Audiometric_Testing_Services_(Addendum_#2_Revision).pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

AUDIOMETRIC TESTING SERVICES

(NO. 2022.292-RFP)

FOR

Washington County, Oregon

RELEASE DATE: December 30, 2022 DEADLINE FOR QUESTIONS: January 13, 2023

RESPONSE DEADLINE: January 23, 2023, 5:00 pm

RESPONSES MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY TO:

https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/washington-county-or

Audiometric Testing Services

I. Request for Proposals II. Introduction

III. Overview and Purpose IV. Proposal Content V. Evaluation Phases

VI. Evaluation and Award Process VII. Instructions to Proposers

VIII. Terms and Conditions IX. Vendor Submissions

Attachments:

A - 2022-PP-SERVICES-SAMPLE

B - Attachment C - INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY FORM PP

Audiometric Testing Services

I. REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

(No. 2022.292-RFP)

Washington County, Oregon is requesting proposals from qualified firms to provide Audiometric Testing Services.

Proposals must be received by 5:00 pm Monday, January 23, 2023.

The County may reject any proposal not in compliance with all prescribed public bidding procedures and requirements and may reject for good cause any or all proposals upon a finding by the County it is in the public interest to do so.

A copy of the Request for Proposal document is posted on https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/washington-county-or. Proposal documents can be viewed and downloaded from the site. The County’s electronic solicitation portal can also be accessed at www.washcopurch.com/biz. Proposer is responsible for checking the site for any addendums before submitting their proposals.

Washington County reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive any and all informalities in the best interest of the County.

Kiersten Vanderhoof, Procurement Analyst II

Published: Friday, December 30, 2022 OregonBuys

Audiometric Testing Services

II. INTRODUCTION

The following instructions/terms and conditions apply to all solicitations to provide either goods or services to Washington County.

II.A Summary

The County is seeking proposals from individuals, firms, teams or consultants, hereafter called “Proposer(s),” with demonstrated experience in audiometric testing services to perform work on an as-needed basis. Services under these contracts will be requested or scheduled as the need arises. The County may elect to have one (1) or more fixed location testing centers and one (1) or more mobile testing centers.

II.B Contact Information

Kiersten Vanderhoof Procurement Analyst II 155 North First Ave, Ste 270, MS 28 Hillsboro, OR 97124 Email: kiersten_vanderhoof@washingtoncountyor.gov Phone: (503) 846-3585 Department:

Risk

II.C Timeline

The County reserves the right to modify this schedule at the County's discretion. Proper notification of changes to the due date will be made to all parties that have received the proposal from the County's Procurement Portal.

Date of Legal Advertisement December 30, 2022

Question Submission Deadline January 13, 2023, 5:00pm

Submittals Due January 23, 2023, 5:00pm

Contractor Selection Date February 3, 2023 mailto:kiersten_vanderhoof@washingtoncountyor.gov tel:(503)846-3585

Audiometric Testing Services

III. OVERVIEW AND PURPOSE

III.A Introduction

The Washington County Human Resources Department, Risk Management Division administers workers' compensation, general tort liability, and auto liability programs. The Risk Management division maintains the self-insurance programs and procures commercial insurance for some risks which are not self-insured. Our services to County departments cover occupational health and infectious disease programs, injured employee return to work, employee safety, loss prevention, risk assessment, catastrophic property loss insurance recovery, and third-party subrogation. The Risk Management division is seeking proposals for Hearing Conservation Program services in compliance with 29 CFR 1910.95, as adopted in Oregon OAR 437-002-0095, Division 2, Subpart G: Occupational Noise Exposure. These services will be requested or scheduled by specific departments as their needs become known. These services may include work with short deadlines, scope of work that may need to be developed quickly, and/or requiring expertise currently unavailable in-house.

The County is seeking proposals from individuals, firms, teams or consultants, hereafter called “Proposer(s),” with demonstrated experience in the above identified service categories to perform work on an as-needed basis. Services under these contracts will be requested or scheduled as the need arises. The contracts resulting from this request for proposal is anticipated to be around $100,000.

