Cherelle Parker, Mayor

Francis X. Bielli, Executive Director, Board of Pensions and Retirement

The City of Philadelphia

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR

MORTALITY VERIFICATION SERVICES

WORK SUMMARY:

This Request for Proposal (“RFP”) is being issued by the City of Philadelphia Board of Pensions for the purpose of hiring a vendor to provide death audit and related mortality verification services for the Board of Pensions & Retirement.

RFP ISSUE DATE:

August 14, 2026

OFFICIAL RFP CONTACT:

Aiween Rattliff, Pensions Audit Manager

Aiween.Rattliff@phila.gov

RESPONSE DEADLINE:

No later than 5 pm Philadelphia Time on September 18, 2026. A complete proposal must be submitted by this time to be considered. Proposals in-process are incomplete.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

All proposals must be submitted electronically to the correct contract opportunity established for this RFP (identified by opportunity number) through eContract Philly at https://philawx.phila.gov/econtract/

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Values

1.2 Contracting with the City of Philadelphia

1.3 Contacting Us

1.4 Feedback about this RFP

2. THE OPPORTUNITY

2.1 Summary

2.2 Background

2.3 RFP Schedule

2.4 Outcome Goals

2.5 Award Terms

3. SCOPE OF WORK

3.1 Description of Services

3.2 Performance Metrics, Contract Management & Payments

4. HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSE

4.1 What You Must Include in Your Proposal

4.2 How To Submit Your Application

4.3 Proposal Binding

5. HOW WE CHOOSE

6. GENERAL RULES GOVERNING RFPs/PROPOSALS

6.1 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

6.2 Special Rules Applicable to Joint Ventures

6.3 Mandatory Political Contribution Disclosures and Penalties

6.4 Political Contribution Limits for City Contractors

6.5 City Employee Conflict Provision

6.6 Reservation of Rights

6.7 Confidentiality and Public Disclosure

APPENDICES

Appendix A – General Provisions

Appendix B - City of Philadelphia Tax and Regulatory Status and Clearance Statement .. 25

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Values

The City of Philadelphia is committed to ensuring all businesses have access to contracting opportunities with the City and seeks to promote the economic development of small and local businesses.

1.2 Contracting with the City of Philadelphia

Consistent with our values, the City requires that all contractors and subcontractors comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and policies, including:

Please closely review the City’s contract attachments including the standard terms and conditions found in the General Provisions under Appendix A of this RFP. Any contract resulting from this RFP will incorporate and be governed by these documents.

1.3 Contacting Us

For technical assistance with the eContract Philly website, email eContractPhilly@phila.gov or call

(215) 686-4914.

• Please note the phone number provided is not a live helpline.

IF ELIGIBLE, YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO:

✓ Apply for Local Business Entity (LBE) certification with City’s Procurement Department. If you provide your LBE status and/or promise to have a Local Impact, this must be used by the contracting department as a positive factor in evaluation and potential selection.

Additionally, some opportunities are exclusively reserved for LBE certified businesses.

✓ Get Paid Faster! Enroll on the Vendor Payment Portal to effortlessly submit electronic invoices and monitor payment progress 24/7. The process of submitting invoices through the Vendor Payment Portal is user-friendly, efficient, and free.

CITY BUSINESS

LICENSES AND

PERMIT

REQUIREMENTS

PAYMENT OF CITY

BUSINESS TAXES

OR OTHER

INDEBTEDNESS

OWED TO THE CITY

CHAPTER 17-1300.

PHILADELPHIA 21ST

CENTURY MINIMUM

WAGE AND BENEFITS

STANDARD

1 2 3 mailto:eContractPhilly@phila.gov https://www.phila.gov/services/business-self-employment/bidding-on-a-city-contract/get-certified-as-a-local-business-entity/ https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvendor-payments.phila.gov%2Flogin&data=05%7C01%7CMihir.Mulloth%40phila.gov%7Cd3a519484f624cce6fc708db9fe39835%7C2046864f68ea497daf34a6629a6cd700%7C0%7C0%7C638279572083787221%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=EktpSPaS%2B8p3KxRyI13X2Icwkl9aYLDJ0KfEzw1NsTI%3D&reserved=0 https://business.phila.gov/ https://business.phila.gov/ https://business.phila.gov/ https://business.phila.gov/ https://www.phila.gov/services/business-self-employment/business-taxes/ https://www.phila.gov/services/business-self-employment/business-taxes/ https://www.phila.gov/services/business-self-employment/business-taxes/ https://www.phila.gov/services/business-self-employment/business-taxes/ https://www.phila.gov/services/business-self-employment/business-taxes/ https://www.phila.gov/services/business-self-employment/business-taxes/ https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-296070 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-296070 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-296070 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-296070 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-296070

• Allow for two (2) business days prior to any application deadline to receive a response to your request. The City will not extend a deadline even if it has not responded to your question or request.

• All other questions regarding the RFP, including substantive questions, must be submitted in accordance with Section 2.3. Applicants are otherwise prohibited from contacting City representatives concerning this RFP or related matters.

