DOH59719-RHT- SFY27- Rural Hospital Training and Technical Assistance- ODH RFP.pdfDOH59719-RHT- SFY27- Rural Hospital Training and Technical Assistance- ODH RFP.pdf

Ohio Department of Health Project Name – RFP#59719 On behalf of Center of Public Health Excellence (CPHE) RFP Version 7.2026

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The State of Ohio, through The Ohio Department of Health (ODH), is issuing the following

Request for Proposal (RFP)

ODH NUMBER: DOH59719

BUREAU NAME: Center of Public Health Excellence (CPHE)

Rural Hospital Training and Technical Assistance Center

(RHTAC)

Proposals received after the due date and time will not be evaluated.

Offerors shall review all sections of this RFP to confirm full understanding of and compliance with all requirements.

Project Name – RFP#59719 On behalf of Center of Public Health Excellence (CPHE) RFP Version 7.2026

Proposal Table of Contents A. Project Overview

B. Inquiry and Clarifications

C. Solicitation Details

D. Projected Estimated Budget and Award

E. Projected Project Period and Agreement Terms

F. Renewal Terms

G. Project Mandatory Requirements

H. Project Preferred Requirements

I. Scope of Work and Deliverables

J. Technical Proposal Evaluation

K. Proposal Scoring Requirements

L. ODH’s Proposal Terms and Conditions

Appendix A – Cost Proposal Form Instructions

Project Name – RFP#59719

A. Project Overview

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH), Center of Public Health Excellence (CPHE) is seeking proposal for The Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP).

The Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) was authorized by the One Big

Beautiful Bill Act (Section 71403 of Public Law 119-21) and empowers state to strengthen rural communities by improving healthcare access, quality and outcomes by transforming the current system. Five key strategic goals of the program, as defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) are:

• Make rural America healthy again

• Sustainable access

• Workforce development

• Innovative Care

• Technology Innovation

Ohio’s plan aligns with federal priorities to improve the health of rural residents through sustainable access, workforce development, innovative care, and technology advancement. As part of Ohio's Rural Health Transformation Program, the selected vendor will engage in education, training, and technical assistance opportunities for

Ohio’s rural hospitals to increase their solvency and sustainability.

Recognizing that rural hospitals operate with limited budgets and face challenges with solvency and sustainability, this initiative provides a resource for hospitals to receive no-cost technical assistance, training, and guidance for developing sustainability plans. The contractor will conduct workshops for healthcare administration professionals to equip them with best practices in addressing hospital solvency, which can include joining an integrated network to achieve value-based payment structures and other efficiencies and the contractor can assist with that transition. The contractor will also be available to help with ad hoc/on demand hospital technical assistance (TA) needs such as

Project Name – RFP#59719 On behalf of Center of Public Health Excellence (CPHE) RFP Version 7.2026 addressing emergent issues or upskilling for new administration leaders. The vendor will work with Ohio’s critical access hospitals (CAHs) to develop formal sustainability plans for them. The selected vendor will also plan and implement Ohio’s RHT annual summit in conjunction with ODH, bringing together all recipients/vendors of Ohio’s RHT

Program to share outcomes, best practices, lessons learned, and to clarify ongoing expectations of program participants.

B. Inquiry and Clarifications

Offerors can begin submitting inquiries on Monday, September 28, 2026, up until Tuesday

October 13, 2026, by 3 p.m. All questions must be submitted via OhioBuys. Questions received after this date will not receive a response.

Offerors may not contact the state directly at any time during the solicitation process, however

Offerors may make inquiries regarding this RFP any time during the inquiry period listed above and in OhioBuys.

To make an inquiry, Offerors must login to OhioBuys, navigate to the solicitation, open the inquiry tab, and submit their inquiry. Offerors will not receive a personalized email response to their question, nor will they receive notification when the question has been answered. Offerors may view inquiries and responses on the OhioBuys Public Solicitations page by opening the solicitation overview and navigating to the inquiries section of that page.

Offerors are to base their proposal responses and the details and costs of their proposed projects on the requirements and performance expectations established in this RFP.

ODH will only review questions submitted through the Q&A process that are in accordance with these instructions and within deadlines. ODH does not consider questions asked during the inquiry period through the inquiry process as exceptions to the requirements or the terms and conditions of this RFP.

ODH will attempt to respond to all inquiries within three business days of receipt, excluding state holidays. ODH will not respond to any inquiries received after 3 p.m. on the inquiry end https://ohiobuys.ohio.gov/page.aspx/en/usr/login?ReturnUrl=%2Fpage.aspx%2Fen%2Fbuy%2Fhomepage https://ohiobuys.ohio.gov/page.aspx/en/usr/login?ReturnUrl=%2Fpage.aspx%2Fen%2Fbuy%2Fhomepage https://ohiobuys.ohio.gov/page.aspx/en/usr/login?ReturnUrl=%2Fpage.aspx%2Fen%2Fbuy%2Fhomepage https://ohiobuys.ohio.gov/page.aspx/en/rfp/request_browse_public

Project Name – RFP#59719 On behalf of Center of Public Health Excellence (CPHE) RFP Version 7.2026 date listed in OhioBuys. ODH will use its discretion in deciding whether to provide responses as part of this RFP process. Responses to inquiries are not considered changes to the RFP.

