Forensic_Toxicology_Services_(Addendum_#5_Revision).pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

2024-RFP-095-PR

FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY SERVICES

County of Dane

City-County Building, Room 425, 53703

Madison, WI 53703

RELEASE DATE: November 21, 2024

DEADLINE FOR QUESTIONS: December 18, 2024

RESPONSE DEADLINE: January 24, 2025, 2:00 pm

RESPONSES MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY TO:

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane

County of Dane

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Forensic Toxicology Services

I. Introduction II. RFP Guidelines and Overview

III. Contract Term IV. Project Overview & Scope of Work V. RFP Response Requirements & Evaluation Criteria

VI. Pricing Proposal VII. Vendor Questionnaire

VIII. Standard Terms and Conditions

Attachments:

A - Request for Clarification Questions

Request For Proposal #2024-RFP-095-PR Title: Forensic Toxicology Services

1. Introduction

1.1. Summary

The purpose of this document is to provide interested parties with information to enable them to prepare and submit a proposal according to the specifications set forth within this document.

The County intends to use the results of this process to award a contract or issue a purchase order for the product(s) and/or service(s) stated: Forensic toxicology services for death investigation cases.

The Dane County Purchasing Division is the sole point of contact for questions and issues that may arise during the RFP process.

1.2. Contact Information

Megan Rogan

Purchasing Officer

Email: rogan.megan@countyofdane.com

Phone: (608) 283-1487

Department:

Medical Examiner

1.3. Timeline

Release Project Date November 21, 2024

Question Submission Deadline December 18, 2024, 2:00pm

Question Response Deadline December 23, 2024, 2:00pm

Proposal Submission Deadline January 24, 2025, 2:00pm mailto:rogan.megan@countyofdane.com tel:(608)283-1487

2. RFP Guidelines and Overview

2.1. GENERAL SOLICITATION PROCESS

1. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS

A. The County will provide reasonable accommodations, including the provision of informational material in an alternative format, for qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. If you need accommodations at a vendor conference or site visit, contact the Purchasing Officer listed or call WI Relay 711 for TDD Services.

2. VENDOR REGISTRATION

A. Interested vendors are required to register at the County's eProcurement Portal. Registration is free and will ensure that you receive notifications of solicitations that match your profile and category codes as well as providing the County with up-to-date company contact information.

B. Once registered, please double check to make sure your vendor information including commodity codes is up-to-date by signing into your account at the County's eProcurement

Portal.

3. CALENDAR OF EVENTS

A. Specific and estimated dates and times of actions related to this solicitation are listed in the timeline in the Introduction Section. The actions with specific dates must be completed as indicated unless otherwise changed by the County. In the event that the County finds it necessary to change any of the specific dates and times in the calendar of events listed below, it will do so by issuing an addendum to this RFP and posting such addendum on the Dane

County eProcurement Portal.

4. CLARIFICATION OF THE SPECIFICATIONS / QUESTIONS

A. All inquiries concerning this solicitation must be submitted via the County's eProcurement

Portal.

B. Questions must be submitted before 2:00 pm on Wednesday, December 18, 2024.

1. Requests submitted after that time frame will not be considered.

C. Proposers are expected to raise any questions, exceptions, or additions they have concerning the solicitation at this point in the process. If a proposer discovers any significant ambiguity, error, conflict, discrepancy, omission, or other deficiency in this solicitation, the proposer should immediately notify the contact person of such error and request modification or clarification to the solicitation document.

D. Proposers are prohibited from communicating directly with any employee of Dane County, except as described herein. No County employee or representative other than those individuals https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane listed as County contacts on this solicitation is authorized to provide any information or respond to any question or inquiry concerning this solicitation.

5. ADDENDA & REVISIONS

A. In the event that it becomes necessary to provide additional clarifying data or information, or to revise any part of this bid, addenda and/or supplements will be posted via the

County's eProcurement Portal. Bidders are responsible to regularly monitor the web site for any such postings. It is recommended to check the eProcurement Portal for addenda prior to submitting a proposal. Bidders must acknowledge the receipt/review of any addenda via the eProcurement Portal.

B. The Purchasing Division has the sole authority for modifications to specifications and/or the solicitation document.

6. INSPECTION OF PREMISES/VENDOR SITE VISIT - when applicable

A. When applicable, bidder’s may inspect site(s) prior to submitting bids to determine all requirements associated with the project by contacting Megan Rogan. Failure to do so will in no way relieve the successful bidder from the necessity of providing, without additional cost to the

County, all necessary services that may be required to carry out the intent of the resulting contract.

2.2. BID / PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Dane County strongly encourages all vendors to submit proposals well in advance of the solicitation deadline. By doing so, if there are any technical difficulties, there is time to attempt to resolve the situation before the deadline. Late bids will not be accepted.

If there are technical difficulties while trying to submit, first, contact OpenGov Support by clicking into the small blue circle on the bottom, right side of your screen while logged into the OpenGov system.

1. SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS

A. Dane County reserves the right to accept any part of this bid deemed to be in the best interest of the County. The County also retains the right to accept or reject any or all bids.