1.4 Feedback about this RFP

The City recently updated the design of the RFP we use for Professional Services, and would like feedback from vendors. If you have feedback you would like to share, please complete this voluntary survey. Thank you.

https://phila.formstack.com/forms/updated_rfp_feedback_survey https://phila.formstack.com/forms/updated_rfp_feedback_survey

2. THE OPPORTUNITY

2.1 Summary

The City of Philadelphia’s Board of Pensions & Retirement (the Board) is soliciting bids from qualified firms to provide death audit and mortality verification services, including recurring audits of the

Board’s benefit-recipient file, death certificate retrieval, and missing participant searches.

2.2 Background

Board of Pensions Overview

The City of Philadelphia Board of Pensions and Retirement (“Board”) was created by the 1951

Philadelphia Home Rule Charter (“Charter”) as an independent board, that is, one not connected to any particular City department. The composition of the Board, spelled out in the Charter, includes nine voting members and one non-voting member.

• Five of the voting members serve by virtue of their offices. They are the Director of Finance, who is the Chair of the Board under the Charter, the Managing Director, the City Solicitor, the Personnel

Director and the City Controller. The first four of these offices are positions appointed by the Mayor, who is popularly elected. The fifth, the City Controller, is also popularly elected, and is independent of the Mayor and runs for office in a different election cycle. Any of these officials may be represented by deputies.

• The other four voting members are elected at-large by the active Civil Service employees, a subset of the Participants in the Philadelphia Public Employees Retirement System (“Plan”). Historically, those elected have been union officials from AFSCME District Council 33, AFSCME District Council 47, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5 and the International Association of Firefighters Local 22.

• The non-voting member is appointed by the President of City Council.

The Board is vested under state law, the Charter and City ordinances to be trustees of the Plan, with exclusive authority and full powers to control and manage the Plan’s investments (“Fund”). The

Board acts through its Investment Committee, a committee of the whole, the actions of which are ratified by the full Board. The Board’s primary responsibilities under state law and City ordinances include, but are not limited to, the following:

• To stand in a fiduciary capacity to the Plan’s active employees, retirees, survivors and beneficiaries

(“Participants”) regarding any investments by and disbursements from the Fund.

• In managing the Fund, to act in accordance with the Prudent Investor Rule. This requires Board members to exercise a degree of judgment, skill and care which a prudent investor would use in investing the retirement funds of others, taking into account the purposes, terms, current distribution requirements, long-term needs of all Participants, suitable risk/return characteristics, sufficient diversification across investment strategies and other circumstances of the Plan. (This is a stricter standard than the Prudent Person Rule, which requires application of the standard of care a prudent person would use in managing his or her own affairs.)

• To follow the Exclusive Benefit Rule. This requires that the investments and earnings of the Fund are used for the exclusive benefit of the Participants.

• To arrange for safe custody of and account for the Fund’s assets.

• To manage the Fund on an actuarially sound basis.

• To select and retain expert consultants for actuarial analysis and for non-discretionary investment advice to the Plan generally, and in specific investment areas such as publicly traded equity and fixed income, private equity and private debt funds, hedge funds, private real estate funds, private real assets funds and other opportunistic funds.

• To adopt, and modify as needed, investment strategies which are designed to achieve the Board’s obligations and objectives.

• To select and retain competent external investment managers to execute such strategies on a discretionary basis.

• To monitor and report on investment performance by total fund, by strategy and by manager.

• To establish and maintain a system to provide pension benefits granted by City ordinance and labor agreements

Project Overview

The Board is responsible for the general administration and management of the City’s retirement system and for ensuring that retirement benefits are paid accurately and timely. The Board makes monthly benefit payments to approximately 35,000 pensioners, beneficiaries, and survivors. The

Board seeks timely and reliable notice of recipient deaths so that payments may be stopped promptly and, when payments have been made before notification, recovery efforts may begin without delay.

2.3 RFP Schedule

RFP Posted August 14. 2026

Applicant Questions Due

Applicants must submit questions regarding this opportunity by 5:00 pm on August 21, 2026, Philadelphia time. All questions must be submitted via email to

Aiween.Rattliff@phila.gov

Answers Posted on eContract

Philly September 4, 2026, 5pm Philadelphia time

Proposals Due September 18, 2026, 5pm Philadelphia time

Applicant Interviews, Presentations

TBD

Applicant Selection November 13, 2026

Contract Execution January 1, 2027

Commencement of Work January 1, 2027

The above dates are estimates only. Notice of changes in any pre-proposal meeting or site visit date, time or location, due date for Applicant questions, or proposal due date will be posted as a notice/Addendum with the original RFP on eContract Philly and will become a part of the RFP.

2.4 Outcome Goals

The Department’s objective for this project is to receive timely, accurate mortality information that enables the Board to stop payments to deceased recipients before overpayments occur; promptly begin recovery when an overpayment has been made; obtain death certificates when needed; and locate missing participants in accordance with applicable due-diligence standards.

