Blueprint QI Facilitator RFP 03410-17-25.pdf

Agency of Human Services | Department of Vermont Health Access 280 State Drive NOB 1 South | Waterbury VT 05676 802-879-5900 phone |802-241-0260 fax

SEALED BID

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Blueprint for Health Quality Improvement Practice Facilitators

Requisition Number: 03410-17-25

ISSUE DATE November 19, 2024

QUESTIONS DUE Ongoing

STATE’S RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS Ongoing

RFP RESPONSES DUE BY This RFP will remain open until filled

SELECTION NOTIFICATIONS This RFP will remain open until filled

PROPOSED START DATE OF CONTRACT This RFP will remain open until filled

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT ALL NOTIFICATIONS, RELEASES, AND ADDENDUMS ASSOCIATED

WITH THIS RFP WILL BE POSTED AT:

https://www.vermontbusinessregistry.com/

THE STATE WILL MAKE NO ATTEMPT TO CONTACT INTERESTED PARTIES WITH UPDATED

INFORMATION. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH BIDDER TO PERIODICALLY CHECK

THE ABOVE WEBPAGE FOR ANY AND ALL NOTIFICATIONS, RELEASES AND ADDENDUMS

ASSOCIATED WITH THIS RFP.

STATE CONTACT: andria golden, Financial Manager I E-MAIL: andria.golden@vermont.gov AHS.DVHAGrantsContracts@vermont.gov https://www/

Revised: October 1, 2024

1. OVERVIEW:

1.1. SCOPE AND BACKGROUND: Through this Request for Proposal (RFP) the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA) (hereinafter the “State”) is seeking to establish contracts with one or more companies that can provide Blueprint for Health Quality Improvement Facilitators. More detail is provided in Section 2 of this RFP.

1.2. CONTRACT PERIOD: Contracts arising from this RFP will be for a State determined period of 1 (one) year with an option to renew for up to four (4) additional twelve-month periods or 2 (two) years with an option to renew for up to three (3) additional twelve-month periods. The State anticipates the start date for such contract(s) will be determined based on when a successful bid is received.

1.3. SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT: All communications concerning this RFP are to be addressed in writing to the State Contact listed on the front page of this RFP. Actual or attempted contact with any other individual from the State concerning this RFP is strictly prohibited and may result in disqualification.

1.4. BIDDERS’ CONFERENCE: A bidders’ conference will not be held at the date and time indicated on the front page of this RFP.

1.5. QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD: Any bidder requiring clarification of any section of this RFP or wishing to comment on any requirement of the RFP must submit specific questions in writing no later than the deadline for question indicated on the first page of this RFP. Questions may be e-mailed to the point of contact on the front page of this RFP. Questions or comments not raised in writing on or before the last day of the question period are thereafter waived. At the close of the question period a copy of all questions or comments and the State's responses will be posted on the State’s web site https://www.vermontbusinessregistry.com/ . Every effort will be made to post this information as soon as possible after the question period ends, contingent on the number and complexity of the questions. All information provided by vendors during this process will be public and bidders shall not provide confidential information, except as described in 4.1 below.

1.6. CHANGES TO THIS RFP: Any modifications to this RFP will be made in writing by the State through the issuance of an Addendum to this RFP and posted online at https://www.vermontbusinessregistry.com/. Modifications from any other source are not to be considered.

1.7. SOURCE OF FUNDS: This project is being funded in whole or in part using federal monies. If a bidder requires assistance in preparing their proposal, registering with SAM.gov or needs guidance on socioeconomic certifications, the bidder may contact the Agency of Commerce & Community Development (ACCD), Department of Economic Development (DED), APEX Accelerator. The Vermont APEX Accelerator (formerly the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC)) specializes in helping small businesses navigate the documentation associated with State and Federal procurement.

There is no cost to the Contractor for assistance provided by APEX Accelerator. Their website is:

https://accd.vermont.gov/economic-development/programs/ptac

2. DETAILED REQUIREMENTS/DESIRED OUTCOMES:

2.1. The State is seeking to establish contracts with one or more qualified bidders to serve as “Quality Improvement (QI) Facilitators” supporting quality improvement capacity in primary care, specialty care, and community collaboratives under the Blueprint for Health (Blueprint) program. QI facilitators support practices and communities to improve patient outcomes and experiences by supporting implementation of the Blueprint’s programs and coaching practices through quality improvement processes. The Blueprint for Health is a comprehensive delivery system that has developed payment reforms, operational infrastructure (the Transformation Network), and an evaluation framework to support a strong foundation of advanced Primary Care, enhanced coordination with and shared management of patients’ mental health, substance use disorder, reproductive, and health related social needs with Social Needs and Specialty Care Providers, and Community Collaborative support for multi-sector population health planning and responsiveness.

https://accd.vermont.gov/economic-development/programs/ptac

The Blueprint’s design work responds to the emerging needs of Vermonters and the latest opportunities in health and human services reform, creating change in the delivery system. This work began with patient-centered primary care and community health, then a system of treatment for opioid use disorder, and is now addressing the social determinants of health, mental health, and substance use needs. The Blueprint Transformation Network of locally hired Program Managers, Community Health Team (CHT) Leaders, and Quality Improvement Facilitators work with partners to lead the implementation of these innovations in practices and communities across Vermont.

