Canada_RFR_2018_MOTT_02.doc

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Massachusetts Marketing Partnership/

Massachusetts Office of

Travel & Tourism

10 Park Plaza, Suite 4510, Boston, MA 02116

Request for Response (RFR)

Document Title:

International Destination Marketing and Public Relations Services Canada ASK "RFR Number/Document Number" \* MERGEFORMAT Commbuys Bid Number: BD-17-1100-MMP01-MMP01-15085 RFR Document Number: 2018-MOTT-02 Issue Date: April 11, 2017

SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAT

Procuring Department:

Executive Office of Housing & Economic Development

Massachusetts Marketing Partnership/

Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism

Address: 10 Park Plaza, Suite 4510, Boston, MA 02116

Telephone: 617-973-8544 Fax: 617-973-8525

E-mail: diane.roberts@state.ma.us RFR File Name/Title: Canada Destination Marketing and Public Relations Services

COMMBUYS BID NUMBER: BD-17-1100-MMP01-MMP01-15085

RFR DOCUMENT NUMBER: 2018-MOTT-02

RFR Contact Person: Diane Roberts Procurement Management Team (PMT)/Category:

Annie Moloney, Maria Speridakos, Tony D’Agostino, Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism General Procurement Information

Alterations Bidders may not alter (manually or electronically) the Solicitation language or any Solicitation component files, except as directed in the RFR. Modifications to the body of the Solicitation, specifications, terms and conditions, or which change the intent of this Solicitation are prohibited and may disqualify a Response.

Prohibitions Bidders are prohibited from communicating directly with any employee of the procuring Department or any member of the PMT regarding this RFR except as specified in this RFR, and no other individual Commonwealth employee or representative is authorized to provide any information or respond to any question or inquiry concerning this RFR. Bidders may contact the contact person using the contact information provided in the “Issuers” tab for this Solicitation in the event that this RFR is incomplete or information is missing. Bidders experiencing technical problems accessing information or attachments stored on COMMBUYS should contact the Commbuys Helpdesk at 1-800-COMMBUYS.

Table of Contents

PAGE

1. Procurement Scope and Description

2. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

3. SPECIFICATIONS

4. ELEMENTS OF PROPOSAL

5. PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE & PROCEDURES

6. INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF RESPONSES

7. GENERAL EVALUATION CRITERA & SELECTION PROCESS

APPENDIX 1: GENERAL PROCUREMENT INFORMATION, TERMS AND REQUIREMENTS PERTAINING TO AWARDED CONTRACTS, REQUIRED SPECIFICATIONS

APPENDIX 2: INSTRUCTIONS FOR EXECUTION AND SUBMISSION OF COMMONWEALTH STANDARD FORMS

1.

Procurement Scope and DESCRIPTION

1A.

Purpose

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development (EOHED), Massachusetts Marketing Partnership/Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MMP/MOTT) are seeking the services of a vendor that will significantly increase the volume of travelers to Massachusetts from Canada with highly cost-effective, results-driven public relations, trade relations, and consumer marketing campaigns.

Bidders must clearly illustrate how their programs will increase the economic impact to Massachusetts and the state’s return on investment.

1B.

Number of Awards EOHED/MMP/MOTT intends to award one contract.

1C.

Acquisition Method The acquisition method to acquire goods and/or services from this Solicitation is fee for service and reimbursement for allowable expenses.

1D. Alternative Contractor

MMP/MOTT reserves the right to enter into a contract with one of the contractors selected as a finalist if, in the event, the Contractor initially chosen does not perform in accordance with the performance criteria, the contract is terminated without cause by either party, or the terms of the final contract cannot be finalized to the satisfaction of MMP/MOTT.

1E. Performance and Payment Time Frames Which Continue Beyond Duration of the Contract All term leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for services entered into during the duration of this contract and whose performance and payment time frames extend beyond the duration of this contract shall remain in effect for performance and payment purposes (limited to the time frame and services established per each written agreement). No new leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for services may be executed after the contract has expired. Any contract termination or suspension pursuant to this section shall not automatically terminate any leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for services already in place unless the department also terminates said leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for service, which were executed pursuant to the main contract.

1F. Single or Multiple Departments This procurement is for use by EOHED/MMP only.

1G. Contract Duration

The initial term of this Contract is on July 01, 2017. This Contract has three options to renew of up to one year each with a maximum Contract term of four years (including the initial term and all possible renewal options).

No goods may be ordered and no new leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for services may be executed after the Contract has expired.

1H.

Estimated Value of the Contract

Amounts and ranges indicated are only estimates. Contract amounts during the period of the contract may increase or decrease significantly, based upon budget appropriation, availability of funds, level of marketing services required by MMP/MOTT, and evaluation of Contractor’s performance. The Commonwealth makes no guarantee that any commodities or services will be purchased from any Contract resulting from this Solicitation. No federal funds will be used to fund this Contract.

1I.

Budget and Financial Procedures The contract maximum obligations specified in Section 1H includes all costs incurred by the Contractor in implementing the marketing plan and providing account and contract management services. These costs include all expenses relating to familiarization trips except transportation costs within Massachusetts. Contractor is not responsible for costs of MOTT staff travel and accommodations.