2.5 Award Terms

It is anticipated that the initial term of the Contract shall commence on January 1, 2027 (the “Initial

Term”) and, unless sooner terminated by the City pursuant to the terms of the Contract, shall expire on or about December 31, 2027. The City may, at its sole option, amend the Contract to add up to four

(4) additional successive one-year terms (“Additional Terms”). Except as may be stated otherwise in such amendment, the terms and conditions of this Contract shall apply throughout each Additional

Term.

Term

The term of this contract is expected to start on or about January 1, 2027, and end on or about December 31, 2027.

The City may, at its sole option, amend the contract to add up to four (4) additional successive one-year terms, each not to exceed one year.

Compensation Contract will state maximum compensation including all expenses.

Cost Proposal Type Fixed Fee / Fixed Unit Pricing

Terms of Payment Monthly invoicing after performance and acceptance of services

3. SCOPE OF WORK

The Board requires death audit and mortality verification services. The Applicant’s proposed scope of work should state in detail how it will provide the required services, including the personnel/job titles responsible for providing each service. Applicants may propose additional tasks, methods, or services, but should explain why each is necessary to achieve the project objectives.

The selected provider will conduct at least weekly death audits of the Board’s benefit-recipient file, retrieve death certificates upon request, and conduct missing participant searches. The Board will provide an updated recipient file each month containing relevant identifying information, including name, Social Security number, and date of birth.

a. Identify deceased recipients and report any mismatches among name, date of birth, and Social

Security number information.

b. Obtain and provide death certificates for deceased recipients identified through the audits, as requested by the Board. The Board estimates that it may request approximately 500 death certificates annually.

c. Conduct missing participant searches, as requested, that meet ERISA and PBGC “due diligence” requirements for benefit mailings and plan terminations. The Board estimates that it will submit approximately 10 to 20 names for search each month.

The Applicant’s proposed scope of work should address each objective specifically and describe in detail how the Applicant will achieve the objective, protect the Board’s data, and provide the required results and tangible work products.

3.1 Description of Services

A. Project Details

The Board’s objective is to be notified in a timely manner of the death of benefit recipients so that benefit payments may be terminated before overpayments are made and, when a payment has been made before notification, immediate recovery efforts may be implemented.

• Conduct at least weekly death audits of the Board’s benefit-recipient file. The Board will provide an updated file each month containing pertinent information, including name, Social Security number, and date of birth, for approximately 35,000 monthly recipients.

Audit results must identify deceased recipients and any mismatches among name, date of birth, and Social Security number information. The selected Applicant will be responsible for the cost of benefit overpayments resulting from its failure to report the death of a benefit recipient as required by the contract.

• Provide death certificate retrieval services. The selected Applicant will obtain and provide the Board with death certificates for deceased recipients identified through the death audits, as requested by the Board. The Board estimates that it may require approximately 500 death certificates annually.

• Conduct missing participant searches, as requested, that meet ERISA and PBGC “due diligence” requirements for benefit mailings and plan terminations. The Board estimates that it will submit approximately 10 to 20 names for search each month.

This Section 3.1, Description of Services, states the requirements for the project, including the services and tangible work products to be delivered and the tasks the Department has identified as necessary to meet those requirements. The Department reserves the right to modify specific requirements based on changed circumstances, the proposal selection process, and contract negotiations with the Applicant(s) selected for negotiations, with or without issuing a revised RFP. The Applicant must provide a detailed proposed scope of work showing how it will meet the project requirements stated in this Section 3.1.

B. Monitoring; Security

By submission of a proposal in response to this RFP, the Applicant agrees that it will comply and cooperate with all contract and compliance monitoring and evaluation activities undertaken by the City of Philadelphia and with all security policies and requirements of the City. Because the work requires access to personally identifiable information, including

Social Security numbers and dates of birth, the selected Applicant must use secure methods to receive, store, process, and transmit the Board’s data; restrict access to authorized personnel; maintain appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards; and comply with HIPAA if applicable.

C. Reporting Requirements

The successful Applicant shall report to the City of Philadelphia on a regular basis regarding the status of the project and its progress in providing the contracted services and/or products. At a minimum, the successful Applicant shall provide secure audit-result reports identifying deceased recipients and data mismatches; status information for requested death certificates and missing participant searches; and a monthly invoice detailing the services and/or products provided, the goals/tasks accomplished, and the associated costs.

If hourly rates are charged for any approved service, the invoice must also detail the number of hours, the hourly rate, and the individual who performed the service.

D. Specific Performance Standards

The selected Applicant must complete death audits at least weekly and provide complete, accurate, and securely transmitted results in the format and within the timeframes agreed upon by the parties. The City reserves the right to reject any item of work that does not meet the Department’s minimum standards of performance and quality or that does not conform to the contract scope of work. The City shall not be obligated to pay for rejected work.

