COVID19 Mobile Surveillance Testing Program RFR.docx

COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

ONE ASHBURTON PLACE, 11TH FLOOR

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02108

REQUEST FOR RESPONSES

for the COVID-19 Mobile Surveillance Testing Program (MSTP)

Document Number: LC21EHSMSTPRFR

Issued: Thursday, August 20, 2020

COVID-19 Mobile Surveillance Testing Program RFR 23

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ATTACHMENTS (posted separately under “File Attachments” for this solicitation):

Attachment A: Model Contract

COVID-19 Mobile Surveillance Testing Program RFR ii

DEFINITIONS

Unless otherwise noted, capitalized terms in this RFR and its Attachments are defined in Attachment A, Model Contract, Section 1: Definitions.

PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF RFR

Purpose of the Mobile Surveillance Testing Program The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) is issuing this Request for Responses (RFR) to solicit proposals from eligible bidders to serve as mobile specimen collection and test result providers for the Mobile Surveillance Testing Program (MSTP).

The purpose of MSTP is to quickly deploy strategic surveillance testing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in settings with an increased risk of transmission, and in communities with increasing numbers of positive cases or elevated positive test rates. Through this Project, EOHHS aims to deploy mobile testing teams to perform testing in easy-to-access community settings (e.g., high school parking lot), state operated facilities, and congregate care settings. This testing would be available to a defined set of individuals, as directed by EOHHS, at no cost to them regardless of whether they are a close contact or if they have symptoms. EOHHS sees state-directed strategic surveillance testing as additive to the testing that providers are currently performing across Massachusetts.

Due to the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts moved swiftly to implement virus containment and mitigation strategies, issuing a stay-at-home advisory and mandatory closure of nonessential businesses on March 24. As the Commonwealth continues to ease its community mitigation policies and reopens the economy, it is imperative that viral transmission of COVID-19 remains under control. Ensuring access to targeted and strategic surveillance testing capacity across the state will serve as an essential component of the Commonwealth’s long-term COVID-19 response.

To supplement traditional testing providers, EOHHS is soliciting MSTP Services (as defined in Attachment A, Model Contract, Section 1: Definitions) to rapidly deploy mobile testing in various locations identified by EOHHS across the Commonwealth. For the purposes of the MSTP RFR, mobile testing is defined as the deployment of a van, an ambulance, pop-up tent, or other vehicle or temporary structure from which COVID-19 testing services are provided, in a location for no more than 24 hours. Contractors performing mobile testing may be dispatched by EOHHS to visit multiple sites in a given day.

Providers 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:

1. 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

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

3. A walk-up or drive-through testing site established in a parking lot Contractors will serve a critical function in meeting the Commonwealth’s strategic surveillance testing objectives and will need to have the following competencies:

A. Ability to rapidly deploy testing to sites or communities identified by EOHHS as requiring surveillance testing, such as facilities with a high transmission risk, areas with higher than average positive test rates, or an area with a cluster of COVID-19 cases;

B. Flexibility to scale testing capacity proportionally to the surveillance testing needs of a particular site, facility, or community; and C. Ability to work with local partners, including congregate care sites, healthcare facilities, Local Boards of Health and community-based organizations, to identify the optimal testing deployment strategy.

This testing program is an important piece of the Commonwealth’s overall efforts to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. By applying to this RFR, Bidders consent to be in a pool of eligible Contractors to be assigned by EOHHS to complete MSTP Services at Authorized Sites. 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. Selection as a Contractor does not guarantee that EOHHS will assign any Authorized Sites.

Any Bidder that becomes a Contractor shall provide services in accordance with the requirements of the Contract. Attachment A, Model Contract contains provisions that shall be incorporated into any Contract to be executed between EOHHS and the successful Bidder.

EOHHS reserves the right to modify Attachment A, Model Contract as it deems necessary prior to the execution of the Contract. Changes to the Contract after its execution by the parties shall be made only by written amendment.

Scope of Work The Mobile Surveillance Testing Program will provide surveillance testing services across the state, especially to areas with acute COVID-19 outbreaks and/or sites required to perform surveillance testing under EOHHS policy.

Bidders must demonstrate the ability to provide MSTP Services at locations across Massachusetts, with the ability to complete at least 100 tests per day. Bidders should indicate in their submission what geographic regions in Massachusetts they are able to serve. MSTP Services are described in Attachment A, Model Contract, Section III: Scope of Work and include, but are not limited to, the following:

· An ordering provider for COVID-19 tests;

· Patient registration and intake;

· Specimen collection;

· Specimen transport;

· Test result reporting;

· Patient follow-up; and

· Answering patient inquiries made via telephone and email.

