Amendment One.pdf

State of South Carolina

Request for Proposal (RFP)

ADMENDMENT ONE

REVISED BIDDING SCHEDULE AND

RESPONSES TO VENDORS’

QUESTIONS

Solicitation:

Date Issued:

Procurement Officer:

Phone:

E-Mail Address:

Mailing Address:

5400021483 06/08/2021 Rina Drescher 803-822-3209 drescherr@midlandstech.edu

MIDLANDS TECHNICAL COLLEGE

PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT

1260 Lexington Drive West Columbia SC 29170-2176

DESCRIPTION: EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM SERVICES

USING GOVERNMENTAL UNIT: MIDLANDS TECHNICAL COLLEGE

SUBMIT OFFER BY (Opening Date/Time): 06/16/2021 11:00 A.M. (See "Deadline For Submission Of Offer" provision)

QUESTIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY: 06/04/2021 12:00 NOON (See "Questions From Offerors" provision)

NUMBER OF COPIES TO BE SUBMITTED: ONLINE BIDDING ONLY

ONE (1) ELECTRONIC COPY – MUST INCLUDE COVER PAGES, BIDDING SCHEDULE AND ANY

OTHER INFORMATION REQUESTED AS ATTACHMENTS.

SEE SECTION_IIB: ONLINE BIDDING INSTRUCTIONS. ONLY ONLINE BIDS WILL BE ACCEPTED

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 07/06/2021. 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)

SUBMIT YOUR OFFER ON-LINE AT THE FOLLOWING URL: http://www.procurement.sc.gov mailto:drescherr@midlandstech.edu http://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 http://www.procurement.sc.gov/preferences

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]

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Section I of this document reflects the revised bidding schedule/price-business proposal

Section II of this document reflects the College’s responses to the vendor’s questions and/or concerns.

Please be sure to review each sections closely.

SECTION I: REVISED - BIDDING SCHEDULE / PRICE-BUSINESS PROPOSAL - REVISED

BIDDING SCHEDULE (NOV 2007)

Line Number Quantity Unit of Measure Unit Price/Per

Month – Fee for

Services Per

Employee

Extended Price/Per year

0001 568 each

Item Description: Employee Assistance Program Services - Year 1 (2021 – 2022)

Line Number Quantity Unit of Measure Unit Price/Per

Month – Fee for

Services Per

Employee

Extended Price/Per year

0002 568 each

Item Description: Employee Assistance Program Services - Year 2 (2022 – 2023)

Services Per

Employee

Extended Price/Per year

0003 568 each

Item Description: Employee Assistance Program Services - Year 3 (2023 – 2024)

Services Per

Employee

Extended Price/Per year

0004 568 each

Item Description: Employee Assistance Program Services - Year 4 (2024 – 2025)

Month

Extended Price/Per year

0005 568 each

Item Description: Employee Assistance Program Services - Year 5 (2025 – 2026)

PRICE PROPOSAL (JAN 2006)

Notwithstanding any other instructions herein, you shall submit the following price information as a separate document:

Fee for services cost and what services are included.

o This information will be used to determine the total potential value of the contract.

Fees for additional services:

o Onsite Critical Incident Response Services o Lunch and Learn Workshops

[08-8015-1]

SECTION II: COLLEGE’S RESPONSES TO THE VENDOR’S QUESTIONS AND/OR

CONCERNS

VENDORS’ QUESTIONS COLLEGE’S RESPONSES

1. Who currently provides EAP services to Midlands

Technical College? For how many years?

First Sun EAP Alliance. We are in the 5th/final year of the contract with this vendor.

2. What is Midlands Technical College currently paying for their EAP services? Based on how many employees?

o How many employees are to be eligible for the EAP, under a new contract?

2-a. For fair and open competition we will not share the current vendor’s pricing structure.

2-b. The approximate number of full-time employees are

568. Please be sure to review and submit the revised bidding schedule when submitting your proposal.

(Included as a part of this amendment.)

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

For fair and open competition we will not share the current vendor’s pricing structure.

4. Does the current program provide up to five (5) counseling sessions?

Yes.

5. Is Midlands Technical College currently receiving

Work-Life Services, i.e. telephonic consultation and referral for Child Care, Elder Care, etc.?

Yes.

6. Is Midlands Technical College currently receiving Legal

Consultation Services, i.e. 30-minute consultation with an attorney; beyond the consultation, attorney services offered at a 25% discount?

Yes.

7. Is Midlands Technical College currently receiving

Financial Consultation Services, i.e. telephone-based financial advisory services provided by qualified financial planners?

Yes.

8. Can you provide recent utilization reports or provide utilization statistics?

a. Specifically, can you provide total number of initial inquiry/assessment calls to the

EAP in the most recent contract year?

b. Can you provide the total number of EAP counseling sessions provided in the most recent contract year?

c. Can you provide the total number of EAP counseling sessions provided in the prior contract year?

d. Can you provide the total number of EAP counseling cases in the most recent contract year?

e. Can you provide the average number of counseling sessions provided per counseling case in the most recent contract year?

8a. Utilization rate of 6.13% out of 638 employees

8b. 45 cases were opened in the past year serving 46 individuals

8c. Information unavailable.

8d. Information unavailable.

8e. Information unavailable.

9. In an effort to be a “green” company, we generally provide promotional materials electronically. If printed materials are desired, how many printed brochures and how many printed posters are requested annually?

This discussion will occur with the awarded vendor.

10. Can you provide the number of orientation, benefit/health fair and/or training hours provided in the most recent contract year? How many of those hours were provided in-person?

o How many hours are included annually in the current contract?

Electronic handouts are acceptable, but we still like to provide them in person in the event an employee needs them. Typically no more than 500 copies/ year of brochures are requested.