III.B Background

The Washington County Hearing Conservation Program is aimed at protecting the hearing of all County employees exposed to high noise in the workplace, and to identify employees who have a hearing loss so that they can be treated and counseled by qualified health care professionals.

County departments are responsible for conducting day-to-day activities related to the Hearing Conservation Program. Each Department has a point-of-contact to facilitate audiometric testing and other contract services.

The County intends to award up to two (2) contracts for these services. The County may elect to have one (1) or more fixed location testing centers and one (1) or more mobile testing centers.

Services are requested as the need arises, therefore there is no guarantee of work to be assigned under any resulting contract, or that the total dollar limit of any contract will be reached.

III.C Qualifications

The successful proposer must adhere to the following and provide proof of certification and/or licenses.

Audiometric Testing Services

1. Hearing conversation professionals must be certified by the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC).

2. Have at least one licensed Audiologist on staff (or on contract) to review audiograms and make professional medical recommendations based on the results.

3. If submitting a proposal for mobile testing, each mobile unit must have a minimum of four (4) functional audiometric testing booths.

III.D Services and Equipment Requirements

1. Have available at least one (1) mobile audiometric testing unit for onsite testing of groups.

Each mobile unit must have a minimum of four (4) functional audiometric testing booths.

Audiometric testing units must meet or exceed generally accepted audiometric testing parameters and OSHA requirements, as applicable, including but not limited to certification and calibration requirements, as well as documentation of noise resistance.

2. Have at least one (1) physical location or mobile unit available for smaller scale audiometric testing. The purpose of this service requirement is to provide testing for employees who are unable to attend the larger mobile group testing events, employees who may need fittings, or employees who may need re-tests.

3. As requested by the County, perform industrial noise surveys including sound level and individual worker dosimetry sampling to quantify employee noise exposures for activities and work areas.

4. Evaluate personal hearing protection devices and advise County employees of appropriate use, fitting and suitability.

III.E Data Management and Reporting

1. Provide County employee’s audiometric test results to the tested employee immediately upon completion of each test. An explanation of the results, based upon occupational safety and health standards, will be provided to each tested employee. Provider shall obtain signature indicating receipt of audiometric test results.

2. Provide the tested employee with documentation of any Standard Threshold Shift (STS) with recommended follow-up, immediately upon completion of the test, in accordance with Oregon OSHA requirements; and shall maintain employee signature logs to document receipt of the STS notification. The County employee will be advised to consult with a licensed audiologist or medical doctor for further evaluation. The respective Department point-of-contact, as well as the Risk Management contact administrator, must also be advised in writing (or via email) of an employee’s STS the same day, or as soon as possible, not to exceed 10 days.

3. Within sixty (60) days, provide the respective Department’s point-of-contact, as well as the Risk Management contract administrator, with electronic copies of a report of any County employee hearing tests, including retests. Additionally, the reports shall include all necessary letters, notifications, signature pages, equipment calibration, and staff credential information.

Audiometric Testing Services

4. Provide the Risk Management contract administrator with electronic copies of an annual summary report of all County-wide audiometric test results to the Risk Management contract administrator within thirty (30) calendar days after the end of the calendar year. Electronic data will be provided to the County in Excel or extractable PDF format.

5. Secure and utilize a primary on-site and an off-site (cloud) back-up storage for electronic hearing conservation program data to ensure that ongoing hearing conservation program data including baseline hearing tests will be available to the County in the future. All Washington County electronic hearing conservation program data becomes the property of Washington County, and any historical record must be made available to the County at no additional charge within 48 business hours of such a request being made.

6. Successful Proposer will retrieve the electronic data from the incumbent contractor and store Washington County’s data in Excel or extractable PDF format. Hearing conservation program data must be transferred to future or alternative vendors within fourteen (14) business days of such a request by the County, at no additional charge.

III.F Deliverables and Resulting Work Product

All deliverables and resulting work products from successful Proposer(s) shall become the property of Washington County.

