INVITATION FOR BIDS

IFB Number 3160007725

To Provide: DNA Testing Services for the Mississippi Forensic Laboratory

CLOSING LOCATION

Mississippi Department of Public Safety, Procurement Department

1900 E. Woodrow Wilson Boulevard, 4th Floor, Room 402, Jackson, MS 39216

BID COORDINATOR

Britney Wesley or Sonya Williams

Procurement Department

Telephone: 601-987-1407 or 601-987-1467

Fax: 601-987-1442

E-mail: bjwesley@dps.ms.gov or sonya.williams@dps.ms.gov

CLOSING DATE AND TIME

Bids must be received by 10:00 A.M., CST Friday December 19, 2025 mailto:bjwesley@dps.ms.gov mailto:sonya.williams@dps.ms.gov

SECTION 1

1.1 Bid Acceptance Period

The original and 1 copy of the bid, 2 copies total, shall be signed and submitted in a sealed envelope or package to Britney Wesley or Sonya Williams, Mississippi Department of

Public Safety, Procurement Department, 4th Floor, Room 402, 1900 East Woodrow Wilson

Boulevard, Jackson, MS 39216 no later than the time and date specified for receipt of bids.

Timely submission of the bid is the responsibility of the bidder. Bids received after the specified time shall remain sealed, unopened and be maintained as a part of the procurement file. The envelope or package shall be marked with the bid opening date and time, and the number of the invitation for bid. The time and date of receipt shall be indicated on the envelope or package by Procurement. Each page of the bid and all attachments shall be identified with the name of the bidder. Modifications or additions to any portion of the procurement document may be cause for rejection of the bid. The

Mississippi Department of Public Safety (MDPS) reserves the right to decide, on a case-by-case basis, whether to reject a bid with modifications or additions as non-responsive. As a precondition to bid acceptance, the MDPS may request the bidder to withdraw or modify those portions of the bid deemed non-responsive that do not affect quality, quantity, price, or delivery of the service. Bids submitted via facsimile (fax), or email will not be accepted.

1.1.1 Timeline

Task Date

Advertisement Dates for IFB November 14, 2025; November 21, 2025

Receive Questions & Answers for

Clarification Dates

Starting 8:00 a.m. CST, Friday November 14, 2025, to Monday, December 1, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.

CST.

Please email questions to bjwesley@dps.ms.gov or sonya.williams@dps.ms.gov

Respond in Writing to Clarification Friday, December 5, 2025

Bid Submission Deadline No later than 10:00 a.m. CST Friday December

19, 2025

Bid Opening Date Friday, December 19, 2025

Anticipated Award notification date Monday, December 29, 2025

Request for Reconsideration date and time

Monday January 5, 2026, 5:00 p.m. CST

Anticipated Contract Start Date February 5, 2026

Note: MDPS reserves the right to adjust the Procurement Schedule as it deems necessary.

1.1.2 Late Submissions

A bid received at the place designated in the solicitation for receipt of bids after the exact time specified for receipt will not be considered unless it is the only bid received, or it is received before award is made and was sent by registered or certified mail not later than the fifth (5th) calendar day before the date specified for receipt of bids. It must be determined by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety that the late receipt was due solely to mishandling by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety after receipt at the specified address.

The only acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of a late bid is the U.S. Postal Service postmark on the wrapper or on the original receipt from the U.S. Postal Service. If the postmark does not show a legible date, the contents of the envelope or package shall be processed as if mailed late. "Postmark" means a printed, stamped, or otherwise placed impression, exclusive of a postage meter impression, that is readily identifiable without further action as having been supplied and affixed by the U.S. Postal Service on the date of mailing.

Bidders should request postal clerks to place a hand cancellation postmark (often called a bull's eye) on both the receipt and the envelope or wrapper.

The only acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at the office identified for bid opening is the time and date stamp of that office on the bid wrapper or other documentary evidence of receipt used by that office.

1.1.3 Contact and Questions/Requests for Clarification

Bidders must carefully review this solicitation, risk management provisions, and all attachments for defects, questionable, or objectionable material. Following review, vendors may have questions to clarify or interpret the Information for Bid ( IFB) in order to submit the best bid possible. To accommodate the questions and requests for clarifications, vendors shall submit any such question via email by the deadline reflected in Section 1. All questions and requests for clarifications must be directed by email to:

Britney Wesley or Sonya Williams

(601) 987-1407 or (601)987-1467 bjwesley@dps.ms.gov sonya.williams@dps.ms.gov

• Vendors should enter “IFB RFX 3160007725” Questions” as the subject for the email.

Question submittals should include a reference to the applicable IFB section and be submitted in the format shown below:

IFB Section, Page

Number

Vendor Question/Request for Clarification

1.

• Official responses will be provided only for questions submitted as described above and only to clarify information already included in the IFB. The identity of the organization submitting the question(s) will not be revealed. All questions and answers will be published on the Mississippi Contract/Procurement Opportunity Search Portal website and the agency's website as an amendment to the IFB by the date and time reflected in Section 1.

