ESBD_573073_1793714764443_SOL_PST_IFB_27R0004100.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY OF THE STATE OF TEXAS

SOLICITATION NO.

405-27R0004100

TYPE OF SOLICITATION

INVITATION FOR BIDS

DATE ISSUED

11/02/2026

ALCOHOL AND DRUG TESTING SERVICES

Bidder must submit electronic responses no later than 5:00 P.M. Central Time on 12/04/2026 to the following email address or via the DPS Online Bid Room.

DPS_Solicit_Response@dps.texas.gov Attention: 405-27R0004100

DPS is not currently accepting any in-person solicitation responses. DPS will only accept electronic responses received by the date and time indicated in this solicitation document.

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ricardo Montalvo, CTCD, CTCM

Contract Administrator

PHONE: (512) 424-7548

EMAIL:

ricardo.montalvorodriguez@dps.texas.gov

RESPONSE (Bidder must fully complete)

DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT PAYMENT: 10 DAYS

20 DAYS

30 DAYS

___ DAYS

NAME AND ADDRESS

OF BIDDER:

RESPONSE DATE

EMAIL AND TELEPHONE NO. (Include area code)

NAME AND TITLE OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE

CERTIFICATION, DISQUALIFICATION, AND REMEDIES

By submitting a response, Bidder represents and warrants that all statements, certifications, and information submitted in response to this solicitation are true, current, complete, and accurate.

DPS may pursue and enforce any available remedies against the Bidder for making any false statement, including disqualifying the Bidder’s response, immediately cancelling any Contract awarded to Vendor, or recommending State of Texas debarment.

TERM, PRICING, AND FUNDING

The contract term commences on the effective date stated in the signing document (or purchase order contract) and expires on 08/31/2028.

If necessary, at the end of the contract term, DPS reserves the right to extend continued performance of the Contract at rates specified within, by written notification to Contractor for no more than a six-month period, for the purpose of re-advertising, awarding a new Contract, or transitioning into a new Contract.

DPS will not allow changes after Date of Award to terms or pricing during either the Contract term or any optional renewal period. The continuation of the Contract for any period is subject to the availability of DPS’s funding source for the Contract.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION A—DEFINITIONS

SECTION B—SERVICES AND PRICES

B.1 PRICING REQUIREMENTS

B.2 INVOICE REQUIREMENTS

B.3 PAYMENTS

B.4 MANDATORY PRICING SCHEDULE

SECTION C – SPECIFICATIONS

C.1 INTRODUCTION

C.2 rEQUIREMENTS AND DELIVERABLES

C.3 TRANSITION

C.4 DPS PERSONNEL

C.5 INSURANCE REQUIRED UNDER THIS CONTRACT

C.6 CYBER SECURITY CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS [MWF1]

C.7 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS AND REQUIREMENTS

C.8 FBI CJIS SECURITY ADDENDUM ............................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

C.9 CRIMINAL HISTORY BACKGROUND CHECK ........................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

SECTION D—INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO BIDDERS

D.1 RESPONSE PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

D.2 SOLICITATION ADDENDA

D.3 LATE SUBMISSIONS, CHANGES, AND WITHDRAWALS OF RESPONSES

D.4 RESPONSE ACCEPTANCE PERIOD

D.5 CONTRACT AWARD

D.6 DPS’s RIGHTS

D.7 RESPONSE SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

D.8 DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE

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D.9 BIDDER SUBMISSIONS SUBJECT TO THE TEXAS PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT

D.10 AGENCY POSTING OF CONTRACTS

D.11 ANTICIPATED SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

SECTION E—EVALUATION CRITERIA

SECTION F—LIST OF EXHIBITS

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SECTION A—DEFINITIONS

The following terms and acronyms used in this Contract have the meanings given in this section unless the context indicates otherwise.

“Administrator” Service agent or a group that manages all, or part of a drug and alcohol testing program. This term will be used to reference both non-DOT Administrators, and DOT Consortia/Third Part Administrators (C/TPA) in this contract.

