Q and A_RFB 25-01009_final Flu Shot Clinic.pdf

Answers to Questions for RFB 25-01009 Flu Shot Clinic for Students, Faculty and Staff

***The Due Date for this RFB has been extended. The Due Date will now be Friday, October 17, 2025.

Q1: Does the University keep any medical insurance info in the student eligibility file?

A1: UW-Madison and UHS do not keep any student health insurance information on file as the student health center does not bill student insurance. The only student insurance information that would be on file would be for students enrolled in the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP), which is required for international students but optional for domestic students.

Q2: Please confirm that the balance of what is charged versus what a health plan pays would be picked up by the University.

A2: Currently, for the influenza vaccination, if the student, staff or faculty member’s insurance does not cover all or some of the flu vaccine, the University will cover the remaining balance. For the COVID-19 vaccination, patients with unverified insurance or no insurance, which is validated by the vendor awarded this contract during the registration process, will need to either pay for the vaccination outright or find an alternative servicer in the community where their insurance is accepted (e.g. neighborhood retail pharmacy). On the rare occasion that a patient’s insurance is verified, but their insurance denies the claim, the vendor awarded this contract is expected to bill the patient for the remaining balance with no cost to the University.

For employees in departments or entering University of Wisconsin facilities where vaccination is required, Environmental & Occupational Health (EOH) will cover the cost of vaccinations for individuals who do not yet have UW-provided health insurance. However, all employees should use their health insurance as the primary method of payment whenever possible. This policy must be strictly enforced within both the vendor appointment scheduling system and the vendor patient screening process to ensure consistent application and accountability.

Q3: Per section 1.2 Scope: 1. Contractor must bill insurance and work with UHS to determine any potential out of pocket costs for faculty, staff and students prior the beginning of the fall campaign. How is this coordinated today as we are unable to bill insurance prior to services being rendered?

A3: The vendor awarded this contract will partner with UHS annually to discuss these potential costs to the University. This is done in the Spring when reviewing the data from the previous year’s vaccination clinics, including data around how many vaccinations were given and how many of these students, faculty and staff were either uninsured, did not report their insurance information, or had their insurance deny the vaccination claim. This data is then used to predict costs for the upcoming year.

The vendor awarded this contract may be provided with a list of health insurance agencies currently offered to UW employees, as well as other agencies that employees may use but are not covered by UW. This expanded list supports the contracting process by helping the vendor anticipate billing needs. Over the past five seasons, the number of participating agencies has ranged from five to more than forty. Historically, more than 80% of vaccination charges for employee-patients have been billed to three or four major health insurance providers in the Madison area, a pattern consistent with broader Dane County trends. This agency list can be updated and shared with the selected vendor to facilitate timely and accurate contract setup.

Q4: Under the DESCRIPTION section, you indicate that you have "presented a COST SHEET to be completed and uploaded with bidder's response." We don't see this cost sheet. Can you please either direct us to it or provide it?

A4: This can be found in the “RFB 25-00109 Terms and Requirements….” document included with this solicitation. See page 13, Attachment B (Itemized Bid List).

Q5: While the contract effective date is 9/1/2025, with the RFB due date of 10/10/2025, when does UHS anticipate clinics starting - within this 2025 season or for fall 2026?

A5: Vaccination clinics under this contract would begin in fall 2026. There is also an expectation that planning will occur in Spring/Summer of 2026 to prepare for the fall clinics.

For employees, a vaccination campaign start date of September 15 and a completion date of December 15 is ideal. However, we recognize that vaccine availability and other operational factors may affect scheduling. We are fully supportive of rescheduling these events when necessary, provided that changes are clearly communicated and well-coordinated in advance.

Q6: Can UHS provide a list of the 11 major employee health plans? Who administers the student health plan?

A6 The student health insurance plan (SHIP) is self-funded by UW Madison and is administered through Wellfleet.

