MPS Conference 2027 RFP.docx

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Commissioner of Probation

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

Conference Services

SUMMARY SHEET

Purchasing Entity:

The Office of the Commissioner of Probation of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Address:

One Ashburton Place Room 405 Boston, MA 02108

Telephone:

(617) 727-5300

RFP File Name/Title:

Conference Services

Primary Contact Person:

Patricia Gavin: patricia.gavin@jud.state.ma.us

BID #: BD-27-1107-TCOCP-TCOCP-133402

RFP Summary:

The Massachusetts Probation Service (MPS) seeks a suitable conference facility to provide meeting space, food and beverage, and audiovisual capabilities for a two-day professional development event in the late winter or spring of 2027 (the same program will be repeated both day one and day two with different groups of up to 900 attendees each day).

Official Publication Solicitation and Related Documents:

The Commonwealth Procurement and Solicitation System “COMMBUYS”, http://www.commBUYS.com is the Commonwealth’s sole online procurement record site. All clarifications, notifications, addenda or other documents or information related to this solicitation are officially published through the COMMBUYS. Hardcopy communications from the MPS to any vendor are provided as a courtesy. Vendors should access the COMMBUYS website frequently for official communications related to this solicitation from the MPS.

***QUOTE SUBMISSION DEADLINE***

October 13, 2026 8:30 A.M. EST

RFP TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION DESCRIPTION PAGE

SECTION 2.0 ACQUISITION METHOD 6

SECTION 3.0 SINGLE OF MULTIPLE CONTRACTORS 6

SECTION 4.0 SINGLE DEPARTMENT PROCUREMENT 6

SECTION 5.0 ANTICIPATED CONTRACT DURATION 6

SECTION 6.0 ANTICIPATED EXPENDITURE AND COMPENSATION 6

STRUCTIURE

BOLDED TEXT

PROCUREMENT

SECTION 12.0 APPENDICES 19

TO BID ON COMMBUYS

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Commissioner of Probation Request for Proposals Conference Services

Published:

Section 1.0 – General Summary

In issuing this Request for Responses (“RFP”), The Massachusetts Probation Service (MPS) seeks a suitable conference facility to provide meeting space, food and beverage, and audiovisual capabilities for a two-day professional development event to be held on consecutive weekdays in the late winter or spring of 2027 (the same program will be repeated both day one and day two with different groups of up to 900 attendees each day).

Section 1.1 – Procuring Entity a.) This RFP is issued by the MPS, which is under the superintendence of the executive Office of the Trial Court, the central administrative office for the Trial Court Department of the Judicial Branch of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

b.) This RFP is issued under laws, rules, procedures and practices applicable to the Judicial Branch of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Judicial Branch is not subject to 801 CMR 21.00 et seq., which governs the procurement process of the Executive Branch of the Massachusetts state government. Vendors responding to this RFP should not assume that Judicial Branch procurement practices correspond directly to the procurement practices of other branches, agencies, departments, or divisions of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Additional terms and conditions may be introduced at the vendor selection and contract negotiation phases of this procurement process.

c.) The Judicial Branch of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is comprised of three separate court systems – the Supreme Judicial Court, the Appeals Court, and the Trial Court. The Supreme Judicial Court is the Commonwealth’s highest appellate court and is responsible for the general superintendence of the judiciary and of the bar, makes or approves rules for the operation of all the courts and, in certain instances, provides advisory opinions, upon request, to the Governor and Legislature on various legal issues.

d.) The Massachusetts Trial Court was consolidated into a statewide court system by Chapter 478 of the Acts of 1978. The Massachusetts Trial Court is now comprised of the central administrative office (consisting of the Executive Office of the Trial Court (“OCM”) and the Office of the Chief Justice of the Trial Court (“OCJTC”)), seven departments (Boston Municipal Court, District Courts, Probate and Family Court, Juvenile Court, Housing Court, Land Court and Superior Court), the Office of the Jury Commissioner, and the MPS.

e.) The 1978 statute created a central administrative office managed by a Chief Administrative Justice (now titled the Chief Justice of the Trial (“CJTC”)), who was also responsible for the overall management of the Trial Court. The statute charged the central office, now known as the OCM, with developing a wide range of centralized functions and standards for the benefit of the entire Trial Court. These include the development of a budget for the Trial Court, central accounting and procurement systems, and personnel policies, procedures and standards for judges and staff who were formally employed by counties and other governmental entities. Over time, the Trial Court became responsible for the management of its facilities, security, libraries, automation and many other matters.