Contractor’s invoices will be paid in US dollars. Changes in currency exchange rates will not result in a change to the maximum contract obligation.

Value Added Tax (VAT) does not apply to services invoiced to, and rendered on behalf of MMP/MOTT.

Contract payments will be on a monthly cost reimbursement basis. All payments will be to the Contractor.

Each month, Contractor will submit an invoice accompanied by relevant documentation that supports the successful completion of services, the monthly program status report, and detailed receipts of all expenses.

2.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

2A.

Business Capabilities Bidders are considered eligible if they meet the following minimum qualifications:

1. Have continuously operated as a corporate entity for a minimum of 24 months preceding the date of submission, and possess full-service, in-house capabilities for strategic development, media relations, travel trade development, and partnership development.

2. Possess a minimum 24 months of experience in developing and implementing all destination marketing services specified in Section 3.

3. Demonstrate effectiveness of programs for current or previous travel clients.

4. An established office in a major metropolitan area in the provinces of Quebec or Ontario, staffed by Contractor’s employees, through which activities will be coordinated and managed. Specify the location of the office, the date it was established, and the number of full- and part-time employees.

5. Account manager with a minimum of 24 months of demonstrated marketing/public relations agency and/or related corporate experience.

6. Demonstrate experience and ability to work within Canada’s travel industry and media and to have the necessary network of contacts to initiate and implement this program.

Preferred qualification:

1. Experience in marketing and developing travel brands for a U.S. travel destination, particularly a state or regional association of states.

2B. Compliance Statement Bidder must provide a statement that it is in compliance with all applicable Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ local and state laws and regulations and that, at the time of submitting the RFR, the bidder is not subject to any state or U.S. tax liens.

3. SPECIFICATIONS

3A. Marketing Services The Contractor will increase visitation by Canada residents to Massachusetts by targeting consumer and trade media; maintaining relationships with tour operators, travel agents, and airlines; establishing collaborative partnerships where budget allows and representing Massachusetts at trade and consumer shows/marketplaces.

Any plans to subcontract marketing tasks must be specified in the bidder’s response and will be evaluated by MOTT as part of the proposed program. See Section 4F for restrictions on subcontracting. All subcontractors are subject to approval by MOTT. The contractor will be responsible for each subcontractor’s performance and work.

3B.

Marketing Programs

Contractor’s responsibilities will include, but not be limited, to:

Annual Strategic Plan and Budget:

Develop an annual strategy and budget and, subject to MMP/MOTT’s decision to renew the contract, initial planning for the following fiscal year. The annual plan will include an analysis of economic conditions, competitive environment, marketing challenges and opportunities, and recommendations on target markets and audiences, messages, promotional and marketing communications strategies, tactics, budget, and timelines.

a) Public Relations Activities

· Develop a public relations strategy and budget to increase awareness of Massachusetts to consumers through a variety of mediums including print, TV, broadcast, social and digital.

· Develop and maintain strong relationships with leading consumer and travel trade media.

· Develop quarterly (translated) press releases with relevant and timely content on Massachusetts news to consumer and trade media.

· Proactively pursue positive stories and respond to inquiries – targeting all forms of media that are appropriate for MOTT.

· Coordinate and execute all aspects of familiarization trips for consumer and trade press and tour operators and travel agents; targeting qualified consumer press; soliciting qualified journalists to visit Massachusetts and negotiating with the airlines to obtain complimentary or discounted tickets for participating journalists.

b) Travel Trade Activities:

· Maintain strong, effective relationships with the tour operators, travel agencies, airlines, corporate and incentive buyers, wholesalers, consolidators, online travel agencies and other key distribution alliances.

· Develop, strengthen, and maintain relationships with the MICE market tour operators and providers enhancing the visibility, accessibility and diversity of the Massachusetts meetings market.

· Assist and partner with the travel trade in developing new and innovative programs to MA to increase brand and destination awareness.

· On request, attend annual special events or trade shows, as directed by MOTT including, but not limited to, IPW, Massachusetts Conference on Travel & Tourism and Discover America Day. On request, present marketing plans and programs to Massachusetts travel industry groups.

· Attend in-market key travel industry events as outlined in the marketing plan and as they arise. This includes travel industry events for training, media, event sponsorships, and other events.

· Develop and coordinate a minimum of one annual sales mission in market. This includes event planning, coordinating travel, and the appointment setting with key travel partners in market. All expenses, except MOTT staff travel and accommodations costs, will be paid by the Contractor and reimbursed as a contract expense.

· Alert MOTT to cooperative marketing opportunities with key industry partners and assist in the coordination and execution of those opportunities.

· Assist in the participation, development, and management of cooperative training programs, workshops, roadshows, and other creative and innovative programs as budget allows. Make presentations as needed.

· Develop niche marketing opportunities and alternative distribution channels for a range of niche and specialist travel experiences.

· Distribute promotional literature and marketing collateral to travel trade as needed.

d) Digital Strategy

· Develop and advise on a digital strategy and budget to increase awareness of Massachusetts to consumers through the use of social media and other digital media.