Contractors will not be required to perform laboratory processing of specimens but will be required to transport all specimens collected at Authorized Sites to the Broad Institute, the State Public Health Lab, or another lab identified by EOHHS. Contractors must collect and transport all specimen collections in the manner required, as described in Attachment A, Model Contract, Section III: Scope of Work, in order to ensure timely processing of the tests and result reporting to patients. For the purposes of this RFR, Contractors should assume that they will need to have the ability to submit samples to the Broad Institute; however, EOHHS reserves the right to select an alternative Massachusetts lab partner during the contract term. If an alternative Massachusetts lab partner is selected, EOHHS will work with the Contractor to establish processes similar to those described in Attachment A, Model Contract, Section III: Scope of Work.

Contractors must demonstrate the flexibility to move testing sites with 48 hours’ notice within the Commonwealth as specified by EOHHS, provided that Contractors may refuse an assignment to perform MSTP services at a particular site.

Bidders must specifically describe and demonstrate how they will meet the requirements set forth in Attachment A, Model Contract in their responses.

While Contractors must be prepared to begin testing services within fourteen (14) days of entering a contract with EOHHS pursuant to this RFR, Contractors will be required to engage with EOHHS in a planning phase to discuss how they will operationalize their proposals. This planning phase will include discussions in which EOHHS will assign Contractors specific Authorized Sites. After the planning phase, Contractors may be required to submit a revised proposal to EOHHS that incorporates feedback from these discussions and undergo a full readiness review before launching any testing site(s).

Reports and Other Submissions Contractors must gather data to quantify the impact of the Project as a part of project implementation. A response submitted under this RFR must include an explanation of how the Bidder will gather the information necessary to implement and report on MSTP Services and support the continued refinement and development of the MSTP. Data should be collected on the full population of patients seen across the organization’s testing locations. Contractors will be required to submit weekly reports that contain the metrics (measured daily) described in Attachment A, Model Contract, Section IV: Reporting along with any additional metrics developed by EOHHS throughout the duration of MSTP.

Contractors must comply with any additional reporting metrics not listed in Attachment A as defined by EOHHS for evaluation of the Project throughout the term of any Contract awarded pursuant to this RFR. All Contractors will be required to complete and submit a detailed reporting proposal describing how the Contractor will communicate metrics to EOHHS and may be required to modify the proposal in response to EOHHS feedback.

Number of Contract Awards and Contract Term EOHHS intends to enter contacts with all Bidders whose responses meet the requirements of this RFR. The term of any award made pursuant to this RFR will be through December 31, 2021. At the option of EOHHS, the Contract may be extended for up to 12 additional months in any increment of time. EOHHS may also extend the Contract for any reasonable time period it determines necessary to complete a subsequent procurement.

Procurement Timetable Interested and qualified organizations may submit a response to this RFR at any time through October 2, 2020. Priority will be given to organizations who submit responses prior to September 11, 2020. EOHHS will not consider any responses submitted after October 2, 2020. Notification of any adjustment to the RFR Timetable will be posted on COMMBUYS. As described below in Section 6.1, responses will be considered on a rolling basis.

EOHHS will also allow a one-time period for the submission of questions regarding the RFR ending August 28, 2020, at 5:00 p.m., and will post questions and answers of general interest on COMMBUYS. See Section 7.6. EOHHS, in its sole discretion, may supplement this list of questions and answers at any point prior to October 2, 2020.

BIDDER QUALIFICATIONS

EOHHS will only Contract with Bidders that demonstrate the ability to meet the following qualifications within fourteen (14) days of entering a Contract with EOHHS:

A. The Bidder has the demonstrated capacity to meet all requirements described in Attachment A, Model Contract, including Sections II, III, IV, and V;

B. The Bidder has the capacity to complete MSTP Services for at least 100 individuals per day cumulatively across site locations, with the minimum capacity of MSTP Services per day per site to be specified by EOHHS in the form and manner specified in Attachment A, Model Contract;

C. The Bidder can source sufficient staff (including appropriate clinical staff), an ordering provider, PPE, testing supplies (excluding test kits which will be supplied by the Broad Institute or other laboratory identified by EOHHS), and equipment to complete MSTP Services for the duration of any Contract resulting from this RFR;

D. The Bidder has the flexibility to move their testing site(s) to another priority location within Massachusetts given 48 hours’ notice from EOHHS;

E. The Bidder commits it will not bill or charge patients’ insurance, other third-party payor, or the patients directly for any MSTP Services; EOHHS payment is payment in full for MSTP services.