f.) Recent court reorganization legislation (Chapter 93 of the Acts of 2011) created the position of a Court Administrator (“CA”) who, in conjunction with the renamed position of CJTC, shares management duties. The CA is primarily responsible for court administration and the CJTC is primarily responsible for judicial administration. Together, the CA and CJTC manage and administer the Trial Court of Massachusetts and also have direct supervisory authority over the Office of the Commissioner of Probation and the Office of the Jury Commissioner. The CA is also the statutory employer of the approximately 6,400 employees of the Trial Court who work in over 100 locations across Massachusetts.

g.) The MPS is at the center in the delivery of justice through investigations, community supervision of offenders/litigants, diversion of appropriate offenders from institutional sentences, reduction in crime, mediations, service to victims, and the performance of other appropriate community service functions. The mission of the MPS is to promote the prevention and reduction of crime and delinquency in the Commonwealth by enhancing public safety and victim restoration through a commitment to excellence in probation service.

Section 1.2 – Purpose and Scope

The goal of this RFP is to secure a suitable conference facility to provide meeting space, food and beverage, and audiovisual capabilities for a two-day professional development event to be held on consecutive weekdays in the late winter or spring of 2027 (the same program will be repeated both day one and day two with different groups of up to 900 attendees each day).

Section 2.0 – Acquisition Method

The contract entered into pursuant to this RFP will be a fee for service contract.

Section 3.0 – Single or Multiple Contractors

The MPS intends to award a contract to a single vendor who will provide the services. Due to the possible changes in the MPS’s needs, the availability of bidders and other factors, the MPS reserves the right to award contracts to multiple vendors under this solicitation. Such determination will be made by the MPS, with input from other Trial Court Departments as needed.

Section 4.0 – Use of this Procurement by a Single Department/ Multiple Department User

This procurement is intended for the exclusive use of the MPS.

Section 5.0 – Anticipated Duration of the Contract (Including Renewal Options)

a) Initial Term. The initial Term of any contract resulting from this procurement shall be two (2) days.

b) Renewal Options. Any contract resulting from this procurement may also have four (4) additional optional contract renewal periods of up to one (1) year each. The renewal option may be activated and would be exercised at the sole discretion of the MPS. The renewal option shall be activated by written correspondence sent by the MPS to the contracted vendor, informing the vendor that the MPS is exercising its option to renew the contract for the timeframe stated in the correspondence. As part of any possible renewal, the vendor agrees to complete and execute any additional documents necessary for the renewed agreement. The duration of the resulting contract is subject to available funding for each year of the contract.

Section 6.0 – Anticipated Expenditures and Compensation Structure

The anticipated expenditure by the MPS will vary based on proposal. The compensation structure should provide detailed pricing for each deliverable.

Section 7.0 – Procurement Process Section 7.1 – Procurement Timetable.* The following schedule of events for this RFP identifies the key events and deadlines for this process, some of which are set forth in more detail in the sections that follow:

DATE EVENT

9/11/26 RFP Issued

9/18/26 Deadline for Submission of Written Vendor Inquiries

9/25/26 MPS Response Date to Vendor Inquiries

10/12/26 Proposal Bid Submission Deadline is 8:30 A.M. (EST) Monday, October 12, 2026.

10/13/26 Evaluation of Responses Begins

11/13/26 Vendor Selected

*The MPS reserves the right to amend or delay any of the dates or times reflected above if such a change is in the best interests of the MPS and the Trial Court.

Section 7.2 – Correspondence

All correspondence, including Vendor Inquiries and vendor Proposals related to this RFP should be submitted through the Bid Q&A Tool on COMMBUYS (See Section 7.3).

Section 7.3 – Vendor Questions

Vendors may submit questions concerning this RFP to the Bid Q&A Tool on COMMBUYS no later than the dates and times specified in the Procurement Timetable (Section 7.1). Vendors are advised the MPS (1) restricts submission of questions to the Bid Q&A tool and (2) requires all responses to be submitted using the online submission tools available to active COMMBUYS account holders only. No telephone or in-person inquiries will be accepted.

The Evaluation Committee, comprised of MPS personnel, will review and consolidate vendor questions received by the deadline for submission, and will provide answers for those questions deemed appropriate. Submission of a question does not guarantee a response to that question. The Evaluation Committee reserves the right to provide consolidated responses to similar questions. Only properly submitted inquires (submitted by the deadline on COMMBUYS) will be addressed. The Answers to Vendor Questions will be made available electronically via COMMBUYS (Commonwealth Procurement and Solicitation System - http://www.commbuys.com)

This inquiry procedure provides the only definitive means by which a vendor may request clarification of the contents of the RFP.

Vendor Inquiries on any portion of the RFP should NOT include proposed or actual cost data. The inclusion of any proposed or actual costs in any inquiry may result in the vendor’s disqualification.

