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Michigan.gov/MiProcurement
BIDDER QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
RFP 260000000897
MiCAL Crisis Command Center Staffing Services Bidders who have questions for the above Solicitation must fill the sections below and attach the document in an email to the Solicitation Manager, as described in the Instruction to Bidders.
Link to 210000000044
| Q # |
| Document and Section |
| Page # |
| Bidder Question |
| Answer (to be completed by the State) |
Proposal Instructions VQW Schedule A Statement of Work Section 2.3. Program Manager
The document requests that the Contractor identify a Contractor Program Manager by name. If the Contractor intends to hire or assign this role upon contract award, rather than having a specific individual identified at the time of proposal submission, what information should be provided in this section?
Advise that a Program Manager will be hired if you are awarded and that you will advise details at that time.
Proposal Instructions VQW Schedule A Statement of Work Section 2.4. Technical Support, Repairs and Maintenance
The document indicates that the Contractor Program Manager must be available for calls during the hours of “X,” at a minimum. Can the State clarify the required hours of availability for this role?
24/7, or their designee available 24/7 hours.
Proposal Instructions VQW Schedule A Statement of Work 2.5.7. The Contractor must identify all Key Personnel that will be assigned to this contract in the table below which includes the following:
The document requests that the Contractor identify Key Personnel by name and provide associated details and résumés. If the Contractor intends to hire or finalize assignment of certain Key Personnel roles after contract award, what information should be provided in this section?
Provide the staff that you do have at this time, and advise additional key personnel when information is available.
SOW A2, section 1.5.3 “Contractor must have specialized training in the culture of First Responders and supporting them in a crisis.”
Is there a specific training the contractor is expected to provide to meet this requirement? Or does the contractor’s own training meet this?
We would want to know what kind of specialized training your organization uses for your employees in the culture of First Responders and supporting them in a crisis. The preference would be for established, researched training specifically for first responders.
Hybrid Contract Terms, section 16 Background Checks
Will any database information maintained by the federal government that contacts confidential or personal information be required to perform the services?
No
Proposal Instructions VQW Schedule A Statement of Work, Background
Please provide the name of the BH CRM, as well as the name of the vendor organization that is responsible
MDHHS Behavioral Health Customer Relationship Management system. Salesforce platform overseen by MDHHS and DTMB.
| 7 |
| Proposal Instructions VQW Schedule A Statement of Work, Background |
| 21 |
| Is the BH CRM connected to Vibrant Emotional’s Health’s Unified Platform via API? Or will the vendor perform 988 chat and text services through Vibrant’s Unified Platform? |
The BH CRM will be connected to the Unified Platform via API. Chat and text services will be provided through the BH CRM.
| 8 |
| Proposal Instructions VQW Schedule A Statement of Work, 1.1.4 |
| 22 |
| Regarding SOM-compliant hardware, what are the applicable DTMB IT Policies, Standards and Procedures? |
See attached link: DTMB - IT Policies, Standards & Procedures (michigan.gov)
| 9 |
| Proposal Instructions VQW Schedule A Statement of Work 1.3.1 |
| 23 |
| What websites, applications or software is expected to be provided by the vendor? |
See Terms and Conditions Section 12 Accessibility Requirements for additional information. Applicable standards can be found at the link provided in the RFP.
| 10 |
| Proposal Instructions VQW Schedule A Statement of Work 1.4.1 |
| 23 |
| It looks like the last sentence has a typo-fyi. Will vendor staff access the BH CRM and telephony platform through a connection directly into the SaaS from our devices? |
I believe the last word should be provider.
Vendor staff will be considered contractors and will access through SOM login.
| 11 |
| Proposal Instructions VQW Schedule A Statement of Work 1.4.3 |
| 24 |
| What are examples of the kind of current and future State that could result in costs to the vendor? |
Any kind of needed software, upgrades or equipment.
| 12 |
| Proposal Instructions VQW Schedule A Statement of Work Bidder attestation table. |
| 24 |
| If the Contractor will be utilizing SOM systems and software for this scope, can the State clarify the intent of the attestation items related to system roadmaps, required plug-ins, and collaboration on system upgrades? |
The State would need to have your support on any software upgrades or any required equipment that might be needed.
| 13 |
| Proposal Instructions VQW Schedule A Statement of Work, 1.5.2 |
| 25 |
| If the Contractor will be utilizing SOM systems and software for this scope, can the State clarify the Contractor’s role and responsibilities related to data retention? |
Any data that may be downloaded or collected from the CRM, such as reports, falls under the data retention standards.
