Economic Development Services CONSULTANT POOL, RFQ

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Release Date: June 29, 2026

The following is a list of responses to questions submitted by prospective respondents to Economic Development Services CONSULTANT POOL, RFQ. A copy of the RFP is available at:

https://esd.ny.gov/doing-business-ny/requests-proposals/economic-development-services-consultant-pool-rfq

No. Question Answer

Page 13- VI. Submission (i.) Technical Submission: The solicitation requires bidders to demonstrate a minimum five years of lot-specific experience, provide three case studies within the last seven years, and include resumes for key personnel with relevant certifications—all within a single 20-page Technical Submission. For firms applying to multiple lots (particularly all eight), this constraint makes it difficult to adequately address lot-specific qualifications, case studies, and staffing without compression that undermines proposal quality.

Please clarify: does the 20-page limit apply per lot or as an aggregate total?

If aggregate, what is the anticipated page limit for a multi-lot application, and should lot-specific sections be organized sequentially or in a modular format?

The 20-page limit applies to single-Lot applications. For firms applying to multiple Lots, the aggregate page limit for the Technical Submission is capped at 20-pages + an additional 5 pages per additional lot.

https://esd.ny.gov/doing-business-ny/requests-proposals/economic-development-services-consultant-pool-rfq https://esd.ny.gov/doing-business-ny/requests-proposals/economic-development-services-consultant-pool-rfq

It's a pleasure to meet you and Company X looks forward to submitting a response to the Economic Development Consulting Services RFQ.

If it isn't too late, we would like to request inclusion on the MWBE list. Please find our certificate attached, and let me know if you require any further information.

Firm has been included.

If consultants are interested in responding to a Lot (example, Lot 2), is the assumption that they can fulfill all the criteria in that lot, or is acceptable to only respond to certain bullets within each Lot?

Respondents may submit qualifications covering specific sub-scopes or bullets within a Lot. Bidders must explicitly state in their Cover Letter and Technical Submission which specific sub-scopes/bullets they are proposing to fulfill.

The RFQ states that respondents must demonstrate the necessary “in-house capability or a team” to support the services identified under Lot 7. For purposes of the qualification submission and Team Capacity Table, are respondents required to identify specific MWBE subcontractor firms and/or teaming partners by name, or is it sufficient to identify the capabilities that will be provided by subcontractors, with specific subcontractors to be identified at a later stage if selected for the prequalified pool and/or subsequent task orders?

Per Section VI.i.C of the RFQ, respondents submitting for Lot 7 must provide a Team Capacity Table indicating whether required capabilities are currently staffed in-house or if relying on unnamed sub-consultants. Specific sub-consultant firms do not need to be named in the initial qualification submission if relying on unnamed sub-consultants, though specific subcontractors will need to be identified on MWBE/SDVOB Utilization Plans prior to individual Task Order awards.

I understand this is an RFQ, not an RFP, but can you confirm that being pre-qualified for the consultant pool under this RFQ would not necessarily preclude us from providing our land development engineering services to semiconductor manufacturers (or their developers & contractors) in the future?

I assume that statement is correct, and that any future RFPs sent to pre-qualified consultants would each be further assessed for potential conflict, but if there is any intent for such services to preclude consultants from working for industry, please let me know.

Being pre-qualified for the consultant pool does not automatically preclude a firm from providing services to private semiconductor manufacturers or developers in New York State. However, pursuant to Section IX.i, firms must disclose any existing or potential conflicts of interest. ESD will evaluate potential conflicts of interest on a project-by-project basis prior to issuing or awarding specific Task Orders.

Please may ESD confirm whether the redacted samples for Lot 1 and Lot 5 are included in the 20 page limit?

Redacted sample work products requested for Lot 1 (high-level report) and Lot 5 (digital campaign case study) may be submitted as separate attachments/appendices and do not count toward the 20-page Technical Submission limit.

Please may ESD also confirm whether the 20 page limit is per Lot or per overall application?

Please refer to the response provided for Question 1

Karp Strategies has already shared our

MWBE status with ESD via email on July

17th. Karp Strategies is also registered on the MWBE Directory as the RFQ requires.

Does the applicant also need to attach their certificate to the Technical Proposal and if so is this included in the 20 page limit?

