ESBD_498784_1776952986577_Solicitation HHS0017028 Vendor Conference PowerPoint.pdf

Vendor Conference

The storage of Durable Medical Equipment, tracking of deployment, and retrieval as necessary for DSHS.

HHS0017028

Vendor Conference Agenda

Procurement Activities

Project Overview

HUB

Questions Submittal

Preliminary Responses to Questions

Closing Commentary

Sole Point of Contact Contact Information

Jeramy Keil, Purchaser, Procurement and Contracting Services (PCS), HHSC

Phone: 512-776-2992

Email: Jeramy.keil@hhs.texas.gov mailto:Jeramy.keil@hhs.texas.gov

Procurement Roles HHSC Procurement Team

PCS - Responsible for procurement activity

Program - Responsible for project scope, requirements, performance, results, contract management and monitoring

HUB- Responsible for HUB activity

Schedule of Events Upcoming Events

Anticipated Contract Start Date

July 1, 2026

Deadline for submission of Solicitation Responses

April 29, 2026 10:30 am - Central Standard Time

HHSC Posts Responses to Vendor Questions

April 22, 2026

Deadline for Submitting Questions

April 17, 2026 5:00 pm - Central Standard Time

Solicitation Access The posting on the Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD) is located at:

https://www.txsmartbuy.gov/esbd/HHS0017028

HHSC will post all official communication regarding this solicitation on the ESBD website, including the notice of award.

• HHSC reserves the right to cancel this solicitation, or to make no award if it determines such action is in the best interest of the state.

• HHSC may, in its discretion, reject any and all bid responses or portions thereof.

https://www.txsmartbuy.gov/esbd/HHS0017028

Submission Requirements For Submittal information please see Solicitation Appendix A: SUBMISSION

INSTRUCTIONS AND RESPONSE

CHECKLIST

Hardcopy Submission, emailed responses, and responses submitted electronically through the HHS Online Bid Room will be accepted.

Emailed responses must be submitted to:

pcsbids@hhs.texas.gov Only. For instructions regarding registration and use of the HHS Online Bid Room, see Exhibit E. Online, electronic responses must be submitted to the link specified in Exhibit E.

mailto:pcsbids@hhs.texas.gov

Checklist for Submission Response

This checklist is included to provide assistance in submitting a complete and accurate response to this Solicitation.

Failure to submit the following with the Response WILL disqualify the Bidder from further consideration for evaluation or award.

Exhibit A – HHS Solicitation Affirmations

Exhibit C - Pricing Sheet

Failure to submit the following with the Response MAY disqualify a Bidder. HHSC will review all Responses received and will determine if any or all Responses which do not include the complete, signed (if applicable) copies of Addenda or requested information and documentation will be disqualified or whether additional time will be permitted for submission of the incomplete or missing documentation. If additional time will be permitted, Bidders will be notified in writing to provide the missing documentation by a specified deadline. Failure by Bidder to submit the requested documentation by that deadline WILL result in disqualification.

Exhibit D – Bidder Reference Form Provide any other information Bidder believes is pertinent to demonstrate the Bidder’s financial capability, financial solvency, and capacity to fulfill the requirements of this Solicitation.

Addenda, if applicable

Public Information Act Copy of Response, if applicable

Exhibit F – Form 4109 Application for Texas Identification Number, if applicable.

Complete and return if no prior business has been done with HHS or information has changed. Form 4109 is not required for bid submission to be compliant.

Screening & Evaluation Award Information

Screening & Evaluation For Screening and Evaluation information please see Section 15 and 16 in the bid solicitation.

Award Information For Award Information please see Section 17 in the bid solicitation.

HHS Sole Point of Contact

• All communications relating to this solicitation must be directed to the HHSC Sole Point of Contact, except for matters related to HUB requirements.

• All communications between respondents and other HHSC staff members concerning this solicitation are strictly prohibited.

• Failure to comply with these requirements may result in proposal disqualification.

The storage of Durable Medical Equipment, tracking of deployment, and retrieval as necessary for DSHS.

Project Overview:

The required services to be provided are warehouse storage of Durable Medical Equipment (DME) and other public health and medical supplies and equipment. Contractor shall perform typical warehouse activities to include receiving incoming goods, storing them in designated areas, picking items from storage to fulfill orders, packing picked items for shipment, and shipping the final packages to a destination, as directed by DSHS. These services are a state requirement, and the warehouse must be located in the Austin area, within Travis County.

Scope of Work

Upon notification by the DSHS State Medical Operations Center (SMOC) Director or his/her designated representative, Contract Management Section Director or his/her designated representative, Contractor will provide transportation of public health and medical supplies, and/or materials related to the incident. Transportation of inventory will coincide with a public health emergency incident but could be deployed or moved at other times for other reasons, as designated and activated by DSHS. Contractor will be reimbursed for labor and costs associated with deployment or movement of materials.

1. Storage Facility General Requirements

a) Contractor must provide a warehouse up to 75,000 square feet of storage space.

