ESBD_400058_1741099867843_ESBD 510000498_Flex_Quality_Improvement_Program_03.03.25.docx

Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) Purchasing and Contracting Office 1700 N. Congress Avenue Austin, Texas 78701 Flex Quality Improvement Program

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

DATE ISSUED

3/4/2025

Respondent must submit sealed response no later than 3:00 PM CT on through 4/4/2025, to the following address:

Attention: bidroom@texasagriculture.gov For information contact:

Alfredo Aguirre Jr.

Phone: (512)-463-9779 E-mail: Alfredo.aguirre@texasagriculture.gov

RESPONSE (Respondent must fully complete)

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF ADDENDA:

(Respondent acknowledges receipt of Solicitation addenda and related documents numbered and dated:

NAME AND ADDRESS

OF RESPONDENT:

SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE

NAME AND TITLE OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE

CERTIFICATION, DISQUALIFICATION, AND REMEDIES. Respondent must submit its response electronically to Bidroom@texasagriculture.gov before the due date and time posted on posted on the Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD)

ATTENTION: It is the responsibility of interested parties to periodically check the above method for updates to this solicitation prior to submitting a response. Respondent’s failure to periodically check the method above will no way release the selected Respondent (Contractor) from “addenda or additional information” resulting in additional costs to meet the requirements of this solicitation.

By signing this document, Respondent represents and warrants that all statements, certifications, and information submitted in response to this solicitation are true, current, complete, and accurate. Failure to sign will disqualify response. TDA may pursue and enforce any available remedies against Respondent for making false statements, including disqualifying the Respondent’s response, immediately cancelling any Contract awarded to Successful Respondent, or recommending State of Texas debarment.

Texas Department of Agriculture Page intentionally left blank.

PCO 805 RFx Template Version 5.2 Revision 2/26/2025 Table of Contents

PCO 805 RFX Template Page 2 of 2 Version 5.2 Revised 02/26/2025

SECTION I – INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF WORK

INTRODUCTION

The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA or Department), an agency of the State of Texas, issues this REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) to solicit responses from qualified Respondents to provide quality improvement services to Texas Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), including technical assistance and educational programs for quality managers and staff, as described in this Section I and in this solicitation. TDA’s objective is to obtain the services that represent the best value for TDA and the State of Texas, according to the terms and conditions of this solicitation.

RESPONDENTS ARE CAUTIONED TO READ THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS SOLICITATION CAREFULLY AND TO SUBMIT A COMPLETE RESPONSE TO ALL REQUIREMENTS AND QUESTIONS AS DIRECTED.

All costs associated with the solicitation must be included in the Respondent’s Proposal. Solicitation responses that do not meet all the requirements or contain all the required documentation specified in this solicitation may be rejected as non-responsive.

BackGRound Established by the Texas Legislature in 1907, TDA was created to gather statistics on crops and livestock and to educate farmers on advanced farming methods and practices. Over time, TDA’s responsibilities expanded significantly, including the absorption of the Texas Department of Rural Affairs and the State Office of Rural Health in 2011.

TDA touches the lives of nearly every Texas citizen and is charged with protecting consumers by ensuring standards are upheld with licensed professionals and businesses. These standards provide an environment for consumers to conduct business with confidence with those licensees. TDA serves the public by providing public protection, consumer confidence and health protection.

The Department has regulatory responsibility to ensure licenses are appropriately issued and renewed. TDA strives to provide accessible and responsive services that strengthen public safety and consumer protection. Today, TDA performs a wide variety of regulatory, nutrition, economic development, and marketing activities, such as:

1) Regulating the production and transport of agricultural commodities and reviewing commodity board budgets;

2) Administering numerous federal and state nutrition assistance programs for children and adults;

3) Regulating agriculture-related activities in the marketplace to protect consumers, such as retail package content and weighting device calibration and the registration and use of agricultural, residential, and commercial site pesticide applications;

4) Providing financial assistance for agribusinesses and rural enterprises, rural healthcare facilities, and community infrastructure projects to promote economic development in rural Texas; and

5) Promoting Texas agricultural and rural products locally, nationally, and internationally.

The Texas State Office of Rural Health (SORH) within TDA works with local health care providers and other partners to support access to quality health care for rural Texans. SORH works directly with rural hospitals that are designated as CAHs. A CAH is a small, rural hospital in Texas that has a Medicare designation and provides essential healthcare services to the area. The Texas Critical Access Hospital Quality Improvement Program encourages CAHs to participate in the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) and publicly report data to Hospital Compare and supports Quality Improvement (QI) educational programs for CAH quality managers and staff.