Other than the communication options described in this RFP, Offerors must not make unsolicited contact with any elected official or office of the state, or any staff member of ODH other than the contract officer that is overseeing this solicitation, regarding this RFP.

Offerors must not represent themselves to anyone as having the endorsement of ODH or the state, nor as the ODH’s next supplier of the work. For contractors currently doing business with

ODH, any communication regarding this RFP is prohibited except as provided for in this RFP. Any such unauthorized contact may result in an Offeror being disqualified from further consideration under this RFP. The state will not discuss the particulars of this RFP process with external parties.

C. Solicitation Details

This solicitation will close on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, by 3 p.m. All required application components must be received by Tuesday, October 20, 2026, by 3 p.m. Proposal applications should be submitted via OhioBuys. Each application component must be clearly labeled.

Offerors must submit a technical proposal, complete the cost proposal form.

Offeror(s) technical proposal must be limited to a maximum of ten (10) pages. Any content submitted beyond the ten-page limit will not be reviewed or considered as part of the evaluation.

Instructions for this form are included in Appendix A and include any required cost proposal details to explain their proposed costs as separate sections of its proposal before the proposal due date and time and pursuant to the instructions listed above and in ODH’s Proposal Terms and Conditions Requirements for Proposals.

Proposals, including all components of the proposals, must not be password protected or the state may reject any such proposals.

Each section must be submitted in its own separate, electronic submission as indicated by the solicitation. The submission with the technical proposal will be electronically sealed (the

Project Name – RFP#59719 On behalf of Center of Public Health Excellence (CPHE) RFP Version 7.2026 technical envelope), and the submission with the cost proposal will be separately electronically sealed (the financial envelope).

Each requirement of a proposal represents only a part of the total basis for a decision to award the contract, and a failure by an Offeror to make the required submission or meet mandatory requirements listed in solicitation normally will result in a rejection of that proposal. The value assigned to each requirement is used to determine which proposal is the most advantageous to ODH in relation to the other proposals received. It is not a basis for determining the importance of meeting that requirement.

Offerors must submit their proposals electronically in OhioBuys before the noted time on the proposal due date. Paper and email submissions will be destroyed and will not be considered.

OhioBuys will not allow submission or modification to a submission after the deadline. An

Offeror submitting an electronic proposal must allow for adequate time for uploading a proposal prior to the due date and time. Technical difficulties experienced by the Offeror will not be an exception.

Offerors must carefully review the requirements of this RFP and the contents of its proposal.

Once opened, proposals cannot be altered or withdrawn, except as allowed by this RFP.

ODH is not responsible for the accuracy of any information regarding this RFP that was gathered through a source other than the inquiry process described in the RFP.

ODH may reject any proposal if the Offeror takes exception to the terms and conditions of this

RFP, includes unacceptable assumptions or conditions in its proposal, fails to comply with the procedure for participating in the RFP process, or fails to meet any requirement of this RFP. ODH also may reject any proposal it believes is not in its interest to accept, cancel this RFP, or decide not to award a contract to any or all of the Offerors responding to this RFP.

All proposals and other material that Offerors submit will become the property of the state and may be returned only at ODH's option. All proposals will be open to the public after the ODH has awarded the contract.

Project Name – RFP#59719 On behalf of Center of Public Health Excellence (CPHE) RFP Version 7.2026

ODH will retain all proposals, or a copy of them, as part of the contract file for at least six years.

After the six-year retention period, the state may dispose of the proposals and any copies of them.

ODH is not responsible for any costs an Offeror incurs in responding to this RFP or from participating in the evaluation process or negotiations process (if any), regardless of whether

ODH awards the contract through this process, decides not to go forward with the contract award, cancels this RFP for any reason, or contracts for the work through some other process or through another RFP.

D. Projected Estimated Budget and Award

The estimated budget for this solicitation is not to exceed $1,000,000.00. ODH anticipates making up to One(1) award as a result of this solicitation.

E. Projected Project Period and Agreement Terms

The projected project period will be Monday, November 2, 2026 – Wednesday, June 30, 2026.

The agreement terms will be such that ODH reserves the right to execute multiple agreements with awarded offeror(s) to support the full project period. Continuation of such agreements is subject to the discretionary appropriation of funds by the Ohio General Assembly for the applicable biennium, satisfactory performance of the awarded offeror(s), and the needs of the

Ohio Department of Health.

F. Renewal Terms

The renewal terms will be 48-months optional renewal period(s) dependent upon the receipt and approval of funds to ODH for this project, this agreement may be renewed into two (2) , 24- months terms.

• Renewal Optional Year 1: 07/01/2027 – 06/30/2029

• Renewal Optional Year 2: 07/01/2029 – 06/30/2031

At the sole option of ODH, ODH may extend this contract past the initial agreement term for a period of 90 days. Renewal terms may be exercised by mutual agreement between the

Project Name – RFP#59719 On behalf of Center of Public Health Excellence (CPHE) RFP Version 7.2026 contractor and ODH. The cumulative time of all mutual renewals may not exceed two additional years and are subject to and are contingent upon the discretionary decision of the

Ohio General Assembly to appropriate funds for this project in each new biennium. If any renewal is exercised, a new contract will be issued at the beginning of the new biennium. ODH may evaluate whether a renewal is appropriate considering the satisfactory performance of the contractor and the future and continuing needs of ODH’s programs.