“BAT” Breath Alcohol Technicians

“Bid” means the Bidder’s response to this solicitation. A Bid is an offer to contract based upon the terms, conditions, and specifications contained within the solicitation. Bids do not become contracts until they are accepted through an open market purchase order.

“Bidder” means the individual, business entity, or organization that submits a response in reply to this solicitation with intent to contract with DPS.

“Business Day” means Monday through Friday except for federal, state, and legal holidays observed by the State of Texas.

“Business Hours” means 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.

“CCF” Custody and Control Form

“CFR” Code of Federal Regulations

“Contract” means the formal, written, and legally enforceable agreement between DPS and Contractor.

“Contractor” means the individual, business or other entity awarded this Contract. In the context of submitting a response, “Contractor” also means “Bidder” and “Vendor.”

“Date of Award” means the date the Contract is fully executed.

“Days” means calendar days unless otherwise specified.

“DHHS” Department of Health and Human Services

“DPS” means the Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas, a state agency in the executive branch created under Tex. Gov’t Code Ch. 411.

“DOT” Department of Transportation

“DOT Testing” Drug and alcohol testing of safety-sensitive employees of DOT departments, agencies and industries to maintain the safety of the traveling public and workers, as established in Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 40.

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“Drug Test” A technical analysis of a biological specimen – for example urine, blood, breath, hair, or oral fluid/saliva – to determine the presence or absence of specified parent drug and their metabolites. Drug tests are both highly reactive and selective and rarely give false positives.

“Drug Screen” A faster and more cost-effective method to review biological specimen samples for drug use, compared to drug tests. Screens are highly reactive, but less selective than tests, meaning they are more susceptible to false positives due to reaction with legal substances or over-the-counter medication, and for that reason require confirmation testing.

“ESBD” The Electronic State Business Daily, which is available online at http://www.txsmartbuy.gov/esbd

“EtG” The ethyl glucuronide test used to detect in the urine the presence of ethyl glucuronide, a breakdown product of ethanol, the intoxicating agent in alcohol.

“FMCSA” Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

“Fiscal Year” means any of the one-year periods beginning September 1 and ending August 31 used for annual budgetary purposes by the State of Texas.

“Medical Review Officer (MRO)” A licensed physician responsible for receiving and reviewing laboratory results generated by a drug testing program and evaluating medical explanations for certain drug test results.

“National Laboratory Certification Program (NLCP)” The NLCP Program which inspects drug testing laboratories, challenges the labs with proficiency testing samples, identifies problem areas, and monitors corrective actions.

“Non-DOT Testing” Non-Department-of-Transportation-required drug and alcohol testing.

“Pg/ml” Picograms per milliliter.

“Respondent” means the individual, business entity, or organization that submits a response in response to this solicitation with intent to contract with DPS.

“Parties” means Contractor and DPS.

“SAP” Substance Abuse Professionals.

“SAMHSA” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a division of the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services.

“Solicitation” This document, along with all other documents incorporated in this document and posted to the ESBD, soliciting responses for the proposed commodities and services.

“Split-Specimen Testing” Testing in which the urine sample is divided into two vials and sent to the lab for analysis. One of the vials is tested immediately while the second is stored. If the http://www.txsmartbuy.gov/esbd

Page 6 of 21 Version 2.6 | Revised 10/01/2026 originally tested sample is positive on the first vial, a person can request for the testing of the second vial.

“Vendor” means the individual, business entity, or organization at any stage in the procurement or contracting process (prior to response, during response, and after contract award).

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SECTION B—SERVICES AND PRICES

B.1 PRICING REQUIREMENTS

B.1.1 Pricing Instructions

A. Bidder must submit proposed pricing on the Mandatory Pricing Schedule that includes all costs, fees, licenses, and all expenses for Contractor’s delivery and performance of the commodities or services requested. The final contracted pricing and payment structure will represent Contractor’s sole compensation under the Contract. DPS guarantees no minimum compensation under the Contract.

In the event that there is only one qualified Bid in response to this solicitation, DPS may, at its discretion, negotiate with Bidder.