F. The Bidder can comply with all state and federal laws and regulations applicable to the privacy and security of personal and other confidential information related requirements as described in Section 7.22, including a HIPAA-compliant electronic recordkeeping system;

G. The Bidder can secure all equipment necessary to establish mobile or site-specific testing locations;

H. The Bidder has all appropriate licenses or waivers to perform all required MSTP-related medical services;

I. The Bidder can ensure that all staff to implement aspects of the Project that involve direct patient contact are:

1. Knowledgeable of appropriate specimen collection techniques;

2. Trained in safe infection control protocols as established by the CDC, including proper PPE donning and doffing practices; and

3. Able to provide linguistically competent care to patients as well as accessible care to patients who are deaf and hard of hearing, including through the use of translation services as necessary; and J. The Bidder commits it will send all specimens collected at an Authorized Site to the Broad Institute, or alternative Massachusetts laboratory identified by EOHHS, for processing. Contractor will properly collect and send specimens in the manner accepted by the laboratory identified by EOHHS as described in Attachment A, Model Contract, Section III: Scope of Work.

GENERAL PAYMENT PROVISIONS

Surveillance Testing Payment Calculation 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.

Contractors will receive $60 per hour, per staff member of a Mobile Testing Unit while the staff member is providing MSTP services. A Mobile Testing Unit may have up to 3 staff for which they can seek reimbursement. In order to seek reimbursement, the staff member must be providing MSTP services including on-site registration, test administration or observation and specimen transport services.

An example of an appropriate staffing model for a Mobile Testing Unit would include two staff members performing observation and test administration services and one staff member performing on-site registration and other on-site administrative services. If a contractor chooses to staff a Mobile Testing Unit with more than three staff members those additional staff members are not eligible to receive the hourly rate. Authorized Sites in which demand is expected to exceed the capacity of a single Mobile Testing Unit may be serviced by more than one Mobile Testing Unit at the direction of EOHHS, who will work with the Contractor to determine when more than one Mobile Testing Unit should be deployed to an Authorized Site.

For the purposes of this RFR, 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. As an example, a single Mobile Testing Unit deployed to an Authorized Site would be eligible for no more than (2) hours of transportation per staff member, for no more than (6) total hours of transportation time. On an exception basis, a contractor may bill more than 2 hours of transportation time if authorized to do so in writing by EOHHS and an exceptional amount of travel is required for a particular assignment. EOHHS shall not pay the $60 per hour rate for any services described in Attachment A: Model Contract: Sections III.3, 9, 10, & 11, which shall be covered by the $20.81 fee per test. Nor will it pay the hourly rate for logistical support or services other than those described in Attachment A: Model Contract: Section V.2.

The $20.81 fee per test covers ordering, provision of results, and follow-up counseling services. Contractor may not bill time providing these services as part of the hourly rate as these services are covered by the $20.81 per test rate. Contractors must be able to provide a clinician order for testing, if necessary. Contractor must be able to receive results and report these results to all patients tested, as well as any designated central point of contact, where necessary and in compliance with privacy laws. Contractor must operate a customer service line to receive questions about test results (e.g., in response to questions such as “I did not receive my test result”). Finally, Contractor must distribute materials and information, in accordance with EOHHS guidance and protocols, for all COVID-19 positive patients.

The rates cover MSTP Services as follows:

As described in Attachment 1, Model Contract, Section V: Payment, Contractors may be selected for multiple Authorized Sites at one time or depending on the expected volume at a given site Contractors may be selected to send more than one Mobile Testing Unit to an Authorized Site. In both instances, the staff members included in each Mobile Testing Unit would qualify for the $60 per hour, per staff member rate. Contractors will only be paid the per hour per staff rate for staff members within a Mobile Testing Unit that was selected by EOHHS to provide MSTP Services at an Authorized Site.

Payments will only be made for services provided at Authorized Sites at the direction of EOHHS. Payments will be dispersed monthly as a “Surveillance Testing Payment.” Contractors that fail to comply with conditions of the Contract are not entitled to payment of the Surveillance Testing Payment.