Work Performed or Managed by Washington County

Each Department has an assigned point-of-contact to oversee the successful Proposer’s work and provide support as needed. Specific duties the County will perform include:

1. Facilitate the scheduling and arrangements for employee audiometric testing and Hearing Conservation Program training for the successful Proposer.

2. Identify and designate suitable locations for the successful Proposer’s mobile testing unit(s).

Audiometric Testing Services

IV. PROPOSAL CONTENT

IV.A Proposal Content

A. Record Management

1. How does your organization ensure the safe and secure storage and distribution of physical and electronic records/information?

B. Communication Methods

1. Describe any additional software or technology that your organization uses to distribute and/or communicate audiogram results.

C. Large Organization Experience

1. Describe your organization’s experience coordinating and testing groups sizes of 350 or more.

D. Experience with Emergency Service Providers

1. Describe your organization’s experience working with law enforcement, corrections, and probation/parole staff.

E. Experience with Public Sector Employees

1. Describe your organization’s experience working with other public sector entities such as public works, facilities, and maintenance staff.

F. Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

1. Describe efforts made to consider equity, diversity and inclusion in your firm’s hiring practices and business philosophy.

2. Please describe how you accommodate your employees to ensure they succeed. We want to see metrics on employee retention and to see how each employee has the opportunity to learn on the job. Please describe how you prevent exclusionary practices and promote a healthy and respectful workplace.

G. Cost Proposal

1. Please provide your overall price structure for the services you offer.

2. Please make sure to include the price per onsite visit.

Audiometric Testing Services

V. EVALUATION PHASES

V.A Phase 1

No. Evaluation Criteria Scoring Method Weight (Points)

1. Page Count Proposal was within the page count and conformed to all instructiction in regards to submittal.

Points Based 10 (100% of Total)

V.B Phase 2

No. Evaluation Criteria Scoring Method Weight (Points)

1. Record Management Proposer demonstrates ability to safeguard physical and electronic data. This includes their ability to safely and securely store, transmit, transfer, or otherwise handle such data.

Points Based 20 (16.7% of Total)

2. Communication Methods Proposer demonstrates the utilization of technology (I.e. software) to securely distribute and/or communicate audiogram results.

Points Based 20 (16.7% of Total)

3. Large Organization Experience Proposer demonstrates experience and ability to safely and efficiently conduct large mobile audiogram testing events with public sector entities

Points Based 15 (12.5% of Total)

4. Experience with Emergency Service Providers Proposer demonstrates a history of working with entities such as public works, facilities maintenance, corrections and law enforcement.

Points Based 10 (8.3% of Total)

5. Experience with Public Sector Employees Proposer demonstrates experience working with public sector entities.

Points Based 15 (12.5% of Total)

6. Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Proposer demonstrates an organizational structure which includes equity, diversity, and inclusion as a core value integrated into its hiring practices and business ethos. Proposer demonstrates a business environment which fosters employee growth and retention.

Points Based 20 (16.7% of Total)

Audiometric Testing Services

7. Cost Proposal Points Based 20 (16.7% of Total)

Audiometric Testing Services

VI. EVALUATION AND AWARD PROCESS

VI.A Clarifications

The County reserves the right to obtain clarification at any point in regards to a proposal or to obtain additional information necessary to properly evaluate a proposal. Failure of a Proposer to respond to such a request for additional information or clarification could result in rejection of their proposal.

After evaluation has occurred multiple firms will be identified that are best able to provide the services to the County. The County reserves the sole right to determine the best Proposals. A notice of intent to award will be published.

VI.B Interviews

Top scoring proposers may be selected for interviews. If oral interviews are determined to be necessary, the scores from the written proposals will be considered preliminary. Final scores will be determined based on the points assigned to the interview process.

VI.C Product Demonstration

Washington County will require the highest scoring respondents to demonstrate the functionality of equipment/systems proposed based on a script provided by the County. The demonstration must be conducted with the products proposed and must demonstrate the functionality and speed as stated in the responder's Package. Electronic slide presentations are not an acceptable demonstration of a proposed system.

