ADDENDUM II - Q&A Matrix.pdf

WORLWIDE CONSULTANCY SERVICES, RFP

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Release Date: July 1, 2026

The following is a list of responses to questions submitted by prospective respondents to Worldwide Consultancy Services, RFP. A copy of the RFP is available at:

https://esd.ny.gov/doing-business-ny/requests-proposals/new-york-state-worldwide-consultancy-rfp

No. Question Answer

W-9 / foreign entity tax form RFP Section VII.ii / Administrative Proposal and Section X.xv The RFP requests a completed W-9 form.

For a non-US prime contractor, would ESD accept the appropriate IRS foreign entity form, such as W-8BEN-E, instead of a W-9?

W-8BEN-E can be submitted in lieu of a W-9 when applicable.

State Tax Law Section 5-a / ST-220-CA RFP Section VII.ii and Section X.xi For a non-US respondent that is not registered for New York State sales and compensating use tax purposes and does not make taxable sales in New York State above the applicable threshold, should the respondent submit the STL 5-a affidavit instead of Form ST-220-CA?

That is correct. The affidavit must be completed in such case.

Audited financial statements RFP Section VII.ii Will ESD accept audited financial statements prepared under Spanish GAAP or IFRS by an external auditor, and are English translations required at proposal submission stage?

At the initial proposal stage, ESD will accept financial statements as is but may request an English translation at a later stage. If the bidder has operated for less than three years, ESD will request additional information including sources of funding, background/experience of senior management and other information as needed.

https://esd.ny.gov/doing-business-ny/requests-proposals/new-york-state-worldwide-consultancy-rfp https://esd.ny.gov/doing-business-ny/requests-proposals/new-york-state-worldwide-consultancy-rfp

Appendix D and 75-page limit Addendum I / Revised Section VII.i – Technical Proposal Addendum I states that Appendix D must be completed in full and that additional material may be submitted up to a total of 75 pages. Could ESD confirm whether Appendix D counts toward the 75-page limit, and whether CVs, references, case studies and annexes are included in that limit?

The Appendix D intake form is not included in the 75-page limit. That said, CVs, references, and case studies would be considered additional material and would be subject to the 75-page limit.

Preliminary terms with subcontractors RFP Section II / Overview The RFP states that, if subcontractors are used, preliminary terms must have been negotiated prior to submission.

Would a signed letter of intent, memorandum of understanding, or written confirmation of availability and proposed role be sufficient evidence at proposal stage?

Yes, that would be sufficient. You must ensure that the quote you give for the project is reflective of agreements with subcontractors.

This is required to make sure that after winning the bid you do not change the price you have quoted.

Can NYS elaborate on its comment that: “The contractor must work on a full-service basis for NYS rather than a quota system.”

What is the difference between a “full-service basis” and a “quota system” basis?

Your fee is a set price regardless of whether you do 20 work orders or 100 work orders for a market. Work does not stop once a certain number of work orders are met.

NYS expects that the Contractor will be expected to perform trade, FDI and joint trade and FDI missions and other services as part of their standard contract and not charge an additional fee except under certain circumstances, where ESD’s consent, additional staff might need to be engaged: o What have been the historic number of missions that have been held annually over the last five

(5) years and where? ▪ No. of trade missions and what countries visited ▪ No. of FDI missions and what countries visited

▪ No. of joint Trade and FDI missions and what countries visited o What is the expected number of missions that will be held annually? ▪ No. of trade missions and what countries visited

▪ No. of FDI missions and what countries visited ▪ No. of joint trade and FDI missions and what countries visited o What types of other services that have been asked to be provided by a Contractor in the past where the Contractor able to charge an additional fee?

Representatives of New York State go on 6-8 trade missions a year for just trade. Some missions go to one country, some are multi country. FDI and trade do 1 to 2 joint missions a year. In the past twelve months for trade we have gone to India, ASEAN (Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore), Mexico, World Health Dubai.

Joint have included: Canada, Caribbean (Jamaica and Dominican Republic)

The contractor cannot charge an additional fee.

