Addendum Q&A MDOA-SP-27-03 BPM058187.pdf

Page | 1

Vendor Q&A ADDENDUM Title: MDOA-SP-27-03 LRM Communications Consultant eMMA Reference No. BPM058187

The Addendum serves as Response to vendor Questions and an update to an additional required attachment.

1. As a reminder, the bid due date is to Wednesday, August 12th, 2025, before 2PM local time.

2. An additional attachment, Attachment-L.-Reference Checks has been added to the required attachments. You shall add your references to this document.

3. This Addendum must be acknowledged by signing on the last page and submitting it along with your bid.

Vendor Q&A

Q1: May an Offeror satisfy the mandatory Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop proficiency and licensure requirements through a named subcontractor or proposed key team member whose résumé, work samples, license confirmation, and commitment to perform are included in the Technical Proposal?

A1: Yes. MDOA is ideally looking for a single individual who can satisfy most or all of the requirements. However, if one person does not satisfy all the requirements, multiple individuals or subcontractors may be proposed. Evaluations will determine what is in the State's best interest. If proposing multiple people, please add rows to the Financial Proposal Form to provide the individual hourly rate for all persons being offered.

Q2: Are subcontractors permitted under this procurement?

A2: Yes. Subcontracting is acceptable as long as the personnel offered meet the mandatory requirements provided.

Q3: For the Drupal and WordPress requirements, is MDOA seeking routine content administration, or does the scope also include advanced development, template modification, module configuration, integrations, or technical troubleshooting?

Page | 2

A3: MDOA is primarily seeking routine content administration. More advanced development experience is helpful but not necessary.

Q4: Will MDOA technical or web administration staff remain responsible for permissions, templates, modules, integrations, security, and advanced CMS troubleshooting?

A4: MDOA will be responsible for these tasks.

Q5: May an Offeror submit work samples completed by proposed key personnel while employed by a previous employer, provided the individual’s role is clearly identified and the Offeror has permission to submit them?

A5: Yes. The RFP requires submission of a minimum of three relevant work samples to showcase the skills of the proposed individual or team. Samples from previous employers are acceptable provided the individual's role is clearly identifiable.

Q6: How should Offerors demonstrate Section 508 compliance for the required work samples?

A6: The offeror should provide fully 508 compliant Adobe Acrobat and/or and Microsoft Word samples. If those samples are not representative of the offeror’s graphic design and copywriting capabilities, they should be clearly indicated and other samples that represent those skills should also be provided.

Q7: Does the Financial Proposal require one fully loaded hourly rate for all personnel and service categories, including subcontractor work, or may separate labor categories and rates be proposed?

A7: If offering multiple individuals, you may add rows to the Financial Proposal Form to provide a separate hourly rate for all persons being offered. MDOA is looking for an individual who can satisfy all requirements, but evaluations will decide what is in the State's best interest; therefore, include the hourly rate for all proposed individuals.

Q8: Can MDOA provide an estimate of anticipated monthly hours, typical assignment frequency, and expected turnaround times for routine and urgent assignments?

A8: The State makes no guarantee of a minimum number of billable hours. Work assignments will be issued on an as-needed basis. Turnaround times will be discussed at the time a project is assigned and a mutually agreed upon deadline will be determined.

Q9: Because this is an as-needed contract, may the Contractor provide reasonable advance notice of planned absences and coordinate coverage or assignment schedules with the Contract Monitor?

Page | 3

A9: Yes.

Q10: Is this a new requirement, or are these services currently being performed by an incumbent contractor or consultant? If there is an incumbent, please provide the contractor’s name and prior contract information, if available.

A10: This is a new requirement. There is no incumbent.

Q11: SBR Certification – The RFP is designated as a Small Business Reserve (SBR) procurement. Could you confirm if vendors must already be certified under Maryland DOSEM’s SBR Program at the time of submission, or if certification can be obtained during evaluation?

A11: You do not need to be certified at time of submission; however, you must be certified by the time of award. An award will only be made to a Certified Small Business. To become a Certified Small Business (CSB) for Maryland's Small Business Reserve (SBR) program via eMMA, register for a free vendor account on the platform, ensure your for-profit business meets SBA size standards and gross revenue limits under $10 million, and complete the self-certification application under your company profile. There is no cost. The Procurement Officer will verify your certification status via eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA) or by reaching out directly to Maryland Department of Social and Economic Mobility (DOSEM) prior to any award determination.