Legal Authority

This solicitation is issued pursuant to TDA's authority in Chapter 12 of the Texas Agriculture Code and pursuant to Texas Government Code, Title 10, Subtitle D, Chapter 2156, Subchapter C, Sections §§2156.121 – 2156.127. Pursuant to Section §2155.131 of the Texas Government Code and 34 TAC §20.82. Competitive sealed proposals will be received before the deadline set forth below in this solicitation.

Definitions The words and terms listed below have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. These definitions shall apply to this solicitation, including the terms and conditions attached to the solicitation, and any contract entered into by the parties as a result of this solicitation.

1) Addendum means a written clarification or revision to the solicitation issued by the TDA. Bidder must acknowledge receipt of any addenda in the submission of the Bid.

2) Amendment means the final written agreement signed and dated by TDA and Respondent(s) selected for an award as a result of this solicitation subsequent to the effective date of the Contract, which amends, changes, extends, modifies or revises the Contract.

3) Business Days-means Monday through Friday except for federal, state, and legal holidays observed by the State of Texas.

4) Centralized Master Bidders List (CMBL) is a public website comprised of businesses interested in contracting with the state and maintained by the Texas Comptroller. It can be used by Respondents to identify potential respondents and historically underutilized businesses.

5) Contract means the final written agreement signed and dated by TDA and the respondent(s) selected for an award as a result of this solicitation, and includes the solicitation and all attachments, the proposal(s) of any respondent(s) selected for an award, any appendices, final proposals, amendments to the solicitation, schedules, or special provisions incorporated into the contract. This term also includes a purchase order. Purchase order is a legal document between two parties to purchase and sell commodities and/or services.

6) Contractor means an entity or individual selected for an award as a result of this solicitation and that enters into a Contract to complete the scope of work described in this solicitation and the Contract.

7) Contract Manager means a person designated by TDA or Contractor that is responsible for invoicing and payment under the Contract, and for monitoring the overall progress of the scope of work required by the Contract. Either party may designate the same individual to be both the Contract Manager and the Project Manager.

8) Days means calendar days unless otherwise specified.

9) Effective Date means the date TDA's Deputy Commissioner or duly authorized designee signs and dates a Contract resulting from this solicitation.

10) Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD) means the public website for posting state contracting opportunities managed by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (CPA)

11) Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) as defined by Chapter 2161 of the Texas Government Code.

12) Intellectual Property means worldwide legal rights or interests in intangible property evidenced by or embodied in: (1) any idea, design, concept, method, process, technique, apparatus, invention, discovery, or improvement that is capable of being patented; (2) any copyright or patent; (3) any work that is capable of being copyrighted, including moral rights or neighboring rights; (4) any trademark, service mark, certification mark, trade dress, trade name, or other indicia of source or origin; (5) any design, display, graphic design, letter or letter combination, logo, mark, number or number combination, phrase, word or word combination that indicates the origin, quality or source of goods or services and that is capable of being copyrighted; and (6) any rights, interests or property similar in kind or nature to the rights, interests or property created or resulting from this solicitation. The intellectual property of a party includes all worldwide intangible legal rights or interests that the party may have acquired by assignment or license with the right to grant sublicenses.

13) Project means the purpose, result, or work to be accomplished as a result of the Contract.

14) Project Manager means the person assigned by TDA or Contractor that is responsible for managing the day-to-day work of the Contract.

15) Proposal means a response submitted to TDA as a result of this solicitation.

16) Respondent means an entity or individual that submits a proposal or offer

17) Scope of Work or Statement of Work (SOW) means the deliverables, services and work set out and defined in the Contract and described in this solicitation.

18) Solicitation means this REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) ,

19) Successful Respondent means the respondent awarded a contract resulting from this solicitation.

20) TDA means the Texas Department of Agriculture. TDA may also be referred to as the "Department."

Scope of Work/Specifications TDA is seeking a proposal(s) from respondents to provide comprehensive services to CAHs, including technical assistance and educational programs for Texas quality managers and staff. A successful Contractor will develop focus groups, host educational events, conduct quarterly webinars, provide coaching, and implement boot camps for CAH staff. TDA will oversee all performances as further described in this Statement of Work (SOW).

Goals and Objectives The goal of this solicitation is to obtain services from a contractor who will provide quality improvement services, including technical assistance and educational programs, to CAHs. Successful Respondent will provide the following:

At a minimum, Contractor must achieve the following goals:

1) Increase number of CAHs routinely reporting Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement (MBQIP) data;

2) Identify areas for quality improvement and implement best practices to achieve improvement for CAHs; and

3) Support Quality Improvement (QI) educational programs for CAH quality managers, staff, and where appropriate, board members of CAHs.

Deliverables Contractor shall achieve this by implementing the following:

1) Establish a quality improvement focus group made of 20 hospitals (to be named) to collaborate and develop strategies to address healthcare disparities within the rural community that consists of the following:

A. Collaborate with SORH to identify hospitals for targeted focus group;

B. Evaluate data available from each hospital to assess for areas of possible improvement related to healthcare disparities;

C. Evaluate processes at facilities related to identified disparities and develop possible strategies to address; and D. Conduct ten (10) monthly focus group virtual working meetings to identify progress, share ideas, and provide ongoing assistance.