Section 7.4 – Restrictions on Contact with Court Personnel a.) Vendors are cautioned that, from the issuance of this RFP until a Contract resulting from this RFP is executed by the selected vendor, any contact with personnel employed by or contracted to the Trial Court, other than as permitted in Section 7.2, including contact made pursuant to any pre-existing obligation, which results in discussing or commenting or seeking information about this RFP, will be considered a failure on the vendor’s part to conform to the provisions of this RFP and may result in the vendor’s disqualification.

b.) During the aforementioned time period, no vendor shall approach any Trial Court personnel or contractor concerning this bidding and contracting process or their product.

c.) Violation of these conditions will be considered as sufficient cause by the Evaluation Committee, acting on behalf of the MPS, to reject a vendor’s response and/or selection irrespective any other consideration.

d) A copy of the No Contact Policy is included in the Mandatory Documents (Appendix B) and must be signed by the vendor and included in the vendor’s Technical Response.

Should the need arise, the MPS may contact vendors for clarifications pertaining to that particular vendor’s response at any time during the solicitation process.

Section 7.5 – COMMBUYS

The Commonwealth’s sole online procurement record site is “COMMBUYS” at http://www.commbuys.com. All communications, clarifications, notifications, addenda or other documents or information related to this solicitation are made through the COMMBUYS website.

The MPS, as a courtesy, may notify vendors directly of any clarifications, notifications, addenda or other documents or information related to this solicitation; however, the official publication source for any information provided is the COMMBUYS website. For this reason, vendors should access the COMMBUYS website frequently for official communications related to this solicitation from the MPS. Access to the COMMBUYS website is free and vendors need to enroll and register per the instructions on the website: http://www.commbuys.com.

Section 7.6 – Mandatory RFP Documents

Vendors must submit fully executed originals of the following documents and forms with its Technical Response for their response to be considered in compliance with this RFP:

Commonwealth Terms & Conditions (“T&C”) Form;

Vendor Acceptance Form;

No Contact Policy Acknowledgement; and Prompt Pay Discount Form.

All of the forms detailed above are attached to this RFP in Appendix B – Mandatory RFP Documents. The Commonwealth Terms and Conditions Form is also available through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Branch’s Operational Services Division (OSD) website (www.mass.gov/osd) [OSD Forms Tab].

Though all responses and Mandatory RFP Documents are being submitted electronically via COMMBUYS, the MPS will request a wet-ink signature hard copy original of the T&C form at the contracting phase with the selected vendor.

Vendors must submit a Pricing Worksheet(s) with their Pricing Proposal.

Section 7.7 – Sample Mandatory Contract Documents

The selected vendor will be required to execute and submit the following documents as part of the resulting contract (samples of which are attached to this RFP in Appendix C – Sample Mandatory Contract Documents):

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Standard Contract Form (and all related attachments, addenda and exhibits);

Electronic Funds Transfer (“EFT”) Sign Up Form;

Verification of Taxation Reporting Information (W-9) – Massachusetts Substitute W-9 Form (“W-9”); and Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing (“CASL”) Form.

These Sample Mandatory Contract Documents are provided only for review and reference and are not to be completed or submitted as part of the RFP solicitation process.

Section 7.8 – Submission of Responses

Each response to this RFP must consist of two (2) uploads to COMMBUYS:

Technical Response; and Pricing Proposal.

All responses must be submitted electronically through COMMBUYS. Detailed instructions on how to submit a bid on COMMBUYS is located in Appendix D

Section 7.9 – Technical Response Submission

The Technical Response must be submitted electronically through COMMBUYS (See Appendix D).

Section 7.10 – Pricing Response Submission

The Pricing Proposal must be submitted electronically through COMMBUYS (See Appendix D).

Section 7.11 – Response Due Date

Both the Technical Response and the Pricing Proposal must be received by no later than the date and time indicated in Section 7.1.

It is the vendor’s responsibility to ensure that its proposal is received before the submission deadline and time specified in Section 7.1.

Section 7.12 – Clarification and Correction of Response

The Evaluation Committee may request additional information from vendors needed to clarify the vendor’s response or to facilitate the fair comparison of competing vendor response. These requests may be in the form of written questions seeking to clarify a technical or pricing proposal item, a request to itemize costs based upon a different cost spreadsheet format, correction of arithmetic errors or a Best and Final Offer (BAFO) for either the Technical Response or Pricing proposals.

Section 7.13 - Mandatory Response Requirements v. Bolded Text

Bold face text is used throughout this RFP for emphasis only. Mandatory Response Requirements are indicated by the terms “must”, “shall”, “is/are required” or “will”, regardless of highlighting or font style in the RFP.

