BPM006842_FSC Solicitation Requirements_Part 2.docx

Part 2 of the Solicitation

Request for Proposal Solicitation No. BPM006842 Description: Fostering Sustainable Connections

State of Arizona Department of Child Safety Office of Procurement & Contracts 3003 N. Central Avenue, 20th Floor Phoenix, AZ 85012

Request for Proposal Solicitation No. BPM006842 Description: Fostering Sustainable Connections

State of Arizona Department of Child Safety Office of Procurement & Contracts 3003 N. Central Avenue, 20th Floor Phoenix, AZ 85012

Solicitation Instructions Part 2 Table of Contents

Available online at: APP.AZ.gov

Available online at: APP.AZ.gov

Table of Contents:

Section 2-A: Solicitation Summary

OFFERORS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO CAREFULLY READ THE ENTIRE SOLICITATION

1.0 Notice of Request for Proposal

In accordance with Arizona Revised Statutes § 41-2534, competitive sealed proposals (offers) for the materials or services specified, will be received by the Arizona Department of Child Safety (ADCS) through the State's e-Procurement system, Arizona Procurement Portal (APP) (https://app.az.gov) at the date and time posted online in APP. Proposals received by the correct time and date will be opened and the name of each Offeror will be publicly available. Proposals must be in the actual online possession of the State on or prior to the time and date indicated.

Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation, such as sign language interpreter, by contacting the appropriate Procurement Agency. Request should be made as early as possible to allow time to arrange the accommodation. A person requiring special accommodations may contact the solicitation contact person for this procurement as identified above

Section 1B: Pricing

Section 1C: Special Terms and Conditions

Section 1D: Uniform Terms and Conditions

Section 2B: Uniform Instructions to Offerors

Section 2C: Special Instructions to Offerors

Section 2D: Offer Forms (Attachments)

3.0 How and When Offers Are Due

Offers will only be accepted online in the “APP” system at https://app.az.gov until the “Bid Opening Date” indicated in APP for the Solicitation Number shown at the top of this page. Offers must be in ADCS’s possession online no later than that deadline. LATE PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. No extension or grace period will be given for delays or incomplete proposals caused by internet connectivity problems, file uploading difficulties, or misunderstanding of the requirements or procedures for online submission in APP.

Any question related to this Request for Proposal shall be submitted utilizing the “Discussion Forum” tab within APP. The Offeror shall not contact or ask questions of the department for which the requirement is being procured.

End of Section 2A

Solicitation Instructions

SECTION 2-A: Solicitation Summary

Available online at: APP.AZ.gov

Section 2-B: Uniform Instructions to Offerors

A. Definition of Terms

As used in these Instructions to Offerors, the terms listed below are defined as follows:

B. Inquiries

C. Offer Preparation

3.1 Invitation for Bids. An Offer that takes exception to a material requirement of any part of the Solicitation, including terms and conditions, shall be rejected.

3.2 Request for Proposals. All exceptions that are contained in the Offer may negatively impact an Offeror’s susceptibility for award. An Offer that takes exception to any material requirement of the solicitation may be rejected.

7.1 Employee Identification. Offeror agrees to provide an employee identification number or social security number to the State for the purposes of reporting to appropriate taxing authorities, monies paid by the State under this Contract. If the federal identifier of the Offeror is a social security number, this number is being requested solely for tax reporting purposes and will be shared only with appropriate state and federal officials. This submission is mandatory under 26 U.S.C. § 6041A

D. Submission of Offer

7.1 The Offeror did not engage in collusion or other anti-competitive practices in connection with the preparation or submission of its Offer; and

7.2 The Offeror does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment or person to whom it provides services because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or disability, and that it complies with an applicable federal, state and local laws and executive orders regarding employment

E. Evaluation

7.1 Waive any minor informality;

7.2 Reject any and all Offers or portions thereof; or

7.3 Cancel the Solicitation.

F. Award

G. Protests

H. Comments Welcome

The State Procurement Office periodically reviews the Uniform Instructions to Offerors and welcomes any comments you may have. Please submit your comments to: State Procurement Administrator, State Procurement Office, 100 North 15th Avenue, Suite 201, Phoenix, Arizona, 85007.