B. Proposals must be submitted via the County's eProcurement Portal before 2:00 pm on Friday, January 24, 2025. Late, faxed, mailed, hand-delivered, or incomplete proposals will be rejected unless otherwise specified. Dane County is not liable for any cost incurred by proposers in replying to this solicitation.

C. To Submit a Proposal:

1. Register at the County's eProcurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane

2. Click on the green "+Subscribe" button on the left side of the screen and proceed to create an account or sign in if an account already exists.

3. Once registered, click on the "draft" button to draft your proposal.

4. Provide company information

5. Complete the entire Vendor Questionnaire

6. Where indicated, upload the required documents.

7. The file upload status can be seen for each document uploaded.

8. Confirm all files have been uploaded

9. Review your work and click on "submit" proposal

10. Acknowledge any addenda

2. MULTIPLE PROPOSALS & ACCEPTANCE

A. Multiple proposals from a vendor will be permissible; however, the proposer must create separate accounts with separate log-in sequences, emails, and passwords on the

County’s eProcurement Portal. Each such proposal must be submitted separately and labeled as

Proposal #1, Proposal #2, etc.

B. Please message procurementsupport@opengov.com with any questions regarding set up.

3. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS ON SUBMITTING COST PROPOSALS

A. The Cost Proposal section of this solicitation will either be incorporated into the system as a

Pricing Table or as a separate Cost Proposal Attachment that must be downloaded, completed, saved, and uploaded to the Vendor Questionnaire section.

B. Price(s) quoted shall include all labor, materials, equipment, shipping and other costs and conditions outlined within the bid. Pricing shall remain fixed.

4. RIGHT TO REJECT PROPOSALS & NEGOTIATE CONTRACT TERMS

A. The County reserves the right to accept any part of a submission deemed to be in the best interest of the County and to reject any and all proposals and to negotiate the terms of the contract, including the award amount, with the selected proposer prior to entering into a contract. If contract negotiations cannot be concluded successfully with the highest scoring proposer, the County may negotiate a contract with the next highest scoring proposer.

2.3. VENDOR QUESTIONNAIRE DEFINITIONS

1. LOCAL VENDOR PURCHASING PREFERENCE - applicable to RFBs - DOES NOT APPLY TO PUBLIC WORKS

BIDS

mailto:procurementsupport@opengov.com

A. Under Dane County Ordinance 25.08(11)(c-e), a Locally Based and Owned Vendor, Locally

Operated Vendor, or Non-Locally Operated Vendor may be invited to match the low bid if the low bid is offered by a vendor that is not identified as a Locally Based and Owned Vendor, Locally Operated Vendor, or Non-Locally Operated Vendor according to Dane County Ordinance requirements. Local Vendor Preferences do not apply to bids for sand, gravel, salt, asphalt and concrete.

Locally Based and Owned Vendors:

1. When bids are reviewed, the County will determine if a Locally Based and Owned Vendor responding to the bid is the low bidder. If a Locally Based and Owned Vendor is the low bidder, they will be awarded the bid.

2. If a Locally Based and Owned Vendor is not the low bidder but is within 15% of the low bid, the

County will contact the Locally Based and Owned Vendor and provide that vendor the option of matching the low bid price.

3. If no Locally Based and Owned Vendors are among the responding bidders, or the Locally Based and Owned Vendor declines to match the low bid, then the County will determine if a Locally

Operated Vendor has responded to the bid.

Locally Operated Vendors:

4. If a Locally Operated Vendor is within 10% of the low bid, the County will contact the Locally

Operated Vendor and provide that vendor the option of matching the low bid price.

5. If no Locally Operated Vendors are among the responding bidders, or the Locally Operated

Vendor declines to match the low bid, then the County will determine if a Non-Locally Operated

Vendor has responded to the bid.

Non-Locally Operated Vendors:

6. If a Non-Locally Operated Vendor is within 5% of the low bid, the County will contact the Non-

Locally Operated Vendor and provide that vendor the option of matching the low bid price.

7. If no Non-Locally Operated Vendors are among the responding bidders, or the Non-Locally

Operated Vendor declines to match the low bid, then the County will award the bid to the low bidder without regard to the location of the vendor.

2. LOCAL VENDOR PURCHASING PREFERENCE - applicable to RFPs - DOES NOT APPLY TO PUBLIC WORKS

BIDS

A. Under County ordinances, a Local Vendor is defined as a supplier or provider of equipment, materials, supplies or services that has an established place of business within the County of

Dane. An established place of business means a physical office, plant or other facility. A post office box address does not qualify a vendor as a Local Vendor.

1. County ordinance provides that a local vendor (within Dane County) automatically receive five points toward the evaluation score.

2. County ordinance provides that vendors located within the counties adjacent to Dane County

(Columbia, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock, Sauk) automatically receive two points toward the evaluation score.

3. LOCAL CONTENT VENDOR PREFERENCE - generally only applicable to RFBs - DOES NOT APPLY TO

PUBLIC WORKS BIDS

A. Under Dane County Ordinance 25.08(4)(f-j), bidders offering goods made in Dane County, its surrounding counties, or the State of Wisconsin receive a price preference on sealed bid solicitations. Bids are first evaluated to determine if any bidders are offering products that qualify as Dane County-Made Goods, Regionally-Made Goods, or Wisconsin-Made Goods. Local

Vendor Preferences do not apply to bids for sand, gravel, salt, asphalt and concrete.