Major components of the State’s health system reform include:

2.1.1. Practice Transformation:

a) Transforming primary care practices using the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model, which enables Vermonters to have:

i. an ongoing relationship with a primary care provider who provides continuous and comprehensive care;

ii. a provider-led team that collectively cares for them;

iii. a holistic experience, which includes acute, chronic, preventative, and end-of-life care;

iv. care that is coordinated across all elements of the health system and community;

v. high quality care that is based on evidence-based practices; and

vi. enhanced access and communication with their care team.

b) Implementation of specific models of care that support population needs related mental health, substance use, and pregnancy/maternal health, such as in the Hub and Spoke Model and Pregnancy Intention Initiative.

c) Expanding screening, inclusive of medical, social, mental, and developmental needs, substance use, and pregnancy intention.

d) Integrating mental health and substance use providers into primary care, allowing for short term and ongoing mental health and substance use care to occur in practices across Vermont where people receive ongoing care.

e) Integrating Community Health Teams (CHT), allowing for support with care management and coordination, addressing social determinant of health needs, and accessing specialized medical, behavioral, or substance use team-based services.

2.1.2. Coordination among Primary Care, Social Services, and Specialty Care Providers

a) Supporting effective referral management practices and connection to the local network of health, social, economic, and community service providers.

b) Enabling alignment of care management with population needs, implementing strategies such as:

i. Personalized care plans;

ii. Coordination of specialty referrals;

iii. Assistance with ancillary services;

iv. Referrals to and coordination with community services;

v. Self-management support; and

vi. Outreach.

c) Supporting Specialty practices to work with Primary Care and other referring clinicians, providing access and communication, identifying and coordinating patient populations, planning and managing care, tracking and coordinating care, and measuring and improving performance.

2.1.3. Community Collaborative support for multi-sector population health planning and responsiveness

a) Supporting community collaboratives to measure, monitor, and continuously improve upon population health needs, and specifically addressing:

i. Access to Primary Care;

ii. Access to Specialty Care;

iii. Access to Community Services; and

iv. Community Health Team impact on population health needs.

b) Facilitating cross organization quality improvement projects to improve population health outcomes and increase value of care.

To support the implementation of these components, the Blueprint has developed a team of trained professionals known as QI Facilitators with the skills to help practices, integrated care teams, communities, and programs build the capacity to improve care through use of evidence-based guidelines, innovative strategies and quality improvement approaches including data-driven quality improvement methods.

The State is seeking Quality Improvement Facilitators who will work with multi-disciplinary teams in primary care practices, pregnancy intention initiative practices and providers, substance use disorder treatment providers, integrated care teams, specialty substance abuse and mental health treatment programs, and Community Collaboratives to implement programs and support continuous quality improvement activities. Relationships between QI Facilitators and practices, integrated care teams, and programs are long term and interventions are based on the needs and vision of the entities served.

Interventions may vary based on an organization’s size, patient population, organizational structure, partnerships with other practices and organizations, community, and type of care provided.

Activities of QI facilitators may include:

Creating infrastructure for continuous improvement

- Forming and managing an external facilitation team with expertise tailored to practice needs

- Forming or optimizing a central QI team for the organization or practice

- Ensuring diverse membership on the QI team or specific project teams

- Helping teams create or update QI plans

- Helping teams develop performance monitoring systems

- Helping teams use performance data to set improvement goals and monitor progress Building skills in leadership and QI teams that support continuous improvement

- Providing executive coaching to leadership in change management, human factors, conflict resolution, and project management

- Building priority for change in practice and leadership using data, academic detailing and social learning, introduction to new ideas, and best evidence

- Training staff on QI approaches and methods (e.g., Model for Improvement, small tests of change, workflow mapping, benchmarking, chart reviews, audit and feedback)

- Training team on concept of data-driven improvement and data collection and management

- Teaching skills for running effective QI meetings

- Teaching skills for encouraging culture of continuous QI in organization Quality meeting facilitation - Facilitating root cause analysis

- Leading practice through the Model for Improvement, or other mutually agreed upon tool or framework for identifying goals and performance indicators

- Employing QI interventions, such as workflow mapping, audit and feedback, benchmarking, academic detailing, and best practices research.