Trade missions are included in the all-in price of the contract.

Contractors are responsible for appointment setting for companies, and all logistics such hotels, flights. Translators, airport pickups, merchandise. NYS will reimburse companies for those costs.

This does not mean there will always be just 6-8 missions. It is year to year dependent.

NYS noted that it is also possible that the Contractor could be requested to provide logistical support for high-level trips by NYS government officials such as the ESD Commissioner, Lieutenant Governor and Governor to their respective region/country. o What have been the historic number of high-level missions that have been held each year over the past five (5) years?

A range of one to four missions with the Commissioner annually is typical. In the last twelve months, the Commissioner has been to the Caribbean, Canada, and Japan.

Who was in attendance and what countries or regions were the missions held? o What are the expected number of high-level missions that may be held each year over the term of the contract?

What high level missions have already been scheduled over the term of the upcoming contract, who will attend and what countries / regions are included?

Please see Answer #8 above.

Contractor is expected to increase exports by NYS companies globally.

Does NYS have any annual KPI targets for exports?

How will these targets be measured for contract performance reasons?

For trade/exports annual KPIs are based on the number of EMAS, special projects and missions an office receives. If an office only receives 10 EMAS then the KPI is the successful completion of those 10 EMAS. If an office receives 60 then the KPI is the successful completion of all 60 EMAS.

Contractor is expected to promote increased investment in NYS by companies from the Designated FDI Areas:

Does NYS have any annual KPI targets for

FDI?

How will these targets be measured for contract performance reasons?

Yes, please see page 12 of the RFP for FDI targets per market.

Contractor is expected to conduct tradeshows, trade mission or other international business development promotion and marketing related tasks designated by ESD.

Can ESD provide some examples of these international business development promotion and marketing related tasks?

▪ Related to trade shows

▪ Related to trade missions

▪ Related to international business development

For trade-related trade shows and missions, you must promote New York coming in as a delegation and work to arrange receptions and meetings. The contactor will at times have to host a webinar to promote the mission or events. For investment attraction to New York State, please see the details in the FDI section of the RFP starting on page 13.

ESD noted that a conflict of interest likely will arise if Contractor represents other clients with similar interests to New York. o Can ESD provide the names of EDOs/IPAs in the USA or abroad that it considers have competing interests with New York state?

Are these competing interests and conflicts of interest likely to arise more for:

FDI activities?

Trade promotion activities?

Other?

You must provide a list of all the EDOs/IDAs you work with and explain how it would not be a conflict.

ESD expects that Contractor will … travel to NYS to participate with ESD staff on programmed trade activities How often does ESD expect that contractors’ staff will need to travel to NYS to participate in these activities?

How often does ESD expect that Contractor will have someone from each of the key trade promotion countries that will need to travel to

NY?

What is the typical duration of each trip?

All contractors must come to NYS every other year to participate in a group tour that will last from 7 to 10 days.

ESD expects that Contractor will assist NYS companies that plan to travel to a country to meet with and vet sales agents identified through EMAS requests to set up meetings with these sales agents and distributors and provide a detailed agenda o Over the past five (5) years, how many of these EMAS Plus trips are made each year by NYS companies? o What countries have the NYS companies

This varies by region, and there is no set number of requests.

ESD expects that the Contractor shall also provide support for special projects, related to the scope of services.

Over the past 5 (5) years, what have been some of the special projects that contractors have supported ESD with and in what countries?

Examples include: sourcing for PPE during COVID 19 in contractors respective markets;

targeted reports on industry sectors in various markets.

ESD expects contractor to provide monthly and annual reports as required. o Can ESD confirm that it requires two (2) types of monthly and annual reports ▪ Monthly/Annual International Business Activity Reports ▪ Monthly/Annual International Business Financial Reports o International Activity reports shall include information on the number of EMAS/EMAS Plus enquiries that have been undertaken, as well as a short description of all the other trade-related activities that fall within the scope of the contract, for each country/geographic region.