End of Section 2-A

Solicitation Instructions

SECTION 2-B: Uniform Instructions to Offerors

Available online at: APP.AZ.gov

Section 2-C: Special Instructions to Offerors

1. Definition of Terms

As used in these Instructions to Offerors, the terms listed below are defined as follows:

Arizona Procurement Code;

A.R.S.;

A.A.C.

“Arizona Procurement Code” means, collectively, Title 41 Chapter 23, et. sequitur, in the Arizona Revised Statutes (abbreviated “A.R.S.”) and administrative rules R2‑7‑101 et. sequitur in the Arizona Administrative Code (abbreviated “A.A.C.”).

NOTE: There are frequent references to the Arizona Procurement Code throughout the Solicitation Documents, therefore, you will need to be familiar with its provisions to be able to understand the Solicitation Documents fully.

The Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office provides a reference compilation of the Arizona Procurement Code on its website:

https://spo.az.gov/administration-policy/state-procurement-resource/procurement-regulations The Arizona State Legislature provides the official A.R.S. online at:

http://www.azleg.gov/ArizonaRevisedStatutes.asp The Office of the Arizona Secretary of State provides the official A.A.C. online at:

http://www.azsos.gov/rules/arizona-administrative-code

Initial Offer; Revised Offer;

Best and Final Offer (BAFO)

“Initial Offer” means, per A.A.C. R2-7-101(33), Offeror’s proposal submitted to State in response to the Solicitation, as initially submitted.

“Revised Offer” means any revised versions of the Initial Offer that Offeror has submitted to State at State’s request as permitted under A.A.C. R2-7-C314 and R2‑7-C315.

“Best and Final Offer” (“BAFO”) means, per A.A.C. R2-7-101(8), the Revised Offer submitted after negotiations have been completed that contain Offeror’s most favorable terms for price, service, and products to be delivered.

Reference to “an Offer, “the Offer,” or “your Offer” means any of the Initial Offer, a Revised Offer, or the Best and Final Offer.

1.9.1 an invitation for bids (“IFB”) under A.R.S. § 41‑2533;

1.9.2 a request for proposals (“RFP”) under A.R.S. § 41‑2534;

1.9.3 a request for quotations (“RFQ”) under A.R.S. § 41‑2535; or

1.9.4 a request for qualifications under A.R.S. §41-2558.

Refer to the Solicitation Summary for which of the foregoing is this Solicitation.

Solicitation Inquiries

2.2.1 Submit technical inquiries about submitting proposals in the eProcurement system to the eProcurement Help Desk:

by phone at (602) 542-7600, option 1; or by email to app@azdoa.gov.

2.2.2 Submit all other inquiries about the Solicitation using the online form under the “Discussion Forum” tab for the Solicitation in the eProcurement system. Always refer to the appropriate Solicitation document by page and paragraph number. Except for technical inquiries about submitting proposals, The Procurement Officer will respond to the Discussion Forum by Close of Business (COB) each Monday throughout the solicitation. State is not responsible for responding to any inquiries submitted less than 3 (three) business days before the offer due date and time.

ADCS reserves the right to:

The purpose of the conference will be to clarify the contents of the solicitation in order to prevent any misunderstanding of the State of Arizona's position. Any doubt as to the requirements of the solicitation or any apparent omission or discrepancy should be presented to the State at the conference. The State of Arizona will then determine the appropriate action necessary, if any, and issue a written amendment to the solicitation if required.

Oral statements or instructions will not constitute an amendment to the solicitation.

Only official solicitation amendments issued by ADCS through the eProcurement system shall constitute a change to the solicitation.

Offer Preparation

Offerors should copy solicitation attachments to their computer. Information entered on the attachments by the Offerors must be saved with the completed attachment uploaded to the eProcurement system as an appropriately named attachment as part of the submitted Offer.

