Amendment 1.pdf

SAP

State of South Carolina

Invitation For Bid Amendment 1

Solicitation:

Date Issued:

Procurement Officer:

E-Mail Address:

Mailing Address:

5400025261 05/24/2023

TRAVIS SHEALY

shealytv@dhec.sc.gov

SC DHEC

Attn: Procurement Services Division 301 Gervais Street, 4th Floor Columbia SC 29201-3073

DESCRIPTION: DHEC Employee Assistance Program

USING GOVERNMENTAL UNIT: SC Dept of Health & Environmental Control

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

SUBMIT OFFER BY (Opening Date/Time): 05/30/2023 06/08/2023 2:30 PM EST (See "Deadline For Submission Of Offer" provision)

QUESTIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY: DEADLINE HAS PASSED (See "Questions From Offerors" provision)

NUMBER OF COPIES TO BE SUBMITTED: 1

CONFERENCE TYPE: Not Applicable

DATE & TIME:

(As appropriate, see "Conferences - Pre-Bid/Proposal" & "Site Visit" provisions)

LOCATION: Not Applicable

AWARD &

AMENDMENTS

Award will be posted on 06/05/2023 06/14/2023 . 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 (30) 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)

http://www.procurement.sc.gov/ http://www.procurement.sc.gov/ www.procurement.sc.gov

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)

Amendment No. Amendment Issue Date

Amendment No. Amendment Issue Date

Amendment No. Amendment Issue Date

Amendment No. Amendment Issue Date

DISCOUNT FOR

PROMPT PAYMENT

(See "Discount for Prompt

Payment" clause)

10 Calendar Days (%) 20 Calendar Days (%) 30 Calendar Days (%) _____Calendar Days (%)

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. [11-35-1524(E)(4)&(6)]

PREFERENCES - ADDRESS AND PHONE OF IN-STATE OFFICE: Please provide the address and phone number for your in-state office in the space provided below. An in-state office is necessary to claim either the Resident Vendor

Preference (11-35-1524(C)(1)(i)&(ii)) or the Resident Contractor Preference (11-35-1524(C)(1)(iii)). Accordingly, you must provide this information to qualify for the preference. An in-state office is not required, but can be beneficial, if you are claiming the Resident Subcontractor Preference (11-35-1524(D)).

____In-State Office Address same as Home Office Address ____In-State Office Address same as Notice Address (check only one)

PAGE TWO (SEP 2009) End of PAGE TWO www.procurement.sc.gov/preferences

Amendment Number 1

IFB 5400025261

DHEC Employee Assistance Program

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.

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 PROVISION. STRICKEN TEXT IS DELETED. [02-2A097-1]

Opening date/Time will Change from: 05/30/2023 2:30 PM EST to 6/8/2023 @ 2:30 PM ET

Award Posting DATE CHANGE from: 6/5/2023 to 6/14/2023

Changes to Solicitation

SERVICES

1. Contractor shall provide three (3) pre-paid confidential assessment and therapeutic counseling and/or treatment sessions annually per issue for each of the following individuals (Consumers):

PRICING

43. Contractor shall provide pricing thusly:

a. Unit price= per employee rate x 3,500 employees

b. Extended price= unit price x 12 months

44. SC DHEC reserves the right to increase the number of total employees in the future should additional employees be hired and require coverage.

45. Pricing shall include all applicable charges to include all ancillary programs.

Vendor Questions and Answers

1. QUESTION:

Who currently provides EAP services to SC DHEC?

State’s Response: We do not have an EAP program.

2. QUESTION:

How long has the current vendor provided EAP services to SC DHEC?

http://www.procurement.sc.gov/

State’s Response: See State’s response to question 1.

3. QUESTION:

Are there specific areas of enhancement you are seeking at this time?

4. QUESTION:

Why are you requesting this RFP are this time?

State’s Response: We are requesting this IFB at this time to obtain an Employee Assistance Program.

5. QUESTION:

What is SC DHEC currently paying for their EAP services?

6. QUESTION:

What was the total dollar spent for the EAP in the most recent contract year?

7. QUESTION:

Can you provide recent utilization reports or provide utilization statistics?

8. QUESTION:

Can you provide the number of orientation, training, benefit fair hours provided in the most recent contract year? How many of those were provided in person?

9. QUESTION:

How many Critical Incident events were responded to in the most recent contract year?

10. QUESTION:

How many Critical Incident events were responded to in the most recent contract year?

11. QUESTION:

How many hours of Critical Incident support were provided in the most recent contract year?

