ESBD_File_323070_701-23-008 Addendum 1 Questions and Answers.pdf

Texas Education Agency RFP 701-23-008Recruitment and Staffing Search Firm

Addendum 1, May 16, 2023

This addendum incorporates the following changes to the above-referenced solicitation:

I. Questions - The following questions and associated responses are hereby incorporated into the above-referenced solicitation. Please note that all questions are posted here in their original format and content and as such there may be one or more similar questions (as well as typos and incorrect grammar):

1. QUESTION: Would it be more advantageous and aligned with your process if sole-proprietors joined as a subvendor? If positions to a team of vendors and they all source on the same jobs, then it may not be in the best interest of sole proprietors to apply directly.

Any idea on how that process will be?

TEA RESPONSE: There are a couple options – •A vendor can do their own research or submit a PIR to find out who TEA currently works with for staffing services. Then they could reach out to that vendor and try to establish a subcontractor relationship.

•A vendor could reach out to any other large staffing agency (for example, ones listed on the CMBL), notify them of the RFP opportunity, and try to establish a subcontracting relationship that way.

•A vendor could go ahead and apply directly, knowing TEA has the option of awarding multiple contracts under this solicitation.

Vendors are free to do their own business development and establish their own subcontracting relationships; however, TEA does not directly facilitate those relationships.

2. QUESTION: Can you explain “indirect cost rate” in 1.6 Budget “TEA will not accept separate indirect cost rate calculations for this procurement”

TEA RESPONSE: Indirect costs represent the expenses of doing business that are not readily identified with a particular grant, contract, project function or activity, but are necessary for the general operation of the organization and the conduct of activities it performs. In theory, costs like heat, light, accounting and personnel might be charged directly if little meters could record minutes in a cross-cutting manner. Practical difficulties preclude such an approach. Therefore, cost allocation plans or indirect cost rates are used to distribute those costs to benefiting revenue sources.

Since TEA will not accept a separate indirect cost rate calculation for this procurement, the fee that a vendor proposes will be all inclusive.

3. QUESTION: Is a placement fee based upon salary acceptable?

TEA RESPONSE: TEA is open to reviewing any proposed placement fee arrangement.

4. QUESTION: It appears that this is a Perm Placement only contract, is that correct?

TEA RESPONSE: Yes, we are seeking support with hiring FTEs for TEA.

5. QUESTION: If we only specialize in 2-3 of the listed categories in 1.1 Purpose, will we be scored lower than a firm who specializes in 4-5 categories and/or all categories?

TEA RESPONSE: Each proposal is evaluated based on its own content and merit.

6. QUESTION: For the budget proposal, Attachment E, Is this on a per-hire basis or is it based on having a team in place regardless of the number of hires a year.

TEA RESPONSE: TEA is open to reviewing any proposed placement fee arrangement.

7. QUESTION: I have a question regarding whether a firm can bid on a specific category… i.e. executive search only or staffing only?

Or, does a firm have to be capable of servicing all (or most) categories?

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TEA RESPONSE: TEA welcomes bids from vendors who specialize in a particular area and/or those that support broader staffing specialties. TEA has a variety of positions at the agency that range from finance to IT to operations to more programmatic (curriculum, assessment, etc.), and we welcome bids that address any subset of the categories identified in the RFP.

8. QUESTION: What would be the number of awards you intend to give(approximate number).

TEA RESPONSE: The TEA may contract with one or more vendors based on the Agency’s needs and does not have a pre-determined number of contracts in mind.

9. QUESTION: Please provide us with an estimated or NTE budget allocated for this contract.

TEA RESPONSE: The State does not typically disclose its budget in the solicitation because it may either (1) result in all vendors bidding to the agency’s identified budget rather than offering competitive pricing or (2) discourage vendor participation if the established (initial) budget is not commercially reasonable.

10. QUESTION: What is the work location of the proposed candidates?

TEA RESPONSE: The company location is downtown Austin, TX. Depending on the needs of the role, TEA employees may have an opportunity to work outside of the Austin area, however, all TEA employees must live in the state of Texas. When engaging in a search, TEA will identify if the role has the flexibility to work outside of the Austin area.

11. QUESTION: Is this a new contract or are there any incumbents? If there is an incumbent, could you please let us know the incumbent name and pricing and are the incumbents eligible to submit the proposal again?

TEA RESPONSE: The TEA has procured these services in the past and all vendors (incumbent or otherwise) are welcome and eligible to submit a proposal. The Contracts and Purchasing Division does not disclose information about current or past contracts as a part of a solicitation’s Question and Answers. Any specific information about current or previous contracts would have to be obtained through the agency’s Public Information Request process.