E. Cost Proposal

Applicants must provide a detailed cost proposal with a line-item breakdown for each service and work product proposed. The proposal should separately state: (1) any implementation or setup fee; (2) the fixed monthly or annual price for recurring death audit services; (3) the fixed unit price for each death certificate; (4) the fixed unit price for each missing participant search; and (5) pricing for any optional services. The proposed prices must include all costs that will be charged to the City, including employee compensation and fringe benefits; communication; printing; administrative expenses;

travel, if approved; project management; development; testing; implementation;

maintenance; training; and all other work proposed. Any contract resulting from this RFP will provide for a not-to-exceed amount in the compensation section of the contract.

F. Organization and Personnel Requirements

Respondents must have the capacity, personnel, data sources, and operational processes necessary to perform recurring mortality verification services accurately and timely.

Applicants should demonstrate relevant experience providing death audit, death certificate retrieval, missing participant search, or comparable services for public pension systems, governmental entities, financial institutions, or other organizations that administer recurring benefit payments.

The proposal must identify all personnel who will perform work on the project by education level, skill set (described in detail), experience level, and job title. Resumes of all personnel so identified should be included in the Applicant’s proposal.

G. Technology Capabilities

The selected Applicant must be able to exchange files and reports electronically through secure methods approved by the Board; match and validate identifying information across appropriate mortality-data sources; maintain an auditable record of searches and results;

and provide reports in a format that can be reviewed and used by Board staff. The

Applicant should describe its data sources, matching methodology, update frequency, quality-control procedures, information-security practices, business-continuity capabilities, and any system or file-format requirements.

3.2 Performance Metrics, Contract Management & Payments

Performance Metrics

The City of Philadelphia is interested in identifying metrics in order to monitor and improve performance during the life of the contract. The Board has identified the following areas for measurement and will work with the awarded provider(s) to add to or refine this list during contract negotiations. The final set of performance metrics and frequency of collection will be negotiated by each successful Applicant and the Board prior to finalization of an agreement and may be adjusted over time as needed.

Metrics may include completion of at least weekly death audits; timeliness and completeness of death notifications; accuracy of recipient matching and mismatch identification;

turnaround and fulfillment rates for death certificate requests; turnaround and completeness of missing participant searches; secure and incident-free handling of Board data; responsiveness to Board inquiries; and accuracy and completeness of reports and invoices.

The City reserves the right to reject any item of work that does not meet the Department’s minimum standards of performance and quality, or that does not conform to the contract scope of work. The

City shall not be obligated to pay for rejected work.

Contract Performance Monitoring

As part of the City of Philadelphia’s commitment to improved outcomes, the City seeks to actively and regularly monitor service delivery to enhance contract management, improve results, and adjust service delivery based on learning what works. Reliable and relevant data is necessary to drive service improvements, ensure compliance, inform trends to be monitored, and evaluate results and performance. As such, the City reserves the right to request/collect other key data and metrics from providers related to the performance of the contract and to reject any item of work that does not meet the performance standards described in the contract.

How We Will Pay the Selected Applicant

The contract for the selected provider will include a contract maximum amount that cannot be exceeded without a written contract amendment. Applicants must provide fixed pricing by service category as described in Section 3.1. Monthly invoices must itemize recurring death audit fees, death certificates provided, missing participant searches completed, and any other approved services.

Proposed prices must include all costs that will be charged to the City for the services and tangible work products the Applicant proposes to perform and deliver. Any contract resulting from this RFP will provide for a not-to-exceed amount in the compensation section of the contract.

4. HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSE

4.1 What You Must Include in Your Proposal

For your proposal to be considered, proposals must be submitted:

a) electronically;

b) through the City’s designated system (not email);

c) before the deadline; and,

d) signed by an authorized representative of the Applicant.

Additionally, your proposal must include the information listed in the Proposal Requirements below and be organized in the order shown. Failure to submit your proposal in the manner and format required by this RFP may result in your proposal being rejected.

Proposal Requirements:

1. Table of Contents

2. Introduction/Executive Summary (Give a short description of your proposal.)

Provide an overview of your company, the goods or services you offer and how you plan to meet the

City’s needs.

3. Applicant Profile (Tell the City about yourself).

Please complete the Applicant information sheet and include it with your proposal submission.

Part 1. Please provide the following for the Applicant’s Business:

1. Name of Business

2. Business Address

3. Telephone Number

4. Fax Number (if applicable)

5. E-mail Address

6. Website Address

7. Federal Taxpayer Identification Number or Federal Employer Identification Number

Part 2. Please provide the following for the Applicant’s Primary Contact:

1. Name

2. Job Title

3. Address

4. Telephone Number

5. Fax Number (if applicable)

6. E-mail Address

Part 3. Please provide a description of the Applicant’s business background by answering the following:

1. What is the Applicant’s Business Organization type (i.e. corporation, partnership, LLC, for or not for profit, etc.)?

2. Is the Applicant’s Business registered to do business in Philadelphia and/or Pennsylvania?

3. What is the country and state of the Applicant’s business’ formation?

4. How many years has the Applicant’s business been operating?

5. What is the primary mission of the Applicant’s business?

6. What is the Applicant’s significant business experience?

4. Proposed Scope of Work (Tell the City what you propose to do).

Review Section 3 of this RFP, “Scope of Work” and directly state what services and materials you will provide to meet the City’s described needs. Be specific, and, as necessary, describe your services and materials in plain language for the evaluation team to understand. Include a proposed budget or cost proposal, and a schedule for when the services and materials will be provided.

