PREVIOUSLY HELD - PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE

Federal Worker Employee Loan RFP – IT and Customer Support Services RFP

DATE: Pre-Proposal Conference 05/20/2026 at 2:00 p.m.

Rescheduled for 5/27/2026

LABOR Staff

1. Raelene Glasgow – Chief of Procurement

2. Allan Robinson – MBE/SBR Liaison Administrator

3. Rachel Brash – Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the Secretary

4. Cheryl Morgan – Federal Impact Loan Director, Office of the Secretary

5. Jay Huie – Chief Information Officer

6. Kimlloy Broughton – Treasurer’s Officer - TBD

Vendors in Attendance

1. Aligned Solutions, LLC - SBR

2. Ascension, LLC – SBR, MBE

3. Aspen Technology Services, Inc. – SBR, VSBE

4. Cloud Empower

5. Cloud SynApps, Inc.

6. DK Consulting – SBR, MBE

7. Elite Technology, LLC – SBR

8. Exo Tech, LLC

9. Experior Technologies, LLC – VSBE

10. Experis

11. Fearless – MBE

12. Federal Systems Corp.

13. G2W Consulting – SBR

14. Him First Admin Services - SBR

15. Infoshare Systems, Inc.

16. Kennedy Personnel Services – SBR, MBE

17. Kingmaking Consultants, LLC - SBR

18. Mainstreet Technologies – SBR, MBE

19. Major Tech Solutions

20. Morgan-Services, LLC

21. Nava, PBC

22. Precision Management Solutions –

SBR, MBE

23. Provizta Solutions – SBR

24. S & O Strategies Unlimited, LLC

25. Salesforce Public Sector

26. Serigor, Inc. – SBR, MBE

27. Sherron Fulton

28. SPC Business Consulting LLC –

SBR, MBE

29. Speridian Technologies

30. SQN Systems, Corp –

SBR, MBE,VSBE

31. Stone Brook Solutions, LLC – SBR

32. Summit Technology Consulting

Group LLC d/b/a Allocore

33. Vion Consultants – SBR, MBE

Welcome to the Maryland Department of Labor Pre-Proposal conference for the MDOL Federal Worker

Employee Loan – IT and Customer Support Services RFP, eMMA #: BPM.

My name is Raelene Glasgow, the Procurement Officer and the sole point of contact for this solicitation. I will address all procurement reminders for this solicitation.

Allan Robinson, MD Labor’s MBE/SBR Liaison Administrator – Discuss Socioeconomic factors of the

RFP.

Cheryl Morgan and the rest of the Federal Worker Loan Program team will discuss and answer any questions related to the Scope of Work.

There is a Pre-Proposal Conference Response Form – Attachment A, which you must submit. If you have not already done so, please be sure to acknowledge and submit the form as this is very important in the event there is a need to contact you after this meeting.

A. All Vendors must submit acknowledgment that they attended the pre-proposal conference.

B. Must be registered on eMMA prior to the proposal due date. The link to the website is:

https://emma.maryland.gov/

C. Must be in Good Standing with SDAT before a contract is awarded. The link to the website is:

https://businessexpress.maryland.gov/start/register-a-business-in-maryland

D. Please review all contract documents with your counsel before the closing of the Questions and

Answers Period.

E. I would like to note briefly that a Pre-Proposal Conference Summary and Attendee List will be posted after this conference on eMMA.

F. Answers to all questions will be posted on eMMA for all vendors, even if they are submitted to my email address.

G. This conference will be broken down into several sections – General Procurement Information, Minimum Qualifications, Scope of Work, and a Question and Answer (Q&A) period. I am asking everyone to hold all questions until the designated Q&A period at the end of the pre-proposal conference.

I. General Procurement Information

A. The purpose of today’s conference is to give general information and guidance to potential offerors on the requirements for the Federal Worker Employee Loan Program – IT and Customer Support

Services RFP, eMMA #: BPM.

B. The RFP and all subsequent documentation regarding this solicitation are posted on eMaryland

Marketplace Advantage (eMMA). Please be reminded that; in order to receive a contract award, a vendor must be registered on eMMA. Registration is free. Go to https://procurement.maryland.gov.

You may review Section 4.2 of the RFP for details.

https://emma.maryland.gov/ https://businessexpress.maryland.gov/start/register-a-business-in-maryland https://procurement.maryland.gov/

C. Please note; you should NOT rely on verbal communication or answers given today as a formal response from the State. I would like to stress to everyone today that when we get to the Q/A portion of this meeting that everyone who asks a question; should also submit that same question to the

Department in writing for clarity purposes.