G. Project Mandatory Requirements

Offerors must meet the following mandatory requirements to be considered for evaluation.

• Offeror(s) technical proposal must be limited to a maximum of ten (10) pages. Any content submitted beyond the ten-page limit will not be reviewed or considered as part of the evaluation.

• Offeror(s) must have at least five years demonstrated experience providing technical assistance (TA)/training to personnel in Ohio’s rural hospitals.

• Offeror(s) must demonstrate capacity and knowledge to perform the work expected in scope and deliverables.

• Offeror(s) must demonstrate the capacity and experience to manage funds in accordance with federal and state cost principles/guidance, and to produce required quarterly, annual, and final reporting.

• Offeror(s) must demonstrate expertise in providing TA/training on topics of financial solvency and sustainability, healthcare system operations, healthcare quality improvement, and/or similar topics.

Offerors shall meet all project requirements as outlined in this solicitation and must provide complete and accurate supporting documentation within their proposal. Documentation must clearly demonstrate the Offeror’s ability to meet each requirement including, but not limited to, technical qualifications, experience, staffing, and any other specified criteria. Proposals that fail to address all requirements or do not include the required documentation may be deemed non-responsive and may not be considered for further evaluation.

Project Name – RFP#59719 On behalf of Center of Public Health Excellence (CPHE) RFP Version 7.2026

H. Project Preferred Requirements

The following qualifications are considered preferred and are not mandatory. However, Offerors that demonstrate these preferred requirements may receive additional points during the evaluation process, as outlined in the scoring criteria.

• Offeror(s) is preferred to demonstrate that key staff have a minimum of five years’ experience with hospital operations and financing and are well prepared to provide TA and training to healthcare providers and healthcare administrators.

• Offeror(s) is preferred to demonstrate expertise to establish sustainability and solvency strategies and planning for rural hospitals including expertise in financial solvency, service line analysis, workforce, partnerships, quality improvement and implementation steps.

• Offeror(s) is preferred to demonstrate capacity to plan and execute large scale trainings and educational events, including developing agendas, securing speakers, planning timeline, interfacing with venue/ event support staff, managing logistics and developing materials.

I. Scope of Work and Deliverables

Offerors must demonstrate the capability, capacity, and resources necessary to successfully complete all scope of work and deliverables identified in this solicitation. ODH reserves the right to modify the scope of work, including amending existing deliverables, adding additional deliverables, and/or extending or adjusting due dates, as necessary to support programmatic and project needs.

1. Scope of Work

SCOPE OF WORK

1.

Offeror shall conduct needs assessment of training needs for Ohio rural healthcare providers, hospital/healthcare administrators, and hospital/healthcare finance professionals.

Project Name – RFP#59719 On behalf of Center of Public Health Excellence (CPHE) RFP Version 7.2026

2.

Offeror shall develop, publish, and promote annual schedule of training events for Ohio rural healthcare providers, hospital/healthcare administrators, and hospital/healthcare finance professionals. Deliver/implement training events for Ohio rural healthcare providers, hospital/healthcare administrators, and hospital/healthcare finance professionals. For each training/workshop, develop: Learning objectives, presentation materials (e.g., slide decks, toolkits, resource packets, etc.), pre- and post-evaluation instruments. Provide evaluation outcomes to ODH.

Plan, promote, implement agreed upon training schedule. Minimum of 10 trainings annually with a minimum of 50 participants each.

3.

Offeror shall provide on-going, on demand/ad hoc TA to Ohio’s rural hospitals/healthcare providers. Provide individualized TA to rural hospitals, including but not limited to emergent issue support, leadership upskilling, financial analysis and solvency/sustainability strategies, and partnership facilitation

Maintain TA logs detailing request type, response, and outcomes.

4.

Offeror shall provide training and technical assistance to Ohio's critical access hospitals (CAHs) on development of quality sustainability plans. Sustainability Plan Framework: Develop a standardized sustainability planning framework to be approved by ODH. Must include components for financial solvency, service line analysis, workforce, partnerships, and implementation steps.

5.

In conjunction with ODH RHT team, plan and implement annual summit for Ohio RHT awardees. This includes securing venue, developing agenda, securing presenters, promoting the event, managing registrations, set up, and day-of-event implementation of the agenda. Implement a participant evaluation of the program.

6.

In conjunction with ODH RHT team, plan and implement annual summit for Ohio RHT awardees. This includes securing venue, developing agenda, securing presenters, promoting the event, managing registrations, set up, and day-of-event implementation of the agenda. Implement a participant evaluation of the program.

Project Name – RFP#59719

2. Deliverables

DELIVERABLES DUE DATE

2.1 Contractor must provide results of training needs assessment to

ODH.

Quarter 1 of

2. 2 Contractor must provide schedule of training events based upon needs assessment and/or other data-driven decision making.

Quarter 1 of

2.3.

Contractor must secure the venue for a 2027 summit.

• Conduct outreach to RHT awardees to promote the event.

• Collect registrations beginning 3 months prior to the event.

• Establish agenda, secure presenters, develop print materials, manage event implementation, and collect and provide participant evaluation results to ODH.

