QA RFP 202603061 toDAFS.xlsx

This document is a Questions and Answers (Q&A) document for RFP 202603061, issued by the State of Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, addressing bidder inquiries regarding Clinical and Community HIV Outreach and Testing Services across three regional service areas. The RFP solicits proposals for comprehensive HIV, STI, and hepatitis C prevention, testing, treatment, education, and referral services, including PrEP and nPEP navigation, with six total awards anticipated (one clinical and one community services award per region). Key service deliverables include organizing two annual awareness events with minimum 25 participants each, establishing referral networks, conducting HIV/STI/hepatitis C testing, distributing HIV self-test kits, and ensuring linkage to care within 30 calendar days for newly diagnosed individuals. An informational meeting was held on April 21, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. via Zoom, with questions due by April 24, 2026, at 4:00 p.m.; Notice of Intent to Bid forms due May 6, 2026, at 4:00 p.m.; and proposals due May 22, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. via the Vendor Self Service system. The initial contract period runs from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2028, with two optional renewal periods extending through September 30, 2031.

The Q&A document clarifies critical budgeting and operational requirements for bidders. Bidders must include costs for self-test kits and rapid test kits in their budgets, as in-kind kits are only provided to organizations not directly funded by the Department. Indirect rates are permitted and must comply with 2 CFR 200, allowing bidders to use their Federal indirect rate, a 15 percent de minimis rate, or calculated rates using CS Budget Forms. Appropriate incentives, such as gift cards to grocery stores or retailers (not redeemable for cash), are allowable costs. The resulting contracts will be cost-settled with invoice submissions; no fee-for-service invoices will be accepted. All staff must be properly licensed and credentialed, with non-clinical staff completing two-day Counselor, Testing, and Referral (CTR) training and clinical staff completing annual one-day CTR training. Mandatory performance measures assessed quarterly include ensuring 75 percent of tested individuals are from key priority populations, achieving 90 percent linkage to care for HIV-positive individuals within 30 days, referring 90 percent of HIV-negative individuals to PrEP, nPEP, or other prevention services, and testing 30 percent of HIV clients for HCV. Bidders must demonstrate three years of audited or reviewed financial statements and project examples from the past five years, and must comply with Maine IT policies and federal data security protocols using REDCap and NEDSS databases for test data submissions.