COVID-19 Mobile Surveillance Testing Program RFR - Responses to Questions_09042020.docx

COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

ONE ASHBURTON PLACE, 11TH FLOOR

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02108

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

regarding the

Request for Responses for the COVID-19 Mobile Surveillance Testing Program (MSTP) Document Number: LC21EHSMSTPRFR Q&A Issued: September 4, 2020 This document contains responses to questions received regarding the Request for Responses for the COVID-19 Mobile Surveillance Testing Program (MSTP) issued by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) on August 20, 2020. Answers have been provided to those questions which are of general interest and relevant to the preparation of a Response to the RFQ.

Q1. What would be the anticipated volume of tests? I saw that there is a minimum of 100 samples per day, but do you have an idea of the upper limit or mean?

A1. As stated in Attachment A: Model Contract, EOHHS shall have no obligation to assign or authorize Contractor to provide MSTP Services at an Authorized Site, and there is no minimum payment under this Contract.

Current mobile testing sites typically see a daily volume range from 5 – 500 tests per day depending on the site. The minimum volume mentioned above is in reference to minimum Contractor capabilities. Demand for MSTP Services may vary significantly over time, and will be determined by a variety of factors including the community transmission rate and the availability of other testing options.

Q2. Do all MSTP services have to use the Broad? May bidders include laboratory processing, at laboratories other than those specified by EOHHS, as part of the bid?

A2. Contractors must send all specimens collected at an Authorized Site to the Broad Institute, or alternative laboratory identified by EOHHS, for processing.

This RFR is only for the provision of MSTP Services which includes ordering tests, patient registration and intake, specimen collection, specimen transportation to the lab identified by EOHHS, test result reporting, patient follow up and answering patient inquiries made via telephone and email. Laboratory diagnostic services are not included as MSTP Services and are not payable under any contracts signed as a part of MSTP.

Q3. Will every qualified vendor receive a site award?

A3. No. As stated in Attachment A: Model Contract, EOHHS shall have no obligation to assign or authorize Contractor to provide MSTP Services at an Authorized Site, and there is no minimum payment under this Contract. EOHHS may elect to not direct Contractor to provide any MSTP Services at Authorized Sites, and in such case no payment would be owed to Contractor.

Q4. Will "priority given" by submitting prior to September 11th include quantity of sites awarded?

A4. EOHHS will review all bids submitted prior to September 11th prior to reviewing any bids received after September 11th. All bids will be reviewed based on the Bidders ability to meet all the minimum requirements detailed in the RFR and Model Contract.

Qualified Bidders will be assigned to Authorized Sites at the sole discretion of EOHHS, based on capacity, efficiency, quality of work, and any other relevant factors, including as described in Section 2.5 of the RFR. Selection as a Contractor does not guarantee that EOHHS will assign any Authorized Sites.

Q5. Both EOHHS’ price points of $20.81 and $60 don’t include site setup, breakdown time, nor materials and equipment, will offerors be able to include a daily site fee for said site setup, breakdown, materials and equipment?

A5. Contractors selected by EOHHS for the provision of MSTP Services at Authorized Sites will be paid at the rates set by EOHHS in 101 CMR 446.00: COVID-19 Payment Rates for Certain Community Health Care Providers, $20.81 per test and $60 per hour per staff member of a Mobile Testing Unit at the Authorized Site. Contractors will only be paid the hourly rate for services provided at an Authorized site as specified by EOHHS. No other form of payment will be provided for the services provided under this contract. The time spent on site setup and breakdown time are considered on-site administrative services and therefore the time spent completing those tasks can be billed to the Commonwealth. For example, if site setup begins at 9 am, testing begins at 9:30 am, testing concludes at 12:30 p.m. and site breakdown time ends at 1 p.m., the Commonwealth would be billed for 4 hours at $60/hour per person (up to 3 people).

Q6. Will EOHHS consider Oral Fluid test kits from offeror partner vendor (not a lab) with approved FDA EUA?

A6. No. As described in Section III of Attachment A: Model Contract, Contractor must complete specimen collection for COVID-19 tests with anterior nasal swabs or another collection method specified by EOHHS by using test kits provided by the laboratory partner identified by EOHHS, in accordance with specimen collection protocols set forth by the laboratory partner, and transportation protocols for all specimens collected established by the laboratory partner.

Q7. Both test kits and lab analysis will be supplied via EOHHS directive thus Contractors will not be permitted to use partner labs nor their test kits?

A7. As detailed in Attachment A: Model Contract, Contractor will send all specimens collected at an Authorized Site to the Broad Institute, or alternative laboratory identified by EOHHS, for processing. This requires that the Contractor properly collects and sends specimens in the manner accepted by the laboratory identified by EOHHS as described in Section III of Attachment A: Model Contract.

Q8. Does EOHHS have a desired percentage for Supplier Diversity Plan (SDP)?

A8. EOHHS does not require a minimum percentage for SDPs, but does note the Commonwealth’s policy of promoting the award of state contracts in a manner that develops and strengthens certified Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs), Women Business Enterprises (WBEs), Minority and Women Nonprofit Organizations (M/WNPOs), Veteran Business Enterprises (VBEs), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Enterprises (SDVOBEs), Disability-Owned Business Enterprises (DOBEs), and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Business Enterprises (LGBTBEs).

Q9. What is the expected number of tests per site or type of site required for EOHHS to consider whether an additional Mobile Testing Unit is needed?

A9. All Bidders must have the ability to complete a minimum of 100 tests per day across all mobile sites. When notifying a qualified Bidder that they have been selected to provide MSTP services at a given Authorized Site, EOHHS will provide the estimated minimum testing capacity at that site and how many Mobile Testing Units are approved to provide services at the given site.