2) Provide in-person educational events for frontline staff that consists of the following:

A. Develop and present content for one full day of in-person educational learning that is applicable to frontline staff in critical access hospitals;

B. Provide continuing nursing education credit for event;

C. Hold two events to be scheduled and coordinated with TDA/SORH staff;

D. Each offering to contain the same content; and E. Content will be related to quality improvement and subject matter relevant to MBQIP core measures.

3) Provide Quality Improvement technical assistance at statewide conference which consist of the following:

A. Conference to be identified and selected in coordination with SORH staff;

B. Provide input into content development in coordination with SORH and other primary stakeholders;

C. Participate in presentation of content at statewide conference during one breakout session; and D. Participate in rural stakeholder meeting at the conference by providing update on past quality improvement activities and discussion on future educational needs of hospitals.

4) Conduct 4 quarterly quality improvement webinars (topics to be relevant to advancing quality improvement in Critical Access Hospital Quality Improvement CAHQI hospitals) that consists of the following:

A. Develop and present webinar content and collateral in coordination with SORH and other primary stakeholders;

B. Conduct one webinar to cover beginning of CAHQI cycle year for all hospitals;

C. Conduct one webinar to cover end of CAHQI cycle year for all hospital;

D. Webinars to be recorded and made available for viewing at times other than a live presentation; and E. Resources associated with each webinar will be made available to all participants online.

5) Provide Quality Improvement expertise and Process Improvement Coaching to participating hospital teams that consists of the following:

A. Monthly review of data;

B. Conduct targeted coaching calls each month with lower-performing hospitals;

C. Respond to hospital questions and requests for assistance;

D. Provide up to 12 hours of “Virtual Office Hours” Coaching each month;

E. Provide expertise to ongoing project planning;

F. Attend project team meetings and calls;

G. Coordinate scheduling of site visits and travel and SORH;

H. Submit monthly reports and invoicing;

I. Participate in planning/meetings with SORH and other participating partners;

J. Collaborate with SORH to identify hospitals for targeted focus groups (low performers);

K. Evaluate data available from each hospital to assess for areas of possible improvement;

L. Evaluate processes at facility to assess for areas of improvement;

M. Conduct 10 monthly focus group virtual working meetings to identify progress, share ideas, and provide ongoing assistance with action plans with hospitals at risk of non-participation; and N. Conduct end of year-abbreviated virtual site visits for each low-performing facility to assess compliance with reporting and status of eligibility for CAHQI going forward.

6) Provide 2 Quality Improvement Bootcamps (2.5 days) that consists of the following:

A. Develop and deliver content for 2.5 day quality improvement bootcamps;

B. Conduct 2 Quality Improvement Bootcamps – one north central and one south central (scheduled and planned in coordination with SORH staff);

C. Provide Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) for participation;

D. Provide all handouts and resources for bootcamp;

E. All presentations will be made available to participants online post bootcamp; and F. Provide SORH with after event evaluation report;

7) Provide webinar series for Frontline Staff (3 webinars total) which consist of the following:

A. Develop webinar content and collateral:

B. Webinar to be recorded and available for later review (resources associated with each domain made available);

C. Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) to be provided; and D. Content to be appropriate for all hospital staff.

8) Provide one Nurse Leader Bootcamp (2 days) that consists of the following:

A. Develop and present content for a 2-day bootcamp for nurse leaders;

B. Conduct one in-person training opportunity for nursing leaders at the critical access hospital level in Austin;

C. Provide continuing nursing education credits for attendees;

D. Provide follow up consultation with each attendee to assess for any further needs; and E. Provide follow up survey report to SORH for strategic planning of expanded content for future Nursing Education (NE) training.

9) Conduct a virtual policy and procedure learning series that consists of the following:

A. Develop and present webinar content as it relates to policy and procedure development;

B. Series to be comprised of at least three webinars;

C. Provide continuing nursing education credit to participants;

D. Webinars to be recorded and made available for viewing at times other than a live presentation; and E. Resources associated with each webinar will be made available to all participants online within 7 business days.

reporting Requirements Successful Respondent shall maintain records, collect data, and provide reports as requested by TDA. Any reports requested will be submitted via e-mail to designated TDA staff. TDA may utilize these reports as part of its review and oversight of Successful Respondent’s performance.

Successful Respondent shall submit to TDA its reports that contain all the following information:

1) Contractor will provide status reports on a quarterly basis via email to TDA. The initial kickoff meeting will determine specific due dates.