12. QUESTION: Are there any pain points or issues with the current vendor(s)?

TEA RESPONSE: The Contracts and Purchasing Division does not disclose information about current or past contracts as a part of a solicitation’s Question and Answers. Any specific information about current or previous contracts would have to be obtained

13. QUESTION: Could you please share the previous spending on this contract, if any?

TEA RESPONSE: The State does not typically disclose its budget (or past expenditures) in the solicitation because it may either (1) result in all vendors bidding to the agency’s identified budget rather than offering competitive pricing or (2) discourage vendor participation if the established (initial) budget is not commercially reasonable.

14. QUESTION: How many requisitions were filled in the previous contract?

TEA RESPONSE: The Contracts and Purchasing Division does not disclose information about current or past contracts as a part of a solicitation’s Question and Answers. Any specific information about current or previous contracts would have to be obtained

15. QUESTION: How many requisitions will be required per year or throughout the contract?

TEA RESPONSE: The Contracts and Purchasing Division does not disclose information about current or past contracts as a part of a solicitation’s Question and Answers. Any specific information about current or previous contracts would have to be obtained

16. QUESTION: If the proposed candidates are not available at the time of award, will the agency allow us to provide replacement personnel with similar or more skill sets?

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TEA RESPONSE: If this pertains to the respondent’s employees who will be providing the service, yes.

17. QUESTION: Can we provide hourly rate ranges for the given positions?

TEA RESPONSE: If you are referring to Respondent’s employees, TEA is open to reviewing any proposed placement fee arrangement.

If you are asking if the hourly rate for positions we are seeking to fill in the future can be provided, then TEA typically quotes a salary range in its job postings.

18. QUESTION: Is it entirely onsite work or can it be done remotely to some extent / Does the services need to be delivered onsite or is there a possibility for remote operations and performance?

TEA RESPONSE: The company location is downtown Austin, Texas. Depending on the needs of the role, TEA employees may have an opportunity to work outside of the Austin area, however, all TEA employees must live in the state of Texas. When engaging in a search, TEA will identify if the role has the flexibility to work outside of the Austin area.

19. QUESTION: Are resumes required at the time of proposal submission? If yes, Do we need to submit the actual resumes for proposed candidates or can we submit the sample resumes?

TEA RESPONSE: Section 3.3 requires actual resumes of the respondent’s staff that would be performing recruitment and staffing services.

20. QUESTION: Could you please provide the list of holidays?

TEA RESPONSE: See uploaded document.

21. QUESTION: Are there any mandated Paid Time Off, Vacation, etc.?

TEA RESPONSE: Per the attached calendar, TEA has both state and agency designated holidays. Employees are not required to observe set holidays; individuals who choose to work on a given holiday are able to earn leave that can be used on a future date.

22. QUESTION: Is this a new initiative? If not, please provide the names of the current vendor(s) providing the services.

TEA RESPONSE: These services have been procured before, but the Contracts and Purchasing Division does not disclose information about current or past contracts as a part of a solicitation’s Question and Answers. Any specific information about current or previous contracts would have to be obtained through the agency’s Public Information Request process.

23. QUESTION: Can you please let us know the previous spending of this contract?

TEA RESPONSE: The Contracts and Purchasing Division does not disclose information about current or past contracts as a part of a solicitation’s Question and Answers. Any specific information about current or previous contracts would have to be obtained

24. QUESTION: Please confirm if we can get the proposals or pricing of the incumbent(s).

TEA RESPONSE: The Contracts and Purchasing Division does not disclose information about current or past contracts as a part of a solicitation’s Question and Answers. Any specific information about current or previous contracts would have to be obtained

25. QUESTION: Are there any pain points or issues with the current vendor(s)?

TEA RESPONSE: The Contracts and Purchasing Division does not disclose information about current or past contracts as a part of a solicitation’s Question and Answers. Any specific information about current or previous contracts would have to be obtained

26. QUESTION: Please confirm the anticipated number of awards.

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TEA RESPONSE: The TEA may contract with one or more vendors based on the Agency’s needs and does not have a pre-determined number of contracts in mind.

27. QUESTION: Could the Agency clarify if they are looking for a company to provide Staff Augmentation Services or for vendors to provide recruitment services?

TEA RESPONSE: TEA is seeking services that will help us build our candidate pool for identified roles.

28. QUESTION: Could the Agency clarify if they are looking for direct hire?

TEA RESPONSE: Candidates who are sourced from search firm services who are offered and accept a TEA position will become full-time employees with the agency. TEA will facilitate the selection process.

29. QUESTION: Could the Agency clarify what they mean by Search firm?

TEA RESPONSE: “Search Firm” is referring to a company that specializes in placing highly qualified candidates for open positions that TEA identifies as needing recruitment support.