It is highly desirable that these occur at our own facility. However, providing the demonstration via a remote session with a conference call line is an acceptable method of providing this demonstration.

If the demonstration reveals variations from the responses to the RFP, Washington County reserves the right to adjust the scoring to reflect actual conditions of the proposed system. Final scoring will be calculated taking into account any adjustments that need to be made.

At the option of Washington County, and as a condition precedent to contract award, the respondent(s) may be required to demonstrate the functionality of the systems proposed on County equipment in our Controlled Test environment. This would be necessary to ensure that the proposed system is compatible with the County’s existing technical environment which includes “managed” workstations where end user workstations are set up in normal operation to prevent the end user from having the ability to change the computer’s registry and important system files on the station.

Audiometric Testing Services

Washington County is prepared to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement and/or other agreement to remove any vendor supplied software and the return of all documentation if we decide to not enter into a contract due to incompatibility of vendor product and County standard technical environment.

Any associated costs for on-site responder demonstrations or compatibility test shall be incidental to the contract and those costs shall not be passed on to the County whether or not a contract is signed.

County employees may visit sites deemed similar to the County for the purpose of evaluating the fully installed product in an operational environment.

VI.D References

The County reserves the right to check references only on the highest scoring proposers or depending on the scoring differential just the highest proposer.

Questionnaires may be sent to customer references by Washington County or contacted by telephone. Secondary references may also be contacted.

VI.E Period Proposal Validity

All proposals shall remain firm for a period of 180 calendar-days after date specified for receipt of proposals.

VI.F Acceptance, Rejection and Cancellation of Award

Washington County reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals received as a result of this RFP and to negotiate with any qualified proposer(s) for all or part of the requested goods and services. All proposals become the property of the County.

This RFP does not commit the County to award a contract or to pay any costs incurred by respondents. Washington County reserves the right to cancel award of this contract at any time before execution of the contract if cancellation is deemed to be in the County's best interests. In no event shall the County have any liability for the cancellation of the award. All costs of the proposal process, interviews, contract negotiations, and related expenses are the responsibility of the proposer.

Acceptance of a proposal is subject to budget approval, appropriation and budgetary constraints.

VI.G Award Recommendation

The notice of intent to award will be posted on the County's Procurement Portal website at least seven (7) days before the award of the contract. See PROTESTS AND JUDICIAL REVIEW OF CONTRACT AWARD below for protest of award.

The decision by the Board or the County Administrator to award the contract shall constitute the final decision of the County to award the contract.

Audiometric Testing Services

VI.H Inspection of Proposals

Subject to the provisions of the Oregon Public Records Law, all proposals received will be available for public inspection after the notice of intent to award has been published. Proposals will be provided via an electronic link.

Copies of material from proposal files may be obtained from the Washington County Procurement Division upon payment of a charges based upon the current County Fee Schedule.

Prepayment is required for providing materials from the proposal files.

VI.I Protests and Judicial Review of Contract Award

Purpose. The award by the Washington County Board of Commissioners of the contract shall constitute a final decision of the County to award the contract if no written protest of the award is filed. A proposer may protest the award of a contract, or the intent to award of a contract, whichever occurs first, if the conditions set forth in ORS 279B.410(1) are satisfied. A proposer must file a written protest with the County and exhaust all administrative remedies before seeking judicial review of the County's contract award decision.

Delivery. A proposer must deliver a written protest to the Washington County Procurement Manager within seven (7) days after issuance of the notice of intent to award the contract.

Content of Protest. A proposer’s written protest shall specify the grounds for the protest to be considered pursuant to ORS 279B.410(2). Proposer may not protest the content of specifications in an award protest. Proposers may protest only deviations from laws rules, regulations, or procedures including procedures set out in this RFP. Disagreement with the scoring by the Selection Committee is not a basis for protest. Protests must specify the grounds for the appeal including the specific citation of law, rule, regulation, or procedure upon which the protest is based.