- Monitoring progress towards goals

Managing projects - Providing project and change management support, and building capacity for the same in practice

- Setting up and using collaboration software for change process management

- Supporting accountability for action items and follow-through on improvement plans

- Helping practices coordinate, integrate, and realize synergies in all improvement work occurring across the organization

Organizational Assessment - Assessing structure and resources in place to support QI and their internal and external QI requirements (such as Blueprint attestations, ACO participation, Federally Qualified Health Center requirements, Commercial Insurer QI Program Participation, or Medicare/Medicaid Quality Requirements

- Assessing organizational/practice readiness for capacity building and improvement work

- Conducting initial assessment of practice’s core systems (administrative, clinical, health IT, data, and human resources) using an assets-based approach (i.e., identify both strengths and weaknesses)

- Collecting data from multiple sources, including surveys, paper records, registries, and electronic health records

- Implementing report generators and other systems that create capacity for routine performance reporting and train staff to maintain and expand these processes

Optimizing health IT for performance monitoring and population management

- Helping practices interact with health IT vendors

- Helping practices engage expert consultants in health IT as needed

- Sharing best practices in use of particular electronic health record

(EHR) products from other practices as appropriate

- Helping practices structure EHR to maximize population management capacity

- Setting up registry tracks and create workflows for maintaining registries

- Identifying and correct data errors in EHR and registry

- Setting up connections between labs and EHRs, standalone registries and EHRs, and other relevant IT platforms and products

- Helping staff set up and manage templates and point-of-care decision support

- Training staff to optimize EHR functions to enhance care team communication (e.g., tasking)

- Training staff to create and generate performance reports for QI

Supporting implementation of targeted changes and improvements

- Training practice in service models such as PCMH, Systematic screening for Mental Health/Substance Use/Social Determinants of Health, Behavioral Health Integration, and Stepped Care (e.g.

Hub and Spoke) and associated processes, interventions, and best practices and their benefits.

- Engaging external experts as needed to provide peer-to-peer and expert training to practice on new models of care, interventions, and other targeted improvements

Identifying and spreading exemplar practices

- Documenting exemplars and best practices and share with program and facilitation community

- Creating and/or participating in learning collaborative opportunities for practices

Identifying and communicating system-level barriers to improvement

- Documenting system-level barriers to improvement and communicate to program, funders, policymakers, and health care community

Supporting Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)

- Guiding each practice through NCQA recognition process

- Ensuring that practice implements standards/prepares and submits high quality evidence required by NCQA within the timeframes specified by NCQA and the Blueprint for Health.

- Assisting practices with QPASS entries

- Assisting practices with NCQA reviewer check-ins

Supporting Patient and Family Involvement in the Quality Improvement Process

- Assisting practices with creating a role for patients/families/caregivers in the practice’s governance structure or on its Board of Directors, or

- Assisting practice with organizing a Patient and Family Advisory Council (stakeholder committee)

Supporting Participation in Statewide Patient Experience Survey

- Assisting with practice submission of necessary information to survey contractor

- Assisting with analysis, review, and presentation of survey results

- Support for identifying patient/experience quality improvement interventions Program Evaluation and Reporting - Assisting practices with completing/submitting evaluation and reporting requirements for participation in Blueprint for Health or other quality programs.

- Assisting practice with selection, monitoring, and reporting of key quality measures.

The bid should indicate which role is being applied for:

A) Contractor will serve as a General Facilitator (1.0 FTE) to work with approximately 8 to 15 Primary Care and/or other participating Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) and Pregnancy Intention Initiative (PII) practices within a Health Service Area; the specific number of practices will be determined by the needs of the practices and discussion between the State and the Contractor. The Contractor will support the practice to maintain integrity with the Blueprint for Health models of care, and support the practice to use continuous quality improvement practices in response to practice/community identified needs/opportunities, external requirements, and statewide health reform efforts.

B) Contractor will serve as a Specialized Facilitator (0.5 or 1.0 FTE) to support the implementation of Mental Health Care and Substance Use Treatment Integration into Primary Care and other Blueprint practices, and implement standards of care to support social determinant of health, mental health, and substance use needs. This role will work with practice teams and organizations to integrate Behavioral Health Clinicians (Psychologists, Therapists, Social Workers, Nurses, and Community Health Workers) and enhance Primary Care capacity for addressing mental health and substance use needs across geographic regions of the State. The Specialized Facilitator may also support Specialty Care practices that specialize in mental health and substance use treatment to provide greater access and coordination of services across providers.

C) Contractor will serve as a Specialized Facilitator (0.5 or 1.0 FTE) to support to support State identified models of care/system delivery and quality improvement activities related to Blueprint for Health and the State’s Health Reform priorities, such as strengthening local collaboration to address population health, social, and other needs. This role may work with Community Health Teams, Community Collaboratives, or Accountable Communities for Health across the state to support the use of data-driven, quality improvement focused, community engaged, multi-sectoral interventions.

Facilitators may be expected to work in diverse practice settings including substance use clinics, reproductive health and family planning clinics, which may include Planned Parenthood clinics, and primary care practices. Generally, Facilitators are expected to meet weekly, bi-weekly, or (minimum) monthly with each PCMH team; at least quarterly with assigned MOUD practices, and at least annually with assigned Pregnancy Intention Initiative practices. Work will be tailored to help each practice succeed in implementation of the State’s Health Reform system components listed under scope and background.

