SOLICITATION INSTRUCTIONS

TABLE OF CONTENTS ARIZONA DEPARTMENT

OF HEALTH SERVICES

150 North 18th Ave, Suite 530 Phoenix, AZ 85007

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. BPM007117

ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES FOR THE ARIZONA

STATE HOSPITAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Special Instructions to Offerors

II. Uniform Instructions to Offerors javascript:window.parent.navigate(%22/media_461531632/Arizona_State_Seal.html%22);

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS ARIZONA DEPARTMENT

OF HEALTH SERVICES

150 North 18th Ave, Suite 530 Phoenix, AZ 85007

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. BPM007117

1. ON-SITE INSPECTION

1.1. An on-site inspection shall be held at the Arizona State Hospital on the date and time designated below.

The purpose of this inspection is for the visual evaluation and familiarization with the Hospital prior to submitting a proposal.

1.2. All potential Offerors are encouraged to attend. No further on-site inspection shall be held at any other time unless instructed by the Hospital through a formal solicitation amendment.

1.3. Offerors desiring to attend should contact Nathaniel Thomas, Senior Procurement Specialist, at

Nathaniel.Thomas@azdhs.gov.

1.4. Please be prepared to provide the following information:

1.4.1. Name of person(s) attending.

1.4.2. Conference attendees must provide valid identification and any person driving on grounds of the Hospital must present a valid Driver’s License to security upon arrival.

1.5. On-site inspection attendees must comply with Hospital policies.

1.6. On-site inspection attendees failing to obtain security clearance and/or to comply with the Hospital policy will not be admitted into the Hospital grounds for the on-site inspection.

1.7. On-site inspection is as follows:

1.7.1. Attendees will meet in the Arizona State Hospital Civil Lobby, 501 N. 24th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85008 on Thursday, November 20, 2025 at 8:30 AM Local Arizona Time.

2. PRE-OFFER CONFERENCE

Prospective Offerors are invited to attend a Preproposal Conference. The date, time and location of this conference are indicated on the solicitation - Notice Page. The purpose of this conference will be to clarify the contents of this request for proposals in order to prevent any misunderstanding of the ADHS's position. Any doubt as to the requirements of this Request for Proposals (RFP) or any apparent omission or discrepancy should be presented to the ADHS at this conference. The ADHS will then determine the appropriate action necessary, if any, and may issue a written amendment to the request for proposals. Oral statements or instructions shall not constitute an amendment to this request for proposals. Although not required, it is recommended that offerors attend the Pre-Offer Conference.

3. SUPPLIER REGISTRATION

Suppliers are required to be registered in the Arizona Procurement Portal (APP) in order to submit a Proposal to the solicitation. The website is listed below. Offerors requiring assistance in the registration process or in navigating the APP system may find information on the State Procurement website (https://spo.az.gov/app/supplier/training) or can contact the Help Desk at app@azdoa.gov or (602) 542-7600.

mailto:Nathaniel.Thomas@azdhs.gov https://spo.az.gov/app/supplier/training mailto:app@azdoa.gov

OF HEALTH SERVICES

150 North 18th Ave, Suite 530 Phoenix, AZ 85007

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. BPM007117

4. INQUIRIES / WRITTEN QUESTIONS

4.1. All questions, inquires or clarifications regarding this solicitation shall be submitted through APP using the Discussion Forum Tab within the Solicitation, no later than five (5) business days prior to the RFP due date. Any correspondence related to a solicitation should refer to the appropriate document, page and paragraph number.

4.2. The Procurement Officer will not answer any questions posted after the deadline specified in the Section

4.1.

5. SUBMISSION REQUIRED IN APP

5.1. Offer shall be submitted in an acceptable format, as described herein, using the State’s online eProcurement application APP (https://app.az.gov). Submission of offers by means other than the APP system will not be accepted. Click save button upon uploading each attachment. To ensure successful submission of the Offer, click the Validate and Send my Answer button from any page. APP will send you an email confirming the receipt of your answer. Prospective Offerors with questions shall post the questions in the discussion forum prior to the Solicitation’s due date. Questions posted in the discussion forum will be made available to the public.

5.2. Acceptable Formats. Electronic copy of the proposal shall be submitted in a format acceptable to the State.

Acceptable formats include .DOC and .DOCX (Microsoft Word), .XLS and .XLSX (Microsoft Excel), .PPT and .PPTX (Microsoft PowerPoint) and .PDF (Adobe Acrobat).

5.3. Acknowledgement of Solicitation Amendments. Offerors shall acknowledge Solicitation Amendments electronically in APP (https://app.az.gov) and copy forward or revise previous responses no later than the Proposal due date and time. Failure to acknowledge all/any Solicitation Amendment may result in rejection of the Proposal.

6. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

6.1. If page limit is provided, the responses shall be typed using 10-point Arial font, single spaced, normal margins. Each proposal shall include an attachment for each response section. The material should be in sequence and organized as outlined below and related to the RFP. Failure to include the requested information may have a negative impact on the evaluation of the Offeror’s proposal. Offerors shall copy APP Attachments to their own computer, save the information entered, and submit the completed information as a new, appropriately re-named Attachment in APP. APP will not save information entered directly on the Attachments. On each document, insert a Footer that specifies: Name of the Offeror, Name of the Attachment, the Solicitation Number, and Page Number.

6.2. The ADHS will not provide any reimbursement for the cost of developing a response to this RFP. APP will require certain information to be entered before you will be allowed to submit your response. In addition, the Offer shall include at least the following information:

6.2.1. Under the “Financial Questionnaire” Tab, provide the following information:

6.2.1.1. Executive Summary

A brief overview of the project as described in the Scope of Services. The Executive Summary shall be no more than two (2) pages. Evaluators will only read the required number of pages. Additional pages will not be included in the evaluation process and javascript:window.parent.navigate(%22/media_461531632/Arizona_State_Seal.html%22);

https://app.az.gov/page.aspx/en/usr/login?ReturnUrl=%2fpage.aspx%2fen%2fbuy%2fhomepage https://app.az.gov/page.aspx/en/usr/login?ReturnUrl=%2fpage.aspx%2fen%2fbuy%2fhomepage

OF HEALTH SERVICES

150 North 18th Ave, Suite 530 Phoenix, AZ 85007

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. BPM007117

could impact the award of a contract.

6.2.1.2. Method of Approach (Methodology)

6.2.1.2.1. The Offeror shall prepare and submit a written narrative response describing the method of approach that will be used to provide the services as listed within the scope of service addressing each outlined requirement and task. Narrative response should be numbered in accordance with each requirement and task. When appropriate, provide the Method of Approach that describes how each individual task, subtask, and requirement will be completed. The Offeror shall also provide the product specifications for any deviations of the products required in the Solicitation’s Scope of Work.

6.2.1.2.1.1. Scope of Services, Section Four (4), subsections 4.1 – 4.1.22, as described in the Scope of Work.

6.2.1.2.1.2. Requirements, Section Five (5), subsections 5.1 – 5.15.4, as described in the Scope of Work, to include all required plans.

6.2.1.2.1.3. Tasks, Section Six (6), subsections 6.1 – 6.30.10, as described in the Scope of Work.

6.2.1.3. Experience, Expertise, and Capacity

6.2.1.3.1. Experience. Provide a description of Offeror’s experience to include company history/profile, mission statement, years in services, location(s), types of services provided, and include company website.

6.2.1.3.2. Expertise. Provide a description of similar services provided in a Hospital environment and/or Correctional environment in the last five (5) years.

Include organization names, point of contacts, project summary and outcome. Include how the Offeror built upon this experience to improve the process and outcomes.

6.2.1.3.2.1. The ADHS may not be used as the only example of prior projects.

6.2.1.3.2.2. Previous performance with the State of Arizona may be used to determine susceptibility.

6.2.1.3.3. Capacity. Provide the number of full and part-time employees that will support this Contract and include their roles and responsibilities consistent with the Staffing Plan. For vacant positions that would be filled to support this project, please provide the job descriptions.

OF HEALTH SERVICES

150 North 18th Ave, Suite 530 Phoenix, AZ 85007

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. BPM007117

6.2.1.3.4. Performance deficiencies. Provide a narrative response describing any performance deficiencies, notices to cure, failure to perform, termination for cause or default within the past three (3) years or for each year less than three (3) if the Offeror has not provided services from that duration.

The information for this section is to be provided for the Offeror as currently constituted; any predecessor companies (including any companies the Offeror has acquired); any parent, subsidiary or other affiliated companies.

The ADHS may contact any entity listed for the purpose of obtaining references relative to past performances and, if necessary, the Offeror shall sign a release to obtain information.

6.2.1.3.5. Financial/Accounting Information. Provide evidence of financial stability and capability to fund all costs associated with providing the relevant Materials or Services throughout the term of the Contract. The last two (2) years audited annual financial statements including total revenue, net income, and total assets must be submitted with the Offeror’s proposal. If audited financial data is unavailable, explain in full, the reason and provide the latest non-audited financial information including but not limited to balance sheet, income statement, as well as statements of cash flows, and change in financial position. Include information to attest to the accuracy of the information provided.

6.2.1.3.5.1. Offeror shall provide information regarding any irregularities that were discovered in any accounts maintained by the Offeror on behalf of others. Describe the circumstances and disposition of the irregularities.

6.2.1.3.6. Licenses and Permits. Provide all licenses required to fully perform duties under the Contract and all required permits valid and in force.

6.2.1.4. Offeror shall print Attachment A, Offer and Acceptance, complete, sign and upload into the “Financial Questionnaire Tab” in APP.