Yes, respondents seeking points under the Quantitative Factor must include a copy of their NYS MWBE/SDVOB certificate with their submission. The certificate should be uploaded within the Administrative Submission sub-folder and does not count toward the 20-page Technical Submission limit.

Can respondents submit to a portion of any particular Lot?

Question 3.

Is the requirement regarding “20 pages” applicable to each individual lot or comprehensively for all the lots we are submitting on?

Question 1.

Will the contractors be awarded the contract with the ESD or will there be a contract directly with the prospective business entity(ies) interested in developing a business in NYS?

Prequalified vendor agreements and subsequent Task Order contracts will be executed directly between the selected firm and Empire State Development (NYS Urban Development Corporation). Contracts will not be executed directly with private prospective business entities.

If the contractor is awarded a contract with ESD will there be any potential conflicts or restrictions of contracting directly with the entity(ies)?

Firms contracted with ESD must comply with the Conflict of Interest provisions in Section IX.i. Contracting directly with private entities seeking or receiving ESD financial assistance, incentives, or project-related guidance may create an actual or potential conflict of interest. Potential conflicts will be evaluated by ESD on a case-by-case basis prior to awarding specific Task Orders.

Will contractors with subcontracted MBE/WBE/SDVOB participation qualify for the selection criteria "Quantitative Factor 10 points, or only those MBE/WBE/SDVOB firms that submit as the prime will be awarded the 10 points?

Per Section V of the RFQ, the 10 quantitative points are awarded solely to primary Respondent firms that are NYS-certified MWBEs or SDVOBs as of the submission date of the RFQ. Non-certified primary respondents with certified MWBE/SDVOB subcontractors will not receive the 10 quantitative points, though subcontractor participation will be evaluated under applicable diversity goals.

Will there be an extension to the submittal due date?

At this time, there is no extension to the submission deadline. Applications remain due by August 28, 2026, at 2:00 PM EST. Any official schedule adjustments will be posted to the ESD website and the NYS Contract Reporter.

Is there specific NYS funding budgeted for the awarded contract(s) and if so what is that budgeted dollar amount?

This RFQ is designed to establish a prequalified list of qualified vendors that ESD may draw from for specific tasks or engagemets. No specific dollar amount or guaranteed contract value is budgeted or allocated at the prequalification stage. Specific funding allocations and project budgets will be established when individual Task Orders or scopes of work are issued to the prequalified pool.

Could Empire State Development please clarify which of the forms listed under Section VI Subsection ii. Administrative Submission (RFQ p. 14-15) are required for this prequalification? Several of the links listed in this section go to a “Page Not Found” error screen (ii. State Finance Law and 139-k forms; ix. Encouraging the Use of NYS Business; and the x.

Affidavit Link). The OCSD-2 – Staffing Plan under viii has a stipulation that it only needs to be filled out for contracts over $25,000. Additionally, language in the instructions for x. Affidavit Certification under State Tax Law Section 5-a 220-CA suggests the form is only for firms that have been awarded or assigned a contract already.

This is an oversight due to a recent internal file migration. Current links for all files can be found in Addenda IV, which was uploaded in advance of this matrix being uploaded.

There are forms “required to be included in each Bidder’s submission” listed in Section IX. Contractual Requirements (beginning on RFQ p. 18) that are not listed in Section VI Subsection ii.

Administrative Submission (RFQ p. 14- 15). Could ESD please clarify which forms/statements are required to submit for prequalification between these two lists?

Section VI.ii provides the comprehensive submission checklist for the Administrative Submission folder. Section IX provides background, statutory context, and detailed requirements for those same forms. Bidders should rely on the list in Section VI.ii as the complete checklist of administrative forms required for prequalification.

Page 14 of the RFP states that all Technical Documents should not exceed 20 pages. Does this page limit include staff resumes and firm experience?

If so, is an Appendix section with additional supporting documents to the submittal acceptable?

The aggregate 20-page Technical Submission limit includes firm experience, staff experience, and resumes. Additional appendices beyond the 20-page limit will not be evaluated.

Pursuant to Section VII (Questions) of the RFQ, we are seeking clarification regarding the requirements for staff resumes.

RFQ Reference: Lot 7 – Industrial Site Readiness & Permitting (Page 14, heading C) Question:

For the key staff resumes is ESD looking for full page resumes or can we provide half page bios?