• The agency will not be bound by any verbal or written information that is not contained within this IFB unless formally noticed and issued by the contact person as an IFB amendment. Bidders are cautioned that any statements made by agency personnel that materially change any portion of the bid document shall not be relied upon unless subsequently ratified by a formal written amendment to the bid document.

• All vendor communications regarding this IFB must be directed to the Bid Coordinator.

Unauthorized contact regarding the IFB with other employees of the agency may result in the vendor being disqualified, and the vendor may also be suspended or disbarred from the

State.

1.2 Expenses Incurred Preparing Bid

All parties participating in the procurement process with regard to this solicitation shall bear their own costs of participation, pursuant to Section 1.4.4 of the Public Procurement Review Board

Office of Personal Service Contract Review Rules and Regulations.

1.3 Bid

All pricing must be submitted on the bid (Attachment B). Failure to complete and/or sign the bid may result in the bidder being determined nonresponsive.

1.3.1 Bidder Certification

The bidder agrees that submission of a signed bid is certification that the bidder will accept an award made to it as a result of the submission.

1.4 Registration with Mississippi Secretary of State

By submitting a bid, the bidder certifies that it is registered to do business in the State of

Mississippi as prescribed by the Mississippi Secretary of State or, if not already registered, that it will do so within seven (7) business days of being offered an award. Sole proprietors are not required to register with the Mississippi Secretary of State.

1.5 Debarment

By submitting a bid, the bidder certifies that it is not currently debarred from submitting bids for contracts issued by any political subdivision or agency of the State of Mississippi or Federal government and that it is not an agent of a person or entity that is currently debarred from submitting bids for contracts issued by any political subdivision or agency of the State of Mississippi.

1.6 Acknowledgement of Amendments

Should an amendment to the IFB be issued, it will be posted on the Mississippi Contract/Procurement Opportunity Search Portal website and the agency's website in a manner that all bidders will be able to view. Further, bidders shall acknowledge receipt of any amendment to the solicitation in writing by signing and returning the amendment with the bid, by identifying the amendment number and date in the space provided for this purpose on the bid form, or by letter. Each bidder shall submit a written acknowledgement of every amendment to MDPS on or before the submission deadline.

1.6.1

Bidder must provide a signed Acknowledgements of IFB Amendment(s), Questions, and

Answer document(s), and/or Summary of Pre-Bid Conference, Tour, or Site Visit, if any were issued/posted on the Mississippi Contract/Procurement Opportunity Search Portal website and the agency's website.

1.6.2

The IFB is comprised of the base IFB document, any attachments, any amendments issued prior to the submission deadline, and any other documents released before contract award.

1.7 Type of Contract

Compensation for services will be in the form of a firm fixed-price agreement.

1.8 Written Bid

All bids shall be in writing.

1.9 Rejection of Bids

A bid response that includes terms and conditions that do not conform to the terms and conditions in the IFB document is subject to rejection as non-responsive. Further, submission of a bid form that is not complete and/or signed is subject to rejection as non-responsive. The agency reserves the right to permit the bidder to withdraw nonconforming terms and conditions from its bid response prior to a determination by the agency staff of non-responsiveness based on the submission of nonconforming terms and conditions.

Furthermore, if a bidder’s price is substantially higher than those of other bidders, meaning those in excess of a twenty-five percent (25%) differential, the bidder’s price will be deemed non-responsive.

1.10. Withdrawal of Bids

If the price bid is substantially lower than those of other bidders, a mistake may have been made. A bidder may withdraw its bid from consideration if certain conditions are met:

(1) The bid is submitted in good faith.

(2) The price bid is substantially lower than those of other bidders because of a mistake.

(3) The mistake is a clerical error, not an error of judgment; and,

(4) Objective evidence drawn from original work papers, documents, and other materials used in the preparation of the bid demonstrates clearly that the mistake was an unintentional error in arithmetic or an unintentional omission of a quantity of labor or material.

To withdraw a bid that includes a clerical error after bid opening, the bidder must give notice in writing to the agency of claim of right to withdraw a bid. Within two (2) business days after the bid opening, the bidder requesting withdrawal must provide to the agency all original work papers, documents, and other materials used in the preparation of the bid.

A bidder may also withdraw a bid, prior to the time set for the opening of bids, by simply making a request in writing to the agency. No explanation is required.

No bidder who is permitted to withdraw a bid shall, for compensation, supply any material or labor to or perform any subcontract or other work for the person to whom the contract is awarded, or otherwise benefit from the contract.

No partial withdrawals of a bid are permitted after the time and date set for the bid opening;

only complete withdrawals are permitted.

SECTION 2

2.1 Purpose

The MDPS is seeking to establish a contract for DNA testing services on behalf of the

Mississippi Forensics Laboratory (MSFL). It is understood that any contract resulting from

3160007725 requires approval by the Public Procurement Review Board (PPRB). If any contract resulting from 3160007725 is not approved by the Public Procurement Review

Board, it is void and no payment shall be made.