Q12: Deliverables – Since deliverables are defined per assignment, should the consultant propose an initial communications plan with sample outputs (e.g., draft social posts, press release templates) as part of the proposal?

A12: No. Submission requirements are strictly limited to the Technical Proposal (resumes and a minimum of three work samples), Financial Proposal Form, and the mandatory State Affidavits.

Q13: Portfolio Samples – The RFP requires three work samples showing Section 508 compliance. Could you confirm if private sector samples demonstrating accessibility are acceptable, or must they be government/public sector projects?

A13: Private sector samples are acceptable. While the evaluation criteria indicate a preference for public sector writing skills, the portfolio samples themselves may be from private-sector work. The offeror should provide fully 508 compliant Adobe Acrobat and/or Microsoft Word samples. If those samples are not representative of the offeror’s graphic design and copywriting capabilities, that should be clearly indicated, and other samples that represent those skills should also be provided.

Page | 4

Q14: Budget Structure – The contract is capped at $75,000. Should proposals include a breakdown of hourly rates by task (writing, design, outreach), or is a single fully loaded hourly rate sufficient?

A14: Rates should not be broken down by task. However, if proposing multiple people to satisfy the requirements, Offerors may add rows to the Financial Proposal Form to provide an hourly rate for all persons being offered.

Q15: Work Modality – The RFP specifies 100% remote work. Could you confirm if occasional in-person meetings in Maryland may be requested, or will all collaboration remain virtual?

A15: All work shall be performed remotely.

Q16: The solicitation permits an offeror to propose an individual or a team. If the prime contractor plans to use a graphic design subcontractor for assignments requiring advanced graphic design or Section 508 document production, should the subcontractor be identified in the technical proposal and should their resume and work samples be included? Additionally, should all potential subcontractors be identified when submitting the proposal?

A16: Yes. Subcontracting is acceptable as long as the person offered meets the requirements provided. All potential subcontractors must be identified, and their resumes and work samples must be included in the Technical Proposal to verify they meet the minimum qualifications.

Q17: Section 4.1.3 evaluates "the proposed individual or team," and Section 5 requests "Resumes." Please confirm that the Mandatory Minimum Qualifications in Section 3

— including Pass/Fail #2 (public relations, media engagement, and executive-level speechwriting) — may be satisfied collectively across a proposed two-person team, documented through multiple resumes, rather than by a single individual.

A17: MDOA is ideally looking for an individual who can satisfy most or all of the requirements. However, if one person does not satisfy all the requirements, multiple individuals or subcontractors may be proposed. Evaluations will determine what is in the State's best interest. If proposing multiple individuals or subcontractors, please add a row to the Financial Proposal Form to provide the hourly rate for all individuals offered.

Q18: Regarding the minimum of three work samples in Section 4.1.1: where prior work was produced for clients under confidentiality or is otherwise proprietary, will the Department accept representative or newly prepared samples that demonstrate the required graphic design, copywriting, and Section 508 accessibility?

A18: Yes. The offeror should provide fully 508 compliant Adobe Acrobat and/or Microsoft Word samples. If those samples are not representative of the offeror’s graphic design and

Page | 5 copywriting capabilities, they should be clearly indicated and other samples that represent those skills should also be provided.

Q19: Given that the Financial Proposal requests a single fully loaded hourly rate, please confirm that a single blended hourly rate should be submitted for a proposed team rather than separate rates per individual.

A19: Do not submit a blended rate. If offering multiple individuals, you may add a row to the Financial Proposal Form to provide a specific hourly rate for all persons being offered.

Include the hourly rate for all proposed individuals.

Q20: Can the Department provide an estimated annual level of effort or anticipated range of labor hours for planning purposes?

A20: The State makes no guarantee of a minimum number of billable hours, and work assignments shall be issued on an as-needed basis.

Q21: Can the Department identify the anticipated distribution of work among the major task areas?

A21: Anticipated needs may focus primarily on communications planning and writing, social media management, digital outreach, and collateral development. However, priorities may shift without notice and the contractor should be prepared to support in all areas as needed.

Q22: Will the contractor be expected to maintain both Drupal and WordPress environments throughout the contract or only the platform(s) currently supporting the LRM initiative?

A22: Yes.

Q23: Will the contractor be expected to create original graphic designs and branded collateral or primarily edit and adapt existing agency templates and branding assets?