2) When action items are outstanding, Contractor shall communicate with TDA on a weekly basis. Contractor will be responsible for scheduling and conducting deliverables review meetings to ensure understanding of recommendations and specific deliverable details.

PROJECT CALENDAR (Implementation) The proposed schedule will ensure the completion of deliverables by specified dates. Workflow and milestones such as training, deliverables, invoicing, and quality assurance activities should be included.

PROJECT PLAN – PRICE TO VALUE/BEST VALUE

While price is not the sole deciding factor, TDA expects the cost proposal to be based on the best value for the price proposed. This requires submission of a Project plan that aligns costs, resources, and activities for an overall determination of best value for the price.

A draft Project plan detailing how Respondent will provide or implement the requirements of this solicitation must be included within Respondent’s response.

The draft Project plan must detail how Respondent would address the following:

1) A description of the project organization;

2) A breakdown and detailed description of the different deliverables of the Project;

3) Expected dependencies that exist within the Project plan;

4) A schedule and work plan for the different deliverables of the project;

5) Any dependencies, caveats, or risks associated with the schedule; and 6)The methodology Respondent will employ to ensure the schedule for each deliverable is met.

INVOICING AND PAYMENT

The following procedures apply to invoicing and payment in addition to those listed in Exhibit A, Execution of Offer, Affirmation of Terms and Conditions, and Proposal Preferences, Paragraph 11 and 12.

Invoice Submission The Successful Respondent must submit invoices electronically to Texas Department of Agriculture, Accounts Payable, invoices@texasagriculture.gov , or mail to P.O. Box 12847, Austin, TX 78711-2847.

Invoices must include:

1) Name of Contractor exactly as shown on the contract, Texas Identification Number (TIN), and correct "Remit to" address;

2) Receiving entity name;

3) Contract/Purchase Order number;

4) Description, quantity, unit of measure, unit price, extended price of each item;

5) Total price;

6) Discount, if applicable, extended and deducted to arrive at a NET TOTAL for invoice; and

7) Attach supporting documentation, if required.

Payment:

1) Payment will be made in accordance with the Texas Prompt Payment Act, Texas Government Code, Chapter 2251. Payment normally will be made to Contractor within thirty (30) days after receipt of a properly prepared invoice or the receipt of and the acceptance of services ordered, whichever is later. State agencies are required by Chapter 2251 to pay properly submitted invoices within thirty (30) days or Contractor may charge a late payment fee established by law. Any contract resulting from this solicitation is contingent upon the continued availability of lawful appropriations by the Texas Legislature.

2) Under no circumstances shall TDA be obligated to make any payment (whether a progress payment or final payment) to Contractor, if any of the following conditions exists:

A. Contractor is in breach of the Contract;

B. Any portion of a payment is for services that were not performed in accordance with this Contract provided, however, payment shall be made for those services which were performed in accordance with this Contract;

C. Contractor has failed to make payments promptly to consultants or other third parties used in connection with services for which TDA has made payment to Contractor; and D. If TDA, in good faith, determines that the balance of the unpaid fees is not sufficient to complete the services in accordance with this Contract; or if Contractor has failed to achieve a level of performance necessary to maintain the project schedule. No deductions shall be made from Contractor’s compensation on account of liquidated damages or other sums withheld from payments to other Contractors or on account of the cost of changes in the work other than those for which Contractor may be liable.

E. Payments for services purchased with state appropriated funds will be made through state warrants issued by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Payments by qualified ordering entities will be made through the entities’ local payment system.

F. Any additional expenses incurred by Contractor are the responsibility of Contractor and will not be paid by TDA.

G. TDA will not pay any per diem, travel, hotel, equipment, phone calls, paper, reproduction services, office space, or other incidental expenses related to performing the services required by the Contract.

Performance and Service Level Expectations

7.1 TDA Responsibilities

TDA is responsible for planning, leading, and executing the work activities that are required for the completion of the Project. TDA will look solely to Respondent for the performance of all contractual obligations that may result from an award based on this solicitation.

Respondent shall not be relieved of its obligations for any nonperformance by its subcontractors.

TDA’s Project and Contract Manager shall be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Designate a Contract Manager responsible for working with the Contractor to resolve problems and maintain the agreed upon schedule.

1. Monitor the Contractor’s performance through the following activities:

1. Reviewing and approving status reports;

1. Reviewing completed deliverables within five (5) business days of submission;

1. Provide written confirmation of acceptance or rejection at the completion of deliverable review;

1. Communicate with Contractor via phone, email, or web to meet the approved schedule;

1. Provide contact information for TDA staff with responsibilities under the contract;

1. Make available appropriate individuals with reasonable notice;

1. SORH staff may be involved with site visits if they are conducted for activities associated with this contract;

1. Approve or refuse submitted work no later than five (5) workdays from receipt of the work;

1. Manage and execute the acceptance process;

1. Approve the deliverable upon determination of satisfactory results of all required criteria;

1. Marketing/outreach for recruitment of class participants for the training program; and

1. Providing any relevant and necessary information to Contractor in relation to developing trainings/sessions.

0. Contractor Responsibilities Contractor is responsible for planning, leading, and executing the work activities that are required for the completion of the Project. TDA will oversee the Contractor’s Project and Contract Manager shall be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Manage the project consistent with the approved project plan.