5. Statement of Qualifications; Relevant Experience (Tell the City why you are the best choice).

Provide a statement of your relevant qualifications and demonstrate how your experience meets or exceeds the City’s requirements. Include a list and description of similar projects you have worked on, including the number of such projects and the amount of time spent on them.

6. References (Tell us who can vouch for similar work you have completed).

Provide at least three references, preferably for projects that are similar to the work sought by this

RFP. Include the company/entity, a contact person’s name, the contact person’s title, their address, their email address, and telephone number. The more similar the reference is to the City the better, such as other local government entities.

7. Proposed Subcontractors (Tell the City who will work with you).

Please provide a complete list of prospective subcontractors with whom you plan to work on this project. Include:

• Company Name

• EIN

• Scope of Work

• Percentage of total work allocated to each firm

8. Requested Exceptions to Contract Terms (Tell the City any changes you would like to the contract).

In exceptional cases, a successful Applicant might be afforded exceptions to the City’s Contract

Terms. State if you would like to request exceptions to the City’s Contract Terms, including those contained in this RFP, including Appendix A and any other documents incorporated by link or reference. Identify the location of the proposed change as well as possible (noting the document, section, heading, and page), the reason for the change request, and proposed alternative language.

The City may consider your proposed changes or may disqualify your proposal at its option.

However, please be aware that exceptions are not made often and so you should thoroughly explain why the change is necessary and appropriate for the contract. Any proposed exceptions to the City’s

Contract Terms are subject to various internal review procedures before they can be accepted.

Note: Your proposal is a binding offer to contract and failure to propose exceptions binds you to the

City’s terms, if your proposal is accepted.

9. Tax and Regulatory Status and Clearance Statement (Certify that you do not owe the City).

Obtain a Tax Clearance Certificate and complete Appendix B attesting to Applicant’s tax and regulatory compliance with the City.

10. Disclosure of Litigation, Administrative Proceedings, and Contract Defaults (Tell the City about any legal proceedings or contract disputes your company or its leaders were involved with).

Provide a description of any legal proceedings or contract disputes in the past five (5) years that might affect your business, finances, or ability to perform the work described by this RFP. Include all instances of litigation, bankruptcy, debarment, suspension, contract default claims, any criminal conviction or indictments, settlements, and court or administrative orders. For each matter, state the name and nature of the matter, the parties involved, and its current status. For contract disputes, provide the name and contact information for the opposing party. Provide the same information for any matter involving an officer, director, principal, partner, or affiliate of the

Applicant, and for any intended subcontractor of the Applicant.

11. Statement of Financial Capacity (Demonstrate how stable your business is).

Provide documentation demonstrating fiscal solvency and financial capability to perform the work sought by this RFP. You may include any of the following:

• A general, independent statement of the Applicant’s financial condition, prepared by an external auditor or accountant;

• Applicant’s most recent audited or unaudited financial statements, including:

o Balance Sheet, o Income Statement, or o Cashflow Statement;

• Most recent IRS Form 990 (for non-profit organizations only); or,

• Any other documentation that demonstrates your financial capacity to meet the requirements of this RFP.

12. Local Business Entity or Local Impact Certification (Tell the City if you are a local business or how you envision affecting the local economy).

The City is committed to leveraging its buying power to uplift and grow our local economy, which will result in more jobs for Philadelphians, including local and small businesses. For this reason, the City will consider local impact as a significant factor in our proposal evaluation for this contracting opportunity. If you meet the requirements of a certified Local Business Entity (LBE), we strongly recommend that you get certified for free by following the steps found HERE and include a copy of your certification with your proposal and/or include a statement about how you envision impacting the local economy through this work.

For contracts valued at $1 million or more annually, please also detail in your proposal the local impact if you are awarded the contract, by including the following information:

a. Anticipated quality jobs created or sustained in Philadelphia through the contract;

b. Anticipated hiring of Philadelphia residents to perform work under the contract;

c. Will you open offices in Philadelphia if awarded the contract?;

d. Are you planning to form a joint venture or subcontract with any Philadelphia-based entities? If so, please detail those arrangements; and,

e. Any other information you deem relevant to demonstrating local impact.

13. Disclosure Requirements (Tell the City about your political contributions).

Excess political contributions to City candidates and incumbents can disqualify you from a City contract. Complete the mandatory disclosures required as part of the electronic application process in eContract Philly, including any local political campaign contributions, by selecting “Apply for

Contract” from the opportunity information screen (where this RFP was located). Additional information and instructions are located under the “Disclosure/Eligibility” tab on the top of the eContract Philly homepage. Please make sure to review these requirements closely before completing these disclosure forms.

