Amendment 1.docx

SAP

State of South Carolina

Request for Proposal

Amendment 1 Solicitation:

Date Issued:

Procurement Officer:

Phone:

E-Mail Address:

Mailing Address:

5400026334 3/8/2024

KAYLA MIDDLETON

803-737-2609 kmiddleton@mmo.sc.gov SFAA, Div. of Procurement Services 1201 Main St., Suite 600 Columbia SC 29201-3734

DESCRIPTION: Palmetto Sites Program – Site Evaluation

USING GOVERNMENTAL UNIT: South Carolina Department of Commerce (SCDOC)

SUBMIT YOUR OFFER ON-LINE AT THE FOLLOWING URL: http://www.procurement.sc.gov

SUBMIT OFFER BY (Opening Date/Time): 3/29/2024 11:00:AM ET (See "Deadline For Submission Of Offer" provision)

QUESTIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY: 2/29/2024 5:00 PM ET (See "Questions From Offerors" provision)

NUMBER OF COPIES TO BE SUBMITTED: One Online Submission

CONFERENCE TYPE: Pre-Bid Conference

DATE & TIME: 2/28/2024 @ 10:30 AM (ET)

If you’d like to attend email the Procurement Officer for instructions no later than 2/27/2024 by 5:00 PM ET.

(As appropriate, see "Conferences - Pre-Bid/Proposal" & "Site Visit" provisions) LOCATION: Online via Microsoft Teams

You must submit a signed copy of this form with Your Offer. By signing, You agree to be bound by the terms of the Solicitation. You agree to hold Your Offer open for a minimum of thirty (60) calendar days after the Opening Date. (See "Signing Your Offer" provision.)

NAME OF OFFEROR

(full legal name of business submitting the offer) Any award issued will be issued to, and the contract will be formed with, the entity identified as the Offeror. The entity named as the offeror must be a single and distinct legal entity. Do not use the name of a branch office or a division of a larger entity if the branch or division is not a separate legal entity, i.e., a separate corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, etc.

AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE

(Person must be authorized to submit binding offer to contract on behalf of Offeror.)

DATE SIGNED

TITLE

(business title of person signing above)

STATE VENDOR NO.

(Register to Obtain S.C. Vendor No. at www.procurement.sc.gov)

PRINTED NAME

(printed name of person signing above)

STATE OF INCORPORATION

(If you are a corporation, identify the state of incorporation.)

OFFEROR'S TYPE OF ENTITY: (Check one) (See "Signing Your Offer" provision.)

___ Sole Proprietorship ___ Partnership ___ Other_____________________________

___ Corporate entity (not tax-exempt) ___ Corporation (tax-exempt) ___ Government entity (federal, state, or local)

COVER PAGE - ON-LINE ONLY (MAR. 2015)

SAP

SAP

PAGE TWO

(Return Page Two with Your Offer) HOME OFFICE ADDRESS (Address for offeror's home office / principal place of business)

NOTICE ADDRESS (Address to which all procurement and contract related notices should be sent.) (See "Notice" clause)

_____________________________________________________ Area Code - Number - Extension Facsimile

_____________________________________________________ E-mail Address

PAYMENT ADDRESS (Address to which payments will be sent.) (See "Payment" clause)

____Payment Address same as Home Office Address ____Payment Address same as Notice Address (check only one) ORDER ADDRESS (Address to which purchase orders will be sent) (See "Purchase Orders and "Contract Documents" clauses)

____Order Address same as Home Office Address ____Order Address same as Notice Address (check only one)

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF AMENDMENTS

Offerors acknowledges receipt of amendments by indicating amendment number and its date of issue. (See "Amendments to Solicitation" Provision)

DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT PAYMENT

(See "Discount for Prompt Payment" clause)

PREFERENCES - A NOTICE TO VENDORS (SEP. 2009): On June 16, 2009, the South Carolina General Assembly rewrote the law governing preferences available to in-state vendors, vendors using in-state subcontractors, and vendors selling in-state or US end products. This law appears in Section 11-35-1524 of the South Carolina Code of Laws. A summary of the new preferences is available at www.procurement.sc.gov/preferences . ALL THE PREFERENCES MUST BE CLAIMED AND ARE APPLIED BY LINE ITEM, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER AWARD IS MADE BY ITEM OR LOT. VENDORS ARE CAUTIONED TO CAREFULLY REVIEW THE STATUTE BEFORE CLAIMING ANY PREFERENCES. THE REQUIREMENTS TO QUALIFY HAVE CHANGED. IF YOU REQUEST A PREFERENCE, YOU ARE CERTIFYING THAT YOUR OFFER QUALIFIES FOR THE PREFERENCE YOU'VE CLAIMED. IMPROPERLY REQUESTING A PREFERENCE CAN HAVE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. Per 11-35-1524(E) Preferences do not apply.