Full resumes are requested for designated key personnel (such as the Subject Matter Expert, Principal Lead and Lead Engineers). Concise bios may be used for supporting staff.

Can a single firm submit as both a prime (its own qualification) and a subcontractor on another respondent's submission — for the same Lot and/or for different Lots? (RFQ p. 3, Section III — MWBE & SDVOB Subcontractor Interest)

Yes. A firm may submit a response as a Prime bidder while simultaneously being listed as a sub-consultant on another firm’s submission, whether for the same Lot or for different Lots.

Each proposal will be evaluated independently on its own merits.

Is the 10-point MWBE/SDVOB Quantitative Factor awarded only when the prime/bidding entity is NYS-certified, or can a certified subcontractor confer the points? (RFQ p. 12, Selection Criteria

— Quantitative Factor)

Question 13.

Given that the Contract Reporter notice lists 0% MWBE/SDVOB goals and that goals are established at the Task Order level, must respondents submit a completed MWBE Utilization Plan at this stage, or do the OCSD-1 and OCSD-2 forms satisfy the diversity requirement at prequalification? (RFQ pp. 22–24, Non- Discrimination & Contractor/Supplier Diversity; forms listed p. 15, Administrative Submission)

For the initial RFQ pre-qualification stage, submitting Form OCSD-1 (MWBE/SDVOB & EEO Policy Statement) and Form OCSD-2 (Staffing Plan) satisfies the administrative diversity requirement. Formal MWBE/SDVOB Utilization Plans (Form OCSD-4) will be required when specific Task Orders with established contract goals are issued to prequalified firms.

Please confirm that a single respondent may apply to multiple Lots in one submission. (RFQ p. 13, Section VI — Submission / Cover Letter Lot matrix)

Confirmed. A single respondent may apply to multiple Lots within a single submission by selecting/checking off all applicable Lots on the matrix included in the Cover Letter.

Is the 20-page technical limit per Lot, or total across all Lots applied for? (RFQ p.

13, Section VI.i — Technical Submission)

Please refer to the response provided for

Should case studies and the rate schedule be provided per Lot or as one shared set covering all Lots? (RFQ pp.

13–14, Section VI — Firm Experience & Estimated Cost)

Respondents must provide three (3) case studies for each Lot applied for to demonstrate relevant experience specific to that service area. Regarding fee structure, bidders may submit a single, uniform hourly rate schedule across all Lots if their rates remain the same regardless of service area. If billing rates differ by Lot or technical specialization, respondents should provide separate rate schedules for each applicable Lot.

Do the required samples (the Lot 1 report and the Lot 5 digital-campaign case study) count toward the 20-page limit, and are there any format or length requirements?

(RFQ pp. 13–14, Technical Submission & Firm Experience)

Please refer to the response provided for Question 6.

Please confirm that the administrative forms packet is excluded from the 20-page technical limit. (RFQ pp. 13 & 15, Technical vs. Administrative Submission)

Confirmed. Per Section VI of the RFQ, administrative forms are submitted in a separate Administrative Submission sub-folder and are completely excluded from the 20-page Technical Submission limit.

Should the rate schedule be a single fully-loaded set by staff title applied across all Lots, or provided lot-specifically? (RFQ p. 12, Selection Criteria — Cost/Rates; p. 14, Estimated Cost)

Question 25.

Is there any opportunity to adjust or refresh rates after the initial 24-month lock? (RFQ p. 12, Selection Criteria — Cost/Rates, "Rate Guarantee")

Hourly rates submitted in the proposal serve as maximum allowable rates for any Task Orders issued during the first 24 months. Following the initial 24-month period, ESD may, at its sole discretion, increase the maximum allowable rates for all vendors for future engagements for year 3, if the duration of the pre-qualified list extends beyond two years.

Approximately how many vendors do you anticipate prequalifying per Lot? (RFQ p.

3, Section II — Overview)

ESD does not have a predetermined limit or target number of vendors for prequalification.

All vendors that meet the minimum criteria and demonstrate the requisite technical competence, staffing depth, and experience will be recommended for inclusion in the prequalified pool.