Limitations on Payment EOHHS shall pay Contractors a Surveillance Testing Payment only for MSTP Services at Authorized Sites. Any testing done at sites other than Authorized Sites as directed by EOHHS is not eligible for payment under this Contract. EOHHS shall have no obligation to assign or authorize a Contractor to provide MSTP Services at an Authorized Site, and accordingly there is no minimum payment for contracts EOHHS enters under this RFR. For avoidance of doubt, EOHHS will pay a Contractor nothing under the Contract if it does not direct the Contractor to test at an Authorized Site.

Contractors will not be eligible to receive a Mobile Surveillance Testing Payment pursuant to this RFR relating to payment arrangements developed between Contractor and employers or other third parties to provide testing services not directly covered by this RFR at an Authorized Site. EOHHS will not be liable for any payments for medical services, administrative, or overhead costs associated with such arrangements.

Contractors will not be eligible to receive a Surveillance Testing Payment pursuant to this RFR relating to any testing services conducted pursuant to a separate COVID-19 testing contract with EOHHS or for testing services for which a Contractor bills MassHealth using code A0998 under the terms of a special conditions addendum to the Contractor’s MassHealth provider contract.

Payment of the Surveillance Testing Payment is subject to appropriation as described in Section 7.18 and will be limited to the amount appropriated therefore, to the extent permitted under applicable state and federal laws. No payment shall be paid for any period in which the Contractor’s contract is terminated or is otherwise not in full force and effect. EOHHS will notify the Contractor in advance and in writing of any proposed changes to the per-test rates. Any changes to the rates will be established by Contract amendment.

Insurance Billing Contractors may not bill or accept payment from health insurers, other third-party payors (including MassHealth or Medicare) or patients for MSTP-related medical services. The payment of the Surveillance Testing Payment pursuant to this RFR is the entirety of payment that Contractors will receive for services provided. MSTP Contractors must accept as payment in full for MSTP-related medical services the payments they receive directly from EOHHS, with no balance billing of or cost sharing with patients.

As to EOHHS, the Contractor’s Surveillance Testing Payments will be considered payment in full to the Contractor for all services provided under this RFR.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF RESPONSES

Response Submission Instructions All procurements posted on COMMBUYS, known as Bids, require the submission of electronic responses, known as Quotes. To submit an electronic Quote, Bidders must register and maintain an active COMMBUYS Vendor subscription account. Questions regarding COMMBUYS should be directed to the COMMBUYS Help Desk at commbuys@mass.gov. Instructions for creating a Quote can be found on COMMBUYS by clicking the hyperlink labeled “Job Aids for Sellers”. In addition, Bidders may find helpful the webcast How to Create a Quote in COMMBUYS. See Section 7.4 of this RFR for further information about COMMBUYS.

Bidders must submit electronic Quotes on COMMBUYS. Quotes can be submitted so long as the procurement is open.

In addition to submitting on COMMBUYS, Bidders must submit any response by email to the RFR Contact identified in Section 7.5.A. If a Bidder is unable to email a copy of its response, it must notify the RFR Contact that it has submitted the required electronic files via COMMBUYS and arrange for an alternative way to provide an additional electronic copy. In either case, the Bidder must confirm receipt by the RFR Contact.

Response Format Requirements Hard copies and electronic media submissions other than the required electronic files submitted via COMMBUYS and email will not be accepted.

The Bidder must respond to each item in the order in which it appears in the RFR. The Bidder’s response to each section must include numbering to match the corresponding section of the RFR.

Each document must contain a table of contents.

The Bidder must adhere to page limits wherever specified. Attachments and other supporting documentation specifically permitted or required by this RFR are not counted in calculating the Bidder’s page limit.

The narrative section of each document must be formatted as follows:

Word processed;

Single-spaced;

One inch or greater margins;

Six lines or fewer per inch;

Pages numbered; and 12-point font, except in tables and graphs, where 10-point font may be used.

Cover Letter The Bidder must include with its response a Cover Letter that clearly states the name of the Bidder organization, principal address, and the name, address, e-mail, fax and telephone number of the individual authorized to negotiate for and execute the contract on behalf of Bidder. The letter must:

Include a statement that certifies that the response submitted to COMMBUYS is identical to the electronic copy of the response submitted directly to EOHHS.

Include a statement that clearly articulates that the Bidder accepts the terms of this RFR and of the Model Contract provided in Attachment A, without substantive change and that the Bidder has read and acknowledged the Standard Contract Form Instructions and the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions (see Section 5.2.F);

Include a statement that the Bidder’s response will remain in effect until any Contract with the Bidder is executed or the response is withdrawn.