B. A bidder offering Dane County-Made Goods will be considered the successful bidder if their price is up to 15% higher than the low bid for goods that are not Dane County-Made Goods. If no vendors meet this criteria, then the County will determine if any bidder is offering Regionally-

Made Goods. If so, then such a bidder will be considered successful if their price is up to 12.5% higher than the low bid for goods that are not Regionally-Made Goods. If no vendors meet this criteria, then the County will determine if any bidder is offering Wisconsin-Made Goods. If so, that bidder will be considered successful if their price is up to 10% higher than the low bid for goods that are not Wisconsin-Made Goods. If no vendors are offering Dane County-Made, Regionally-Made, or Wisconsin-Made Goods, then the County will evaluate the low bid without regard to the content of the goods.

4. FAIR LABOR PRACTICES CERTIFICATION

A. Dane County Ord. 25.09 (1) is as follows:

1. (28) BIDDER RESPONSIBILITY. (a) Any bid, application or proposal for any contract with the county, including public works contracts regulated under chapter 40, shall include a certification indicating whether the bidder has been found by the National Labor Relations

Board (NLRB) or the Wisconsin Employment Relations Committee (WERC) to have violated any statute or regulation regarding labor standards or relations within the last seven years.

The purchasing manager shall investigate any such finding and make a recommendation to the committee, which shall determine whether the conduct resulting in the finding affects the bidder’s responsibility to perform the contract.

B. If a company indicates that they have been found by the NLRB or WERC to have such a violation in the Vendor Questionnaire section, a copy of any relevant information regarding such violation with is required to be uploaded with the bid submission.

C. Additional information about the NLRB and WERC can be found using the following links:

www.nlrb.gov and http://werc.wi.gov.

5. COOPERATIVE PURCHASING

A. Participating in cooperative purchasing gives vendors the opportunity for additional sales without additional bidding. Municipalities and state agencies use cooperative purchasing to expedite purchases. A “municipality” is defined as any county, city, village, town, school district, https://www.nlrb.gov/ http://werc.wi.gov/ board of school directors, sewer district, drainage district, vocational, technical and adult education district, or any other public body having authority to award public contracts (s.

16.70(8), Wis. Stats.). Federally recognized Indian tribes and bands in this state may participate in cooperative purchasing with the state or any municipality under ss. 66.0301(1) and (20, Wis.

Stats.

B. In the Vendor Questionnaire section, you will have the opportunity to participate in allowing municipalities and state agencies to piggyback this bid. Participation is not mandatory. A vendor’s decision on participating in this service has no effect on awarding the bid.

C. Dane County is not a party to these purchases or any dispute arising from these purchases and is not liable for delivery or payment of any of these purchases.

6. DESIGNATION OF CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETY INFORMATION - generally only applicable to RFPs

A. All restrictions on the use of data contained within a proposal and all confidential information must be clearly stated on the Vendor Information Attachment under the “Designation of

Confidential and Proprietary Information” section.

B. Proprietary information submitted in a proposal, or in response to the RFP, will be handled in accordance with the applicable Wisconsin State Statute(s).

C. Submitted pricing will always become public information when proposals are opened and therefore cannot be designated as confidential.

D. Other information cannot be kept confidential unless it is a trade secret. Trade secret is defined in Sect. 134(80)(1)(c) Wis. State Statutes, as follows: "Trade secret" means information, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method technique or process to which all of the following apply:

1. The information derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use.

2. The information is the subject of efforts to maintain its secrecy that are reasonable under the circumstances.

E. To the extent permitted by law, it is the intention of Dane County to withhold the contents of the proposal from public view until such times as competitive or bargaining reasons no longer require non-disclosure, in the opinion of Dane County. At that time, all proposals will be available for review in accordance with the Wisconsin Open Records Law.

F. In the event the Designation of Confidentiality of this information is challenged, is required to provide legal counsel or other necessary assistance to defend the Designation of Confidentiality.

G. Failure to designate confidential and proprietary information within the Designation of

Confidential and Proprietary Information section of the Vendor Information Attachment may mean that all information provided as part of the proposal response will be open to examination or copying. The County considers other markings of confidential in the proposal document to be insufficient. The undersigned agrees to hold the County harmless for any damages arising out of the release of any material unless they are specifically identified within the Designation of

Confidential and Proprietary Information section of the Vendor Information Attachment.

2.4. EVALUATION

1. PRELIMINARY EVALUATION

A. The proposals will first be reviewed to determine if all applicable requirements are met. Failure to meet mandatory requirements may result in the proposal being rejected. In the event that all vendors do not meet one or more of the mandatory requirements, the County reserves the right to continue the evaluation of the proposals and to select the proposal which most closely meets the requirements specified in the solicitation.

2. PROPOSAL SCORING - applicable to RFPs

A. Accepted proposals will be reviewed by an evaluation team and scored against the stated criteria in the evaluation section of the RFP posting. This scoring will determine the ranking of vendors based upon their written proposals. If the team determines that it is in the best interest of the County to require a Phase 2 Evaluation which may include oral presentations, the highest-ranking vendors will be invited to make such presentations. Those vendors that participate in the interview process will then be scored, and the final ranking will be made based upon those scores.RFP Cost Proposal's will be scored using a standard quantitative calculation where the most cost criteria points will be awarded to the proposal with the lowest cost.