Current inventory occupies 20,000 square feet.

b) Contractor’s site will serve as the HHS Agency’s primary location for receiving, staging, and storing of assets and DME, to include but not limited to ventilators, medical beds, patient monitors, and intravenous (IV) pumps and associated accessories.

c) Warehouse must be maintained in good condition to protect HHS Agency assets from environmental damage to include rain, wind, and extreme temperatures.

d) Contractor shall keep the structure and facility clean, secure, and in good order.

e) Facility must be located within Travis County limits. With written approval from DSHS, portions of the DSHS property may be stored within 100 miles of Travis County; however, DSHS will not incur any additional costs for movement of supplies or equipment to the Austin area warehouse. The portion of DSHS property that is not stored in the Austin area warehouse shall not exceed 25% of the total DSHS property managed by the Contractor.

f) Contractor shall have protective measures in place, creating barriers and altering the environment to prevent pests (insects and rodents) from entering and thriving. A current integrated pest management strategy is required with bid responses, with additional information on measures to be taken for both climate controlled and non-climate-controlled areas where assets and DME are stored.

g) Contractor must have measures in place and follow those measures, as directed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard, to address chemical and mechanical hazards.

h) Facility must be accessible in all weather conditions.

i) Facility must provide two (2) or more loading docks between forty-eight (48) inches and fifty (50) inches high. The facility shall have dock doors with a standard height of one hundred (100) inches wide by fourteen (14) feet high.

j) Facility must have dock area of at least six hundred (600) square feet of obstacle-free space for movement of material handling equipment without blocking traffic.

k) Facility must provide driveway to the docks to accommodate one fifty-three (53) foot trailer with eleven (11) foot tracker at a time and that allows for adequate turning radius.

l) Facility must have flat, level, and hard-surfaced floors free of holes.

m) Facility must have adequate power with back-up electricity and lighting. Bidders must submit a Disaster Recovery Plan and Business Continuity Plan with responses.

n) Facility must have one (1) office that can comfortably accommodate up to five (5) people within one hundred (100) feet of storage facility, for use by DSHS staff, as needed. Office must be maintained in good repair and in clean and sanitary conditions.

o) Facility must have bathrooms that are well supplied and maintained in clean and sanitary conditions for use by DSHS staff, as needed.

p) Facility must provide three (3) large portable industrial fans for DSHS personnel accessing inventory in the warehouse when inside ambient temperature is over 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

q) Facility will store pallets and inventory in a manner to ensure easy accessibility by DSHS personnel throughout the Contract term. Easy accessibility is defined as enough space to allow a person to have access to each pallet in the warehouse. DSHS inventory will be stored in a manner that allows for DSHS staff to visibly see and ascertain what the pallet contains and allows for a forklift to access the pallet(s) and move them. Non-DSHS inventory should not be intermingled with DSHS inventory. Rows where DSHS inventory is stored should be kept clear of any obstacles. Contractor must be prepared to move/retrieve pallets, at the request of DSHS staff.

2. Contractor Facility Security Requirements

a) Facility shall have exterior lighting that is fully operational and in good repair.

b) Facility shall have operating and up-to-date regularly inspected fire detection/suppression system that meets National Fire Protection (NFPA) standards.

c) Facility shall have operating security alarm system that is monitored by either the Contractor or local law enforcement, on a 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, 365 days a year basis (24/7/365).

d) Facility shall have all exterior doors equipped with cylinder locks, deadbolts, solid locks and hasps, or electronic badge access system.

e) Ensure all entry points including windows, roof openings (doors, skylights, etc.) are securely fastened or locked from the inside.

f) Provide additional security personnel or other security measures if required during a special incident, as requested by DSHS.

3. General Transportation Requirements

a) Contractor will provide transportation and white glove service (load and unload) of DME other public health and medical supplies and equipment at specified locations throughout the state.

b) All movement of HHS Agency assets will be coordinated with DSHS to include timelines for pick-up and delivery.

c) All storage and movement will be tracked in Contractor’s inventory management/tracking system.

d) Contractor’s drivers must possess an active commercial driver’s license.

4. Contractor Requirements

a) Contractor will store and maintain HHS Agency assets in a patient-ready state.

b) The Contractor will collaborate with DSHS to develop comprehensive warehouse and transportation plans. Within 30 days of Contract award, the Contractor must meet with a DSHS Logistics Specialist (or designee) to finalize these plans, detailing the concept of operations for inventory management, including receiving and shipping procedures.

c) Promptly, but not later than 12 hours, notify DSHS, via phone call, of any damage, loss, or irregularities regarding DSHS inventory. E-mail follow-up should be sent to DSHS documenting the specifics of the damage, loss, or irregularities.

d) Contractor will participate in meetings, trainings, and/or exercises with DSHS at least once annually to ensure the State is prepared to respond to a public health incident. Meetings, training, and exercise dates will be provided by DSHS when scheduled or as applicable.

e) Provide personnel to operate two (2) fork-lifts and manage materials for receipt of multiple tractor-trailers and multiple daily shipments.