| 14 |
| Proposal Instructions VQW Schedule A Statement of Work, entirety of Sections 2-5 |
| 44-52 |
| With the understanding that the Contractor will be utilizing SOM systems and software for this scope, can the State clarify the intent of Sections 2–5 of the Proposal Instructions VQW Schedule A Statement of Work? |
This really isn’t needed since the Contractor will be utilizing SOM systems and software.
| 15 |
| Schedule E |
| 53-59 |
| Given that the Contractor will be utilizing SOM systems and software to perform the services, can the State clarify the intent of Schedule E? |
This is included because the Contractor will be receiving Secure information from the State.
| 16 |
| SOW A1 988 MiCAL, Section 2.1 |
| 3 |
| Can the State clarify the basis for anticipating comparable staffing levels for 988 chats and texts relative to 988 calls? |
Staffing levels for calls are based on current staffing needs to support the call volume. Chat and text staffing was estimated by an SME and may vary based on actual volume when the service is active.
| 17 |
| SOW A1 988 MiCAL Section 1.5.7 |
| 6 |
| Please elaborate on the expectation for this requirement. Is the vendor to utilize Crisis Specialists for this function? |
988 is not restrictive on the reason for the individual’s crisis. MDHHS has an expectation that 988 will be able to support people whose crises are triggered by natural or person-made disasters. Staff/crisis specialists must receive behavioral health disaster trainings to ensure proper support is provided to individuals calling the line as a result of statewide event/disaster. Contractor must partner collaboratively with the communities and agencies during these events.
| 18 |
| SOW A1 988 MiCAL Section 2 |
| 7 |
| What percentage of the funding for this contract comes from SAMHSA grants? |
Undetermined at this time and amount varies from year to year. The project has been consistently funding through a combination of SAMHSA grants and state funding.
| 19 |
| SOW A1 988 MiCAL Section 3.2 |
| 7-8 |
| What is the average length per call? |
Michigan average is 11.1 minutes.
| 20 |
| SOW A1 988 MiCAL Section 4.1.1 |
| 8-9 |
| Can the State clarify what is meant by “call data must be collected in conjunction with the State’s system,” particularly given that call data appears to be collected within the State of Michigan’s system? |
Contractor should maximize use of the state system but there may be a few reports that are gathered external to the system.
| 21 |
| SOW A1 988 MiCAL Section 4.1.4 |
| 9 |
| Does the SOM systems include data collection fields to gather items 4.1.4.1-4.1.4.4 and 4.1.4.6-4.1.4.7 and the information needed for 4.1.4.9? |
Partially. Yes for 4.1.4.1 – 4.1.4.4 and 4.1.4.6 – 4.1.4.7, and no for 4.1.4.9. Information for 4.1.4.9 is pulled from the CRM to help complete this requirement.
| 22 |
| SOW A1 988 MiCAL Section 3.2.1. |
| 7 |
| Please provide the current staffing FTE levels for each designated staff position currently supporting this scope under the incumbent Contractor. |
Crisis Specialists: 90.2 Clinical/Shift Supervisors: 10.6
| 23 |
| SOW A2 Frontline Strong Together Section 2.1.3. |
| 6 |
| Please provide the current staffing FTE levels for each designated staff position currently supporting this scope under the incumbent Contractor. |
Frontline Strong Specialists: 7 Shift Supervisors: 1
| 24 |
| SOW A3 MI Peer Warmline Section 2.2.1. |
| 7 |
| Please provide the current staffing FTE levels for each designated staff position currently supporting this scope under the incumbent Contractor. |
Peer Warmline Specialists: 26.4 Peer Warmline Supervisors: 4
| 25 |
| SOW A1 988 MiCAL Section 3.2.1. and SLA Metric 1. Call Center Service Level |
| 7,10 |
| Please provide monthly utilization and performance data for the incumbent Contractor over at least the past twelve (12) months for this scope, including (1) total contacts offered, (2) total contacts answered, (3) percentage of contacts answered within 20 seconds, and (4) percentage of contacts answered within 15 seconds. |
Total of 988 calls offered in Michigan for FY 25 is 115,471
| 26 |
| SOW A2 Frontline Strong Together Section 2.1.3. and SLA Metric 1. Call Center Service Level. |
| 6,7 |
| Please provide monthly utilization and performance data for the incumbent Contractor over at least the past twelve (12) months for this scope, including (1) total contacts offered, (2) total contacts answered, (3) percentage of contacts answered within 20 seconds, and (4) percentage of contacts answered withing 15 seconds. |
Total FLS calls offered for FY 25 is 334
| 27 |