4.2 How To Submit Your Application

Online Submission Required by the Application Deadline

You must complete your application through eContract Philly before the deadline to be considered for this contract opportunity. Proposals may be changed at any time up until the submission deadline and the City will not review your proposal until after the deadline. The proposal is not considered submitted until the “submit” button is pressed at the conclusion of the eContract Philly submission process. You will receive a confirmation email that your Application was submitted.

Applicants are encouraged to allow sufficient time to complete the application process in order to become familiar with the requirements of the eContract Philly interface, upload all required documents, and resolve any technical issues prior to the submission deadline. The City need not accept, and may discard, responses that are incomplete, late, or submitted in any other format.

Electronic File Limitations eContract Philly accepts attachments up to 8MB of the following file types: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Project, Adobe PDF or in a compressed zip file. Larger attachments must be split into smaller attachments to accommodate this file size limitation. There is no limit to the number of attachments that may be uploaded.

https://www.phila.gov/services/business-self-employment/bidding-on-a-city-contract/get-certified-as-a-local-business-entity/ https://philawx.phila.gov/ECONTRACT/default.aspx

Every Entity Applies for Itself

Except in the case of Joint Ventures, which follow special rules described below, every entity must apply for itself. If the prospective applicant is not already registered with eContract Philly, you must first register for an account before you can apply to this opportunity. Note that each legal entity must have a separate account; you may not utilize or repurpose another entity’s account for this application. To identify each legal entity, the eContract Philly application system uses an entity’s

Taxpayer Identification Number, either a Social Security Number (SSN) or Employer Identification

Number (EIN). Make sure the Tax Identification Number associated with your profile matches the

Tax Identification Number of the company that is applying. Applications from an affiliated entity or made on another entity’s behalf will cause the City to reject the proposal.

See the Joint Venture rules if you are applying on behalf of a Joint Venture.

Use the Submission Checklist Below

This is a tool to help you to submit a complete, accurate, responsive, and on time application.

DOES MY RESPONSE MEET THE PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS?

Did you submit the proposal before the stated deadline of this RFP?

Did the proposal explain how Applicant meets the goals and objectives, tasks, milestones, and deliverables, and other requirements described by the Department in the Opportunity and Scope of Work sections?

Does your cost proposal meet the requirements under “Compensation”?

Does your service proposal meet the requirements under “Description of Services”?

Does your proposal meet the overall format and content requirements described in “What you must include in your proposal”?

If eligible, did you enroll with the City’s Vendor Payment Portal to effortlessly submit electronic invoices and monitor payment progress 24/7?

Did you review the entire RFP and contract attachments, including the Contract Terms and

Conditions, and request any exceptions? You must propose contract language changes with your proposal or the City’s terms are deemed accepted.

Was the proposal submitted electronically through eContract Philly?

Did you complete the mandatory political contribution disclosures through the application?

Was the proposal submitted to the correct opportunity number?

https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvendor-payments.phila.gov%2Flogin&data=05%7C01%7CMihir.Mulloth%40phila.gov%7Cd3a519484f624cce6fc708db9fe39835%7C2046864f68ea497daf34a6629a6cd700%7C0%7C0%7C638279572083787221%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=EktpSPaS%2B8p3KxRyI13X2Icwkl9aYLDJ0KfEzw1NsTI%3D&reserved=0

Was the application signed by clicking on the “submit” button at the conclusion of the eContract Philly submission process? The proposal is not considered submitted until this button is pressed, regardless of when you started to complete the proposal.

You will receive an email acknowledgment of your submission.

Was the individual who signed the application authorized to sign on behalf of the

Applicant? For more information on who is authorized to sign your application, please see page 32 of the sample application found on eContract Philly here. You must be logged in to eContract Philly to access the document.

Does the Applicant’s eContract Philly Profile match the Applicant information provided in the proposal? Do the Taxpayer Identification Numbers match? (Do not use the SSN of the person filling out the proposal, unless the contract will be with that actual person; use the number of the entity applying and on its eContract Philly profile.)

Special Rule for Joint Ventures

4.3 Proposal Binding

Your proposal is a binding offer to contract for what you propose. Each Applicant agrees that it will be bound by the terms of its proposal for a minimum of 180 calendar days from the application deadline for this RFP and will enter a contract containing the same terms. If the City accepts your proposal as submitted, the City need not negotiate additional or different terms. Applicants must state clearly and conspicuously any modifications, waivers, objections, or exceptions they seek in a separate section of the proposal entitled “Requested Exceptions to Contract Terms.”

The City reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to negotiate terms and conditions different from and/or additional to the Contract Terms without notice to other Applicants.

5. HOW WE CHOOSE

The City will consider many factors, including cost, when evaluating proposals submitted to this RFP. While cost is an important factor, it is not the sole, or necessarily the deciding factor. The City may choose to award the contract resulting from this RFP to an Applicant whose proposal is the most advantageous to the City and in the City’s best interest even if the Applicant is not offering the lowest price.