B. Contractor must deliver and provide the commodities and services described in compliance with all requirements of the Contract on a no minimum, as needed, as requested basis. Notwithstanding anything else to the contrary in the Contract, DPS will not make any payments of any amount to Contractor or any other entity or person, and Contractor will not submit any invoices, until Contractor has received approval from DPS’s Contract Monitor specifically stating that DPS accepts the commodities or services and Contractor is authorized to submit an invoice. If DPS does not accept the commodities or services, the Contract will involve no payments of any type for any amount.

C. Catalogs, brand names, or manufacturer’s references are descriptive only, and indicate type and quality desired. Bids on brands of like nature and quality will be considered unless advertised under Tex. Gov’t Code § 2155.067. If a Bidder believes it can satisfy these specifications, it must bid its goods or services and explain how the specifications will be adequately met.

D. If bidding on specifications other than those stated within this solicitation, bid must show manufacturer, brand, or trade name, and other description of product offered. If other than brand specified is offered, then Bidder must include specifications, illustrations, and complete descriptions of product offered must be included with bid.

E. Unless otherwise specified, all items bid must be new and unused and of current production.

B.1.2 Financial Rating Report, Financial Resources, and Ability to Perform

A. Upon request, Bidder must provide evidence of its financial resources and its ability to provide the commodities or perform the services for which Bidder is

Page 8 of 21 Version 2.6 | Revised 10/01/2026 submitting a response. This includes information Bidder believes is pertinent to demonstrate its financial capability, financial solvency, and capacity to fulfill the requirements of this solicitation.

B. Evidence of financial stability includes providing audited financial statements for each of the last two years of Bidder’s operations or, in the alternative, financial statements compiled, reviewed and attested by an independent certified public accountant or certified public accounting firm. Bidder may submit a copy of its Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Business Information Report. If a D&B is submitted the report must include Bidder’s Viability Score and the Portfolio Comparison Score or similar ratings.

C. In lieu of providing financial statements in its Proposal, a Bidder may provide a statement regarding its financial stability and viability to perform under any resulting contract. If Bidder elects this approach rather than audited financial statements, the Bidder must submit a statement, with appropriate supporting documentation, sufficiently detailed to demonstrate financial solvency, and to verify the capacity to fulfill the requirements of this solicitation.

D. Bidder must provide information and any other financial information reasonably requested by DPS consistent with the services provided by Bidder or otherwise required by the then applicable DPS policies for similar contracts.

E. Selected Contractor must also submit to the Contract Administrator its financial rating information within 120 days after the end of Contractor’s fiscal year.

F. DPS reserves the right to investigate and determine the financial integrity and responsibility of a Bidder and to reject a response on the grounds of Bidder’s lack of financial soundness, or if DPS reasonably concludes, after reviewing the information submitted by Bidder as well as all other relevant information obtained by DPS, that significant issues exist that could jeopardize Bidder’s full and timely performance. DPS also reserves this same right throughout the life of the Contract, including before executing any optional renewal with Contractor.

B.2 INVOICE REQUIREMENTS

A. Invoices are Contractor’s billing for commodities or services rendered. DPS will pay Contractor based on itemized invoices submitted to and approved by DPS. The invoices must be itemized and clearly identify the actual commodities and services provided.

B. Contractor’s invoice must include the following: the Contract/Purchase Order number, the remittance address, and any prompt payment discount offered. Contractor must email the invoice to the Contract Monitor listed in the Contract and to apinvoices@dps.texas.gov.

mailto:apinvoices@dps.texas.gov

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The State of Texas will not incur any penalty for late payment if the invoice fails to conform to the requirements of this section or if Contractor did not email the invoice to the appropriate email addresses identified in this section.

B.3 PAYMENTS

A. DPS recommends that Contractor receive payments by electronic funds transfer (EFT), also known as direct deposit. If Contractor elects to be set up for direct deposit payment, Contractor must submit a completed Direct Deposit Authorization Form (74- 176).

B. Regardless as to whether Direct Deposit is chosen, Contractor must submit a completed Application for Texas Identification Number (AP-152) and Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certifications (W-9) Form with its bid submittal.

C. If Contractor has previously submitted a completed Direct Deposit Authorization Form and Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certifications Form to DPS for another separate contract, Contractor is not required to submit another form.