If the expected testing capacity exceeds the reasonable number of tests a single Mobile Testing Unit can accommodate, then EOHHS will authorize the Contractor to send additional Mobile Testing Unit(s). EOHHS will work with the Contractor(s) to determine the reasonable number of tests that can be processed by a Mobile Testing Unit.

Q10. How will EOHHS differentiate between the staff included within a Mobile Testing Unit and those staff who are included in the per test rate of $20.81?

A10. EOHHS shall pay Contractor the $60 per hour per staff member rate only for staff members included within a Mobile Testing Unit selected to provide services at an Authorized Site. For the purposes of calculating payment, a Mobile Testing Unit may not consist of more than three staff members whose roles include on-site patient registration, other on-site administrative services, test administration or observation or specimen transport services. EOHHS will only pay for Mobile Testing Unit that were directed by EOHHS to provide MSTP Services at Authorized Sites.

Any additional staff members that a Contractor deems necessary is considered paid for by the per test rate of $20.81, including any staff members including tasks other than those described in the previous paragraph.

Q11. Does EOHHS expect offeror to use COMMBUYS to communicate when rejecting a site, as well as, approved email submission?

A11. EOHHS expects to communicate with Contractors primarily via email

Q12. If offeror rejects site, will offeror become disqualified from future site awards?

A12. Contractors have the right to refuse an assignment of an Authorized Site within 24 hours of being notified of the site. Contractors will be assigned to Authorized Sites at the sole discretion of EOHHS, based on capacity, efficiency, quality of work, and any other relevant factors, including as described in Section 2.5 of the RFR. Selection as a Contractor does not guarantee that EOHHS will assign any Authorized Sites. Rejecting a site will not disqualify a contractor from receiving future site awards.

Q13. Is EOHHS responsible for patient awareness for scheduling of tests or knowing where testing site is, or is this expected of offeror?

A13. Contractor must be able to coordinate with site managers, such as municipal leaders, school personnel, or staff in congregate care settings, to establish a schedule for testing at least 24 hours in advance and must provide a method for patients to register without pre-scheduled appointments. For individual patients’ registration, Contractor may collect information and schedule appointments in advance, preferably through an online platform; however, the Contractor must be able to accommodate patients who did not register in advance even when a scheduling system is used.

Advertising the availability of a testing site is not considered the responsibility of the Contractor. However, contractor is responsible for onsite logistics (e.g. ensuring clear signage for patient/traffic flow) and is responsible for clearly communicating to patients information about how they will receive their results and how to contact contractor if results are not received.

Q14. How is EOHHS defining “all Mobile Testing Units” in the requirement to describe the staffing plan in Section 5.3: Programmatic Response?

A14. In a Bidder’s programmatic response, they should provide all information requested in Section 5.3 of the RFR with as much detail as possible. In Section 5.3.H of the RFR, EOHHS requests that Bidders describe their proposed staffing model, which includes staff in the Mobile Testing Unit, defined in Attachment A: Model Contract, and any other staff required to perform MSTP Services.

If Bidders are capable of staffing more than one Mobile Testing Unit at a time, they should detail the staff in each potential Mobile Testing Unit.

Q15. How does Broad’s CareEvolve platform notify the Contractor of patient test results? Are patient results on CareEvolve searchable?

A15. CareEvolve actively updates all test results as soon as they are available, and places them in an easily searchable format which can be exported to Excel. Results available on the CareEvolve system are searchable by multiple fields, including specimen collection date, patient demographics, and test result.

Q16. How does EOHHS envision awarding each region, and how is the state accounting for the distance between site awards?

A16. EOHHS will award Authorized Sites based on the need for mobile testing across the Commonwealth. Qualified Bidders will be assigned to Authorized Sites based on capacity, efficiency, quality of work, and any other relevant factors, including as described in Section 2.5 of the RFR.

Contractors will be expected to serve multiple locations as requested by EOHHS on a daily, weekly, monthly or ad hoc basis. Authorized Sites are defined as locations identified by EOHHS; examples of potential Authorized Sites in which a testing provider could be expected to provide COVID-19 testing include, but are not limited to:

· State-run group homes (i.e., residential settings with as few as four people), with staff and/or residents to be tested either inside or outside of the home

· A state-operated facility, such as a hospital, with staff and/or residents to be tested either inside or outside of the facility

· A walk-up or drive-through testing site established in a parking lot

· Testing teachers or students within a school in response to suspected COVID-19 transmission on the premises

Distance between sites is accommodated in the travel time allowed under Section 4.1. Hours eligible for the $60 per hour, per staff member rate include the hours in which a Mobile Testing Unit is directly engaged in COVID-19 specimen collection, plus a maximum of (2) hours of transportation time. Transportation time may include time spent traveling to the Authorized Site, as well as time spent transporting completed specimens from the Authorized Site to the laboratory. Providers should record transportation time only for the staff members engaged in transportation.

Q17. Must be audited financial statements be provided for bidders and material subcontractors? Audited financial statements can take significant time and expense to produce.

A17. As described in Section 5.2 of the RFR, audited financial statements only need be produced if already available. In other words, EOHHS does not expect that audited financial statements will be generated for purposes of responding to the RFR, only that they will be produced if they already exist.

Q18. Is the RFP written to allow municipal entities to access the acceptable bidders?

A18. Municipal entities are not able to purchase services under this contract, but they may be able to directly contract with contractors if the municipal entity and contractors each agree (subject to any municipal procurement or other legal requirements).

COVID-19 Mobile Surveillance Testing Program RFR Questions & Answers 1