1. Dedicate a project manager and contract manager, or assign both duties to a single staff member.

1. Respond to support requests and resolve escalated issues within agreed upon time frames.

1. Establish detailed timelines, and deliver on or before scheduled milestone dates as outlined in project timeline approved by TDA;

1. Participate in planning meetings as scheduled by the selected TDA representative;

1. Utilize feedback from TDA and stakeholders, before implementation of work plan activities;

1. Apply quality assurance processes on deliverables before submission;

1. Provide all necessary electronic equipment (i.e. computers) and supplies for its staff to perform their responsibilities as described in the Scope of Work;

1. Ensure the confidentiality of all information obtained from TDA;

1. Notify the TDA Project Manager of any requests for copies of records from third parties not party to the contract;

1. Obtain and procure the appropriate platforms needed to implement virtual trainings and in person meetings, etc.;

1. Developing content (to be approved by TDA) and performing/facilitating the training/session;

1. Design comprehensive training programs aligned with identified needs, including course outlines, learning objectives, and appropriate delivery methods.;

1. Develop engaging training materials including but not limited to presentations, manuals, modules, and hands-on exercises;

1. Contractor must ensure all training curricula and materials are approved in writing by TDA;

1. For providing any audio and visual equipment that may be necessary;

1. For virtual training classes, Contract will create the event on a webinar platform and provide the TDA with the platform details;

1. Registration of participants associated with the training program;

1. Contacting subject matter experts and for accurate content creation;

1. Ensure trainers possess the necessary expertise and certifications to deliver training effectively;

1. The Contractor will be responsible for organizing and producing necessary educational materials;

1. Developing an evaluation survey (to be approved by TDA) to be completed by attendees upon completion of a training/sessions;

1. Collecting completed evaluation surveys upon completion of a training/session, analyzing the results of the survey responses, and providing those results (along with copies of the completed evaluation surveys) to TDA;

1. Coordinating and working with TDA in scheduling each training/session;

1. Providing necessary information to TDA to facilitate effective outreach/marketing for each training/session;

1. Contractor must agree that any curricula and/or training materials developed while contracted will become the property of TDA and Provide TDA a copy of any materials/documentation used with each training/session;

1. Contractor will be responsible for submitting qualifying expenses for reimbursement;

1. Contractor must meet all required deadlines set by TDA; and

1. Contractor may be required to participate in meetings through conference calls, or Microsoft Teams, upon request by TDA designee and/or Contract Manager. Meetings shall be at no additional cost to TDA.

information Security Requirements Contractor shall adhere to the Texas Department of Information Resources’ (DIR) Information Resources Security and Risk Management Policy, Standards and Guidelines as published in Texas Administrative Code, Title 1, Part 10, Chapter 202 and as authorized by the Information Resources Management Act, Chapter 2054, of the Texas Government Code. (See Exhibit K, Data Security Requirements)

Contractor shall adhere to the following policy standards:

Contractor shall ensure that security controls for Information Resources (including all data and reports associated with the background checks conducted under any Contract awarded under this solicitation, hereinafter "IR'') are not bypassed or disabled.

Contractor shall ensure that:

1) Security awareness is continually emphasized, reinforced, updated, and validated;

2) The user must keep any data used in an IR system confidential and secure;

3) Contractor must take appropriate steps to ensure the integrity and security of all programs and data files created by, or acquired for, computer applications that will be utilized to perform the services requested by this solicitation;

4) TDA reserves the right to immediately terminate the Contract and cease all payment for services if Contractor does not comply with these security guidelines; if Contractor's IR security does not comply with industry standards; or if TDA does not consider Contractor's IR to be adequately secure;

5) The sale or release of data, reports or lists generated as a result of the services contemplated by this solicitation, to any entity, organization, or person other than TDA is strictly prohibited;

6) Contractor shall carefully assess the risk of unauthorized alteration, unauthorized disclosure or loss of the data for which it is responsible. Contractor shall immediately disclose any alterations, losses or risks to TDA in writing;

7) Contractor must have backup and contingency plans for disaster recovery based on risk assessment and business requirements;

8) Contractor is responsible for all, but not necessarily limited to, the following: the maintenance, monitoring and procurement of all computers, electronic devices, computer or network systems, contracts, leases, licenses, consulting arrangements or other agreements necessary for Contractor to deliver the services required by this solicitation; and

9) Contractor shall adhere to all other guidelines, laws, policies, practice standards, procedures and regulations promulgated by DIR, TDA, or the state that affect the scope of work contemplated by this solicitation.