The City will base its selection on criteria that may include, but are not limited to:

1. Superior ability or capacity to meet particular requirements of contract and needs of

City Department and those it serves

2. Eligibility under Code provisions relating to campaign contributions

3. Superior prior experience of Applicant and staff https://philawx.phila.gov/econtract/ https://philawx.phila.gov/ECONTRACT/Inc/sample_app.pdf

4. Superior quality, efficiency and fitness of proposed solution for City Department

5. Superior skill and reputation, including timeliness and demonstrable results

6. Special benefit to continuing services of incumbent, such as operational difficulties with transition or needs of population being served

7. Benefit of promoting long-term competitive development and allocation of experience to new, local, or small businesses

8. Lower cost

9. Administrative and operational efficiency, requiring less City oversight and administration

10. Anticipated long-term cost effectiveness

11. Meets prequalification requirements

12. Applicant’s certification of its Local Business Entity/Local Impact status.

If a contract is awarded from this RFP, a notice will be published on the City’s eContract

Philly website identifying the name of the selected Applicant and the basis for award to that

Applicant, as well as the names of all other Applicants to this RFP. To access this notice, select the button that says “Notice of Intent to Contract” and search for your opportunity number.

6. GENERAL RULES GOVERNING

RFPs/PROPOSALS

WHAT ARE MY RESPONSIBILITIES IF I’M AWARDED THE CONTRACT?

Maintain an active Business Income and Receipts Tax (BIRT)

Account Number.

REGISTER HERE.

Maintain an active Commercial Activity License (CAL) Number REGISTER HERE

Obtain a Philadelphia Tax and Regulatory Status Clearance and return Appendix B and stay current with all City and School

District taxes and fees or payment plans.

OBTAIN A TAX

CLEARANCE

CERTIFICATE HERE

Continuously disclose your political contributions and stay under the contribution limits that allow you to be awarded a contract.

SEE THE

“DISCLOSURE/

ELIGIBILITY” TAB ON

ECONTRACT PHILLY

HERE FOR MORE

INFORMATION

Submit all Contracting Disclosures requirements. Provide demographic information about your workforce and your work for the City in the past five years (This is only required once an organization is awarded a contract with the City of

Philadelphia).

CONTRACTING

DISCLOSURE AND

FILING INSTRUCTIONS

ARE HERE

Pay a Contract Preparation Fee

SEE AND PAY THE FEE

HERE

Contracts resulting from this RFP are “Service Contracts” and awarded Applicants, along with their subcontractors at any level, are “Service Contractors” who must comply with the 21st

Century Minimum Wage and Benefits Standard found in

Philadelphia Code Sec. 17-1300.

THE CURRENT LIVING

WAGE RATE AND

BENEFITS

REQUIREMENTS AND

APPLICABILITY CAN

BE LOCATED HERE

If the awarded contract is valued at or over $250,000, you must extend Equal Benefits to life partners of employees that are extended to spouses of its employees, under 17-1900 of the

Philadelphia Code.

INFORMATION

REGARDING EQUAL

BENEIFITS IS

LOCATED HERE

https://tax-services.phila.gov/_/ https://www.phila.gov/services/permits-violations-licenses/get-a-license/business-licenses-permits-and-approvals/get-a-commercial-activity-license/ https://www.phila.gov/services/payments-assistance-taxes/get-tax-clearance/ https://philawx.phila.gov/econtract/ https://www.phila.gov/services/business-self-employment/bidding-on-a-city-contract/file-transparency-in-business-act-disclosure-forms/ https://www.phila.gov/services/payments-assistance-taxes/pay-the-fee-for-a-professional-services-contract-online/ https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-296110 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-296544

Register for electronic payments

INSTRUCTIONS FOR

REGISTRATION CAN

BE FOUND HERE

Comply with federal Health Insurance Portability and

Accountability Act (HIPAA) if applicable.

SEE HIPAA SECTION

BELOW

6.1 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) The work to be provided under any contract entered into pursuant to this RFP may be subject to the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) or other state or federal laws or regulations governing the privacy and security of health information.

If the contract is with any of the “Covered Units” designated by the City or the chosen provider is otherwise a “Business Associate” under HIPAA, the selected Applicant must comply with the “Terms and Conditions Relating to Protected Health Information” which are posted on eContract Philly under the “About” section and which will be incorporated into the contract by reference.