12. QUESTION:

How many hours of Critical Incident support were provided in the prior contract year?

13. QUESTION:

How many hours of Critical Incident support are currently provided in the contracted rate?

14. QUESTION:

With the state date of the new contract listed as 06/15/2023 being so close to the due date for responses to this solicitation, how quickly does SC DHEC anticipate awarding this contract?

State’s Response: See Award and Amendments on page 1 of the solicitation.

15. QUESTION:

Scope of Work – Services 1. indicates: “provide three (3) pre-paid confidential assessment and therapeutic counseling and/or treatment sessions annually for each of the following individuals (Consumers) – please confirm this is intended to be three (3) annually and not three (3) per incident per consumer per year.

State’s Response: See Changes to Solicitation in this Amendment.

16. QUESTION:

Scope of Work – Services 4. f. – “Mental Health Checks” please provide more information on how/when Mental Health

Checks are requested/required. How many of these are performed annually?

State’s Response: We have been using the crisis line for MH checks. I'm aware of approx. 4 in the last 6 months. I'm not an MH professional. However, from an Employee Relations' perspective, I would recommend an employee for a

MH check when they share they are having thoughts of suicide, appear to have loss of interest in personal hygiene, drastic change in attendance or the manner they completing their job duties, withdrawal from communicating with others, etc.

17. QUESTION:

Scope of Work – Services 4. o. – “Job Accommodation/Disability Assessment” – please provide more information on how/when Mental Health Checks are requested/required. How many of these are performed annually on average?

State’s Response: Regarding Job Accommodation/Disability Assessment, it's hard to provide a number because you can't anticipate how many we may need to refer to EAP for an assessment since some employees may prefer to see their own healthcare provider for an assessment. In 2022, ER worked with approx. 27 employees on identifying reasonable accommodations. In 2021, we worked with approximately 50. This does not include the number of times we requested additional information from the employee's healthcare provider.

18. QUESTION:

Scope of Work – Services 4. bb. – “Nutritional Coaching” – who performs this coaching? Does the coaching part of counseling and the available counseling sessions.

State’s Response: Some nutritional coaching is provided through the state insurance plan based on BCBS criteria for the programs, and is completely administered and managed by state health insurance.

19. QUESTION:

Scope of Work – Services 4. ee. – “Fit for Duty” – does the current provider provide Fit for Duty evaluations via their own staff?

20. QUESTION:

Contractor Requirements 8. – “The Contractor shall bill SC DHEC annually. The number of Consumers who access the services for any billing period must be reflected on the invoice.” – with the assumption that the annual invoicing is done at the beginning of the contract year, how is it possible to include the number of Consumers that accessed the services on the provided invoice?

State’s Response: It is not expected on the initial invoice as no services have been provided.

21. QUESTION:

Contractor Requirements 16 – “Contractor must meet at least quarterly or upon request with SC DHEC’s OHR to address policies, problems, processes or other issues involving the program’s services. These meetings may be by telephone, via online meeting, or in-person at SC DHEC’s OHR’s discretion.” What has been the standard for how the meetings are conducted, telephone, online meeting or in-person?

State’s Response: These services have not be provided in the past, but should be provided quarterly and upon request.

22. QUESTION:

Contractor Requirements 18. – “Contractor must maintain professional partnerships with subject matter experts to provide support for advice given and consultation services. Other subject matter experts should include, but are not limited to, law enforcement and the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department.” Are these partnerships/relationships for the vendors own benefit, or does SC DHEC see times for when these partnerships/relationships are used/engaged by SC

DHEC?

State’s Response: DHEC wants to ensure our staff has knowledge of and benefits from subject matter experts available to them. It is believed DHEC will mostly be engaging these partnerships, but the contractor should be familiar with local agencies and resources in order to better help our employees.

23. QUESTION:

Contractor Requirements 19. – “Contractor must incorporate programs supported by the State Public Employee Benefit

Authority (PEBA). Are there specific programs that we should be aware of?

State’s Response: Recommendations for continued therapy or counseling should ensure provider is in network. BCBS offers a 12 week program using Meru.

24. QUESTION:

Service Delivery Phase 28. e. – “Provide assessment/counseling sessions at a non-SC DHEC location, unless otherwise specified, no later than 24 hours after a request for services by a Consumer or a referral from SC DHEC.” Given today’s demand for mental/emotional health counseling this turnaround period, especially if it is meant to be in-person, would be very difficult to meet. How does SC DHEC confirm/know that this is taking place today?

