FAMLI_RFI_for_Customer_Support.pdf

Request for Information (RFI)

BPM043889

Customer Support Products and Services for the Family Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) Program

Issue Date:

April 24, 2024

Responses Due:

May 8, 2024

Table of Contents

Request for Information (RFI) 3

I. Issuing Office II. Purpose III. Submission of Response IV. Background V. Information Solicited VI. Response Procedure VII. General Terms

Request for Information

(RFI)

I. Issuing Office

This Request for Information ("RFI") is being issued by the Maryland Department of Labor ("MDOL"). The sole point of contact for the State regarding questions and all other matters relative to this RFI is:

Shenika Dyson, Procurement Officer Maryland Department of Labor 1100 N. Eutaw Street Baltimore, MD 21201 Telephone: (410) 767-2874 E-mail Address: shenika.dyson1@maryland.gov

II. Purpose

The purpose of this RFI, which is not a solicitation to procure, is to ascertain the availability of customer support products and services, identify capable parties having an interest in customer support products and services procurement, and to gauge the potential opportunities for MBE/SBR participation regarding a future solicitation to provide customer support products and services to Maryland’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program. MDOL is specifically interested in receiving information as outlined herein and invites customer support products and services vendors to submit information to MDOL regarding your company and its products and services in the form of a written response to this RFI.

● Any information received in response to this RFI will assist MDOL in collecting information that may be used at a future date for a solicitation. A submission in response to this RFI does not guarantee that the respondent will be included in any subsequent procurement.

Likewise, a non-submission in response to this RFI does not preclude a recipient or vendor from inclusion in any future procurement.

● The requirements stated in this RFI may not accurately reflect that which may be contained in a Request for Proposal, Invitation for Bid, Purchase Order RFP, Task Order RFP, or other procurement vehicle. This issuance does not constitute a commitment to issue a request for bids, award a contract, or pay any costs incurred in preparation of a response to this request. Furthermore, MDOL requires that all responding vendors abstain from providing any quotes or bids in response to this RFI.

● The information received may be utilized to develop requirements for a request for proposals to provide customer support products and services for FAMLI’s customer care organization and functions.

mailto:raelene.glasgow3@maryland.gov Jessica S. Praley This sounds like vendors will be conducting market research by replying to the RFI. Is that correct?

III. Submission of Response

Please submit your response by eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA) no later than 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on May 15, 2024, to MDOL’s Procurement Officer specified in Section I above. While this date is the cutoff for submissions, it is preferred Contractors submit their information as soon as completed and not wait until the deadline. Submission prior to the deadline will assist the State in expediting the review process.

IV. Background

Origin and Purpose of FAMLI

MDOL connects Marylanders to good jobs, protects workers and consumers, and supports Maryland businesses, fostering economic growth and competitiveness. MDOL strives to create an equitable and inclusive Maryland where all residents have the opportunities and resources to attain financial stability, reach their career potential, and contribute to their communities; where businesses have access to capital and the skilled workforce they need to succeed; where workplaces are safe and well-regulated; and where the economy is resilient and growing.

MDOL has been tasked with implementing the state’s FAMLI program. The digitally-native program will ensure that all private-sector, state, and local workers in the state receive wage replacement during periods of missed work due to qualifying events. Qualifying events include the worker’s own serious health condition, a serious health condition of a family member, the birth of a child, and military exigency events.

Ten states — California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington — have similar active paid leave programs. Two additional programs — those in Delaware and Minnesota — are in the process of implementation.

The Maryland General Assembly passed the Time to Care Act in 2022 (SB 275), which established the general parameters for the FAMLI program. In 2023 and 2024, the General Assembly made modifications to the original authorizing legislation. Additional information about FAMLI is available at paidleave.maryland.gov.