2.2 Specification for DNA Testing

The Contractor will perform the following services upon request of the Mississippi

Forensics Laboratory (MSFL), in fulfillment the purposes of this contract:

1. Promptly enter acceptable profiles into CODIS - successfully processing a sample through the Vendor laboratory the first time (minimized repeat testing, re-amplifications, re-injections etc.)

Successfully processing samples:

▪ Simplifies data review

▪ Ensures samples move through the Vendor laboratory as a group that can then be easily returned to the State for hit confirmation. This will:

o Expedite hit confirmation o Simplify tracking of the profile and physical sample o Avoids excess sample consumption

▪ Reporting data that is easy to review and includes:

o Data packages which are complete and easy to navigate and review o Profiles that do not require interpretation which include:

• Correct allele calls

• No questionable data

• High signal to noise ratio

• No artifacts (pull-up, spikes, excess stutter)

• No chance of allelic drop-out

• No composite profiles

Reporting profiles that are not rejected by the State and returned to the Vendor for retesting.

2. Save work for the State - The purpose is to reduce work for the State by having the

Vendor Laboratory complete as much work for the State as possible. This includes:

▪ Comprehensible data review

▪ Returning samples and profile data in the same order they were received by the Vendor

▪ Testing all samples and obtaining profiles (even for the difficult samples)

Any situation that creates additional work for the State (e.g. retesting failed samples, having to do data interpretation verses data review, or extra handling of the physical sample) does not meet program goals.

3. Minimize failed samples - It is important that all samples be typed successfully by the

Vendor. If the State receives a failed sample they have to locate the sample, retest the sample, and confirm that the profiles are the same (if a partial profile was obtained by the Vendor).

When a Vendor reports a failed sample goals #1 and #2 are not met and it causes more work for the State.

Scope of Service

The Mississippi Forensics Laboratory is requesting proposals to procure DNA sample analysis services on behalf of the State. MSFL will select one vendor to award the contract to provide testing services.

Description, Estimated Test Quantities, and Period of Performance

Kit and Platform Est.

Qty.

AmpFLSTR

Globalfiler

Database samples:

Approximately 15,000 samples are

15,500

Amplification Kit®

Bode Buccal Collector or cotton Tip swab- Each sample will include

ABI 3500 or 3500XL a Bode buccal collector or cotton tip swabs packaged in an envelope GeneMapper IDX

Labeled with a bar-code bearing an

Version 1.5 unique number. Samples are considered to be considered to be of high quality.

Casework Samples:

Approximately 500 samples are-are reference saliva or blood, swabs from from sexual assault kits, swabs from crime scene and stain cutting from crime scene items (3-5) samples per case.

All packaged in an envelope labeled with

A bar-code bearing a unique number.

Samples are typical casework type samples.

1. Shipping Labels

The Vendor shall provide preprinted shipping labels and shipping containers to the State.

2. Shipping Rate

It is anticipated that the State will ship the bulk of the samples at the beginning of the contract and any remaining samples on a regular basis.

3. Shipping Notification

The Vendor shall immediately (within one business day) notify the State via e-mail each time a shipping container under this task order is received by the Vendor. The Vendor shall examine the shipping container and notify the State by phone or e-mail (unless otherwise specified) immediately upon discovery of any damage to the shipping container that would compromise the integrity of the samples.

4. Chain of Custody

The Vendor shall maintain a complete electronic chain of custody for all samples starting with the unique identifier on the overnight shipping label on the shipping container. The chain of custody shall also include the unique identifier on the overnight shipping label used when sending samples to and from the State.

5. Manifest Reconciliation

The Vendor shall electronically compare the manifest with the samples received by the

Vendor and notify the State by phone and e-mail (unless otherwise specified) immediately upon discovery of any discrepancy. Sample seals shall be checked for seal integrity, and the

Vendor shall notify the State by phone and e-mail (unless otherwise specified) immediately upon discovery of any sample received open (and not resealed with tape).

6. Sample Number Verification

The Vendor shall compare the exterior (on packaging) and interior (on sample) labels associated with the sample and notify the State by phone or e-mail immediately upon discovery of any discrepancy.

7. Sample Consumption

No more than 50% of a sample shall be consumed by the Vendor without written permission of the Mississippi Forensics Laboratory.

8. Confidentiality

No identification information about the sample other than the unique identification number may be recorded by the Vendor. Any "outside" inquiries related to the processing of samples submitted by the State shall be immediately reported to the State. No information regarding the processing of samples submitted by the Mississippi Forensics Laboratory shall be provided to any party outside the State.

9. Testing Location

Samples shall only be tested at the Vendor laboratory location approved by the

Mississippi Forensics Laboratory.

10. Sample Processing Order

The samples shall be processed in the following order: Samples with the oldest date of receipt by the Vendor shall be analyzed first. Upon request by the State, the Vendor shall test a sample out of receipt order. Buccal swabs will generally be grouped together and may be tested separate from blood samples. It is the vendor discretion whether to test Buccal swabs grouped together or test separate from blood samples.