Section 8 – Conference Services

Section 8.1 – General Information

Responses to this RFP must be prepared and submitted in accordance with requirements outlined in this RFP.

Any proposal submitted with material deviations from the prescribed format, as determined by the MPS, may be considered non-responsive and excluded from further consideration or evaluation at the sole discretion of the MPS.

Section 8.2 – Conference Services

The following specifications are requirements for any products or services to be provided by a Vendor pursuant to this solicitation.

Responsive to Scope of Services. Vendors’ responses must address each term, condition requirement, and specification included herein (see Appendix A for the Scope of Services).

Section 8.3 – No Pricing Information in the Technical Response

Pricing information of any kind, regarding the services and/or products proposed, must not be included in any section of the Technical Responses. Any Technical Response containing pricing information may be disqualified. Pricing information must be included only in the vendor’s Pricing Proposal.

Section 8.4 –Response Transmittal Letter

The vendor’s Pricing Proposal/Response Transmittal Letter must:

Be brief;

Identify all materials and equipment included in the vendor’s Pricing Proposal/Response;

Include the name of the vendor’s representative who may be contacted for all contractual matters;

Include a statement that the price quoted is valid for at least ninety (90) days after the Vendor Selected, or until a Contract is approved, whichever occurs first.

Section 8.5 – Mandatory Forms, Addenda and Modifications to RFP a.) It is the responsibility of each vendor to verify that it is in possession of the latest addenda or modifications to a solicitation for which it intends to bid. The Trial Court of the Commonwealth, the MPS, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and its subdivisions accept no liability and will provide no accommodation to vendors who submit a bid based upon an out-of-date solicitation document.

b.) Vendors may not alter the RFP or its components except for corrections made to the vendor’s response (cost, pages, etc.). Modifications to the body of the RFP specifications, terms and conditions, or any other documents that would change the intent of the RFP, are strictly prohibited. Any modifications, other than where the vendor is prompted for a response, will disqualify the bid or response.

Section 8.6 – Pricing Proposal Requirements

The vendor’s Pricing Proposal will not be evaluated until after the Technical Response evaluations and vendor Presentations are completed. The vendor shall include the following items in its Pricing Proposal, the requirements for which are described in the following sections:

Vendors must submit a Pricing Worksheet(s) with their Pricing Proposal.

Section 8.7 – Pricing Proposal Transmittal Letter

The Vendor’s Pricing Proposal Transmittal Letter must:

a) Be signed by an employee who is authorized to legally bind the vendor to all representations and commitments made in the vendor’s response;

b) Identify all materials included in the Vendor’s Pricing Proposal; and

c) Clearly state that the vendor’s proposal is valid for the first year of the contract assuming the contract is executed within one hundred and eighty (180) days after the submission of the proposal.

Section 8.8 – Pricing Structure

a) The vendor must complete a Pricing Structure as part of the Pricing Proposal.

b) The vendor must propose a price for all products and/or services being proposed. Pricing Structure shall be submitted as part of the vendor’s Pricing Proposal.

Section 8.9 – General Cost Considerations

Payments will be issued in accordance with a payment schedule for each completed deliverable or upon the acceptance by the MPS of properly submitted invoices for services rendered (to be detailed further in resulting contract). A deliverable will be considered “completed” when all the specified acceptance criteria have been met and the deliverable is accepted by the MPS.

Section 9 – Response Evaluation

Section 9.1 - Introduction

This section provides a description of the evaluation process and evaluation criteria that will be used to evaluate the proposals. To be deemed responsive, it is important that a vendor’s response provide appropriate detail to demonstrate satisfaction of each criterion and compliance with the provisions outlined in this RFP. Failure of a vendor to submit the information requested may result in the elimination of the proposal from further evaluation

Section 9.2 – Evaluation Committee

An Evaluation Committee comprised of various Probation staff members will be established to review all qualifying vendor responses. The Evaluation Committee will be involved in each phase of evaluation as detailed in this RFP and will present its findings to the RFP Manager. The Evaluation Committee will be restricted from contact with any vendor outside of the parameters defined in the No Contact Policy from the release date of the RFP to the end of the RFP process.

Section 9.3 – Overall Response Review

a) The Evaluation Committee will favorably weigh vendor proposals that address requirements and tasks succinctly and completely in a direct, coherent, and clear fashion.

b) The Evaluation Committee may determine that simple, one-word answers such as “agree”, “understood” or “acknowledged” do not provide an adequate answer. If the Evaluation Committee accepts such an answer to a requirement, the vendor agrees by such answer to accept, without qualification, the MPS’s interpretation of the requirement as defined by the MPS.

c) No proposal will be reviewed or evaluated prior to the proposal due date.

