Data Enrichment Services RFR.docx

REQUEST FOR RESPONSE

Supplier Diversity Data Enrichment Services RFR # SDO2024-01 / COMMBUYS Bid# BD-24-2186-SDO01-SDO01-94079

ISSUE DATE: 10/13/2023

Description or Purpose of Procurement:

The Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office (SDO) seeks to establish a pre-qualified list of companies providing Supplier Diversity Data Enrichment services. These services include, but are not limited to, appending Eligible Entities lists of suppliers with information on the vendors’ supplier diversity certifications in various jurisdictions.

Applicable Procurement Law

Executive Branch Goods and Services

Acquisition Method:

Whether Single or Multiple Contractors are Required for Contract:

Check One (“X”):

a. Estimated Number of Awards Multiple contractors will be awarded. This is a rolling enrollment bid, which means that COMMBUYS quotes may be submitted at any time after the Bid Release date (and before the contract end date) with no submission deadline. After initial contract awards are made, the SDO reserves the right to begin evaluating submissions periodically.

b. Adding Contractors after initial Contract Award If, over the life of the contract, the Purchasing Department determines that additional Contractors may be added, these may be drawn from qualified companies that responded to this Solicitation and not awarded Contracts. If necessary to meet the requirements of the Commonwealth, the Solicitation may be reopened to obtain additional Bids.

Entities Eligible to Use the Resulting Contract

· Cities, towns, districts, counties, and other political subdivisions

· Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches, including all departments and elected offices therein

· Independent public authorities, commissions, and quasi-public agencies

· Local public libraries, public school districts, and charter schools

· Public hospitals owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

· Public institutions of higher education

· Public purchasing cooperatives

· Non-profit, UFR-certified organizations that are doing business with the Commonwealth

· Commonwealth contractors and vendors interested in doing business with the Commonwealth

Each eligible entity is responsible for executing its own purchase orders and paying its own invoices for goods and/or services acquired from this Contract. Contractors will be responsible for marketing their goods and/or services to Commonwealth Agencies and other eligible entities.

Expected Duration of Contract (Initial Duration and any Options to Renew):

Initial Duration

3 years

Total Maximum Contract Duration

7 years

Anticipated Expenditures, Funding, or Compensation:

Estimated Value of Procurement: Unknown Contract Performance and Business Specifications:

Scope of Services: The Contractor shall accept electronic datasets with contact/location information of Eligible Entities’ current and/or potential suppliers and, within ten business days or less, provide the same information appended with supplier diversity attributes for vendors matching the Contractor’s records.

This contract does not cover consulting services, the creation and maintenance of custom supplier dashboards or other Software as a Service (SaaS) services, and other services not specifically named in this solicitation.

During the life of the contract, the SDO reserves the right to amend the scope of this RFR and allow awarded Contractors and new Bidders to submit proposals (Quotes) to supply additional services and/or products.

Bidder Qualifications: Bidders must be supplier diversity data enrichment service providers that own and maintain of one or more databases of diverse suppliers or authorized resellers of said service providers. Authorized resellers must submit evidence of authorization for each supplier diversity data enrichment service provider they represent.

Eligible Entity Inputs and Expected Outputs: Datasets provided by the Eligible Entity to the Contractor shall include but will not be limited to:

· Company name

· Street address

· City

· State

· Zip code For all suppliers matching its supplier diversity records, the Contractor must provide the following information:

· Matched company name

· Matched street address

· Matched city

· Matched state

· Matched zip code

· Supplier Diversity Status/Attributes (if any)

· Supplier Diversity Certifier(s) for each valid Supplier Diversity Status/Attributes It is desirable that Contractor provide the following additional information for suppliers matching its records:

· Level of match confidence

· Company phone number

· Company website

· Contact Person

· Contact Person Title

· Contact Email

· Certification Expiration Date for each valid Supplier Diversity Status/Attribute and Certifier

· NAICS code(s)

· Number of employees

· Sales

· Race/Ethnicity

· Legal structure

· Year established Supplier diversity statuses/attributes must include, at a minimum, the following certification categories, statuses and/or attributes, or equivalent:

· Minority-, Woman-, Veteran-, Service-Disabled Veteran-, Disability-, LGBT-owned Business,

· Federally-certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE), Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)

· 8(A) program participants

· HUBZone participants It is highly desirable that the output data include information on certifications issued by the following certifying organizations:

· National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) and its regional affiliates

· Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and its regional affiliates

· City of Boston

· U.S. Small Business Administration’s Veteran Business Certification (VetCert)

· NGLCC - National LGBT Chamber of Commerce

· Disability:IN (formerly The US Business Leadership Network-USBLN)

· National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA)

· Other states that conduct diversity certifications

· Other cities that conduct diversity certifications

· Other organizations that certify Minority-, Woman-, Veteran-, Service-Disabled Veteran-, Disability- and/or LGBT-owned businesses.