Offers shall include the following and shall include at least the following information in the order listed below completed as requested in any instruction contained within this solicitation. Complete and submit all information requested. Information will be utilized in the evaluation process. Failure to complete and submit all required information may have a negative impact on the evaluation of the offer and/or deem the Offeror nonresponsive.

Attachment 3-D – Boycott of Israel Disclosure Attachment 3-E - Forced Labor of Ethnic Uyghurs Ban

When submitting an Offer, all documents shall be submitted in the eProcurement system on the forms provided and in the acceptable format specified in the solicitation. Acceptable document formats include .DOC and .DOCX (Microsoft Word), .XLS and .XLSX (Microsoft Excel), .PPT and .PPTX (Microsoft PowerPoint) and .PDF (Adobe Acrobat).

Where page limits are identified for a given response, Offerors should not exceed the limit. That portion of a response which exceeds the limit will not be evaluated and will have a negative impact on the evaluation.

Offeror shall update all fields of the eProcurement Vendor Registration ensuring that the eProcurement registration matches the legal name on the Arizona Substitute W9 and that name matches the name the vendor is registered with at the Internal Revenue Service.

NOTE: Deviations are technical exceptions of a significant but not material nature, typically having to do with part/model numbers, details of attachments, mountings, clearances, internal configurations, etc., and are not to be confused with the material exceptions covered in paragraph 3.5.

3.5.2 Offerors shall state their understanding and acceptance of all Uniform and Special Terms and Conditions and all requirements stated within this solicitation by indicating so within the Terms & Conditions Tab of the solicitation within the eProcurement system. Offerors shall indicate any exceptions by stating the exact section and paragraph number in question and shall provide alternate replacement language for consideration by the State.

(a) Exceptions to the Terms and Conditions, as stated in the Uniform Instructions to Offerors, will impact an Offeror’s susceptibility for award.

Unless Procurement Officer has determined that your evidence documentation, or some or all your insurance program, is confidential information under paragraph 4.8, refusing after contract award to provide the complete, un-redacted copies of policies as called for in that exhibit will be a material breach of the Contract.

Tax Identification You must provide to State your federal employer identification number or social security number for the purposes of reporting monies paid under the Contract to appropriate taxing authorities. The submission is mandatory under 26 U.S.C. § 6041A. If the identifier provided is a social security number, State shall only use it for tax reporting purposes and only share it with appropriate government officials.

Submission of Offer

NOTE (1): You must upload each such “additional” document as an individual file and name the file to match the document title.

NOTE (2): Attachment Forms cannot be filled-in directly in the eProcurement system; they must be downloaded, edited, and then uploaded (referred to as “attachments” in the eProcurement system) as part of each Offer.

NOTE (3): Do not include non-specific marketing materials in an Offer. If something is not specifically called for, then including it will not be helpful during Evaluation, and might in fact be grounds for down-grading if it does not address your experience and capacity to carry out the work for this Solicitation.

Offer shall update all fields of the eProcurement Vendor Registration ensuring that the eProcurement registration matches the legal name on the Arizona Substitute W9 and that name matches the name the vendor is registered with at the Internal Revenue Service.

NOTE: Using the eProcurement system requires a certain level of technical competency; select your staff to submit proposals and handle other Solicitation general matters in the eProcurement system carefully, since the eProcurement system Help Desk cannot do any of the required actions for the Offer.

Simply indicating that the proposal contains confidential information is not sufficient to claim the protections under A.A.C. R2-7-C317 – Attachment 5‑A must be accompanied by a detailed explanation as to why each item or category of items in the proposal should be designated confidential information.

Procurement Officer shall review your claim of confidentiality and provide a written determination; until a written determination has been made, Procurement Officer shall not disclose the claimed information to anyone who does not have a legitimate State interest. If Procurement Officer denies the claim of confidentiality, you may appeal the determination to the ADCS Chief Procurement Officer within the time specified in the determination.

NOTE: Contract terms and conditions, pricing, and information generally available to the public are not and will not be designated confidential information.