6.2 Special Rules Applicable to Joint Ventures

Generally, applications submitted through eContract Philly from Applicants that purport to be filing an application on behalf of another individual or business entity will not be considered, even if the other business entity is an affiliate of the Applicant. In the case of multiple business entities that, if awarded a contract, have formed, or intend to form a joint venture to perform the contract, a single business entity may file an application on behalf of all such business entities, so long as: (i) the filing business entity is or will be a member of the joint venture, (ii) the application is made in the name of the existing or proposed joint venture, (iii) documentation is submitted with the application identifying all business entities that will comprise the joint venture, and demonstrating a binding agreement among those business entities to perform the contract as the joint venture identified in the application (for a joint venture that has not yet been formed, documentation signed by each identified business entity evidencing a commitment to form the joint venture if awarded the contract is sufficient), and (iv) the non-filing business entities are eligible for award of a City contract and make the disclosures required by Chapter 17-1400 of the Philadelphia Code (described in greater detail below) within fourteen (14) days after the joint venture receives notice that it has been awarded the contract.

6.3 Mandatory Political Contribution Disclosures and Penalties Pursuant to Chapter 17-1400 of the Philadelphia Code, Applicants are required to disclose the following as part of their required online application:

• their direct and indirect campaign contributions to:

o political candidates and incumbents who are nominated for, running for, or serving in, a local Philadelphia elected office; and https://vendor-payments.phila.gov/login https://www.phila.gov/privacypolicy/ https://philawx.phila.gov/econtract/ https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-296144 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-296144 o political committees/parties that are operating in Philadelphia1

• any consultants used in responding to the RFP and political contributions those consultants have made as described above; and

• whether the Applicant or any representative of the Applicant has received from any City employee a request for money or other items of value.

Applicants who make material misstatements or omissions in required disclosures may be prohibited from entering into contracts resulting from this or any other RFP of the City for one to three years and subjected to fines of up to three-times (3x) the amount that a contribution exceeded the political contribution limits, up to $2,000 for each contribution, pursuant to Section 20-1302 of the Philadelphia Code

For more information, please consult the text of Chapter 17-1400, the “Disclosure/Eligibility” tab on eContract Philly, e-mail econtractphilly@phila.gov, or call 215-686-4914.

6.4 Political Contribution Limits for City Contractors

The current contribution limits are adjusted every four years (starting in 2008) and are posted on the eContract Philly home page. The limits are established by law, apply continuously throughout the life of an awarded contract and for as long as the official benefiting is in office. Applicants are advised that individuals and businesses that make campaign contributions in excess of the amounts set forth in Section 17-1404(1) of the Philadelphia Code are ineligible to enter into a City contract or subcontract at any tier in excess of $10,000 for individuals or $25,000 for businesses. Contributions are attributed according to Section 17-1405 of the Philadelphia Code and Applicants should take this into consideration in electing to apply for this opportunity and in selecting subcontractors, if any.

Applicants certify that their subcontractors are eligible to work on City contracts and will be responsible for any consequence if that later proves untrue. To assist Applicants, the City has provided disclosure forms under the “Disclosure/Eligibility” “Subcontractor Disclosure” tab on eContract Philly for subcontractors to complete and provide to the Applicant at their option. These forms do not need to be submitted to the City.

6.5 City Employee Conflict Provision

City of Philadelphia employees and officials are prohibited from submitting a proposal in response to this RFP. No proposal will be considered in which a City employee or official has a direct or indirect interest.

6.6 Reservation of Rights

By submitting a response to this contract opportunity, the Applicant accepts and agrees to the City’s

Standard Reservation of Rights, linked and incorporated in this document by reference, and to the

1 State and federal campaign contributions do not have to be disclosed unless the subject/candidate in the campaign is also running for, or currently serving in a local Philadelphia elected office.

https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-301528 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-296144 https://philawx.phila.gov/econtract/ mailto:econtractphilly@phila.gov https://philawx.phila.gov/econtract/ https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-296144 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-296144 https://philawx.phila.gov/econtract/ https://philawx.phila.gov/ECONTRACT/Inc/reservation_of_rights.pdf https://philawx.phila.gov/ECONTRACT/Inc/reservation_of_rights.pdf terms of this contract opportunity, including all information contained in this RFP and information posted or accessible by link from the eContract Philly “Opportunity List” page, accessible under the

“New Contract Opportunities” tab on the eContract Philly homepage.

6.7 Confidentiality and Public Disclosure

Each Applicant shall treat all information obtained from the City as a result of this opportunity or any resultant contract, which information is not generally available to the public, as confidential and/or proprietary to the City in accordance with the terms of any resultant contract. The Applicant shall exercise all reasonable precautions to prevent any information derived from such sources from being disclosed to any other person. The Applicant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the City, its officials and employees, from and against all liability, demands, claims, suits, losses, damages, causes of action, fines and judgments (including attorney's fees) resulting from any use or disclosure of such confidential and/or proprietary information by the successful Applicant or any person acquiring such information, directly or indirectly, from the successful Applicant.

By submission of a proposal, Applicants acknowledge and agree that the City, as a municipal corporation, is subject to state and local public disclosure laws and, as such, is legally obligated to disclose to the public documents, including proposals, to the extent required thereunder. Without limiting the foregoing sentence, the City's legal obligations shall not be limited or expanded in any way by an Applicant's assertion of confidentiality and/or proprietary data.

APPENDICES

Appendix A – General Provisions

Attached as a…