B.4 MANDATORY PRICING SCHEDULE

Respondent must submit pricing within the Mandatory Pricing Schedule Exhibit replicating, as necessary, in this exact format. Unit prices must include all Contract requirements for Statewide delivery. Unit prices must include all applicable labor, materials, and service costs, including but not limited to: shipping, handling, and delivery fees, fuel surcharges, collections, laboratory, reports, training, and Medical Review Officer (MRO).

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SECTION C – SPECIFICATIONS

C.1 INTRODUCTION

Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is accepting bids to establish a contract to provide drug and alcohol testing services for DOT and non-DOT testing.

DPS reserves the right to add any new testing methods, procedures, or services to the drug and alcohol testing program at any time during the contract period.

C.2 REQUIREMENTS AND DELIVERABLES

C.2.1 Agency Requirements and Deliverables

Refer to Exhibit F.3, Statement of Work for more information.

C.2.2 Address of Delivery or Performance

Department of Public Safety Headquarters 5805 N. Lamar Blvd Austin, TX 78752

C.3 TRANSITION

In the event that DPS awards a subsequent competitive solicitation to a new contractor or if DPS decides to perform the work itself, Contractor must work with DPS and any new contractor to smoothly and seamlessly transition the contract. Contractor will develop a transition plan upon request by DPS. DPS must approve the transition plan before implementation. DPS will not release the final invoice until Contractor returns all Work to

DPS.

C.4 DPS PERSONNEL

C.4.1 DPS’s Contract Administrator

A. The Contract Administrator for administration of this Contract is Ricardo Montalvo.

B. The telephone number for the Contract Administrator is 512-424-7548.

C. The email address is ricardo.montalvorodriguez@dps.texas.gov.

The Contract Administrator is responsible for the general administration of this Contract, negotiation of any changes, and issuance of written amendments to this Contract.

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If DPS and Contractor agree to amend the Contract, DPS will issue a written amendment signed by authorized signatories of the Parties.

C.4.2 DPS’s Contract Monitor

A. The Contract Monitor for this Contract is Heather Hinojosa.

The Contract Monitor is not authorized to make any representations or commitments of any kind on behalf of DPS or the State of Texas outside of contractual authority.

C.5 INSURANCE REQUIRED UNDER THIS CONTRACT

Unless otherwise specified in this Contract, DPS’s Standard Terms and Conditions or any other exhibit or attachment Contractor will acquire and maintain, for the duration of this Contract, insurance coverage necessary to ensure this Contract’s proper performance and cover any potential liabilities with financially sound and reputable insurers licensed by the Texas Department of Insurance, in the type and amount customarily carried within the industry or as determined by DPS. Contractor will provide evidence of insurance upon request by DPS.

If any policy is determined by DPS to be deficient and does not comply with the terms of this Contract, Contractor will secure such additional coverage as required by DPS, law, regulation, or customary practice. If coverage expires during the term of this Contract, Contractor must produce renewal certificates for each type of coverage.

C.6 CYBER SECURITY CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS [MWF1]

Contractor must comply with the requirements found in the Cyber Security Contract Requirements Exhibit. To the extent that any language in the Contract conflicts with the Cyber Security Contract Requirements Exhibit, the Cyber Security Contract Requirements Exhibit takes precedence.

In this section, hosted services means a combination of traditional IT functions to be provided by Vendor or a third-party provider, such as infrastructure, applications software (including COTS software solutions), security, monitoring, storage, hardware, and hardware maintenance.

For hosted services using a third-party cloud services provider, Contractor must deploy in an environment certified by TX-RAMP at the defined impact level, and maintain program compliance and certification throughout the term of the contract. [MWF2] If CJIS data is being processed, stored, or transmitted, Contractor must deploy in an environment which meets CJIS requirements based on the current CJIS Security Policy (CJISSECPOL).

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C.7 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS AND REQUIREMENTS

Contractor must comply with the requirements found in the IT Standards and Requirements Exhibit.