6/30/2027

2.4

Contractor must provide a summary of on-going technical assistance (TA) to ODH. Include participants, topics, outcomes, and evaluation of the TA. This is an on-going activity that will be reported monthly.

6/30/2027

2.5

Contractor must provide a monthly update of sustainability activities conducted with Ohio CAHs. 6/30/2027

2.6

Contractor must provide training/workshop attendee rosters, copy of training materials, and training evaluation results to

ODH.

• This is an on-going activity that will be reported monthly for a minimum of 10 events annually.

6/30/2027

2.7 Contractor must participate in monthly calls with the ODH and submit monthly progress reports.

15th of each month

2.8 Contractor must submit a revised workplan.

30 days following contract award

Project Name – RFP#59719

J. Technical Proposal Evaluation

ODH will evaluate each proposal that it has determined is timely, complete, properly formatted, and meets all of the mandatory requirements, if any. The evaluation will be scored according to the requirements identified in this RFP.

All Offerors, including current contract holders, if applicable, must provide detailed and complete responses. Proposal evaluations and subsequent scores are based solely on the content of the proposal. No assumptions will be made or values assigned for the competency of the Offeror who is a current or previous contract holder.

ODH may have the proposals or portions of them reviewed and evaluated by independent third parties. Additionally, ODH may seek reviews from end users of the work or state personnel who have subject matter expertise or an interest in the work. ODH may adopt or reject any recommendations it receives from such reviews and evaluations, or ODH may give them such weight as the state believes is appropriate.

During the technical evaluation, ODH will calculate a point total for each proposal evaluated as explained below and further in ODH’s Proposal Terms and Conditions.

ODH may select any number of the higher-ranking proposals for the next phase. The number of proposals advancing to the next phase is within ODH’s sole discretion. ODH may consider one or more higher-ranking proposals, but ODH may not consider any lower-ranking proposals unless all higher ranked proposals are also considered, except as provided herein.

ODH will conduct due diligence by reviewing applicable sources to verify that each Offeror has not misused public funds, is not debarred or otherwise prohibited from contracting with any

State agency and is eligible to receive federal funds. Any identified issues must be resolved by the Offeror prior to entering into a contract agreement.

Project Name – RFP#59719

ODH will verify each Offeror’s status through the Ohio Secretary of State and the System for

Award Management (SAM) maintained by the United States General Services Administration.

• https://ohioauditor.gov/findings.html

• https://procure.ohio.gov/state-and-local-agencies/resources/08_debarment-csv-list

• https://sam.gov/

3. Technical Evaluation Criterion

CONTRACTOR PROFILE RATE (0-5) WEIGHT

3.1

Demonstrates a minimum of five years experience providing technical assistance and/or training to Ohio rural hospitals, healthcare providers, and/or hospital administrators and staff.

3.2 Preference is given to organizations based in a rural Ohio community.

STAFFING PLAN (PERSONNEL PROFILE) RATE (0-5) WEIGHT

3.3

Demonstrates capacity to perform required scope of work (including meeting deliverable and timeline expectations) with staff and/or contractors who possess relevant training and experience in delivering TA and training to rural hospital personnel. Defines a project governance structure.

WORK PLAN RATE (0-5) WEIGHT

3.4 Defines process for conducting a needs assessment to determine priority learning needs for rural Ohio hospitals.

3.5

Outlines approach for providing topical trainings to rural Ohio hospital personnel (e.g., structure, method of delivery, registering and tracking participants, identifying trainers/subject matter experts, collecting feedback/evaluation from participants).

https://ohioauditor.gov/findings.html https://procure.ohio.gov/state-and-local-agencies/resources/08_debarment-csv-list https://sam.gov/

Project Name – RFP#59719 On behalf of Center of Public Health Excellence (CPHE) RFP Version 7.2026

3.6 Defines process for delivering on-demand TA for rural Ohio hospitals and for guiding CAHs in development of robust sustainability planning. Includes structure, capacity, subject matter expertise, tracking, etc.).

3.7 Provides framework for planning and implementing an annual Ohio RHT Summit for awardees of the Ohio RHT program.

3.8

Provides key tasks, timelines, person(s) responsible, and specifics within a workplan that comprehensively captures the scope of work. Workplan identifies targets/measures of success for each component of the scope of work.

3.9 Identifies strategies for making topical trainings available on demand beyond the lifespan of the RHT project.

TOTAL 100

K. Proposal Scoring Requirements

ODH will score a proposal by multiplying the rating received in each category by its assigned weight and adding all categories together for the Offeror’s total technical score from the technical proposal evaluation table. Numerical values are defined as follows:

CRITERIA

MAXIMUM

ALLOWABLE POINTS

Technical Proposal

Cost Proposal

Total

Numerical Rating

Adjective Description

Project Name – RFP#59719

5 Excellent • Response demonstrates an approach to the proposed work with an exceptional solution or level of quality.

• Response contains many significant strengths and few minor weaknesses, if any.

• There is very little risk that the Offeror would fail to satisfy the requirement(s).

4 Very Good • Response demonstrates an approach offering unique or innovative methods of performing the proposed work or delivering a solution.

