304_State+Contract+Summary+(1).docx

ND STATE CONTRACT INFORMATION

CONTRACT INTRODUCTION

This contract is for grant management services. Four vendors have been awarded contracts. Purchasing entities/agencies can issue their own solicitation following proper procurement procedures to any vendor they would like to include. If utilizing this contract, be sure to use the Task Order Request form and Change Order Form (as needed) both found on contract web page. Email all fully executed task orders and any subsequent change orders to the contract administrator.

CONTRACT SERVICES

A. Required Services - The contractor will be required to provide the following types of services relating to Grant Management:

1. Ensure State, Local, and Tribal Governments perform proper procurement operations by following all appropriate Federal, State, and/or Local procurement regulations, using whichever regulations are the strictest in each scenario

2. Develop Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and/or Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) for State, Local, and Tribal Government use when conducting procurement operations

3. Review all Bid Documentation to ensure Contractors have completed the bidding process correctly, and are eligible and qualified to complete the approved scope(s) of work

4. Develop Contracts that comply with all Federal, State, and/or Local Laws, Regulations, and Acts required to hire eligible and qualified contractors under a respective grant program

5. Manage and monitor the State, Local, or Tribal Government’s grant projects to ensure all project work is being completed per the approved scope of work and before project deadlines. This includes work done by Contractors or by Force Account Labor

6. Develop formal change requests for State, Local, and Tribal Government projects, to include but not limited to scopes of work, cost overruns/underruns, and time extensions

7. Assist State, Local, and Tribal Governments to financially manage their grant projects, to include monitoring project costs for eligibility and reasonableness and helping applicants track and pay for eligible grant related expenses

8. Submit reimbursement requests to the respective grant program’s lead agency and include copies of contracts, bids, and invoices, purchase orders, change orders, and proofs of payment so the reimbursement request can be reviewed and approved

9. Develop formal appeals on behalf of State, Local, and/or Tribal Governments to address grant determinations that are considered factually inaccurate, or where regulations have been improperly applied, to the detriment of the entity requesting grant management services

10. Complete quarterly progress and financial reports on behalf of the State, Local, or Tribal Government for their applicable grant Projects

11. Complete and submit closeouts for all State, Local, or Tribal Government grant projects, to include all of the required backup documentation needed for review and approval

12. Develop, or refine, a State, Local, or Tribal Governments records maintenance and retention policy and processes to ensure documentation is properly stored and ready for any potential State or Federal audits B. Full Award Lifecycle Tasks

1. Awarding and administering grants, cooperative agreements, or other related instruments

2. Designing, developing, implementing, and interpreting grants/assistance management policies, procedures, and practices

3. Providing training, technical assistance, oversight, ethics advice, expertise, and consultation to program officials, awardees, review panels, applicants, recipients, and subrecipients as needed

4. Reviewing and evaluating adequacy of grants/assistance policies and procedures

5. Serving as liaison between the U.S. Federal Government and external customers, recipients, and awardee community to clarify, interpret, and resolve issues

6. Initiating, planning, and conducting surveys and studies to recommend changes to policies, procedures, and regulations C. Reporting Requirements - Contractor must report to the requesting State, Local, or Tribal Government as deemed necessary by the applicable agency/jurisdiction. The Contractor must keep the agency/jurisdiction informed of any significant activities that are not on the approved timeline and negotiate adjusted timelines with the agency/jurisdiction as needed. Lack of quality or progress on goals or projects can result in termination of the Task Order or State Contract. The Contractor shall provide:

1. Timely and complete documentation for all procurement, project management and monitoring, financial management, formal change requests, appeals, quarterly reports, and closeout activities they complete on behalf of the State, Local, or Tribal Government

2. Provide full transparency of processes and activities completed for the management and monitoring of grant projects to the State, Local, or Tribal Government

3. Full transparency of costs charged to the State, Local, or Tribal Government in relation to Grant Management services provided D. Standards It is expected that all tasks will be performed as indicated. If the Contractor does not complete the tasks as indicated, the State reserves the right to discontinue service and search for another provider without penalty.

The vendor shall be responsible for the completion of each task order it agrees to perform, complying with the Contract terms and adhering to the delivery schedule and price agreed upon in the vendor’s Project Offer to the Task Order Request (taking into consideration approved change orders). All work is subject to inspection, evaluation, and acceptance by the State. The State may employ all reasonable means to ensure that the work is progressing and being performed in compliance with the contract.

If the vendor fails to resolve unsatisfactory performance problems or fails to complete task orders, the State may terminate the contract by sending a written notice to the vendor. If the cause of the termination is related to failures in compliance to contract requirements, the State may also consider suspension or debarment of the vendor from the State bidders list for other State solicitations.

CONTRACTOR INFORMATION

Check the State contract website for the contractor and contract administrator information.

COOPERATIVE PURCHASING

This contract is a cooperative purchasing contract established pursuant to North Dakota Century Code (NDCC) section 54-44.4-13. This contract is made available to state entities, institutions under the jurisdiction of the State Board of Higher Education, other government entities (including counties, cities, townships, public primary and secondary educational entities, governmental boards and commissions), nonprofit entities established on behalf of public entities, tribal agencies, transportation providers under N.D.C.C chapter 39-04.2, and the International Peace Garden. Participation in this open-ended contract is not mandated; therefore, the estimated volume of this contract is not known.

TASK ORDER PROCESS

A. Request - Entities eligible to purchase under this contract will issue Contractor a Task Order Request for services required.