· Manage content and operational functions including ISP of existing in-country consumer websites (massvacation.ca)

· Work with MOTT on content development for in-country microsites and execute website content updates as required. Updating and enhancing content is to be in conjunction with strategic communication themes and priorities for all microsites.

D) Consumer Marketing

· As budget allows, coordinate MOTT’s participation in select consumer travel shows and travel trade shows. Contractor should prioritize both categories according to the budget allocation.

· Develop and implement promotional marketing partnership programs that enhance the image and brand awareness of Massachusetts.

· Manage consumer and travel trade fulfillment, including a dedicated Massachusetts phone line.

· Advise on print collateral and website content on www.massvacation.ca.

3C.

Account and Contract Management Tasks

In addition to marketing programs, the Contractor will be responsible for account and contract management tasks, including, but not limited, to:

· Prepare a strategic annual public relations and marketing plan providing sound fiscal account management and judgment in the administration of the annual plan.

· Providing monthly activity & public relations reports.

· Submitting an annual Performance Report based on specifications provided by MOTT. The report will quantify the results of all programs included in the annual plan.

· Monitoring travel industry trends and developments that may affect tourism from Canada to Massachusetts and report on these matters as promptly as possible.

· Providing logistical support when MOTT representatives visit Canada on business-related travel.

Any subcontracting for tasks must be specified in the bidder’s response and will be evaluated by MOTT as part of the proposed program. MOTT will approve or disapprove subcontracts, but the vendor will be responsible for each subcontractor’s performance and work.

4. ELEMENTS OF PROPOSAL

Bidders responding to this RFR must submit the following elements. Material submitted must follow this organizational structure and all parts must be completed to be considered a valid response to this RFR. MMP/MOTT reserves the right to request clarification of information submitted and/or to request additional information.

4A.

Eligibility

Respond to each eligibility requirement specified in Section 2.

4B.

Description of Your Organization

· Contact information for this RFR: name, title, phone, email, and fax

· General overview and history

· Annual client billings for the past 2 calendar years, including an estimate for current year

· Number of full- and part-time employees and consultants/contract employees by functional area

· Organization chart

· List of current clients, indicating each client’s tenure with bidder

· A concise narrative outlining the strengths of your organization as they relate to MOTT’s marketing needs.

4C.

Account Team

Proposed account team: names, credentials, language fluency, length of employment, and work status (permanent vs. contract employee). Identify the person who will have primary responsibility for managing the account and the person who will be the primary day-to-day contact with MOTT.

4D.

Plan Detailed response to Specifications, Section 3. Provide a Year 1 action plan based on the estimated FY2018 maximum obligation in Section 1H. The action plan must demonstrate how the proposed program will increase the economic return to Massachusetts.

4E.

FY 2018 (July 01, 2017-June 30, 2018) Budget & Staff Fee Structure Budget should itemize costs in U.S $ for each program element specified in Section 4D and all agency fees and administrative and out-of-pocket costs.

Present the proposed staff fee structure in a table that lists all staff members assigned to the MMP/MOTT account, hourly rate for each staff member, monthly and annual hours for each staff member, and total annual fee per staff member.

All media and external costs will be reimbursed at net cost. Costs will be paid on a monthly, cost-reimbursement basis.

4F.

Subcontracting Specify any major services that will be subcontracted, such as web management, social media, media planning and buying, interactive marketing, and creative services, and proposed subcontractor(s): names, locations, credentials, and length of relationship with bidder. The following services may not be contracted: strategic development, partnership development, media relations, and travel trade development.

4G.

Other U.S. Travel Destination Clients Provide a list, if any, of current U.S. travel destination clients. MMP/MOTT reserves the right to disqualify a bidder if MMP/MOTT deems the client(s) to represent a conflict of interest.

Contracts with successful bidders will require bidders to disclose to MMP/MOTT any plans to add new U.S. travel destination clients. MMP/MOTT reserves the right to terminate a contract if MMP/MOTT deems the client(s) to represent a conflict of interest.

4H.

Demonstrated Effectiveness

Provide a limited selection of materials – reports, data analysis, program summaries, press clippings, brochures, co-op marketing materials -- that demonstrate the effectiveness of Bidder’s work for clients within the last 24 months.

4I.

Supplier Diversity Program (SDP) Plan

See Appendix 1. Given that this is an international procurement, the mandatory submission and 10% or more evaluation referred to in Appendix 1 has been replaced by an optional plan with up to 2% of bonus points awarded for submission and evaluation of an SDP plan.

4J.

Environmental Plan

See Appendix 1.

4K.

Contract Documents

Executed contract documents 1-12. All forms can be found in the “Forms and Terms” tab of this solicitation.