Include the name, address, e-mail address, and telephone number of the individual who should be contacted for the purpose of discussing any aspect of the Bidder’s response; and Be signed by an authorized Contractor signatory.

Each response document should contain only relevant information that is specific to the topic of that response document as required by the RFR. Superfluous information may be disregarded.

Business Response Requirements For purposes of the submission requirements set forth in this Section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

· Parent – each of the Bidder’s parent organizations and each of the parents of such parent organizations, if any.

· Subsidiary – each of the Bidder’s partially or wholly owned subsidiary organizations, and each of the partially or wholly owned subsidiaries of any such subsidiary organizations.

· Affiliated or Related Entity – any organization, if any, with which the Bidder has any direct or indirect financial, legal, contractual or other business relationship, as well as any and all of the Contractor’s Material Subcontractors, and such Material Subcontractors’ partners, Parents, subsidiaries, and any other entity directly or indirectly related to any such Material Subcontractor.

The Bidder shall provide the following information in their Business Response:

Organizational Overview The Bidder’s legal name, trade name(s), and any other name(s) under which the Bidder does, or has done, business;

The Bidder’s Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN);

The Bidder’s ownership status (whether the bidding organization is publicly traded or privately held). If privately held, identify the owner(s) with five percent or more financial interest in the organization;

The Bidder’s principal address, e-mail address, website URL, and telephone number; and The type of legal entity (for example, corporation (profit or not for profit), limited partnership, general partnership, or trust), and the state or foreign country where the entity is organized, including any parent organization.

Requirements Regarding Subcontractors The Bidder shall state whether Subcontractors will be used to perform any services under the Contract, and if so, shall identify each such subcontractor by corporate or other legal entity name, address, telephone number and status as a Supplier Diversity Office (SDO)-certified business enterprise.

The Bidder shall describe generally in this section the respective responsibilities and services that each subcontracting entity would perform if the Bidder were awarded the Contract, and how the Contractor will manage each subcontracting entity;

The Bidder must submit a statement that:

Guarantees that all subcontracts and other agreements or arrangements for reimbursement will be in writing and will contain terms consistent with all terms and conditions of the Contract; and Acknowledges that proposals to use subcontractors shall not cause any additional administrative burden on EOHHS as a result of the use of multiple entities, and shall not relieve the Bidder of any legal obligations under the Contract.

Interests Neither the Bidder nor any Subcontractor may have any interest that will conflict, as determined by EOHHS, with the performance of services required under this RFR. To demonstrate freedom from conflicting interests, the Bidder must submit the following:

A description of how the Bidder will assure that no interest will conflict with the performance of services required under the Contract;

A statement of any and all of the financial, legal, contractual, and other business interests of the Bidder and any Subcontractor, its affiliates, partners, parent(s), subsidiaries, and related organizations, if any, that may affect or impact its performance with the requirements of the Contract;

A statement describing whether the Bidder or any employee or Subcontractor who shall perform work under the Contract has a possible conflict of interest and, if so, the nature of that conflict and proposal to eliminate or mitigate such conflicting interest;

The names, addresses, and website URLs, if applicable, of any person or entity, if any, with which the Bidder has any direct or indirect financial, legal, contractual or other business relationship, including any Subcontractor(s), and such Subcontractors’ partners, parents, subsidiaries, and any other entity directly or indirectly related to any such Subcontractor, that may create a conflict of interest or the appearance of such a conflict, and a description explaining the exact nature of each such relationship and the possible conflict;

Any other information requested by EOHHS that, in EOHHS’ judgment, is relevant to the Bidder’s or any Subcontractor’s financial, legal, contractual, or other business interests.

If EOHHS determines that a Bidder possesses a conflicting interest, EOHHS reserves the right to propose or consider any proposal of the Bidder of any measures that would eliminate or mitigate such conflicting interest to EOHHS’ satisfaction.

Bidder’s Financial Condition The Bidder shall submit documentation to demonstrate to the satisfaction of EOHHS that the Bidder’s organization (and the Bidder’s parent organization and Subcontractors, if any), is in sound financial condition and that any significant financial problems are being addressed with appropriate corrective measures. The documents submitted must include at least complete, independent, audited financial statements for the Bidder’s (and the Bidder’s parent organization and Subcontractors, if any) last two fiscal years (if available);

EOHHS may disqualify a Bidder if the Bidder fails to submit the documents required by this section, or if the documents indicate to EOHHS, in its reasonable discretion, that the Bidder’s, the Bidder’s parent organization’s, or the Bidder’s Subcontractors’ (if any) financial condition is unsatisfactory.