Section 9.4 – Rejection of Responses

The Evaluation Committee may, at any time in the evaluation period, reject a vendor’s response if, in the sole judgment of the Committee, either the vendor or the vendor’s response failed to adhere to the provisions of the RFP, or to the response format and terms, conditions, requirements, and specifications outlined therein, or if the Evaluation Committee deems the vendor’s response to be nonresponsive, or if the vendor engages in illegal or unethical conduct or in some other way attempts to improperly influence the evaluation process.

Section 9.5 – Evaluation Process

The Evaluation Process has been developed to ensure an impartial evaluation of all responses to this RFP. It encompasses the following major steps:

The results of each phase of review will be documented and filed with the RFP Manager.

Please note that at any time during the selection process, the MPS may request any responding vendor to provide explicit written clarification of any part of its proposal.

Section 9.6 – Clarification of Proposal Information

At any time during the evaluation process, the evaluation committee, in its discretion, may choose to initiate a clarification process to refine certain aspects of vendor proposals. The format of this process will remain at the discretion of the committee based upon their findings regarding the completeness of vendor proposals. It may include a request for written clarification, further explanation of the contents of the vendor technical Proposal, and/or a request for clarification of any aspect of the vendor technical proposals or field testing results.

Section 9.7 – Review of Pricing Proposals

a) Pricing Proposals will not be evaluated until after the technical response evaluations are completed.

b) The evaluation committee will evaluate the Pricing Proposals by taking into consideration the overall costs of all components and services identified, and will select the vendor that represents the best value to the MPS.

c) In its review of the Pricing Proposals, the evaluation committee may take note of potential differences in value of the various aspects of a vendor’s proposal or vendor’s experience level that rise above other proposals. The committee will also take into consideration the vendor’s ability to provide the requested products and services for the price quoted in its proposal (for proposals deemed to be significantly underbid solely to obtain the contract without consideration for the vendor’s true ability to deliver the products or services).

d) Vendors must list prices for each component of their response in a Pricing Structure. Any necessary component not listed with its price shall be deemed to be available to the MPS at no charge.

e) While the lowest bidder may not be automatically selected, the proposal that achieves the goals and objectives of the MPS for this solicitation with the lowest total cost will receive highest consideration among qualifying vendors.

f) The MPS reserves the right to request clarifications from any or all of the responding vendors after the initial pricing review.

Section 9.8 - Clarification of Pricing Proposal

During the evaluation of the Pricing Proposal, the MPS may choose to initiate a clarification process to refine certain aspects of the Pricing Proposals. The MPS may request written clarification of prices or a further explanation of the contents of the vendor Pricing Proposal.

Section 9.9 – Best and Final Offers (BAFO) Option

As part of the Pricing Proposal evaluation process, the MPS, at its sole discretion, may elect to enter into a “Best and Final Offer” (BAFO) process with vendors. If the BAFO process is used, the pricing considerations and overall value of the contract may be re-evaluated, based on the results received from the BAFO(s).

Section 9.10 – Vendor Selection and Contract Negotiations

a) The MPS will select the vendor that is best able to provide the goods and services requested by this RFP and which also provides the best economic value to the MPS.

b) The MPS will negotiate a mutually acceptable contract with the selected vendor. If the selected vendor and the MPS fail to negotiate a contract, the MPS will suspend negotiations with the selected vendor and, following the same process, will begin negotiations with the next most highly ranked vendor.

Section 9.11 – Estimated Evaluation Weighting

a) The evaluation weighting for the various RFP components below have been assigned according to their importance to the MPS. The MPS will select the vendor that is best able to provide the goods and services requested by this RFP and which also provides the best economic value to the MPS.

COMPONENT RELATIVE WEGHTING

Technical Response 50%

Vendors will be evaluated on their response as it corresponds to the functional and technical requirements and processes.

Vendor Implementation Plan 50%

Vendors will be evaluated based on the functionality, training design, and ease of use of the proposed curriculum, customer service, and other factors that make these goods and services the best value.

Total – Response 100%

Total – Pricing Proposal* To Be Evaluated

*Pricing Proposals will not be evaluated until all prior evaluation phases are completed.

Section 10.0 – Contract Obligations

Section 10.1 – Contract Documents

The contract awarded under this RFP will consist of the following documents**:

a) Commonwealth Terms and Conditions;

b) Standard Contract Form;

c) RFP (inclusive of Attachments, Appendices, Exhibits, Clarifications, etc.);

d) Other Documents necessary to complete the contract (Additional Terms and Conditions, Project Plan, etc.); and

e) Vendor’s Technical and Pricing Proposals.

** The final contract may consist of documents not yet identified or listed in this section. The Office of the Commissioner of Probation reserves the right to include any such document that is necessary in order to finalize the contract resulting from this RFP.