3. ORAL PRESENTATIONS/INTERVIEW - applicable to RFPs

A. Top ranked selected proposers may be required to make oral interview presentations and/or site visits to supplement their proposals, if requested by the County. The County will make every reasonable attempt to schedule each presentation at a time and location that is agreeable to the proposer. Failure of a proposer to conduct a presentation to the County on the date scheduled may result in rejection of the vendor’s proposal.

2.5. AWARD

1. RFB AWARD

A. The County will award the bid to the most responsive and responsible bidder whose bid is most advantageous to the County. In determining the most advantageous bid, the County may consider criteria such as, but not limited to, cost, bidder’s past performance and/or service reputation, and service capability, quality of the bidder’s staff or services, customer satisfaction, references, the extent to which the bidder’s staff or services meet the County’s needs, bidder’s past relationship with the County, total long term cost to the County, fleet continuity and any other relevant criteria listed in this solicitation.

B. A resulting award and any part thereof shall not be subcontracted or assigned to another

Contractor without prior written permission of the County. The Contractor shall be directly responsible for any Subcontractor’s performance and work quality when used by the Contractor to carry out the scope of the job. Subcontractors must abide by all terms and conditions under this Contract.

2. RFP AWARD

A. An RFP award will typically be granted in one of two ways.

1. The award may be granted to the highest scoring responsive and responsible proposer.

2. Alternatively, the highest scoring proposer or proposers may be requested to submit final and best offers. If final and best offers are requested, they will be evaluated against the stated criteria, scored and ranked. The award will then be granted to the highest scoring proposer.

B. A resulting award and any part thereof shall not be subcontracted or assigned to another

Contractor without prior written permission of the County. The Contractor shall be directly responsible for any Subcontractor’s performance and work quality when used by the Contractor to carry out the scope of the job. Subcontractors must abide by all terms and conditions under this Contract.

3. PAYMENT TERMS AND INVOICING

A. Unless otherwise agreed upon in writing, Dane County will pay properly submitted vendor invoices within thirty (30) days of receipt of goods or services. Payment will not be made until goods or services are delivered, installed (if required), and accepted as specified. Invoices presented for payment shall be submitted to via email to the Department Invoice Email

Address shown on the Bill To section of the PO issued. The Dane County purchase order number must be noted on the submitted invoice.

B. Other incidental or standard industry charges not identified herein, are not allowed under this contract. Miscellaneous service charges used to help the Contractor pay various fluctuating current and future costs are not allowed. These charges include, but are not limited to, costs directly or indirectly related to the environment, energy issues, fuel charges, service and delivery of goods and services.

4. NOTIFICATION OF INTENT TO AWARD

A. Upon finalizing the award, a notification email may be sent via the OpenGov system showing the awarded vendor(s).

B. As a courtesy, the County may send a Notice of Intent letter to responding vendors at the time of the award. - applicable to RFPs

C. Written notice of award to a vendor in the form of a purchase order or other document, mailed or emailed to the address shown on the bid will be considered sufficient notice of acceptance of bid.

5. CERTIFICATE OF INSURANCE

A. The successful vendor is required to submit to Dane County a Certificate of Insurance prior to performing any work under this contract. The certificate is required prior to issuance of purchase order. See Section 22.0 Insurance Responsibility in the Standard Terms & Conditions.

B. Please contact your insurance representative to issue an Additional Insured Endorsement naming County of Dane, a municipal corporation, its boards, commissions, agencies, officers, employees and representatives listed as an ADDITIONAL INSURED on the General Liability policy.

C. Indicate mailing address as:

o County of Dane

Risk Management

City County Building Room 425

210 Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd.

Madison, WI 53703

D. Please inform your insurance representative that you have agreed to provide us with 30 Days written notice in the event of cancellation for any reason before the expiration date of your policy or policies.

E. Call 608-266-4965 with any questions.

6. PERMITS & LICENSES

A. The Contractor selected under this bid shall be required to obtain the necessary permits and licenses prior to performing any work under this contract. The Contractor will be required to demonstrate valid possession of appropriate required licenses and will keep them in effect for the term of this contract.

B. Contractor must be financially responsible for obtaining all required permits and licenses to comply with pertinent regulations, municipal, county, State of Wisconsin and Federal laws, and shall assume liability for all applicable taxes.

7. SATISFACTORY WORK

A. Any work found to be in any way defective or unsatisfactory shall be corrected by the

Contractor at its own expense at the order of the County. The County also reserves the right to contract out services not satisfactorily completed and to purchase substitute services elsewhere. The County reserves the right to charge the vendor with any or all costs incurred or retain/deduct the amount of such costs incurred from any monies due or which may become due under this contract.

8. GOVERNMENT STANDARDS

A. All materials, equipment, and supplies provided to the County must fully comply with all safety requirements as set forth by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce and all applicable OSHA

Standards. Bidders shall comply with all local, state and federal regulations, directives and laws.