• Response contains many strengths that outweigh the weaknesses. Weaknesses, if any, are very minor and can be readily corrected.

• There is little risk that the Offeror would fail to satisfy the requirement(s).

3 Acceptable • Response demonstrates an approach that offers an acceptable solution or level of quality.

• Response contains strengths that are balanced by the weaknesses. Weaknesses are minor and can be corrected.

• There is some probability of risk that the Offeror may fail to satisfy some of the requirement(s).

2 Weak • Response demonstrates an approach that inadequately addresses the requirements and/or objectives.

• Response contains weaknesses that are not offset by strengths. There are significant weaknesses and very few strengths.

• There are questions about the likelihood of success and there is a risk that the Offeror may fail to satisfy the requirement(s).

1 Poor • Response demonstrates an approach that does not meet the stated requirements and/or objectives, lacks essential information, is conflicting, and/or is unproductive.

• Response contains many significant weaknesses and very minor strengths, if any.

• There is not a reasonable likelihood of success and a high risk that the Offeror would fail to satisfy the requirement(s).

0 Completely Deficient

• Response is missing necessary information to demonstrate that the Offeror can perform.

• Response is devoid of strengths.

• Response has an unacceptable level of risk that the Offeror will fail to satisfy the requirement(s).

Project Name – RFP#59719 On behalf of Center of Public Health Excellence (CPHE) RFP Version 7.2026

L. ODH’s Proposal Terms and Conditions

1. Terminology. For purposes of this Contract, any references to “Offeror” in the documents that make up this Contract will mean “Contractor” as of the effective date of this Contract.

2. Scope of Work and Specifications. ODH is authorized to prepare scope of work and specifications to obtain supplies and services. The purpose of the scope of work or deliverables is to describe the supplies or services to be purchased and will serve as a basis for comparison of proposal responses.

ODH may make reasonable changes within the general scope of the Work. ODH will do so by issuing a written order under this Contract describing the nature of the change (Amendment) in the format prescribed by ODH. Additionally, if the ODH provides directions or makes requests of the Contractor without an Amendment, and the Contractor reasonably believes the directions or requests are outside the specifications for the Work, the Contractor will have the right to request an Amendment from ODH through ODH Project Manager. All revisions will not be effective until incorporated into this Contract via written amendment.

Scope of Work changes will be managed as follows: (i) pricing for the change will be provided by the Contractor; (ii) ODH will execute a Amendment once it and the Contractor have agreed on the description of and specifications for the change as well as any equitable adjustments that need to be made to the Contractor's Fee or the performance schedule for the Work; and (iii) the Change Order is incorporated into this Contract via written amendment, the Contractor will sign it signify agreement

In no event will ODH be responsible for any increase in the Fee or revision to any delivery schedule unless the relevant change was specifically ordered in writing by ODH and the Contractor has complied with the requirements of this section. ODH has complied with the procedure for Change Orders in this section, nothing in this clause will excuse the Contractor from proceeding with performance of the Work as changed.

3. Technical Proposal Format. Contractor’s technical proposal shall address all items in the scope of work and deliverables and be submitted as the “Technical Proposal”. Failure to sufficiently address each item may result in ODH’s determination that the Proposal does not provide sufficient detail to adequately evaluate the Proposal and is, therefore, incomplete, and non-responsive. If the Proposal contains elements that exceed the requirements of the RFP, the Proposal should state the degree to which the requirement will be exceeded and how this will be accomplished.

Proposals should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise, and complete description of the Contractor's proposal and capabilities to perform the Agreement.

Emphasis should be on completeness, specificity, and clarity of content.

3.1. Company Narrative. Responses to the RFP shall include a short narrative describing the following:

Project Name – RFP#59719 On behalf of Center of Public Health Excellence (CPHE) RFP Version 7.2026

3.1.1. Company Narrative. Responses to the RFP shall include a short narrative describing the following:

3.1.1.1. Description of the Contractor’s experience and expertise conducting projects of similar size and scope.

3.1.1.2. Contractor’s ability to meet minimum requirements.

3.1.1.3. Contractor’s capacity to provide the services required.

3.1.1.4. Documentation of Contractor’s soundness and financial capability to perform the work.

3.1.1.5. List of three (3) references for whom the Contractor has performed similar services and deliverables. ODH may, but is under no obligation to, contact the references.

3.2.2. Project Narrative. Responses to the RFP shall include a detailed project narrative describing the following:

3.2.2.1. Identification of the objectives, strategies, methodology, services, and deliverables that Contractor proposes to provide.

3.2.2.2. Use of evidence-based practices, if applicable.

3.2.2.3. Timeline for completion of services and deliverables.

3.2.2.4. Ability and experience of key project personnel intended to work on the project and their responsibilities to the project. Include resumes.

3.2.2.5. Identification and description of any proposed Subcontractors.

Contractors may not subcontract any work or services of the type described in project scope of work and deliverables without ODH prior written approval.

3.2.3 Project Work Plan. Responses to the RFP shall include a detailed project implementation plan describing the following:

3.2.3.1. Clearly identify and discuss with specificity how the Contractor will perform the requirements specific to this project, including each item under Scope of Work and Deliverables.

3.2.3.2. Description of the location and principal office from which the work is to be performed.

3.2.3.3. Identification of the amount of time that led, and key project personnel will be expected to work on the project.