The Contractor shall ensure that QI facilitation work includes:

• Leadership involvement and communication;

• Aligning quality initiatives into the larger QI plan for the practice/organization;

• Encouraging/fostering practice ownership and support for Continuous Quality Improvement to improve patient-centered care;

• Assisting practices with forming a functional multi-disciplinary quality improvement team

• Educating the practice about the PCMH model, NCQA standards, and the Blueprint for Health

PCMH program;

• Supporting practices to meet program standards for the PCMH program;

• Developing an action plan to prepare for or maintain NCQA recognition;

• Reporting the status and outcome of PCMH recognition to the State;

• Supporting specialty practices to meet program standards for the MOUD/Spoke Initiative;

including reporting Health Home Measures;

• Supporting practices to meet pregnancy intention initiative participation requirements;

• Supporting the incorporation of CHTs and other health and community services into practice workflow;

• Participating in learning collaborative activities with assigned practices;

• Supporting practices in participating in community forums and participating in community-identified quality improvement project at the community level; Encouraging innovative strategies for communication and learning between practices and partners, such as learning collaboratives or online learning environments;

• Supporting community-level quality initiatives, including facilitating workgroup projects as directed by the Blueprint QI Coordinator, community leaders, and statewide collaboratives;

The contractor shall ensure that QI Facilitators will:

• Maintain detailed QI records for all work with practices and collaboratives;

• Participate in regular phone calls with the State, regularly scheduled meetings of the QI

Facilitators, and other ad-hoc conference calls, meetings, or trainings with State and other QI Facilitators;

• Lead or participate in the planning team for learning collaboratives, upon request; and

• Mentor and be mentored by a peer facilitator.

2.2. WORK TIME AND LOCATION: The Contractor shall be expected to work in primary care medical practices, pregnancy intention initiative practices and providers, specialty providers, and/or practices providing substance abuse treatment within a designated geographic region, in integrated community teams in designated communities, or across the entire state as agreed upon between the Contractor and the State.

The State believes that the effort required to complete the work under this contract will equal up to 40 hours per week (1.0 FTE) and may require early morning and evening activities in addition to the regular business day for 47 weeks per year, to perform the responsibilities and services set out in the contract.

Contractor shall agree in advance with the State for any periods or days Contractor may be unavailable.

Contractor shall be responsible for working 40 hours per week, with 5 weeks (200 hours) reserved for vacation, holiday, or sick leave, for a total of 1,880 hours worked per year. Any additional leave time needed beyond the allocated 200 hours will require Contractor to pro-rate their invoicing rate. There will be no additional payments made beyond the monthly rate for hours worked beyond the total set out in this Contract. In the event Contractor is ill or experiences unusual circumstances such as a family emergency, Contractor shall contact State as soon as practicable. Contractor will satisfy all applicable performance requirements stated herein.

The Contractors will be geographically distributed to ensure statewide services. Preference will be given to Vermont-based facilitators. Any out-of-state bidders must describe how they would provide in-person support to Vermont practices.

Regular meetings in a central location in the state and/or community and participation in trainings both within and outside of the state should be anticipated. Contractors must have sufficient IT capacity to participate in regular online meetings.

QI facilitators may be assigned to work with practices and integrated community teams in particular geographic areas or according to skillset match with Blueprint program implementation needs.

2.3. REPORTING: Ongoing documentation and evaluation is required under this contract to include:

• Regular meetings between the QI Facilitator and each assigned practice (every two weeks or at a frequency agreed upon between the QI Facilitator and the practice and approved by the State);

• Establish a timeline with a plan to achieve program implementation and/or practice recognition and reporting on the status of meeting program requirements and or the NCQA recognition timeline;

• Establish a timeline and report on progress of ongoing quality improvement initiatives in practices, including at least one (1) community-identified quality improvement project at the community level;

• Practice learning collaborative participation (locally or at the State level);

• Establish a mentoring plan for at least one (1) new facilitator (as requested by the State); and

• Monthly practice reports on template provided by the State, practice records, meeting minutes, and QI project documentation to be made available upon request.

2.4. EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE: To qualify to bid on these proposals, bidder must have the following education, experience, and skills:

2.4.1. Education:

a. Licensed Health Provider or Master’s degree in a health care or public health related field

(preferred), or

b. Bachelor’s degree plus 2 years health care, public health, or related experience, or

c. Five years health care, public health, or related experience.

2.4.2. Training and Credentials:

a. NCQA training on Patient Centered Medical Home Recognition (and other associated programs) must be completed within the first month of the contract, as applicable.

b. Contractor is strongly encouraged to obtain their Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality

(CPHQ), or equivalent, Certification within two years of contract start date.