6.2.1.5. Offeror shall print Attachment B, Notices, Correspondence and Payments, complete and upload into the “Financial Questionnaire Tab” in APP.

6.2.1.6. Offeror shall print Attachment C, Designation of Confidential, Trade Secret &

Proprietary Information, complete, sign and date and upload into the “Financial Questionnaire Tab” in APP.

6.2.1.7. Offeror shall print Attachment D, Proposed Subcontractors, complete, and upload into the “Financial Questionnaire Tab” in APP.

6.2.1.8. Offeror shall download Attachment E, HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA), complete, sign and date and upload into the “Financial Questionnaire Tab” in APP.

6.2.1.9. Offeror shall download Attachment F, Conformance Statements and Exceptions

Requests, complete, sign and date and upload into the “Financial Questionnaire Tab” in APP.

OF HEALTH SERVICES

150 North 18th Ave, Suite 530 Phoenix, AZ 85007

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. BPM007117

6.2.1.10. Offeror shall download Attachment G, Fee Schedule, complete and upload into the “Financial Questionnaire Tab” in APP.

6.2.1.11. Offeror shall download Attachment H, Budget Narrative, complete and upload into the

“Financial Questionnaire Tab” in APP.

6.2.1.12. Offeror shall acknowledge any and all Solicitation Amendments electronically prior to the Offer due date and time. Failure to acknowledge all Solicitation Amendments may result in rejection of the Offer. Solicitation Amendments are created as a new Round.

If a Proposal has been submitted under a Round and a new Round and Amendment is issued, Offeror’s Proposal must be resubmitted when acknowledging the Amendment or the Proposal will not be recognized by APP at the close of the Solicitation. It will register as a “No Bid”.

6.2.2. Under the “Items Tab” in APP, Offeror shall provide all-inclusive pricing for each line item; pricing shall include freight, delivery charges and travel costs, if applicable. No additional costs, other than those listed on the price sheet, will be accepted by ADHS.

6.2.2.1. Items pricing shall include the billable rate for the following:

6.2.2.1.1. Line Item 1 – Hospital Daily Rate – The daily rate shall include, but is not limited to all costs for labor, administration, materials, overhead, reports, training, supplies, profit, and indirect costs. The Offeror shall outline any other costs that are applicable, excluding Linen Management.

6.2.2.1.2. Line Item 2 – Arizona Community Protection and Treatment Center

(ACPTC) Daily Rate – The daily rate shall include, but is not limited to all costs for labor, administration, materials, overhead, reports, training, supplies, profit, and indirect costs. The Offeror shall outline any other costs that are applicable, excluding Linen Management.

6.2.2.1.3. Line Item 3 – Linen Management - The cost to provide, launder, remove, and maintain all required linens in accordance with Section 6.26., Linen Management, of the Scope of Work. The cost shall be calculated by the linen’s weight in pounds (lbs.).

6.2.2.1.4. Line Item 4 – Emergency or Increased Cleaning Needs – The hourly cost to provide emergency or increased cleaning needs in accordance with Section 6.16.6. of the Scope of Work.

6.2.2.2. The Offeror shall include a breakdown of all costs included in the daily rates in

Attachment G, Fee Schedule, along with a pricing justification for each cost in Attachment H, Budget Narrative, excluding Linen Management.

6.2.2.3. For items offered with discount, APP will not recognize only the discount percentage.

To complete the discount (%) information in the items, $0.01 shall be entered in the Unit Cost field and then appropriate minimum discount percentage (%) (0% to 90%) shall be entered.

OF HEALTH SERVICES

150 North 18th Ave, Suite 530 Phoenix, AZ 85007

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. BPM007117

6.2.2.4. No Charge Items. If applicable, check the “no charge” option per line item and provide a comment to the no charge. Using the “no charge” option ensures that the Offeror is providing a response to a specific item yet is not charging for that line item.

6.2.2.5. Contractor’s Invoiced Pricing Shall Align with the Individual Item Pricing as listed in

APP.

7. PROPOSAL ORGANIZATION AND REQUIREMENTS

The Proposal shall be organized in the following order:

7.1. Acknowledgement in APP of any Solicitation Amendments issued, if applicable.

7.2. Executive Summary.

7.3. Method of Approach.

7.4. Experience, Expertise and Capacity.

7.5. Completed Items Tab in APP.

7.6. Attachments (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H).

8. PROPOSAL OPENING

Offers received by the due date and time will be opened in APP. The name of each Offeror will be publicly available.

Offers will not be subject to public inspection until after Contract award.

8.1. Conditions, and Instructions for the Solicitation including its Amendments and all documents incorporated by reference;

8.2. Whether the Offer limits the rights of the State;

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

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

8.5. Whether the Offeror provides misleading or inaccurate information.

9. EVALUATION CRITERIA

In accordance with the A.R.S. § 41-2534, Competitive Sealed Proposals, awards shall be made to the responsible Offeror(s) whose proposal(s) is (are) determined in writing to be the most advantageous to the ADHS based upon the evaluation criteria listed below. The evaluation factors are listed in their relative order of importance.