County Response. The County shall not consider a proposer’s contract award protest submitted after the timeline established for submitting such protest. The County shall issue a written disposition of the protest in a timely manner as set forth in ORS 279B.410(4). If the County upholds the protest, in whole or in part, the County may in its sole discretion either award the contract to the successful protestor or cancel the procurement or solicitation. The County shall not consider any protest against award based on the content of specifications.

Judicial Review. Judicial review of the Board’s or its designee’s decision relating to a contract award protest shall be in accordance with ORS 279B.415.

VI.J Negotiation with Awarded Contractor(s)

The County reserves the right to negotiate final contract terms with the awarded contractor to the fullest extent allowed by law and as in the best interest of the County.

Audiometric Testing Services

VI.K Contract Term

The term of the contract will be Initial contract term will be two years, with the option to renew for up to five years.

The maximum term of the contract will be five years.

The estimated expenditure for the contract is approximately NO VALUE. Actual expenditures may be more or less depending on actual requirements.

VI.L Contractor's Responsibility

It is understood that the specifications and other contract documents do not purport to control the method of performing the work, but only the requirements as to the nature of the completed work. The contractor assumes the entire responsibility for the method of performing the work. Suggestions as to the method included in the contract documents shall be deemed advisory only and the feasibility of such methods, or the lack thereof, shall not affect the contractor’s liability, or status as independent contractor, and contractor will remain responsible for the cost of all permits unless otherwise specified.

Audiometric Testing Services

VII. INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS

VII.A Deadline Disclaimer

It is the responsibility of the bidder to upload and submit electronic bids before the deadline date and time approaches as posted on the County's Procurement Portal. Allow for a sufficient amount of time for the bid entry/document upload process in order to ensure timely submission.

Some people are experiencing problems with the Internet, so make sure that all documents are uploaded as soon as possible well in advance of the deadline. The County's Procurement Portal will close promptly at the deadline date and time…no exceptions are allowed.

VII.B Precedence of Proposal Documents

The order of precedence of documents is as follows:

A. Instructions to Proposers

B. Contract Terms & Conditions (from attached sample contract)

C. Terms and Conditions

D. Project Details/Scope of Work

VII.C Communication

Communication regarding this solicitation between a potential or actual Proposer and any Washington County staff, other than Procurement Division staff, is prohibited from the time the Request for Proposals (RFP) is advertised until the award of a contract to the proposer selected.

VII.D Copies of Proposal Documents

Documents obtained from sources (such as directly from other contractors) other than the County's Procurement Portal are not valid proposal documents. It is the proposer's responsibility to ensure they are following a particular project on the County's Procurement Portal in order to receive notification of all addenda as well as additional relevant information.

VII.E Questions and Answers

Enter all questions regarding the meaning or intent of the solicitation into the questions area of the solicitation in the County's Procurement Portal.

Audiometric Testing Services

VII.F Specification Protest Process

Delivery: A proposer must deliver a protest of specifications to the County in writing no later than seven (7) calendar days prior to the proposal due date as follows:

Specification Protest Proposal#: 2022.292-RFP Washington County Procurement Division ATTN: Procurement Manager 155 North First Avenue, Suite 270 MS 28 Hillsboro, Oregon 97124-3072

Content: A proposer’s written protest must include:

A detailed statement of the legal and factual grounds for the protest; description of the resulting prejudice to the proposer; and a statement of the form of relief requested or any proposed changes to the specifications.

County Response: The County may reject without consideration a proposer’s protest received after the deadline established for submitting protest. The County shall provide notice to the applicable proposer if it entirely rejects a protest. If the County agrees with the proposer’s protest, in whole or in part, the County shall either issue an addendum reflecting its determination or cancel the solicitation.

Extension of Closing: If the County receives a written protest from a proposer in accordance with this rule, the County may extend closing if the County determines an extension is necessary to consider the protest and to issue addenda, if any, to the solicitation document.

Judicial review of the County’s decision relating to a specification protest shall be in accordance with ORS 279B.405.

VII.G Phone Proposals, Late Proposals or Modifications

Late proposals or modifications of proposals will be handled in the following manner:

It is the sole responsibility of the Proposer to ensure the proposals are uploaded to the system by the specified time. The system will not allow Proposers to upload after this time and the proposal will not be considered.