1. Commonwealth Terms and Conditions

2. Commonwealth Standard Contract Form

3. Contractor Authorized Signature Verification Form

4. Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for U.S. Tax Withholding

(W-8BEN)

5. Authorization for Electronic Payments (EFT) – USA bank only

6. Business Reference Form (see note ** below)

7. Prompt Payment Discount Form

8. Bidder Disclosure Form

9. Consultant Contractor Mandatory Submission Form

10. Environmental Plan (optional)

11. Supplier Diversity Program Plan Form (optional)

12. Compliance Statement ** References: Provide 3 client references for which the bidder currently provides, or has provided within the past 24 months, marketing services similar to those outlined in Section 3. The contact person must have direct knowledge of your company’s capability to provide these services.

Refer to 6B-1, (File Specifications & Formats/File Naming Conventions) and Commbuys Attachments tab to ensure that all required forms are completed.

5. PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE & PROCEDURES

Bid Opening date (deadline for submitting quote): May 11, 2017 no later than 4:00 pm

Note: this deadline is absolute; COMMBUYS will not except quotes beyond this deadline, regardless of circumstances. MMP/MOTT strongly recommends that bidders allow ample time to submit a COMMBUYS quote.

5A. Estimated Procurement Schedule (subject to change)

Solicitation: Release Date

April 12, 2017

Start date for Bidders to submit questions online through COMMBUYS “Bid Q&A”

April 13, 2017

Deadline date for submitting questions through COMMBUYS “Bid Q&A”

April 20, 2017

Bid amendment deadline. Bid documents will not be amended after this date.

April 21, 2017

Bid Opening Date

(deadline for submitting a quote)

May 11, 2017

Oral Presentations for Selected Bidders if PMT Team elects to have orals

May 24, 2017 (estimated)

Times are Eastern Standard/Daylight Savings (US), as applicable. If there is a conflict between the dates in this Procurement Calendar and dates on the Solicitation’s Summary tab or Forum pages, the dates on the Solicitation’s Summary tab or Forum pages on COMMBUYS shall prevail. Any changes in the Estimated Procurement Calendar which are made after the RFR has been published will not result in amendments to the Estimated Procurement Calendar. Such changes will appear only on the Solicitation’s Summary tab and/or related Forum pages on COMMBUYS. Bidders are responsible for checking the Solicitation’s Summary tab and related Forum pages on COMMBUYS for Procurement Calendar updates.

5B.

Online Bidders’ Q&A

Prospective Bidders may submit questions regarding this solicitation.

All Bidders' questions regarding the solicitation must be submitted within the timeframe of and only through the publicly accessible electronic Bidder's Q&A found on COMMBUYS at www.COMMBUYS.com.

The RFR Procurement Schedule (shown above) of this RFR will indicate the Online Question Start and End dates for submitting a question in the Q&A tab of the solicitation.

The Bid Q&A functionality allows bidders and the buyers to converse via COMMBUYS before the vendor commits to submitting a quote. If the buyer/agency flags the Q&A to “Show on Web” all vendors will be able to see the dialogue.

Not all bids allow for Q&A. Questions may only be entered into the Q&A tab if buying agency has activated this feature. Questions can be entered up until the Bid Opening Date. However, in their RFRs, agencies may set a date/time after which they reserve the right not to respond to questions.

To access the Ask a Question functionality during the Online Question period:

1.

Navigate to www.COMMBUYS.com 2.

Once the COMMBUYS landing page displays click on the Sign In button.

3.

Enter your Login ID and Password and sign into COMMBUYS.

Accessing Bids

1. From the Homepage click on the BIDS tab to view bids that have been sent to your company.

Opening Bids

1. Click on the hyperlinked Bid# (BD-17-1100-MMP01-MMP01-15085) to open and review a bid in the Bids/Bid Amendments, Open Bids, or Open/Rolling Enrollment Bids sections.

2. To immediately access a bid’s Q&A without reviewing the details of the bid, click on the blue View hyperlink under the Bid Q&A column of the bid.

Acknowledging Receipt of Bids

1. If the bid was not previously opened and acknowledged, a new page will open with a message requesting acknowledgement of the bid. Click the Yes button to acknowledge and access the bid.

Note: In this acknowledgement you agree to receive any future correspondence regarding this bid.

If you select No you may still view the bid but will not receive any notifications regarding udpates or amendments.

Accessing the Bid Q&A

A summary of the bid will be displayed. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the Bid Q&A button to access the Bid Q&A tab.

Reviewing Q&A Dialogue and Submitting Questions

1. The Q&A screen opens up. Review the top half of the screen to view questions submitted by other bidders, and the buyer’s responses.

2. To submit a question regarding the bid, enter a subject for the question in the Question Subject column and then type the question in the Question column. The character limit for the Question field is 2000.

3. Click Save & Continue to save your newly added question and remain on the Q&A screen to add another question. Click Save & Exit to save your question and exit the Q&A screen. Clicking either button sends the question to the buyer/agency.

NOTE: For each question asked through the Q&A functionality, COMMBUYS displays the name of the bidder who asked it. In cases where displaying the names of bidders may undermine the fairness or competitiveness of a procurement, the agency may choose to post questions and answers as a document attached to the bid.

Alternate Mediums Not Acknowledged: Please note that any questions that are submitted to the PMT via any other medium, including those that are sent via mail, fax, email or voicemail, will neither be accepted nor will the PMT provide a response.

