DEP-BAS-RFQ-CERO AV Upgrade-OFF50~1.docx

Maura T. Healey Governor

Kimberley Driscoll Lieutenant Governor Rebecca L. Tepper Secretary50 years protecting our Environment and Preserving our Future

Bonnie Heiple Commissioner

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THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

100 CAMBRIDGE STREET SUITE 900, BOSTON, MA 02114

Request for Quotes (RFQ) From Eligible Bidders on:

OFF50: Audio, Video, Multimedia Presentation Equipment, Supplies and Services

Document Title:

MassDEP CERO AV Upgrade

Agency Document Numbers: FY25 AV Upgrade

COMMBUYS Document #: BD-25-1045-BAS00-BAS01-113336

February 28th 2025

1.0 GENERAL PROCUREMENT INFORMATION

This RFQ is restricted to vendors on the following statewide contract:

1. Master Service Agreement OFF50 - Audio, Video, Multimedia Presentation Equipment, Supplies and Services

Boston, MA 02114

RFQ File Number and Title: BD-25-1045-BAS00-BAS01-113336

The resulting contract will be governed by the terms of the statewide contract under which it is made, OFF50. This Request for Quotes (RFQ) does not commit the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Commonwealth), the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), or the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) to approve a Statement of Work (SOW), pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a bidder’s response to this RFQ, or to procure or contract for products or services. DEP reserves the right to accept or reject any and all proposals received as a result of this RFQ and to contract for some, all, or none of the services as a result of this RFQ. DEP further reserves the right to negotiate with any or all qualified bidders and to cancel this RFQ in part or in its entirety if it is in the best interest of DEP or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to do so. DEP reserves the right to amend this RFQ at any time prior to the date the responses are due.

2.0 AGENCY

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is soliciting bids to procure modern and user-friendly AV equipment in the main conference rooms at DEP’s Central Worcester Office per room characteristics and general usage.

3.0 DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE OF PROCUREMENT

3.1 Procurement Scope and Description

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is seeking quotes from qualified vendors on statewide contracts OFF50: Audio, Video, Multimedia Presentation Equipment, Supplies and Services who can assist with hardware recommendations and implementation of a modern and user-friendly AV solution.

This procurement could result in the purchase of AV equipment for one designated room as a pilot, then, if successful, the purchase of AV equipment as specified by vendor recommendations for the rest of the rooms in scope. Should the trial fail, the equipment would be returned. The trial should also include any training and technical support if needed.

The location in scope for this project:

MassDEP Central Regional Office 8 New Bond St.

Worcester, MA 01606

3.2 Background Information

Implement a state-of-the-art AV solution in the main conference rooms at MassDEP Central Regional Office per room characteristics and general usage.

MassDEP Central Regional Office holds in person as well as remote meetings in the conference rooms. The buildings have outdated AV solutions that don’t allow for a proper hybrid user experience. Implementation of a state-of-the-art AV solution in the main conference rooms at MassDEP Central Regional Office would help facilitate improved collaboration, transparency and efficiency between users and constituents. The AV equipment installed should accommodate both in-person and remote users and constituents at the same time.

MassDEP Central Regional Office has multiple rooms allowing for meeting sizes anywhere from 10 people to up to 100 people. Here are the rooms in scope:

· Large Conference Room, 107.1, 107.2, 107.3

· Waiting Area 102

· Chicopee Room 175

· EOC 183

· Millers Room 189

· Nashua Room 236

· Blackstone Room 258

· French-Quinebaug Room 309

4.0 FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS

1. Large meeting rooms should be equipped with state-of-the-art AV equipment built to specifications per room and designated by the appointed vendor.

2. Meeting rooms should have sufficient audio.

3. Meeting rooms should have PA system including better microphones, especially in the Gloucester location.

4. AV equipment needs to be able to support modern desktop PC connections.

5. The displays need to support high resolution graphics, preferring 4k resolution. Roughly, TV is preferred if the screen is 100 inches or less. If the screen is larger than 100 inches a projector is preferred.

6. Solution should be simple and easy to use. Solution should be mindful that there is not an on-site tech readily available to resolve and technical difficulties.

7. Create a tiered SOP for implementation of AV equipment that is scalable based on the size of the room.

8. The AV solution implemented should accommodate both in person and remote users at the same time.

9. Detailed requirements for each meeting room will be communicated during the on-site walkthrough.

5.0 CONFIDENTIALITY REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall comply fully with all security procedures of the Commonwealth and Commonwealth Agencies in performance of the Contract. The Contractor shall not divulge to third parties any confidential information obtained by the Contractor or its agents, distributors, resellers, subcontractors, officers or employees in the course of performing Contract work, including, but not limited to, security procedures, business operations information, personally identifiable information, or commercial proprietary information in the possession of the Commonwealth Agency.

6.0 PROJECT TEAM REQUIREMENTS

Reporting and tracking requirements will be governed by the SOW executed as part of the awarded contract.