Any modification of a proposal is subject to the same conditions set forth above.

Proposals will not be accepted via Phone, E-mail or FAX.

VII.H Interpretations and Addenda

If necessary, interpretations or clarifications in response to questions will be issued by addenda.

Questions received after Friday, January 13, 2023 may not be answered unless the County determines, in its sole discretion, that it is in its best interests to do so. Oral and other interpretations or clarifications will be without legal effect.

Audiometric Testing Services

Any amendment(s) to or error(s) in the RFP called to the attention of the County will be added to or corrected by written addendum and posted to the County's Procurement Portal. The County may also issue addenda to modify the proposal documents, as it deems advisable.

Receipt of addenda must be acknowledged.

Proposers shall be solely responsible to check for addenda, if any, from the County's Procurement Portal prior to submitting their proposals.

After opening proposals, the County may issue or electronically post an addendum to the request for proposals that modifies the criteria, rating process and procedure for any tier of competition before the start of the tier to which the addendum applies.

The County shall send an addendum that is issued by a method other than electronic posting to all proposers who are eligible to compete under the addendum. The County shall issue or post the addendum at least five days before the start of the subject tier of competition or as the County otherwise determines is adequate to allow eligible proposers to prepare for the competition in accordance with County rules.

VII.I Guidelines for Proposal Submittal and Receipt

To be considered for this contract, each proposer must enter its complete proposal per the Vendor Submission Section to the County's Procurement Portal.

Proposals must be uploaded by 5:00 pm Monday, January 23, 2023. The system will not allow late uploads. Allow plenty of time to ensure your upload is successful. Slow or malfunctioning internet shall not be an acceptable reason for late submissions.

Proposers are required to submit any proposal forms furnished in this RFP document. Please retain a copy for your records.

Each submittal shall contain the following:

• Any proposal response forms listed in the Attachment Section.

• Responses, Certifications, or Agreements required in this solicitation.

• Proposers shall provide a copy of any contracts, licensing agreements, or other documents that the County will be asked to sign if they are the chosen contractor. These do not count against the page limit.

• Failure to submit any of the required items may be grounds for rejection of the proposal.

https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/washington-county-or https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/washington-county-or https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/washington-county-or/projects/33943?section=277690

Audiometric Testing Services

VIII. TERMS AND CONDITIONS

VIII.A Laws and Regulations

1. The proposer is assumed to be familiar with all Federal, State, County or City laws or regulations, which in any manner affect those engaged or employed in the work or the materials or equipment used or which in any way affect the conduct of the work, and no pleas of misunderstanding will be considered on account of ignorance thereof. If the proposer shall discover any provision in these specifications or project information, plans or contract documents which is contrary to or inconsistent with any law or regulations, they shall report it to County in writing.

2. All work performed by the contractor shall be in compliance with all Federal, State, County and local laws, regulations and ordinances. Unless otherwise specified, the contractor shall be responsible for obtaining applicable permits and licenses.

VIII.B Recycled Materials and Sustainable Products and Processes

1. Contractor is encouraged to use recycled and recyclable products to the maximum extent economically feasible during the performance of the Contract.

2. Washington County prefers materials or supplies manufactured from recycled materials if the recycled product is available, and it meets the requirements set forth in the Specifications.

3. Washington County supports and encourages the use of sustainable products by the Contractor. To contribute to a clean environment for present and future generations, Contractor shall utilize sustainable products to the maximum extent feasible during the performance of this Contract.

VIII.C Proprietary Information, Ownership and Use of Documents

1. All documents submitted to the County shall become public records, subject to disclosure, unless otherwise protected pursuant to the Oregon Public Records Law.

2. The County is subject to the Oregon Public Records Law (ORS 192.410 to 192.505), which requires the County to disclose all records generated or received in the transaction of County business, except as expressly exempted in ORS 192.501, 192.502, or other applicable law.