Review Existing Questions: In an effort to reduce the possibility of redundant or duplicate questions, the PMT asks that prospective Bidders review all questions that may have been previously submitted in order to determine whether or not your specific question may have already been asked.

All Questions and Answers Are Visible to the Public: Therefore, all content must be suitable for public view. As such, please do not include any information in your questions, which you would not want to be visible to the public, including information about your company, other companies or information that could be considered inflammatory, incorrect, collusory, etc. The PMT reserves the right to edit or delete any submitted questions that raise any of these issues or that are not in the best interest of the Commonwealth or this solicitation.

Consolidation: MMP/MOTT reserves the right to consolidate similar questions under one answer. Please note that all requests/questions must be submitted via COMMBUYS Q&A. Only written response(s) posted on COMMBUYS by the PMT will be considered as binding on the Commonwealth.

Only written response(s) posted on a Bidders’ Q&A which has been “finalized” will be binding on the Commonwealth.

6.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF QUOTE

6A.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Responding to Bid

Introduction COMMBUYS refers to all solicitations, including but not limited to Requests for Proposals (RFP), Invitations for Bid (IFB), Requests for Response (RFR), Requests for Quote (RFQ), as “Bids.” All responses to Bids are referred to as “Quotes.”

Steps for Bidders to Submit a Quote

1. Launch the COMMBUYS website by entering the URL (www.COMMBUYS.com) into the browser.

2. Enter Bidder login credentials and click the Login button on the COMMBUYS homepage. Bidders must be registered in COMMBUYS in order to submit a Quote. Each Contractor has a COMMBUYs Seller Administrator, who is responsible for maintaining authorized user access to COMMBUYS.

3. Upon successful login, the Contractor home page displays with the Navigation and Header Bar as well as the Control Center. The Control Center is where documents assigned to your role are easily accessed and viewed.

4. Click on the Bids tab

5. Clicking on the Bid tab opens four sections:

a. Request for Revision

b. Bids/Bid Amendments

c. Open Bids

d. Closed Bids

6. Click on the blue Open Bid hyperlinks to open and review an open bid

7. A new page opens with a message requesting you acknowledge receipt of the bid. Click Yes to acknowledge receipt of the bid. Bidders should acknowledge receipt to receive any amendments/updates concerning this bid.

8. After acknowledgement, the bid will open.

The top left half of the page contains the following information:

a. Purchaser

b. Department

c. Contact for this bid

d. Type of purchase

i. Open Market

ii. Blanket

e. Pre-Bid Conference details (if applicable)

f. Ship-to and Bill-to addresses

g. Any attachments to the bid, which may include essential bid terms, response forms, etc.

The top right half of the bid includes the following information:

h. Bid Date

i. Required Date

j. Bid Opening Date – date the bid closes and no further quotes will be accepted

k. Informal Bid Flag

l. Date goods/services are required

9. The lower half of the page provides information about the specific goods/services the bid is requesting.

10. Click Create Quote to begin.

11. The General tab for a new quote opens. This page is populated with some information from the bid. Fields available to update include:

a. Delivery days

b. Shipping terms

c. Ship via terms

d. Is “no” bid – select if you will not be submitting a quote for this bid

e. Promised Date

f. Info Contact

g. Comments

h. Discount Percent

i. Freight Terms

j. Payment Terms

It is important to note that the bid documents (RFR and attachments) may specify some or all of these terms and may prohibit you from altering these terms in your response. Read the bid documents carefully and fill in only those items that are applicable to the bid to which you are responding.

Update these fields as applicable to the bid and click Save & Continue to save any changes and create a Quote Number.

12. The page refreshes and messages display. Any message in Red is an error and must be resolved before the quote can be submitted. Any message in Yellow is only a warning and will allow processing to continue.

13. Click the Items tab. The Items tab displays information about the items requested in the bid. To view additional details about an item, click the item number (blue hyperlink) to open.

14. The item opens. Input all of your quote information and click Save & Exit.

15. Click on the Attachments Tab. Follow the prompts to upload and name all required attachments and forms and bid response documents in accordance with the instructions contained in the solicitation or bid documents. After uploading each individual file or form, click Save & Continue. After you have uploaded all required documents click Save & Exit. Be sure to review your attachments to make sure each required document has been submitted.

16. Click on the Terms & Conditions Tab. This tab refers to the terms and conditions that apply to this bid. The terms and conditions must be accepted before your quote can be submitted. If your acceptance is subject to any exceptions, those exceptions must be identified here. Exceptions cannot contradict the requirements of the RFR, or required Commonwealth standard forms and attachments for the bid. For instance, an RFR may specify that exceptions may or will result in disqualification of your bid.

17. Click the Summary tab. Review the information and update/correct, as needed. If the information is correct, click the Submit Quote button at the bottom of the page.

18. A popup window displays asking for verification that you wish to submit your quote. Click OK to submit the quote.

19. The Summary tab redisplays with an updated Status for the quote of Submitted.

20. Your quote submission is confirmed only when you receive a confirmation email from COMMBUYS. If you have submitted a quote and have not received an email confirmation, please contact the COMMBUYS Help Desk at COMMBUYS@state.ma.us.