30. QUESTION: Could the Agency clarify if vendors can apply for some of the positions?

TEA RESPONSE: Each proposal is evaluated based on its own content and merit.

31. QUESTION: Would the Agency clarify if they prefer a vendor that provides all the positions?

TEA RESPONSE: TEA welcomes vendors that provide broad or narrow staffing specialties.

32. QUESTION: Is the Agency looking for vendors to work alongside the recruitment team from the TEA?

TEA RESPONSE: Vendors should expect to collaborate with the HR Division at TEA to align on needs, understand the TEA selection process for the purpose of supporting cultivated candidates, and as a part of progress monitoring efforts in any search.

33. QUESTION: Is there a designated budget for this solicitation?

TEA RESPONSE: The State does not typically disclose its budget (or past expenditures) in the solicitation because it may either (1) result in all vendors bidding to the agency’s identified budget rather than offering competitive pricing or (2) discourage vendor

34. QUESTION: Is this a new contract?

TEA RESPONSE: It is a new procurement which has also been solicited in the past.

35. QUESTION: Are they any incumbents related to this solicitation? If yes, could the Agency disclose the names of the incumbents?

TEA RESPONSE: The Contracts and Purchasing Division does not disclose information about current or past contracts as a part of a solicitation’s Question and Answers. Any specific information about current or previous contracts would have to be obtained

36. QUESTION: Could the Agency clarify how many vendors will they award to this solicitation?

TEA RESPONSE: The TEA may contract with one or more vendors based on the Agency’s needs and does not have a pre-determined

37. QUESTION: Could the Agency clarify if they are looking for a vendor to provide a talent pool to the recruitment team of the TEA or if they are looking for vendors to provide a candidate to the TEA?

TEA RESPONSE: We would like the search firm to cultivate a pool of competitive prospects and convert them to applicants, that TEA would put through our agency’s selection process.

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38. QUESTION: Could the Agency clarify if under the Scope of Work -Phase 2, vendors must explain their Recruitment process or is this for information purposes only?

TEA RESPONSE: As part of the RFP bidding process, we would like to understand the methods and strategies the company uses to market and recruit to build a competitive candidate pool for TEA roles.

39. QUESTION: Could the Agency clarify if they will be releasing task orders to the Awarded vendors? If yes, does the Agency has an estimated number of task orders/projects that will be released?

TEA RESPONSE: We seek to engage approved search firms on an as needed basis; we don’t currently have a known or set number of projects.

40. QUESTION: Could the Agency clarify if we can provide commercial references?

TEA RESPONSE: Yes, you may provide commercial references.

41. QUESTION: Could the Agency clarify if we can provide Staff Augmentation project experience?

TEA RESPONSE: Vendors are welcome to include documentation of Staff Augmentation project experience as a part of their response to the solicitation if needed to demonstrate the ability of the vendor to meet the needs of the agency.

42. QUESTION: Could the Agency clarify if a vendor has to provide Recruitment Services experience?

TEA RESPONSE: Please see section 3.3 Management Plan, Experience, and Qualifications

43. QUESTION: Is the Agency looking for Staff augmentation services or recruitment services?

TEA RESPONSE: The agency is looking for recruitment services.

44. QUESTION: Could the Agency clarify if our experience with commercial clients is sufficient to showcase the evidence of the ability to perform the tasks described in this solicitation?

TEA RESPONSE: Yes, experience with commercial clients may be used as evidence of the ability to perform the required tasks.

45. QUESTION: Could the Agency clarify, if we can provide commercial project references to demonstrate our performance and capability?

TEA RESPONSE: Yes, experience with commercial clients may be used as evidence of the ability to perform the required tasks.

46. QUESTION: Could the Agency clarify, if they are looking for Recruitment services for IT positions only?

TEA RESPONSE: The TEA hires for a variety positions, IT is just one of many fields.

47. QUESTION: What is the anticipated budget this contract period?

TEA RESPONSE: The State does not typically disclose its budget (or past expenditures) in the solicitation because it may either (1) result in all vendors bidding to the agency’s identified budget rather than offering competitive pricing or (2) discourage vendor

48. QUESTION: Will firms be penalized if they do not support each category listed?

TEA RESPONSE: TEA will not consider late or incomplete proposals. Proposals that address only part of the requirements of this solicitation are non-responsive in accordance with section 2.4 of the solicitation (Proposal Requirements).

49. QUESTION: Can you also provide a list of incumbent recruiting firms currently servicing TEA?

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TEA RESPONSE: The Contracts and Purchasing Division does not disclose information about current or past contracts as a part of a solicitation’s Question and Answers. Any specific information about current or previous contracts would have to be obtained

50. QUESTION: Will job descriptions and compensation for anticipated open roles be released to bidders in advance?

TEA RESPONSE: TEA does not currently have any identified projects; when we engage the search firm in a recruitment project, we will share the job descriptions and compensation for the role at that time.