11. Batch Composition

Samples shall be tested, reported and returned in batches consistent with the way the samples were shipped. Samples within a batch shall be tested and reported in numerical order (with the exception of retesting).

12. Sample Identification

The samples shall be identified throughout the testing process with the State unique identification number. The Vendor may utilize their barcode so long as that barcode is associated with one and only one State unique identification number.

13. Testing Procedures Procedures, policies, and methods used by the Vendor will be such that promote the successful profiling of samples the first time through the laboratory (without re-injections, re-testing and additional sample consumption) and will provide data that is the least complicated for the

State to review.

a. MSFL expects a level of performance such that the Vendor successfully processes a sample through the Vendor laboratory the first time (minimized repeat testing, re-amplifications, re-injections etc.)

b. Changes affecting the State's sample processing shall not be implemented unless approved by the State’s technical leader in writing ten working days prior to the processing of samples.

c. The Vendor shall provide documentation for these changes to the State. When a procedural change is requested, the State will review the Vendor's validation studies and reports. The

State will also consider the impact that the proposed change will have on the State's laboratory process. The State may also want to inspect the approved process in the

Vendor's laboratory prior to its implementation. The State’s written approval will include an implementation date. Procedural changes shall not be utilized prior to the implementation date.

d. Vendor shall provide copies of standard operating procedures and quality assurance documents that apply to the receipt and analysis of samples for evaluation by the State prior to award of the contract for verification. This process will be reviewed during the procurement process prior to the award of the contract and throughout the life of the contract. Please note that the most current standard operating procedures and quality assurance documents should be listed in your proposal with the proposed plan for performing the required services as listed under Step II in this RFP. Electronic copies will be acceptable once the vendor is awarded the contract.

e. If at any time in the testing process following award the State determines that a procedure is inadequate for the processing of the State's samples, the Vendor shall implement and validate a procedure that is acceptable to the State.

f. In addition, the Vendor shall not place samples from any other contract on a plate containing samples from any source other than the State.

g. The Vendor shall use an amplification reaction volume of 12.5ul (database) and 25 ul

(casework) or greater using the manufacturer's suggested concentrations of reaction components. A failed sample is defined as one that does not yield an acceptable profile according to the technical specifications.

h. All analyses shall be performed by the Vendor utilizing only commercially available NDIS approved PCR kits and components. Allelic ladders shall be used directly from the manufacturer's kit and shall not be re-amplified. Primers shall be used in the concentration provided by the manufacturer and shall not be diluted.

14. Notification of Testing Issues

The Vendor shall, within five working days of occurrence, provide to the State, in writing, any problem and associated corrective action regarding samples from the State. If an issue is discovered which requires corrective action, the Vendor shall demonstrate the extent of the issue and identify all affected samples/profiles and provide corrective action.

15. Notification of Staffing Changes

The State shall be notified in writing when the following staffing changes are made:

Vendor Point of Contact

Project Manager

Technical Leader

Laboratory Director

16. Automation

Vendors are required to have the extraction, amplification, and analysis procedures to be automated to the extent possible based on current technology. If a vendor does not have the extraction and amplification processes automated, they must have a documented witnessing procedure of all sample transfers.

17. Spiking/Enriching

Spiking or enriching a sample shall not be acceptable.

18. Controls

All controls shall be associated with every sample. That is, each sample used in reporting shall have an acceptable extraction positive, extraction negative, amplification positive, amplification negative and ladder associated with each locus. Controls shall be disbursed throughout a plate of samples. That is, controls shall not be grouped together at the beginning, middle or the end of a plate. If a sample is rerun then all controls shall be rerun. The extraction controls [positive and negative] should be run with every extraction set of samples. An extraction set is defined as those samples extracted by one person at the same time with the same set of reagents. The following controls shall be run:

a. Amplification positive

Name: 9947A.

When introduced: at amplification.

Considered acceptable when: produces correct alleles and meets reporting guidelines below.

1. Location on analysis: within sample plate

2. Location in data files: determined by Vendor must be consistent.

b. Amplification negative

Name: determined by Vendor.

When introduced: at amplification.

Considered acceptable when there is no data. However, the dye blob or primer peak shall be present in the analysis software. Alternatively the Vendor laboratory can provide documentation which clearly demonstrates the dye blob (i.e. a screen shot of the gel depicting the dye blob). The State will approve the documentation of the dye blob prior to the processing of the samples. The data generated by the genetic analysis software) should be free of potential alleles above noise (this may be below the minimum RFU threshold). Location on analysis: within sample plate and on each gel if multiple gels are run from a single plate.

Location in data files: determined by Vendor must be consistent.

c. Extraction positive- (Database samples only)

Name: Mississippi extraction positive sample: One Mississippi extraction positive sample must be attempted in each run. The sample will be introduced at the extraction stage.

This sample will be provided by the State.

When introduced: when extracting samples.

Considered acceptable when: produces correct alleles and meets reporting guidelines below.

Location on analysis: determined by Vendor - must be consistent.

Location in data files: determined by Vendor - must be consistent.

d. Extraction negative

Name: Determined by Vendor must be consistent.