As of 2025, UW System employees can choose from the following based on county of residence and include the following agencies:

• Dean Health Plan

• Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire

• Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin (GHC-SCW)

• HealthPartners Health Plan

• Medical Associates Health Plans

• MercyCare Health Plan

• Network Health

• Quartz – Community

• Quartz – Central

• Security Health Plan

• WEA Trust (Statewide)

Additional note - four agencies—Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS), Dean Health Plan, Group Health Cooperative (GHC), and Quartz—accounted for over 80% of vaccination charges for employee-patients during the previous season. To support the contracting process, the vendor awarded this contract may be provided with this list of both UW-sponsored health insurance agencies and other agencies used by employees but not paid for by UW. (Separate spreadsheet) In cases where employees are covered by less common insurance providers, the vendor may consider allowing those individuals to pay out of pocket to the vendor for their vaccination and seek reimbursement through their own insurance plans.Q7: Please clarify and expand upon the following: “Willing to partner with campus health professional students to provide supervised clinical experience, while also supporting staffing needs at vaccine clinics.” Is this statement in reference to the requirement outlined in Section 5 Specifications: “Utilize UW Nursing School students to help immunize when appropriate.” ?

A7: Yes, UHS is interested in partnering with a vendor that would be willing to consider collaboration with UW Madison’s health profession programs in an effort to promote UW Madison’s academic mission.

Q8: Will UHS award the contract to a sole vendor or multiple vendors?

A8: The intention is to award this contract to a single, sole vendor. However, the University reserves the right to award based on its best interests in ensuring successful completion of the scope of services outlined in this solicitation.

Q9: “Services are to be performed at locations indicated when orders are placed.” (2.2). For best planning purposes will UHS provide a list of clinics to be scheduled for the Fall Season in advance of the Sept timeframe?

A9: Vaccination clinics are scheduled in the spring and dates will be shared with the vendor by July 1st annually. UHS is responsible for scheduling these clinics from Sept-Dec at various locations across campus and relays this information to the vendor as they are scheduled. The vendor can share blackout dates that they know they won’t have staffing to support a clinic, however these need to be shared with UHS by April 15th annually and should be limited to no more than 10 days from September 1 – December 15 annually.

Q10: Please also provide details around the number of clinics and participants per clinic for 2023 and 2024.

A10: Vaccination clinics are scheduled by UHS on dates and locations that have been selected by UHS, taking into consideration blackout dates provided by the vendor. Vaccination clinics are scheduled on weekdays (Monday-Friday) from September 1 – Dec 15th annually.

These are not scheduled on legal holidays that fall within this timeframe. The number of vaccination clinics scheduled annually may vary based upon need and to ensure access for students, staff and faculty. Currently, we are scheduling 17-20 clinics annually. There may be variation in the future around the number of clinics offered, but this would be discussed between UHS and the selected vendor prior to large influxes. Please see Appendix XX below for additional information on the schedule for clinics for 2025, as well as the number of clinics and participants per clinic for 2023 and 2024.

Q11: Will UHS consider offering additional vaccines under this contract?

A11: UHS may consider offering additional vaccinations under this contract, but that would need to be agreed upon by UHS and the awarded vendor on an annual basis.

Q12: Acknowledging UHS is requesting firm rates over three years, would you consider three year pricing that is variable so long as the rates remain fixed for each individual year? Please note that this would be for direct bill and cash pay only as we do not negotiate your immunization rates for insurance billing.

A12: Yes.

Q13: If the question deadline is five business days after posting, will UHS consider extending the question deadline to 9/26/2025? If that is not the deadline, can UHS clarify the question deadline?

A13: Questions were due from all interested parties by the end of the day on 9/26/2025.

Q14: Can UHS clarify the award and commencement timeline?

A14: We intend to award a supplier as soon as possible after the RFB due date. The official contract start date (commencement) will be January 1, 2026. Planning meetings for Fall 2026 vaccination clinics will take place in the spring of 2026.

Q15: When would the first flu shot and/or Covid-19 event take place? Could the first event take place as early as early 2026?

A15: The first vaccination event under this contract will take place in fall 2026, likely in September.

Q16: Question 1.1.3 – is there a list the bidder should select from?

A16: Yes, there is a dropdown menu from which selections can be made when the bidder is providing an answer to this Question.

Q17: Question 2.1.9 – if the bidder has an agreement with the State of Wisconsin, how will the resulting contract from this RFP coordinate with U.W. System campuses, State of Wisconsin agencies and Wisconsin municipalities that want to use this contract to make purchases for Flu and Covid vaccinations?

