RFP # 202608140

Tobacco Retail Compliance Checks

PROPOSED SERVICES RESPONSE FORM

Bidder Name:

INSTRUCTIONS: Bidder must complete this form to discuss the Services to be Provided referenced in Part II of the RFP and what the Bidder will offer, including:

· A description of the methods and resources the Bidder will use and how each task involved will be accomplished.

· A description of how the expectations and/or desired outcomes as a result of these services will be achieved.

· If subcontractors are involved, Bidders must clearly identify the work each will perform.

Bidders may expand each of the response (white) spaces within this document in order to provide a full response to each requirement.

A. General Requirements

1. Ensure the awarded Bidder and their subcontractor(s):

a. Have no contractual relationship or affiliation with tobacco or tobacco-product companies, owners, affiliates, subsidiaries or holding companies or any organization involved in the production, processing, distribution, promotion, sale or use of tobacco or tobacco-related products; and

b. Refrain from all significant financial interest, (e.g., owning stock in the company that owns the establishment, or employment of a close family member by the company that owns the establishment) in any of the establishments where Synar Retail Tobacco Compliance Check Inspections (Inspections) are conducted.

2. Ensure the awarded Bidder’s personnel and subcontractors participating in Inspections comply with all federal statutes that ban them from participating personally and substantially in a particular government matter that will affect their own financial interests, as well as the financial interests of:

a. Their spouse or minor child;

b. Their general partner (if they have any ownership in a corporation);

c. An organization in which they serve as an officer, director, trustee, general partner, or employee; and/or

d. A person with whom they are negotiating for or have an arrangement concerning prospective employment.

B. Compliance Check Inspections Team Requirements

1. Adhere to the Inspections Quality Control Standards and Procedures outlined in Appendix I.

2. Recruit, hire, train, supervise, and maintain an adequate number of Inspection Teams to conduct Inspections at each Tobacco Retailer across the State.

a. Ensure a sufficient number of Agents are available in all regions of the State to facilitate and administer the legal and administrative aspects of the Inspections and guarantee the safety of Youth Interns.

b. Inspection Teams may cover more than one (1) geographical area of the State and must consist of:

c. One (1) Agent;

i. One (1) Supervisor; and

ii. Up to two (2) Youth/Young Adult Interns.

1) One (1) Buyer; and

2) As needed, one (1) Observer.

3. Conduct background checks on all Agents, Supervisors and Young Adult Interns who participate in Inspections in accordance with the Department’s current State Service Contract, Rider D, Section 13. The current DHHS State Service Contract may be obtained on the Department’s Contract Documents webpage.

a. Background checks must be completed prior to any individual participating in Inspections and annually thereafter, as described in the Inspections Quality Control Standards and Procedures, Appendix I.

4. Ensure all Youth/Young Adult Interns receive and fill out an administrative packet provided by the State’s Office of Attorney General Tobacco Enforcement Coordinator (OAG TEC).

a. Provide completed packets upon request from the Department and/or the OAG TEC.

5. Ensure any Agent or Supervisor using their personal vehicle for Inspections complies with all applicable Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicle laws and rules.

C. Retail Tobacco Compliance Check Inspections

1. Schedule and conduct annual Inspections for all licensed Tobacco Retailers in the State.

a. Submit a work plan to the Department and OAG-TEC within thirty (30) calendar days of the start of the initial period of performance that includes a timeline for:

i. Recruiting, training, and hiring Inspection Teams;

ii. Completing annual training requirements; and

iii. Conducting Inspections.

1) The annual number of Inspections is subject to change based on the official Tobacco Retailer license list.

b. Schedule and coordinate Inspections with the Inspection Teams monthly.

i. Confirm and receive approval of the monthly schedule from the OAG TEC at least fourteen (14) calendar days prior to commencing each month’s scheduled Inspections.

ii. Coordinate with the State’s Office of Attorney General Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Program Coordinator to confirm timeframes of Inspections are met (two (2) weeks apart) to avoid same week Inspections.

2. Ensure all Inspections are conducted in accordance with the Inspections Quality Control Standards and Procedures, Appendix I.

3. Ensure each Inspection Team is available to provide technical assistance to the Synar Coordinator or OAG TEC, if requested.

4. Ensure each Inspection Team is available for a site visit observation by representatives of the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Department, as requested.

5. Maintain all necessary mobile devices, computers, hardware, and/or software needed to schedule, conduct, and report Inspections.

6. Adhere to the Undercover Buy (UB) Violation Chain of Custody Protocol, outlined in the Inspections Quality Control Standards and Procedures Appendix I, when violations occur.

7. Submit all communications concerning Inspections to the Department and/or OAG upon request.

D. Training Requirements

1. Coordinate, including arranging adequate space, and schedule the required Inspection Training and any other training identified as needed for technical assistance with the Department’s Tobacco Program Manager, Synar Coordinator and/or OAG TEC.

a. Ensure all Agents, Supervisors, and Youth/Young Adult Interns successfully complete the Inspection Training prior to participating in Inspections.

E. Record Maintenance

F. Maintain and provide to the Department and/or OAG upon request, all records of Inspections.

a. Deliver all records to the Department and OAG, in .XLSX file format and as a PDF, via recordable media, at the end of each contract period.

b. Maintain documents contained in the Youth/Young Adult Intern administrative packet for all Youth/Young Adult Interns participating in Inspections.

G. Reports

1. Track and record all data/information necessary to complete the required reports listed in Table 1:

Table 1 – Required Reports

2. Submit all the required reports to the Department and OAG TAC in accordance with the timelines established in Table 2:

Table 2 – Required Reports Timelines

DHHS RFP Proposed Services Response Form (Rev. 10/2025)