2.4.3. Clinical Experience and Orientation Experience:

a. Experience:

i. Worked in a primary care or specialty clinical practice or other health care or community service setting.

ii. Worked in a practice or organization that provides co-occurring mental health and substance use disorder treatment.

b. Skills:

i. Knowledge of the terminology and systems used in primary care, other health care or community settings, or practices providing addictions and co-occurring mental health treatment.

2.4.4. Professional Skills:

a. Communicate effectively with diverse professionals within multi-disciplinary primary care teams or community teams;

b. Identify and manage conflict;

c. Mediate challenging relationships and divergent viewpoints;

d. Resilience in the face of complex demands;

e. Comfort with change and evolution of program priorities; and

f. Recognition of when a facilitator should play a leadership versus a team facilitation role and ability to foster leadership among team members (direct vs. facilitative guidance).

2.4.5. Quality Improvement and Systems Thinking:

a. Recognize the relationship between primary care providers, community service providers, substance abuse treatment and the complex system of healthcare delivery;

b. Apply change processes and organizational theory to improve patient outcomes and decrease costs;

and

c. Mastery of a large area of complex change content, including information about quality improvement methods and tools, the use of data to drive improvement, supporting team development, and patient centered-planned care.

2.4.6. Technology Proficiency:

a. Proficiency in the use of technology to facilitate business processes; and

b. Adept and able to quickly learn to use new information technology systems and programs.

2.4.7. Effective Utilization of Data to Drive Change:

a. Demonstrated use of data to identify the need for change and to evaluate outcomes.

3. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:

3.1. PRICING: Bidders must price the terms of this solicitation at their best pricing. Any and all costs that Bidder wishes the State to consider must be submitted for consideration. If applicable, all equipment pricing is to include F.O.B. delivery to the ordering facility. No request for extra delivery cost will be honored. All equipment shall be delivered assembled, serviced, and ready for immediate use, unless otherwise requested by the State.

3.1.1. Prices and/or rates shall remain firm for the initial term of the contract. The pricing policy submitted by Bidder must (i) be clearly structured, accountable, and auditable and (ii) cover the full spectrum of materials and/or services required.

3.1.2. Cooperative Agreements. Bidders that have been awarded similar contracts through a competitive bidding process with another state and/or cooperative are welcome to submit the pricing in response to this solicitation.

3.1.3. Retainage. In the discretion of the State, a contract resulting from this RFP may provide that the State withhold a percentage of the total amount payable for some or all deliverables, such retainage to be payable upon satisfactory completion and State acceptance in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract.

3.2. STATEMENT OF RIGHTS: The State shall have the authority to evaluate Responses and select the Bidder(s) as may be determined to be in the best interest of the State and consistent with the goals and performance requirements outlined in this RFP. The State of Vermont reserves the right to obtain clarification or additional information necessary to properly evaluate a proposal. Failure of bidder to respond to a request for additional information or clarification could result in rejection of that bidder's proposal. To secure a project that is deemed to be in the best interest of the State, the State reserves the right to accept or reject any and all bids, in whole or in part, with or without cause, and to waive technicalities in submissions. The State also reserves the right to make purchases outside of the awarded contracts where it is deemed in the best interest of the State.

3.2.1. Best and Final Offer (BAFO). At any time after submission of Responses and prior to the final selection of Bidder(s) for Contract negotiation or execution, the State may invite Bidder(s) to provide a BAFO. The state reserves the right to request BAFOs from only those Bidders that meet the minimum qualification requirements and/or have not been eliminated from consideration during the evaluation process.

3.2.2. Presentation. An in-person or webinar presentation by the Bidder may be required by the State if it will help the State’s evaluation process. The State will factor information presented during presentations into the evaluation. Bidders will be responsible for all costs associated with providing the presentation.

3.2.3. Interview. An in-person or webinar interview by the Bidder may be required by the State if it will help the State’s evaluation process. The State will factor information presented during the interview into the evaluation. Bidders will be responsible for all costs associated with attending an interview

3.3. WORKER CLASSIFICATION COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS: In accordance with Section 32 of The Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54), Bidders must comply with the following provisions and requirements.

3.3.1. Self Reporting: For bid amounts exceeding $250,000.00, Bidder shall complete the appropriate section in the attached Certificate of Compliance for purposes of self-reporting information relating to past violations, convictions, suspensions, and any other information related to past performance relative to coding and classification of workers. The State is requiring information on any violations that occurred in the previous 12 months.

3.3.2. Subcontractor Reporting: For bid amounts exceeding $250,000.00, Bidders are hereby notified that upon award of contract, and prior to contract execution, the State shall be provided with a list of all proposed subcontractors and subcontractors’ subcontractors, together with the identity of those subcontractors’ workers compensation insurance providers, and additional required or requested information, as applicable, in accordance with Section 32 of The Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54). This requirement does not apply to subcontractors providing supplies only and no labor to the overall contract or project. This list MUST be updated and provided to the State as additional subcontractors are hired. A sample form is available online at http://bgs.vermont.gov/purchasing-contracting/forms. The subcontractor reporting form is not required to be submitted with the bid response.