9.1. Method of Approach.

9.2. Experience, Expertise, and Capacity.

OF HEALTH SERVICES

150 North 18th Ave, Suite 530 Phoenix, AZ 85007

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. BPM007117

9.3. Cost.

10. DISCUSSION (NEGOTIATIONS)

In accordance with A.R.S. §41-2534, after the initial receipt of proposals, the ADHS reserves the option to conduct discussions with those Offerors who submit proposals determined by the ADHS to be reasonably susceptible of being selected for award regarding the Contract and the relative methods of approach for furnishing the required services.

11. FINAL PROPOSAL REVISION/BEST AND FINAL OFFER

11.1. In the event negotiations are conducted with Offerors, the ADHS will issue a request for Final Proposal

Revision and Best and Final Offer (BAFO) in APP. The request for Final Proposal Revision/BAFO will inform Offerors, that if they do not submit a Final Proposal Revision, their immediate previous written proposed proposal revision will be considered as their final proposal revision

11.1.1. During Final Proposal Revisions and BAFO, a new round is created in APP for the submission. The new round must contain all of the Attachments indicated in the applicable Procurement Officer request for a Submitted Offer. Make revisions in response to the negotiations/discussions and Procurement Officer’s Request for BAFO in all applicable documents and Attachment Pricing and/or the pricing grid in the State’s eProcurement system. Offeror shall follow any additional instruction from procurement Officer regarding requirements for BAFO responses.

11.1.2. The new round must be acknowledged and an updated Solicitation Attachment “Offer and Acceptance Form” with the required signature and date must be uploaded.

11.1.3. The Offeror is required to complete the APP items tab or in put $1.00 for the line item in the items tab (f) in APP for the original offer and the BAFO submission.

12. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

In addition to the State of Arizona’s Uniform Instructions, Provision 4, Submissions of Offer, subsection 4.5, Confidential Information, the Offeror shall submit an itemized and separate attachment on company letterhead explaining the reasons why the information should be held confidential. This attachment shall be uploaded under the Attachment Tab in APP. Simply checking the confidential box in APP does not hold the information confidential.

No other entity may view the submitted proposal, bid or offer except the Procurement Officer. All proposals, bids or offers remain confidential until an award is made.

13. CONTRACT AWARD

An agency chief procurement officer shall award the contract to the responsible Offeror whose offer is determined to be most advantageous to the State based on the evaluation factors set forth in the solicitation.

14. PUBLIC RECORD

All Proposals submitted in response to this Request for Proposal shall become the property of the State and shall become a matter of Public Record available for review, subsequent to the award notification, as provided for by the Arizona Procurement Code.

OF HEALTH SERVICES

150 North 18th Ave, Suite 530 Phoenix, AZ 85007

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. BPM007117

15. INCLUSIVE OFFERORS

Offerors are encouraged to make every effort to utilize subcontractors that are small, women- and/or minority-owned business enterprises. Offerors who are committing a portion of their work to such subcontractors shall provide the name of the subcontractor, which of the following categories apply: small, women- and/or minority-owned business, the specific services or work to be performed, the percentage of work or services to be provided by the subcontractor, and how this effort will be administered and managed, including reporting requirements.

STANDARD INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS ARIZONA DEPARTMENT

OF HEALTH SERVICES

150 North 18th Ave, Suite 530 Phoenix, AZ 85007

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. BPM007117

Solicitation Instructions/ Standard Instructions to Offerors Revision No. 5_Revised 09-24

1. DEFINITION OF TERMS

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

1.1 “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 (APC) 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://spointra.az.gov/resources/procurement-regulations

The Arizona State Legislature provides the official A.R.S. online at:

https://www.azleg.gov/arstitle/

The Office of the Arizona Secretary of State provides the official A.A.C. online at:

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

1.2 “Attachment” means any item the Solicitation requires an Offeror to submit as part of the Offer.

1.3 “Best and Final Offer” means a revision to an Offer submitted after negotiations are completed that contains the Offeror’s most favorable terms for price, service, and products to be delivered. Sometimes referred to as a Final Proposal Revision.

1.4 “Clarifications” means, per A.A.C. R2-7-C313, communications between Procurement Officer and Offeror for the purpose of providing a greater mutual understanding of the Offer. Clarifications may include demonstrations, questions and answers, or elaborations on previously-submitted information. All clarifications shall be confirmed in a written offer.

1.5 ““Contract” means the combination of the Solicitation, including the Uniform and Special Instructions to Offerors, the Uniform and Special Terms and Conditions, and the Specifications and Statement or Scope of Work; the Offer and any Best and Final Offers; and any Solicitation Amendments or Contract Amendments.

1.6 “Contract Amendment” means a written document signed by the Procurement Officer issued for the purpose of making changes in the Contract.