SECTION D—INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO BIDDERS

D.1 RESPONSE PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

A. These instructions are designed to help ensure the Bidder submits all relevant information in its response.

B. As designated in the cover page of this solicitation, responses may only be submitted via the email address stated or the DPS Online Bid Room utilizing the procedures in the DPS Online Bid Room Vendor Exhibit. DPS encourages the use of the DPS Online Bid Room for the convenience of the respondents. Submission through both methods is not required.

C. Bidder must prepare its response in accordance with these instructions providing all required information in the format specified.

D. Failure of a response to show compliance with these instructions and submit all documentation may be grounds for considering the response non-responsive.

E. Bids must use a sans serif 12-point font (such as Arial or Calibri) on an 8-1/2” x 11” format (except for graphic information being requested). Bidder’s response must be paginated, contain a full table of contents, and have component sections clearly identified by electronic bookmarks.

F. Bidder must ensure that its response is clearly labeled.

G. Bidder must submit only material directly pertinent to the requirements of this solicitation. Extraneous narrative, elaborate brochures, uninformative public relations material, and other similar documents may not be submitted.

H. Bidder must submit all pertinent information directly within its response, information submitted as an internet link is considered non-responsive. Bidder must submit documentation or information within the response.

I. Negotiations, Assumptions, and Exceptions. No assumptions may be included in a Bid.

Instead, Bidder must clarify a section of the Solicitation as needed through the question-and-answer process in Section D.8.

DPS cannot negotiate IFB terms or conditions and will disqualify any Bid with exceptions or assumptions under most circumstances. Instead of including exceptions, Bidders must request any desired modifications to the solicitation through the

Page 13 of 21 Version 2.6 | Revised 10/01/2026 question-and-answer process in Section D.8. DPS cannot indemnify vendors under the Texas Constitution. Bidders may not request DPS or Customers to indemnify it.

D.2 SOLICITATION ADDENDA

A. No later than the established solicitation deadline, Bidders must acknowledge receipt of all solicitation addenda by returning the addenda, identifying the addenda number and date.

B. Bidder’s failure to timely acknowledge addenda may subject its Bid to rejection.

D.3 LATE SUBMISSIONS, CHANGES, AND WITHDRAWALS OF RESPONSES

A. DPS will not consider any Bid received at the designated email address or the DPS Online Bid Room after the specified date and time.

B. Bidder cannot amend its Bid and DPS will not accept an amended Bid after closing date and time. If Bidder wants to amend its Bid, Bidder must amend prior to the closing date and time.

C. Bidder must clearly identify any alterations made before closing time through its authorized representative.

D. No Bids can be withdrawn after closing date and time without approval by DPS. Should a Bidder, after closing time, request its Bid be withdrawn, Bidder must email the request to the Contract Administrator listed in the solicitation.

E. DPS is not responsible for submissions delivered to DPS after the date and time stated on the first page of this solicitation. It is the Bidder’s responsibility to ensure that it submits, and that DPS receives, its complete Bid timely. DPS recommends that Bidder submit their complete Bid well in advance of the due date and time stated on the first page of this solicitation.

F. DPS takes no responsibility for electronic email Bids that are captured, blocked, filtered, quarantined, or otherwise prevented from reaching the proper destination server by any DPS anti-virus or other security software. Therefore, DPS recommends confirming receipt.

G. Submission via the DPS Online Bid Room will receive submission confirmation through the system. If confirmation is received through the DPS Online Bid Room, no additional confirmation of receipt is required.

D.4 RESPONSE ACCEPTANCE PERIOD

A. All Bids will be valid for 180 days after the solicitation opening date and will constitute an irrevocable response to DPS for the 180-day period.

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B. Such period may be extended beyond the 180 days upon mutual written agreement of both parties.

D.5 CONTRACT AWARD

DPS may award one or more Contracts resulting from this solicitation to a responsible Bidder whose Bid is best value under the evaluation criteria in this solicitation. Due to the number of line items, it is possible that there will be multiple Contracts awarded from this solicitation, but DPS will not award more than one Bidder (who is the best value) per line item.

D.6 DPS’S RIGHTS

A. DPS may:

1. reject any or all Bids if such action is in the public interest;

2. accept other than the lowest priced Bid; and

3. waive minor informalities and minor irregularities in Bids received.