Invoices are submitted monthly along with an annual report. You will also submit a monthly activity report. An individual invoice is required for both trade and FDI. The successful vendor will be provided with a time sheet template.

Please see the RFP for the business activity report and a full template and past reports will be given to the winning bid.

Do we correctly understand the content of the International Business Activity Reports?

This question cannot be answered by ESD, and as such ESD is able to respond to this question.

Please see reporting template starting on page 11 of the RFP for additional related information.

Is there any additional information that should be included in the report?

You will be given a draft report to work from if you are selected. Please see also the response to Question 18.

Can you provide a sanitized copy of a report that you would consider to be the best-case standard for our review?

ESD will work with the successful vendor on the report template and its contents.

Can you confirm whether the International Business Financial Reports should contain: ▪ Time sheets for each individual working on behalf of the state of New York listing the activities and time expended by each undertaking trade related undertakings for ESD ▪ Detailed list of all out-of-pocket expenses incurred in undertaking the trade-related activities ▪ Copies of original receipts for the out-of-pocket ▪ What other “personnel expenses” need to be included in this report? ▪ What other information does ESD require in these reports?

All the information mentioned will need to be submitted. Invoices are paid monthly at 1/12 the rate of the annual contract. The winning bid will receive all necessary information on how to prepare the monthly invoice and work reports.

Contractor is required to “Develop and submit updates to the annual Financial Proposal as requested by ESD” o Please elaborate on what the annual Financial Proposal is, and; o What updates are required

The annual financial proposal contains the annual sums the vendor expects to charge ESD for its services, together with information related to how funds are going to be utilized.

Contractor shall allocate funds in their budget for an annual trip to New York to learn for relevant new developments and participate in meetings and conferences… How many days should Company A expect to spend in NY for this annual trip?

Does ESD expect that individuals from each of the offices come to NY for this annual trip at the same time or is the expectation that these trips will be scheduled over the course of the year?

All contractors will be in the market together at the same time for the semiannual trip. Some markets like Canada will be expected to come into New York on their own multiple times a year.

For each of the 15 countries and regions to be represented the Contractor shall provide the following information within their monthly, annual and company reports NY Global ESD Page 3 of 5 Worldwide Consultancy 13 July 2026 o Foreign Market Intelligence (as described) o Statistics and Records (as described) o Other Sources of Information and Referrals

This inquiry does not constitute a question and therefore no response can be given.

We understand that this monthly and annual reporting content reflects the fact that we will be summarizing information from the EMAS requests that have been fulfilled in the given month and not general information that Company A will collect related to potential opportunities for NYS companies within the countries and regions represented. The exception to this would be some of the following general information that was included in the outline in the RFP: o Industry snapshots that may be of interest to NY companies o Our opinions on products/services that we understand may be of interest and germane to NYS companies o Upcoming trade shows planned for the country/region over the next 3-6 months that are high quality and germane for NYS companies

This inquiry does not constitute a question, and therefore no response can be given.

On an annual or on-going basis, we would expect to build and update a database of information on: o Associations, agencies and individuals of potential interest to NY companies o Entry regulations, controls, tariffs, duties, etc. o Political, social and cultural peculiarities affecting the market Please confirm if this understanding is correct?

Yes

Trade Events Program Administration o Over the past five (5) years, how many trade shows have ESD’s contractors organized participation for NYS companies in each country/region?

This number does not include the contractors attendance at trade shows to “walk the floor” for market research purposes.

The number varies by region and needs.

Vendors should expect between 4-10 per year.

ESD has identified a minimum number of qualified leads for each of the 8 countries/regions in the FDI target list on page 17.

The total number of leads from this list is 130 o If 130 or more leads are developed in total, but the source of the leads differs from the countries on the list provided will ESD consider that the contractor has met its KPIs for the year?

Lead generation is one important aspect of FDI responsibilities for this contract, among other aspects described in the RFP. ESD will take a wholistic view of contract performance, which will include the overall number of leads achieved in a given year.