1.7 “Contractor” means any person who has a Contract with a state governmental unit.

1.8 “Day” means calendar days unless otherwise specified.

1.9 ““eProcurement (Electronic Procurement)” means, per A.A.C. R2-7-101, the State’s official electronic procurement system as authorized by the state procurement administrator under R2-7-201.

1.10 “Evaluation” means, per A.A.C. R2-7-316, the process whereby Procurement Officer will determine which responsive offers and best and final offers based on the evaluation criteria contained in the request for proposals are the most advantageous to State.

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https://spointra.az.gov/resources/procurement-regulations https://www.azleg.gov/arstitle/ http://www.azsos.gov/rules/arizona-administrative-code

OF HEALTH SERVICES

150 North 18th Ave, Suite 530 Phoenix, AZ 85007

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. BPM007117

Revision No. 5_Revised 09-24

1.11 “Exhibit” means, any item labeled as an Exhibit in the Solicitation or placed in the Exhibits section of the Solicitation generally containing maps, schematics, examples of reports, or other documents that will be used to perform the requirements of the Scope of Work after contract award.

1.12 “Interviews” means, an agreed-upon time and place for a structured conversation between Procurement

Officer/Evaluation Committee and Offeror(s) where an established set of questions are asked to each Offeror and answered.

1.13 “Narrative Response” means, a written essay, process, or story detailing Offeror’s experience, expertise, opinion, or methodology relating to the question being asked. The quality of the written response in areas such as grammar, readability, ease of understanding, may be taken into consideration on how well Offeror is able to express themselves and describe their process.

1.14 “Negotiation” means, per A.A.C. R2-7-101(32), an exchange or series of exchanges between State and an offeror for the purposes set forth in A.A.C. R2-7-C314.

1.15 “Not Susceptible for Award” means, per A.A.C. R2-7-C311, that the relevant offer has been determined by Procurement Officer to fail one or more of the tests and comparisons set forth therein. NOTE: A determination of Not Susceptible for Award and a determination of Responsive are mutually exclusive.

1.16 “Offer” means a response to a solicitation.

1.16.1 “Initial Offer” means, Offeror’s proposal submitted to the State in response to the Solicitation, as initially submitted.

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

1.16.3 “BAFO, as defined above.

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

1.17 “Offeror” means a person who responds to a Solicitation.

1.18 “Oral/Product Presentations” means, a tailored presentation based on the requirements specified in the Scope of Work or based upon an established agenda provided by Procurement Officer ahead of time. The presentation shall include company overview, product overview, functionalities, and reporting as applicable to the Scope of Work. If the presentation is not product-related, ensure other questions are answered based on the agenda or as asked by the committee members.

1.19 “Person” means any corporation, business, individual, union, committee, club, or other organization or group of individuals.

1.20 “Procurement Officer” means the person, or his or her designee, duly authorized by the State to enter into and administer Contracts and make written determinations with respect to the Contract.

1.21 “Small Business” means a for-profit or not-for-profit organization, including its affiliates, with fewer than 100 full-time employees or gross annual receipts of less than $4 million for the last complete fiscal year.

OF HEALTH SERVICES

150 North 18th Ave, Suite 530 Phoenix, AZ 85007

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. BPM007117

Revision No. 5_Revised 09-24

1.22 “Solicitation” means an Invitation for Bids (“IFB”), a Request for Technical Offers, a Request for Proposals (“RFP”), a Request for Quotations (“RFQ”), or any other invitation or request issued by the purchasing agency to invite a person to submit an offer.

1.23 “Solicitation Amendment” means a change to the Solicitation issued by the Procurement Officer.

1.24 “Subcontract” means any Contract, express or implied, between the Contractor and another party or between a subcontractor and another party delegating or assigning, in whole or in part, the making or furnishing of any material or any service required for the performance of the Contract.

1.25 “State” means, any department, commission, council, board, bureau, committee, institution, agency, government corporation or other establishment or official of the executive branch or corporation commission of the State of Arizona that executes the Contract.

2. INQUIRIES

2.1 Duty to Examine. It is the responsibility of each Offeror to examine the entire Solicitation, seek clarification in writing (inquiries), and examine its Offer for accuracy before submitting an Offer. Lack of care in preparing an Offer shall not be grounds for modifying or withdrawing the Offer after the Offer due date and time.

2.2 Solicitation Contact Person. Direct all inquiries related to the Solicitation to Procurement Officer, including requests for or inquiries regarding standards referenced in the Solicitation. Apart from the State’s eProcurement System Help Desk, do not contact any State personnel other than Procurement Officer concerning the Solicitation while it is in progress, through and including award.

2.3 Submission of Inquiries. Submit all inquiries related to the Solicitation in the State’s eProcurement System.

Procurement Officer will not respond to inquiries received in any other manner.