A23: Branded templates or existing documents will be provided for all collateral creation.

Original graphic design will still be required to complete many projects.

Q24: Will the contractor have publishing authority within the agency CMS, or will all website content require the state’s review and publication?

A24: Publishing authority will be provided to the contractor.

Q25: How many social media accounts and platforms are expected to be supported under this contract?

A25: 5 social media accounts are primarily managed through Hootsuite. One is not. Some social media management need will not be managed from within the Hootsuite environment.

Page | 6

Q26: Will the department provide examples of anticipated work assignments or typical monthly workloads to assist offerors in developing realistic staffing and pricing assumptions?

A26: Workloads may vary significantly depending on changing needs. Please refer to our social media channels, aging.maryland.gov, and lrm.maryland.gov for examples of anticipated communications work to be assigned.

Collateral on those sites that are representative of the work include but aren’t limited to:

• https://aging.maryland.gov/media/97

• https://aging.maryland.gov/media/95

• https://aging.maryland.gov/media/102

• https://aging.maryland.gov/media/76

• https://aging.maryland.gov/media/122

Digital outreach examples include but aren’t limited to:

• https://conta.cc/4pgrmlK

• https://conta.cc/4fSjfZp

• https://conta.cc/4kYrLqV

Q27: Does the department anticipate a recurring level of weekly support or primarily task-based support issue as needed?

A27: The Department anticipates requesting primarily task-based support as needed.

However, workloads may vary significantly depending on changing needs.

Q28: What are the department’s typical expected turnaround times for standard communication products and for urgent executive communications?

A28: Turnaround times will be discussed at the time a project is assigned and a mutually agreed upon deadline will be determined.

Q29: Can the department describe the anticipated review and approval process for deliverables including primary reviewers?

A29: Review and approval processes will vary. The contract monitor will be the primary point of contact and reviewer of all drafts and deliverables.

Q30: Does the state expect after-hours work or emergency support (on a weekend, etc.)?

A30: The Contractor is required to maintain availability during regular State of Maryland business hours, which are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST/EDT Monday through Friday, except State holidays. If emergency support is needed, the contractor may be asked but not required to accommodate.

https://aging.maryland.gov/media/122 https://conta.cc/4kYrLqV

Page | 7

Q31: How frequently does the state anticipate meetings – daily, weekly, monthly, TBD?

A31: No firm meeting schedule is anticipated at this time. Meetings will occur at the onset of an assignment, as needed.

Q32: How many staff within the department will the contractor primarily support?

A32: The contractor will be supporting the needs of many program managers but will primarily report to the contract monitor in the communications department.

Q33: Is this a single award contract?

A33: MDOA is looking for a single individual; however, following evaluations, MDOA will decide whether this will be awarded to a single vendor or multiple vendors based on what is in the best interest of the State.

Reminder: The Q&A submission closed on Monday, October 20th at 2PM local time. Please be sure to acknowledge this addendum and all other Addenda by signing and attaching them to your bid submission.

* This addendum necessitates the creation of a new round. Therefore, it's imperative for all bidders to ensure that their bids are pushed to the latest round for consideration.

Failure to do so may result in their bids not being considered in the evaluation process.

Signature is required on the final page of all addenda.

As a reminder, submissions are only accepted through eMMA. Please see the following for reference:

Responding to Solicitations https://procurement.maryland.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2021/01/4-eMMA-QRG- Responding-to-SolicitationsIFB.pdf

Quick Reference Guides https://procurement.maryland.gov/emma-qrgs/.

eMMA Helpdesk If you have questions regarding the site, please contact the eMMA helpdesk at:

eMMA.helpdesk@maryland.gov

Continue to Next page to Acknowledge this Addendum.

https://procurement.maryland.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2021/01/4-eMMA-QRG-Responding-to-SolicitationsIFB.pdf https://procurement.maryland.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2021/01/4-eMMA-QRG-Responding-to-SolicitationsIFB.pdf https://procurement.maryland.gov/emma-qrgs/

Page | 8

YOU MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THE ADDENDUM WITH YOUR PROPOSAL

All communication must be routed through the Procurement Officer. Thank you for your time and attention.

Received By______________________________________________________

(Printed Name)

Signature___________________________________ Date__________________

Vendor__________________________________________________________

Telephone No._____________________ Email: ____________________________

This is the final page of the Addendum