3.4. EXECUTIVE ORDER 05-16: CLIMATE CHANGE CONSIDERATIONS IN STATE

PROCUREMENTS:

For bid amounts exceeding $25,000.00 Bidders are requested to complete the Climate Change Considerations in State Procurements Certification, which is included in the Certificate of Compliance for this RFP.

After consideration of all relevant factors, a bidder that demonstrates business practices that promote clean energy and address climate change as identified in the Certification, shall be given favorable consideration in the competitive bidding process. Such favorable consideration shall be consistent with and not supersede any preference given to resident bidders of the State and/or products raised or manufactured in the State, as explained in the Method of Award section. But, such favorable consideration shall not be employed if prohibited by law or other relevant authority or agreement.

3.5. METHOD OF AWARD: Awards will be made in the best interest of the State. The State may award one or more contracts and reserves the right to make additional awards to other compliant bidders at any time if such award is deemed to be in the best interest of the State. All other considerations being equal, preference will be given first to resident bidders of the state and/or to products raised or manufactured in the state, and then to bidders who have practices that promote clean energy and address climate change, as identified in the applicable Certificate of Compliance.

3.5.1. Evaluation Criteria: Consideration shall be given to the Bidder’s project approach and methodology, qualifications and experience, ability to provide the services within the defined timeline, cost, and/or success in completing similar projects, as applicable, and to the extent specified below.

3.5.2. Minimum Requirements: Each proposal will be reviewed to ensure it is sufficiently responsive to the RFP to allow a complete evaluation. Failure to comply with the instructions to bidders shall deem the proposal non-responsive and subject to rejection without further consideration. The State reserves the right to waive minor irregularities.

3.5.3. Proposals will be deemed to have either passed or failed the Minimum Requirements. The State reserves the right to reject any and all proposals.

3.5.4. Any pricing proposal that is incomplete, exceeds $100,000 per year, 1.0 per full time equivalent or in which there are significant inconsistencies or inaccuracies may be rejected by the State.

Evaluation of RFP Minimum Requirements Only those proposals passing minimum requirements will be considered.

Pass/Fail

Evaluation of the Bidder’s Education & Experience:

DHVA will evaluate the education and experience of the bidder. 30 points

Evaluation of Capacity to Perform Work:

DHVA will determine to what extent the bidder has the capabilities to take on the work generated by the resulting Contract. This evaluation may include, at the State’s discretion, a panel interview and a reference check.

50 points

Evaluation of Financial Proposals:

The financial proposal will be examined to determine if it meets requirements and is consistent with industry pricing.

20 points

3.6. CONTRACT NEGOTIATION: Upon completion of the evaluation process, the State may select one or more bidders with which to negotiate a contract, based on the evaluation findings and other criteria deemed relevant for ensuring that the decision made is in the best interest of the State. In the event State is not successful in negotiating a contract with a selected bidder, the State reserves the option of negotiating with another bidder, or to end the proposal process entirely.

3.7. COST OF PREPARATION: Bidder shall be solely responsible for all expenses incurred in the preparation of a response to this RFP and shall be responsible for all expenses associated with any presentations or demonstrations associated with this request and/or any proposals made.

3.8. CONTRACT TERMS: The selected bidder(s) will be expected to sign a contract with the State, including the Standard Contract Form and Attachment C, D, F, and G, as attached to this RFP for reference. If IT Attachment D is included in this RFP, terms may be modified based upon the solution proposed by the Bidder, subject to approval by the Agency of Digital Services.

3.8.1. Business Registration. To be awarded a contract by the State of Vermont a bidder (except an individual doing business in his/her own name) must be registered with the Vermont Secretary of State’s office https://sos.vermont.gov/corporations/registration/ and must obtain a Contractor’s Business Account Number issued by the Vermont Department of Taxes http://tax.vermont.gov/ .

3.8.2. The contract will obligate the bidder to provide the services and/or products identified in its bid, at the prices listed.

3.8.3. Payment Terms. Percentage discounts may be offered for prompt payments of invoices; however, such discounts must be in effect for a period of 30 days or more in order to be considered in making awards.

3.8.4. Retainage. In the discretion of the State, a contract resulting from this RFP may provide that the State withhold a percentage of the total amount payable for some or all deliverables, such retainage to be payable upon satisfactory completion and State acceptance in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract.

https://sos.vermont.gov/corporations/registration/ http://tax.vermont.gov/

3.8.5. Quality. If applicable, all products provided under a contract with the State will be new and unused, unless otherwise stated. Factory seconds or remanufactured products will not be accepted unless specifically requested by the purchasing agency. All products provided by the contractor must meet all federal, state, and local standards for quality and safety requirements. Products not meeting these standards will be deemed unacceptable and returned to the contractor for credit at no charge to the State.