2.3.1 Submit technical inquiries about navigating and/or submitting proposals in the State’s eProcurement System to the State’s eProcurement System Help Desk by phone at (601)542-7600, option 2; or by email to app@azdoa.gov.

2.3.2 Submit all other inquiries about the Solicitation using the “Discussions with Buy” tab in the State’s eProcurement System. Always refer to the appropriate Solicitation document by page and paragraph number.

2.3.3 Check the Special Instructions to Offerors for the cut-off time for inquiries to Procurement Officer regarding this Solicitation.

2.4 Timeliness. Any inquiry or exception to the Solicitation shall be submitted as soon as possible and should be submitted at least seven days before the Offer due date and time for review and determination by the State.

Failure to do so may result in the inquiry not being considered for a Solicitation Amendment.

2.5 No Right to Rely on Verbal or Electronic Mail Responses. An Offeror shall not rely on verbal or electronic mail responses to inquiries. A verbal or electronic mail reply to an inquiry does not constitute a modification of the solicitation.

2.6 Solicitation Amendments. The Solicitation shall only be modified by a Solicitation Amendment made through the State’s eProcurement System mailto:app@azdoa.gov

OF HEALTH SERVICES

150 North 18th Ave, Suite 530 Phoenix, AZ 85007

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. BPM007117

Revision No. 5_Revised 09-24

2.7 Pre-Offer Conference. If a pre-Offer conference has been scheduled under the Solicitation, the date, time and location shall appear in the State’s eProcurement system. Offerors should raise any questions about the Solicitation at that time. An Offeror may not rely on any verbal responses to questions at the conference. Material issues raised at the conference that result in changes to the Solicitation shall be answered solely through a Solicitation Amendment.

2.8 Persons With Disabilities. Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation, such as a sign language interpreter, by contacting the Procurement Officer. Requests shall be made as early as possible to allow time to arrange the accommodation.

2.9 Instructions Order of Precedence: Instructions Order of Precedence: In case of any inconsistency, conflict, or ambiguity among the Solicitation Instructions to Offerors, they are to prevail in the following order, descending from most dominate to most subordinate, provided that, among categories of documents or provisions having the same rank, the document or provision with the latest date prevails. Information being identified in one document, but not in another, is not to be considered a conflict or inconsistency:

2.9.1 Special Instructions to Offerors; and then

2.9.2 Standard Instructions to Offerors (RFP).

3. OFFER PREPARATION

3.1 Electronic Documents.

3.1.1 The Solicitation is provided in an electronic format; State will not provide any printed copies or distribute the Solicitation in any other format

3.1.2 Offerors are responsible for clearly identifying any and all changes or modifications to any

Solicitation documents upon submission to the State’s eProcurement system. Any unidentified alteration or modification to any Solicitation attachments, exhibits, forms, charts or illustrations contained herein shall be null and void. Offeror’s electronic files shall be submitted in a format acceptable to the State. Acceptable formats include .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word), .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel), .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint) and.pdf (Adobe Acrobat). Offerors wishing to submit files in any other format shall submit an inquiry to the Procurement Officer.

3.1.3 Supplier Reference Guides are available at: https://spo.az.gov/app/supplier/QRG.

3.1.4 Upload all Solicitation Attachments as required, within the APP Prepare RFx Technical and/or

Financial Questions Tab.

3.1.5 Prepare and submit your confidential information following the instructions in section 4.4 Confidential Information.

3.2 Deviations in Offer. When submitting an Offer, clearly indicate in writing any deviations from the Specifications or other Solicitation technical requirements documents. Any deviation not explicitly identified will be deemed void upon submission.

https://spo.az.gov/app/supplier/QRG

OF HEALTH SERVICES

150 North 18th Ave, Suite 530 Phoenix, AZ 85007

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. BPM007117

Revision No. 5_Revised 09-24

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 material exceptions.

3.3 Evidence of Intent to be Bound. The Offer and Acceptance form within the Solicitation shall be submitted with the

Offer in the State’s eProcurement system and shall include a signature by a person authorized to sign the Offer, such as your duly authorized officer, executive, principal, or agent. The signature shall signify the Offeror’s intent to be bound by the Offer and the terms of the Solicitation and that the information provided is true, accurate and complete. Failure to submit verifiable evidence of an intent to be bound, such as a signature, shall result in rejection of the Offer.

3.4 Exceptions to Terms and Conditions.

3.4.1 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.

3.4.2 If you are submitting an Offer conditioned on exceptions to the Solicitation Documents, indicted “NO” on Solicitation Attachment “Conformance Statement” and clearly identify the specific paragraphs of the Solicitation where the exceptions occur, along with proposed alternative language and a rationale for the changes. Any exceptions taken elsewhere in the Offer, or in any preprinted or standard terms, will be void and without force of effect in any resulting contract, unless the exception is specifically accepted in writing by the Procurement Officer.

3.4.2.1 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.