| SOW A3 MI Peer Warmline Section 2.2.1. and SLA Metric 1.Call Center Service Level. |
| 7,9 |
| Please provide monthly utilization and performance data for the incumbent Contractor over at least the past twelve (12) months for this scope, including (1) total contacts offered, (2) total contacts answered, (3) percentage of contacts answered within 20 seconds, and (4) percentage of contacts answered within 15 seconds. |
Total PWL calls offered for FY 25 is 82,288
| 28 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| Has the current contract gone full term? |
| Yes |
| 29 |
| Not provided by Budder |
| Have all options to extend the current contract been exercised? |
| The State is not planning to fully use the last option year. |
| 30 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| Who is the incumbent, and how long has the incumbent been providing the requested services? |
| Common Ground, November 17, 2020 |
| 31 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| How are fees currently being billed by any incumbent(s), by category, and at what rates? |
| See link to current contract above. |
| 32 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| What estimated or actual dollars were paid last year, last month, or last quarter to any incumbent(s)? |
| This is not relevant to the current bid. |
| 33 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| Is previous experience with any specific customer information systems, phone systems, or software required? |
| No |
| 34 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| What is the minimum required total call capacity? |
| See Proposal Instructions-VQW-Statement of work document, 2.1.,5 pg. 26 of the RFP. See SOW A1, section 4, pg. 8 of RFP. See SOW A2 section 3., pg. 6 of RFP. See SOW A3 – MI Peer Warmline, section 3., pg.7 of RFP. |
| 35 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| What is the minimum simultaneous inbound call capacity? |
| We do not have a minimum simultaneous inbound call capacity. We expect the contractor to staff to meet the answer rates. |
| 36 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| What is the maximum hold time? |
| We don’t measure maximum hold time. We measure speed of answer and call abandonment rates. Callers are not allowed to be put on hold to wait to speak to someone once the call is answered. |
| 37 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| What percentage of inbound calls must be answered by a live operator? |
| All calls must be answered by a live operator. |
| 38 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| Is there a minimum or maximum number of operators and supervisors? |
| No more than a 10:1 staff-to-supervisor ratio. Call specialists must meet service level standards. |
| 39 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| What are the required language options? |
| Contractor will leverage state translation services. |
| 40 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| What is the required degree of dedication for the call center? (Can the call center work on other contracts at the same time as this one)? |
| MDHHS prefers to have dedicated staff to answer these lines. Per Proposal Instructions – Schedule A SOW 2.1.8., a vendor may ask for approval to answer another Michigan line. |
| 41 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| What is the required degree of dedication for the operators? (Can the operators assigned to this contract work on other at the same time as this one)? |
| MDHHS prefers to have dedicated staff to answer these lines. Per Proposal Instructions – Schedule A SOW 2.1.8., a vendor may ask for approval to answer another Michigan line. |
| 42 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| What are the recording requirements for inbound phone calls and how long must recordings be maintained? |
| Currently, there are no recording requirements. MDHHS intends to implement call recording and requirements will be negotiated with MDHHS. Recordings would be maintained through the State system. |
| 43 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| What are the recording and storage requirements for non-phone communications? |
| Non-phone communications are stored within the CRM |
| 44 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| What was your average monthly call volume over the past year? |
| Monthly average by line: |
988: 9,623
FLS: 28
PWL: 6,857
| 45 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
What is the current number of seats for operators and supervisors at your existing call center?
What is the current average wait time for phone calls?