TDA is solely responsible for data security, once the reports contemplated by this solicitation have been delivered to TDA, and the underlying data has been completely and permanently removed from Contractor's computers, electronic devices, networks, and/or systems.

Project Change Management Any proposed changes to be made within the Contract, whether initiated by TDA or Contractor, must receive final written approval in the form of a Contract amendment and/or Purchase Order Change Notice (POCN).

Change in Scope All change orders are subject to mutual agreement and must be in writing. Change orders that change the scope of the Project will be documented through written amendment to the contract and signed by the parties. Change orders will be made as necessary within the budget. A material change in the scope may require a new solicitation to maintain a fair solicitation process.

Amendment The parties shall initiate changes to the Contract in a written instrument signed by an authorized Project or Contract Manager for each party. However, any proposed change to the contract amount or work to be performed, whether initiated by TDA or the Contractor, must receive final written approval in the form of a contract amendment or a Purchase Order Change Notice (POCN), which must be signed by an authorized representatives of TDA and Contractor who have authority to bind TDA and Contractor, respectively. The agreement to make the contract change must indicate the reason the change, amendment or POCN is necessary.

Quality Assurance TDA will approve all proposed work prior to Contractor carrying out the work, to ensure that it meets the needs of this Contract.

Project completion and contract closeout Requirements As part of Contract close-out, TDA’s Contract Manager must compare actual performance against performance measures, goals and objectives, to determine whether all required work has been completed. A contract is completed when:

1) all goods or services have been received and accepted;

2) all reports have been delivered and accepted;

3) all administrative actions have been accomplished;

4) all agency-furnished equipment and materials have been returned;

5) all property inventory and ownership issues are resolved including disposition of any equipment or licenses purchases under the Contract;

6) final acceptance from the project manager has been received;

7) A closeout meeting between TDA and Contractor is conducted prior to final payment and Contract closeout; and

8) final payment has been made to the contractor.

TDA’s Contract Manager must also ensure that vendor performance is reported to the Comptroller’s Vendor Performance Tracking System (VPTS) and that the contractor is aware of and is in compliance with records retention requirements.

contract term Initial Contract Term:

The Contract shall commence on the Effective Date, or 9/01/2025, whichever occurs later, and continue through 8/31/2026, unless sooner terminated under the terms of the contract. Any work done outside of the period of performance shall be provided at no cost to TDA.

Renewal Option:

The Contract may be renewed for up to three (3) additional one (1) year periods. TDA will notify Contractor of its intent to renew and will send a contract amendment to Contractor. If renewal options are exercised, TDA will provide the new timeline and delivery schedule to Contractor. The total duration of performance under an option renew term shall not exceed the three (3) one-year renewals to be exercised by TDA at its sole discretion. Each option to renew term shall run concurrently with the state fiscal year as follows:

Option Year 1 9/1/2026, through 8/31/2027 Option Year 2 9/1/2027, through 8/31/2028 Option Year 3 9/1/2028, through 8/31/2028 TDA may exercise an option to renew upon thirty (30) calendar days’ prior written notice to Contractor.

Termination:

The Contract shall terminate upon full performance of all requirements contained in the Contract, unless otherwise extended or renewed, in accordance with the Contract terms and conditions.

No Exclusivity in Award There shall be no exclusivity under any Contract awarded pursuant to the terms of this solicitation. TDA may re-solicit the services under this solicitation at any time for any reason if it is in the best interests of TDA or the State of Texas to do so.

SECTION II – ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

1. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

TDA intends to proceed according to the following schedule. These dates represent a tentative schedule of events. TDA reserves the right to change the dates in the schedule of events above upon written notification to prospective respondents through a posting on the posted on the Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD)

Solicitation Publication on posted on the Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD) the Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD) at:http://www.txsmartbuy.com/esbd 3/4/2025

Addendum Posted on the Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD)

3/19/2025 (estimated)

Ending Date of Contract:

8/31/2026

INquires Point of Contact All requests, questions, or other communications about this solicitation must be made in writing to TDA’s Purchasing and Contracting Office, addressed to the following person:

Alfredo Aguirre E-mail: Alfredo.Aguirre@TexasAgriculture.gov Texas Department of Agriculture 1700 N. Congress, 11th Floor Austin, TX 78701 All Respondents shall make no contact concerning this solicitation with other TDA personnel, except as permitted by the point of contact. The only exceptions to the Sole Point of Contact are the HUB Coordinator, or, if expressly directed by the Sole Point of Contact, another designated Agency representative, e.g., during contract negotiations, if any. Should Respondents have questions regarding proper completion of the HUB Subcontracting Plan, the HUB coordinator may be contacted at hub@texasagriculture.gov. Failure to comply with this requirement at any point prior to contract award may result in disqualification. This restriction does not preclude discussions between affected parties for the purpose of conducting business unrelated to this procurement.

