B44877 Questions and Answers ~2.doc

24-532EPA-LAND5-B-44877 Questions and Answers

1. Can the IEPA offer an at least two week extension?

The Illinois EPA has extended the opening date to November 29, 2024 at 1:00 pm.

2. Is a by-county waste characterization expected as part of this contract? If not, will a waste characterization be conducted prior to the kick-off of this project to ensure the most relevant and new data is available?

Certain elements of the characterization study are by county, for example Number Two (2) in Section A.2. (Quantity by volume in cubic yards and weight in tons of municipal solid waste annually generated in each county in Illinois). As a Request for Proposal, this solicitation is, in part, a request for how bidders would conduct a study that would provide results representative of the entire state.

3. Should the scope focus on packaging and paper products or all material categories? If answer is all, is there is an expectation that the consultant will perform a comprehensive evaluation of the reuse sector for durable, clothing, etc.?

The scope of this project includes all enumerated material categories and not just packaging and paper products. The primary area of focus for this project is the materials management infrastructure (e.g., waste management, recycling, and composting), however the reuse sector should be examined to the extent there is publicly available information.

4. Should the work focus on residential streams, or include commercial, institutional and industrial. If all, what is the expectation regarding level of depth around CI&I?

This project covers residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial streams, with each examined with comparable depth.

5. Do municipalities report to IEPA? What information is included in those reports?

Municipalities do not report information relevant to this procurement to the IEPA.

6. Do recycling facilities report to IEPA? What information is included in those reports?

Recycling facilities do not report information relevant to this procurement to the IEPA as a matter of course. However, recycling facilities have periodically reported information related to their accepted materials streams to the IEPA in the past. These data were utilized to author the Illinois Materials Management Advisory Committee’s 2021 report and will be available to the selected vendor.

7. Do disposal facilities report to IEPA? What information is included in those reports?

Relevant to this project, disposal facilities annually report the volume of solid waste accepted for disposal, the remaining disposal capacity, and the projected life span of the facility based on disposal volumes and remaining capacity. This information can be obtained from the Landfill Certification Reports.

8. Can IEPA confirm there is no BEP goal for the project? This assumes that 5 points are awarded regardless of a team including a BEP or not?

There is no BEP Goal for this procurement. Five (5) points will be awarded for Category 1 for Commitment to Diversity since there is no BEP goal.

9. Given the scope and complexity of the project, can the proposal deadline be extended by 30 days?

See response to question 1.

10. With respect to Public Act 103-0383:

a) Do the scope of work items enumerated in Section A.2 of the RFP fully address the requirements of Public Act 103-0383?

Yes

b) If there are any differences between the RFP scope of work and the requirements of Public Act 103-0383, which document will govern?

This procurement was designed to accommodate the requirements of PA 103-0383 and the IEPA’s SWIFR grant from USEPA. To the extent differences exist, they are intentional and do not contradict the terms of either governing authority.

c) Is the consultant ultimately responsible for meeting all the requirements of Public Act 103-0383 or just the requirements listed in the RFP?

The consultant will be responsible for meeting the requirements identified in the RFP, which includes but is not limited to the requirements of P.A. 103-0383.

11. How does Public Act 103-0636 impact the scope/budget/requirements of the RFP?

P.A. 103-636 amended Section 20 of the Statewide Recycling Needs Assessment Act (415 ILCS 180/20). Section 20(a) was amended to extend the deadline for selection of a consultant to 1/1/25. It also added requirements regarding the solicitation of the consultant. The competitive solicitation issued by the Agency, and the resulting contract, must provide that the data or information received by the consultant and the Agency must be used exclusively to complete the statewide needs assessment and for no other purposes.

a) Has the Agency selected a CPA firm?

No

b) If not, when will the CPA firm be selected?

IEPA is unable to disclose this information as it may offer a competitive advantage and potentially prohibit bidders if the CPA is outsourced.

c) When will the CPA firm be available to commence work?

IEPA is unable to provide and disclose this information at this time.

d) Are the costs of the CPA firm separate from this RFP?

Yes

12. Section A.1 of the RFP indicates a draft final report is due by December 1, 2025. Section A.3 (Schedule) indicates the draft report is due March 5, 2026. Please clarify schedule requirements.

· March 5, 2026 – Draft report is due to IEPA. This draft report will be provided to the Advisory Council for comment.

· July 1, 2026 - Final report issued to the IEPA. This report will be provided to the Advisory Council for comment.

· October 1, 2026 – Contractor submits revised final report to IEPA.

This change has been reflected on the RFP.

13. With respect to the SWIFR grant, is a field-based waste characterization study (e.g., sorting of waste at landfills) a required element of the scope of work?