Section 10.2 – Amendment to the Contract

Any contract arising from this RFP may be amended to add additional products or services that the MPS believes are necessary and consistent with its goal of procuring the best possible education program.

Section 10.3 – Prime Contractor Responsibility

The MPS requires a single point of responsibility for any Contract resulting from this RFP. Subcontractors, when approved by the MPS, may be used, but the vendor selected through this RFP agrees by responding to the RFP to act as prime contractor. The prime contractor, not the MPS, will be responsible for performance of all its subcontractors and for any payments due to liabilities incurred by any of its subcontractors in the course of their activity related to any Lease Contract resulting from this RFP.

Section 11 – Miscellaneous Provisions

Section 11.1 – Availability of Funding

The contract resulting from this solicitation, and any amendment thereto, and any performance hereunder, is subject to the availability, and continued availability, of funding from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The determination of whether said funding is available will be solely within the judgment of the MPS.

Section 11.2 – Appropriation of Payments

Appropriations for expenditures by eligible entities of the Commonwealth (such as the MPS), and authorizations to spend for a particular purpose, are made on a fiscal-year basis. The fiscal year of the Commonwealth is a twelve (12) month period that begins on July 1st of each year and ends on June 30th of the next year. The obligations of the MPS under any contract executed with a vendor selected through this RFP shall be subject to the appropriation of funds sufficient to discharge the MPS’s obligations that accrue in that fiscal year, and authorization to spend such funds for the purposes of the contract.

Section 11.3 – Accuracy of RFP and Related Documents

a) The MPS will not be bound by or be responsible for any explanation, interpretation or conclusions concerning this RFP except those explanations or conclusions provided by the MPS itself through the issuance of an addendum, clarification or other document published during the RFP process.

b) After the time for questions has passed, if a vendor finds discrepancies or omissions in this RF or any other documents provided by the MPS, the vendor should immediately notify the MPS of such potential discrepancy. Any communication relating to any discrepancies in this RFP identified by a vendor must only address the discrepancy identified and must not contain any unrelated questions, comments, or other information.

Section 11.4 – Addenda and Modification to RFP

a) It is the responsibility of each vendor to verify that it is in possession of the latest addenda or modifications to a solicitation for which it intends to bid. The MPS accepts no liability and will provide no accommodation to vendors who submit a proposal or bid based upon and out-of-date solicitation document. Vendors should check COMMBUYS frequently.

b) Vendors may not alter the RFP or its components. Modifications to the body of the RFP specifications, terms and conditions, or any other documents that would change the intent of the RFP, are strictly prohibited. Any modifications, other than where the vendor is prompted for a modification or alternative, may result in disqualification of the proposal.

Section 11.5 – Costs of Vendor Responses to RFP

a) Vendors shall bear all costs associated with their response including preparation, photocopying, postage, delivery costs and any travel expenses that may be incurred during the solicitation process. No costs or expenses incurred by vendors in responding to this RFP, or by participating in the RFP process, will be borne by the MPS.

Section 11.6 – Firm and Irreversible Response Terms

a) The signed vendor response shall be considered a firm offer on the part of the vendor. All responses (including all statements, claims, declarations, and specifications in the vendor’s response) shall be considered firm and irrevocable for purposes of future contract negotiations unless specifically waived in writing by the MPS. The selected vendor’s signed response to this RFP, and any relevant correspondence and other documents submitted with the response, shall be incorporated into the Contract.

Section 11.7 – Ownership, Use and Availability of Response

a) All materials submitted by vendors in response to this RFP irrevocably become the sole property of the MPS. As a point of clarification, this section does not transfer copyright, patent or other intellectual property rights from the vendor to the MPS for any intellectual property contained within a vendor’s proposal. This provision applies solely to the physical or digital proposals themselves.

b) The MPS considers the responses to this RFP to be internal, working documents that will become the property of the MPS and it will reject any statements or endorsements in responses or related documents submitted in response to this RFP that conflict with MPS practices related to such documents and material.

c) The MPS shall be under no obligation to return and will not return any responses or materials submitted by a vendor in response to this RFP.

Section 11.8 – Amendment and/or Cancellation of Procurement

The MPS reserves the right to amend or cancel this RFP at any time, if it believes that doing so is in the best interests of the MPS. The MPS may cancel this RFP at any time prior to the execution and approval of a contract, in which event all responses received in response to this RFP will be rejected.

Section 11.9 – Non-Discrimination

Compliance; and ii.) Termination or suspension of this Agreement.

Section 11.10 – Contract – Expected Terms A Fee for Service Contract shall be signed between the MPS and the selected vendor for the purchase of training services and training materials.