What is the anticipated Task Order volume/size or total pool value, to help us scope our response? (RFQ p. 3, Section II — Overview)

ESD does not have a predetermined Task Order volume, minimum contract value, or cap on total pool value at this time. Individual Task Order scope, size, and frequency will depend on agency needs, specific project requirements, and funding availability as GO- SEMI and ESD initiative demands arise.

Payment terms are not defined in the RFQ. Can you confirm the contract type, invoicing frequency, and payment terms that would apply to Task Orders? (RFQ

pp. 17–19, Contractual Requirements)

Task Orders issued under the prequalification pool may be structured as Time and Materials (T&M) or Fixed-Price/Milestone-based, depending on the specific scope of work.

Specific invoicing frequency, payment schedules, and billing terms will be as set forth in ESD’s adopted standard set of contractual terms known as “Schedule A”.

Is a joint venture permitted for this

RFQ?

Yes. Joint ventures are permitted, provided that each entity in the joint venture complies with all administrative, legal, and vendor responsibility requirements outlined in Section IX of the RFQ, and one vendor agrees to act as the primary consultant for management, contracting, invoicing and other related purposes.

Can a prime submit as lead for one lot then appear as a subcontractor for a separate lot?

E.g. Firm A submits as prime on Lots 1 and 2, but also appears as a subcontractor on Firm B’s submission for Lot 3.

Yes. A firm may submit as a Prime respondent for certain Lots while serving as a sub-consultant on another firm’s submission for a different Lot.

Can a prime submit as lead for one lot then appear as a subcontractor (on a separate entity’s application) for the very same lot?

E.g. Firm A submits as prime on Lots 1 and 2, but also appears as a subcontractor to Firm B’s submission for Lot 1.

Yes. A firm may submit as a Prime on a Lot and also be listed as a sub-consultant on another firm's submission for the same Lot. Each submission will be evaluated independently on its own merits.

Will primes/joint venture partners and/or team members of those bidders who are eventually selected for this Prequalified Pool, be precluded from future projects or work that results from the Scope of Work?

Pre-qualification itself does not automatically preclude firms from future work. However, if in ESD’s sole discretion, permitting a pre-qualified firm to participate would create a conflict of interest or competitive advantage, ESD may restrict said firm from participating.

Please confirm that only one Technical Submission (page 13, section VI – i.

Technical Submission) is required for a multiple lot report?

Question 23.

If we are applying for multiple lots, would the page number limit still be 20 pages?

Page 14, Section VI – i. Technical Submission: For Lot 1 and 5, redacted sample of high-level report - do you need the entire report?

No. A representative excerpt or executive summary (e.g., 10–20 pages) demonstrating technical deliverable quality is acceptable; full multi-hundred-page volumes are not required.

Page 14, Section VI – i. Technical Submission: For Lot 1 and 5, redacted sample of high-level report - what items / content should be redacted?

Proprietary client names, confidential project locations, specific non-public financial figures, and sensitive commercial data should be redacted prior to submission.

Page 14, Section VI – i. Technical Submission: For Lot 1 and 5, redacted sample of high-level report - does the report count towards the 20 page limit?

Page 13, Section VI – i. Technical Submission: Should the “examples of similar work” be organized by the lots we are proposing?

If we are applying for more than one lot, is it 3-5 examples for each lot? Or 3-5 examples total?

The Cover Letter description indicates that bidders should “include the attached matrix” but no such matrix is attached in the document we have. Would it be sufficient for bidders to clearly indicate for which lots they are proposing in the Cover Letter?

Yes. Bidders may include a simple table or matrix in their Cover Letter listing Lots 1 through 8 and checking off the specific Lot(s) for which they are applying.

Section V asks for three case studies within the last 7 years, while Section VI.b asks for 3- 5 examples of similar work in the last 5 years, and for references. Could you clarify the number of examples desired and the timeframe for performance?

Respondents are required to provide three (3) case studies for each Lot applied for, covering projects performed within the last seven (7) years. As such, respondents can disregard the requirement in Section VI.b as duplicative.

Due to confidentiality agreements with our clients, we request that we be permitted to provide reference information in a format not subject to public disclosure, such as in a live interview. Is that permissible?

All written materials submitted to ESD may be subject to the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) pursuant to Section VIII of the RFQ.

Confidential client names may be redacted in technical narratives, but contact details for reference checks must be provided directly in the submission.