A17: If the bidder opts to allow other agencies, campuses or municipalities to use this contract for the purchase of services/products, then these entities can use this contract assuming proper permission is received from the Department of Administration. UW- Madison would post this contract on the Department of Administration’s contract page making others aware of its existence. The entity would also have to consult with the awarded vendor to ensure that the scope of their project aligns with this contract.

Q18: Section 1.2 – indicates that UW-Madison expects 17,000 vaccines will be needed, however, the PDF document indicates 25,000 vaccines. What count is accurate?

A18: 25,000 is the accurate estimate, however, it is an estimate.

Q19: Can the University please provide an estimated number of Flu and or Covid events that are anticipated? Please include estimated number of events, day of the week and anticipated time of events, and how many vaccinations are anticipated to be administered at each event.

A19: Vaccination clinics are scheduled on weekdays (Monday-Friday) from September 1

– Dec 15th annually. These are not scheduled on legal holidays that fall within this timeframe.

The number of vaccination clinics scheduled annually may vary based upon need and to ensure access for students, staff and faculty. Currently, we are scheduling 17-20 clinics annually. Please see Appendix XX below for additional information on the schedule for clinics for 2025, as well as the number of clinics and participants per clinic for 2023 and 2024.

Q20: Section 1.2 – indicates that the vaccine clinics are held in the Fall, usually September through December. Will the resulting contract from this RFP be in place for Fall of 2026 and/or 2027?

A20: The resulting contract from this RFP will be in place for fall 2026, and planning for these clinics between UHS and the selected vendor will begin in early 2026. The term for this contract is 3 years and will be automatically renewed for 3 additional one-year terms unless Purchasing is notified, in writing, by the Contractor; or notifies the Contractor, in writing, 90 calendar days prior to expiration of the initial and/or succeeding Contract term(s).

Q21: Can the University please provide an estimated number of Flu and or Covid events that are anticipated? Please include estimated number of events, day of the week and anticipated time of events, and how many vaccinations are anticipated to be administered at each event.

A21: Vaccination clinics are scheduled on weekdays (Monday-Friday) from September 1

– Dec 15th annually. These are not scheduled on legal holidays that fall within this timeframe.

The number of vaccination clinics scheduled annually may vary based upon need and to ensure access for students, staff and faculty. Currently, we are scheduling 17-20 clinics annually. Please see Appendix XX below for additional information on the schedule for clinics for 2025, as well as the number of clinics and participants per clinic for 2023 and 2024.

Q22: Section 1.2.c.3 & 4 - If this contract begins for the Fall 2026 and/or 2027 season, will the bidder be allowed to use the time from contract award until Fall 2027 to enter into contracts with all 11 major commercial plans accepted by UW System employees? Is UW-Madison able to help the bidder working with the 11 major commercial plans to push through the contracts the bidder will need? Can you please provide a master list of these 11 plans?

Yes, if this contract begins for the Fall 2026 and/or 2027 season, the bidder will be allowed to use the time from contract award until Fall 2027 to enter into contracts with all 11 major commercial health plans accepted by UW System employees. UW–Madison is able to assist and advocate for the bidder in working with these health plans to help facilitate and expedite the contracting process as needed. A master list of the 11 major commercial plans can be provided to the selected vendor upon request to support this effort.

A22:

Q23: Section 1.2.d – is the immunization documentation uploaded into the WIR the same documentation that must be provided to UHS? How will UHS and UW-Madison approve this documentation? Is there an approved template the bidder can use that has already been approved by UHS and UW-Madison? Please confirm that this section also requires the same documentation to be sent to UW-Madison designated Occupational Health personnel/systems.

A23: UHS would prefer a vendor who will interface with our Electronic Health Record (Point & Click). The information uploaded into WIR will meet the basic requirements for documenting in the EHR without direct interface, but would need a secure method of transmission of these records.

Q24: Section 1.2.e – what type of communications and outreach is typically done by UHS?

Print, electronic, telephonic, etc.?

A24: Outreach for vaccination clinics is overseen by UHS’ Marketing and Health Communications team. All marketing and outreach for these events must be approved by UHS Marketing & Health Communication team prior to being released. Marketing for vaccination clinics includes social media posts throughout the fall semester, email messaging, sharing in various campus newsletters, UHS homepage features, posters, handouts, digital TV graphics across campus, and SWAG handed out at these clinics.