When introduced: when extracting the State's samples.

Considered acceptable when there is no data. However, the dye blob or primer peak shall be present in genetic analysis software. Alternatively the Vendor laboratory can provide documentation which clearly demonstrates the dye blob

(i.e. a screen shot of the gel depicting the dye blob). The State will approve the documentation of the dye blob prior to the processing of the samples. The data from the genetic analysis software should be free of potential alleles above noise

(this may be below the minimum RFU threshold).

Location on analysis: determined by Vendor - must be consistent.

Location in data files: determined by Vendor - must be consistent.

e. Ladder

Name: Determined by Vendor must be consistent.

When introduced: upon analysis

Considered acceptable when: all appropriate peaks are present and correctly labeled

Location on analysis: determined by Vendor - must be consistent.

Location in data files: determined by Vendor - must be consistent.

Controls shall be directly associated (same data file) with their corresponding samples. Data files or raw data files are defined as the genetic analysis software files containing samples and all associated controls. In addition, the Vendor shall use a "plate fingerprinting" system to uniquely identify a 96-well plate. This mechanism shall involve the strategic placement of known controls on a 96-well plate such that any plate mix-up can be detected.

19. Data Analysis

All reported profiles shall be interpreted in duplicate independently by qualified analysts. All profiles shall be reported accurately. The use of expert systems rather than qualified analysts must be approved in writing by the State prior to implementation, and the expert systems must be validated by the Vendor and approved by National DNA Index System. Upon approval, some of the data presentation parameters may be modified to ensure proper allele calls.

Internal size standard shall have the 60 - 460bp peaks correctly identified for all reported samples, ladders and controls. If expert systems are used, please list this information in your proposal with the proposed plan for performing the required services as listed under Step II in this IFB.

20. Data Presentation Parameters

The reported profiles shall have the following characteristics:

a. Alleles in ladders, positive controls and samples shall have a signal at least 3X that of background. The State will not be measuring the signal to noise ratio for every sample.

However, if the State feels that background is excessive, the Vendor laboratory shall be prepared to demonstrate signal to noise contract compliance if requested.

b. Peak shape shall be symmetrical, wider at the base than at the peak, height greater than the width, bell shaped, and devoid of split peaks.

c. Min. Peak Height: 150 RFU for heterozygote alleles and ladder

600 RFU for homozygote alleles

150 RFU for ILS

d. Maximum peak height shall not exceed the maximum detection threshold of the instrument. The State may elect to accept data with a higher maximum peak height after reviewing the Vendor's validation experiments.

e. Heterozygote allele peak height ratio shall be within 50%. If sample is retested and peak height ratio at the same location is still less than 50% the Vendor shall provide supporting documentation for the imbalance. The run data shall be provided in a manner such that all data is provided in the data package of the reported profile. This means that State will be able to evaluate all data associated with the profile without going back to previously submitted data packages. Screen shots of the first analysis (containing the ladder that was used and the sample) will be acceptable. The screen shots shall be of both the entire sample and ladder and an enlargement of the locus of interest. The Vendor shall provide the State with a proposed method of reporting and documentation and the State will notify the

Vendor of the approved method of reporting documentation.

f. Spikes shall not be acceptable in the allele calling region.

g. Extraneous peaks shall not be acceptable in the allele calling region.

h. Stutter called by the genetic analysis software set at 20% shall not be acceptable. Stutter values in genetic analysis software shall be those established by the Vendor validation studies or alternatively those values published by Applied Biosystems.

i. Mixtures: Any sample profile that appears to be a mixture is unacceptable, and shall be retested.

j. A called by the genetic analysis software set at 20% shall not be acceptable. Sample exhibiting excessive -A (in several markers and in excess of 15%) shall be retested by re-amplifying after adjusting the template concentration before analysis.

k. Tri-alleles: Shall be re-extracted and the profile verified. Upon reporting, the State shall be provided with data from both runs documenting the tri-allelic profile in the same manner as the alleles with confirmed imbalance.

l. Microvariants and off-ladder alleles: The Vendor shall provide the State with a list of proposed microvariant and off ladder alleles (above, below and within the ladder). All microvariant and off ladder allele containing samples shall be retested beginning with the re-amplification of the sample and documentation provided in the same manner as the confirmed imbalances and tri-alleles. MSFL expects a level of performance that ensures no profiles are ever rejected by the State. (MSFL defines a rejected profile as a profile that cannot be imported into NDIS for any reason, including incorrect controls, inadequate data quality, incomplete paperwork, or improperly formatted CMF files.) MSFL expects

100% contract compliance. MSFL also expects that data quality will be such that the State can find no problems during their 100% data review. Samples that do not meet the reporting criteria shall be repeated. Documentation shall be provided that indicates which samples did not meet reporting criteria, why the samples(s) did not meet reporting criteria, what actions will be taken, and the results of those subsequent actions. The Vendor shall retest any sample that the State determines to be of poor quality.

21. Retesting

The Vendor shall adhere to all of the specifications in MSFL 's technical specifications.