Commercial Terms – Payment o How does ESD plan to pay the Contractor?

NY Global ESD Page 4 of 5 Worldwide Consultancy 13 July 2026 ▪ Monthly?

▪ Quarterly?

▪ # of days of the payment term?

▪ Can you please elaborate on this matter?

The prime contractor will be paid every month 1/12th the total value of the yearly contract.

After the first month’s payment, all future payments are contingent on proof that the subcontractors have been paid for the previous month.

Financial statements for newer firms

"For a firm that has operated fewer than three years, Section VII.ii item xiii states ESD 'may request' ownership structure and funding information.

What specific documentation will satisfy this requirement? For example:

reviewed financials, bank letters of commitment, investor capitalization evidence, or a combination?"

All of the example documentation referenced in this question may be requested. Additional documentation will be requested as needed.

Subcontractor past performance in scoring

"Under the Firm Experience criterion (Section VI, 20 points), does ESD credit named subcontractors' past performance toward the prime's score?

Additionally, must all subcontractors be identified by name at submission, or may the proposal name categories of subcontractors with profiles to be confirmed prior to contract execution?

Finally, where a proposer's relevant experience is subject to client confidentiality obligations, will ESD accept redacted engagement agreements or similar documentation in lieu of named client references?"

Subcontractors must be identified at time of submission. We take many factors into consideration when evaluating subcontractors and the main contractor. We will accept redacted agreements, but we might request additional information.

All-in budget vs. fee-for-service

"The RFP requires a single not-to-exceed annual budget. Does this figure cover all costs associated with service delivery — including market assessment reports, in-market support visits, and trade missions — or are certain services billed separately to client companies on a fee-for-service basis, with the contract budget covering program management and network infrastructure? For example, would costs such as translation services, printed materials, and interpreter fees for international events be covered within the not-to-exceed budget, or billed separately?"

This is an all-inclusive fee that covers everything including market assessment reports, in-market support visits, and trade missions. The only items that can be billed separately are upfront costs for trade shows and missions such as flights for companies, hotel venue spaces, reception costs, hiring translators, printed materials, or gifts.

Minimum coverage threshold for responsiveness

"Is comprehensive coverage across all 16 markets a threshold requirement for a proposal to be considered responsive, or will ESD evaluate proposals that cover a defined subset of markets with a credible plan and timeline for full global buildout?"

The proposal is for full global coverage.

Conflict of interest for multi-market subcontractors

"Under Section X.ii, if a named subcontractor simultaneously provides similar services to other state or regional economic development organizations in the same geographic markets, does that constitute a conflict of interest requiring attestation — or does it depend on whether those engagements create a direct competitive conflict with New York State's specific trade and investment objectives?"

Please see the response to Question 13.

"The scope references trade missions and in-market support services. Does ESD anticipate specific recurring annual events — such as major international trade shows, investment conferences, or Governor-led delegations — that the Contractor should plan and budget for? If so, can ESD indicate the approximate number and scale of such events per year?

Additionally, would security costs associated with such delegations be included within the NTE annual budget or treated as a separate reimbursable item?"

Please see the responses to Questions 7 and 8.

Costs for security would be at ESD’s expense.

COI disclosure for sub-state entity relationships

"If the prime contractor currently holds a contract with a New York City sub-state entity to support international business development, does that relationship require disclosure under the Conflict of Interest Attestation in Section X.ii? If so, what form should that disclosure take, and does ESD view such a relationship as a potential conflict with NYS objectives?"

You must disclosure but ESD will evaluate if there is a conflict.

Physical office presence vs. co-working

"In evaluating Firm Experience or Staff qualifications, does ESD differentiate between a Contractor's dedicated physical office presence in a market versus co-working, shared, or virtual arrangements? If so, how is this distinction weighted in scoring?"

Depending on the region and market in question, ESD will determine the degree to which a physical presence is relevant.

Cost proposal format

"Should the cost proposal present a single all-in not-to-exceed figure inclusive of all subcontractor costs, or does ESD prefer costs broken out by prime and named subcontractors?