Q25: Section 1.2 indicates that the University reserves the right to negotiate with any contracted vendor(s) to establish additional discounts and/or lower prices for products determined to meet the requirements. Does this mean you will negotiate with the Bidder who was awarded with the contract or does this mean you will negotiate with a vendor who is not a party to the contract and therefore for that time period, the University would not purchase the services through the contract the bidder entered into with the University?

A25: It means we will negotiate with the awarded/contracted bidder/vendor.

Q26: Section 3.2 - what documentation is required to be authorized by the State of Wisconsin?

A26: The vendor must be a licensed vaccination provider by the State of Wisconsin, including a State Department of Health Services approved vaccine management plan.

Q27: Section 4.1 – what type of documents are required to support a price increase? Can you provide examples of what you accept?

A27: There is no specific documentation/template that we have. Proposed price increases are limited to fully documented cost increases submitted with the request (bidder must be able to document/demonstrate that they have incurred additional costs). If Purchasing deems cost increases are not acceptable, it reserves the right to rebid the contract in whole or part or to negotiate price increase requests with the Contractor. Price increases must be labeled with the contract number and should be submitted in the same format as the original bid.

Q28: Section 5.2 – Please clarify that even if there is an emergency situation, the bidder “must be prepared to supply the University with the items/services on this bid as required”. Does this mean the University would still expect the onsite Flu Clinic to be held even if the snowstorm, pandemic, etc. prohibits them from reaching the location of the Flu Clinic?

A28: In an emergency, such as a natural disaster or pandemic, UHS would partner with the vendor to determine whether to hold the vaccination clinic as scheduled or reschedule. UHS would be open to rescheduling vaccination clinics in any other emergency situation, such as bad weather, campus closures, or unforeseen circumstances.

Q29: Please confirm that the 4,000 Student Flu Shots billed directly to UHS is not to be billed directly to the UW-Madison Student Health Insurance Plan. This is confusing since UHS is the UW-Madison student health center and not an insurance plan.

A29: For the influenza vaccination, if the student, staff or faculty member’s third-party insurance does not cover all or part of the cost of the flu vaccine, the University will cover the remaining cost. These remaining costs will be invoiced directly to UHS and not to the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). The expectation of the vendor is to invoice UHS for vaccines administered to SHIP-covered patients, not to bill SHIP directly.

Q30: For the 8,000 COVID-19 shots to be billed to insurance – what happens if the University’s health plans do not cover COVID-19 shots, or only cover COVID-19 shots for individuals who meet certain requirements to receive the COVID-19 shot? Does the Bidder invoice the University?

A30: For the COVID-19 vaccination, patients with unverified insurance or no insurance, which is validated by the vendor during the registration process, will need to either pay for the vaccination outright or find an alternative servicer in the community where their insurance is accepted (e.g. neighborhood retail pharmacy). On the rare occasion that a patient’s insurance is verified, but their insurer denies the claim, the awarded vendor is expected to bill the patient for the remaining balance with no cost to the University.

Q31: Please confirm that out of the 2,500 individuals that EOH supports only 510 employees will be invoiced to EOH. What happens to the approx. 2,000 remaining employees? Where do the invoices for those individuals go?

A31: Yes, out of the approximately 2,500 individuals supported by Environmental & Occupational Health (EOH), it is anticipated that only about 510 employees who are both required to be vaccinated and do not yet have UW-provided health insurance will be invoiced to EOH. All other employees—approximately 2,000—are expected to use their UW-provided health insurance as the primary and first method of payment for vaccination services. It is expected that this policy is strictly enforced through both the vendor appointment scheduling system and the vendor patient screening process to ensure consistent application and accountability.

Q32: Please advise as to how UW will cover any remaining costs for the vaccinations the health plans may not cover.

A32: For the influenza vaccination, if the student, staff or faculty member’s insurance does not cover all or some of the cost of the flu vaccine, the University will cover the remaining cost. For the COVID-19 vaccination, patients with unverified insurance or no insurance, which is validated by the vendor during the registration process, will need to either pay for the vaccination outright or find an alternative servicer in the community where their insurance is accepted (e.g. neighborhood retail pharmacy). On the rare occasion that a patient’s insurance is verified, but their insurer denies the claim, the vendor is expected to bill the patient for the remaining balance with no cost to the University.