Disclosure of Litigation The Bidder shall disclose any material litigation affecting its organization, if any. The Bidder shall describe any past or pending litigation related to the duties, responsibilities and role(s) foreseen for the organization(s).

Required Forms and Certifications The Bidder shall complete, sign and submit the following forms which may be downloaded from COMMBUYS. Please note that bidders do not need to complete the Standard Contract Form Instructions, the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions, and the Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Authorization Agreement but should acknowledge that they have read and understood these forms/sections in their cover letter (see Section 5.1.C):

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Standard Contract Form (complete) and Instructions (read and acknowledge – see Section 5.1.C);

Commonwealth Terms and Conditions Form (read and acknowledge – see Section 5.1.C), Massachusetts Substitute W-9 Form – Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification;

Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing;

Authorization for Electronic Funds Payment (EFT) (read and acknowledge Section 7.21); and SDP Plan Form #1 – SDP Plan Commitment as described in Section 7.15.

Programmatic Response Requirements As part of their response to this RFR, Bidders must include a written Programmatic Response describing in detail their proposal to meet Project objectives and scope of work as described in Section 2 of this RFR. Programmatic Responses may not exceed 20 pages. Additional supporting documentation or mandatory forms specifically required by this RFR will not be counted in calculating the Bidder’s page limits.

Bidders should specifically discuss how their proposal will meet all Project elements described in this RFR. The Programmatic Response should, at minimum, respond to the following:

A. Describe your ability to provide coverage for services and provide your anticipated daily capacity for specimen collection. If your testing capacity varies by geography, please provide specific capacity numbers for each region as described in Appendix 1 (Western, Central, Greater Boston, Northeast, and Southeast). Bidders may suggest to EOHHS a specific address or multiple addresses for site consideration.

B. Describe the vehicles that will be used to deploy mobile testing, as well as any associated structures you have available to use, if necessary, such as tents for use at a drive-through testing site. If you do not already own these structures, please describe your intended acquisition process, including any names and contact information for partnering organizations. Please describe your intended process for travel to the sites, or, in the case of establishing a walk-up or drive through site, physical set up.

C. Describe the process you will take upon receipt of Authorized Sites from EOHHS, including coordination with the Site point-of-contact, if available, and your expected turnaround time between receipt of an Authorized Site and deployment of mobile testing services, keeping in mind the minimum requirement of 48-hour turnaround between Authorized Sites.

D. Describe your registration and intake process, including your ability to schedule visits with the site at least 24 hours in advance, and your ability to register patients without pre-scheduled appointments. If applicable, describe your ability to collect patient information and schedule individual appointments in advance. Please attach any intake forms, including screenshots of digital formats, as relevant.

E. Describe your process for ordering COVID-19 tests, including how your process will differ if the patient already has a test ordered by their primary care provider or another qualified clinician.

F. Describe the process flow for a patient at an Authorized Site from the time the site is selected to the time the patient receives their test results. Please include any variations in this process based on whether or not you are able to obtain patient information in advance.

G. Describe your supply chain for PPE, testing supplies (excluding test kits), and any other necessary equipment, including names of sourcing partners. Please specify the types of testing supplies that you have on hand and the manufacture and model number of testing supplies you plan to procure.

H. Describe your staffing plan. This should include:

1. Names, titles, and contact information for all leadership roles

2. Job descriptions for each staff-level position

3. Proposed team structure with estimated headcount across all Mobile Testing Units

4. Proposed team structure with estimated headcount for individual Mobile Testing Units

5. Explanation of how staffing plan will be flexible to changes in site requirements I. Describe your proposed process for coordinating with the Broad Institute, or with an alternative processing lab at the direction of EOHHS:

1. Specimen transportation plan

2. Electronic test result communication plan between testing provider and the Broad Institute, including staff involved and technology used

3. Test result communication plan between testing provider and patient/patient’s PCP, including staff involved, technology used, and expected turnaround times between receipt of results from the laboratory and communication of the result to the patient/patient’s PCP J. Describe how you will ensure that follow-up counseling is provided to all COVID-19 positive patients, either directly or through coordination with the patient’s PCP, if any, and any other medical provider designated by the patient at intake. Additionally, describe how you will must share the test result with its associated ordering provider in all cases, including when the ordering provider is not directly contracted by Contractor. Make sure to include specific processes for the following in your response:

1. Patient has an existing provider that you are able to contact

2. Patient has an existing provider that you are unable to contact

3. Patient has no existing provider relationships K. Describe how you will ensure linguistically competent care as well as accessible care to patients who are deaf and hard of hearing at all testing sites.