9. DANE COUNTY SUSTAINABILITY PRINCIPLES

A. On October 18, 2012, the Dane County Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution 103, 2012-2013 establishing the following sustainability principles for the county:

o Reduce and eventually eliminate Dane County government’s contribution to fossil fuel dependence and to wasteful use of scarce metals and minerals;

o Reduce and eventually eliminate Dane County government’s contribution to dependence upon persistent chemicals and wasteful use of synthetic substances;

o Reduce and eventually eliminate Dane County government’s contribution to encroachment upon nature and harm to life-sustaining ecosystems (e.g., land, water, wildlife, forest, soil, ecosystems); and o Reduce and eventually eliminate Dane County government’s contribution to conditions that undermine people’s ability to meet their basic human needs.

2.6. CONTRACTING

1. CONTRACT/PROJECT ADMINISTRATION

A. The County department(s) utilizing the service will be responsible for drafting, coordinating, monitoring and administering the resulting service contract/purchase order. The department shall be responsible for notifying the awarded vendor about contract renewals or extensions.

Any modifications or additions to the contract(s)/purchase order(s) shall be communicated by the department to the Purchasing Division.

2. CONTRACT ASSIGNMENT - SUBCONTRACTORS

A. A resulting contract and any part thereof shall not be subcontracted or assigned to another

Contractor without prior written permission of the County. The Contractor shall be directly responsible for any subcontractor's performance and work quality when used by the Contractor to carry out the scope of the job. Subcontractors must abide by all terms and conditions under this Contract.

3. CONTRACT ADDITIONS

A. The County reserves the right to add new items and locations at a price conforming to other like items on the contract. The procedure for such additions shall be as follows:

1. The County Purchasing Officer will contact the vendor requesting pricing for the item(s) to be added.

2. The vendor, within three working days, should respond in writing and include the bid number, contract period and the price for each item or service to be provided.

3. Upon receipt, the County shall issue a Change Order adding the service or product(s) to the

Contract or Purchase Order.

B. The County reserves the right to accept or reject prices and obtain bids on the open market for these add ons.

C. When applicable, Contractor may be required to sign a Dane County Contract.

4. CONTRACT TERMINATION

A. If for any reason the successful contractor fails to fulfill the requirements of the contract for providing the specified services, the County shall have the right to cancel the contract at any time and negotiate for the services with another contractor.

3. Contract Term

The contract shall be effective on the date indicated on the Dane County Purchase Order or the Dane

County Contract execution date. The initial term length and renewal terms available are estimates only and are subject to change.

If applicable, any optional or renewal terms are not automatic extensions. Renewal terms must be agreed upon mutually by Dane County and Contractor.

Anticipated Terms (Calendar Dates)

Term 1: February 1, 2025 - January 31, 2026

Term 2: February 1, 2026 - January 31, 2027

Term 3: February 1, 2027 - January 31, 2028

Term 4: February 1, 2028 - January 31, 2029

Term 5: February 1, 2029 - January 31, 2030

4. Project Overview & Scope of Work

The following definitions and links are used throughout the RFP.

County: Dane County

County Agency: Department/Division utilizing the service or product.

Dane County Purchasing website: https://www.danepurchasing.com/

Proposer/Vendor/Firm/Contractor: a company submitting a proposal in response to this RFP.

4.1. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office is attempting to find acceptable vendor(s) to provide forensic toxicology services for death investigation cases. The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office

Conducts death investigation inside Dane County and has forensic pathologists that conduct autopsy medicine for Dane County cases as well as for several outside County Coroner and Medical Examiner

Offices. The population of Dane County is just over 500,000 people. The Medical Examiner has three forensic pathologists and the office currently conducts between 700 and 900 examinations per year for which toxicology samples are submitted on a regular basis.

Minimally, blood, vitreous and urine are submitted for testing on every autopsy case where those samples are available. The samples are submitted for a comprehensive drug panel testing. Additional testing based on results from preliminary testing is also requested at times.

Dane County seeks a provider who has a proven familiarity with Coroner / Medical Examiner testing requirements in a forensic setting as well as the ability to offer a varied comprehensive qualitative and quantitative toxicology tests on various postmortem as well as antemortem samples to include blood, vitreous humor, urine, stomach contents, bile, all solid organs, hair, bone and nails, teeth, and injection site samples.

4.2. NEEDS & OBJECTIVES

The objective of this contract is to facilitate accurate and timely Forensic Toxicology services.

The Medical Examiner’s Office requires forensic toxicology testing and expert testimony performed by an accredited laboratory with properly trained toxicologists.

4.3. CURRENT OPERATIONS

Currently the Medical Examiner’s Office accepts jurisdiction of between 1200 and 1500 Dane County deaths per year. The Medical Examiner’s Office conducts between 700 and 900 examinations per year for Dane County and other outside county customers. In total, the Medical Examiner’s Office submits varied toxicology samples for testing in roughly 700 – 900 cases total per year. Currently NMS

Laboratory provides these services to the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office and their partners.

4.4. LICENSING/CERTIFICATION/ACCREDITATION

• The Proposer (Laboratory) must be accredited by the International Organization for

Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commissions 17025 and/or American Society of

Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD).

https://www.danepurchasing.com/

• The Proposer (Laboratory) must have a DEA license to handle controlled substances and validated methods to identify and quantitate controlled substances.

• The Proposer must be able to prove the capability to handle at least 2000 postmortem cases per month in the last year and operational flexibility to increase capacity if necessary to support mass fatality related fatalities.

