Amendment #1.pdf

SAP

State of South Carolina

Amendment #1

Solicitation:

Date Issued:

Procurement Officer:

Phone:

E-Mail Address:

Mailing Address:

5400018704 11.15.2019

HOWARD SANDERS

803.737.2402 ksanders@dew.sc.gov SC Dept. of Employment and Workforce Attn: Purchasing - Room 101 PO Box 995 Columbia SC 29202

DESCRIPTION: Identification of South Carolinians not in the Labor Force South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce

USING GOVERNMENTAL UNIT: SC Dept. of Employment and Workforce

SUBMIT OFFER BY (Opening Date/Time): 11.25.19 2:30pm (See "Deadline For Submission Of Offer" provision)

QUESTIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY: 11.14.19, 12:00 noon (See "Questions From Offerors" provision)

NUMBER OF COPIES TO BE SUBMITTED: 1 Original hard copy (Marked Original) and 3 additional hard copies

CONFERENCE TYPE: Site Visit N/A (As appropriate, see "Conferences - Pre-Bid/Proposal" & "Site Visit" provisions)

AWARD &

AMENDMENTS

Award will be posted on 12.13.19. The award, this solicitation, any amendments, and any related notices will be posted at the following web address: http://www.procurement.sc.gov

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)

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]

Vendor questions and Answers

Question: What is the anticipated timeline for the study and the contract?

Answer: We anticipate awarding the contract in January 2020. The timeline will be negotiated with the winning bidder.

Question: What budget is available for the scope of work?

Answer: The agency is committed to providing the resources necessary to complete this project.

Question: For statewide studies, will SC DEW be able to provide connections to local agencies in each county?

Answer: Depending on the nature of the request for connection, and the specific agency in question, SC DEW will assist when possible to facilitate relationships required to complete the study.

Question: Are there any requirements on the sample size for the study or how the sample is identified?

Answer: The sample must be large enough to allow statistically significant inferences. If a sample is required as part of the selected project response, SC DEW will work with the selected vendor to identify requirements for sampling implementation.

Question: Is there a previous contract for this project? If so, can I submit a public records request through you or do I need to use another avenue? Any information will be appreciated.

Answer: There is no previous contract for this project.

Question: Is this a new effort? If not, can the you provide the name of the incumbent?

Answer: There is no previous contract for this project.

Question: Does this effort have a ceiling amount?

Answer: The agency is committed to providing the resources necessary to complete this project.

Question: Is travel an allowable cost for this effort?

Answer: Travel costs are allowable and will need to be included in offeror’s total price proposal

Question: If South Carolina has a record unemployment rate, why is the effort being done?

Answer: Because of the record low unemployment rate, we are focusing on efforts to (re)engage individuals who are not currently part of the labor force to further strengthen the economic growth and competitiveness of the state.

Question: Is South Carolina able to provide the current methods used to identify the 41.5% unengaged population? In other words, how has South Carolina found and determined this percentage of the population to be unengaged?

Answer: This approximation is calculated by subtracting the percentage of the population currently in the labor force (as identified by the Bureau of Labor Statistics) from 1.

Question: What if any methods have you used in the past to find those who are not ready or willing to join or rejoin the ranks of the employed?

Answer: As this is a new initiative, there are no past methods utilized to find the population subset under examination.

Question: What will the access level be to your databases including the SCWS database, as well as any others that you may use to store data related to this RFP?

Answer: The selected provider may be provided in-house data required to complete this study, pursuant to successful completion and agency approval of MOUs and non-disclosure agreements, as appropriate. The selected provider will work with DEW staff to identify any internal data that might be required.

Question: How does SCDEW define the term labor force and ready and willing to re(join) the labor force?

Answer: Please refer to the Bureau of Labor Statistics website for a definition of the labor force.

It will be incumbent upon the selected provider to expand upon earlier BLS research to assist in defining and identifying individuals ready to (re)join the labor force.

Question: What is the contract deadline or deadline of all work to be completed by?

Answer: SC DEW will negotiate mutually agreeable deadlines with the selected provider.