3.2.3.4. Description of contingency plans for completing the project, should the lead or key project personnel become unavailable for any reason.

3.2.3.5. Identification of any anticipated difficulties in meeting the project specifications and a description of proposed solutions to these difficulties.

Project Name – RFP#59719 On behalf of Center of Public Health Excellence (CPHE) RFP Version 7.2026

4. Contractor’s Compensation. In consideration of the Contractor's promises and satisfactory performance, ODH will pay the Contractor the amount(s) identified in the Contract (the Fee), plus any other expenses identified as reimbursable in the Contract. In no event will payments under this Contract exceed the “not-to-exceed” amount in the Contract without the prior, written approval of the State and, when required, the Ohio Controlling Board and any other source of funding.

The Contractor's right to the Fee is contingent upon the complete and satisfactory performance of the Work or, in the case of milestone payments or periodic payments of an hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, or annual rate, all relevant parts of the Work tied to the applicable milestone or period. Payment of the Fee is also contingent on the Contractor delivering a proper invoice and any other documents required by the Contract.

Contractor’s proposed compensation by deliverable shall be submitted as the “Cost Proposal”. If in the event an Agreement ensues as a result of this RFP, the Contractor will be required to fulfill the Agreement obligations at the amount proposed. The proposed cost must include all costs associated with performing the work, including travel, shipping, overhead, etc.

5. Fee Structure. The fee structure under this Contract will be a fixed cost fee structure.

Contractor may invoice the State for each Deliverable or milestone defined in Scope of Work, after the ODH has accepted the Deliverable(s). Contractor may invoice the ODH for any ongoing software licensing, maintenance, and support costs annually in advance

6. Economic Price Adjustment. The Contract prices(s) will remain firm for the first 48 months of the Contract. Thereafter, the Contractor may submit a request to increase its price(s) to be effective 30 calendar days after acceptance by ODH. No price adjustment will be permitted prior to the effective date of the increase received by the Contractor from its suppliers; on purchase orders that are already being processed; or on purchase orders that have been filled and are awaiting shipment. If the Contractor receives orders requiring quarterly delivery, the increase will apply to all deliveries made after the effective date of the price increase.

The price increase must be supported by a general price increase in the cost, e.g., increases in the cost of raw materials, labor, freight, workers’ compensation and/or unemployment insurance. Detailed documentation, to include a comparison list of the contract items and proposed price increases, must be submitted to support the requested increase. Supportive documentation includes, but is not limited to: copies of the old and the current price lists or similar documents which indicate the original base cost of the product to the Contractor and the corresponding increase, and/or copies of correspondence sent by the Contractor's supplier on the supplier's letterhead, which contain the above price information and explains the source of the increase in such areas as raw materials, freight, fuel or labor, etc.

Should there be a decrease in the cost of the finished product due to a general decline in the market or some other factor, the Contractor is responsible to notify the ODH immediately. The price decrease adjustment will be incorporated into the contract and will be effective on all

Project Name – RFP#59719 On behalf of Center of Public Health Excellence (CPHE) RFP Version 7.2026 purchase orders issued after the effective date of the decrease. If the price decrease is a temporary decrease, such should be noted on the invoice. In the event that the temporary decrease is revoked, the contract pricing will be returned to the pricing in effect prior to the temporary decrease. For quarterly deliveries, any decrease will be applied to deliveries made after the effective date of the decrease. Failure to comply with this provision will be considered as a default and will be subject to Termination of the Contract.

7. Proposal Submittal. ODH must receive proposals via Ohio Buys. Each Offeror must submit a “Technical Proposal” and “Cost Proposal” as part of its total Proposal before the opening time on the Proposal due date as listed in Ohio Buys. These are two separate components which shall be submitted as separate electronic documents, clearly identified as either “Technical Proposal” or “Cost Proposal” and the RFP number.

8. Proposals are a Public Record. Once proposals have been reviewed, they will be forwarded to the ODH Project Evaluation Committee to begin the evaluation process. After proposals are opened, they are public records as defined in Ohio Revised Code Section 149.43 and are subject to all laws appurtenant thereto. Contractor may request that certain information, such as trade secrets or proprietary data, be designated as confidential and not considered as public records. Pricing is not considered as confidential. The decision as to whether such trade secrets or proprietary data shall be disclosed shall rest solely with ODH.

9. Withdrawal of Proposal Prior to Scheduled Opening. Contractor may withdraw a proposal by written request any time after ODH receives the proposal and before scheduled opening.

10. Withdrawal of Proposal After Scheduled Opening. Contractor may by written request withdraw its proposal after scheduled opening if there is reasonable proof that an inadvertent mistake was made, and the correction cannot be determined with reasonable certainty.

11. Correction of Proposal Before Scheduled Opening. If a Contractor withdraws its proposal and resubmits it with revisions, the revisions should be clearly identified and initialed by the Contractor. Any corrections must be completed off the ODH premises.

12. Correction after Scheduled Opening. ODH may permit a Contractor alleging an inadvertent error to correct its proposal after opening, only if the mistake and the correction are clearly evident from the proposal and correction does not affect the amount of the proposal or otherwise give the Contractor an unfair competitive advantage.