The analysis of a specimen shall not be considered complete until genotypes for all

Expanded CODIS core STR loci and all Globalfiler kit loci have been generated and accepted by MSFL. For samples not yielding a complete profile the Vendor shall retest the sample a minimum of two times, altering conditions within the boundaries of the laboratories written Standard Operating Procedures, as necessary, to produce a complete profile. NOTE: MSFL will only pay for complete profiles or profiles that have been retested at least twice as outlined above. The failure cannot be attributed to an error or omission on the part of the Vendor (e.g. failed ladder or control).

22. Data Reporting

a. This data should include but not be limited to - raw data electropherograms showing the primer peaks and internal size standard, quantitation results. No composite profiles

(instances where the expanded CODIS core loci are created from more than the minimum multiplex data file because one or more of the loci do not meet reporting criteria) shall be reported. All data and all associated controls from failed samples shall be provided to the

State separate from reported profiles. This data shall include but not be limited to genetic analysis software files, Excel files and CMF files.

b. Prior to reporting profiles, the Vendor shall perform a limited contamination quality assurance check by electronically comparing the reported profiles to a database of employee and contamination profiles observed in the Vendor laboratory. Vendor laboratories MAY NOT search profiles from the State against any other profiles they have in their computer systems. No composite profiles (instances where all STR loci are created from more than two multiplex data file because one or more of the loci do not meet reporting criteria) should be reported.

c. All reported peaks shall be labeled with the appropriate allele call for upload into

CODIS.

d. Non-reported samples shall not be intermixed in reported data files for the State's review.

e. Data from all sample runs shall be provided to the State.

f. No more than 20% of the reported genetic analysis software files shall have less than 5 sample profiles.

g. The number of samples (complete expanded loci profile) in a reported batch (data package) shall be approximately 500.

h. The following documentation shall be provided/associated with the reported profiles: On

Compact Disc for database samples and hard copy files for casework samples:

□ Raw Data Files

□ Genetic analysis software files:

□ All of the data (both good and bad) shall be reported. In addition, there should be a file that contains only the samples being reported in the

CMF and the associated controls and ladders.

□ Electronic Chain of Custody.

□ CMF file ready for import into CODIS.

□ Hard Copy and/or Electronic (as specified by the State):

□ Documentation describing which runs the sample was in. This can be a separate spreadsheet or incorporated with the summary table. The samples shall be in numerical order.

□ Summary table for the data being reported in the CMF file, to include the specimen ID and profile. The samples shall be in numerical order.

□ Hand generated laboratory notes/worksheets.

□ Final Report- (casework files only)

□ Report of confirmed unusual profiles such as imbalance, microvarients and tri-alleles.

□ List of failed samples along with reason for failure and documentation of efforts taken to obtain a successful profile.

i. Import files shall be in a CMF file that shall not require any alteration by the State in order to upload into CODIS. The State will provide the Vendor their ORI number. The Vendor shall include any additional data in the CMF file provided to the Vendor or requested by the State.

j. Data and data files shall be electronically reported in the following format:

1. There shall be the following subdirectories:

i. One containing all data.

Technical Evaluation

• Vendor’s technical response must successfully demonstrate the capability to meet the RFP requirements. This includes providing responses documenting the ability to meet the required specifications for all services noted within this document.

• Vendor’s professional references must include names and addresses or organizations with whom the vendor laboratory previously contracted with to provide similar services. A minimum of three (3) reference laboratories.

2.2.1 The Contractors shall:

• Assign a Contractor Account Representative to work directly with the Contracting Agency

Representative.

• All state facilities are non-smoking; the Contractor and its personnel must adhere to this requirement. The use of tobacco products is prohibited, except within designated smoking areas.

• It is illegal to have in one’s possession any illegal drug or alcoholic beverage while on state property.

• The Contractor’s employees should refrain from using foul, abusive, or profane language on state property.

• The MDPS reserves the right to inspect and search all Contractor personnel and/or vehicles anytime while on facility grounds.

• Contractors are required to sign-in and sign-out at most state facilities. Security provisions for all state facilities must be strictly observed.

• Be responsible for all damages and shall be held responsible for replacing or repairing any damage due to negligence on the part of the Contractor or Contractor personnel to any person(s) and/or property. The Contractor shall replace and repair any damage to any building or property, including but not limited to the replacement of any cracked or broken concrete (sidewalks, curbs, etc.) caused by on-site activities. Contracting Agency may withhold payment or make such deductions as deemed necessary to ensure reimbursement or replacement for loss or damage to property.

• Exercise precautions at all times for the protection of persons (including employees) and property. The Contractor shall make such investigations to enable them to fully understand the facilities, difficulties, and restrictions attending the execution of the work on-site. The project shall at all times be properly supervised and adequately manned by an experienced crew of appropriate size. All work shall be accomplished by skilled workers familiar with and trained to do this type of work. Workers shall be qualified to operate and/or use the equipment necessary to accomplish this work. The Contractor shall be responsible for the supervision and direction of the work performed by its personnel. The Contractor shall be responsible for instructing its personnel in all safety measures. All equipment used by the

Contractor shall be maintained in safe operating condition at all times and be free from defects or wear that may in any way constitute a hazard to any person or persons on state property. All incidents involving agency property or personnel shall be reported to the designated agency contact immediately upon occurrence.