Section 12.0 – Appendices

APPENDICES: Incorporated into this RFP are the following appendices:

Appendix A: SCOPE OF SERVICES

Appendix B: MANDATORY RFP DOCUMENTS

Appendix C: SAMPLE MANDATORY CONTRACT FORMS

Appendix D: INSTRUCTIONS FOR VENDORS RESPONDING TO BIDS ON COMMBUYS

APPENDIX A

Scope of Services

The Massachusetts Probation Service seeks a suitable conference facility to provide meeting space, food and beverage, and audiovisual capabilities for a two-day professional development event to be held on consecutive weekdays in the late winter or spring of 2027 (the same program will be repeated both day one and day two with different groups of up to 900 attendees each day). A warm, friendly, and natural light filled environment, providing the ability to gather, interact, and move freely about the event space is important. An atmosphere designed to promote team building and collegiality is preferred. The availability of free onsite parking is preferred. We invite you to complete and submit a bid for any goods and services described below, even if you are unable to meet all preferred specifications (for example, classroom setup, free parking).

Conference Space requirements, Food Service, and Audio/Visual Needs This two-day conference will involve approximately 900 participants, including faculty, guests and staff. This educational program will include the use of a large room capable of accommodating all the participants for a full general session. Rounds or crescent rounds are acceptable. There will be audiovisual presentations and guest speakers all day so the ability to view presenters on stage or screen with clear sightlines is essential. Tables and chairs for registration should be placed outside the plenary room. Private space where participants may go for emergency conversations is required. The facility must have lunch available and utilize the plenary session room for seating able to accommodate all conference attendees. At least four breakout spaces should be available to accommodate up to 175 per breakout space with the large room being one of these and in continuous use throughout the day. The ability to keep this conference and these participants separate from other programs occurring at the same time on site is preferred.

Conference technical services will require Podium/microphones, handheld microphones, projectors, screens, and internet access. Pricing may include onsite AV technicians for assistance.

Conference catering services will require a continental breakfast, mid-morning coffee/drink refresh, lunch and midafternoon light refreshment, all with options.

Any additional costs not included above should be included, including parking availability.

PLEASE NOTE: The Massachusetts Trial Court is exempt from the payment of any Massachusetts State Sales/Meals Tax (Exemption Number: 999-089-440). DO NOT INCLUDE MEALS TAX ON THE SUBMITTED BID.

APPENDIX B

MANDATORY RFP DOCUMENTS

1. Commonwealth Terms and Conditions Form;

2. Vendor Acceptance Form;

3. No Contact Policy Acknowledgement; and,

4. Prompt Payment Discount Form.

MASSACHUSETTS PROBATION SERVICES

Conference Services RFP

VENDOR ACCEPTANCE FORM

The undersigned is a duly authorized representative of the vendor firm listed below. The undersigned acknowledges that all the terms and conditions indicated as “mandatory” of this RFP are indeed mandatory. The undersigned agrees that the RFP will be incorporated into and made part of any contract resulting from the vendor’s proposal. The undersigned further agrees to all the terms and conditions of the T&C Form and the Trial Court’s Standard Contract Form as detailed in the RFP.

Vendor: ______________________________________ (Printed Name of Vendor Firm)

Signature of: ______________________________________ (Duly Authorized Representative of the Vendor)

Signatory: ______________________________________ (Printed Name & Title of Above Signatory)

Date: ______________________________________

NOTICE: BIDDERS MAY NOT HAVE CONTACT WITH COURT PERSONNEL OUTSIDE OF THE PARAMETERS OF THIS RFP

1. The bidding agency and its employees agree that we have not had and will not have oral or written communication outside the parameters specified in the RFP with any Trial Court employee or any other employee of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

2. No vendor presentations or vendor proposals have been or will be presented to any employee of the Trial Court who is involved directly or indirectly in the evaluation process regarding the RFP, except as permitted in the RFP.

3. All telephone calls, e-mails, written and oral inquiries regarding the RFP process and its contents have been and will be handled as defined in the RFP.

4. Any requests for exceptions to this policy must be approved in advance and in writing by the Evaluation Committee.

5. This No Contact Policy was effective upon release of the RFP. Any deviation from this policy may lead to the disqualification of the vendor and person(s) involved from any further role in this RFP process.

By my signature below, I/We acknowledge that I/We have read, understood, accepted and adhered to the terms of this No Contact Policy.

Prompt Payment Discounts (“PPD”)

Commonwealth payments are issued through electronic funds transfer forty-five (45) days from invoice receipt. Vendors requesting accelerated payments must identify a PPD in their Pricing Schedule as follows:

Payment issued within 10 days _____% PPD;

Payment issued within 15 days _____% PPD;

Payment issued within 20 days _____% PPD;

Payment issued within 30 days _____% PPD.