Submission instructions indicate that Lot 1 bidders should include a redacted report.

Please confirm if the redacted report sample may be excluded from the 20-page limit.

Please refer to the response provided for

Can you clarify what materials count toward the 20-page limit for the Technical Submission? Specifically, do resumes, case study sample, and the require Lot 1 and 5 materials count toward the page limit?

Question 18.

Can we provide the redacted materials for Lot 1 and Lot 5 as clickable links in order to stay within the 20-page limit?

No. Clickable web links are not permitted. All required materials must be submitted directly as PDF files in the designated Dropbox folder.

Can a respondent submit to Lot 4 and still be eligible to apply as the tech provider once a RFP is released?

No. Per Section IV (Lot 4), qualified vendors serve in an Owner's Representative capacity to manage strategy and technical implementation. Vendors under Lot 4 must remain neutral and cannot sell proprietary software or compete on subsequent solution build-outs under this service area.

Does responding to a Lot "pre qualify" a respondent for any future RFPs related to that given lot? Are those RFPs expected to be invite-only?

Yes. Successful prequalification will result in respondents being placed on a pre-qualified list of vendors for each Lot. Future Task Orders under each Lot will generally be solicited as mini-bids to some/all pre-qualified vendors.

Section VI.i Cover Letter says that responses "should include the attached matrix where bidders must check off exactly what Lots they are applying for."

Can ESD please direct bidders to where this attached matrix is? Is this something that bidders should create for themselves?

Please refer to the response provided for Question 43.

Section VI.i Technical Submission states " all Technical Documents should not exceed 20 pages." Can ESD please confirm that the Table of Contents and Cover Letter are excluded from this 20-page limit?

Confirmed. The Table of Contents and Cover Letter are excluded from the 20-page Technical Submission limit.

P.13- VI. Submission (i.) Technical Submission: The solicitation requires bidders to demonstrate a minimum five years of lot-specific experience, provide three case studies within the last seven years, and include resumes for key personnel with relevant certifications— all within a single 20-page Technical Submission. For firms applying to multiple lots (particularly all eight), this constraint makes it difficult to adequately address lot-specific qualifications, case studies, and staffing without compression that undermines proposal quality. Please clarify: does the 20-page limit apply per lot or as an aggregate total? If aggregate, what is the anticipated page limit for a multi-lot application, and should lot-specific sections be organized sequentially or in a modular format?

Page13, VI. SUBMISSION, i. Technical Submission: For Respondents applying to multiple Lots, does the 20-page limit on Technical Documents apply per Lot, or as an aggregate limit across all Lots included in a single submission?

Page 13, VI. SUBMISSION, i. Technical Submission: Can you please clarify if cover page and page dividers count towards the 20-page max page count?

No. Cover pages and section dividers do not count toward the 20-page Technical Submission limit.

Page 13, VI. SUBMISSION, i. Technical Submission: In addition to the 20-page max requirement, are there any restrictions on page layout (eg, horizonal/vertical) or page size (eg, 8.5x11, 11x17, etc)?

Standard 8.5" x 11" portrait layout is expected for text sections. 11" x 17" landscape layout is permissible for large tables, charts, or complex diagrams.

Page 22–26, IX. CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENTS, viii. Non-Discrimination and Contractor & Supplier Diversity Requirements: Because this is a prequalification pool with hourly rates but no defined contract value or committed spend at the time of submission, how should Respondents calculate the MWBE and SDVOB Utilization Plan participation figures (Forms OCSD-4 and its SDVOB equivalent), which reference "estimated dollar amounts" or "percentage of Contract work"? Is it sufficient to identify the proposed scope of work each MWBE/SDVOB firm will perform, without a dollar or percentage figure tied to an as-yet-undetermined total contract value?

Question 22.

Page 18, IX. CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENTS: Can you please clarify which forms SUBCONSULTANTS need to fill out, if any?

♦ Conflicts of Interest ♦ State Finance Law Sections 139-j and 139-k forms ♦ Vendor Responsibility

Questionnaire ♦ Iran Divestment Act ♦ Executive Order 16 ♦ Executive Order 177 ♦ Compliance with State Finance Law

Section 139-m ♦ Non-Discrimination and Contractor

& Supplier Diversity Requirements ♦ Certification under State Tax Law

Section 5-a ♦ W-9 ♦ Evidence of Insurance

The prime consultant completes all required forms. OCSD-2 is the only form which must be completed by the subs.