B. Waiver of deviations in any Bid will not constitute a modification of this solicitation and will not preclude DPS from asserting all rights against the Bidder for failure to fully comply with all terms and conditions of this solicitation. Copyrighted Bids are unacceptable and are subject to being considered non-responsive. DPS reserves the right to make any corrections or include additional requirements in the resulting contract prior to issuance which are necessary for DPS’s compliance, as an agency of the State of Texas, with all state and federal requirements. DPS reserves the right to consider any Bid non-responsive which asserts any copyright on any DPS-created form which is specifically designated by this solicitation to be a form that will be completed and included in a Bid submitted in response to this solicitation.

C. DPS reserves the right to reject any one Bid or all Bids or portions of Bids submitted in response to this solicitation.

D. Except as described in Section D.9, the submission of a Bid has the effect of waiving proprietary rights or confidentiality.

E. All Bids and any content provided by the Bidder are considered the property of DPS for use for the life of any resulting contract as determined by DPS with respect to the scope of the project.

F. DPS is not liable for any costs or damages that may be incurred by Bidders or prospective contractors in the preparation, formulation, or presentation of a Bid.

G. In case of ambiguity or lack of clarity, DPS may adopt such interpretations as may be advantageous to DPS.

H. DPS reserves the right to withdraw this solicitation at any time for any reason.

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I. DPS reserves the right to award no contract and to solicit additional Bids at a later time.

J. DPS incurs no obligation regarding this solicitation unless and until a contract is fully executed by the parties. However, all Bids received by DPS will remain confidential until the evaluation process is complete.

K. DPS will not hold a public bid opening event.

D.7 RESPONSE SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

D.7.1 Volume One – Required Contract Forms and Information

This section will contain the following completed contract sections with authorized representative original signatures, where applicable:

A. Addenda, if applicable;

B. Information and Certifications Form;

C. Financial Rating and Solvency Information, if applicable;

D. A Redacted Solicitation and Contract Bid, if applicable;

E. Direct Deposit Authorization Form (74-176), completed if choosing direct deposit as a possible payment option;

F. Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certifications (W-9);

G. Application for Texas Identification Number (AP-152); and

H. Documentation from the appropriate state entity that indicates that Bidder is properly certified to conduct business in the State of Texas (e.g., The Certificate of Existence from the Texas Secretary of State and the Certificate of Account Status from the Comptroller of Public Accounts).

D.7.2 Volume Two – Information Bid Section

A. Cover Page: List name and address of Bidder, date of response, solicitation identifier, and signature of authorized official.

B. Introduction: Clear expression of who Bidder is, to include an outline of organizational capabilities, goals, project management process approach, business process management design, and other previous accolades.

C. Information Sheet: Including all information required of Bidder.

1. Name and address (including telephone number) of Bidder.

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2. Business form of Bidder (e.g., corporation, partnership).

3. Date and state of incorporation.

4. Names and addresses of principal officers, directors, or partners.

5. A résumé of key personnel who will be providing services in any resulting contract. These résumés must include the percentage of time each person will dedicate to any resulting contract. The response will include key project personnel as follows:

i. Demonstrated experience in providing the services requested in this solicitation for each key project personnel.

ii. Résumés for key personnel assigned to any resulting contract will include: project management experience, supervisory experience, business process experience, application languages, hardware installation abilities, software upgrade experience, programming skills/abilities, data formats for each qualifying project.

1) Name

2) Title (current)

3) Education

4) Experience related to projects the staff member was directly involved in:

5) Project(s) Scope:

a) Role

b) Related specific technical qualification experience

c) Start and completion dates (must include MM/DD/20YY)

d) Specific work to be performed or deliverables to be provided under the Contract.

D. Bidder must identify and provide in its bid a minimum of three references relating to past contracts or projects that are similar in size and scope. Bidder must provide, at a minimum, the name, email address, phone number, and title for each reference provided. Additionally, Bidder must provide project begin and end dates, brief descriptions of deliverables, overall costs, and scope of work performed.

E. Organizational, biographical, and Financial Rating information, if applicable, for the Bidder.

F. Project Schedule and Plan: A plan detailing how Bidder will deliver the commodities and fully implement the services required in Section C.

