ESBD_378011_1729012166974_RFP-24-180-MVA-FINMGTSERV-AMBMON docx.docx

ADDENDUM # 1

RFP-24-180-MVA-FINMGTSERV

Proposals whether mailed, shipped, or personally delivered must be officially received by the Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG) by 4:00 pm on October 31st, 2024, in order to be considered. Proposals received after the deadline, regardless of circumstance, will be disqualified. ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE.

All solicitation documents are posted here: http://www.aacog.com/bids.aspx https://www.txsmartbuy.com

This addendum is to address Questions & Answers. All parties shall be responsible for reading this entire addendum. The failure to list an item or items of this addendum does not relieve any party affected from performing as per instructions, provided that the information is set forth one time any place in this addendum. The addendum will form a part of the contract document. All other conditions of this RFP remain unchanged.

Q&A The following questions were received according to submission instruction in the RFP.

1. For the electronic copy submitted by email, what is the MB limit for an email attachment?

36 MB

2. If our response exceeds the above MB limit, would the subject line reading “RFP Submission: RFP-24-180-MVA-FINMGTSERV Part I” and then subsequent part(s) numbered be acceptable? Yes

3. On Page 27 of this RFP, Attachment E – References, it states: “Describe your experience providing grant writing services including the number of years in business, and type of service provided.” Should this read “financial management services” instead?

Yes

4. Can you share the current fee schedule being applied to this program?

AACOG administrative fee is determined by the VA per client based on the county. FMS is paid out of the administrative fee. Both fees are paid out on a monthly basis.

5. In reference to running federal and state background checks on all employee candidates – is the federal background check required for all candidates, or just those who have lived outside of Texas in the last 5 years? *email sent to VA for clarification

6. What is the expected start date for this contract?

TBD

7. In Attachment D – Profile of the Proposer, it states “Proposers and their subcontractors must have prior successful experience performing institutional and Residential Caregiver Respite Care…” Number 6. In this Attachment references an Emergency Contact (365 days/year; 24 hours). Would this Emergency Contact requirement apply to the Financial Management Services Agency contracted through this RFP? Yes, there is a requirement for the FMS to provide an emergency point of contact 24 hours/365 days per year.

8. Section 1.5.4 states, “The work must be completed in a timely and expeditious manner. The Contractor is expected to provide bi-weekly progress reports to AACOG indicating work schedule and work status.” What work are the bi-weekly progress reports supposed to encompass? Is this requirement limited to the implementation phase of the contract? The bi-weekly progress reports cover all phases of the contract, from implementation to completion. These reports should track key activities, including work completed, upcoming tasks, adherence to timelines, budget status, and any challenges or changes in scope.

9. 5.4 Page Limitations states there is a 3-page limit for the Executive Summary and Proposal Narrative. However, 5.5.3 states the Executive Summary has a 1 page limit and 5.5.4 states the Proposal Narrative has a 5 page limit. Please clarify maximum page limits for the Executive Summary and Proposal Narrative.

Executive Summary (maximum 1-page limit) Proposal Narrative maximum 5-page limit not including attachments

10. How many contracts does AACOG anticipate awarding through this RFP? One

11. Who is the current contractor providing FMS? Consumer Directed Services in Texas

12. What are the current administrative rates/PMPMs that the current FMS contractor is receiving? Proprietary Information

13. How many employees/caregivers of Veterans are being paid by the current FMS contractor? Current number of active employees is 1,050 includes employees working for multiple clients.

14. What is the projected growth of the population over the period of the contract?

Projected growth over FY 2025 is expected to grow from 570 to 675 clients

15. How are services authorized for Veterans? Are authorizations dollar based or unit based? The Veterans Administration authorizes all services for a period of 365 days. The authorization is dollar amount based the Veterans Administration Case Mix Tool.

16. What is the average budget size or authorization amount? The average FY 25 monthly allocated per single veteran is $4043 based on the highest case mix level and urban county along with the lowest case mix level and rural county

17. What is the average length of time for a budget or authorization? 365 days

18. What background checks are required for this program? A current criminal conviction history check from DPS, Employee Misconduct Registry and the Nurse Aide Registry and Medicaid Exclusion List. *pending federal background check verification

19. Are background checks required on all employee candidates? Are background checks required for designated representatives? Yes to both

20. Who pays for background checks? The FMS pays for the background checks

21. How much do background checks cost? FMS pays $1.25 per potential employee and $3.00 for Designated Representatives

22. How frequently are background checks required? Once, when employee is being onboarded and annually based on the date of hire.

23. Is fingerprinting required for background checks? *Awaiting further clarification from Veterans Administration

24. Who pays for fingerprinting? N/A

25. How much does fingerprinting cost? N/A

26. How many employees are submitting paper timesheets? On average 750 employees are submitting timesheets per pay cycle.

27. How many employees are entering time sheets through an application or web portal? Zero

28. What is the average total payroll per pay cycle for the current FMS contractor? Average is $1,005,000 per pay cycle

29. What is the average dollar amount for goods and services paid each month by the current FMS contractor? No goods and service were utilized in the past year

30. What is the monthly volume of goods and services transactions processed by the current FMS contractor? No goods and service were utilized in the past year

31. Is a single per member per month (PMPM) fee sufficient for a budget proposal? If not, what does AACOG require? Yes Please confirm the page limit for the executive summary. Please confirm the page limit for the proposal narrative.

Executive Summary (maximum 1-page limit) Proposal Narrative maximum 5-page limit not including attachments

32. Please clarify method of submitting claims. Do you want the FMS to submit claims on behalf of AACOG? If Yes, should they be submitted by paper UB-04 or electronically though a claims processing system such as Change Healthcare? AACOG will submit claims to the Veterans Administration

33. Can you confirm that worker’s compensation is a required policy of the VDC Employers? At this time worker’s compensation is not a required policy.

34. Please describe the reports to be provided in 1.5.4. What data elements are required to be in the report? These reports should track key activities, including payment schedules, new intake information, and Veteran budget status..

35. Section 3.2.3 states “The maximum number of consecutive years that an auditor may provide services will be five (5) years.” Please confirm if this statement is valid for this RFP.

Yes CONTRACT PERIOD: It is anticipated that the initial contract period will be for three (3) years, with an option for two (2) one (1) year extensions

36. Section 5.4 and 5.5.5, 5.5.4 state different page limitations. Please confirm the total page limit for the executive summary and total page limit for the proposal narrative.

Executive Summary (maximum 1-page limit) Proposal Narrative maximum 5-page limit not including attachments

37. 5.5.4- Do Attachments mean the attachments included in the RFP or attachments from the proposer?

Attachments from the proposer.

Please refer to PART 6.0 – PROPOSAL RESPONSE FORMS. These attachments will need to be included with your proposal.

All other conditions of this RFP remain unchanged.

* * * * * * * * * * * * END OF ADDENDUM * * * * * * * * * * * *

image1.png