A field-based waste characterization is not required by this RFP.

14. With respect to Item 14 under Section A.2 of the RFP:

a) What is meant by “scientific” survey?

A plain language reading of “scientific survey” – terminology that comes from Public Act 103-0383 – means using social science research methodologies to systematically identify survey questions, select a sample population, gather data, and evaluate responses for the purposes of generating results that are valid and reliable.

b) Is the survey to be conducted of all Illinois residents, or just residents whose primary language is not English?

The survey should identify a sample population of residents in Illinois that is representative of the state’s total population. This would include some residents whose primary language is not English. See the IEPA’s Language Access Plan in Attachment D for more details.

15. Item F.1.3 has a mandatory requirement that “Contractor has conducted more than 20 community meetings with representatives and residents of communities of EJ concern, including having conducted meetings in languages other than English.”

a) What element of the scope of work in Section A.2 is this mandatory requirement intended to address?

Items 14 and 15

b) While Item 14 of Section A.2 mentions a scientific survey to address multilingual public education needs, it does not mention/require community meetings. Are public meetings in EJ communities required to fulfill the RFP?

Item 15 requires an assessment of EJ and recycling equity. The specific manner in which the assessment is conducted is to be proposed by the bidder, but an evaluation of EJ and recycling equity should include direct engagement with residents living in EJ communities. Qualified bidders must be able to demonstrate an ability to engage with EJ communities and with people of limited English proficiency.

16. Item F.1.4 has a mandatory requirement that “Contractor has developed education and outreach materials designed to engage a diverse range of individuals environmental issues, including waste and materials management issues. This experience should include developing such materials in a manner that accommodates unique local perspectives, such as historic environmental impacts to the community.”

a) What element of the scope of work in Section A.2 is this mandatory requirement intended to address?

Items 14 and 15

b) Beyond the scientific survey noted in Item 14 of Section A.2, what specific additional outreach activities are required to fulfill the scope of work in the RFP?

The specific manner in which items 14 and 15 are fulfilled is to be proposed by the bidder, but an evaluation of EJ and recycling equity should include direct engagement with residents living in EJ communities.

17. Item F.2.2.3 states “Please submit the Community Outreach Coordinator’s resume which should include, but not limited to: The Community Outreach Coordinator’s experience in planning, coordinating, and executing large scale public relations campaigns that include the development and presentation of information in multiple languages.”

a) What element of the scope of work in Section A.2 is this requirement intended to address?

Item 14

b) Beyond the scientific survey noted in Item 14 of Section A.2, what specific additional community outreach activities are required to fulfill the scope of work in the RFP?

The methods used to identify multilingual public education needs are to be proposed by the bidder. The bidder should rely on their own Community Outreach Coordinator’s experience to determine what specific activities should be conducted.

c) What type of “large scale public relations campaign” is intended by the RFP?

The RFP asks for an evaluation of public education needs, not execution of a campaign. Practical experience with large scale public relations campaigns will inform the evaluation and improve accuracy of the findings.

18. Item F.2.3 (Project Plan) states that the project plan should include data gathering methods that comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act.

a) Can IEPA provide the specific requirements for complying with the Paperwork Reduction Act?

Yes; Summary of the Act by USEPA

b) Is this a federal requirement or State of Illinois requirement?

Federal

c) Is compliance only required for work activities paid through the SWIFR grant?

Yes

19. The opening paragraph of Section F lists three tables of technical requirements that must be submitted: Mandatory Requirements without Evidence, Mandatory Requirements with Evidence, and Proposed Technical Solutions. However, the Mandatory Requirements without Evidence table is not included in the RFP document. Can the Agency Provide this table?

IEPA has removed this section from the RFP document. The RFP will not contain mandatory requirements without evidence. This has been removed from the first bullet point of the RFP in Section F.

20. Should the Section F tables be included in the technical proposal or as an additional attachment?

The tables in Section F should be included in the technical proposal.

21. Our team has started to draft a response to the RFP that you just issued - Bid number 44877. The scope of work is comprehensive and while we are doing our best to cover every detail, we are requesting a 30-day extension to the submission deadline, to November 30th, instead of October 31st. The original deadline is less than 3 weeks away and offers very little time to complete the entire proposal. We hope that you will consider our request and get back to us with a resolution on the topic.

See answer to question #1.

22. Are the provisions from the amendment to the Statewide Recycling Needs Assessment Act (SB 3165) included as part of the RFP?

Yes. The amendments to the Statewide Recycling Needs Assessment Act apply to the RFP. A link to the amendments can be found below.

PA 103-636 (SB 3165 enrolled): https://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=3165&GAID=17&DocTypeID=SB&LegId=152433&SessionID=112&GA=103

23. Is our performance for this project based on the metrics described in the RFP, the Statewide Recycling Needs Assessment Act, or a combination of the two?