Demonstration Dataset: Bidders are required to submit a demonstration output dataset based on a set of 100 current supplier records, which are provided on the Data Enrichment Demo worksheet of the Bid Response Form. Bidders may append the Data Enrichment Demo dataset in its current workbook or submit a separate workbook with the original data appended with matched data from the Bidder.

Personally-identifiable Information: The Commonwealth does not intend to provide or receive any personally-identifiable or other sensitive information as part of any contract resulting from this RFR. However, the Contractor must ensure that all data provided back to an Eligible Entity is done so in a secure manner and in compliance with the data protection requirements in the Commonwealth’s Enterprise Information Security Policies and Standards.

Use of Contractor Portals: Contractors may accept supplier data from Eligible Entities and provide output for download by Eligible Entities using their web portals. Contractors utilizing such web portals must agree to the Commonwealth’s Enterprise Information Security Policies and Standards.

Any contract resulting from this RFR does not cover the creation of custom spending dashboards or the provision of any other SaaS solutions for Eligible Entities.

Contractor Selection and Negotiation: An Eligible Entity either may seek competitive quotes for a data enrichment project, or may use the contractor profile information combined with service rates to select contractors for a project. In both cases, the selection process may include interviews and negotiation of the project terms and fees.

Specific Project/Engagement Terms: Eligible Entities may require Contractors to agree to additional terms and conditions applicable to the specific project or engagement.

Service Rates: Bidders must provide their service rates using the Bid Response Form and attach it to their responses (Quotes). All rates are maximum rates, and lower rates may be offered to Eligible Entities based on the specific requirements of a project. Responses submitted by awarded vendors to Requests for Quotes or other requests issued by Eligible Entities under this contract must identify all applicable rates and incidental costs, consistent with those authorized by this contract in writing. Travel and other expenses may not be charged to the Eligible Entity. In no event will any expenses be paid without the prior written approval of the Eligible Entity.

Service rates will be firm for the duration of each contractor’s initial contract term. Any requests for rate changes must be submitted to the SDO prior to the contract renewal to be considered for the renewal period.

Small Business Purchasing Program Program Background The Massachusetts Small Business Purchasing Program (SBPP) was established pursuant to Executive Order 599 to increase state contracting opportunities with small businesses having their principal place of business within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Pursuant to the SBPP, it is the intention of the issuing department to award this Small Procurement to one or more SBPP participating business(es) as described below.

SBPP Award Preference While all businesses, no matter the size or principal place of business, may submit responses to this solicitation, should an SBPP participant respond and meet the best value criteria as described in this solicitation, the SBPP participant shall be awarded the contract. The Strategic Sourcing Services Team (SSST) will not evaluate submissions from non-SBPP participants unless no SBPP Bidder meets the SSST’s best value evaluation criteria.

SBPP Participation Eligibility To be eligible to participate in this procurement as an SBPP participant, an entity must meet the following criteria, and be marked as an SBPP-registered business in COMMBUYS:

1. Have its principal place of business in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts;

2. Been in business for at least one year;

3. Employ a combined total of 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees in all locations, or employees work less than a combined total of 26,000 hours per quarter; and

4. Have gross revenues, as reported on appropriate tax forms, of $15 million or less, based on a three-year average.

Non-profit firms also must be registered as a non-profit or charitable organization with the MA Attorney General’s Office and be up to date with all filings required by that office and be tax exempt under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code.

SBPP Compliance Requirements It is the responsibility of the Bidder to ensure that their SBPP status is current at the time of submitting a response and throughout the life of any resulting contract. Misrepresentation of SBPP status will result in disqualification from consideration, and may result in debarment, contract termination, and other actions. To learn more about the SBPP, including how to apply, visit the SBPP Webpage.

Program Resources and Assistance Bidders and Contractors seeking assistance regarding SBPP may visit the SBPP webpage, http://www.mass.gov/sbpp, or contact the SBPP Help Desk at sbpp@mass.gov.

Environmentally Preferable Products Products and services purchased by state agencies must be in compliance with Executive Order 515, issued October 27, 2009. Under this Executive Order, Executive Departments are required to reduce their impact on the environment and enhance public health by procuring environmentally preferable products and services (EPPs) whenever such products and services perform to satisfactory standards and represent best value, consistent with 801 CMR 21.00. In line with this directive, all Contracts, whether departmental or statewide, must comply with the specifications and guidelines established by OSD and the EPP Program. EPPs are products and services that help to conserve natural resources, reduce waste, protect public health and the environment, and promote the use of clean technologies, recycled materials, and less toxic products. Bid responses must identify how a contractor meets these goals.