D. Questions must be submitted in writing no later than Friday, November 4, at 2:00 P.M. Local

Time to the Procurement Officer via eMMA or email. Some potential offerors may not be in attendance here. Per Maryland’s Regulations, we cannot have Questions and Answers just addressed here and not shared with the other potential participants. That is why we require that any questions here be followed up in writing and sent to my attention via eMMA so we can officially answer your questions. What is stated here is just for information purposes only.

E. Note: When amendments are made in eMMA, that round will close, and a new one will be opened. For example: If vendors post their proposals in Lot 1, Round 4 and new amendments are made, ‘round 4’ will close and ‘round 5’ will open. Vendors are required to go back into eMMA and upload their proposals to the new Round 5. Please pay attention to notifications from eMMA as amendments are made.

F. At this time, I would like to point out some of the critical areas in the RFP that require close attention:

a. Please review the Key Information Summary Sheet on Pages iii and IV (4) of the RFP. This sheet has my contact information, deadlines, and time adherences associated with this RFP.

b. Please note that the Proposals are due by Tuesday, November 17, 2026, at 2:00 P.M. Local

Time. Offerors are reminded that a completed Feedback Form is requested if a no-proposal decision is made (see page ii).

c. The Procurement Method used for this solicitation is the Competitive Sealed proposal under

COMAR 21.05.03. (Section 4.4 – Procurement Method) of the RFP.

d. Proposals for this solicitation are being accepted solely via the eMaryland Marketplace

Advantage (eMMA) e-Procurement system eMMA. Proposals will not be accepted via email and/or fax. It is important to review the Opening/Due Date and Time References) of the

RFP.

e. Important: If for any reason vendors encounter any issues uploading their proposals in eMMA, please contact me immediately via email and I will instruct you on the next steps. Also reach out to the eMMA Helpdesk at: emma.helpdesk@maryland.gov

f. Important: If a vendor waits until the very last minute to contact me regarding eMMA issues, the RFP closing date and time will not be extended, and I may not be able to accommodate you.

Please do your best to begin uploading your proposals well in advance of the closing time.

g. Your Proposals must be received by the Procurement Officer no later than the Proposal due date and time indicated on the RFP Key Information Summary Sheet to be considered.

If your Proposal is late by one minute, it cannot be accepted by the State! Requests for extensions will not be granted under any circumstances - no exceptions! Please allow enough time to ensure your Proposals have been properly submitted.

h. Review Section 4 – Proposal Submission Information and Instructions mailto:emma.helpdesk@maryland.gov

i. Review Section 5 – Proposal Format – Please follow the instructions stated in this section.

Financial Proposals are not to be included in the Technical Proposal. These are to be uploaded separately. Omit all pricing information from the Technical Proposal.

j. Please submit redacted versions of your Technical and Financial Proposal.

k. Section 5.3 – This section provides the order for your Technical Proposal. Since this is being submitted electronically via eMMA, please use a blank page between every Section. For example, on the blank page indicate TAB A – Title Page and Table of Contents, followed by the contents of TAB A. This should be done for all the tabs. Please address all Tabs, do not leave any of these sections empty. The Technical Proposal runs from Tab A through Tab O.

l. Review Section 6 – Evaluation and Selection Process

m. Section 7 – Please review this section, pay attention to the instructions provided and provide the necessary documentation required. There are a few that can be submitted after, but it is recommended that these be included with your initial Technical Proposal submission.

Allan Robinson – MBE/SBR Liaison Administrator

This RFP is not SBR-designated, there is an MBE Subcontracting Goal of 17.4%, and a VSBE goal of 10.6% associated with this RFP.

• MBE forms, especially the D-1A Form must be filled out completely. Please read the instructions at the top of that form and fill it out completely. Do not leave any space blank.

• Firms used for MBE and VSBE subcontracting goals must be registered in Maryland.

• Firms used for MBE and VSBE subcontracting goals cannot be registered in another state and be used for meeting Maryland subcontracting goals. They must be registered in Maryland through the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT).

• Firms used for MBE and VSBE subcontracting goals must be registered at the time of RFP proposal submission. If they are pending, a vendor’s proposal shall be deemed non-responsive, and the vendor shall be disqualified.

• Firms used for MBE and VSBE subcontracting goals may not be pending registration.

• Vendors are required to submit copies of their sub-contractors’ agreements which must be reviewed and approved before the contract is awarded. These are to be submitted with your D3 forms.

• If susceptible of being awarded this contract, the D3 forms must be submitted within 10 Business

Days of notification of apparent award. If the Offeror fails to return this affidavit within the required time, the Procurement Officer may determine that Proposal is not susceptible of being selected for Contract award.

• If a vendor is seeking a waiver for the subcontracting goals, please be sure to read the instructions and steps that must be followed, to qualify for a waiver.

• Only firms with approved, active certifications found on the Maryland Department of

Transportation website or the eMaryland Marketplace Advantage system will count toward these participation goals, and they must perform a commercially useful function.