PAGE TWO (SEP 2009)

End of PAGE TWO

AMENDMENTS TO SOLICITATION (JAN 2004)

(a) The Solicitation may be amended at any time prior to opening. All actual and prospective Offerors should monitor the following web site for the issuance of Amendments: www.procurement.sc.gov (b) Offerors shall acknowledge receipt of any amendment to this solicitation (1) by signing and returning the amendment, (2) by identifying the amendment number and date in the space provided for this purpose on Page Two, (3) by letter, or (4) by submitting a bid that indicates in some way that the bidder received the amendment. (c) If this solicitation is amended, then all terms and conditions which are not modified remain unchanged. [02-2A005-1]

Highlighted text is added to the original provision. Stricken text is deleted.

MAXIMUM CONTRACT PERIOD - ESTIMATED (JAN 2006)

Start date: 5/31/2024 12/21/2024 End date: 5/30/2029 12/20/2029. Dates provided are estimates only. Any resulting contract will begin on the date specified in the notice of award. See clause entitled "Term of Contract - Effective Date/Initial Contract Period". [01-1040-1]

It is anticipated that the initial term of the contract will be one (1) year with (4) four one-year options to renew resulting in a maximum contract term of five (5) years.

III. SCOPE OF WORK/SPECIFICATIONS

Current Level of Performance While the SCDOC has performed these services previously, this is the first contract of its kind for the agency.

QUESTIONS FROM OFFERORS - AMENDMENT (JUN 2017)

THE SOLICITATION IS AMENDED AS PROVIDED HEREIN. INFORMATION OR CHANGES RESULTING FROM QUESTIONS WILL BE SHOWN IN A QUESTION-AND-ANSWER FORMAT. ALL QUESTIONS RECEIVED HAVE BEEN REPRINTED BELOW. THE “STATE’S RESPONSE” SHOULD BE READ WITHOUT REFERENCE TO THE QUESTIONS. THE QUESTIONS ARE INCLUDED SOLELY TO PROVIDE A CROSS-REFERENCE TO THE POTENTIAL OFFEROR THAT SUBMITTED THE QUESTION. QUESTIONS DO NOT FORM A PART OF THE CONTRACT; THE “STATE’S RESPONSE” DOES. ANY RESTATEMENT OF PART OR ALL OF AN EXISTING PROVISION OF THE SOLICITATION IN AN ANSWER DOES NOT MODIFY THE ORIGINAL PROVISION EXCEPT AS FOLLOWS: UNDERLINED TEXT IS ADDED TO THE ORIGINAL PROVISON. STRICKEN TEXT IS DELETED. [02-2A097-1]

The following questions were received pursuant to the original date and time specified on the front of the solicitation.

1. The program has historically operated two rounds per year. The proposal indicates an estimated number of 35 sites per year.

· Is there currently a Round 1 2024 underway?

· Since the contract will be awarded in late May, do you anticipate the selected contractor will be conducting one round in 2024?

· If there is not currently a Round 1 being conducted in 2024, do you anticipate that there will be 35 sites participating in 2024?

Agency Response: Round 1 2024 is currently underway and the new contract will begin 12/21/2024. The goal will be to offer two rounds with the new contract in 2025.

2. The RFP indicates that the Site Evaluation Fee should be indicated as the cost per site.

· Should the Site Evaluation Fee proposed be a lump-sum fee that includes all travel expenses?

Agency Response: No; travel expenses will be invoiced separately pursuant to the state travel policy:

1. Air travel - flights must be booked in economy class

1. Hotels - follow the State per diems (Rate Table)

1. Meals:

In- State:

2. $8.00 (Breakfast)

2. $10.00 (Lunch)

2. $17.00 (Dinner)

1. Road travel – use the most economical option:

3. Rental cars, please choose an appropriate sedan or SUV

3. Personal vehicle, reimbursement mileage based on Internal Revenue Service current rate. Example: 2024 rate is $0.67/mile

3. Taxi/Uber/Lyft

3. The RFP indicates that the value-add services should be proposed with estimated hours.

· Is it acceptable to provide a set fee per service (or site) for each of the value-add services? If not, then should hourly rates for all team members be provided or a blended hourly rate?

