Hepatitis HIV Q A CV Edits 04 08 25 LG Edits 4 15 25 .docx

Hepatitis HIV/Syphilis 4th Gen Assay Screening and Instrument Invitation for Bid 25-482DPH-OFCI-B-47043 Bidder Question Response 1 Questions:

1. If there are bid terms and conditions the Vendor may not be able to agree to, will the State allow the Vendor to include clarifications or exceptions as part of its bid submission?

· IDPH Response: Yes, the State may accept or reject any exception. Part C of the published document tilted “Invitation for Bid - Offer to the State of Illinois” states:

“EXCEPTION TO CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Standard Terms and Conditions will become a part of any resulting contract. To view the Standard Terms and Conditions, please go to https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/solicitation-and-contract-templates.html.

A Bidder that takes exception to one or several terms and conditions must submit a redline version of the Standard Terms and Conditions with their offer. The State may accept or reject any exception.”

2. If there are insurance requirements that the Vendor may not be able to agree to will the State, consider exceptions to insurance terms and conditions?

· IDPH Response: It is the responsibility of all bidders to ensure they can meet the insurance requirements detailed in the Invitation for Bid (IFB). Vendors unable to meet these requirements should not submit a proposal.

3. Can you clarify the deadline for questions? One of the documents states that questions are due prior to 2pm on April 29th which is after the bid deadline.

· IDPH Response: The deadline for questions is 04/29/2025 at 2:00PM. The closing date for Bid 25-482DPH-OFCI-B-47043 has been extended to 05/13/2025 at 2:00PM.

4. Is the State looking for a bundle (WRAP) analyzer including the reagents for the 5-year term?

IDPH Response: The Illinois Department of Public Health Division of Labs (IDPH-DOL) is procuring an instrument and reagents. Section 1.1 Overview an Purpose, of the published bid 25-482DPH-OFCDI-B-47043, states the following:

“IDPH Division of Labs is seeking bids for a fully automated combination screening technology that can test for Hepatitis B antigen and antibody, Hepatitis C antibody, HIV-1/HIV-2 antigen and antibody, and Syphilis antibody. IDPH is seeking a complete solution, including instrumentation and supplies, and software for running the above assays. This is an indefinite quantity agreement. All quantities provided in this Invitation for Bid are from previous years' requirements and are to be used for bidding purposes only. The Vendor must provide a single instrument capable of performing all assays specified in this Invitation for Bid using the same sample. The instrument must fully automate all steps of the testing process.”

5. Can you clarify if the cost of the instrument rental is to be included with the reagents?

IDPH Response: Instrument rental is not to be included in reagent costs Instrument rental appears as a separate line item, for each year of the ten-years requested, within published Bid 25-482DPH-OFCDI-B-47043. Interested parties should enter a price for instrument rental for each year of the solicitation.

As an example. the rental price of the instrument, for the first year, should appear as:

“Item #7: ( 938 - 63 ) Year One - Instrument Rental including hardware, software, maintenance, repair, and other components required to operate the instrument”

6. Are you able to re-post the document labeled “Offer to the State of Illinois” on BidBuy? It does not load properly.

· IDPH Response: Attachment labeled “Offer to the State of Illinois.pdf” is a fillable PDF, agency has verified that the form is downloadable.

If you are unable to download a file please contact Misty Roberts at Misty.Roberts2@Illinois.gov and or Luke Giacomini at Luke.Giacomini@Illinois.gov Please allow five (5) days for a response. Request must be submitted at minimum five (5) days before the scheduled closing for Bid Solicitation: 25-482DPH-OFCDI-B-47043. Please include the following in the email title “Bid 25-482DPH-OFCDI-B-47043 Request for documentation”. Please include the published items requested.

Or Email us at il.bidbuy@illinois.gov or call the Vendor Helpdesk at 866-455-2897

Please see instructions below on how to download a fillable PDF.

