PO25-040 Title IV IFB Q and A 25.4.16~2.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 19 KB Posted
- Attached to
- PO25-040 DCFS Title IV Assistance TP
- Solicitation number
- 25-418DCFS-PROCU-B-43215
- Issued by
- Illinois
About this file
This document is a Questions and Answers (Q&A) spreadsheet for Invitation for Bid (IFB) #25-418DCFS-PROCU-B-43215, issued by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) for Title IV-E Assistance services. The procurement seeks a contractor to process approximately 3,000 existing and 600 new monthly determinations for foster care eligibility, with performance expectations of completing 20% of files within 14 days, 80% within 40 days, and 100% within 60 days. The bid opening is scheduled for May 8, 2025, following a pre-bid conference on April 3, 2025, and the contract is structured as a 10-year agreement with specific documentation and system maintenance requirements.
The contract includes a comprehensive pricing structure covering 41,825 total annual hours across various staffing roles, with an additional $20,000 annual allowance for court transcript fees. There is a 5% Business Enterprise Program (BEP) goal targeting businesses owned by minorities, women, and persons with disabilities, with an aspirational 30% diverse business participation target. Funding will be supported through federal-state reimbursement mechanisms, and vendors must be registered in the Illinois Small Business Set-Aside Program. The procurement is an Invitation for Bid (IFB) that will be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, with no scoring criteria, emphasizing the critical nature of supporting child welfare documentation processes and federal financial participation eligibility.
View the file
Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| DCFS Supplemental Disclosures and COI 230406~13.docx | DOCX document | |
| PO25-040 Title IV Invitation for Bid 25.03.11.docx | DOCX document | |
| PO25-040 Title IV Court Tracking Process - Attachment A.pdf | ||
| PO25-040 Title IV Pre-Bid Meeting Information~1.docx | DOCX document | |
| Copy of Copy of Copy of PO25-040 Q and A Title IV 250430.2.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| PO25-040 TITLE IV ipg active registered vendor disclosure formerly forms b.docx | DOCX document | |
| PO25-040 Title IV IFB CO2.docx | DOCX document | |
| PO25-040 Title IV Running Clearances Overview - Attachment B.pdf | ||
| PO25-040 Title IV IFB Instruction~2.docx | DOCX document | |
| po25-040 Title IV vendor disclosure formerly forms a.docx | DOCX document | |
| invitation-for-bid-offer-to-the-state-of-illinois-v-25-3-2-24-25.pdf | ||
| PO25-040 Title IV IFB Instruction~3.docx | DOCX document | |
| DOIT Stand Terms and Conditions~1.pdf | ||
| U-Plan V.25.1~3.pdf |
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Text version
Sheet1
| Title IV | ||
| Open Market Bid 25-418DCFS-PROCU-B-43215 | ||
| DCFS Reference# PO25-040 | ||
| Questions Received by Due Date of 04/10/2025 5:00PM CST | ||
| ID# | ||
| 1 | Question: | Can a Vendor responding to IFB # 25-418DCFS-PROCU-B-42315 modify the hours shown on section 2.3. Pricing Table? |
| Answer: | No, DCFS recognized the error and it has been corrected on the IFB and in BidBuy. All pricing must be entered on the Line Items in BidBuy, or your bid will be rejected as non-responsive. | |
| 2 | Question: | Are there any other computer systems or processes besides Court Tracking that must be maintained as a part of this contract? |
| Answer: | Please see Section 1.2.14. of the IFB. | |
| 3 | Question: | Are there any other forms or information that must be maintained and/or tracked as a part of this contract? |
| Answer: | See Section 1.2.13 and 1.2.13.1. of the IFB. | |
| 4 | Question: | Can representatives from DSN attend the bid opening on Thursday, April 17, 2025 @ 2pm? |
| Answer: | No. | |
| 5 | Question: | What is the last day potential bidders can ask questions? When will responses be provided? |
| Answer: | For any additional questions received after the pre-bid conference which was held 04/03/2025, will be attached as Q & A #2 in BidBuy by 5/1/2025. | |
| 6 | Question: | Does the IFB submission need to follow a specific order? |
| Answer: | No. | |
| 7 | Question: | How will price for years 2 thru 10 be calculated? Automatically by BidBuy? |
| Answer: | BidBuy will automatically calculate their bid based on the hourly rate that the Vendor enters for each position. | |
| 8 | Question: | Where are Attachments A & B? Attachment A is first referenced in section 1.2.2. and Attachment B is referenced in section 1.2.12. |
| Answer: | The attachments were attached in BidBuy via an addendum 04/03/2025. | |
| 9 | Question: | Section 6.4. Construction / Bonding Can you confirm this should be marked N/A? |
| Answer: | Yes, that should be marked N/A. | |
| 10 | Question: | Is it possible to add the NIGP code of 918.75 to the bid? |
| Answer: | No. DCFS can't add any NIGP codes at this time. | |
| 11 | Question: | Would the State be open to allowing at least two weeks between the release of answers to questions and the proposal due date to allow for a more thorough response? |
| Answer: | DCFS is extending the bid opening to May 8, 2025. | |
| 12 | Question: | What are the scoring criteria? |
| Answer: | There is no scoring criteria. This contract is procured as an IFB (Invitation for Bid) that will be awarded to the lowest responsvie and responsible bidder. | |
| 13 | Question: | Will you provide an estimated percentage of the caseload increase each year? Will you provide numbers for 2024 by month? |