25. QUESTION:

Services Delivery Phase 28. f. – “Respond to emergencies after hours. In such emergency situations, the Contractor shall provide assessment/counseling services within two (2) hours of notification.” Can SC DHEC share how this is being accomplished today, by the current vendor?

26. QUESTION:

Will you accept electronic signatures on all proposal forms?

State’s Response: Yes.

27. QUESTION:

Who is the current EAP provider and how long have they been providing services to the organization?

28. QUESTION:

Please confirm that pricing should be based on 3,500 employees.

State’s Response: Yes, pricing should be based on 3,500 employees.

29. QUESTION:

Please provide the current rate and a rate history throughout the contract term for the EAP.

30. QUESTION:

Will you share your annual budget for the EAP?

State’s Response: The State will not be sharing the budget for this project.

31. QUESTION:

How many hours are currently included and/or how many hours are you seeking for the following services through this

RFP?

32. QUESTION:

How many total hours of the following services were utilized in each of the last two (2) years?

33. QUESTION:

Please provide copies of 2021 and 2022 EAP utilization reports.

34. QUESTION:

If reports are not available, please provide the following for each of the last 2 years and YTD?.

35. QUESTION:

On a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the highest, how would you rate your current vendor?

36. QUESTION:

Will HSPF modeling experience instead of LSPC be acceptable for this RFP? If so, will both LSPC and HSPF modeling experience be scored equally?

State’s Response: No.

37. QUESTION:

What are the three components that are most important to you in an EAP?

State’s Response:

1) Faster access to Mental Health services for our employees whose personal issues are impacting their ability to perform their job duties.

2) Easily accessible supportive mental health services for our staff.

3) Ease of access to services, quarterly reporting, educational opportunities for staff.

38. QUESTION:

Is your workforce currently in-office, remote, or hybrid?

State’s Response: Hybrid

39. QUESTION:

How many employees covered under the EAP fall under Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations?

State’s Response: SC DHEC does not have any employees under the Department of Transportation regulations.

40. QUESTION:

Are DOT Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) evaluations included within the EAP contract? If yes, is there a cap on the number of evaluations included each year within the EAP rate or are evaluations provided on a fee-for-service basis?

State’s Response: SC DHEC does not have any employees under the Department of Transportation regulations.

41. QUESTION:

How many Department of Transportation (DOT) Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) evaluations have been requested in each of the last three years?

State’s Response: SC DHEC does not have any employees under the Department of Transportation regulations.

42. QUESTION:

Please clarify if a redacted copy of proposal is needed if submitting a digital copy?

State’s Response: Submission of a redacted proposal is at the Offeror’s discretion.

43. QUESTION:

Please provide additional information regarding the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Awareness program, the Tobacco

Cessation program, and the Health Living program. Are you seeking training and resources around these topics or a formal

Tobacco Cessation program and a Wellness Coaching program?

State’s Response: We are seeking formal tobacco cessation and coaching programs.

44. QUESTION:

SOW: “Contractor must incorporate programs supported by the State Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA).” How does the current EAP currently incorporate within the programs? What programs are supported by PEBA?

State’s Response: DHEC does not currently have an EAP. If an employee needs more services than included in the

EAP contract, the contractor should ensure that providers/services are part of the PEBA network. Contractor should be familiar with health and wellness programs offered to DHEC employees (weight loss, diabetes management, healthy heart).

45. QUESTION:

SOW: “Provide assessment/counseling sessions at a non-SC DHEC location, unless otherwise specified, no later than 24 hours after a request for services by a Consumer or a referral from SC DHEC, except in emergency situations.” Through our EAP, the employee will receive a clinical assessment during his/her first call into the EAP. If his/her issue is appropriate for the EAP, then we will locate a local affiliate provider in the area and provide the referral to the employee within 2-3 business days for routine cases and within 1 business day for urgent cases. The employee will then call the referred provider to schedule an appointment for counseling at a date and time that works best for him/her. Does this process meet the Agency’s expectations?

State’s Response: No, it does not meet the expectations. The referred provider may not have openings for three weeks. That would not be acceptable.

46. QUESTION:

Would you accept a 30 day implementation period?

State’s Response: Yes

47. QUESTION:

Do we need to submit the Business Associate form with the proposal?

State’s Response: Completion of the Business Associate Agreement is a requirement of the solicitation.

48. QUESTION:

Please provide insight into the condition of the workforce. Are your employees facing:

• Stress,

• Morale,

• Inflation,

• Financial challenges,

• Burnout?

