it is a corporation or limited liability company, their Secretary of State (SOS) certification number on Attachment 3, Narrative Response. If not included in the proposal response, Bidder shall provide it within five (5) working days after request from the State.

A copy of the Seller’s Permit or certification of registration, and, if applicable, the permit or certification of all participating affiliates issued by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration…