Addendum 1- Vendor Questions and Answers 05.11.2026.xlsx

Sheet1 Healthcare and Family Services Communications and Advertising Services for Medicaid Outreach

IFB 26-478HFS-DIREC-B-51797

Questions and Answers Addendum 1

This is an Invitation for Bid (IFB), and award will be made to the lowest priced responsive and responsible bidder meeting the requirements of the solicitation. Experience beyond the minimum threshold is not evaluated on a comparative or qualitative basis. The vendor response will need to limit each entry to factual information to identify the campaign.

3 Attachment A also states: “Limit each entry to brief factual information to identify the campaign”. Does this mean we should include a brief narrative about each campaign? Or only fill out the columns as stated? Attachment A Bidders must complete Attachment A by providing the information requested in the table, limited to factual information necessary to identify each campaign, as stated.

A narrative description is not required and will not be evaluated.

4 Other than demonstrating vendor qualifications in Attachment A and completing the other required forms, are there any other recommended materials that should be submitted as attachments? Please specify if an agency is discouraged from submitting supplemental materials not expressly outlined in the vendor instructions. Attachment A The solicitation identifies the required documents and forms to be submitted. Bidders should submit only the materials specified in the solicitation.

No additional documentation or support for Attachment A is required and will not be evaluated.

5 Attachment A establishes a minimum of three (3) qualifying public-sector campaigns as a pass/fail responsiveness criterion. Under the lowest-price award structure, will the Agency consider depth of relevant Medicaid or large-scale public-sector outreach experience above this minimum threshold as part of its responsibility determination, or is the three-campaign minimum the Agency’s sole inquiry into qualitative campaign experience? Attachment A Differentiation Above the Pass/Fail Threshold Attachment A establishes minimum responsiveness requirements on a pass/fail basis.

This is an Invitation for Bid (IFB), and award will be made to the lowest priced responsive and responsible bidder meeting the requirements of the solicitation. Experience beyond the minimum threshold is not evaluated on a comparative or qualitative basis.

6 The solicitation includes a list of attachments on page 32. Can you confirm which attachment file is the “Illinois Standard Certifications” attachment that is required to be completed by both the prime and any subcontractor? There is no file by this name. Attachments Required Attachment: Illinois Standard Certifications The “Illinois Standard Certifications” referenced in the solicitation is the Required Attachment titled “Illinois Standard Certifications.”

This attachment must be completed by the prime vendor and any applicable subcontractors as identified in the solicitation requirements. Also found here: https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/solicitation-and-contract-templates.html This is not a separated attachment attached in BidBuy, but it is incorporated into the IFB contract document.

Disclosure, does the vendor need to include the Illinois

Disclosure or IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure, Offer to the State, Contract, BEP Utilization Plan, and Attachment A – Vendor Qualifications Certification. The IFB does not reference a technical proposal, capabilities narrative, or written statement of qualifications beyond the completed Attachment A.

Please confirm: Is the required submission limited to those five documents and pricing entered in the BidBuy Items Tab? Or is a technical proposal, qualifications narrative, or other written response required or permitted as part of the bid submission? If additional written materials are permitted, please describe what may be submitted and whether there is a page limit or

The IFB does not provide for evaluation of technical merit or qualitative proposals. Bidders must submit all required documents and demonstrate compliance with the solicitation requirements. Please reference IFB Vendor Instructions Section B.

The IFB does not provide for evaluation of technical merit or qualitative proposals. Bidders must submit all required documents and demonstrate compliance with the solicitation requirements. Please reference IFB Vendor Instructions Section B.

The IFB does not provide for evaluation of technical merit or qualitative proposals and will not be evaluated or considered by the agency. Vendors must submit all required documents and demonstrate compliance with the solicitation requirement samples. Bidders should submit only the materials specifically identified in the solicitation instructions.

calendar days following Contract execution. The Contract also states that the Vendor shall not commence performance, incur costs, or make commitments without prior written Agency approval.

Please clarify: Does the 14-calendar-day clock for campaign plan submission begin at the moment of contract execution, regardless of when the Agency provides initial program direction, background materials, or a project briefing to the Vendor? Or does the Agency anticipate providing a briefing or onboarding materials to the Vendor prior to or concurrent with

Bidders must submit all required documents identified in the Instructions, completed in accordance with the solicitation. No additional materials are required or will be evaluated beyond those specified.

Responsive bidder must propose rates consistent with the solicitation requirements.

of the $6.3 million media pass-through budget, since there isn't a separate line

Bid Buy Items Tab. The IFB documents reference Key Personnel roles (Project Manager, Creative Lead, Media Lead) and General Personnel but do not enumerate all labor categories or billing tiers.

(a) Please confirm the complete list of labor categories in the Bid Buy Items Tab. Are there additional categories beyond the Key Personnel and General Personnel roles described in the Contract (e.g., senior strategist, copywriter, digital specialist, translator, junior staff) that bidders should plan to price?

(b) The Items Tab requires hourly rates but the IFB documents do not specify estimated hours per category. Are bidders expected to enter estimated hours alongside their rates? Please clarify how the lowest total price determination will be calculated across labor categories. Section 2 Pricing (a) Bidders must submit pricing for the labor categories identified in the Bid Buy Items Tab. No additional labor categories should be added beyond those provided.

(b) The pre-set hours in the Bid Buy Items Tab are provided for evaluation purposes. Bidders are required to enter hourly rates only; bidders will not enter or modify hours. The total evaluated cost will be calculated based on the proposed hourly rates multiplied by the stated hours, along with any other applicable cost elements, in accordance with the solicitation.