• Abide by all State and/or agency policies, procedures, ordinances, and/or laws pertaining to the Contracting Agency’s operation at all times, including but not limited to the items listed above. Deviations from these policies by the Contractor or its personnel will not be tolerated and will be considered grounds for contract termination.

• Perform all services provided in the contract between the bidder/vendor and MDPS in accordance with customary and reasonable industry standards as well as in strict conformance to all laws, statutes, and ordinances and the applicable rules, regulations, methods and procedures of all government boards, bureaus, offices, and other agents. The

Contractor shall be responsible for the complete performance of all work; for the methods, means, and equipment used; and for furnishing all materials, tools, apparatus, and property of every description used in connection therewith. No statement within this IFB shall negate compliance with any applicable governing regulation. The absence of detailed specifications or the omission of detail description shall be recognized as meaning that only the best commercial practices are to prevail, and that only first quality materials and workmanship are to be used.

2.2.2 The Contractors shall also:

• Administer and maintain all employment and payroll records, payroll processing, and payment of payroll checks and taxes, including the deductions required by state, federal, and local laws such as social security and withholding taxes for their business and employees.

• Make all unemployment compensation contributions as required by federal and state law(s) and process claims as required for their business and employees.

• Perform a background check and/or drug screening prior to placement if requested by the

Contracting Agency and verify and/or provide the results; and,

• Replace immediately, at no additional expense to the Contracting Agency, any employee not performing satisfactorily.

2.3 Term

The term of the contract shall be for a period of 48 months. Upon written agreement of both parties and prior to the contract anniversary date, the contract may be renewed by the

MDPS for a period of 1 year period under the same prices, terms, and conditions in the original contract subject to approval by PPRB. The total number of renewal years permitted shall not exceed 1. Contract renewals will be evaluated based on the availability of funds, changes in program direction, ability of the contractor to meet scheduled deliveries and milestones in a satisfactory manner and satisfactorily performing all duties of the contract.

2.3.1 Multi-Term Contracts

Unless otherwise provided by law, a contract for services may be entered for four-years multi-term with an option to renewal for one (1) year under the term of the contract and conditions of renewal or extension, if any, are included in the solicitation and funds available for the first fiscal period at the time of contracting. Payment and performance obligations for succeeding fiscal periods shall be subject to the availability and appropriation of funds.

2.3.1.1 Requirements

• Provide DNA Testing for the Mississippi DNA Laboratory

• A unit price shall be given for each service, and that unit price shall be in the same throughout the contract.

• This contract will be canceled if funds are not appropriated or otherwise made available to support the continuation of performance in any fiscal period succeeding the first; however, this does not affect either the State’s right or the contractor’s rights under any termination clause in the contract.

• The Procurement Officer must notify the contractor on a timely basis that the funds are or are not available for the continuation of the contract for each succeeding fiscal period.

• A multi-term contract may be awarded to the bidder whose submit the lowest and best bid.

To determine which bid is the lowest, MDPS will take the sum of each bidder subtotal price. Since bid is being awarded to lowest and best bid, Bidder must bid on all items.

Failure to bid on all items will cause for rejection of bid.

SECTION 3

3.1 Insurance

The successful vendor shall maintain at least the minimum level of worker’s compensation insurance, comprehensive general liability or professional liability insurance, with minimum limits of $1,000,000.00 per occurrence. All workers’ compensation, comprehensive general liability, professional liability insurance will provide coverage to

DPS as an additional insured. DPS reserves the right to request from carriers’ certificates of insurance regarding the required coverage. Insurance carriers must be licensed or hold a

Certificate of Authority from the Mississippi Department of Insurance. The contractor must be prepared to provide evidence of required insurance upon request by DPS at any point during the contract period and should consult with legal counsel regarding its obligations.

SECTION 4

4.1 Basis for Award

• All bids will be reviewed first to determine whether a vendor is responsive, responsible, and/or acceptable. Requirements are not assigned a point percentage and/or score but are instead simply recorded as PASS or FAIL. Bids with errors that do not alter the substance of the bid can be accepted, and the Agency Chief Procurement Officer may allow the bidder to correct the problem prior to review as long as the irregularities are insignificant mistakes that can be waived or corrected without prejudice to other bidders.

• the Agency may cancel the solicitation or reject any bid submitted if the Agency determines it is in the Agency’s best interest to do so;

• In addition to the complete unredacted version of the bid, the bidder shall also submit a copy of the bid with information the bidder deems confidential commercial and financial information and/or trade secrets in accordance with Mississippi Code Annotated §§ 25-61-9, 75-26-1 through 75-26-19, and/or 79-23-1 redacted in black.