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

One (1)

12. How many Critical Incident events were responded to in the prior contract year?

Zero (0)

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

Unable to provide hours

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

Zero (0)

15. How many hours of on-site Critical Incident support are currently provided in the contracted rate?

o How many does hours does Midlands

Technical College desire in a new contract?

Eight (8)

8 hours the number of CISD hours are not included in the onsite hours.

16. From A. Scope of Work, can more clarity be provided in regard to who is considered a family member? We generally include spouse or significant other and dependents (for dependent we follow the IRS definition of a dependent).

Definition of family member would be immediate family member and would follow the IRS definition of a dependent.

17. Primary Task #5, can the periodic meetings be conducted via virtual technology? If in-person is required, can Midlands Technical College, provide more detail regarding how often these may be required?

Meetings may include both virtual and/or in person, with an average of once a quarter.

18. Primary Task #7, can a current copy of the effectiveness metrics be provided, or is it possible to at least share examples of what is expected?

The provider is expected to establish valid metrics to assess the program’s impact on organizational performance.

19. Primary Task #8 b., are the five (5) sessions to be considered annually or per incident annually?

o “Assessment interview must be scheduled within twenty-four (24) hours.” Can this be changed to business hours? Or, does the fact that we have a counselor answering the phone 24/7/365 already satisfy this requirement as they are able to conduct an initial assessment for criticality? (Actual referrals to counseling are typically only conducted Monday – Friday) o Also, “the first interview must be accomplished as soon as possible, but no later than forty-eight (48) hours after the employee’s request or referral.” We assume interview refers to the first counseling session, please confirm.

We ask our network counselors to provide an appointment within 48

The five (5) session are considered annually.

The assessment interview can be satisfied with the initial call with the counselor while determining criticality as long as it is considered an assessment interview. Critical calls must be handled immediately.

This is correct, the first counseling session must be within

48 hours of the request or the referral.

The requirement is to ensure that employees are receiving services when they need them. The assessment interview must be completed within 24 hours of the employees call and the first interview/counseling session must happen within 48 hours of the employee’s request. This service is for the employees of MTC and while the employee’s hours of being conducted (by ourselves or the client seeking services), however this is not always able to be accomplished, especially as a client may not wish to accept the time of an offered appointment. Also, due to demand and availability of resources in an area, counselors often are not being able to meet this requirement today.

Can language in this area be adjusted to accommodate current conditions?

schedule may provide some difficulties, it is up to the provider to ensure appointments are conducted as soon as possible at the employee’s convenience.

20. Primary Task #8 c. – Would these four (4) workshops consume approximately eight (8) total hours (four workshops at 2 hours each = 8 hours), or just the indicated two (2) hours (four workshops at 30 minutes each = 2 hours)?

Would these workshops be in in-person or virtual?

These workshops are to provide the employees of MTC valuable resources to cover mental health, financial health, and overall wellness. These workshops would be 4 at 2 hours each.

These workshops would be either in person or virtual at the discretion of MTC.

21. Primary Task #14 – How does the Advisory Committee hearing differ from the periodic meeting indicated in

Task #5? Can this hearing be conducted virtually?

The Advisory Committee hearing is a formal review of the services offered to ensure that the contract is being upheld.

Whereas, the periodic meeting is to discuss obstacles and problems prior to a formal review.

22. Who is the incumbent & what is the current PEPM? First Sun EAP

23. How many employees does Midlands Technical College have?

Approximately 1300 ( approx. 568 full time employees)

24. Why is SCMTC going out to bid for a new EAP? The current contract was only for five (5) years.

Therefore, the contract will expire this Summer.

25. Is this for a five year contract? The RFP states an effective date of 8/1/21-7/31/26?

This is for a five (5) year contract. Be sure to review the see clause entitled “term of Contract – Effective Date/

Initial Contract and Term of Contract – Option to Renew”

26. What are SCMTC’s top three cost drivers? All services within the bid are required and necessary.

27. What are SCMTC’s biggest pain points with their current EAP?

Contract is ending, per state law must put out another

RFP.

28. Is there any current utilization available that shows historical face to face counseling use?

Information unavailable.

29. How does SCMTC currently communicate with their members?

Via email, website

30. How much have employee/manager trainings been utilized in the past, and what is that strategy going forward?

Use has been limited but MTC expects to fully utilize the training going forward.

31. How many CIRs/ CISDs have been used in the past year or two?

One (1)

32. Regarding Information for Offerors to Submit – General

(Mar 2015) – A.M. Best ratings are applicable to insurance companies, a stand alone EAP such as ourselves, does not receive this rating. Can this be removed from requirement, or is there an applicable alternative?

We cannot remove this requirement.

You can request this information from your insurance carrier.

If requested by the College, the offeror must submit this information timely. This information is used to perform a risk assessment of your insurance carrier before doing business with a company. In addition, each year of the contract, the awarded company must submit a copy of the policy showing compliance with the requirement to maintain coverage throughout the term of the contract.

This information can be obtain through entities such as

Dun & Bradstreet and other sources.

Note, offerors will not be rejected if this A.M. Best Rating for your insurance carrier is not provided with your initial offeror but, once again, if requested by the College, you must provide this information by the set deadline.

33. Regarding the Important Tax Notice – NonResidents

Only – can Midlands Technical College provide clarity as to whether or not this withholding is actually applicable to the EAP program contract? It does not seem like it would be, but want to confirm.

To determine if this applies to your company, for additional information and/or questions about withholding requirements (e.g., employee withholding), please contact the South Carolina Department of Revenue at 1-844-898-

8542 or visit the Department's website at: dor.sc.gov.

Please note, for tax purposes, the College will issue 1099s to all vendors who received payments for goods and/or services.