Examples of exemptions that could be relevant include trade secrets (ORS 192.501 (2)) and computer programs (ORS 192.501(15)). The County will not disclose records submitted by a Proposer that are exempt from disclosure under the Public Records Law, subject to the following procedures and limitations:

3. The entire RFP cannot be marked confidential, nor, shall any pricing be marked confidential.

Audiometric Testing Services

4. All pages containing the records exempt from disclosure shall be marked “confidential” and segregated in the following manner:

• It shall be clearly marked in bold and on each page of the confidential document.

• It shall be kept separate from the other RFP documents in a separate file upload.

• Where this specification conflicts with other formatting and response instruction specifications, this specification shall prevail.

5. Where such conflict occurs, the Proposer is instructed to respond with the following: “Refer to confidential information enclosed.” This statement shall be inserted in the place where the requested information was to have been placed.

6. Proposers who desire that additional information be treated as confidential must mark those pages as “confidential”, cite a specific statutory basis for the exemption, and the reasons why the public interest would be served by the confidentiality. Should a proposal be submitted as described in this section no portion of it can be held as confidential unless that portion is segregated as described above.

7. Notwithstanding the above procedures, the County reserves the right to disclose information that the County determines, in its sole discretion, is not exempt from disclosure or that the County is directed to disclose by the County’s Attorney, the District Attorney or a court of competent jurisdiction. Prior to disclosing such information, the County will notify the Proposer.

If the Proposer disagrees with the County’s decision, the County may, but is not required to enter into an agreement not to disclose the information so long as the Proposer bears the entire cost, including reasonable attorney’s fees, of any legal action, including any appeals, necessary to defend or support a no-disclosure decision.

VIII.D Rights of the County

The County expressly reserves the following rights:

• To waive irregularities in the proposals submitted.

• To cancel the procurement or reject any proposals or portions thereof in accordance with ORS 279B.100.

• To base awards with due regard to quality of services, experience, compliance with specifications, proposal response, and other such factors as necessary in the circumstances.

• To make the award to any proposer whose proposal, in the opinion of management and the Board, is in the best interest of the County.

• To negotiate contract terms and conditions.

Audiometric Testing Services

VIII.E Qualifications/References/Responsible Proposer

1. Qualifications of proposers will be evaluated when determining the award. Proposers may be required to produce acceptable personal, business, and credit references and completed examples of previous work of a similar nature.

2. The County reserves the right to investigate references and to consider the past performance of any proposer with respect to its performance of similar projects, compliance with specifications and contractual obligations, its completion or delivery of services on schedule, and its lawful payment of employees and workers whether or not specifically listed by the proposer.

3. Before awarding a contract, the County shall determine that the apparent successful proposer has met the requirements of responsibility outlined in ORS 279B.110.

VIII.F Social Equity

1. In order to promote economic growth, the County seeks to maximize the participation of diverse consultants, partners, contractors, and suppliers throughout the duration of the project.

2. Working in a way that promotes the empowerment of individuals, organizations, and communities most affected by inequities is a practical method of achieving equity. The County wants to integrate empowering equity strategies that allow for authentic voice to be heard and ultimately represented in decisions from this delivery of service.

3. The County values the community as a whole and calls out those providing and receiving services should have a positive economic impact from the delivery of services that is long term and positively changes our hierarchical systems to incorporate those who are most affected by inequities.

4. It is the County’s desire to create full and equal access to opportunities for all people that enable them to attain their full potential. We pay particular attention to the development of income and wealth for communities most affected by inequities.

VIII.G County Rights

The County reserves the right to modify this schedule at the County's discretion. Proper notification of changes to the due date will be made to all parties that have received the proposal from the County's Procurement Portal.

VIII.H Cooperative Purchasing

1. Pursuant to the intent of Oregon Revised Statutes, Chapter 279A.200, any publicly funded city, county, district, agency or similar entity shall have the authority to purchase specified goods/services directly from contractor under the terms and conditions of this contract.