13. Proposals are Firm for 90 Days. Unless stated otherwise, once opened all proposals are irrevocable for ninety (90) days. Beyond ninety (90) days, the Contractor will have the option to honor their proposal or make a written request to withdraw their proposal from consideration.

14. Rejected Proposals. ODH may reject any proposal as a whole or in part, if any of the following circumstances are true:

14.1. Proposals are not in compliance with the required format stated in the RFP.

14.2. Proposals do not address all the requirements of the RFP.

Project Name – RFP#59719 On behalf of Center of Public Health Excellence (CPHE) RFP Version 7.2026

14.3. The price is excessive in comparison with market conditions or with the available funds of the Agency.

14.4. ODH determines that awarding any item is not in the best interest of the Agency.

15. Alternative Proposals. A Contractor may desire to submit an alternative proposal that achieves the purpose, specifications, and scope of ODH’s request. A Contractor submitting an alternative proposal shall clearly identify and quantify the advantages of the alternative.

16. Proposal Preparation. ODH assumes no responsibility for costs incurred by the Contractor prior to the award of the Agreement resulting from this RFP. Proposals may not include any amounts attributable to its preparation.

16. Contractor May Request Clarification. If a Contractor discovers an inconsistency, error or omission in this RFP, the Contractor should request clarification from ODH Office of Procurement Services. Such clarification may be made only through email. No other form of clarification is acceptable. Failure of Contractor to comply may result in the Contractor being deemed not responsive.

17. Communication Prior to the Response Due Date. From the Release Date of this RFP until the date of the Agreement award, there shall be no communications concerning this RFP between any Contractor who may ultimately submit a Proposal and any employee of ODH involved in the issuing of the RFP, or any other state employee who is in any way involved in the ODH project, except as follows:

An ODH employee may send communications to potential Contractors with a link to ODH’s RFP announcement after the Release Date to encourage a diversity of Contractors to submit a Proposal.

18. ODH Modifications/Amendments to the RFP. If ODH decides to revise this RFP before the Proposal due date, an amendment will be issued in OhioBuys as a new round. If an Offeror has submitted a Proposal prior to an amendment being issued and wishes to be considered, the Offeror must resubmit their Proposal in response to the latest round of the RFP.

Proposals submitted in response to amended RFPs prior to the most recent amendment will not be opened or evaluated. ODH may issue amendments to this RFP any time before Proposals are due, and it is each Offeror’s responsibility to check for amendments and other current information regarding this RFP.

Unless otherwise stated in the notice by ODH modifications and withdrawals must be submitted within OhioBuys prior to the end date of the amendment response period. If this RFP provides for a negotiation phase, this procedure will not apply to changes negotiated during that phase. Any modification that is broader in scope than ODH has authorized may be rejected and treated as a withdrawal of the Offeror’s Proposal.

A Contractor may elect to withdraw the proposal, provided that the Contractor files a written request within ten (10) calendar days of DOH’s distribution of the addendum.

Project Name – RFP#59719 On behalf of Center of Public Health Excellence (CPHE) RFP Version 7.2026

19. Unit Costs. Contractors shall not insert a unit cost of more than two (2) digits to the right of the decimal point. Digits beyond the two (2) will be dropped and not used in the evaluation of the proposal.

20. Responsive Contractor. A Contractor is responsive if its proposal responds to the RFP completely and contains no irregularities or deviations from the RFP that would affect the proposal or otherwise give the Contractor an unfair advantage.

21. Responsible Contractor. ODH will determine if a Contractor is responsible using the following factors:

21.1. Experience of the Contractor.

21.2. Contractor's financial condition.

21.3. Contractor's conduct and performance on previous Agreement.

21.4. Contractor's facilities.

21.5. Contractor's management skills.

21.6. Contractor's ability to execute the Agreement properly.

21.7. Review of Federal and State debarment lists.

22. Information Requested. ODH may request additional information to evaluate a Contractor's responsiveness to the RFP or to evaluate a contractor’s responsibility. If a Contractor does not provide the requested information, it may adversely impact ODH evaluation of the Contractor's responsiveness or responsibility.

23. Samples. ODH may require Contractors to provide samples or examples of work, at the Contractor's expense. Samples must be clearly identified by the Contractor, the RFP number, and the item the sample represents. ODH will return samples that are not destroyed in testing, at the Contractor's expense, upon the Contractor's timely request. ODH may keep the samples of the Contractor awarded the Agreement until the completion of the Agreement.

24. Estimated Usage. Unless otherwise stated, the usage indicated for each item(s), if applicable, are to be considered as estimates only and should be considered as information relative to potential purchases that may be made from the Agreement. ODH makes no representation or guarantees as to the actual amount of the items(s) to be purchased.

25. Technical Proposal Evaluation.

Proposals submitted by Contractors that do not meet the minimum requirements will not be evaluated. Proposals determined by ODH to lack completeness, specificity or clarity of content may be deemed nonresponsive and, therefore, will not be evaluated. The remaining proposals will be evaluated, scored, and ranked by a committee of selected staff. Proposals will be evaluated by the technical review criteria.