4. CONTENT AND FORMAT OF RESPONSES: The content and format requirements listed below are the minimum requirements for State evaluation. These requirements are not intended to limit the content of a Bidder’s proposal. Bidders may include additional information or offer alternative solutions for the State’s consideration. However, the State discourages overly lengthy and costly proposals, and Bidders are advised to include only such information in their response as may be relevant to the requirements of this solicitation.

4.1. Unsolicited Bidder-Confidential Information Prohibited. Bidders are hereby expressly directed not to include any confidential information in their proposal submissions, except as specifically permitted below, and so marked. By submitting a proposal in response to this RFP, bidders acknowledge and agree to abide by the terms and conditions outlined in this document, including the prohibition on submitting confidential information. This prohibition reduces the burden on the State while preventing bidder-confidential information from entering the public record.

4.1.1. Disclosure under Public Records Act. All information received by the State in response to this RFP will become part of the contract file and subject to Vermont public records law. Responses by any bidder may become available to the public once a contract has been executed or otherwise following conclusion of this procurement process, in accordance with the State’s Public Records Act, 1 V.S.A. § 315 et seq., or the State may choose to publicly post them.

4.1.2. Unsolicited Confidential Materials. This RFP does not solicit bidder confidential information and bidders are expressly prohibited from providing confidential information in response to this RFP. All materials furnished by bidders in response to this RFP, including those marked as confidential by bidders, are subject to disclosure if requested under the Public Records Act, or public posting.

4.1.3. State Not Responsible for Disclosure of Unmarked Bidder-Confidential Information. It is the sole responsibility of the bidder to ensure that, other than where specifically directed or permitted by this RFP and accordingly marked as described below, no information that should not be publicly disclosed is included in their proposal materials, including any 1) trade secrets or intellectual property, 2) proprietary financial or business information, 3) personal information, or 4) any other information that should not be disclosed to the public. For example, bidders should avoid including specific details of their proprietary technologies or methodologies that they consider confidential, and any references to previous client engagements should be presented in a manner that does not disclose the client's confidential information.

4.2. The bid should include a Cover Letter and Technical Response and Price Schedule.

4.3. COVER LETTER:

4.3.1. Exceptions to Contract Terms and Conditions. If a Bidder wishes to propose an exception to any terms and conditions set forth in the Standard Contract Form and its attachments, such exceptions must be included in the cover letter to the RFP response. Failure to note exceptions when responding to the RFP will be deemed to be acceptance of the State contract terms and conditions. If exceptions are not noted in the response to this RFP but raised during contract negotiations, the State reserves the right to cancel the negotiation if deemed to be in the best interests of the State. Note that exceptions to contract terms may cause rejection of the proposal, and that the State’s non-rejection of a proposal on this basis does not indicate acceptance of the exceptions.

4.4. TECHNICAL RESPONSE. In response to this RFP, a Bidder shall:

4.4.1. Provide details concerning your form of business organization, company size and resources.

4.4.2. Describe your capabilities and particular experience relevant to the RFP requirements.

4.4.2.1. Identify all current or past State projects.

4.4.3. Identify the names of all subcontractors you intend to use, the portions of the work the subcontractors will perform, and address the background and experience of the subcontractor(s), as per RFP section

4.4.2 above.

4.5. REFERENCES. Provide the names, addresses, and phone numbers of at least three companies with whom you have transacted similar business in the last 12 months. You must include contact names who can talk knowledgeably about performance.

4.6. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS: Provide a sample of any reporting documentation that may be applicable to the Detailed Requirements of this RFP.

4.7. PRICE SCHEDULE: Bidders shall submit their pricing information in the Price Schedule attached to the

RFP.

4.8. CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE: This form must be completed and submitted as part of the response for the proposal to be considered valid.

5. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:

5.1. CLOSING DATE: Bids must be received by the State by the due date specified on the front page of this RFP. Late bids will not be considered.

5.1.1. The State may, for cause, issue an addendum to change the date and/or time when bids are due. If a change is made, the State will inform all bidders by posting at the webpage indicated on the front page of this RFP.

5.1.2. There will not be a public bid opening. However, the State will record the name, city and state for any and all bids received by the due date.

5.2. BID DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS:

5.2.1. ELECTRONIC: Electronic bids will be accepted.

5.2.1.1. E-MAIL BIDS. Emailed bids will be accepted. Bids will be accepted via email submission to the address listed on Page 1 of this RFP. Bids must consist of a single email with digitally searchable PDF attachments containing all components of the bid. Multiple emails will not be accepted. There is an attachment size limit of 40 MB. It is the Bidder’s responsibility to compress the PDF file containing its bid if necessary in order to meet this size limitation.