Need for Customer Support Capability

The FAMLI program is expected to receive up to 180,000 employer registrations in Spring 2025, and up to $2 billion in payments from these employers per year. The FAMLI program is estimated to receive 160,000 claims from workers in its first year. FAMLI will need to have a customer support capability prepared to answer questions from employers by spring 2025, when employers will begin registering for the program. FAMLI will need expanded customer support capabilities in place by July 2026, when the program will begin accepting claims from workers. In order to uphold public trust in the program, it is imperative that MDOL establish an efficient, caring customer support capability to help workers and employers understand their obligations and options and resolve any issues.

http://paidleave.maryland.gov/

Customer Support Approach

This RFI seeks information on products and services that would facilitate an approach to customer support and a contact center involving internal MDOL staff. Such an approach might require the procuring of a number of customer support products and services. They would be as follows:

1. Technology

FAMLI would need to procure some combination of the following customer service support technologies:

● Call management system;

● Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service;

● Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system;

● Correspondence (for emails, letters, etc.) management software;

● Workforce management software; and

● Other products for supporting a virtual call center.

2. Services

a. On-Call Staff to Augment FAMLI’s Internal Customer Support Capacity

Due to the unpredictable nature of customer support requests unique to the launch of a new program, the services of a vendor to augment internal customer support capacity in the event of unexpectedly large volumes of customer inquiries may be required.

b. Language Access and Accessibility

FAMLI seeks to support all people, including people with limited English proficiency and/or people with disabilities (e.g. people who are deaf or hard of hearing, are blind or visually impaired, or have specific cognitive needs). This RFI seeks information on support services that could enhance FAMLI’s ability to appropriately support these individuals.

V. Information Solicited

Given the approach to customer support described above, this RFI solicits the information below.

FAMLI seeks as much information as possible to make the best-informed decisions regarding its customer support approach and related procurements. Please include as much information as possible in your response to this RFI, answering as many of the questions below as are relevant to the products or services you provide. (FAMLI will accept partial responses that do not address every single question below.)

1. Channels of Communication

1.1. What channels of communication (e.g. phone, email, text, chat) does your enterprise provide?

1.2. What do you observe are the most utilized channels of communication among your public sector/government clients?

1.3. What new or emerging channels of communication (e.g. text, chat) do you provide?

1.4. What is the approximate cost and level of effort to build and maintain each channel of communication you offer?

2. Technology

2.1. PHONE CALLS. What customer support technologies do you offer for receiving, tracking, monitoring, and managing phone calls? What are the core features that you suggest to ensure an efficient customer experience?

2.1.1. What level of customization is possible for these technologies?

2.1.2. What are the primary considerations for integration of these technologies into FAMLI’s other systems and software?

2.1.3. What is the approximate cost for these technologies based on the projected volume of total claims in the first year of the FAMLI program (approximately 166,000 claims) plus the number of employer registrants in the first year (approximately 180,000)?

2.2. IVR. What interactive voice response (IVR) systems do you offer and their main differences?

2.2.1. What level of customization is possible for these systems?

2.2.2. What level of ongoing customization is possible after an initial IVR system is in place? What are the associated costs with ongoing customization of IVR systems?

2.2.3. What is the approximate cost for these IVR systems based on the estimated volume of total claims in the first year of the FAMLI program (approximately

2.3. CORRESPONDENCE. What customer support technologies do you offer for correspondence management (tracking and responding to emails/requests submitted through a website, letters, etc.)?

2.3.1. What level of customization is possible for these technologies?

2.3.2. What are the primary considerations for integration of these technologies into FAMLI’s other systems and software?

2.3.3. What is the approximate cost for these technologies based on the projected volume of total claims in the first year of the FAMLI program (approximately

2.4. WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT. What customer support workforce management software (staff forecasting and scheduling; time tracking; real-time team management; reporting and analytics) do you offer?

2.4.1. What are the core features of the software you offer?

2.4.2. What evidence do you have of the impact of your workforce management software on staffing efficiency?

2.4.3. What evidence do you have of the impact of your workforce management software on call center representative employee job satisfaction and retention?

2.5. VIRTUAL SUPPORT CENTERS. What equipment, software, or services do you provide to support virtual customer support centers (i.e. when staff work remotely)?

3. Services

3.1. On-Call Staff to Augment Customer Support Capacity

3.1.1. What on-call staffing services to augment in-house customer support capacity do you offer?

3.1.2. What is the approximate recommended level of effort and cost for your on-call staffing services?

3.1.3. What is your recommended ratio of supervisors to customer service representatives?

3.1.4. What strategies do you recommend employing to manage fluctuations in customer service requests?

3.1.5. What is your approach to training and re-training staff? What are the main skills developed through your training?