Questions and Clarifications:

TDA will allow written questions and requests for clarification of this solicitation. Questions must be e-mailed to the Contact listed above. Questions must be submitted on Exhibit E, Respondent Solicitation Questions Form of this solicitation. Responses to questions or other written requests for clarification will be posted on the ESBD. It is the responsibility of an interested party to check the ESBD for updates to this solicitation. before submitting an Proposal. Each Respondent is solely responsible for verifying TDA’s receipt of its questions, if applicable, and its Proposal by the deadlines specified in this solicitation.

Note: Questions or other written requests for clarification must be received by the sole point of contact by the deadline set forth in Section II of this solicitation.

CHANGES, AMENDMENT OR MODIFICATION TO SOLICITATION

In order to ensure that no prospective respondent may obtain a competitive advantage because of acquisition of information unknown to other prospective respondents, TDA will provide any additional information that is different from or in addition to, information provided in the solicitation only in response to written inquiries. TDA will provide answers to all such inquiries via an Addendum on the Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD) at . Respondent names will be removed from questions in the responses released. TDA reserves the right to amend answers prior to the response submission deadline. If Respondents do not have Internet access, copies may be obtained through the point of contact listed above.

Note: It is the responsibility of interested parties to periodically check the method above for updates to the procurement prior to submitting a response. Respondent’s failure to periodically check the method above will in no way release the selected Respondent from “Addenda or additional information” resulting in additional costs to meet the solicitation requirements.

Informalities TDA reserves the right to waive minor informalities in a solicitation response if it is in the best interest of TDA. A "minor informality" is an omission or error that, in TDA’s determination if waived or modified when evaluating solicitation responses, would not give one Respondent an unfair advantage over other Respondents or result in a material change in the solicitation response or solicitation requirements.

Prohibited Communications Upon issuance of this solicitation, TDA, its representative(s), or partners will not answer questions or otherwise discuss the contents of this solicitation with any potential Respondent or its representative(s), except for the written inquiries described in Section II, Subsection 2. Attempts to ask questions by phone or in person will not be allowed or recognized as valid. Failure to observe this restriction may disqualify Respondent. Respondent shall rely only on written statements issued through or by TDA’s Purchasing staff. This restriction does not preclude discussions between affected parties for the purposes of conducting business unrelated to this solicitation.

SUBCONTRACTING AND HUB SUBCONTRACTING PLAN

Refer to Exhibit A – Execution of Offer, Affirmation of Terms and Conditions, and Proposal Preferences Paragraph 78 – Subcontractors.

1) Respondent must complete, sign and submit Exhibit B, HUB Subcontracting Plan, with its response submission and in accordance with the following instructions. ALL RESPONDENTS RESPONDING TO THIS SOLICITATION, INCLUDING THOSE THAT ARE HUB CERTIFIED OR THOSE WHO DO NOT PLAN TO SUBCONTRACT, MUST COMPLETE A HUB SUBCONTRACTING PLAN (HSP) IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE STATE’S POLICY ON UTILIZATION OF HUBs. FAILURE TO COMPLETE AND SUBMIT THE HUB SUBCONTRACTING PLAN (HSP) WITH THE RFP RESPONSE WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION OF THE RESPONSE FROM CONSIDERATION.

2) In accordance with Texas Government Code, §2161.252 and Texas Administrative Code, Title 34, §20.14, TDA has determined that subcontracting opportunities are probable under this contract, and that the contract value may exceed $100,000. This probability is based on HUB availability, HUB utilization, geographic location of the project, the contractual scope of work, or other factors. TDA estimates the value of this contract to be greater than $100,000 and further sets the HUB subcontracting goal at 26 % of the Contract’s value.

TDA is committed to increasing contracting opportunities with HUBs by contracting directly with HUBs or indirectly through subcontracting opportunities in compliance with Chapter 2161 of the Texas Government Code. After Contract award, Successful Respondent may be subject to debarment pursuant to Section 2161.253(d) of the Texas Government Code if any modifications are made to the HSP without PRIOR approval from TDA.

The HSP is available as part of this solicitation package on the ESBD website. Respondents may send an HSP review request to hub@texasagriculture.gov. TDA will provide a courtesy HSP review if the request is received no later than the date questions are due, as specified in Section II.

If Respondent is not subcontracting any portion of the Contract, Sections 1, 2(a), 3 and 4 of the HSP must be completed. If Respondent is subcontracting some portion of the Contract, the supporting documentation of “Good Faith Effort” must be demonstrated in either Method A (Attachment A) or Method B (Attachment B) of the HSP. The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts requests all Respondents to consider utilizing HUBs in subcontracting areas listed below; however, this list should not be considered exhaustive.