| Answer: | Yes, January-374; February-460; March-512; April-450; May-582; June-428; July-436; August-475 September-513; October-485. | |
| 14 | Question: | Can files be sent electronically to the DCFS FFP Unit to reduce transportation and delivery costs? |
| Answer: | See Section 1.2.12.2 of the IFB. No. Applications and clearance must come over in paper form to be part of the current paper eligibility determination that DCFS works. Court Orders received will be in paper form. | |
| 15 | Question: | In terms of the reasonable efforts (RE) language, should all cases be tracked (e.g., including Title IV-E ineligible cases)? |
| Answer: | All cases should be track except the collection and follow-up of cases that are intially determined Title IV-E Ineligible for the entire period of the youth's episode in foster care. | |
| 16 | Question: | Would DCFS accept fingerprinting or fingerprint background checks completed in another state outside the State of Illinois? |
| Answer: | DCFS will provide the required forms which, after completion, must be taken to DCFS' current contracted fingerprinting vendor who will fingerprint the employee and forward the prints to the Illinois State Police and the FBI, as applicable. | |
| 17 | Question: | May Offerors provide responses in their own template instead of directly in the Invitation for Bid? If not, and for ease of the State’s evaluation, is it permissible that Offerors provide their responses to the Vendor Narrative table requirements immediately following the table instead of in the table? |
| Answer: | No, you must provide your repsonse in the IFB document. | |
| 18 | Question: | Will the State please provide clarification regarding the difference between personnel requirements in section 1.4, Staff Specifications, and the personnel roles listed in section 2.3, Pricing Table? Not all key personnel identified in the Staff Specifications section are included in the 2.3 Pricing Table. Please provide clarification as to which personnel should be included in section 1.4 and which personnel should be included in the Table 2.3. |
| Answer: | The positions are being updated in a bid amendment. | |
| 19 | Question: | Please clarify if the hours listed on the 2.3 Pricing Table are intended to be annual or some other period, as several roles appear to include hours significantly higher than a single individual can work in a given year. |
| Answer: | The hours are being updated in a bid amendment. | |
| 20 | Question: | Section 1.2.3 states 'Vendor shall be responsible for all I.T. related updates within the DCFS Court Tracking system.’ Please provide an explanation as to the scope and process for updates to that system. |
| Answer: | The contract requires the maintenance of DCFS' Court Tracking and Clearance Tracking systems. These updates require keeping the application updated on the current platform within the Azure enviornment. The Vendor is also responsible for legislative changes that require system developments and any bugs that could occur or DCFS IT requirements. | |
| 21 | Question: | Please clarify which goal for the vendor is expected between sections 1.1, 1.3.2, and 1.3.4. |
| Answer: | DCFS understands that current processes could push back day counts. This timeline starts when the vendor receives notification that the 458-B is either processed by IA or needs action from the CW. | |
| 22 | Question: | What equipment is included by the State, i.e., computers, telephone, printer/scanner? |
| Answer: | No, DCFS will not be providing any equipment. | |
| 23 | Question: | What does DCFS mean by the statement in Section 1.2.15? Does DCFS want the winning vendor to collect ALL Permanency Hearing Court orders on all foster care cases (whether title IV-E Foster Care Eligible or not) or for only initially eligible title IV-E Foster Care cases? |
| Answer: | The vendor will be expected to prioritize initially eligible title IV-E Foster Care cases first. Reasonable Efforts stems from a Federal clinical practice to ensure reasonable efforts are being made to facilitate the youth’s permanency plan, therefore as part of best practice, the vendor will still be required to attempt to collect and maintain order for initially IV-E ineligible cases. | |
| 24 | Question: | For the 3,000 in process determinations in various stages, are there paper files for some of those, are they available electronically, or will those need to be created? |
| Answer: | Current clearance tracking system would have record of all outstanding determinations still requiring clearances from various sources. The current back log is now trackin gsystem. | |
| 25 | Question: | What is the implementation date? When is the expected go live date? |
| Answer: | Please see section 3.1 of the IFB. | |
| 26 | Question: | Can the State confirm whether submission of a response to the RFP constitutes a binding offer on the part of the Offeror, or whether further negotiations and modifications may occur prior to contract execution? |
| Answer: | Please see Page 25 of the IFB. Submission of a response to the Invitation for Bid (IFB) is a binding offer on the part of the bidder (this is not a Request for Proposals) - the lowest responsive, responsible bidder will be awarded. |
Standard Terms and Conditions will become a part of any resulting contract. To view the Standard Terms and Conditions, please go to https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/solicitation-and-contract-templates.html. A Bidder that takes exception to one or several terms and conditions must submit a redline version of the Standard Terms and Conditions with their offer. The State may accept or reject any exception.