State’s Response: As with many organizations, including healthcare, our employees are faced with stress, inflation, financial challenges, and burnout. Additionally, there is legislation to divide the organization into two agencies.

49. QUESTION:

To confirm, are bids for this solicitation only being accepted via on-line?

State’s Response: Bids will be accepted on-line or hard copy.

50. QUESTION:

Has there been previous contracts/awards given for this type of bid (DHEC Employee Assistance Program) and if so, please provide the documents of the previous award?

51. QUESTION:

Number 8 under Contractor Requirements, it states the contractor shall bill DHEC annually, however, following that sentence, it references billing periods. Would you please clarify and confirm the expected billing schedule and billing periods?

State’s Response: Annual billing at the beginning of the service calendar year.

52. QUESTION:

Whys is SC DHEC out to bid?

State’s Response: To procure an Employee Assistance Program.

53. QUESTION:

Who is the current vendor?

54. QUESTION:

Where is the satisfaction level with the incumbent provider?

55. QUESTION:

Have there been any service issues?

State’s Response: See State's response to question 1.

56. QUESTION:

How long has SC DHEC been with this vendor?

57. QUESTION:

How long has SC DHEC been with this vendor?

58. QUESTION:

How many EAP counseling sessions are included in the current program?

59. QUESTION:

Does the current program allow for legal, financial, childcare, eldercare and personal convenience assistance? How are these services being administered? Through a website or can employees call and speak to lawyers, financial professionals for example? Are the childcare, eldercare services self-service or does the program provide research and referrals?

60. QUESTION:

Regarding trainings, how many onsite training hours are currently included in the program? How many were used last year?

61. QUESTION:

In the same vain, for critical incidents (i.e. a natural disaster, ee fatality, layoffs, etc) what type of support does the current program allow for? How many annual onsite hours are built in? How many events were there last year?

62. QUESTION:

What is the current rate on the program?

State’s Response: See State's response to question 1.

63. QUESTION:

What has utilization looked like for their current program? Are they satisfied with the program utilization? Can you provide a copy of a most recent utilization report?

64. QUESTION:

Please provide specific details on the requirement to provide an Alcohol and Substance Abuse Awareness program? Is this a onetime training or an ongoing class?

State’s Response: This would be an ongoing service option for staff that may need a high level of support or consultation in an area of alcohol or substance abuse. This service would be offered the same about of consultations as all other services.

65. QUESTION:

Please provide specific details on the requirement to provide a Tobacco Cessation program? Is this a onetime annual training class or an ongoing coaching program employees can utilize as needed?

State’s Response: This would be an ongoing consultation for staff that may be attempting to quit smoking. The employee would be authorized the same amount of consultation as any other programs included in the EAP.

66. QUESTION:

Please provide specific details on the Health Living (wellness-oriented program) requirement? Is this a one-time training or a full wellness program? If so, what is specifically included?

State’s Response: We have a full-time Wellness Coordinator/Program who helps staff with healthy eating options, office exercise options and coordination of our annual agency wellness fair.

67. QUESTION:

Does the DHEC require bidders to do anything with the Business Associate Agreement (pgs. 43-48 of the RFP) in order for our proposal to be considered responsive?

State’s Response: See State’s response to question 47.

68. QUESTION:

Will the DHEC accept any proposed exceptions/deviations to Section VII Terms and Conditions (pgs. 24-34 of the RFP), or would the DHEC then deem bidder’s proposal non-responsive?

State’s Response: Refer to the comments in bold at the bottom of page three (3) of the solicitation.

69. QUESTION:

The RFP notes 3 sessions per person per year. Our program offers 3 per person per year per issue. Which would you prefer?

70. QUESTION:

Regarding an Alcohol and Substance Abuse Awareness program, a Tobacco Cessation program, and a Health Living

(wellness-oriented) program, these programs would be at an additional cost. Do you want these included in the price or priced separately? If priced separately, please indicate where to provide this pricing information for optional services since there is not space on the Bidding Schedule.

71. QUESTION:

EAPs can offer sessions within certain timeframes but cannot guarantee that clients are available/will accept the offer. This makes #41a and #41b difficult to guarantee. We also typically see 24 hours as the standard for urgent situations, not non-emergency or non-urgent issues. Is this acceptable?

State’s Response: It is understood Consumer availability may affect session scheduling. However, it will be the

Contractor’s responsibility to make every effort to provide services within the timeframes outlined in this solicitation, and to document the reason for deviation from these timeframes.

End of Amendment 1