• Maryland certified MBEs acting as Prime Contractors may perform up to 50% of the

MBE subcontracting goal. If a prime contractor cannot meet the goals, they must submit good faith effort documentation if chosen as the apparent awardee. Required forms include Attachment D, the outreach effort compliance statement and the subcontractor agreement, which must be submitted within 10 working days of receiving notice of being the apparent awardee.

• Part three of the Attachment D requires the identification of the intended MBE vendor, their certification number, North American Industry Classification System

(NAICS) code, and the specific work to be performed. This form must be signed, and failure to provide a signed form may result in the proposal being disqualified.

• The veteran-owned business requirements mirror the MBE process, requiring submission of a utilization affidavit and participation information. Unlike MBEs, veteran-owned businesses are searched via the E-Maryland Marketplace Advantage system using United Nations Standard

Product and Service Codes. Failure to submit a completed, signed form can render a proposal non-responsive.

Talking Points – Cheryl Morgan - Scope of Work

• Minimum Qualifications – Cheryl Morgan and team

• Deliverables and Expectations – Cheryl Morgan and team

• Financial Proposal Form – Cheryl Morgan and Team

• Anticipated timing – Section 2.2.1 – Project Goals

• Anticipated timing - Section 2.2.2 – State Staff and Roles

• Anticipated timing – Section 2.3 – Contractor Responsibilities and Tasks

The awarded Offeror shall be able to fulfil all requirements as detailed in Section 2 of the RFP. Offerors shall be required to furnish satisfactory evidence that they meet or exceed all project goals and tasks listed in

Section 2 of this RFP.

Questions & Answers

A. Before we open for Questions & Answers, I would like to caution everyone that only written answers should be relied upon. Even if addressed here, please submit all questions via email to

Raelene.glasgow3@Maryland.gov per the process identified in Section 4.3 and the Key Information

Summary Sheet of the RFP.

B. Questions will be answered on a first-come, first-served basis. Please be mindful of those who wish to have their questions addressed, and please listen to all questions being asked to avoid duplication.

Closing Remarks

Before we conclude this meeting, please remember that for an official response, all questions should be submitted to me in writing via eMMA and or email. All questions and answers will be posted on eMMA.

This concludes the pre-proposal conference for Federal Worker Employee Loan RFP, eMMA #:

BPM056866. Thank you for attending and have a great day.

mailto:Raelene.glasgow3@Maryland.gov

Questions From Conference Attendees

Satish Varma Srivatsavaya asked for confirmation regarding the 50% cap on MBE self-performance

Allan Robinson confirmed that if an MBE is bidding as a prime contractor, they may perform up to

50% of the MBE goal.

Satish Varma Srivatsavaya asked if Truist Bank is the current merchant service provider.

Kimlloy Broughton confirmed that the current merchant provider is Truist Bank and the processing network is Tesus.

Rachel Brash added that the team would consider and provide further details regarding other infrastructure integration requirements at a later time.

Cheryl Morgan and Allan Robinson confirmed that this is generally acceptable if the partnership is defined in the RFP. It was requested that this question be submitted in writing for official confirmation.

Cheryl Morgan encouraged vendors to support apprenticeship and internship initiatives, which should be registered with the Maryland Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Labor, or an equivalent agency.

John Foster asked about expected application volume and staffing levels.

Cheryl Morgan clarified that estimates ranged from 3000 to 5,000 applications during shutdowns, and state staff engagement typically involves 20 to 30 individuals depending on volume.

Satish Varma Srivatsavaya asked if customer support was limited to shutdown periods.

Cheryl morgan clarified that customer support must be provided throughout the entire year, as it is needed for both the emergency loan program and repayment processes, though activity will fluctuate.

Heather Thayer asked about the requirement for a fully functional system by the RFP due date versus the March 2027 deadline.

Rachel Brash and Cheryl Morgan explained that the vendor must have an existing, fully-tested system that can be customized to state requirements, and that the implementation period allows for building specific forms and ensuring the new system overlaps with the current contract before April 1, 2027.

Dilshad Albert asked for the total funding process last year.

Chery Morgan indicated that the total was approximately $2.5 million for both programs combined, noting that this is a loan program where repayments are expected, and the program is a state priority.

Louis Bullock asked if a dual-certified MBE and VSBE could be utilized by a prime contractor to meet both goals.

Allan Robinson confirmed that the firm could count toward the MBE goal up to 50% and toward the

VSBE 100%.

Louis Bullock verified the ability to meet both requirements during the discussion.

Allan Robinson clarified the specific breakdown, noting that only 50% of the MBE requirement can be fulfilled as a prime contractor, whereas up to 100% of the VSBE requirement can be satisfied.