| 27 | Question: | Noting the absence of a limitation of liability clause in the draft contract, would the State be amenable to discussing and potentially incorporating a mutually acceptable cap on the Contractor’s liability? |
| Answer: | Please see Section 4.10 of the IFB. Standard Terms and Conditions will become a part of any resulting contract. To view the Standard Terms and Conditions, |
please go to https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/solicitation-and-contract-templates.html and review the Contract Template Section 4.10 Indemnification and Liability:
"The Vendor shall indemnify and hold harmless the State of Illinois, its agencies, officers, employees, agents and volunteers from any and all costs, demands, expenses, losses, claims, damages, liabilities, settlements and judgments, including in-house and contracted attorneys’ fees and expenses, arising out of: (a) any breach or violation by Vendor of any of its certifications, representations, warranties, covenants or agreements; (b) any actual or alleged death or injury to any person, damage to any real or personal property, or any other damage or loss claimed to result in whole or in part from Vendor’s negligent performance; (c) any act, activity or omission of Vendor or any of its employees, representatives, subcontractors or agents; or (d) any actual or alleged claim that the services or goods provided under this contract infringe, misappropriate, or otherwise violate any intellectual property (patent, copyright, trade secret, or trademark) rights of a third party. In accordance with Article VIII, Section 1(a),(b) of the Constitution of the State of Illinois and 1973 Illinois Attorney General Opinion 78, the State may not indemnify private parties absent express statutory authority permitting the indemnification. Neither Party shall be liable for incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages."
| 28 | Question: | Pursuant to Sections 4.9 of the Terms and Conditions and 5.9 of the Supplemental Terms and Conditions (pg. 29), it is our understanding that the State intends to retain ownership of all works made for hire in connection with the performance of the services. For clarification, does the State also intend to assert ownership rights over any pre-existing intellectual property, to include but not limited to, contractor-developed or contractor-owned software, and/or third-party software that may be utilized in providing the services under this contract? |
| Answer: | DCFS is the owner of the current systems in place and expects these systems to continue being utilized and developed. | |
| 29 | Question: | The Vendor shall indemnify and hold harmless the State of Illinois, its agencies, officers, employees, agents and volunteers from any and all costs, demands, expenses, losses, claims, damages, liabilities, settlements and judgments, including in-house and contracted attorneys’ fees and expenses, arising out of: (a) any breach or violation by Vendor of any of its certifications, representations, warranties, covenants or agreements; (b) any actual or alleged death or injury to any person, damage to any real or personal property, or any other damage or loss claimed to result in whole or in part from Vendor’s negligent performance; (c) any act, activity or omission of Vendor or any of its employees, representatives, subcontractors or agents; or (d) any actual or alleged claim that the services or goods provided under this contract infringe, misappropriate, or otherwise violate any intellectual property (patent, copyright, trade secret, or trademark) rights of a third party. In accordance with Article VIII, Section 1(a),(b) of the Constitution of the State of Illinois and 1973 Illinois Attorney General Opinion 78, the State may not indemnify private parties absent express statutory authority permitting the indemnification. Neither Party shall be liable for incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages. |
| Answer: | Please see Section 2.2.2. of the IFB. | |
| 30 | Question: | Will the State entertain negotiations on specific contractual terms and conditions, including those provisions identified as exceptions by the Offeror in its submitted proposal? |
| Answer: | Standard Terms and Conditions will become a part of any resulting contract. To view the Standard Terms and Conditions, |
please go to https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/solicitation-and-contract-templates.html. A Bidder that takes exception to one or several terms and conditions must submit a redline version of the Standard Terms and Conditions with their offer. The State may accept or reject any exception.
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