Vendor agrees to standard 45 day cycle _____ (NO PPD)

APPENDIX C

SAMPLE MANDATORY CONTRACT FORMS*

1. Commonwealth of Massachusetts Standard Contract Form (and all related attachments, addenda and exhibits);

2. Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) sign up form;

3. Verification of Taxation Reporting Information (W-9) – Massachusetts Substitute W-9 form (“W-9”); and

4. Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing (“CASL”) Form.

*The mandatory contract forms are samples being provided for review and are not to be completed as part of the vendor’s proposal. Additional contract documents may be necessary for the proper negotiation and implementation of the contract resulting from this solicitation. The MPS reserves the right to include whatever documents may be necessary to properly effectuate and implement the contract. The vendor will be provided said additional documents as soon as is practicable.

APPENDIX D

INSTRUCTIONS FOR VENDORS RESPONDING TO BIDS ON COMMBUYS

COMMBUYS refers to all solicitations, including but not limited to Requests for Proposals (RFP), Invitations for Bid (IFB), Requests for Response (RFR), Requests for Quote (RFQ), as “Bids.” All responses to Bids are referred to as “Quotes.”

Steps for Bidders to Submit a Quote

1. Launch the COMMBUYS website by entering the URL (www.COMMBUYS.com) into the browser.

2. Enter Bidder login credentials and click the Login button on the COMMBUYS homepage. Bidders must be registered in COMMBUYS in order to submit a Quote. Each Vendor has a COMMBUYs Seller Administrator, who is responsible for maintaining authorized user access to COMMBUYS.

3. Upon successful login, the vendor home page displays with the Navigation and Header Bar as well as the Control Center. The Control Center is where documents assigned to your role are easily accessed and viewed.

4. Click on the Bids tab

6. Click on the blue Open Bid hyperlinks to open and review an open bid

7. A new page opens with a message requesting you acknowledge receipt of the bid. Click yes to acknowledge receipt of the bid. Bidders should acknowledge receipt to receive any amendments/updates concerning this bid.

8. After acknowledgement, the bid will open.

The top left half of the page contains the following information:

The top right half of the bid includes the following information:

9. The lower half of the page provides information about the specific goods/services the bid is requesting.

10. Click Create Quote to begin.

It is important to note that the bid documents (RFP and attachments) may specify some or all of these terms and may prohibit you from altering these terms in your response. Read the bid documents carefully and fill in only those items that are applicable to the bid to which you are responding. Update these fields as applicable to the bid and click Save & Continue to save any changes and create a Quote Number.

12. The page refreshes and messages display. Any message in Red is an error and must be resolved before the quote can be submitted. Any message in Yellow is only a warning and will allow processing to continue.

13. Click the Items tab. The Items tab displays information about the items requested in the bid. To view additional details about an item, click the item number (blue hyperlink) to open.

14. The item opens. Input all of your quote information and click Save & Exit.

15. Click on the Attachments Tab. Follow the prompts to upload and name all required attachments and forms and bid response documents in accordance with the instructions contained in the solicitation or bid documents. After uploading each individual file or form, click Save & Continue. After you have uploaded all required documents click Save & Exit. Be sure to review your attachments to make sure each required document has been submitted.

16. Click on the Terms & Conditions Tab. This tab refers to the terms and conditions that apply to this bid. The terms and conditions must be accepted before your quote can be submitted. If your acceptance is subject to any exceptions, those exceptions must be identified here. Exceptions cannot contradict the requirements of the RFP, or required Commonwealth standard forms and attachments for the bid. For instance, an RFP may specify that exceptions may or will result in disqualification of your bid.

17. Click the Summary tab. Review the information and update/correct, as needed. If the information is correct, click the Submit Quote button at the bottom of the page.

18. A popup window displays asking for verification that you wish to submit your quote.

Click OK to submit the quote.

19. The Summary tab redisplays with an updated Status for the quote of Submitted.

20. Your quote submission is confirmed only when you receive a confirmation email from COMMBUYS. If you have submitted a quote and have not received an email confirmation, please contact the COMMBUYS Help Desk at COMMBUYS@state.ma.us.

If you wish to revise or delete a quote after submission, you may do so in COMMBUYS: (1) for a formal bid, prior to the bid opening date, or (2) for an informal bid (which may be viewed upon receipt), prior to the opening of your quote by the issuing entity or the bid opening date, whichever is earlier.

Bidders may not submit Multiple Quotes in response to a Bid unless the Bid authorizes Multiple Quote submissions. If you submit multiple quotes in response to a bid that does not allow multiple quotes, only the latest submission prior to the bid opening date will be evaluated.