A combination of the two.

24. During the Advisory Council meetings, a number of comments and suggestions were discussed. Are the comments and suggestions able to be shared?

Any comments or suggestions from the council for this RFP must remain confidential until the public procurement file is made available for public inspection. The public procurement file shall be made available 7 days after the award.

25. Under Section F, the RFP states that “The following three (3) tables of Technical Requirements: Mandatory Requirements without Evidence (Section F.1), Mandatory Requirements with Evidence (Section F.2), and Proposed Technical Solution (Section F.3)”. The RFP includes the Mandatory Requirements without Evidence (Section F.1) and the Proposed Technical Solution (Section F.2). Is the Mandatory Requirements with Evidence (Section F.2) to be omitted?

See answer to question #21.

26. What is the anticipated date for responses to the questions submitted by Offerors?

EPA strives to get questions and answers posted as quickly as possible.

27. Based on the complexity of the RFP and the questions received, will the IEPA consider an extension of the Bid Due Date to November 30, 2024 at 10:00 AM CST?

See answer to question #1.

28. During the Advisory Council meetings, a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) was discussed as part of the Offerors responsibilities. Is the preparation of a QAPP part of the proposed scope of work ?

No

29. If the IEPA has prepared the QAPP, will this be available for review prior to the bid due date?

The QAPP has not been finalized. IEPA will be relying on the contractor to determine how the study will be completed. That information will be used to finalize the QAPP.

30. Can a respondent meet the experience requirements of F.1.3. (specifically hosting a meeting in languages other than English) by partnering with a subcontractor with this specialty?

Yes

31. Do subcontractor qualities count toward Diversity score?

Since there isn’t a Business Enterprise Program (BEP) goal, five (5) points will be awarded for Category 1 in Section D.4.3. of the RFP. The Vendor’s ability to meet the criteria of the remaining five (5) categories specified in D.4.3. of the RFP may count towards the diversity score.

32. RFP Section F.2.3.4. reads: “Please submit documentation on how the Offeror will obtain the information necessary to and determine the current postconsumer recycled content use, to the extent such uses exist, by surveyed material type for materials sold in the State by volume in cubic yards and weight in tons.” Could IEPA clarify what this is asking for? How much companies are using PCR in their products, or how much of collected recyclables are used within the state? How much of the material sold is recovered through recycling?

The reference is in terms of how much companies are using PCR in their products.

33. Does the IEPA intend that the “surveyed materials” for the needs assessment include all the subcategories across the diversion quadrants (approx. 60) from Table 4 of the MMAC or that the contractor select from those material subcategories in order to meet the desired outcomes?

Contractor should select from subcategories to meet desired outcomes.

34. Is there an anticipated date of responses to questions submitted by Offerors?

See answer to question #29.

35. Will you be providing a list of participants in this call and the previous pre-bid call to facilitate bidder teaming?

Yes. A list of participants has been uploaded to the attachments tab.

36. Is the Illinois EPA open to an extension to the proposal due date?

See answer to question #1.

37. Is the Illinois EPA open to an approach with a shorter timeline than the current 1 year 4 month schedule outlined in A3?

Illinois EPA welcomes a shorter timeline, but the project must be completed by November 1, 2026.

38. What, if any, additional data on Illinois material volumes, waste, waste management infrastructure, or emissions will be provided to perform the analysis? (in addition to the data in the Illinois Materials Management Advisory Committee’s July 2021 report)

The MMAC is the most current data set for material volumes, waste, and waste management infrastructure. As a Request for Proposal, this solicitation is, in part, a request for how bidders would identify or collect information necessary to perform the analysis.

39. Is there a preference for how the contractor will collect the missing data (via industry reports, surveys, interviews, physical sampling etc.)?

There are no specific requirements set forth in RFP. As a Request for Proposal, this solicitation is, in part, a request for how bidders would identify or collect necessary data.

40. Is the IEPA able to facilitate surveys and interviews with key stakeholders for data collection?

Yes

41. Is the preferred proposal format a Word document?

A Word document or PDF document is acceptable.

42. Payment Schedule – Will the selected contractor be able to add in payment milestones between March 2025 – March 2026? As the payment schedule currently reads, it seems the selected contractor won't be paid for a year.

The RFP has been revised to include the following invoicing dates.

· On March 5th, 2025, the Vendor may submit invoicing for start-up costs for an amount not to exceed $244,522.00

· On March 5th, 2026, the Vendor may submit invoicing for completing the draft of the needs assessment.

· On December 31st, 2026 or after project completion, the Vendor may submit invoicing for the final costs of the project.