G. Bidder must specifically address, within its response, the requests for information as detailed throughout this solicitation. Bidder is responsible for ensuring that all such information is included within its Bid.

H. Bidder is encouraged to provide a bid narrative for each section and subsection, in the format in which requirements are presented, in sufficient detail to clearly

Page 17 of 21 Version 2.6 | Revised 10/01/2026 demonstrate Bidder’s compliance with all requirements of this solicitation, both technical and administrative. Supplemental justification or documentation can be provided as attachments. Bidder must ensure that all material submitted is directly pertinent to the requirements of this solicitation and formatted as to the specific requirement as delineated in this solicitation.

I. Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan. Bidder must submit, with its response, descriptions of its business continuity and disaster recovery plan and processes. If DPS awards a Contract under this solicitation, Contractor must submit, within ten days from Contract award, its plans regarding how Bidder will protect DPS’s vital state records throughout the life of the Contract and for any record retention period required beyond the life of the Contract. The plans must include specific actions Contractor will take to meet DPS’s essential function recovery times and the related artifacts for the methodologies, tests, and exercises used to validate its business continuity and disaster recovery plan. DPS may reasonably require Contractor to amend its business continuity and disaster recovery plan (based on DPS’s dependence or necessity on the particular good or service).

D.7.3 Volume Four –Pricing Response

Bidder must provide its pricing in the Mandatory Pricing Schedule in the exact format noted.

D.8 DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE

A. Bidder must communicate and ask questions concerning this solicitation, including any of a technical nature, in writing only to the Contract Administrator listed on page 1 or via the Online Bid Room and in accordance with any required deadlines.

B. DPS will provide written responses to the questions.

C. Bidder may only rely on the written information provided. Bidder is specifically cautioned against relying on any oral information.

D. Bidder is specifically prohibited from making contact with any DPS personnel other than the Contract Administrator involved in this solicitation for discussing its responses. The only exception is if the Bidder has questions regarding proper completion of the SP, the agency coordinator listed on the SP may be contacted with a copy to the Contract Administrator.

E. The responsiveness of each bid will be evaluated upon the written instructions provided by throughout this solicitation and as described in Section E, Evaluation Criteria.

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F. Unauthorized contact with DPS personnel by any Bidder may result in DPS considering Bidder’s bid non-responsive in its entirety.

D.9 BIDDER SUBMISSIONS SUBJECT TO THE TEXAS PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT

DPS is a governmental body subject to the Texas Public Information Act (PIA), Tex. Gov’t Code Chapter 552. The response and other information submitted to DPS by Bidder are subject to release as public information by DPS. The response and other submitted information is presumed subject to disclosure unless a specific exception to disclosure under the PIA applies.

If it is necessary for Bidder to include proprietary or otherwise confidential information in its response or other submitted information, Bidder must clearly label that proprietary or confidential information and identify the legal basis for confidentiality. Merely making a blanket claim that the entire response is protected from disclosure because it contains some proprietary information is not acceptable, and will make the entire response subject to release under the PIA.

In order to trigger the process of seeking an Attorney General opinion on the release of proprietary or confidential information, the specific provisions of the response that are considered by Bidder to be proprietary or confidential must be clearly labeled as described above. Any information which is not clearly identified by Bidder as proprietary or confidential will be deemed subject to disclosure under the PIA. Bidder will irrevocably deemed to have waived, and Bidder agrees to fully indemnify the State of Texas and DPS against any claim of infringement by DPS regarding the intellectual property rights of Bidder or any third party for any materials appearing in the response.

If Bidder’s Bid contains any information that Bid claims is confidential and not subject to release under the PIA, Bidder must prepare and deliver to DPS two copies of its bid containing the following information.

A. A complete copy of all of Bidder’s submissions under this solicitation. Bidder must mark this copy’s documents with “Complete Bid Documents, [Bidder’s Name], DPS SOLICITATION [SOLICITATION Number]. CONTAINS CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.”