Page 11, V. SELECTION CRITERIA: For a respondent applying to multiple Lots, is it possible to be selected for the Prequalified Pool for some Lots while not being selected for others within the same submission, or is selection determined holistically across all Lots included in the submission?

Yes. Pursuant to Section V (Selection Criteria), applications are evaluated and scored independently per Lot. A firm applying to multiple Lots may be selected for inclusion in the Prequalified Pool for certain Lots even if it is not selected for others within the same submission.

Page 14, i. Technical Submission: Should the

“redacted sample of a high-level report or a digital campaign case study” be placed in the Appendix of our Technical Proposal, or as a completely separate

PDF? We are assuming that this sample report does not count toward the page count, but please confirm.

Pages 11-13 V. SELECTION CRITERIA and VI.

SUBMISSION: There seems to be contradictory info on the number of case studies and how old the case studies can be:

- Page 11, V. SELECTION CRITERIA states:

Provide three (3) case studies of projects of similar scale and complexity completed within the last seven (7) years

- Page 13 VI. SUBMISSION states: 3-5 examples of similar work performed in the last 5 years and references

Can you please clarify? We are also wondering if the limit of case studies applies to each Lot submission?

OR if the max number (let’s say 5) is 5 case studies total for our entire Technical Submission.

Question 44.

Page 5, IV. SCOPE OF WORK, Lot 3: Industrial Site

Development & Design (Semiconductor Specific):

Section IV states Japanese and/or Korean language proficiency is mandatory for Lot 3, while Section V

(Staffing & Key Personnel, Language Skills) states that for both Lot 2 and Lot 3, proficiency in Japanese, Korean, and/or Mandarin satisfies the requirement.

Please clarify whether Mandarin-only proficiency satisfies the mandatory language requirement for Lot

3, or whether Lot 3 requires Japanese and/or Korean specifically, with Mandarin sufficing only for Lot 2.

For Lot 3, proficiency in Japanese and/or Korean is mandatory due to specialized inbound foreign direct investment (FDI) technical specifications. Mandarin-only proficiency satisfies Lot 2 competitive benchmarking requirements, but does not meet the mandatory language criteria for Lot 3.

Page 8, IV. SCOPE OF WORK, Lot 7: Industrial Site

Readiness & Permitting: The RFQ references the

Micron (Clay) and GlobalFoundries (Malta) investments as the anchor projects driving GO-SEMI.

Will task orders issued under this vehicle be limited to sites associated with these anchor investments, or is the Prequalified Pool intended to support site readiness, economic analysis, and related work at other current or future semiconductor-related sites across New York State?

Task Orders issued under this pre-qualification category will support site readiness, economic analysis, infrastructure planning, and permitting efforts for semiconductor-related sites statewide across New York State, and are not limited to specific anchor projects.

On page 13 it references that the cover letter should include an attached matrix where bidders must check off what lot they are applying for. Could you please share what form and/or where this matrix may be located?

Question 43.

May a Respondent submit a proposal for a partial service lot, or must they be able to perform all service areas listed within each lot? For example, while service lot #7 requires capabilities across all three focus areas, the other lots do not explicitly state a comparable requirement.

Please refer to the response provided for Question 3.

May a Respondent appear as both a prime and a sub-consultant within the same service lot?

Question 35.

May a Respondent submit a proposal as a prime for one service lot and then as a sub-consultant on another Respondent's submission for a different service lot?

Question 34.

Does ESD consider any combination of service lots to represent an actual or potential conflict of interest under the Conflicts of Interest provisions (p. 18)?

Applying for multiple Lots does not disqualify a respondent. However, pursuant to Section IX.i (Conflicts of Interest), to maintain absolute independence, a firm prequalified under Lot 8 will be strictly prohibited from performing consulting, design, or site-readiness services under Lots 1–7 for the same project or recipient entity.

Do the sub-consultant requirements apply to individual/independent/freelance contractors brought to augment staff for a specific activity, or only to subcontracted firms? If required to be included, may they be listed as unnamed anticipated staffing, per Lot 7 Team Capacity Table (p.14)?