B. Task Order Process - When an agency requires Grant Management Services from the Grant Management Consultant Contract Pool - the agency will prepare a written task order request. This will include a Statement of Work (SOW) describing the required services.

1. Projects estimated at less than $50,000:

a. Direct Assignment - An agency may issue a task order request directly to any of the awarded vendors in the appropriate pool category.

b. Competitive - An agency may elect to conduct a competitive process by requesting project proposals from two or more vendors. The agency will select the vendor project proposal that best meets the SOW requirements based upon the selection criteria stated in the task order request.

2. Projects estimated at $50,000 or more:

a. Direct Assignment - An agency may issue a task order request directly to an awarded vendor if prior approval is granted by the State Procurement Office.

b. Competitive - An agency must issue a task order request to a minimum of three of the awarded vendors. The agency will select the vendor project proposal that best meets the SOW requirements and selection criteria stated in the task order request.

C. Submission of Project Offer - Each non-emergent task order request will specify an offer due date for the vendor to respond to the State’s request. This time frame will be no less than two (2) business days, but it may be more at the State’s discretion. Within the specified time frame, the vendor must respond to the agency that issued the task order request, either affirming or denying its ability to provide the professional consulting services in the required project time frame. During this response period, if necessary, the vendor may seek clarifications of the work involved.

If the vendor is unable to provide the services requested, it must state the reason in the appropriate section on the Task Order Request form, sign and return the form to the requesting agency by the offer due date.

If the vendor is capable of fulfilling the task order, it will complete and attach a “Project Offer” to the Task Order Request form, sign and return the form to the requesting agency by the proposal due date. The “Project Offer” will include the following items:

1) Basic vendor staff information: Name and date of availability.

2) If agency requests a hourly rate Bid, the vendor must respond with personnel costs for the staffing required. Propose a service rate for each section. If the Task Order Request project dates span more than one year of the Contract term, the vendor must provide rates for each effective year. Service rates may not exceed the rates originally proposed in response to this RFP; however, the rates may be less, depending on the Agency’s requirements, nature of the job market, and the vendor staff abilities;

3) If agency requests a Fixed Bid, provide a fixed price offer to accomplish the Statement of Work;

4) Resume(s) for vendor staff, if agency requests; and

5) If agency requests reference checks for vendor staff, each vendor staff reference check must include the results of two reference checks that the vendor has performed on the proposed individual, including the names and telephone numbers of the references. At least one of the references must be from a previous employer or from a customer for which the vendor staff performed grant management consulting services.

NOTICE OF VENDOR POOL TASK ORDER AWARD – TEMPLATE

Instructions:

1. Revise or delete throughout as needed.

2. After selecting the most advantageous project proposal, send notice to all the vendors who responded to your task order proposal/quote request.

3. Wait for the seven-day protest period to end before signing the selected task order and proceeding with the project.

4. This notice can be mailed, faxed, or emailed to the vendors.

5. Replace all blue text with your customized/agency-specific text.

6. Delete this instructional page before issuing to the vendors.

TASK ORDER CHANGE ORDERS

A change order process will be used to manage issues and changes during the life of a task order project. A change request must be in writing to document the potential change. The change will be reviewed and, if acceptable to the agency, the vendor will submit an estimate of the charges and the anticipated changes in the delivery schedule that will result from the proposed change in the scope of work. A change order must be approved and signed by both parties prior to implementation of the change.

PURCHASING CARDS

STATE may make a payment using a government credit card. CONTRACTOR will accept a government credit card without passing the processing fees for the government credit card back to STATE.

Grant Management Services Consultant Rates

AC Disaster Consulting LLC

($580.00) $150.00 ($600.00) $150.00 ($600.00)

($960.00) $125.00 ($1,000.00) $125.00 ($1,000.00)

(B) $1,855.00

(A) $590.00

(B) $1,915.00

(A) $590.00

(B) $1,915.00

AG Witt LLC

Schmitz-Holmstrom LLC

Witt OBriens LLC

• Program advisor responsible for coordinating all levels of Recovery, Mitigation, and Planning Specialists

• Provide technical assistance for applicant specific issues and concerns related to policy, contract, personnel, etc.

• Responsible for all deliverables produced and submitted to the client

• Responsible for working closely with the contract and client staff to ensure that all mitigation and grant opportunities are maximized

• Provide a wide range of subject matter expertise and technical assistance for issues resolution and grant eligibility

• Demonstrate knowledge of Stafford Act and related grant programs

• Responsible for working closely with the contract and client staff to ensure that all grant opportunities are maximized

• Assigned directly to applicants to provide technical assistance for their specific issues

• Serves as senior technical advisor for mitigation issues

• Responsible for working closely with the contract and client staff to ensure that all mitigation opportunities are maximized

• Maintains own action plan to complete deliverables

• Reviews information and requests data

• Leads discussions and meetings with client or project team

• May provide client with instruction, training, or exercises

• Provide guidance, assistance and oversight to client in preparing documentation, invoices and reimbursement requests for grant funding recovery

• Possess technical programmatic knowledge and ability to advise client on regulations, policies and procedures

• Assigned individually and in groups as needed in order to identify and address all programmatic issues related to the recovery

• Reconcile and review grant supporting documents to ensure audit quality files are prepared

• Monitor and report on grant closeout progress on assigned projects

• Assigned individually and in groups as needed in order to identify and address all programmatic issues related to the recovery

• Identify and address all programmatic issues related to the recovery

• Reviews information and requests data.

• Assists in discussions and meetings with client or project team.

• Possess excellent organizational and communication skills

• Assists the team with timekeeping and expense submittal

Personnel Total

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