3.5 Insurance and Bonds

3.5.1 Provide the evidence of insurance availability, evidence of insurance in place, evidence of bonding capacity, bonds in hand, or other security that are called for in the Solicitation Attachment “Letter of Insurability”.

3.5.2 If you intend to withhold or redact any element of your evidence of insurance policy compliance required by Addendum A of the Special Terms and Conditions (General Contractor Indemnification and Insurance Requirements) on the grounds that it is confidential information, then you must claim it as such and submit the necessary substantiated justification with each Offer using the Solicitation Attachment “designation of Confidential Information” and as per Instruction 4.4 Confidential Documents below.

3.6 Subcontracts. Offeror shall clearly list any proposed subcontractors and the subcontractor’s proposed responsibilities in the Offer.

3.7 Cost of Offer Preparation. The State will not reimburse any Offeror or any of Offeror’s prospective subcontractors, suppliers, or consultants any costs associated with responding to the Solicitation.

3.8 Delivery. Unless stated otherwise in the Solicitation, all prices shall be F.O.B. Destination and shall include all freight, delivery and unloading at the destination(s).

OF HEALTH SERVICES

150 North 18th Ave, Suite 530 Phoenix, AZ 85007

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. BPM007117

Revision No. 5_Revised 09-24

3.9 Disclosure. If the person submitting this Offer has been debarred, suspended or otherwise lawfully precluded from participating in any public procurement activity, including being disapproved as a subcontractor with any federal, state or local government, or if any such preclusion from participation from any public procurement activity is currently pending, the Offeror shall fully explain the circumstances relating to the preclusion or proposed preclusion in the Offer. The Offeror shall set forth the name and address of the governmental unit, the effective date of the suspension or debarment, the duration of the suspension or debarment, and the relevant circumstances relating to the suspension or debarment. If suspension or debarment is currently pending, a detailed description of all relevant circumstances including the details enumerated above shall be provided.

3.10 Federal Excise Tax. The State is exempt from certain Federal Excise Tax on manufactured goods. Exemption Certificates will be provided by the State.

3.11 Identification of Taxes in Offer. The State is subject to all applicable state and local transaction privilege taxes.

All applicable taxes shall be identified as a separate item offered in the Solicitation. When applicable, the tax rate and amount shall be identified on the price sheet.

3.12 Provision of Tax Identification Numbers. Offerors are required to provide their Arizona Transaction Privilege Tax Number and/or Federal Tax Identification number as part of the Offer.

3.13 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.

3.14 Federal Immigration and Nationality Act. By signing of the Offer, the Offeror warrants that both it and all proposed subcontractors are in compliance with federal immigration laws and regulations (FINA) relating to the immigration status of their employees. The State may, at its sole discretion require evidence of compliance during the evaluation process. Should the State request evidence of compliance, the Offeror shall have five

(5) days from receipt of the request to supply adequate information. Failure to comply with this instruction or failure to supply requested information within the timeframe specified shall result in the Offer not being considered for contract award.

3.15 Offshore Performance of Work Prohibited. Any services that are described in the specifications or scope of work that directly serve the State or its clients and involve access to secure or sensitive data or personal client data shall be performed within the defined territories of the United States. Unless specifically stated otherwise in the specifications, this paragraph does not apply to indirect or 'overhead' services, redundant back-up services or services that are incidental to the performance of the contract. This provision applies to work performed by subcontractors at all tiers. Offerors shall declare all anticipated offshore services in the Offer.

4. SUBMISSION OF OFFER

4.1 Offer Submission, Due Date and Time. Offerors responding to a Solicitation must submit the Offer electronically through the State’s eProcurement system.

4.1.1 Submit each Offer online in the State’s eProcurement System before the “Bid Opening Date” indicated for the “Solicitation No.” State will not consider a proposal submitted by any other method other than the State’s eProcurement System, and it will be deemed void upon submission. By A.A.C.

R2-7-C307, State will not consider late offers. State will give no extension or grace period for delays

OF HEALTH SERVICES

150 North 18th Ave, Suite 530 Phoenix, AZ 85007

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. BPM007117

Revision No. 5_Revised 09-24 or incomplete proposals caused by internet connectivity problems, file uploading difficulties, or misunderstanding of the requirements of procedures for online submission in the State’s eProcurement system. If your proposal is not submitted correctly, completely, and in conformance to these Instruction herein, then Procurement Officer may determine it Not Susceptible for Award.

4.1.2 Offers shall be received before the due date and time stated in the solicitation. Offers submitted outside of the State’s eProcurement system or those that are received after the due date and time shall be rejected.

4.1.3 Offer Amendment or withdrawal. An Offer may not be amended or withdrawn after the Offer due date and time except as otherwise provided under applicable law.

4.2 Offer and Acceptance. Offers shall include a signed Offer and Acceptance form. The Offer and Acceptance form shall be signed with a signature by the person authorized to sign the Offer, and shall be submitted in the State’s eProcurement system with the Offer no later than the Solicitation due date and time. Failure to return an Offer and Acceptance form may result in rejection of the Offer.