L. Describe your customer service plan, including the availability of a toll-free customer service telephone line and email address where patients can obtain information about the status of their test result and ask general questions. At minimum, the service line is expected to be staffed during the hours the testing site is operating and have a voicemail system to record patient messages 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Patients' phone and email inquiries are expected to be resolved within 24 hours. Please include a staffing plan and a description of your past experience with customer service operations if applicable.

M. Describe the appropriate licenses or waivers you have in place to perform all required medical services.

N. Describe your reporting plan for submitting all required information to EOHHS, either as described in this RFR or as required by the Department of Public Health.

O. Describe the anticipated costs associated with Project activities, and how you intend to ensure that you can sustainably provide the testing described in this RFR.

P. Describe your ability to ensure compliance with all state and federal laws and regulations applicable to the privacy and security of personal and other confidential information related requirements, including a HIPAA-compliant electronic recordkeeping system.

RESPONSE EVALUATION PROCESS

Response Review A. Responses submitted under this RFR shall be evaluated by an Evaluation Committee (the “Committee”) appointed by EOHHS on a rolling basis, as they are received. In addition to the information provided in a Bidder’s response, the Committee may consider any relevant information about the Bidder known to EOHHS.

B. The Committee shall review each Business Response, Programmatic Response, and Cost Response to ensure that the Bidder’s response satisfies the requirements identified in this RFR.

C. EOHHS may, in its sole discretion and at its convenience, elect to visit or inspect any of a Bidder’s offices, facilities or resources prior to executing a Contract under this RFR. Such a visit or inspection could include a detailed review of the Bidder’s operations and systems relevant to this RFR. Failure to agree to such an inspection may result in rejection of the Bidder’s response.

D. EOHHS reserves the right to request, verify and contact references from any Bidder at any time prior to executing a Contract under this RFR.

Award Recommendations and Approval A. For each submitted response, the Committee shall determine whether the Bidder met the requirements outlined within this RFR. If the Bidder has met the requirements, the Committee will recommend to the Secretary of EOHHS or her designee that EOHHS enter into Contract negotiations with that Bidder. The Secretary’s decision shall consider the Committee’s recommendation and the best interests of the Commonwealth. EOHHS is under no obligation to award a Contract pursuant to this RFR.

B. Upon decision from the Secretary of EOHHS, the Committee will notify the Bidder that EOHHS wishes to enter into Contract negotiations. Contractors will be expected to engage with EOHHS in discussions regarding Project launch and ongoing operations. EOHHS may negotiate a change in any element of Contract performance or cost identified in the original RFR or the selected Bidder’s response which results in a better value to the Commonwealth.

C. The award of a Contract under this RFR shall be subject to sufficient appropriation, availability of state and federal funds, all necessary state and federal approvals, and successful negotiation of Contract terms.

Non-compliance and Clarifications A. EOHHS reserves the right to reject a Bidder’s response at any time during the evaluation process if the Bidder:

1. Fails to demonstrate to EOHHS’s satisfaction that it meets all requirements of this RFR;

2. Fails to submit all required information or otherwise satisfy all response requirements in Section 5;

3. Has any interest that may, in EOHHS’s sole determination, conflict with performance of services for the Commonwealth or be anti-competitive; or

4. Rejects or qualifies its agreement to any of the mandatory provisions of this RFR or the Commonwealth’s Standard Contract or Terms and Conditions.

B. The Committee may determine that non-compliance with an RFR requirement is not material. In such cases, the Committee may seek clarification, allow the Bidder to make minor corrections, consider the non-compliance when evaluating the response, or apply a combination of all three remedies.

C. The Committee may seek clarification from the Bidder if it determines some element of a Bidder’s response requires clarification or correction.

RFR INFORMATION

Issuing Office Executive Office of Health and Human Services One Ashburton Place, 11th Floor Boston, MA 02108 Requirements of 801 CMR 21.00 The terms of 801 CMR 21.00: Procurement of Commodities and Services are incorporated by reference into this RFR. Words used in this RFR shall have the meanings defined in 801 CMR 21.00. Additional definitions may also be identified in this RFR. 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.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Standard Contract Form and Terms and Conditions Any Bidder selected as the Contractor shall agree to and abide by the terms of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Standard Contract Form and Terms and Conditions (See Section 5.2.F). EOHHS is prohibited from amending these documents or agreeing to any change in the language. Any Bidder suggestion or requirement altering these documents will be disregarded.