f) Allow DSHS personnel and/or personnel designated by DSHS, 24/7/365 access to the facility.

g) Contractor will be notified of potential emergencies by phone or e-mail from the State Medical Operations Center (SMOC) or the DSHS Logistics Specialist to ensure readiness.

h) Possess and utilize an inventory management system to track incoming and outgoing medical supplies and materials. The inventory management system will track inventory from receipt to warehouse storage to shipping and to final destination. System should include a barcoding or similar type of system to mark and track equipment pallets. System should be capable of generating inventory reports of items stored in the warehouse, inventory received, and inventory shipped at any given time. Contractor will provide accurate inventory reports to DSHS, upon request. There is no requirement for the system to automatically reorder inventory as inventory is shipped out.

i) Provide warehouse oversight and identify a primary and alternate Point of Contact (POC) who can provide immediate status updates, reports, and counts on the product, including using an inventory management system to track location, expiration, type and quantity of inventory. This system must employ Contractor's picking, packing, and shipping methods.

j) Conduct and provide inventory of all palleted supplies to and with DSHS on an annual basis, starting 90 days from the Contract execution date. For bagged items, such as medical bus bags, and comfort kits, the Contractor is required to maintain an inventory of the actual bags, not the specific items inside of each bag.

k) Have the ability and available personnel to build pallets for shipment upon request from DSHS.

Contractor will have the ability to pull inventory from separate pallets to assemble custom pallets as requested by DSHS. Pallet build and shipment will take no more than 4 hours from request.

l) In coordination with DSHS and DSHS designated third party(ies), Contractor will assist in the disposal of expired inventory as directed by DSHS. Assistance will include allowing DSHS designated third party access to a facility as directed by DSHS, movement of pallets from storage area to warehouse docks and then onto third party vehicles. Assistance in marking of pallets to be disposed of, in coordination with DSHS and the third party.

m) Awarded Contractor shall bear all costs associated with transporting all existing inventory from the current facility to its storage facility, as applicable.

n) Contractor must ensure adequate and necessary warehouse and operations staffing to allow 24/7/365 access for continuity of business services before, during and after disasters or incidents.

o) Contractor must adhere to and abide by all federal, state, and local laws and must adhere to and abide by 49 United States Code Section 31301.

• 5. Activation and Deployment Service Procedures

• a) Activation for deployment will be initiated by DSHS, via a phone call, when a disaster or public health emergency occurs in Texas. Specific directions will be given by DSHS based on the incident, documented on the SMA, and documented on each purchase order.

• b) Upon activation by the DSHS SMOC Director or his/her designee to respond to an incident:

• i. Contractor will only act upon the directions and instructions received from DSHS, State Medical Operations Center (SMOC), Center for Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (CHEPR), or as communicated through Contract Management Section (CMS) via a State Mission Assignment

(SMA).

• ii. DSHS reserves the right to activate the contingency Contractor(s) for shipment and transport based on public health need, determined by DSHS.

• iii. Contractor shall provide all adequate and necessary staff, drivers, trucks, and equipment available to receive, stage, and ship medical supplies and materials anywhere within the State of Texas or neighboring states as directed by DSHS within twelve (12) hours of receiving the activation notification from DSHS.

• iv. Facility must be able to operate twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven

(7) days a week, until incident completion.

• v. Contractor personnel must be available to operate the facility twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week, until incident completion.

• vi. Equipment Requirements: Contractor shall provide the quantities of Material Handling Equipment (MHE) and supplies when requested by DSHS personnel. MHE and supplies include, but are not limited to:

• 1. Pallet Jack

• 2. Forklift

• 3. Hand-Truck/dolly

• 4. Pallets

• 5. Shrink-wrap

• c) Contractor shall furnish all labor, tools, transportation, equipment, materials, and supplies, as necessary. Contractor shall be responsible for supervision, clean-up and disposal, and must have all applicable permits, licenses, and insurance coverage.

Historically Underutilized Business (HUB)

HUB Subcontracting Plan (HSP) Training

HUB Contact Information hhschuboutreach@hhs.texas.gov

(512) 406-2570

*Active solicitation HSP questions contact designated HUB Coordinator.

mailto:hhschuboutreach@hhs.texas.gov

Questions and Answers

Questions asked during this meeting are non-binding verbal answers to vendor questions. If you’d like your question to be a binding question or need clarification, please submit your response to the sole point of contact, PCS Purchaser, at Jeramy.keil@hhs.Texas.gov , by Friday, April 17, 2026 at 4:00pm CST.

Binding questions received by this deadline will be responded to in an addendum and posted on the ESBD website by Wednesday, April 22, 2026. At this time does anyone have any questions that they would like to ask?

mailto:Jeramy.keil@hhs.Texas.gov

Closing Comments

• Respondents are responsible for meeting the solicitation requirements, including any addenda.

• Respondents must check the ESBD frequently for any new amendments that may have been added to this solicitation.

Thank You