UW–Madison expects all employees to use their UW-provided health insurance as the primary method of payment for vaccinations. For the subset of employees who do not yet have UW-provided health insurance EOH will cover the full cost of their vaccinations.

EOH does not cover residual costs for employees not required to be vaccinated or insured employees. Vendors should ensure that their billing systems are aligned with this policy and that employees are informed of any out-of-pocket costs during the appointment and screening process.

Q33: On the Cost Sheet on page 13 of the Services and Requirements document, should line 3 say “Student COVID-19 Shots billed to insurance”?

A33: Yes.

Q34: Please elaborate on this requirement: "Willing to partner with campus health professional students to provide supervised clinical experience, while also supporting staffing needs at vaccine clinics." This would take time to plan with our partner.

A34: UHS is interested in partnering with a vendor that would be willing to consider collaboration with UW Madison’s health profession programs to promote UW Madison’s academic mission

Appendix XX

All clinics ran from 8:30 am to 4:30pm and reservations included an additional 30-60 minutes before start time and after end time for set-up and take down, which was done by the vendor.

2025 UW Madison Vaccination Clinic Schedule

Date Clinic Location Monday 9/8 Memorial Union Wednesday 9/10 333 East Campus Mall (outdoor clinic) Tuesday 9/16 Health Services Learning Center Wednesday 9/17 Health Services Learning Center Monday 9/22 Union South Tuesday 9/23 The Nick Tuesday 9/30 Dejope Hall Wednesday 10/1 Gordon Dining Thursday 10/2 Gordon Dining Tuesday 10/7 Memorial Union Tuesday 10/14 The Nick Wednesday 10/15 Union South Wednesday 10/22 Bakke Tuesday 10/28 Ogg Hall Tuesday 11/4 Health Services Learning Center Wednesday 11/5 Grainger Hall Wednesday 11/19 Bakke Tuesday 12/2 Memorial Union

2024 UW Madison Vaccination Clinic Schedule

Date Clinic Location Flu Given

COVID Given Total Vaccines Given

9/9 Health Services Learning Center 868 635 1503 9/10 Health Services Learning Center 846 541 1387 9/11 Memorial Union 728 542 1270 9/12 Memorial Union 549 530 969 9/25 333 ECM (outdoor clinic) 1028 725 1753 10/1 Dejope Hall 726 462 1188 10/11 Grainger Hall 696 451 1147

10/15 The Nick 795 478 1273 10/22 Gordon Dining 488 263 751 10/23 Gordon Dining 366 196 562 10/30 Union South 659 430 1089 10/31 Union South 381 248 629 11/6 Ogg Hall 293 127 420 11/12 Health Services Learning Center 625 354 979 11/19 Bakke 368 230 598 11/20 Bakke 305 181 486 12/4 Discovery Building 255 169 424 12/5 Discovery Building 162 115 277

2023 UW Madison Vaccination Clinic Schedule

Date Clinic Location Flu Given COVID Given Total Vaccines Given

9/12 Health Services Learning Center 1088 0 1088 9/13 Health Services Learning Center 952 0 952 9/20 333 ECM (outdoor clinic) 1584 0 1584 9/26 Pyle Center 628 0 628 9/27 Pyle Center 632 0 632 10/5 Gordon Dining 922 682 1604 10/6 Gordon Dining 689 423 1112 10/9 Union South 1422 552 1974 10/10 Bakke 703 297 1000 10/17 Waisman Center 533 292 825 10/18 The Nick 1170 469 1639 10/26 Wisconsin Energy Institute 464 343

10/27 Wisconsin Energy Institute 246 291 537

10/31 Health Services Learning Center 510 561 1071 11/1 Bakke 366 378 744 11/7 Grainger Hall 732 561 1293 11/8 Grainger Hall 486 418 904 11/16 The Nick 743 525 1268 11/28 Gordon Dining 356 228 584 11/29 Gordon Dining 269 136 405 12/5 Student Activity Center 171 59 230 12/6 Student Activity Center 113 31 114 12/7 Student Activity Center 109 29 138