Evaluation Criteria Bidders must submit responses that meet all the submission requirements of the RFR (See RFR Section 14). Only responsive proposals that meet the submission requirements will be evaluated and considered for award. Additional information, including Bidder References, may be requested for evaluation purposes.

Instructions for Submission of Responses:

Only electronic quotes submitted via COMMBUYS will be accepted in response to this RFR. Responses must be sent via the “Create Quote” functionality in COMMBUYS. For instructions concerning how to submit a Quote, please see Appendix B.

Any submission that fails to meet the submission requirements of the RFR will be found non-responsive without further evaluation unless the evaluation team, at its discretion, determines that the non-compliance is insubstantial and may be corrected. In these cases, the evaluation team may allow the vendor to make minor corrections to the submission.

Estimated Procurement Calendar

* Additional responses will be accepted during the life of the contract (see RFR Section 4 for more information).

Bidders are required to monitor COMMBUYS for changes to the procurement calendar for this Bid.

a. Online Questions (Bid Q&A) Written Questions must be entered using the “Bid Q&A” tab for the Bid in COMMBUYS no later than the “Online Questions Due” date and time indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above). The issuing department reserves the right to not respond to questions submitted after this date. It is the Bidder’s responsibility to verify receipt of questions.

It is the responsibility of the prospective Bidder and awarded Contractor to maintain an active registration in COMMBUYS and to keep current the email address of the Bidder’s contact person and prospective contract manager, if awarded a contract, and to monitor that email inbox for communications from the Purchasing Department, including requests for clarification. The Purchasing Department and the Commonwealth assume no responsibility if a prospective Bidder’s/awarded Contractor’s designated email 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 email communications sent to/from the prospective Bidder/Awarded contractor and the Purchasing Department to be lost or rejected by any means including email or spam filtering.

Written Responses to Questions will be released on or about the “Responses to Questions Posted Online” date indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above).

(Written questions and responses will be posted on the Bid Q&A Tab for this Bid in COMMBUYS.)

b. Bid Amendment Deadline The Purchasing Department reserves the right to make amendments to the Bid after initial publication. It is each Bidder’s responsibility to check COMMBUYS for amendments, addenda, or modifications to this Bid, and any Bid Q&A records related to this Bid. The Purchasing Department and the Commonwealth accept 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.

c. Quotes (Bid Responses) Deadline (Bid Opening Date/Time) See the Quotes (Bid Responses) Deadline (Bid Opening) Date and Time indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above).

d. Estimated Contract Start Date This is the approximate start date. The actual start date will be the Contract Effective Date which is the date the Contract is executed by the parties.

Required Forms Responses to this RFR must contain the following documents:

All Bidders are required to complete and submit a Bid Response Form, which includes two worksheets:

· Service Information and Pricing with questions regarding the size of the Bidder’s matching dataset, availability of data for desirable fields, certification organization tracked, and pricing, AND

· Data Enrichment Demo, which includes 100 supplier records for which the Bidder must submit a demonstration matched dataset. Bidders may append the Data Enrichment Demo dataset in its current workbook or submit a separate workbook with the original data appended with matched data from the Bidder.

All Bidders must complete and submit the Prompt Pay Discount Form.

Additionally, Bidders who are authorized resellers must submit evidence of authorization for each supplier diversity data enrichment service provider they represent.

The above attachments are available as part of the Bid record on COMMBUYS (WWW.COMMBUYS.COM).

RFR Appendices Appendix A: Required Specifications https://www.mass.gov/doc/rfr-required-specifications-of-commodities-and-services

Appendix B: Electronic Quote Submission Instructions https://www.mass.gov/doc/instructions-for-vendors-responding-to-bids

Acceptable Forms of Signature Effective June 15, 2021, for all 1) CTR forms, including the Standard Contract Form, W-9s, Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) forms, ISAs, and other CTR-issued documents and forms, or 2) documents related to state finance and within the statutory area of authority or control of CTR (i.e. contracts, payrolls, and related supporting documentation), CTR will accept signatures executed by an authorized signatory in any of the following ways: 1. Traditional “wet signature” (ink on paper); 2. Electronic signature that is either: a. Hand drawn using a mouse or finger if working from a touch screen device; or Page 2 b. An uploaded picture of the signatory’s hand drawn signature 3. Electronic signatures affixed using a digital tool such as Adobe Sign or DocuSign. If using an electronic signature, the signature must be visible, include the signatory’s name and title, and must be accompanied by a signature date. Please be advised that typed text of a name not generated by a digital tool such as Adobe Sign or DocuSign, even in computer-generated cursive script, or an electronic symbol, are not acceptable forms of electronic signature.

Updated: October 13, 2023 image1.jpeg