51. QUESTION: In Reference to: 1.7. Scope of Work, Project Description, and Project Requirements (page 9) Phase 4: Interview & Selection Description of Work:

• Interviews: Candidates who are referred and pass the initial application screen must complete all aspects of the TEA hiring process.

It is strongly preferred that interviews be conducted onsite at TEA or virtually (aligned to the hiring manager’s predetermined interview format options). Any required travel must be done in accordance with TEA travel policies.

As it mentions “It is strongly preferred that interviews be conducted onsite at TEA or virtually (aligned to the hiring manager’s predetermined interview format options)” Question#1: Is this responsibility for a selected vendor to conduct interviews onsite at TEA’s premises mandatory? Please confirm.

Question#2: If a vendor conducts interview only virtually will it be acceptable??

TEA RESPONSE: TEA will manage the formal interview process; however, the selected vendor is responsible for conducting screening interviews that allows you to assess and confirm the quality of the candidate and whether the candidate should be recommended for consideration to TEA.

52. QUESTION: In Reference to: 3.3. Management Plan, Experience, and Qualifications (Pg 20 - 21) Is it mandatory to have experience with TEA in order to bid?

We have relevant experience of serving similar staffing services, which covers all the scope of services as required by TEA but we don’t have experience with TEA. Do we qualify to submit our proposal in this bid?

Can we submit one same reference for multiple projects?

Is it mandatory to submit different client reference for each project? Please confirm.

As TEA requires a vendor to provide evidences for serving similar contracts. Can you please list documents that will suffice this requirement?

TEA RESPONSE: It is not mandatory to have experience with TEA in order to bid. TEA is looking for a track record showing a variety of experience and multiple references from different customers. Documentation identifying different contracts and a successful history of placements with contact information for references will support vendor’s proposal.

53. QUESTION: In Reference to: ATTACHMENT E: TASK, ACTIVITY, DELIVERABLE, AND BUDGET PLAN (Page 31) In general, we charge recruiting fees as a percentage of recruited candidate's salary to our client, we can allocate portion of such percentage to the given phases., Would it suffice the requirement of budget plan in attachment E?

Please confirm how to allocate budget plan as per given phase (For e.g.- Fee per Candidate or recruitment fee percentage per candidate, etc)?

There is no specific position or JD it is difficult to give estimate of budget in dollar. Can you please guide us with an E.g., showing budget allocation for the respective phases?

TEA RESPONSE: The information in Attachment E is for example only. Respondent should draft their Task, Activity, Deliverable, and Budget Plan in a way that exhibits the type of fee structure they propose.

54. QUESTION: In Reference to: ATTACHMENT B: CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS, RESPONSE PREFERENCES, AND EXECUTION OF OFFER (Page 27) The given link for T&C docs is not working, please provide the correct link

TEA RESPONSE: The solicitation on the ESBD has been replaced by one with the attachments included.

55. QUESTION: Is this a re-compete RFP? If yes,

a. Could you please the name of Current Suppliers (who are currently providing services to Agency)?

b. Could you please share current Suppliers pricing and Proposals?

c. When the existing contract was started, and what is the annual monetary spent value of the current contract since inception?

d. How many resources are currently engaged in the current contract?

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e. Can you please share the no. of positions served in previous years under this contract?

f. Can you please share the amount of business each vendor did under this contract in previous years?

TEA RESPONSE: The Contracts and Purchasing Division does not disclose information about current or past contracts as a part of a solicitation’s Question and Answers. Any specific information about current or previous contracts would have to be obtained

56. QUESTION: Is there any local preference for this contract?

TEA RESPONSE: Each proposal is evaluated and scored independently based on its own merits regardless of location.

57. QUESTION: What will be the estimated annual budget for this project?

TEA RESPONSE: The State does not typically disclose its budget (or past expenditures) in the solicitation because it may either (1) result in all vendors bidding to the agency’s identified budget rather than offering competitive pricing or (2) discourage vendor

58. QUESTION: Would you be accepting references from public as well as commercial entities?

TEA RESPONSE: Yes.

59. QUESTION: How many positions we can expect under this contract throughout the given term?

TEA RESPONSE: TEA does not have a predetermined number of positions and will engage vendors on an as-needed basis.

60. QUESTION: How many vendors agency is planning to select?

TEA RESPONSE: The TEA may contract with one or more vendors based on the Agency’s needs and does not have a pre-determined

II. Please note that the originally posted solicitation was missing an attachment and has been replaced with the corrected solicitation.

III. All other provisions of the solicitation remain the same.