Project Name – RFP#59719

The evaluation committee will assign a numerical rating to each technical competency in the RFP based upon a review of that Contractor’s Proposal. The ratings are to be awarded as follows:

Numerical Rating

Adjective Description

5 Excellent

• Response demonstrates an approach to the proposed work with an exceptional solution or level of quality.

• Response contains many significant strengths and few minor weaknesses, if any.

• There is very little risk that the Offeror would fail to satisfy the requirement(s).

4 Very Good

• Response demonstrates an approach offering unique or innovative methods of performing the proposed work or delivering a solution.

• Response contains many strengths that outweigh the weaknesses. Weaknesses, if any, are very minor and can be readily corrected.

• There is little risk that the Offeror would fail to satisfy the requirement(s).

3 Acceptable

• Response demonstrates an approach that offers an acceptable solution or level of quality.

• Response contains strengths that are balanced by the weaknesses. Weaknesses are minor and can be corrected.

• There is some probability of risk that the Offeror may fail to satisfy some of the requirement(s).

2 Weak

• Response demonstrates an approach that inadequately addresses the requirements and/or objectives.

• Response contains weaknesses that are not offset by strengths. There are significant weaknesses and very few strengths.

Project Name – RFP#59719

The value assigned to each criterion is only a value used to determine which Proposal is the most advantageous to the Agency in relation to the other Proposals that ODH received.

The evaluation committee will evaluate each proposal and award up to the maximum amount specified for each criterion. A proposal must receive a total technical score of at least 300 points (60 percent of the maximum total technical score of 500) for ODH to consider awarding an Agreement for that proposal.

26. Presentations and Interviews. ODH may require may request some Offerors to interview, make presentations about their Proposals, or demonstrate the products or services. If the interviews, presentations, or demonstrations are held as part of the technical proposal evaluation, all Offerors having Proposals under evaluation may participate. ODH may then use the information gathered from this process in evaluating the merits of the Proposals. The demonstrations, presentations, and interviews may also result in an adjustment of a proposal’s evaluation. Such interviews will provide a Contractor with an opportunity to present its Proposal and to ensure a mutual understanding of the Proposal’s content.

Alternatively, if the interviews, presentations, or demonstrations are held after the technical proposal evaluation, the State may limit them to one or more of the higher-ranking Offerors.

The State may limit such interviews, presentations, and demonstrations to areas in which it seeks further information from the Offerors.

27. Cost Proposal Evaluation. This proposal is based on a “Best Overall Value” determination, which considers multiple factors beyond just cost. These include the quality of services,

• There are questions about the likelihood of success and there is a risk that the Offeror may fail to satisfy the requirement(s).

1 Poor

• Response demonstrates an approach that does not meet the stated requirements and/or objectives, lacks essential information, is conflicting, and/or is unproductive.

• Response contains many significant weaknesses and very minor strengths, if any.

• There is not a reasonable likelihood of success and a high risk that the Offeror would fail to satisfy the requirement(s).

0 Completely Deficient

• Response is missing necessary information to demonstrate that the Offeror can perform.

• Response is devoid of strengths.

• Response has an unacceptable level of risk that the Offeror will fail to satisfy the requirement(s).

Project Name – RFP#59719 On behalf of Center of Public Health Excellence (CPHE) RFP Version 7.2026 products offered, vendor experience and qualifications, past performance, proposed methodology and the ability to meet project timelines. ODH will calculate the Contractor’s Cost Proposal points along with the Contractor’s total technical points are determined, in the final stages of evaluation.

Offeror’s total cost for the Work must include all one-time and ongoing costs and be represented as a firm fixed price. Contractor will be paid according to the fee structure within the Cost Proposal Form.

Offeror may not modify or reformat the Cost Proposal Form. The Offeror must complete the required portions of the Cost Proposal Form. Additionally, all portions of the Cost Proposal Form must be completed in the exact format provided. The Offeror must not include exceptions, additional terms and conditions, or assumptions, in the submitted Cost Proposal Form. ODH may reject any Proposal with a modified or reformatted Cost Proposal Form; a Cost Proposal Form that is not separately submitted; or a Cost Proposal Form that includes exceptions, additional terms and conditions, or assumptions.

Offeror can include a separate document to include cost details and must submit these details along with the cost proposal form.

ODH will not be liable for any costs the Offeror does not identify in its cost proposal. There will be no additional reimbursement for travel or other related expenses unless specified above in this solicitation

28. Final Stages of Evaluation Contractor with the highest point total from all phases of the evaluation (Technical Points + Cost Points) will be recommended for the next phase of the evaluation.

Technical Score: + Cost Score: + MBE Score_________

= Total Score: ______________

If ODH finds that one or more Proposals should be given further consideration, ODH may select one or more of the highest-ranking Proposals to move to the next phase, which may include a Best and Final Offer (BAFO). ODH may alternatively choose to bypass any or all subsequent phases and make an award based solely on the Proposal evaluation phase.

29. Clarifications & Corrections. During the evaluation process, ODH may request clarifications from any potential Contractor under active consideration and may give any Contractor the opportunity to correct defects in its Proposal if ODH believes doing so does not result in an unfair advantage for the Contractor and it is in ODH’s best interests. Any clarification response that is broader in scope than what ODH has requested may result in the Contractor’s proposal being disqualified.

30. Agreement Negotiation. It is at the discretion of DOH whether to permit negotiations.