COMMBUYS Market Center COMMBUYS is the official source of information for this procurement (known as a Bid in COMMBUYS terminology) and is publicly accessible at no charge at www.commbuys.com. Information contained in this RFR document and in COMMBUYS, including file attachments, and information contained in the related Questions and Answers (Q&A), if any, are all components of the procurement.

Bidders are solely responsible for obtaining all information distributed for this procurement via COMMBUYS.

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

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

· Any Q&A records related to this procurement.

The Commonwealth accepts no responsibility and will provide no accommodation to Bidders who submit a Response to this RFR (known as a Quote in COMMBUYS terminology) based on an out-of-date information received from any source other than COMMBUYS.

COMMBUYS Registration: Bidders may elect to obtain a free COMMBUYS Vendor registration which provides value-added features, including automated e-mail 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 Vendor account.

All Bidders submitting a Quote (also referred to as Response) in response to this Bid (also referred to as the RFR) agree that, if awarded a contract: (1) they will maintain an active vendor account in COMMBUYS; (2) 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; and (3) 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.

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.

Questions specific to COMMBUYS should be made to the COMMBUYS Help Desk at commbuys@mass.gov.

Bidder Communications RFR Contact Bidders are prohibited from communicating directly with any employee of EOHHS 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, except as specified in this RFR.

RFR Contact:

Melissa Morrison, Procurement Coordinator Executive Office of Health & Human Services One Ashburton Place, 11th Floor Boston, MA 02108 E-mail: Melissa.Morrison@mass.gov Electronic Communication/Update of Bidder’s/Contractor’s Contact Information.

It is the responsibility of the prospective Bidder and awarded Contractor to keep current the e-mail address of the Bidder’s contact person and prospective Contract Manager, if awarded a Contract, and to monitor that e-mail inbox for communications from EOHHS, including requests for clarification. EOHHS and the Commonwealth assume no responsibility if a prospective Bidder’s/awarded Contractor’s designated e-mail address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with the prospective Bidder’s/awarded Contractor’s computer, network or internet service provider (ISP) cause e-mail communications sent to/from the prospective Bidder/awarded Contractor and EOHHS to be lost or rejected by any means including e-mail or spam filtering.

Reasonable Accommodation Bidders with disabilities or hardships that seek reasonable accommodation, which may include the receipt of RFR information in an alternative format, must communicate such requests in writing to the RFR Contact. Requests for accommodation will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. A Bidder requesting accommodation must submit a written statement which describes the Bidder’s disability and the requested accommodation to the contact person for the RFR. EOHHS reserves the right to reject unreasonable requests.

RFR Copies Bidders should download all RFR documents from COMMBUYS. No paper copies of the RFR or any of its components will be supplied unless the request satisfies the conditions specified in Section 7.5.C. If a Bidder is having trouble obtaining any required attachments electronically through COMMBUYS, the Bidder should contact the COMMBUYS Help Desk at commbuys@mass.gov or call the Help Desk during normal business hours (8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. ET Monday-Friday) at 1-888-627-8283 or 617-720-3197.

RFR Questions Bidders may make written inquiries concerning this RFR until no later than the date and time specified in Section 2.5 of this RFR. Written inquiries must be submitted to the RFR Contact via e-mail to the email address listed in Section 7.5.A above. Questions should be in the body of the e-mail or in a plain text Word document (i.e., without tables). The Bid Q&A functionality in COMMBUYS will not be used for this RFR.

EOHHS will review inquiries received by the deadline and, at its discretion, prepare written responses to questions which EOHHS determines to be of general interest and/or may help to clarify the RFR. Any written response will be posted on COMMBUYS. Only written responses will be binding on EOHHS.

RFR Errors In the event this RFR contains errors, EOHHS may correct such errors at any time prior to contract execution. Corrections to this RFR will be posted on COMMBUYS.

Amendment or Withdrawal of RFR EOHHS reserves the right to amend the RFR at any time prior to execution of a Contract and to terminate this procurement in whole or in part at any time before execution of a Contract. If EOHHS decides to amend or clarify any part of this RFR, any written amendment will be posted on COMMBUYS.

Costs Costs 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.

Acceptance of Response Content The entire contents of the Bidder’s response shall be binding on the Bidder. The specifications and contents of a successful Bidder’s response may be incorporated into the Contract.

Alter…