2. The proposer agrees to extend identical pricing and services to other public agencies for the same terms.

Audiometric Testing Services

3. Each contracting agency will execute a separate contract with the successful proposer for its requirements. Any ordering and billing shall take place directly between the proposer and such entity.

4. Any proposer, by written notification at the time of the proposal due date and time, may decline to extend the prices, services and terms of this proposal to any, and/or all other public agencies. There is no penalty for declining cooperative procurements.

VIII.I Form of Contract

A copy of the standard personal service contract that the County expects the successful firm or individual to execute is attached. The contract will incorporate the terms and conditions from this RFP document and the successful proposer's response documents.

Firms taking exception to any of the contract terms should indicate the same by uploading in the Vendor Submission or their exceptions will be deemed waived.

VIII.J Insurance Requirements

The insurance requirements for this contract are outlined in the attached Attachment C.

Audiometric Testing Services

IX. VENDOR SUBMISSIONS

IX.A Electronic Submittal*

By electronically submitting this response the Supplier attests and certifies that:

1. Person completing this response represents that I am either authorized to bind the Supplier, or that I am submitting the Response on behalf of and at the direction of the Supplier's representative authorized to contractually bind the Supplier.

2. I represent that the Supplier or its applicable representative(s) has reviewed the information contained in this Solicitation Package and that the information submitted is accurate.

3. Respondent agrees that the action of electronically submitting its response constitutes:

a. an electronic signature on the responses, generally,

b. an agreement to conduct business electronically,

c. an electronic signature on any form or section specifically calling for a signature, and

d. an affirmative agreement to any statement contained in the solicitation that requires a definite confirmation or acknowledgement.

☐ Yes

☐ No *Response required

IX.B Solicitation Requirements*

Proposer read through and confirm that you met all of the Solicitation requirements?

☐ Yes

☐ No *Response required

IX.C Cooperative Purchasing*

Will the proposer extend pricing and terms to other public agencies?(there is no penalty for not agreeing to extend pricing)

☐ Yes

☐ No *Response required

Audiometric Testing Services

IX.D Oregon Secretary of State Business Registry*

Enter your registry number without spaces or dashes. If you are not currently registered enter N/A. If you are the successful proposer you will be requred the register with the Secretary of State in order to contract with the County.

*Response required

IX.E Contact Name, Email, and Phone Number*

Provide the name, email, and phone number for the contact in case of questions, or interview or demonstration arrangements.

*Response required

IX.F Proposal Content

The proposal shall be prepared succinctly, providing a straight forward, concise description of the proposer’s ability to meet the requirements of the RFP. There should be no unnecessary attachments or exhibits.

Proposal should contain no more than twenty (20) 8.5" x 11", pages of written material (excluding biographies and brochures which may be included in an appendix) describing the ability of the proposer to perform the work described. The minimum font shall be twelve (12) point single spaced and the minimum margins shall be one (1) inch on all sides.

IX.F.1 Proposal to include*

Proposal shall include all items within the section labeled Proposal Content and anything spoken about in Evaluation Phases.

*Response required

IX.F.2 Separate Cost Proposal*

Confirm that your fee proposal is not attached in your Proposal and is attached separately here.

*Response required

IX.F.3 Insurance Requirements

County insurance requirement can be found under the section titled Attachments. The County may consider reducing insurance for these services. Please upload your Certificate of Insurance (Accord form) to indicate the level of insurance you currently possess.

IX.F.4 Confidential Information

Upload all pages or documents containing information exempt from disclosure per the Proprietary Information, Ownership and Use of Documents article of the Terms and Conditions Section.

Audiometric Testing Services

IX.F.5 Changes Requested to County Contract Standard Terms and Conditions

Upload any alterations requested to Washington County's contract standard terms and conditions per the Form of Contract article of the Terms and Conditions Section.

IX.F.6 Solicitation Awareness*

How did you hear about this opportunity?

Select all that apply

☐ Oregon Buys

☐ Link was emailed directly to me

☐ Washington County Website

☐ DJC Oregon, Portland Tribune or other printed media

☐ Twitter, Facebook or other social media

☐ Project Center, Plan room, etc?

*Response required