3.1.6. How do you train staff to support people in high-stress or emotional situations?

3.1.7. Is it possible to locate augmentation customer support staff exclusively in the state of Maryland?

3.1.8. Do you have customer support staff who are trained to take calls from

Spanish speakers? How do you handle inquiries in other languages?

3.2. Language Access and Accessibility

3.2.1. What language access services does your enterprise provide?

3.2.2. What languages do your services cover?

3.2.3. What is the approximate level of effort and cost for your language access services, by language?

3.2.4. What services do you provide to support access for people who are deaf or hard of hearing?

3.2.5. What is the approximate level of effort and cost for your access services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing?

3.2.6. What services do you provide to support access for people who are blind or visually impaired?

3.2.7. What is the approximate level of effort and cost for your access services for people who blind or visually impaired?

4. Minority Business Enterprise (MBE)/Veteran-Owned Small Business (VSBE)/Small Business Reserve (SBR)

4.1. What services do you believe could be subcontracted out to increase

MBE/VSBE/SBR participation (and why)?

4.2. What technologies would you consider subcontracting out to increase

MBE/VSBE/SBR participation (and why)?

4.3. What do you believe MBE/VSBE/SBR goals should be for this request?

4.3.1. As the prime, how would you go about subcontracting this work or breaking it up to achieve these goals?

5. Other

5.1. Are there any other items you believe MDOL should consider before finalizing the specifications and soliciting?

VI. RESPONSE PROCEDURE

Respondents should submit information that addresses the technical areas outlined in Section VIII above as well as additional optional items including:

● Company background including but not limited to years in business, number of employees, current clients, presence in Maryland, experience working with governmental entities, experience supporting the implementation of successful initiatives in any of the areas outlined above.

● Company’s status as an MBE, VSBE, or SBR if applicable.

● Company representative for follow-up contact including name, title, address, phone number, e-mail.

● Any additional information you’d like to provide.

● Respondents are welcome to partner with additional vendor(s) to provide information covering the scope of work outlined in the RFI.

VII. GENERAL TERMS

By submitting a response to this RFI, the respondent represents that it agrees with the following:

1. This RFI does not oblige MDOL to procure any goods or services from any respondent.

Responses to this RFI do not constitute bids or proposals and are not legally binding on the respondent. Submission of a response to this RFI, or failure to submit a response, will not preclude any potential contractor from submitting a proposal in response to a request for proposals (“RFP”) that may be issued subsequent to this RFI. Any such RFP will be published to the general marketplace via eMMA and open to all potentially qualified contractors on a competitive procurement basis in accordance with MDOL Procurement Policies and Procedures.

2. Ownership of Material - All materials submitted in response to this RFI become the property of MDOL upon receipt and will not be returned to the respondent.

3. Incurred Expense and Economy of Preparation - MDOL will not be responsible for any costs incurred by a respondent in preparing and submitting a response, in making an oral presentation if requested, or in performing any other activities relative to this RFI.

Responses should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise presentation.

4. Public Information Act Notice – A respondent should give specific attention to and clearly identify those portions of its response that it deems to be confidential, proprietary commercial information or trade secrets, and provide justification of why such materials, upon request, should not be disclosed by the State pursuant to the Public Information Act (“PIA”), Title 4, General Provisions Article, Annotated Code of Maryland. Respondents are advised that, upon request for this information from a third party, the MDOL shall make an independent determination whether the information may be disclosed.

5. eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (“eMMA”) – This RFI has been posted on the

Maryland Department of Labor website at https://www.paidleave.maryland.gov and eMaryland Marketplace Advantage(“eMMA”), the State’s electronic commerce system.

Vendors with an interest in doing business with the State are encouraged to register with eMMA. Information about eMMA can be found on its website at https://emma.maryland.gov/. There is no fee for registration on eMMA.

https://www.paidleave.maryland.gov/ https://emma.maryland.gov/