If you wish to revise or delete a quote after submission, you may do so in COMMBUYS: (1) for a formal bid, prior to the bid opening date, or (2) for an informal bid (which may be viewed upon receipt), prior to the opening of your quote by the issuing entity or the bid opening date, whichever is earlier.

Bidders may not submit Multiple Quotes in response to a Bid unless the Bid authorizes Multiple Quote submissions. If you submit multiple quotes in response to a bid that does not allow multiple quotes, only the latest submission prior to the bid opening date will be evaluated.

6B.

File Specifications & Formats

1. File Naming Conventions

Files submitted via COMMBUYS must follow the file naming convention specified below. The Description entered during the file upload process ensures each file is readily identified by Company Name and content. The File Name assigned by the Bidder as stored on their computer or network must be structured such that each file can be processed by the upload tool. The upload tool will reject any file name that includes spaces or symbols, like the brackets [ ] some systems apply when files are downloaded from the Internet.

Assign when creating files

a. File Size Limits

The COMMBUYS file upload system is set to limit the size of any single file to 10MB or less. If a single file attachment approaches or exceeds 10MB, the Bidder must save the contents as multiple files and label each accordingly. Bidders should note that transmission over the Internet can change the apparent file size of the document. If a large file smaller than 10MB is rejected, Bidders must break up the file as described above. Note the naming convention used above which illustrates distinguishing multi-part files through use of Part 1, Part 2, etc.

b. Duplicate File Names Not Accepted

Once a file has been submitted, COMMBUYS will not accept another file with the same name. This is the case even with files that are modified or have been withdrawn. If it is necessary to resubmit a file, add an underscore and numeric suffix to the company name, for example, CompanyName_2_FootCat.

File Format Restrictions

All scanned documents must be in .pdf or .gif format, and must be scanned in such a way that they can be read on a computer monitor and printed on 8 1/2” x 11” paper, unless otherwise specified. Forms provided for the Bidder to complete, with the exception of the standard Forms located on the Solicitation’s Forms & Information tab, must be completed and submitted in their original formats, NOT scanned and submitted as PDF or other file types.

7.

GENERAL EVALUATION CRITERIA & SELECTION PROCESS:

Any response, regardless of the submission formats specified, that fails to meet a mandatory specification of this RFR may be found non-responsive without further evaluation unless MOTT, in its discretion, determines that the non-compliance is insubstantial, can be corrected, or that an alternative proposed by the bidder is acceptable.

Written proposals will be reviewed by the Performance Management Team (PMT) to determine whether they meet all the eligibility requirements, specified in Section 2. The PMT will then evaluate eligible bids, based upon the following criteria:

· Bidder’s (and subcontractor’s, if any) credentials, experience, and strengths (4B, 4F)

· Credentials and relevant experience of account manager and account team (4C)

· Year 1 action plan (4D)

· Budget & agency fee structure (4E)

· Demonstrated effectiveness of bidder’s work for other clients (4H)

· Supplier Diversity Program Plan (4I): up to 2% of bonus points will be awarded to bidders who submit a supplier diversity plan

· Environmental plan (4J): up to 2% of bonus points will be awarded to bidders who submit an environmental plan Following evaluation of the written responses, the PMT may select a bidder based upon written scores, or the PMT may elect to conduct oral presentations.

If oral presentations are conducted, the following procedures will apply:

· bidders for oral presentations will be based on scores of bidders’ written responses

· Bidders selected for oral presentations will present their marketing experience and credentials and their proposed FY2014 plan and respond to questions from the PMT. Oral presentations will be conducted via video meeting technology. All expenses related to the presentation will be at the Bidder’s cost, not MMP/MOTT. See Section 5A for estimated dates of oral presentations. Selected bidders will be assigned date and time by MMP/MOTT.

· Oral presentations will be evaluated based upon the following:

· Marketing experience presentation

· Presentation of year 1 plan (July 01, 2017 – June 30, 2018) plus expansion plans for subsequent years

· Responses to questions from the PMT

· At the conclusion of the oral presentations, the PMT will select a bidder based on weighted written and oral scores

MMP/MOTT reserves the right to reject any and all proposals if it is deemed in the best interests of the Commonwealth.

MMP/MOTT reserves the right to enter into a contract with an alternative contractor as detailed in Section 1D.

APPENDIX 1

Required Specifications

Operational Services Division

RFR - Required Specifications

Issue Date:

March 24, 2014

In general, most of the required contractual stipulations are referenced in the Standard Contract Form and Instructions and the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions (either version). However, the following RFR provisions must appear in all Commonwealth competitive procurements conducted under 801 CMR 21.00:

The terms of 801 CMR 21.00: Procurement of Commodities and Services (and 808 CMR 1.00: Compliance, Reporting and Auditing for Human and Social Services, if applicable) are incorporated by reference into this RFR. Words used in this RFR shall have the meanings defined in 801 CMR 21.00 (and 808 CMR 1.00, if applicable). Additional definitions may also be identified in this RFR. Other terms not defined elsewhere in this document may be defined in OSD’s Glossary of Terms. Unless otherwise specified in this RFR, all communications, responses, and documentation must be in English, all measurements must be provided in feet, inches, and pounds and all cost proposals or figures in U.S. currency. All responses must be submitted in accordance with the specific terms of this RFR.