38 Can the agency confirm the anticipated split between labor vs. media spend within the $9M NTE? Is $6.3 all media buys and no labor? Section 2 Pricing Please see IFB Section 2 - Pricing. The $6.3 million amount is designated for media purchases. The remaining portion of the $9 million not-to-exceed total contract value is available for all other contract costs, including labor.

The solicitation does not establish or guarantee a specific allocation between labor and media beyond these amounts.

39 Please provide clarity with regards to the contract value as it relates to the initial term of the contract. Is the NTE contract value of $9M over the 5-year initial term and not an annual amount? If the former, should the $6.3M be spread across 5 years as well? Section 2 Pricing Please see IFB Section 2 - Pricing. The $9 million total contract value and the $6.3 million media purchases amount represent not-to-exceed amounts for the full contract term, as described in the solicitation, and are not annual amounts.

The timing and allocation of expenditures will be determined by the Agency based on program needs and available funding. Bidders are not required to propose a specific allocation across the contract term.

40 Since the budget is provided through Bid Buy in the Items and Subcontractors section, where should we provide written

The pre-set hours are provided for evaluation purposes to calculate total cost. Costs not included in the media pass-through line should be reflected within the bidder’s pricing as structured in the BidBuy Items Tab, consistent with the solicitation.

42 Obviously, a vendor will have to apply more than three key personnel to successfully fulfill this contract. Is the intent to show a “General Personnel Rate” to establish a blended rate for all those working on the project outside key personnel?

Besides being used to generate the budget for this solicitation, will these rates have any meaning beyond the contract award since this is a fixed price contract? Section 2 Pricing Please see IFB Section 2 - Pricing. Bidders must complete the pricing structure as provided in the solicitation, including all labor categories identified in the BidBuy Items Tab.

Labor rates are used to establish the total evaluated cost for bid comparison purposes and must be used for contract administration in accordance with the Contract. Bidders must submit pricing consistent with the solicitation requirements.

43 Is there any other budget information sought by the state outside of the rates in the Items section and the Subcontractor

Subcontractor sections be evaluated to determine the best

These amounts are not annual budgets. Actual expenditures, including the timing and allocation of funds, will be determined by the Agency based on program needs and available funding. Bidders are not required to propose a specific multi-year budget allocation.

46 Could you please confirm the intended period of performance for the labor hours indicated in the item pricing tab in BidBuy? E.g., 2,400 hours are specified for the Project Manager; are these hours intended to be allocated across the initial contract term + 5 years (per contract section 3.1)? Section 2 Pricing Please see IFB Section 2 - Pricing. The labor hours identified in the BidBuy Items Tab represent estimated quantities for evaluation purposes and are intended to apply across the full contract term, which is five (5) years in accordance with Section 3.1.

Actual hours may vary based on Agency needs, but bidders must base their pricing on the quantities provided.

This is an Invitation for Bid (IFB), and award will be made to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder based on the total evaluated cost, as calculated in accordance with the solicitation

$6,300,000 pass-through allocation is intended to cover (a) only third-party media placement costs, or (b) media placement plus other third-party costs incurred in connection with creative development (e.g., videography, photography, design, editorial, post-production, printing, etc.). If (a), where in the pricing structure should bidders account for creative development costs? Section 2 Pricing The $6,300,000 Media Purchases (Pass-Through Costs) allocation represents the estimated not-to-exceed amount for media purchases and pass-through costs as described in the solicitation, billed at actual cost with no markup..

“Other pass-through costs” are intended to include costs directly related to media placement and execution. Costs not directly associated with media purchases, including those related to creative development, will be proposed within the appropriate labor rates or cost categories in the BidBuy Items Tab, consistent with the solicitation.

Bidders should structure pricing in accordance with the solicitation requirements.

52 To confirm, under 2.3 the RFP states: “Media Purchases (Pass-Through Costs) line: Bidders must enter $6,300,000.00 for this line item. This amount represents the estimated not-to-exceed allocation for media purchases and other pass-through costs under the Contract.” Are “other pass-through costs” considered any other hard costs such as research recruitment vendor fees, production hard costs, etc.? Or is this solely for media buys? Section 2 Pricing The $6,300,000 Media Purchases (Pass-Through Costs) allocation represents the estimated not-to-exceed amount for media purchases and pass-through costs as described in the solicitation, billed at actual cost with no markup. Costs not directly associated with media purchases will be proposed in the appropriate cost or labor categories, as applicable and consistent with the solicitation.

Bidders should structure their pricing in accordance with the solicitation and the BidBuy Items Tab.

53 Will the State provide estimated annual hours per labor category to support comparable pricing across bidders? If not, what level-of-effort assumptions should bidders use? Section 2 Pricing The estimated hours reflected in the Bid Items Tab are established by the State to facilitate uniform pricing comparisons across bidders for evaluation purposes.

Bidders should utilize the estimated hours provided in the Bid Items Tab when preparing their pricing responses in accordance with IFB Section 1.5.11 and Section 2 Pricing.

54 What if the Prime vendor does not provide media planning and media buying services, but it has a partner with extensive experience in these areas? Can we still bid as Prime?? Section 1.5.1 Vendor Qualifications. Under the Illinois Procurement Code, awards are made to responsive and responsible bidders capable of performing the work (30 ILCS 500/20-15; 30 ILCS 500/20-20; 44 Ill. Admin. Code §1.2020). Subcontracting is permitted; however, the Prime Contractor must remain fully responsible for contract performance and may not act solely as a pass-through.

Where applicable, work must reflect a commercially useful function (30 ILCS 575/2; 44 Ill. Admin. Code §8.60).

This solicitation includes a 2% BEP participation goal.

Please clarify whether the initial term is intended to be a defined 5-year period or a shorter

IFB Questions and Answers Amendment