Additionally, should subcontractor costs be reflected as fixed fees, hourly rates, or per-deliverable rates?"

The cost proposal should be a single all inclusive, not to exceed figure for all services.

You do not need to break down by subcontractor or rates.

Conflicts of interest — Section II (p. 3) and Section X.ii.B (pp. 29–30) Section II states that a Contractor remains free to perform business development services for other parties "provided that such parties are disclosed to ESD and are not competitive with NYS business development interests," and that a pre-existing relationship with a client having a competing interest must be disclosed as part of the submission. Section X.ii.B provides that where a conflict does or might exist, the Respondent "must describe how it would eliminate or prevent it."

(a) Do these provisions operate together

— i.e., may a Respondent disclose a potentially competing relationship and propose a mitigation plan under Section X.ii.B — or does Section II operate as an absolute bar?

(b) Do these provisions apply to subcontractors as well as to the prime Respondent?

(c) Is an engagement limited to export/trade promotion for another jurisdiction assessed differently from an inward investment (FDI) representation mandate?

(d) Are concluded past engagements also subject to disclosure?

Yes, Respondent must disclose potentially competing relationship and propose a mitigation plan. This is not an absolute bar. Yes, these provisions apply to subcontractors. This applies for both export/trade promotion and

FDI.

Residency requirement — Section VI.A.3

(p. 21) The RFP states that current residency in the Designated Area(s) is required. Is this satisfied where the Respondent engages a subcontractor resident in that area, or must the prime Respondent's own personnel be resident there?

Yes, this is satisfied where the Respondent engages a subcontractor that resides in the area.

Subcontractor documentation — Section VII.ii (pp. 24–25) Section X.iii confirms that both the prime and sub-consultants complete the State Finance Law §§139-j/139-k forms, and Section X.xi confirms that only the prime completes Form ST-220-CA. Please clarify which of the following apply to subcontractors as well as the prime Respondent:

(a) Three years of financial statements audited by an outside entity (item xiii);

(b) Vendor Responsibility Questionnaire (item iv);

(c) Conflict of Interest Attestation (item ii);

(d) Form OCSD-2 Staffing Plan (item ix).

This is for the primary consultant.

Coverage — Section II (p. 3) and Section VI.C (p. 22) Section II requires full service coverage across the listed Trade locations, while Section VI.C provides that firms unable to represent the entire area "should indicate so in their proposal." Will a proposal indicating partial coverage be treated as responsive, and how will partial coverage be reflected in scoring?

No, you must have the full coverage requested in order to submit a proposal.

Escalation and subcontracts — Section II

(p. 3) and Section VI.D (p. 23) Section VI.D permits an annual budget increase of up to 3% per year after Year 1, and requires the successful vendor to demonstrate that each subcontract contains language granting the subcontractor the same annual escalation rate sought from ESD. Section II permits subcontracts to be at preliminary terms only at the time of submission.

(a) At the proposal stage, is it sufficient that preliminary terms reflect the escalation rate, with executed subcontracts demonstrating compliance after award?

(b) Does a proposal exceeding 3% in any year become non-responsive regardless of subcontract language, or does matching subcontract language permit a higher rate?

At the proposal stage, ESD does not need to see your terms and contracts with the subcontractors. You will need to submit if you win the engagement each year following contract year 1. You must submit to ESD what your escalation rate is as it will affect each years budget. You are welcome to give the subcontractor a higher yearly increase at your own cost. With no expectation of reimbursement from ESD.

Budget — Section VI.D (pp. 22–23) Is there a not-to-exceed ceiling or target annual budget range for this engagement?

ESD is not setting a ceiling or budget target for this engagement at this time. Instead, ESD will evaluate proposals to determine what represents the best value to ESD. ESD may then choose to award a contract based on that evaluation. In preparing your proposal, you should make all efforts to provide the most cost-effective methodology for accomplishing the tasks set forth in the RFP, as cost is a significant evaluation factor for this procurement.