Items with the text, "( Required for POS Only" specify a requirement for Purchase of Service (POS) human and social services procured under 801 CMR 21.00, Procurement of Commodities or Services, Including Human and Social Services and 808 CMR 1.00, Compliance, Reporting and Auditing for Human and Social Service.

COMMBUYS Market Center. COMMBUYS is the official source of information for this Bid and is publicly accessible at no charge at www.commbuys.com. Information contained in this document and in COMMBUYS, including file attachments, and information contained in the related Bid Questions and Answers (Q&A), are all components of the Bid, as referenced in COMMBUYS, and are incorporated into the Bid and any resulting contract.

Bidders are solely responsible for obtaining all information distributed for this Bid via COMMBUYS. Bid Q&A supports Bidder submission of written questions associated with a Bid and publication of official answers.

It is each Bidder’s responsibility to check COMMBUYS for:

· Any amendments, addenda or modifications to this Bid, and

· Any Bid Q&A records related to this Bid.

The Commonwealth accepts no responsibility and will provide no accommodation to Bidders who submit a Quote based on an out-of-date Bid or on information received from a source other than COMMBUYS.

COMMBUYS Subscription. Bidders may elect to obtain a free COMMBUYS Seller subscription which provides value-added features, including automated email notification associated with postings and modifications to COMMBUYS records. However, in order to respond to a Bid, Bidders must register and maintain an active COMMBUYS Seller subscription account.

All Bidders submitting a Quote (previously referred to as Response) in response to this Bid (previously referred to as Solicitation) agree that, if awarded a contract: (1) they will maintain an active seller account in COMMBUYS; (2) they will, when directed to do so by the procuring entity, activate and maintain a COMMBUYS-enabled catalog using Commonwealth Commodity Codes; (3) they will comply with all requests by the procuring entity to utilize COMMBUYS for the purposes of conducting all aspects of purchasing and invoicing with the Commonwealth, as added functionality for the COMMBUYS system is activated; (4) Bidder understands and acknowledges that all references to the COMMBUYS website or related requirements throughout this RFR, shall be superseded by comparable requirements pertaining to the COMMBUYS website; and (6) in the event the Commonwealth adopts an alternate market center system, successful Bidders will be required to utilize such system, as directed by the procuring entity. Commonwealth Commodity Codes are based on the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC).

The COMMBUYS system introduces new terminology, which bidders must be familiar with in order to conduct business with the Commonwealth. To view this terminology and to learn more about the COMMBUYS system, please visit the COMMBUYS Resource Center.

Multiple Quotes. Bidders may not submit Multiple Quotes in response to a Bid unless the RFR authorizes them to do so. If a Bidder submits multiple quotes in response to an RFR that does not authorize multiple responses, only the latest dated quote submitted prior to the bid opening date will be evaluated.

Quote Content. Bid specifications for delivery, shipping, billing and payment will prevail over any proposed Bidder terms entered as part of the Quote, unless otherwise specified in the Bid.

Supplier Diversity Program (SDP). Massachusetts Executive Order 524 established a policy to promote the award of state contracts in a manner that develops and strengthens Minority and Women Business Enterprises (M/WBEs) that resulted in the Supplier Diversity Program in Public Contracting. M/WBEs are strongly encouraged to submit responses to this RFR, either as prime contractors, joint venture partners or other type of business partnerships. Similarly, Executive Order 546 established the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Enterprise (SDVOBE) Program to encourage the participation of businesses owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans in all areas of state procurement and contracting, thereby including them in the SDP. All bidders must follow the requirements set forth in the SDP section of the RFR, which will detail the specific requirements relating to the prime contractor’s inclusion of M/WBEs and/or SDVOBEs. Bidders are required to develop creative initiatives to help foster new business relationships with M/WBEs and/or SDVOBEs within the primary industries affected by this RFR. In order to satisfy the compliance of this section and encourage bidder’s participation of SDP objectives, the Supplier Diversity Program (SDP) Plan for large procurements greater than $150,000 will be evaluated at 10% or more of the total evaluation. Once an SDP commitment, expressed as a percentage of contract revenues, is approved, the agency will then monitor the contractor’s performance, and use actual expenditures with SDO certified M/WBE contractors and the Center for Veterans Enterprise certified SDVOBEs to fulfill their own SDP expenditure benchmarks. M/WBE and SDVOBE participation must be incorporated into and monitored for all types of procurements regardless of size; however, submission of an SDP Plan is mandated only for large procurements over $150,000.