7.0 ORDER OF PRECEDENCE

The contract resulting from this RFQ shall consist of the following documents in the following order of precedence:

9.0 PROCUREMENT CALENDAR

All times in this RFQ are prevailing Eastern Standard Time. Dates listed are estimated and subject to change.

10.0 Q&A SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Written questions via the Bid Q&A on COMMBUYS The “Bid Q&A” provides the opportunity for Bidders to ask written questions and receive written answers from the Strategic Sourcing Team (SST) regarding this Bid. All Bidders’ questions must be submitted through the Bid Q&A found on COMMBUYS (see below for instructions). Questions may be asked only prior to the Deadline for Submission of Questions stated in the Procurement Calendar. The issuing department reserves the right not to respond to questions submitted after this date. It is the Bidder’s responsibility to verify receipt of questions.

Please note that any questions submitted to the SST using any other medium (including those that are sent by mail, fax, email or voicemail, etc.) will not be answered. To reduce the number of redundant or duplicate questions, Bidders are asked to review all questions previously submitted to determine whether the Bidder’s question has already been posted.

Bidders are responsible for entering content suitable for public viewing, since all of the questions are accessible to the public. Bidders must not include any information that could be considered personal, security sensitive, inflammatory, incorrect, collusory, or otherwise objectionable, including information about the Bidder’s company or other companies. The SST reserves the right to edit or delete any submitted questions that raise any of these issues or that are not in the best interest of the Commonwealth or this Bid.

All answers are final when posted. Any subsequent revisions to previously provided answers will be dated.

It is the responsibility of the prospective Bidder and awarded Bidder 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 Bidder’s designated email address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with the prospective Bidder’s/awarded Bidder’s computer, network or internet service provider (ISP) cause email communications sent to/from the prospective Bidder/Awarded Bidder and the Purchasing Department to be lost or rejected by any means including email or spam filtering.

Locating Bid Q&A Log into COMMBUYS, locate the Bid, acknowledge receipt of the Bid, and scroll down to the bottom of the Bid Header page. The “Bid Q&A” button allows Bidders access to the Bid Q&A page.

11.0 RESPONSE SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Bidder Response Interested Bidders must submit their response using COMMBUYS.

Useful links:

· Job aid on how to submit a quote: http://www.mass.gov/anf/docs/osd/commbuys/create-a-quote.pdf

· Webcast: How to Locate and Respond to a Bid in CommBuys, which will familiarize bidders with CommBuys terminology, basic navigation, and provide guidance for locating bid opportunities in CommBuys and submitting an online quote.

Bidder may contact the CommBuys Help Desk at CommBuys@state.ma.us or call during normal business hours (8AM – 5PM, Monday – Friday) at 1-888-627-8283 or 617-720-3197.

The directions in this portion of the RFQ describe a structured format for responses designed to facilitate equitable evaluation of all responses. These directions apply to all responses submitted. Completeness and clarity of response content are important.

Responses must give a straightforward and concise description of the respondent’s capabilities as they pertain to this project’s requirements. Information included with a response must be directly relevant to evaluating the responder’s qualifications, particularly as they relate to the work described above. Padding responses with company marketing documents, long lists of past and present clients for any work the company has ever done, and voluminous staff resumes must be avoided.

Responses to this RFQ must be organized as described below. Each section should discuss specifications and requirements in the RFQ, as appropriate. DEP reserves the right not to evaluate responses that do not conform to the requirements below. We request that proposals include the following components:

1. Letter of Transmittal

2. Proposed Hardware

3. Proposed Software

4. Cost Estimates

Letter of Transmittal

The letter of transmittal serves as a cover sheet. The letter of transmittal must:

· Identify the submitting organization.

· Identify the name(s) and title(s) of the person(s) authorized to negotiate and sign a statement of work on behalf of the organization.

· Identify the names, titles, telephone numbers, and email address of persons to be contacted for clarification.

· Identify the name, telephone number, and email address of the person who will serve as the project manager.

· State that the Bidder agrees to the terms of this RFQ

· State whether the Bidder is bidding in its capacity as a vendor on OFF50

Proposed Hardware

Please describe the hardware that meets the best functional need. More discussion will take place during the demo/interview.

· Include hardware specification fact sheets if available.

· Identify hardware already in place that can be repurposed to be used as a part of the solution identified by the appointed vendor.

Proposed Software

Please provide all relevant software related information that best fits the functional need.

Cost Estimates

Please provide a breakout of deployment cost, as well as monthly maintenance and support costs.

Indicate any optional items as ‘Optional’.

Include both a fixed price for the engagement described in this RFQ, and hourly rates for Bidder resources included in its proposal, in case Agency decides to extend this engagement to additional work that is related to that described in this RFQ but beyond its scope.

12.0 EVALUATION CRITERIA

The objective of the evaluation process is to determine the response that provides the best procurement value to the Commonwealth. Best value is defined as the combination of capability, staff experience, and cost that will, based on the criteria below and in the professional judgment of the proposal review team, assure timely delivery of a quality product at a reasonable and fair price for the services proposed. DEP staff will use the evaluation criteria described below to objectively evaluate and rank the responses that are found to be responsive to all major requirements of this RFQ. The quality of the response in each of the categories below will be rated, and a comparative ranking of all responses will be developed. All proposals received by the due date and meeting the requirements established in this RFQ will be reviewed and evaluated in accordance with, but not limited to, the following criteria:

1. Price – 50%

Proposals that can accomplish the scope and meet functional requirements with lower budgets may be weighed more favorably.