Protected and fillable PDF documents often require you to download them to your computer first before you can open and interact with them. This is because the browser's built-in PDF viewer might not have the necessary permissions or functionality to handle the security features or interactive elements of the PDF. Therefore, when you click the link, the PDF will likely download to your computer's 'Downloads' folder.

Instructions for Google Chrome:

How to Open a Downloaded Protected/Fillable PDF in Chrome:

1. Click the Link: Click on the link to the protected and fillable PDF document.

2. Check Your Downloads: Instead of opening in a new tab, Chrome will likely download the PDF file to your computer. Look for the download notification at the bottom of your Chrome window. It will usually show the file name.

3. Open from the Download Bar (Quickest Method):

· Once the download is complete, click on the downloaded file name in the bar at the bottom of your Chrome window. This will usually open the PDF in your default PDF viewer application (like Adobe Acrobat Reader).

4. Open from the "Downloads" Page:

· If the download bar disappears, you can access your downloads by clicking the three vertical dots (⋮) in the top-right corner of your Chrome window.

· Select Downloads.

· Locate the downloaded PDF file in the list.

· Click on the file name to open it.

5. Open from Your Computer's File Explorer:

· Open your computer's File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).

· Navigate to your Downloads folder. This is usually located in your user profile folder (e.g., C:\Users\[Your Username]\Downloads on Windows, /Users/[Your Username]/Downloads on Mac).

· Find the downloaded PDF file and double-click it to open it with your default PDF viewer.

Instructions for Microsoft Edge:

How to Open a Downloaded Protected/Fillable PDF in Microsoft Edge:

· Click the Link: Click on the link to the protected and fillable PDF document.

· Check Your Downloads: Similar to Chrome, Edge will likely download the PDF file to your computer instead of opening it directly in the browser. Look for the download notification in the top or bottom bar of your Edge window.

· Open from the Download Hub (Quickest Method):

· Once the download is complete, click the "Open file" button that appears in the download notification. This will open the PDF in your default PDF viewer application.

· Open from the "Downloads" Page:

· If the download notification disappears, you can access your downloads by clicking the three horizontal dots (...) in the top-right corner of your Edge window.

· Select Downloads.

· Locate the downloaded PDF file in the list.

· Click on the file name to open it.

· Open from Your Computer's File Explorer:

· Open your computer's File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).

· Navigate to your Downloads folder.

· Find the downloaded PDF file and double-click it to open it with your default PDF viewer.

Important Note for Both Browsers:

· You need to have a PDF viewer application installed on your computer (such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is a common free option) to open and interact with the downloaded PDF file. If you don't have one, you may be prompted to download and install one.

· Once the PDF is opened in a dedicated PDF viewer, you should be able to fill out the form fields and potentially save your changes, depending on the security settings of the PDF.

7. Is the State willing to extend the bid deadline?

· IDPH Response: Yes, the deadline for questions is 04/29/2025 at 2:00PM. The closing date for Bid 25-482DPH-OFCI-B-47043 has been extended to 05/13/2025 at 2:00PM.

8. Is the State allowing vendors to submit more than one proposal/option for consideration?

· IDPH Response: No. Bid 25-482DPH-OFCI-B-47043 is an Invitation For Bid (IFB) for the rental of an instrument and reagents. Please see Section 1 of the posted IFB for more information.

9. Section 1.6 of the draft contract indicates that “Subcontractors are not allowed.” However, the draft contract and IFB indicates in other instances that subcontractors are permitted. See, for example, Draft Contract at 4.3; IFB at B.2.1; State of IL Standard Terms and Conditions at Par. 3, Subcontracting. Please confirm if subcontractors are permitted in support of proposals and any contract resulting from the IFB.

· IDPH Response: Subcontractors are not allowed. Section 1.6. if the published IFB indicate that subcontractors are not allowed. Section 4.3. of the published IFB indicates what a subcontractor is. Other references to subcontracting indicate if a bid includes a subcontractor.