· For value-add services that may include travel, should the bidder provide an estimated value of travel costs that will then be billed based on actual travel costs, or should a fixed travel amount be listed for value-add services?

Agency Response: We would like to be provided with an hourly rate for value-add services. It is acceptable to submit a blended hourly rate for all team members that may be involved. For values added services that may include travel, please see response for question #2.

4. “Current Level of Performance” (within III. SCOPE OF WORK/SPECIFICATIONS) indicates that “While the SCDOC has performed these services previously, this is the first contract of its kind for the agency?”

· What makes this contract unique from the contracts of the previous two firms that SCDOC has contracted with to provide similar services?

Agency Response: See revised language in Section III SCOPE OF WORK/SPECIFICATIONS.

5. Section 4.3.3 of Proposal content (within IV. INFORMATION FOR OFFERORS TO SUBMIT) indicates to “Provide sample, written Site Evaluation Report and final property designation brochure that highlights key information about the property.”

· Does the sample report count against the Technical Proposal page limit of 15-20 pages?

· Is it acceptable to include example reports and brochures as links or as an appendix?

Agency Response: The sample report will count against the Technical Proposal page limit of 15-20 pages, but it will be acceptable to include example reports and brochures as links or as an appendix.

6. The Proposal Content lists five separate sections. We acknowledge that Section 5 (Price Proposal) needs to be a separate document, but can Sections 1-4 of the Proposal Content be combined into one PDF file?

Agency Response: Sections 1-4 of the Proposal Content can be combined into one PDF File.

7. Does Commerce cover the cost for participants in the program?

Agency Response: Yes, Commerce will cover the selected contractor’s fees for both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the program for the participants. Any outside costs incurred related to engineering and/or due diligence work will be the responsibility of the applicant.

8. Is the Palmetto Sites program competitive for participants (only so many receive a designation and/or funds per year, etc.)?

Agency Response: No, the Palmetto Sites program is not competitive for participants.

9. Clarify if travel expenses need to be included in the price proposal.

Agency Response: See response for question #2.

10. Should team bios be included in the 15-20 page limit or can those be included in an appendix?

Agency Response: Team bios does not have to be included in the 15-20 page limit and can be included in the appendix.

11. Please define “region” in the Overview/History opening in Section III. My interpretation would be the Upstate, Midlands, PeeDee, and Lowcountry.

Agency Response: Region is defined in the Overview/History opening in Section III as Upstate, Midlands, Lowcountry and PeeDee.

12. Number 3 under the Program Development portion of the Scope of Work indicates deliverables to include a written report of the initial evaluation and a final property designation brochure. Can you confirm if there are any guidelines/requirements for the deliverables? Additionally, it specifies in the Due Diligence Evaluation phase that these are to be provided to applicants who have completed the program. Are either of these required for applicants who complete the readiness evaluation phase or for those who drop out for any reason.

Agency Response: The site evaluation report will be provided at the end of the Site Readiness Phase (Phase 1) and the final property designation brochure will be provided at the end of the Due Diligence Evaluation Phase (Phase 2). Please refer to the Section III SCOPE OF WORK/SPECIFICATIONS, Phase I: Initial Desktop Evaluation/Site Visit, number five (5) to guide you in the type of information we want to see in the written report of the initial evaluation.

13. Number 4 in the same list mentions Expedited Review. Will this continue to apply only to Palmetto Sites participants versus other certification programs?

Agency Response: Yes, Expedited Review only applies to sites that have or have had the Palmetto Sites designation.

14. Are Executive Briefings referenced in number 6 preferred in-person or via a specific technology?

Agency Response: Typically, executive briefings take place in a virtual manner (i.e. Microsoft Teams).

15. Are the industry types referenced in the Value-Added Services section expected to stay within the 11 industries SC targets, or are other industries appropriate if opportunistic and if presented with contextual support?

Agency Response: If appropriate, other industries can be included.

16. How will any discrepancies in sufficient due diligence between the State and Contractor be resolved?

Agency Response: The goal is to ensure that the site have adequate due diligence so as to not be eliminated by a project is how any discrepancies in sufficient due diligence between State and Contractor be resolved, however, SCDOC will make the final determination.

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