2. Functionality – 50%

Proposals should include state-of-the-art AV solution in the main conference rooms at MassDEP Central Regional Office per room characteristics and general usage. Solution should be simple and easy to use. Solutions which provide comprehensive support options will be valued more favorably. Solution should be mindful that there is not an on-site tech readily available to resolve any technical difficulties. Solutions that are modern and user-friendly will be valued more favorably. In addition, proposals which are mindful of the lifecycle of hardware will be valued more favorably.

13.0 MISCELLANEOUS

A. General

By submitting a proposal in response to this RFQ, Bidders agree to the following terms:

1. DEP will not pay for any costs other than those set forth in the Bidder’s response to this RFQ.

2. All bids submitted in response to this RFQ must be valid for a minimum of 90 calendar days.

3. Extraneous marketing or promotional materials are discouraged, and such information will not be considered in the evaluation of vendors

B. Bid/Response Rejection

DEP reserves the right to reject any or all bids (responses), in whole or in part and for any reason deemed non-compliant or non-response per this RFQ, its attachments or any subsequent changes. Bidders are advised to check prior to submitting a response to ensure that they have the most recent RFQ files. Bidders may not alter (manually or electronically) the RFQ language or any RFQ component files. Modifications to the body of the RFQ, specifications, terms and conditions, or which change the intent of this RFQ are prohibited and may disqualify a response. DEP reserves the right not to enter any agreement under this RFQ.

C. Contract Amendments

DEP reserves the right to amend this RFQ or any contract resulting from this RFQ. DEP may negotiate changes to the original performance measures, reporting requirements or payment methodologies tied to performance at any time during the contract duration if they are consistent with the specifications of this RFQ. DEP reserves the right to negotiate and execute contract amendments with the contractor(s) which DEP determines as necessary to result in the intent of this RFQ, to amend the specifications for necessary requirements, or to result in a better valued contract. Negotiation would be with the successful contractor(s) of this RFQ. Amendments may include, but are not limited to, contract dollars, contract performance, increased or decreased obligations, scope of work, quantity, etc.

D. Limitations

This RFQ does not commit the Commonwealth or DEP to approve a Statement of Work, pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a bidder’s response to this RFQ or to procure or contract for products or services. DEP reserves the right to accept or reject any and all proposals received as a result of this RFQ and to contract for some, all or none of the products and services as a result of this RFQ. DEP further reserves the right to negotiate with any or all qualified bidders and to cancel in part or in its entirety this RFQ if it is in the best interest of DEP or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to do so.

E. Review Rights

Responses to this RFQ may be reviewed and evaluated by any person(s) at the discretion of DEP including non-allied and independent consultants retained by DEP now or in the future, for the sole purpose of obtaining an analysis of responses. Any and all respondents may be asked to further explain or clarify in writing areas of their response during the review process. DEP retains the right to request further information from respondents.

F. Nonresponsive Bids

DEP reserves the right to exclude from further consideration nonresponsive bids that fail to meet the submission requirements of this RFQ.

G. Proprietary Notices.

All bids submitted in response to this RFQ shall be public record. All notices included in such bids to the effect that bid content is confidential or proprietary, that the distribution of such bids is prohibited or that by opening or accepting the bid DEP is accepting such terms, are null and void, and any portions of the response so marked shall still be considered public record.

H. Negotiation of final contract terms

If DEP is unable to satisfactorily negotiate and execute a contract with the initial apparent successful bidder, DEP reserves the right to name the next highest-scoring bidder as the apparent successful bidder.

FISCAL TERMS:

This is a fee for service contract. The payment procedure for this project is a fixed fee for services based upon DEP’s acceptance of all deliverables from the Contractor during the contractual period. The Contractor will be responsible for the timely completion of the requirements described in the detailed Scope of Services and Deliverables and as directed by DEP. The Contractor must assume overall responsibility for coordinating and completing all deliverables contained in the resultant contract.

All-inclusive hourly rate for each Bidder-provided staff person that will perform work under the Contract will remain in effect for the duration of the Contract. All reimbursements will be agreed upon by DEP as part of the final Scope of Work. The Contractor will be required to submit monthly invoices, broken down by sub-task, staff, and hours. Advance payments shall not be made. Commuting expenses will not be reimbursed. Payments are subject to the Comptroller’s Office bill payment policies.

After Contract award, DEP reserves the right to further negotiate all labor rates and performance specifications with the Contractor within the scope of this RFR during the period of the contract(s).

14.0 SMALL BUSINESS PURCHASING PROGRAM (SBPP)

Program Background. The Massachusetts Small Business Purchasing Program (SBPP) was established pursuant to Executive Order 523 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 (SST) 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:

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

6. Been in business for at least one year;

7. 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

8. 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.

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