There are no requirements for seats for operators. Call specialists must meet service level standards. Michigan has a current average speed of answer of 12.5 seconds for 988 calls.
| 46 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| What is the current average handle time for phone calls and other types of communications? |
| See SOW A1 – 988 MiCal, section 4., pg 8 |
| 47 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| What is the current average after-call work time for operators? |
| This is not relevant to the current bid. |
| 48 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| Over the past year, what is the percentage of calls received in English versus non-English? |
| Information not available. |
| 49 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| Over the past year, what percentage of calls received were in Spanish? |
| Information not available. |
| 50 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| What time of day, days of the week, or times of the year do calls typically peak? |
| This varies. |
| 51 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| Please reconfirm the due date for this procurement by providing it in response to answers to questions. |
| See the Proposal Instructions cover page. |
| 52 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| If there was a previous solicitation for these services, what was its title, number, release date, and due date? |
| This information is not necessary for this solicitation. |
| 53 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| Why has this bid been released at this time? |
| The current contract is reaching the end of its useful life. |
| 54 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| When is the anticipated award date? |
| See the Proposal Instructions cover page. |
| 55 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| Are bidders permitted to deviate in any way from any manner of quoting fees you may be expecting? For example, if there is a pricing page in the RFP, can bidders submit an alternate fee structure? If there is no pricing page in the RFP, do you have any preference for how bidders should quote fees or can bidders create their own pricing categories? |
| See Schedule B – Pricing for specific information related to this question. |
| 56 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| Please describe your level of satisfaction with your current or recent vendor(s) for the same purchasing activity, if applicable. |
| This is not relevant to the current solicitation. |
| 57 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| Will a bid for 988 MiCAL Crisis Line be accepted and possibly awarded for a smaller geographic area than the full State of Michigan? |
| MDHHS may award the 988 services to more than one center, so the call line would not have to cover 100% of the State’s volume, but centers should be prepared to cover the full state geographically. |
| 58 |
| Not provided by Bidder |
| Can an award for A1 – 988 Services be made to for a bid that does not include Frontline Strong? If yes, would more than one contract be awarded for A1 – 988 Services then? |
| Bids can be made for 988 that do not include Frontline Strong Together, however number of vendors providing 988 services will be determined after reviewing all bids. |
| 59 |
| Background |
| 1 |
| If we are required to use the BH-CRM, are phone services included (and support of those services). |
| Telephony system is integrated in the BH CRM. Please see Schedule A SOW 1.1.4., 1.1.5. |
| 60 |
| Section 2.4 Proposal Instructions |
| 29 |
| The proposal instructions state, “The Contractor must specify its customer service number for the State to contact the Contractor Program Manager who must be available for calls during the hours of X, at a minimum. Identify customer service availability for this proposal by hours and days of the week? What are the number of hours listed as “X”? |
| 24/7, or their designee available 24/7. |
| Will the current 988 Regional Centers, such as Macomb and Griffin Place, have to apply for this RFP to continue to be a regional center? |
| No, however only 988 centers under this contract will be guaranteed funding for the provision of 988 services. |
| Will the funding model of this contract be fixed cost or cost reimbursement? |
| Actual cost reimbursement. |
How many funding sources are expected to support this contract? If a contractor is awarded multiple scopes of work, will there be a consolidated budget and invoice encompassing all SOWs under a single funding stream, or will separate funding streams require distinct cost allocation and submission of individual invoices and/or budget reports by funding source or scope of work?
State funds and federal funds. Will require distinct cost allocation and submission of individual invoices and/or budget reports by scope of work.
Regarding the requirement to use the state-approved phone and CRM systems, can you provide information about how much access the selected vendor will have to the data? Will the vendor have access to the database in order to build needed reports to support operational decisions or build integrations with other platforms?
Vendor will have access to data to build needed reports. Integrations with other platforms would require MDHHS approval and support.