4.3 Solicitation Amendments.

4.3.1 As required under A.A.C. R2-7-C303(C), it is the offeror’s responsibility to acknowledge every

Solicitation Amendment issued as of the due date and time. Failure to acknowledge all solicitation amendments may impact your susceptibility for award.

4.3.2 Amendments to the Solicitation create new rounds in APP. Check APP alerts that notify if an amendment has been issued. You must acknowledge each round created by an amendment for your Offer in order for your Offer to be Responsive.

4.3.3 In the event you have submitted an offer prior to a Solicitation amendment, you must acknowledge and upload your offer documents to the new round.

4.4 Confidential Information. If an Offeror believes that any portion of an Offer, protest, or correspondence contains a trade secret or other proprietary information, the Offeror shall:

4.4.1 Indicate on the Solicitation Attachment “Designation of Confidential Information” that your proposal contains such claimed confidential information; and,

4.4.2 Separate the documents you claim to be confidential from the offer documents and upload them separately. Prepare to upload each confidential document as a separate confidential document in your response following the instructions in the Arizona Department of Administration Procurement page under Arizona Procurement Portal (APP) Suppliers Tab. Under the Quick Reference Guides / Solicitations, review the Adding Confidential Documents to an Offer/ Response.

4.4.3 Upload each document you claim to be confidential separately and follow the naming convention:

Confidential – Supplement – Offeror File Name.

4.4.4 Simply indicating that the proposal contains confidential information is not sufficient to claim the protections under A.A.C. R2-7-103. The “Confidential Information Designation” Attachment must be accompanied by a detailed explanation as to why each item or category of items in the proposal should be designated confidential information.

https://spo.az.gov/suppliers/app-support/quick-reference-guides https://spo.az.gov/suppliers/app-support/quick-reference-guides

OF HEALTH SERVICES

150 North 18th Ave, Suite 530 Phoenix, AZ 85007

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. BPM007117

Revision No. 5_Revised 09-24

4.4.5 Submit Confidential Information/Documentation as a Supplement(s), with the following naming convention: Confidential - Supplement - Offeror File Name. DO NOT incorporate information you are requesting to be determined as Confidential in any other section of your response. Upload redacted documents to the appropriate sections of the questionnaire.

4.4.6 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.

4.4.6.1 If the designated information is determined to be confidential, Procurement Officer may request redacted documents.

4.4.6.2 If Procurement Officer denies the claim of confidentiality, you may appeal the determination to the State Procurement Administrator 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.

4.5 Public Record. All Offers submitted and opened are public records and must be retained by the State for six years. Offers shall be open and available to public inspection through the State’s eProcurement system after Contract award, except for such Offers deemed to be confidential by the State. Procurement Officer shall make the names of Persons who submitted offers available in the State’s eProcurement System promptly after the opening date.

4.6 Non-collusion, Employment, and Services. By signing the Offer and Acceptance form or other official contract form, the Offeror certifies that:

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

4.6.2 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.

5. Responsibility, Responsiveness, and Susceptibility

5.1 Responsibility. In accordance with A.R.S. § 41-2534(G), A.A.C. R27-C312 and R2-7-C316, the State shall consider the following in determining Offeror’s responsibility, as well as the responsiveness and acceptability of their proposals. The State will consider, but is not limited to, the following in determining an Offeror’s responsibility as well as susceptibility to Contract Award:

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

OF HEALTH SERVICES

150 North 18th Ave, Suite 530 Phoenix, AZ 85007

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. BPM007117

Revision No. 5_Revised 09-24

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;

5.1.4 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.

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

5.1.6 Whether the Offeror 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;

5.1.7 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;

5.1.8 Whether the Offer limits the rights of the State;

5.1.9 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;

5.1.10 Whether the Offer materially changes the contents set forth in the Solicitation, which includes the

Scope of Work, Terms and Conditions, or Instructions; and,

5.1.11 Whether the Offeror provides misleading or inaccurate information.

5.2 Responsiveness and Susceptibility. Proposals shall contain sufficient information for the State to evaluate the proposal in accordance with the factors identified in the solicitation. Necessary components may include an indication of the Offeror’s intent to be bound, price proposal, Solicitation amendments, bond and reference data as required.

5.2.1 Proposal Content. The Offeror shall make a firm commitment to provide Materials and/or Services as required and proposed. The information contained in the Offer shall be: relevant to the service requirements stated in the solicitation; submitted in a sequence that reflects the scope of work section of this document; and include information relevant to the designated evaluation criteria.

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

5.3 Eligibility for Evaluation and Negotiation. Procurement Officer shall hold Negotiations with all offerors reasonably susceptible for award per A.A.C. R2-7-C314(C), unless explicitly stated otherwise in the Solicitation.