B. A complete copy of all of Bidder’s submissions with all information claimed as confidential excised, blacked out, or otherwise redacted. This copy must also contain an Appendix, which contains clear references to all redacted information including a general description of the redacted information. Bidder must mark this copy’s documents with “For Public Release: Redacted Version of [Bidder’s Name], DPS SOLICITATION [SOLICITATION Number].”

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D.10 AGENCY POSTING OF CONTRACTS

After award, information, documentation, and other material in connection with this solicitation or this Contract may be subject to public disclosure under the Public Information Act.

D.11 ANTICIPATED SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

DPS currently anticipates that the selection of successful Bidder and award of this Contract, if any, will proceed according to the following schedule:

11/02/2026 5:00 PM CST Solicitation Posted to ESBD

11/16/2026 5:00 PM CST

Last day to submit written questions for clarification to DPS

11/20/2026 5:00 PM CST

Estimated date for DPS to post Question and Answer (Q&A) document to ESBD

12/04/2026 5:00 PM CST Deadline for DPS to receive Bids

12/11/2026 5:00 PM CST Anticipated date of Contract Award

DPS reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to change the above dates. Notices of changes to items directly impacting the original solicitation process will be posted on the Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD) located at: http://www.txsmartbuy.gov/esbd and the DPS Online Bid Room. Bidder has the responsibility to check the ESBD and the DPS Online Bid Room frequently for updates. Bidder is solely responsible for verifying receipt of its questions, if applicable, and responding by the deadlines stated. A Bidder’s failure to periodically check the ESBD or the DPS Online Bid Room for updates will in no way release the awarded Bidder from compliance with any requirements in posted “addenda or additional information” although such compliance may result in additional costs to meet the requirements.

Questions regarding this solicitation must be in writing and must be submitted to DPS’s Contract Administrator or via the DPS Online Bid Room by the date and time noted in the table listed in this solicitation. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted. DPS intends to post answers to these questions on the ESBD and via the DPS Online Bid Room on or before the date and time noted in the table listed in this solicitation. Bidder is solely responsible for verifying DPS’s timely receipt of its questions by the stated deadlines.

http://www.txsmartbuy.com/esbd

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SECTION E—EVALUATION CRITERIA

DPS will evaluate responses in accordance with the best value standard in Tex. Gov’t Code § 2156.007.

A Bidder’s past performance will be measured in accordance with applicable provisions of Texas Gov’t Code §§ 2155.074, 2155.075, 2156.007, 2157.003, and 2157.125. Bidder’s may fail this selection criterion for any of the following conditions:

• A score of less than a C or Legacy Unsatisfactory in the Vendor Performance Tracking System;

• Currently under a Corrective Action Plan through the Comptroller of Public Accounts

(CPA);

• Having repeated negative Vendor Performance Reports for the same reason;

• Having a record of repeated non-responsiveness to Vendor Performance issues; or

• Having purchase orders that have been cancelled in the previous 12 months for non-performance (late delivery, etc.).

Contractor performance information is located on CPA’s website at:

http://www.txsmartbuy.gov/vpts.

DPS may conduct reference checks with other entities regarding past performance. In addition to evaluating performance through the Vendor Performance Tracking System, DPS may examine other sources of vendor performance including, notices of termination, cure notices, assessments of liquidated damages, litigation, audit reports, and non-renewals of contracts. Such sources of vendor performance may include any governmental entity, whether an agency or political subdivision of the State of Texas, another state, or the Federal government. Further, DPS may initiate such examinations of vendor performance based upon media reports. Any such investigations will be at the sole discretion of DPS, and any negative findings, as determined by DPS, may result in non-award to Bidder.

http://www.txsmartbuy.com/vpts

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SECTION F—LIST OF EXHIBITS

By number and title

F.1 Standard Terms and Conditions

F.2 Information and Certifications Form

F.3 Statement of Work (SOW)

F.4 Application for Texas Identification Number (AP-152)

F.5 Direct Deposit Authorization Form (74-176)

F.6 Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certifications (W-9)

F.7 DPS Online Bid Room Vendor Information

F.8 DPS Regions

F.9 Mandatory Pricing Schedule

F.10 Cyber Security Contract Requirements

F.11 IT Standards and Requirements

F.12 Data and AI Exhibit