QA IFB 2026 Epinephrine Auto-Program 7.27.26.docx

IFB 2026 Epinephrine Auto-Injectors Q & A Please review the amended IFB document, as updates were made as necessary to coincide with the responses below.

Please see updates to section 1.2 Term of Contract.

OCFS will make one purchase authorization award to secure the total funding required to support one awarded vendor.

All auto-injectors will not need to be delivered at one time. Once the award is made, OCFS will request delivery to the childcare programs as needed.

The commodity is being requested over a two-year period. All required ancillary services related to purchase and delivery of the requested commodity will be required for the two-year period.

Please see updates to section 2.2 Product/Service Specification.

The tele-outreach support component has been removed from the IFB.

The non-patient specific auto-injector initiative is supported through federal funds.

Any insurance provisions or documents deemed applicable by OCFS in the IFB are a requirement and cannot be deleted, removed or redlined by the awardee.

Discretionary non-personnel services refer to spending on optional services, items, supplies, materials, etc in an expenditure-based budget. This is standard language used in our procurements. Typically, commodities purchases do not require an expenditure-based budget. OCFS evaluates MWBE spending participation on a case-by-case basis for each contract.

The vendor must obtain and utilize a compatible technology solution that will allow them to interface with the application programming interface (API) offered by OCFS Division of Child Care Services (DCCS) electronic system of record, and the Child Care Facility System (CCFS). The API provides CCFS with the ability to request new devices and be updated when devices have been shipped in a fully automated process.

The type of technology currently being used for this purpose is .NET Core 10 JSON REST APIs.

At vendor’s cost, the vendor must be able to provide ongoing support to childcare providers by implementing a tele-outreach program promoting the initiative which includes telephone and email correspondence to childcare programs. The scripting for the tele-outreach must be pre-approved by OCFS.

Please see updates to section 2.2 Product/Service Specification.

The tele-outreach support component has been removed from the IFB.

Any terms or conditions that are required by OCFS in the IFB to bid on this opportunity cannot be removed, exempted or deemed an exception by the bidder.

We cannot provide this information. A FOIL request must be submitted to obtain this info.

Please see updates to section 2.2 Product/Service Specification.

The tele-outreach support requirement has been removed from the IFB. The vendor should have the means for child care programs to contact the vendor as needed. The API that will be established will transmit orders to the awarded vendor. No other web portal is necessary to support the program. The Child Care Facility System (CCFS) is the only system that auto-injector data will be transmitted to and from.

Regarding Section 2.3 Delivery, OCFS deems that shipping shall be at FOB Destination to any point in New York State. Additionally, items order must be delivered within 30 days of the order notification by OCFS, unless otherwise agreed to in writing by OCFS. Awarded responder must coordinate delivery accordingly to meet the deadline.

A signature is not required for deliveries.

The purchase authorization contract would be developed between the winning bidder and OCFS.

Payments are not made by Office of General Services or the individual daycares.

There will not be a one-time payment. Orders will be placed as needed and payments made by OCFS.

Payment will be made by OCFS after orders are placed, deliveries are made, orders are received and verified by individual daycares, and a proper invoice has been submitted.

Yes, OCFS would consider this requirement satisfied if one voice-guided instructional training device was included with each shipment and packaged separately from the twin-pack.

For the tele-outreach program described in Section 2.2, is the contractor expected to provide support in English only or must telephone, email and outreach materials also be available in Spanish or other languages?

Please see updates to section 2.2 Product/Service Specification.

The tele-outreach support requirement has been removed from the IFB.

For the required tele-outreach program, can OCFS provide the anticipated number of childcare providers requiring outreach, the expected duration of the outreach effort and any anticipated ongoing outreach requirements throughout the contract term?

Please see updates to section 2.2 Product/Service Specification.

The tele-outreach support requirement has been removed from the IFB.

Section 2.2 estimates 72,000 twin packs. Approximately 24,000 of each dose. What assumptions were used to develop these estimates? Ex. number of facilities, expected enrollment growth, historical utilization, and projected replacement rates?

The non-patient specific auto-injector initiative is currently a voluntary program, with a steady increase in enrollment. Data pertaining to enrollment rate, historical utilization, replacement frequency, and the number of eligible facilities were used to estimate the number of twin packs.

All currently licensed or registered child care programs within the state of New York are eligible to participate in this initiative. There are currently approximately 16,000 eligible child care programs.

Please refer to updated section 3.2 Packaging of IFB Response, to verify what documents must be completed and provided with the bid.

Bid prices must be entered on the Attachment #1 – Financial Response Bid Sheet. There is no mechanism for submitting supporting documentation to detail pricing. Responders must enter their bid prices for each of the (3) three dosage amounts (Lots) in the ‘Unit Bid Rate’ cell of the Attachment #1 – Financial Response Bid Sheet document. The Attachment #1 – Financial Response Bid Sheet document will calculate your total bid cost.

The technology solution would need to be compatible with .NET Core 10 JSON REST APIs.

Please see updates to section 2.2 Product/Service Specification.

The tele-outreach support requirement has been removed from the IFB.

All currently licensed or registered child care programs within the state of New York are eligible to participate in this initiative. There are currently approximately 16,000 eligible child care programs.

Please see updates to section 4.1 Method of Award. Bid prices bid in Attachment # 1 – Financial Responses Bid Sheet document will remain firm and valid during the evaluation period for 365 days from date of bid opening.

The awarded bidder’s prices for all 3 auto-injectors dosage sizes will remain firm for the entire two-year term of the Purchase Authorization contract.

OCFS will work with the awarded vendor to provide all necessary documentation for the procurement and delivery of the non-patient specific medication, including obtaining non-patient specific prescriptions for the auto-injectors.

The IFB states the vendor must interface with the API offered by OCFS DCCS and the Child Care Facility System (CCFS). Will OCFS provide the API technical documentation (endpoint specifications, methods, and protocol — e.g., REST/SOAP) to bidders, and if so, when? If documentation is available now, we request a copy in order to scope our response.

The data will be provided to the awarded vendor after they are selected and onboarded.

The data will be provided to the awarded vendor after they are selected and onboarded.

The data will be provided to the awarded vendor after the vendor is selected and onboarded.

Once a Purchase Authorization contract is finalized with the awarded vendor, the vendor would work with the OCFS IT team for technology support and API testing as needed.

Project timelines will be decided with the awarded vendor during Purchase Authorization contract development.

The awarded vendor would not need to create a separate direct integration with the training vendor.

API specifications will be discussed with the awarded vendor during Purchase Authorization contract development.

OCFS will identify a primary point of contact for technical/integration support to the awarded vendor.

The IFB estimates approximately 72,000 twin-packs (~24,000 per dose) over the two-year term. Can OCFS provide historical order volumes from the prior contract term to assist bidders in forecasting?

We cannot provide this information. A FOIL request must be submitted to obtain this info.

Could you please clarify whether engaging a 3PL provider for logistics support would be considered subcontracting under Section 2.7, or whether this provision applies only to the core scope of supply (i.e., sourcing and providing the epinephrine auto-injectors themselves)?

Yes, utilizing a third-party logistics provider would be considered subcontracting. Per Section 2.7 of the IFB, applicants may not subcontract components of the scope of work.

For the purposes of this procurement, utilizing a traditional commodity delivery method (e.g. USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc) is not considered subcontracting.