| Can you provide additional details regarding reporting requirements? |
| See pg. 34 of Proposal Instructions-VQW-Schedule A, section 3.3 Reporting for requirements. You will work with MDHHS to identify metrics needed. |
| Is the state open to a single-vendor model, or does it intend to maintain multiple vendors? |
| The State will evaluate the bids to see what model would best support these services in Michigan. |
| What gaps in current performance or system design prompted this RFP? |
| Current contract is reaching the end of its useful life. |
| Would a hybrid staffing model (Michigan-based leadership with distributed workforce) be considered? |
| Please refer to Scope of SOW A1, A2, A3 referencing Prospective vendors must hire and/or employ staff that reside in the state of Michigan to answer calls and supervise call specialist teams. |
| What is the average anticipated monthly and annual volume for the three SOWs? Is there an anticipated text and chat volume based on state demand data? |
| Monthly averages are provided in previous answers. There is no current anticipated chat and text volume available. |
| 70 |
| SOW A2, 1.6 |
| 5 |
| Is the scope of first responder type changing with this new contract? |
| No |
| 71 |
| SOW A3, 3.1.5 |
| 7,8 |
| Does this contract mandate follow ups by PWL? |
| No. Policies and procedures will be reviewed by MDHHS. |
| 72 |
| Proposal Instructions-VQW-Schedule A – State of Work: 10 |
| 6 |
| When will award be announced? |
| After all bids have been reviewed and scored and the vendor with the best value for the State is found. |
| 73 |
| Hybrid Contract Terms:14 |
| 5 |
| Does IT helpdesk count as a subcontractor? |
| No |
| 74 |
| Proposal Instructions-VQW-Schedule A-SOW 2.4 |
| 22 |
| Technical Support, Repairs, and Maintenance is missing information under it? |
| Only need you to answer question in Bidder box. Program Manager must be available during normal business hours. |
| 75 |
| Hybrid Contract Terms: g |
| 1 |
| Is the State providing equipment directly to the contractor? |
| No. Vendor provides equipment. |
| 76 |
| Hybrid Contract Terms: g |
| 1 |
| Can you please provide an example of what this section is referring to? |
| Standard contract language. No equipment will be provided. |
| 77 |
| Hybrid Contract Terms:5 |
| 2 |
| How much financial resources would be considered sufficient? |
| At least enough to cover all finances that are anticipated over the course of the full contract. |
| 78 |
| Hybrid Contract Terms:14 |
| 5 |
| Is our attorney considered a sub-contractor? |
| If the lawyer provides contract activities and is not a direct employee of the contractor, then yes. |
| 79 |
| Hybrid Contract Terms:14 |
| 5 |
| What is the definition of a sub-contractor versus a vendor? |
| Unsure where vendor is referenced in this section. Definition of “Permitted Subcontractor” Pg 6, 14.c.3. |
| 80 |
| Hybrid Contract Terms:36d |
| 11 |
| Confirming background checks only on sub-contractors who have access to data/sensitive information. Frequency or background checks? |
| Requirement for State of Michigan is to background check everyone, MDHHS has background check prior to being hired and does an audit on this yearly. |
| 81 |
| Hybrid Contract Terms:36d |
| 11 |
| What type of State data would a back up need to be maintained and does this include the CRM? |
| Any information that has been downloaded from the CRM. |
| 82 |
| Hybrid Contract Terms:39 |
| 14 |
| With this contract requiring to use the State CRM, what records would this section apply to? |
| All records relating to this contract. |
| 83 |
| Proposal Instruction VQW-Schedule A SOW: 6.1.1.4 |
| 34 |
| Instead of Admin should this be labeled as Indirect Cost? |
| Indirect costs can be used for Admin. |
| 84 |
| Proposal Instructions VQW -Schedule A SOW:7 |
| 35 |
| Can you provide an example of the contract activities this would apply to? |
| Any contract activity that was late or done improperly that could cause harm or damage to the State. Example might include a 24/7 call center that was down for a certain amount of time, and the State was not notified, calls went unanswered, etc. |
| 85 |
| Proposal Instructions VQW-Schedule A SOW:3.1.1.2 |
| 32 |
| Should chat/text pricing be listed separately or all combined into one? |
| Listed separately. |
| 86 |
| Schedule B Pricing Schedule Template |
| Pricing schedule template |
| Indirect costs are not listed on the document. Do we just add to this template? |
| Indirect costs can be used for Admin. |
| 87 |
| Schedule A1 Statement of Work |
| 10 Fund require. |
| Is the vendor chosen considered a subcontractor or a subrecipient of the State? |
| This depends on the funding source. |
| 88 |
| Schedule A1 State of Work:3.2 |
| 11 |
| Is Senior Leadership considered a direct or indirect cost? |
| Depends on positions defined as Senior Leadership. |
| 89 |
| Proposal Instructions VQW-Schedule C Insurance Requirements:7 and Table 6.1 |
| 40 |
| Contracts typically have $1 million for cyber liability. Is the $3 million a minimum qualification? |
| Yes, we submit this to our Risk department, and this is their recommendation. |
| 90 |
| Proposal Instructions VQW-Schedule C Insurance Requirments:3.1 |
| 33 |
| Are you expecting a preliminary work plan as part of the RFP and then a final project plan 15 days after contract? |
| Yes |
| Could you please confirm if bidders should submit 1 separate budget per statement of work for which they are applying? For example, if a bidder is interested in bidding on SOW A1 and A2, would they submit two separate budgets? |
| Yes, they would submit separate budgets as we will track and process the invoices for each line separately. |
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