PRF76 DFML RFQ~1.pdf

REQUEST FOR QUOTE

PRF76 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTALSERVICES

BD-26-1043-DAO01-32500-125272

FOR PROVIDING LEARNING AND DESIGN SERVICES IN SUPPORT IN SUPPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF

FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE (DFML)

INTRODUCTION

Chapter 175M of the Massachusetts General Laws (Enabling legislation), enacted on June 28, 2018 as part of Chapter 121 of the Acts of 2018, created a new Paid Family and Medical Leave program (PFML).

Implementing regulations for the law are found at 458 CMR 2.00.

This program provides temporary income replacement to eligible workers who are welcoming a new child into their family, are struck by a serious illness or injury, need to take care of an ill or ailing relative, and for certain military considerations. The PFML program is funded by an assessment on wages and similar payments and paid in part by employers and in part by employees and independent contractors covered by the law. The program is available to most workers in Massachusetts and affects most every employer in the state. Additionally, Massachusetts employers that offer approved private plans with paid leave benefits that are equal to or more generous than those provided under the (PFML) program may be eligible to request an exemption from making family or medical leave contributions.

Under the PFML enabling legislation, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) established the new Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML) to administer the PFML program.

The Department is seeking learning and design services in support of program operational processes and initiatives.

The Vendor will provide learning and design services in support of the Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML). This includes but is not limited to learning design, curricula, standard operating procedure (SOP), and knowledge base (KB), development and refinements, and training delivery. Additionally, the Vendor may provide support for departmental feature development and strategic initiatives at the direction of departmental leadership.

The Vendor will work with DFML personnel to build or modify existing curricula to meet learner needs. The Vendor will also develop and deliver training content, knowledge base articles (KB), and standard operating procedures (SOP) that are the result of feature team development or refinements to systems, policies, procedures, recurring or one-time events impacting the Department.

SCOPE OF WORK

• Training Content Development: Development of training material, including lesson plans, exercises, role plays, assessments, and scenarios that reinforce content and ideas in the classroom for learners.

• eLearning material: Development of web-based modules for use in a live classroom (either in-person or virtual), or to be completed in a self-paced form on the learner’s own time. The Vendor will create eLearnings when feasible and effective to promote reuse and replication.

• Training classes: The Vendor will deliver training classes via Vendor-provided trainers and producers based on approved curricula and materials.

• New hire and upskill training: The Vendor will deliver new hire and upskill trainings per approved training calendars, and the trainees are able to execute the necessary SOPs. The Vendor will work with DFML Leadership to assess the training needs of learners.

• Knowledge Base (KB) Articles: The Vendor will develop knowledge base articles directed to support policy and procedure changes, new features, one-time events, recurring activities, and escalation paths.

KBs are written with the end user in mind and are intended to provide digestible information directly to stakeholders who interact with the customer. KBs driven from DFML feature releases and policy changes will also be developed.

• SOPs: The Vendor will produce SOPs that provide a step-by-step accounting of processes as directed to support policy and procedure changes, new escalation pathways as the result of new features or changes to processing rule. SOPs driven from DFML feature releases and policy changes will also be developed.

• Subject Matter Expertise and Support: The Vendor will participate in design of features as requested.

This work may include design reviews and walkthroughs of current system operations to ensure features are designed that are compatible with current operations. The Vendor will participate in or lead the design of key operational processes that are impacted by or the result of new feature development, program bugs in or released into production, or workarounds.

• User Acceptance Testing: The Vendor will design, lead, and manage user acceptance testing cycles. The Vendor will design UAT structure, process, scenarios, and test plans including the scope and scale of testing, analysis of test region to script scenarios that cannot be generated via task work alone, creation of relevant tracking tools to capture all testing including detailed capturing of any errors, creating staffing recommendation that assign actions across department stakeholders, creation of EMD tickets to ensure testing region is sufficient for testing the upgrade code, identify bugs in the current production code, recommend the number of cycles of testing and execute cycles.

Cost Provide cost detail including a detailed description of the project with anticipated hours and negotiated rates.

Timeline The awarded bidder is anticipated to start on or around March 20, 2026, and continue through September 30, 2029.

Evaluation Criteria Proposals will be evaluated based on relevant experience, clarity and feasibility of the proposal, cost-effectiveness, budget alignment, and the quality of past examples.

RFQ BID CALENDAR

SUBJECT DATE TIME

COMMBUYS RFQ Bid Posting Date February 10, 1:00 p.m.

Vendor Questions Submitted via COMMBUYS February 17, 2:00 p.m.

MDCS Answers to be Posted on COMMBUYS (date flexible) February 23, 2:00 p.m.

Bid Responses Due March 2, 2026 2:00 p.m.

Bidder Presentations March 9-11, TBD

Notice of Apparent Successful Bidder Posted in COMMBUYS March 13, 2026 3:00 p.m.

Bid Award (date flexible) March 20, 2026

Supplier Diversity Program (SDP)

Program Background. Pursuant to Executive Order 599, the Commonwealth’s Supplier Diversity Program (SDP) promotes business-to-business relationships between awarded Contractors and diverse businesses and non-profit organizations (“SDP Partners”) certified or recognized (see below for more information) by the Supplier Diversity Office (SDO).

Financial Commitment Requirements. All Bidders responding to this solicitation are required to make a significant financial commitment (“SDP Commitment”) to partnering with one or more SDO-certified or recognized diverse business enterprise(s) or non-profit organization(s). This SDP Commitment must be expressed as a percentage of contract sales resulting from this solicitation that would be spent with the SDP Partner(s).

After contract award (if any), the Total SDP Commitment shall become a contractual requirement to be met annually on a Massachusetts fiscal year basis (July 1 – June 30) for the duration of the contract. The minimum acceptable Total SDP Commitment in response to this solicitation shall be 1%. Bidders shall be awarded additional evaluation points for higher SDP Commitments.

No contract shall be awarded to a Bidder without an SDP Commitment that meets the requirements stated herein.

This requirement extends to all Bidders regardless of their own supplier diversity certification.

STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW) TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• Upon award, a final PRF76 SOW will be drafted, approved and executed for the duration of the contract.

• Payment milestones will be specified in the final PRF76 SOW.

• The provider will comply with all applicable laws and regulations.

https://www.mass.gov/doc/supplier-diversity-program-sdp-rfr-template-language/download https://www.mass.gov/sdp https://www.mass.gov/supplier-diversity-office https://www.mass.gov/supplier-diversity-office