5.2.2. FAX BIDS: Faxed bids will not be accepted.

6. BID SUBMISSION CHECKLIST:

Cover Letter

Technical Response

Redacted Technical Response, if applicable

References

Price Schedule

Signed Certificate of Compliance

7. ATTACHMENTS:

7.1. Certificate of Compliance

7.2. Price Schedule

7.3. Worker Classification Compliance Requirement; Subcontractor Reporting Form

7.4. Standard State Contract with its associated attachments, including but not limited to, Attachment C:

Standard State Provisions for Contracts and Grants, Attachment D: Modification of Customary Provisions of Attachment C or F, Attachment F: Agency of Human Services’ Customary Contract/Grant Provisions

7.5. State of Vermont – Federal Terms Supplement - Non-Construction

7.6. Appendix I- Subcontractor Compliance Form

RFP/PROJECT:

DATE:

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE

For a bid to be considered valid, this form must be completed in its entirety, executed by a duly authorized representative of the bidder, and submitted as part of the response to the proposal.

A. NON COLLUSION: Bidder hereby certifies that the prices quoted have been arrived at without collusion and that no prior information concerning these prices has been received from or given to a competitive company. If there is sufficient evidence to warrant investigation of the bid/contract process by the Office of the Attorney General, bidder understands that this paragraph might be used as a basis for litigation.

B. CONTRACT TERMS: Bidder hereby acknowledges that is has read, understands and agrees to the terms of this RFP, including Attachment C: Standard State Contract Provisions, and any other contract attachments included with this RFP.

C. WORKER CLASSIFICATION COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENT: In accordance with Section 32 of

The Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54), the following provisions and requirements apply to Bidder when the amount of its bid exceeds $250,000.00.

Self-Reporting. Bidder hereby self-reports the following information relating to past violations, convictions, suspensions, and any other information related to past performance relative to coding and classification of workers, that occurred in the previous 12 months.

Summary of Detailed Information

Date of Notification Outcome

Subcontractor Reporting. Bidder hereby acknowledges and agrees that if it is a successful bidder, prior to execution of any contract resulting from this RFP, Bidder will provide to the State a list of all proposed subcontractors and subcontractors’ subcontractors, together with the identity of those subcontractors’ workers compensation insurance providers, and additional required or requested information, as applicable, in accordance with Section 32 of The Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54), and Bidder will provide any update of such list to the State as additional subcontractors are hired. Bidder further acknowledges and agrees that the failure to submit subcontractor reporting in accordance with Section 32 of The Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54) will constitute non-compliance and may result in cancellation of contract and/or restriction from bidding on future state contracts.

D. Executive Order 05 – 16: Climate Change Considerations in State Procurements Certification

Bidder certifies to the following (Bidder may attach any desired explanation or substantiation. Please also note that Bidder may be asked to provide documentation for any applicable claims):

1. Bidder owns, leases or utilizes, for business purposes, space that has received:

Energy Star® Certification LEED®, Green Globes®, or Living Buildings Challenge℠ Certification Other internationally recognized building certification:

2. Bidder has received incentives or rebates from an Energy Efficiency Utility or Energy Efficiency

Program in the last five years for energy efficient improvements made at bidder’s place of business.

Please explain:

3. Please Check all that apply:

Bidder can claim on-site renewable power or anaerobic-digester power (“cow-power”). Or bidder consumes renewable electricity through voluntary purchase or offset, provided no such claimed power can be double-claimed by another party.

Bidder uses renewable biomass or bio-fuel for the purposes of thermal (heat) energy at its place of business.

Bidder’s heating system has modern, high-efficiency units (boilers, furnaces, stoves, etc.), having reduced emissions of particulate matter and other air pollutants.

Bidder tracks its energy consumption and harmful greenhouse gas emissions. What tool is used to do this? _____________________

Bidder promotes the use of plug-in electric vehicles by providing electric vehicle charging, electric fleet vehicles, preferred parking, designated parking, purchase or lease incentives, etc..

Bidder offers employees an option for a fossil fuel divestment retirement account.

Bidder offers products or services that reduce waste, conserve water, or promote energy efficiency and conservation. Please explain:

4. Please list any additional practices that promote clean energy and take action to address climate change:

E. Executive Order 02 – 22: Solidarity with the Ukrainian People

By checking this box, Bidder certifies that none of the goods, products, or materials offered in response to this solicitation are Russian-sourced goods or produced by Russian entities. If Bidder is unable to check the box, it shall indicate in the table below which of the applicable offerings are Russian-sourced goods and/or which are produced by Russian entities. An additional column is provided for any note or comment that you may have.

Provided Equipment or

Product

Note or Comment

F. Certification Regarding Use of Contract Funds for Lobbying - Applicable to contracts over $100,000.00 when federal monies are involved - this clause must be included in all subcontracts over $100,000.00.

1. The prospective contractor certifies, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, under the penalties of perjury under the laws of the State of Vermont and the United States that on behalf of the person, firm, association, or corporation he or she represents, that:

a. No Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid, by or on behalf of the undersigned, to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any Federal agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the awarding of any Federal contract, the making of any Federal grant, the making of any Federal loan, the entering into of any cooperative agreement, and the…