3) DIR Contracts (only): Any subcontractors must be listed on the Respondent’s approved DIR HSP for their contract. DIR will work with Respondent in the event a new subcontractor needs to be added.

4) HUB Subcontracting Plan (HSP) Prime Contractor Progress Assessment Reports (PAR’s). Per TAC §20.285 (6)(g) The contractor shall submit a Progress Assessment Report to the state agency with each invoice, in the format required by the comptroller. A state agency may, at its option, allow electronic submissions of the compliance report required by this subsection so long as the electronically submitted compliance reports are in the format and contain all information required by the Comptroller. The Progress Assessment Report shall be a condition for payment. TDA may verify the amounts being reported as paid by requesting copies of cancelled checks paid to subcontractors.

Pre-proposal Vendor Conference Attendance is strongly encouraged, but not required. Failure to attend in person, participate in the conference call, or participate in the webinar will not disqualify a Respondent.

Attendance Log For conference calls and webinars, participants will be added to the attendance log with the following information ready and properly announced or submitted:

1) Legal business entity name or name of individual which will be used if submitting a response to this solicitation or subcontractor acting on behalf of the legal business entity;

2) Name and title of each representative on the call; and

3) E-mail address for the sole point of contact.

Webinar Vendor Conferences TDA will conduct a webinar vendor conference on the date and time identified in the Procurement Schedule (Section II), or on the date and time established in subsequent Addenda. The conference will provide a review of the requirements, scope of work, terms and conditions, and all components of this solicitation. Respondents must pre-register for the vendor conference prior to the scheduled date and time identified in the Procurement Schedule (Section II), or on the date and time established in subsequent Addenda.

The conference will be held via TEAMS. Vendors must register for the vendor conference prior to the conference date. Please use the following link for conference registration:

· 3/11/2025

· Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

Questions or Requests for Clarification The vendor conference allows participants to ask TDA questions or request clarifications. Questions are required to be submitted, either prior to or immediately after the conference, in writing, by e-mail, to the Sole Point of Contact, Section II. The questions and requests for clarifications must be submitted on Exhibit E of this solicitation.

1) Answers During the Conference A. During the conference, TDA may provide responses to questions or requests for clarification; however, these answers will not be considered official;

B. After the conference, the official responses to questions and requests for clarifications received during the conference and those received by the deadline identified in the Procurement Schedule or deadlines established in subsequent Addenda, will be posted in an Addendum on the ESBD; and C. TDA reserves the right to amend the answers previously posted at any time prior to the Response Deadline or deadlines established in subsequent Addenda. Amended answers will be posted on the ESBD in a separate, new Addendum or Addenda.

SOLICITATION RESPONSE COMPOSITION AND DELIVERY

Response Submission Proposals must be submitted in a manner which does not carry any benefit, keepsake, or value for members of the evaluation committee. Responses submitted by mail, facsimile, or any other method not specified in this solicitation, will NOT be accepted, or considered. Responses must be received prior to the response due date listed on the cover page of this solicitation.

SUBMISSION METHOD: E-Mail Submission Respondent is solely responsible for ensuring that the electronic response is complete and submitted to and RECEIVED by TDA before the Response Deadline identified in the Procurement Schedule or deadline established in subsequent Addenda. TDA is not responsible for lost, misdirected or late responses. Late responses will be disqualified.

The solicitation response, including all documentation required by this solicitation and Appendix, must be sent in its entirety in one or more e-mails as warranted by the size of each attachment.

Responses sent by e-mail must be sent to: bidroom@texasagriculture.gov

1) E-mail Subject Line The e-mail subject line must contain the solicitation number, title as indicated on the cover page and number quantity of e-mails if more than one (e.g., 1 of #, etc.).

2) Body of E-mail The body of each e-mail must include the following information:

A. Respondent’s name B. Contact Name for Respondent C. Phone number for Respondent’s Contact D. Solicitation number from cover page E. Purchaser Name (Sole Point of Contact, Section II, Paragraph 2.1).

TDA takes no responsibility for e-mailed solicitation responses that are captured, blocked, filtered, quarantined, or otherwise prevented from reaching the proper destination server by any TDA anti-virus or other security software.

3) Additional Information Regarding Electronic Submission by E-Mail All documents should be submitted in Microsoft Office® formats (Word® and Excel®, as applicable) or in a form that may be read by Microsoft Office® software. Any documents with signatures shall be submitted as an Adobe® portable document format (pdf) file, or DocuSign. TDA is not responsible for documents that cannot be read or converted. Unreadable responses may be, in TDA’s sole discretion, rejected as nonresponsive.

4) E-mail Attachment Naming Convention Respondents must name e-mail attachments in accordance with Response Submission…