• In addition to the complete unredacted version of the bid, the bidder shall also submit a copy of the bid with information the bidder deems confidential commercial and financial information and/or trade secrets in accordance with Mississippi Code Annotated §§ 25-61-9, 75-26-1 through 75-26-19, and/or 79-23-1 redacted in black. Notice to the bidder that the redacted version of the bid – or if a bidder does not produce a redacted version, the full bid document – will be released at the Agency’s sole discretion, without notice to the bidder and will be produced as a public record exactly as submitted.

• The agency has the right to waive minor defects or variations of a bid from the exact requirements of the specifications that do not affect the price, quality, quantity, delivery, or performance time of the services being procured. If insufficient information is submitted by a bidder with the bid for the agency to properly evaluate the bid, the agency has the right to require such additional information as it may deem necessary after the time set for receipt.

• All bids which are determined to be responsive, responsible, and/or acceptable will continue on to the price bid or cost evaluation. The lowest cost bid will receive the maximum 100 points allocated to cost. The point allocations for cost on the other bids will be evaluated according to the following formula: Price of the lowest responsive and responsible bid divided by the price of the responsive and responsible bid being rated times the maximum

100 points allocated for cost equal the awarded points.

4.1.1 Award

The agency intends to award one contract to provide the services described in this IFB to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder.

4.1.2 Responsive Bidder

Bidder must submit bid which conforms in all material respects to this Invitation for Bids, 3160007725, as determined by the MS Department of Public Safety.

4.1.3 Responsible Bidder

Bidder must have capability in all respects to perform fully the contract requirements and the integrity and reliability which will assure good faith performance, as determined by MS Department of Public Safety .

4.1.4 Minimum Qualifications to be Deemed Responsive

• Bidder must have been in business and providing the services listed in IFB or in requirements and scale to those described in this Invitation for Bid for a minimum of one

(5) years.

• Bidder must maintain a pool of qualified workers to fill the requests from MDPS.

• The bidder must provide three references that the vendor has contracts with providing the same scope of services.

4.2 References

These minimum qualifications are in addition to a minimum score of six on the Reference Score Sheet (Attachment E) from reference interviews by the MS Department of Public Safety with three bidder/contractor references (for a total minimum score of (eighteen), as well as all other requirements of this Invitation for Bids. (See Attachments C and E.)

Each bidder must furnish the contact person, address, and phone number for each reference. These references must be familiar with the bidder’s abilities in the areas involved with this solicitation. The MS Department of Public Safety will use these references to determine the bidder's ability to perform the services. It is the responsibility of the bidder to ensure that the reference contact information is correct and current.

Bidders should verify before submitting their bid that the contact person and phone number are correct for each reference. The bidder may submit as many references as desired. The MS Department of Public safety will begin contacting references at the top of the list and will continue down the list until three contacts have been reached.

References must be listed on Attachment C.

4.3 Nonconforming Terms and Conditions

A bid response that includes terms and conditions that do not conform to the terms and conditions in the bid document is subject to rejection as non-responsive. The MDPS reserves the right to permit the respondent to withdraw nonconforming terms and conditions from its bid response prior to a determination by the MSPS of non-responsiveness based on submission of nonconforming terms and conditions.

4.4 Conditioning Bid Upon Other Awards

Any bid which is conditioned upon receiving award of both the particular contract being solicited and another Mississippi contract shall be deemed non-responsive and not acceptable.

4.4.1

As a precondition to bid acceptance, the agency may request the bidder to withdraw or modify those portions of the bid deemed non-responsive that do not affect quality, quantity, price, or delivery of the service.

4.4.2

Any bidder claiming that its response contains information exempt from the Mississippi

Public Records Act (Miss. Code Ann. §§ 25-61-1 et seq. and 79-23-1), shall segregate and mark the information as confidential and provide the specific statutory authority for the exemption.

4.4.3 Bid Submission Format

The bid package must be sealed and must contain the following:

• Bid Cover Sheet (Attachment A)

• Bid (Attachment B)

• References (Attachment C)

• Certifications and Assurances (Attachment D)

4.5 Bid Opening

Bid opening will be open to the public; however, this will include opening, reading aloud, and listing the bid price on each bid only. No discussions will be entered into with any bidder as to the quality or provisions of the specifications and no award will be made, either stated or implied at the bid opening.

4.6 Award Notification

Award(s) for this procurement will be posted on the Mississippi Contract/Procurement

Opportunity Search Portal website and the agency website at https://www.dps.ms.gov/.

Bidders will be notified via e-mail of the awards. Additionally, a letter will be sent to all bidders.

4.3.2 Contract Management

If the Contractor fails to adhere to the janitorial service schedule, or if the

Contractor fails to satisfactorily provide the prescribed service to all or any service area, the Contracting Agency will inform the Contractor, and the Contractor shall complete corrective action within twenty-four (24) hours. No payment shall be made to the

Contractor until all deficiencies have been corrected. If the Contractor exhibits a pattern of non-performance as shown by repeated deficiencies, the Contracting Agency may terminate the contract without further obligation to the Contractor.

SECTION 5

5.1 Post-Award Vendor Debriefing

A bidder, successful or unsuccessful, may request a post-award…