• The Proposer shall have both an internal Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) department dedicated to monitoring testing protocols as well as results. These QA and QC departments shall use both in-house and outside proficiency testing to maintain standards.

• The Proposer shall provide a complete copy of their Quality Assurance Manual and provide updates as modifications or changes are made.

• Proposer shall provide long term secured refrigerated/frozen storage of autopsy samples, with an operational approach that minimizes the need to consume entire samples.

4.5. TESTING

• Proposer must provide a turn-around time from receipt of sample to the issuance of results with an average of 10 days or less.

• Proposer (Laboratory) must have validated methods in accordance with the American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS) Academy Standard Board (ASB), Standard 036, available for detection of broad range of controlled, prescription and over the counter compounds, metals, environmental toxins, vitreous electrolytes routinely requested in routine postmortem cases, as well as capability to test for more esoteric compounds such as : 1,1 Difluoroethane. Ability to perform work in all postmortem sample matrices such as tissues, fluids and decomposition materials in accordance with the American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS) Academy

Standard Board (ASB), Standard 119.

• Proposer (Laboratory) must have the ability to test for emerging forensically relative analytes, such as Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) including but not limited to stimulants, synthetic opioids and benzodiazepines.

• Proposer (Laboratory) shall have the following analytical capabilities:

• Immunoassay

• Gas and liquid Chromatography with multiple detectors (GC/NPD, GC/FID, GC/MS, HPLC/UV, HPLC/Fluorescence, HPLC/EC, HPLC/EC, HPLC/DAD)

• ICP/MS – one shot broad screening for metals and metalloids (approximately 72 elements)

• GC/MS

• LC/MS

• LC/MS/MS

• TOF - Time of Flight

• Toxicology – require laboratory to exhibit proof of existing methods upon request for two independent testing technologies for an analyte and quantitation capabilities

• Drug Identification – require laboratory to perform all reported testing by two independent tests and have capability of performing quantitation when necessary by the appropriate method.

• List of specific compounds and reporting limits required for testing and levels of detection for each substance or compound.

• Proposer (Laboratory) shall articulate how they remain aware of and develop and evaluate methods to detect new or emerging toxins of interest to the death investigation community.

• Proposer (Laboratory) shall have a formal active process to evaluate, develop and validate methods to detect new toxins of interest to the death investigation community.

• Proposer (Laboratory) shall provide notification of any unsuccessful proficiency testing performed by the laboratory.

4.6. STAFF QUALIFICATIONS

• Proposer’s Laboratory Director must be D(ABFT) Board Certified and the Laboratory must have a minimum of two additional D(ABFT)Certified Forensic Toxicologists to provide redundancy of qualified staff, interpretive support and guidance as well as testimony and litigation support.

• Proposer (Laboratory) must have at least 1 dedicated Forensic Toxicologist available on site to answer incoming client inquiries from Monday-Friday during routine working hours. Forensic

Client support available Monday-Friday from 8am-7:00pm (Central Standard Time). Staff shall be available via e-mail and via phone.

• Proposer (Laboratory) must perform all toxicology analysis on premises of their laboratory to assure sample integrity and consistency of quality requirements, unless otherwise specifically disclosed and approved by the County.

• Professional toxicology staff and operational department available to comprehensively manage expert services such as subpoena demands, analytical data packets, testimony, depositions etc.

Proposer (Laboratory) must be familiar with the Smith v Arizona ruling and its impact on forensic stakeholders (i.e., Medical Examiners, District Attorney’s Office). Proposer (Laboratory) must demonstrate that laboratory testing is in accordance with accreditation and not solely on testimony alone.

4.7. CHAIN OF CUSTODY

• The Proposer shall have the ability to receive and process samples that are shipped from autopsy locations Monday through Friday. This ability must document chain of custody throughout process.

• Proposer (Laboratory) must have a legally defensible chain of custody protocol that documents the handling of incoming samples from the point of receipt at the laboratory, through analysis, to the point of storage or return to submitting agency.

• Proposer (Laboratory) must supply commercially manufactured and quality controlled collection kits specific for forensic cases, chain of custody forms, preprinted requisition forms with chain of custody documentation. These kits should allow for different invoicing options when the varied

Wisconsin Tissue Banks are responsible for payment of testing fees. The two additional responsible parties are VERSITI, and American Tissue Services Foundation.

• The Proposer (Laboratory) will also invoice separately for Counties that Dane County establishes

Intergovernmental Agreements (IGA) with. Currently this includes Rock County. .

• The Proposer shall provide for overnight shipping of samples, included at laboratory cost.

4.8. REPORTING

• Laboratory must provide a toxicology report that is compliant with current test practices in the forensic toxicology community and in accordance with the American Academy of Forensic

Science (AAFS) Academy Standard Board (ASB), Standard 053. The minimum requirements for reporting include: Case number, Name of decedent, description of samples submitted on case, quantitative results, useful, interpretive comments on toxic ranges of compounds, methods of testing, complete sample identification, name of board certified D(ABFT) Laboratory Director, description of testing performed, results of toxicological significance.

• Reports will be delivered electronically in an electronic secured file format such as Adobe PDF format via secured web portal, and by email or fax. Laboratory must disclose protocols in place to retrieve data for the entirety of the contract, and after the conclusion of the contract.