Yes. Requirements applying to sub-consultants apply equally to individual, independent, or freelance contractors brought in to augment project staff.

Regarding unnamed staffing on the Lot 7 Team Capacity Table, please refer to the response provided for Question 4.

For Respondents applying for more than one service lot, does the 20-page limit on technical documents apply in total or per service lot?

Please refer to the response provided for Question 1.

The Selection Criteria asks for three case studies from the last seven years; the Submission section asks for 3–5 examples from the last five years. Which governs?

Please refer to the response provided for Question 44.

VI. Submission, i. Technical Submission

- Page 13

Should the 20-page limit for all Technical Documents be interpreted as 20 pages for each lot we are applying for, or 20 pages for all lots together?

Question #2: VI. Submission, i.

Technical Submission - Page 13 Should the requirement for 3-5 examples of similar work be interpreted as 3-5 examples for each lot we are applying for, or 3-5 examples for all lots combined?

V. Selection Criteria, Experience & Technical Competence / VI. Submission,

i. Technical Submission - Pages 11 and

Pg. 11 requests three (3) case studies from last seven (7) years whereas pg. 13 requests "3-5 examples of similar work performed in the last 5 years and references". Please clarify the requirement.

Question 44.

VI. Submission, i. Technical Submission

- Page 13

The cover letter description indicates that bidders "should include the attached matrix where bidders must check off exactly what Lots they are applying for." Please provide a copy of the matrix that should be included.

Question 43.

Rate Evaluation (Apples-to-Apples Comparison) Reference: Section VI (Selection Criteria – Cost/Rates, p. 12) a.

The RFQ requests a fully-loaded hourly rate schedule by staff title (Principal, Senior Consultant, Analyst, Admin).

Given that firms may define these titles differently and staff differently across lots, how will ESD normalize rate comparisons to ensure an equitable, apples-to-apples evaluation? Will ESD provide a standardized title/role definition matrix, or will rates be benchmarked against a predetermined set of role descriptions?

ESD will not provide a standardized title definition matrix. Pursuant to Section V of the RFQ, fully-loaded hourly rates will be evaluated for rate reasonableness and competitive value relative to specialized economic development and technical consulting services.

Will applicants be evaluated and scored independently for each Lot they apply to, or will the scoring reflect a combined/aggregate assessment across all Lots submitted? If scored per Lot, will a firm's scores in one Lot have any bearing on its qualification status in another?

Please refer to the response provided for Question 59.

The RFQ requires three case studies of similar scale and complexity. For firms applying to multiple Lots, must three distinct case studies be provided per Lot?

Please refer to the response provided for Question 25.

Is there a minimum or maximum number of firms that will be admitted to the prequalified pool per Lot? If so, will ESD disclose the target pool size? Will firms be ranked or simply deemed qualified/not qualified above a minimum scoring threshold? If multiple vendors are selected per Lot pool, will ESD put out bids to those multiple vendors, or is there an ability to sole source among the selected pool?

Please refer to the responses provided for Question 30 and Question 50.

The RFQ states that Technical Documents "should not exceed 20 pages." Is this limit a firm requirement (i.e., submissions exceeding 20 pages will be penalized or deemed non-responsive), or is it advisory? Is the 20-page limit regardless of the number of Lots we are responding to? Additionally, will ESD accept appendices – such as resumes, sample reports, or language proficiency documentation – outside of the 20-page count, given that several of these items are specifically requested elsewhere in the submission requirements?

Please refer to the responses provided for Question 1, Question 6, and Question 18.

ESD’s Timeline

What is the timeline to identify and use this pool of candidates per Lot? What is ESD’s timeline for issuing each task order?

ESD anticipates establishing the prequalified pool as soon as practicable following the completion of proposal evaluations. Regarding the timeline and frequency for issuing individual Task Orders, please refer to the response provided for Question 31.

Does the rate card allow for a year over year COLA increase? If the vendor is responding to multiple Lots, is ESD expecting one single rate card or a rate card per Lot?

Please refer to the responses provided for Question 25 and Question 29.

Lot 4: Learning Platform Strategy & Technical Assistance Reference: Section IV.