4.9.1 you did not engage in collusion or other anti-competitive practices in connection with the preparation or submission of your Offer; and

4.9.2 you do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment or person to whom you provide services because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or disability, and that you comply with an applicable federal, state, and local laws and executive orders regarding employment.

Responsibility; Responsiveness and Susceptibility

5.1.1 Whether the Offeror has had a contract within the last five (5) years that was terminated for cause due to breach or similar failure to comply with the terms of the contract;

5.1.2 Whether the Offeror’s record of performance includes factual evidence of failure to satisfy the terms of the Offeror’s agreements with any party to a contract. Factual evidence may consist of documented vendor performance reports, customer complaints and/or negative references;

5.1.3 Whether the Offeror is legally qualified to contract with the State and the Offeror’s financial, business, personnel, or other resources, including subcontractors; Legally qualified includes if the vendor or if key personnel have been debarred, suspended or otherwise lawfully prohibited from participating in any public procurement activity, including but not limited to, being disapproved as a subcontractor of any public procurement unit or other governmental body;

5.1.4 Whether the Offeror promptly supplied all requested information concerning its responsibility;

5.1.5 Whether the Offer was sufficient to permit evaluation by the State, in accordance with the evaluation criteria identified in this Solicitation or other necessary offer components. Necessary offer components include: attachments, documents or forms to be submitted with the offer, an indication of the intent to be bound, reasonable or acceptable approach to perform the Scope of Work, signed Solicitation Amendments, references to include experience verification, adequacy of financial/business/personal or other resources to include a performance bond and stability including subcontractors and any other data specifically requested in the Solicitation;

5.1.6 Whether the Offer was in conformance with the requirements contained in the Scope of Work, Terms and Conditions, and Instructions for the Solicitation and its Amendments, including the documents incorporated by reference;

5.1.7 Whether the Offer limits the rights of the State;

5.1.8 Whether the Offer includes or is subject to unreasonable conditions, to include conditions upon the State or necessary for successful Contract performance. The State shall be the sole determiner as to the reasonableness of a condition;

5.1.9 Whether the Offer materially changes the contents set forth in the Solicitation, which includes the Scope of Work, Terms and Conditions, or Instructions; and,

5.1.10 Whether the Offeror provides misleading or inaccurate information.

Proposal Content. The Offeror shall make a firm commitment to provide services as required and proposed.

Failure to include the requested information may have a negative impact on the evaluation of the Offeror’s proposal.

If Procurement Officer determines subsequently that your Revised Offer is Not Susceptible for Award by virtue of comparison to other revised offers per A.A.C. R2‑7‑C314(A)(3), then he or she will not include you in any further Negotiation. For clarity of intent, the foregoing means that Procurement Officer may reduce the number of offers that are “susceptible for award” with each successive round of Negotiation, since the purpose of Negotiation is to achieve best value for State.

Evaluation of Offers

If the Best and Final Offer is not received, or if it is withdrawn prior to the Best and Final Offer deadline, the immediately previous offer will be construed as the Best and Final Offer.

Discussions may be conducted with Offerors who submit offers determined to be reasonably susceptible of being selected for award. Award may be made without discussions, therefore, the Offeror's initial proposal should contain the Offeror's best terms from a price or cost and technical standpoint.

6.5.1 submission of appropriate cost or pricing data under A.A.C. R2‑7‑704;

6.5.2 determination that the submitted cost or pricing data demonstrates that pricing is fair and reasonable under A.A.C. R2-7-702(A); and

6.5.3 determination that the data is not defective under A.A.C. R2-7-705.

6.6.2 Experience/History and Capacity of Offeror: as demonstrated in the Offeror’s response and any other aspect of the Offer that the Procurement Officer determines is appropriate to include any adverse administrative actions and,

6.6.3 Methodology: as set out in the Offeror’s response, and any other aspect of the Offer that Procurement Officer determines is appropriate

Procurement Officer will request a best and final offer from any offerors with…