4.9. CYBER-SECURITY

Laboratory must provide procedures and protocols in place in the event of a mass cyber disruption to continue services, including but not limited to response standard timeframes that clients are notified, results reporting timeframe, accepting new cases, data integrity and data restoration. Laboratory must disclose data retention back up procedures, including but not limited to backup locations, and data retention protocols.

5. RFP Response Requirements & Evaluation Criteria

1. RFP Response - Proposers shall upload and submit their proposal response document(s) to Section 1 of the Vendor Questionnaire.

• The RFP Response shall be organized to comply with the section numbers and names as shown below. Each section heading shall be clearly marked.

o If applicable, the Local Vendor Preference section is answered within the Vendor

Questionnaire and doesn't need to be included in the RFP Response document.

• Cover Letter / Cover Page o Provide a Cover Letter or Cover page and at minimum should include:

▪ Contact Person for the RFP process

▪ RFP Title

▪ RFP #

▪ Name of Proposer

• Table of Contents may be included but is not required.

• Graphics may be included but are not required.

2. Cost Proposal Response

• Complete the Pricing Table if there is one located within the RFP Posting.

• If there is no Pricing Table within the RFP Posting:

o Download and complete the Pricing Section document from the Attachment Section of the

RFP Posting.

o Upload the completed Pricing Section document to Section 1 of the Vendor Questionnaire.

3. Document Formatting - The RFP Response and Cost Proposal (if applicable) documents must be saved in PDF format unless otherwise specified within the RFP document and the file name shall include the

RFP# and name of business submitting proposal.

• Example of how to name the files:

o RFP Response Document: "2023-RFP-025 – Vendor Name" o Cost Proposal Document (if no pricing table): "2023-RFP-025 – Vendor Name - Cost

Proposal"

4. Evaluation Criteria - each section includes the Point Value assigned to it for evaluation purposes.

No. Evaluation Criteria Scoring Method Weight (Points)

1. ORGANIZATION CAPABILITIES

Provide a narrative description of how the laboratory meets the

LICENSING/CERTIFICATION/ACCREDITATION criteria as outlined in section 4.4 of this RFP. Attach licenses, certificates of accreditation and other documents to prove compliance.

Points Based 20 (19% of Total)

2. TESTING CAPABILITIES

Provide a narrative description of how the laboratory meets the testing criteria as outlined in section 4.5.

Attach licenses, certificates of accreditation and other documents to prove compliance.

The County also requests a comprehensive list of available test panels, substances tested in that panel, and the cost of each panel.

Proposer (Laboratory) must supply commercially manufactured and quality controlled collection kits specific for forensic cases, chain of custody forms, preprinted requisition forms with chain of custody documentation.

Points Based 20 (19% of Total)

3. STAFF QUALIFICATOINS

Provide resumes describing the educational and work experiences for each of the key staff who would be assigned to the project. Resume's may be uploaded via the "Supplemental Documentation" section of the Vendor Questionnaire (Section 6 of this RFP).

Provide a narrative description of how the laboratory meets the criteria as outlined in section 4.6. Attach licenses to prove compliance.

Points Based 10 (9.5% of Total)

4. CHAIN OF CUSTODY

Provide a narrative description of how the laboratory meets the criteria as outlined in section 4.7. Attach licenses, certificates of accreditation and other documents to prove compliance.

Points Based 10 (9.5% of Total)

5. REPORTING

Provide a narrative description of how the laboratory meets the criteria as outlined in section 4.8. Attach sample reports.

Points Based 7.5 (7.1% of Total)

6. CYBER-SECURITY

Please respond to the following questions in regards to Cyber-Security:

A. In the event of a mass cyber disruption, what back-up protocols are in place to continue services, including, but not limited to:

results reporting, accepting new case, data integrity, and data restoration?

1. Please explain your data retention backup procedures. Are your backups located in at least two different physical locations?

B. What protocols are in place to inform clients of cyber disruptions? Please include in your response stand timeframes that clients are notified.

C. What protocols are in place to retrieve data from NMS for the entirety of our contracts (present and past)?

Points Based 7.5 (7.1% of Total)

D. What data would be available to us, and for how long, following conclusion of the contract? What protocols are available to export this data following a conclusion of contract?

E. What methods of user authentication does your product support?

F. Does your product tie-into any other major cloud based solutions?

G. While the product maybe a cloud based solution, provide the recommended system requirements to access all functionality.

7. Cost

The Pricing Proposal includes the top 5 tests requested by the Medical Examiner's Office. The cost of these 5 tests will be used to score this section of the evaluation criteria.

The proposer shall provide for overnight shipping of samples, included at laboratory cost.

Points Based 25 (23.8% of Total)

8. Local Vendor Preference Points Based 5 (4.8% of Total)

6. Pricing Proposal

Please submit costs for different testing panels. The cost proposal shall be uploaded via question #1.4 of the Vendor Questionnaire (Section 8 of this RFP posting).

The cost proposal shall include a comprehensive list of available test panels, substances tested in that panel, and cost of each panel.

Proposer (Laboratory) must supply commercially manufactured and quality controlled collection kits specific for forensic cases, chain of custody forms, preprinted requisition forms with chain of custody documentation.