Scope of Work (Lot 4, p. 6)

a. Will the qualified vendor be performing the below tasks, or will they be managing another vendor who is performing them?

i. Creation of on-demand training modules

ii. Conversion of existing technical training into digital modalities

iii. Development of learning pathways

b. What format is the existing training in that needs to be converted to a digital modality?

c. Will the State be leveraging one LMS? Or multiple LMS?

d. You mention that the LMS selected should be interoperable across multiple platforms.

What platforms are you referring to?

e. Will the State need ongoing support after the LMS is implemented, or will that be managed in-house?

f. Can the qualified vendor leverage offshore and/or nearshore resources to complete the work, if the project lead is based in the US?

g. The request is for an “Owner’s Rep” with no solutions necessary, but the bullet around “Supplier-Buyer Registration Portal” seems to allude to a solution around a “Meet the Buyer” portal. Please clarify on what the ask is in this RFP from an oversight vs. solution perspective.

a. Qualified vendors serve primarily in an Owner's Representative capacity to advise on strategy, design technical specifications, and manage execution.

b. Existing materials include print documentation, slide presentations, video recordings, and legacy digital modules.

c–e. Specific technical architecture, LMS integration choices, platform interoperability requirements, and ongoing support models will be defined at the individual Task Order level.

f. All services and personnel must comply with NYS IT and Data Security Standards pursuant to Section IX and Appendix A. The use of offshore or nearshore personnel is generally restricted for NYS agency engagements involving state systems or data.

g. The ask under Lot 4 is strictly for strategic oversight, workflow definition, user experience/functional requirements design, and procurement support for the Supplier- Buyer Registration Portal. Lot 4 vendors will not be asked to license, build, or provide proprietary software solutions under this pool.

Will ESD agree that the requirement to include a waiver of subrogation in favor of ESD does not apply to professional liability and cyber liability coverage?

Standard insurance terms apply pursuant to Section IX.xiii and Schedule A. Specific requests for modifications or exceptions to insurance provisions will be evaluated by ESD Legal and Risk Management during contract execution prior to Task Order issuance.

Will ESD clarify that the Cyber Liability requirement of $1 million may be satisfied through coverage included within a professional liability coverage form?

Yes. Pursuant to Section IX.xiii and Schedule A, Cyber Liability coverage embedded within a Professional Liability policy form is acceptable, provided that the policy explicitly covers cyber and data security liabilities at or above the $1 million minimum required limit.

Will ESD clarify that the waiver of subrogation requirement shall not apply to the professional liability and cyber liability coverages?

Please refer to the response provided for Question 84.

Will ESD clarify that Contractor shall supply ESD updated replacement certificates of insurance not less than five (5) days prior to the expiration or renewal date, rather than thirty (30) days?

Pursuant to Section IX.xiii and Schedule A, ESD standard terms require notice 30 days prior to expiration or renewal, but reasonable submission timelines for replacement certificates will be managed at contract execution.

Will ESD accept insurance maintained with carriers that are licensed or legally eligible to do business in New York State?

Yes. Pursuant to Section IX.xiii and Schedule A, insurance carriers must be licensed or authorized to conduct business in New York State and maintain an A.M. Best rating of A- VII or higher.

Would ESD confirm that the thirty (30) day notice requirement for cancelation, non-renewal or a material alteration shall not apply when the Contractor obtains replacement coverage that meets the terms and conditions of this agreement, with no lapse in coverage

Please refer to the response provided for Question 84.

Would ESD agree that the requirement that Contractor’s insurance be primary and non contributory to insurance or self insurance maintained by the Corporation applies only with respect to the Corporation’s status as additional insured under Contractor’s policies?

Question 84.

Would ESD clarify that the requirement to name ESD as additional insured applies only to the commercial generally liability and auto liability coverages?

Confirmed. Pursuant to Section IX.xiii and Schedule A, ESD must be named as an additional insured on Commercial General Liability and Automobile Liability policies.

Is ESD looking for one rate card overall or are distinct rate cards per lot acceptable?

Please refer to the response provided for Question 25.

Will the use of off shore personnel be permitted?

Please refer to the response provided for Question 83(f).

What is the lifetime of the Consultant pool?

Does ESD have expected periods of performance for the work listed within each lot?

Pursuant to Section II of the RFQ, the prequalified pool is established for a term of two (2) to three (3) years. Specific periods of performance will vary based on individual Task Order scopes of work.