Q &A Responses for RFP.pdf

Q & A’s for Urine Collection & Breath Analysis RFP for the 4th District.

• Section I.A., page 3: Who currently provides these services?

The current provider for these services is Bridge to Awareness Counseling Center, Inc.

• Section I.A., page 3: Why was the RFP issued (i.e., to identify new vendors, enhance services, because it was time, and/or other reasons)?

The initial current contract ran from February 1, 2012 through June 30, 2012. There have been 4 renewal contracts granted. We are required to re-advertise these services for public bid at this time.

• Section I.A., page 3: Will the vendor serve Problem Solving Court and Probation clients?

This contract will serve probation clients currently participating in our six Problem Solving Court programs. This will not serve our general population probation clientele.

• Section I.B., page 3: Do current practices and prices meet the State’s goals? Are prices and practices uniform? Attachment C, page 14: What are the current prices charged for the specified services? What is the current pricing for urine screens, breathalyzers and Oral Swabs?

Attached is the current pricing list from the statewide contracted lab, Norchem.

• Section II.H.11, page 6: Would a vendor provided donor management information system that stores vendor captured donor photos in a secure, HIPAA compliant manner be of interest to the State? For donors that lack an acceptable form of photo identification, this practice only requires that the vendor coordinate with the State on a donor’s initial visit to verify a donor’s identity and allows the vendor to use the stored donor photo to verify donor identify for subsequent visits.

We currently use Norchem’s SENTRY program for this purpose.

• Section II.H.12, page 6: Can you please describe any geographic preferences of the State for the location or locations of the collections site(s)?

The clientele these services will provide for will be based in the downtown area of Colorado Springs. Close proximity to this area and/or easy accessibility to public transportation in the Colorado Springs area are preferred.

• Section II.H.13, page 6: Can you please describe any breathalyzer testing equipment preferences or requirements?

Breathalyzer testing equipment should be compliant with industry standards such as the DOT/NHTSA. Equipment shall be maintained and calibrated according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, and records shall be kept of this maintenance. Technicians responsible for maintaining the equipment need to be able to provide courtroom testimony should it be required.

• Attachment C, page 14: Do all donors provide a urine/oral fluid sample and submit to a breathalyzer test at every visit? If not, can you please describe the situation in which a client would only do one or the other?

Generally speaking, clients will be required to provide a urine sample at every visit to the collection agency. Regular breathalyzer requirements are extremely uncommon in the Problem Solving Court programs, as ETG testing is more commonly used for alcohol monitoring.

• Section 3.d.ix, page 17: How does Probation communicate custom probation pay amounts to the vendor?

Should any particular client fall outside of the norm with regards to payment requirements, the collection agency can expect notification of this in writing form the probation officer.

Without this notification, it is the expectation that the client be required to provide payment in the normal fashion.

• Section 3.d.xi, page 18: Who is responsible for billing the State if/when a sample confirmation has a negative result?

The collection agency will be responsible for this billing. Generally, the client will be required to pay for the confirmation prior to testing, unless a Probation Supervisor has given prior approval for State funding to be used.

• Section 3.d.h.ii, page 18: Does posting notice of a planned facility closure telegraph to donors a respite of care and circumvent the benefits of random selection?

Posting an anticipated closure could possibly have an effect on the benefits of random selection; however, the benefits of this customer service practice outweigh the latter in the rare instances an agency might be closing for holidays or various unexpected circumstance. In addition, the SENTRY system allows the collection agency to enter “holidays” in the system to ensure no clients will be called for testing that day.

• Exhibit A.3, page 27: Please provide a description of the chain of custody requirements?

Collection sites will need to use SENTRY for chain of custody creation. Chain of custody protocols are largely uniform. Norchem can provide training to collection sites for this purpose, and funding for such is built into the statewide contract with them.

• Exhibit A.3, page 27: Does the estimated volume of 1,250 per month apply to both urine/oral fluid specimens and breathalyzer tests or does it reflect the sum of urine/oral fluid specimens and breathalyzer tests?

The estimated volume refers to urine specimens. It is anticipated that breathalyzer tests will be infrequent and primarily used when the collection agency suspects recent alcohol use by the donor.

• Exhibit A.4, page 27: What is the anticipated timing of the implementation of the Norchem Sentry system?

Historically, an agency has been able to implement the SENTRY system within two weeks of requesting access. Norchem will also provide training for the agency new to their system as needed.

• Exhibit A.4.a, page 27: Does the State prefer a color and/or number system to a random selection system that assigns Personal Identification Numbers to each donor and allows the State to track call history and compliance by donor?

A random selection system with personal identification numbers is preferred. The State is currently contracted with Norchem and the use of their SENTRY system for this purpose.

• Exhibit A.4.e, page 27: How often is in-person testimony required? 1) Who does the 4th JD currently use for this service?

Testimony regarding urinalysis testing is extremely uncommon in the Problem Solving Court realm. We are unaware of a single occurrence required in the last two years. Contact with an individual Court Team by telephone to clarify issues, or written statements regarding collection issues and alleged tampering occur more often than in-person testimony.

• What drug panels does the agency wish to use? Will an Etg be a panel, will a confirmation be a panel?

Current panels used include an ETG panel, 7 panel plus ETG, 7 panel, and 8 panel.

Confirmation tests will be requested by probation if needed, and the client will pay directly in most cases.

• Can you clarify the due date, as the Solicitation has it cited twice but different.

Page 1 states due April 22

Page 5 states due April 20

Typo, RFP is due on the 22nd.

• Can you clarify the Pricing structure on page 14? Attachment C, page 14: Please define the “Max per Month” term. Can we list pricing for individual panels, as they pertain to my question above (what panels)? Urine tests might be a different pricing structure from a Swab test, can we list as a "line item"?

We recognize that the pricing structure on page 14 appears to be unclear. This was the structure used on previous requests. Please provide pricing for the various panels/services under separate line items on your proposals. The “Max per Month” term does not need to be addressed in the proposal.

• Do you know the current hours of testing available for through the current provider?

Currently, UA’s can be submitted between 7am and 7pm Monday through Friday, 7am to 12:45pm Saturday, 8am-12:45pm on Sunday.

• Is there an anticipated contract commencement date?

Per the RFP, the contract will start in July 2016. The initial contract will cover the period beginning July 1, 2016 and ending June 30, 2017.