Unless otherwise specified in the RFR, the following SDP forms are required to be submitted by the deadlines noted below in order to meet the mandatory participation requirements of the SDP:

Supplier Diversity Program (SDP) Resources:

· Resources available to assist Prime Bidders in finding potential Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) and Women Business Enterprises (WBE) partners can be found at: www.mass.gov/sdp

· Resources available to assist Prime Bidders in finding potential Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Enterprise (SDVOBE) partners can be found on the Operational Services Division’s SDO webpage at: www.mass.gov/sdo

· The Operational Services Division’s Supplier Diversity Program offers training on the SDP Plan requirements. The dates of upcoming trainings can be found at: http://www.mass.gov/anf/budget-taxes-and-procurement/procurement-info-and-res/osd-events-and-training/osd-training-and-outreach.html In addition, the SDP Webinar can be located on the SDP website at www.mass.gov/SDP.

Supplier Diversity Program Subcontracting Policies. In addition to the Subcontracting Policies (See Subcontracting Policies section below and see Section 9, Subcontracting By Contractor, in the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions) that apply to all subcontracted services, agencies may define specific required deliverables for a contractor’s SDP Plan, including, but not limited to, documentation necessary to verify subcontractor commitments and expenditures with Minority- or Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs) and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Enterprises (SDVOBE) for the purpose of monitoring and enforcing commitments made in a contractor’s Supplier Diversity Program (SDP) Plan.

Agricultural Products Preference (only applicable if this is a procurement for Agricultural Products) - Chapter 123 of the Acts of 2006 directs the State Purchasing Agent to grant a preference to products of agriculture grown or produced using locally grown products. Such locally grown or produced products shall be purchased unless the price of the goods exceeds the price of products of agriculture from outside the Commonwealth by more than 10%. For purposes of this preference, products of agriculture are defined to include any agricultural, aquacultural, floricultural or horticultural commodities, the growing and harvesting of forest products, the raising of livestock, including horses, raising of domesticated animals, bees, fur-bearing animals and any forestry or lumbering operations.

Best Value Selection and Negotiation. The Strategic Sourcing Team or SST (formerly referred to as Procurement Management Team or PMT) may select the response(s) which demonstrates the best value overall, including proposed alternatives that will achieve the procurement goals of the department. The SST and a selected bidder, or a contractor, may negotiate a change in any element of contract performance or cost identified in the original RFR or the selected bidder’s or contractor’s response which results in lower costs or a more cost effective or better value than was presented in the selected bidder’s or contractor’s original response.

Bidder Communication. Bidders are prohibited from communicating directly with any employee of the procuring department or any member of the SST regarding this RFR except as specified in this RFR, and no other individual Commonwealth employee or representative is authorized to provide any information or respond to any question or inquiry concerning this RFR. Bidders may contact the contact person for this RFR in the event this RFR is incomplete or the bidder is having trouble obtaining any required attachments electronically through COMMBUYS.

Contract Expansion. If additional funds become available during the contract duration period, the department reserves the right to increase the maximum obligation to some or all contracts executed as a result of this RFR or to execute contracts with contractors not funded in the initial selection process, subject to available funding, satisfactory contract performance and service or commodity need.

Costs. Costs which are not specifically identified in the bidder’s response, and accepted by a department as part of a contract, will not be compensated under any contract awarded pursuant to this RFR. The Commonwealth will not be responsible for any costs or expenses incurred by bidders responding to this RFR.

Debriefing. ( Required for POS Only. This is an optional specification for non-POS RFRs. Non-successful bidders may request a debriefing from the department that issued the RFR. Department debriefing procedures may be found in the RFR. Non-successful POS bidders aggrieved by the decision of a department must participate in a debriefing as a prerequisite to an administrative appeal.

Debriefing/Appeals: Administrative Appeals to Departments. ( Required for POS Only. Not applicable to non-POS bidders. Non-successful bidders who participate in the debriefing process and remain aggrieved with the decision of the department may appeal that decision to the department head. Department appeal procedures may be found in the RFR.

Debriefing/Appeals: Administrative Appeals to OSD. ( Required for POS Only. Not applicable to non-POS bidders. Non-successful bidders who participate in the department appeal process and remain aggrieved by the selection decision of the department may appeal the department decision to the Operational Services Division. The basis for an appeal to OSD is limited to the following grounds:

1. The competitive procurement conducted by the department failed to comply with applicable regulations and guidelines. These would be limited to the requirements of 801 CMR 21.00 or any successor regulations, the policies in the OSD Procurement Information Center, subsequent policies and procedures issued by OSD and the specifications of the RFR; or

2. There was a fundamental unfairness in the procurement process. The allegation of unfairness or bias is one that is easier to allege than prove, consequently, the burden of proof rests with the bidder to provide sufficient and specific evidence in support of its claim. OSD will presume that departments conducted a fair procurement absent documentation to the contrary.

Requests for an appeal must be sent to the attention of the Operational Services Division, Legal, Policy and Compliance Office, Room 1017, One Ashburton Place, Boston, MA 02108 and be received within fourteen (14) calendar days of the postmark of the notice of the department head’s decision on appeal. Appeal requests must specify in sufficient detail the basis for the appeal. Sufficient detail requires a description of the published policy or procedure which was applied and forms the basis for the appeal and presentation of all information that supports the claim under paragraphs 1 or 2 above.