The proposer shall provide for overnight shipping of samples, included at laboratory cost.

THE 5 MOST REQUESTED TESTS

The Medical Examiner's Office will use the below testing panels to score the Cost section of this RFP.

Please also include a comprehensive list of testing panels and pricing. While the list will not be used to score the Cost section, it will be required for the Testing Capabilities section of the Evaluation.

Line Item Description Quantity Unit of

Measure Unit Cost Total

1 Expanded Postmortem Panel with

Vitreous Alcohol Confirmation 1 Ea

2 Urine Screen for 6 MAM 1 Ea

3 Carbon Monoxide Screening 1 Ea

4 Electrolytes and Glucose 1 Ea

5 Designer Opiods 1 Ea

TOTAL

7. Vendor Questionnaire

7.1. RFP DOCUMENT UPLOADS

7.1.1. Single Proposal Submission*

Only 1 proposal is allowed to be submitted per Vendor Account. This means if you are submitting multiple proposals, you must follow the instructions set forth within the Section 2.2 RFP Guidelines and

Overview - Multiple Proposals & Acceptance.

It is understood that if multiple proposals are uploaded using 1 vendor account, the entire submission will be subject to disqualification.

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

7.1.2. RFP Response Document - Upload your Proposal*

Please DO NOT include Cost information in this section.

*Response required

7.1.3. RFP Response - Supplemental Document Upload

Upload any additional or required information documents that supplements this solicitation.

7.1.4. RFP Cost Proposal - Supplemental Document Upload*

Please submit cost proposal per the instructions in #7 Cost - of the RFP Response Requirements &

Evaluation Criteria.

*Response required

7.1.5. REFERENCES*

Proposer must include a list of organizations, including points of contact (name, address, telephone and email), which can be used as references for work performed in the area of service required. Selected organizations may be contacted to determine the quality of work performed and personnel assigned to the project.

*Response required

7.1.6. W9 Upload*

Upload your company's W9 form.

NOTE: The W9 is required to be signed within the past 12 months

*Response required

7.2. VENDOR INFORMATION

7.2.1. Local Vendor Preference *

Select a Local Vendor Preference:

Vendors located within Dane County automatically receive five points toward the evaluation score.

Vendors located within the counties adjacent to Dane County (Columbia, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock, Sauk) automatically receive two points toward the evaluation score.

Vendors located outside of Dane County and the 7 counties adjacent to Dane County would choose "No

Preference".

NOTE: A post office box address does not qualify as an established place of business.

☐ No Preference

☐ Yes - Dane County

☐ Yes - Columbia County

☐ Yes - Dodge County

☐ Yes - Green County

☐ Yes - Jefferson County

☐ Yes - Iowa County

☐ Yes - Rock County

☐ Yes - Sauk County

*Response required

7.2.2. Fair Labor Practice Certification *

Has your company been found by the National Labor Relations Board ("NLRB") or the Wisconsin

Employment Relations Commission ("WERC") to have violated any statute or regulation regarding labor standards or relations in the seven years prior to the date this bid submission is signed?

If yesis answered, a copy of any relevant information regarding such violation is required to be uploaded with your bid submission.

Additional information about the NLRB and WERC can be found using the following links:

www.nlrb.gov and http://werc.wi.gov.

☐ No, our company has NOT been found by the NLRB or the WERC to have violated any statute or regulation regarding labor standards or relations in the seven years prior to the date this bid submission is signed.

☐ Yes, our company HAS been found by the NLRB or the WERC to have violated any statute or regulation regarding labor standards or relations in the seven years prior to the date this bid submission is signed.

*Response required

7.2.3. Cooperative Purchasing*

Reference Guidelines - Section F.

Does your company agree to furnish the commodities or services of this bid to municipalities and state agencies?

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required http://www.nlrb.gov/ http://werc.wi.gov/

7.2.4. Designation of Confidential and Proprietary Information* Please specify what information you wish to designate as confidential and proprietary. Please identify section/ pages/ topic /documents, etc.

NOTE: Pricing sections cannot be designated as confidential and proprietary.

If nothing will be designated, simply type "None" in the section below.

*Response required

7.3. RFP ADDENDA

7.3.1. I understand that if any addendum is issued I will have to acknowledge the posted addendum. * ☐ Please confirm

*Response required

7.3.2. If an addendum is posted after I have submitted my proposal response and the resulting addendum requires action to be taken either in the Specification Section or Pricing Section, I understand that:*

1. I will have to unsubmit my proposal response.

2. I will have to acknowledge the posted addendum.

3. I will have to take action in responding to the changes on either the Specification Section or Pricing

Section.

4. I will then have to resubmit my proposal response.

Further instructions on addendum(a) postings can be found here.

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

7.4. SIGNATURE AFFIDAVIT

7.4.1. RFP Response Signature Affidavit*

This is an electronic signature form via DocuSign that is required to be signed upon finalizing submission of bid or proposal.

NOTE: For detailed instructions on how to complete the forms via DocuSign, please access the help articles below:

How to Complete DocuSign Forms

How to Download, Complete and Upload without DocuSign

Click here to go to the form

*Response required https://help.procurement.opengov.com/en/articles/4413350-managing-addenda…