Questions and Answers B10406.docx

STATE OF ILLINOIS

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS FOR BID

Department of Central Management Services JPMC Collection Cups Random Drug Testing

20-416CMS-BOSS4-B-10406

The following questions were asked by vendors and this Question & Answer was created to address those questions.

· Question: I have questions regarding section 1.2.9 of the description of supplies and services, which request lab results showing that people taking the HIV medication Sustiva do not show false-positive results. Can you provide more information on this?

· Why Sustiva, specifically?

· What drugs are you concerned about producing false-positives?

· Could you recommend a lab we use to address this request? Our technical team is looking into this. Any further information you can provide would be helpful.

1) Response:

Sustiva has been reported to potentially cause false positives for cannabis / THC on certain urine drug testing devices. We cannot recommend a facility to determine cross reactivity.

· Question: We have been reaching out to certified BEP agencies identified under the NIGP categories provided by the State as required. However, there have already been a number of responses indicating that the information provided in the bid is too vague for them to reasonably provide prices. The questions we are getting include:

· What are the delivery locations and type of locations, including hours/days of operation?

· Will delivery vehicles have after-hour access?

· What size orders will typically be requested by a single location / how frequently?

2) Response:

This is a three (3) year joint purchasing master contract to enable all Illinois governmental agencies and qualified not-for-profit agencies to purchase collection cups. The number of locations cannot be determined but there is a potential of statewide deliveries. These are cups normally shipped to a facility with a minimum order of 25. Additional location information can be requested at the time the order is placed.

· Question: If unable to attend in person, is there an opportunity to call-in to the pre-bid conference? If so, please provide call-in information. If not, will all questions and responses be released in an addendum to the bid?

3) Response: An Amendment was posted on 10/30/19 to provide a call-in number for the non-mandatory Prebid meeting scheduled for 11/7/2019 @ 1:00 pm.

· Question: Please clarify the deadline for questions. Page 8 of the bid merely says "submitted in writing to the Information Contact no later than five (5) business days," which doesn't give a reference point for when the 5 days is.

4) Response: Amendment #2 was published with Section A.6 revised to include this information.

· Question: Can the State please clarify what was changed from the original IFB when the Revision 1 version was released?

5) Response: Amendment #2 was published with Section A.6 revised to include this information.

· Question: Do vendors need to fill in fields and sign the Signature Page of the contract draft as part of the bid response, or is the document provided merely a sample for review?

6) Response: Please refer to Section A.3 “Instructions and General Information”

· Question: In section 3.1.1 the bid indicates that the contract may be in place for up to 10 years, and in section 3.2 it says that there will be no renewals available. Please clarify: What is the expected term and renewals available?

7) Response: This will be a three (3) year contract with no renewals available.

· Question: The BEP Utilization Plan Form downloaded from the State site has blank fields. Can the State please provide the commodity/service codes that were used to determine the availability of BEP certified vendors?

8) Response: The NIGP Codes associated with this IFB are as follows: These can also be viewed under the Items Tab.

475-70 475-74 640-25 640-27 640-44 962-86

· Question: Will the State consider waiving the 1% BEP participation goal? This bid is for selling of rapid test devices, which are highly regulated; the service provided is direct shipping of devices and potential training of State staff by a qualified trainer. In our experience, there is not much available work for subcontracting out to BEPs for contracts of this nature for "commercially useful functions" unless the State is willing to accept up to 800% increased costs for services such as courier delivery fees.

9) Response: No

· Question: If BEP participation is still required, may vendors offer two Attachment A forms -- one with BEP participation and one without -- so the State may see what the difference in pricing would be and can choose from the options accordingly?

10) Response: If a solicitation contains a BEP goal, pricing must be submitted accordingly.

· Question: Regarding the collection cup device, we desire clarification regarding the "cassette mechanism." Is the State looking for a dip (or cassette) style test that is inserted into the lid of the cup, or is the State looking for an integrated cup device where the test panel is encased within the cup, such as an iCup? We believe the State is currently receiving an integrated test cup, but would like verification as to the State's intentions.

11) Response: See Section 1.2.1 The collection cup device requires a SELF-CONTAINED PANEL CASSETTE TEST

MECHANISM.

· Question: Would the State consider a cup with a lower Opiates level (OPI 300)? We understand that the majority of the device volume is for criminal justice purposes; for this type of testing environment, lower opiates is typically preferred.

12) Response: No.

· Question: 18 months shelf life is a particularly long window, especially since most products arrive with less than 24 months shelf life to distributors. Would the State consider a slightly shorter shelf life, such as 12 months?

13) Response: No.

· Question: If vendors wish to offer a device with additional drugs, would this be acceptable? If not, would the State allow for a device with additional drugs as an interim device until an exact match can be manufactured?

14) Response: No

· Question: If a vendor has multiple device options to bid, would the State allow vendors to submit multiple Attachment A documents, one for each item they are offering? Or to submit multiple separate bids from the same company? Or would this disqualify a vendor?

15) Response: Vendors are allowed to submit multiple quotes. To be responsive each quote must be complete and meet bid specifications.

· Question: Could you clarify your description of the product? Are you looking to see an actual cassette test device in the cup or is a cup with same 6 drugs incorporated in encased strips in the cup structure acceptable even if it does not look like a separate cassette?

16) Response: No. The specifications require a self-contained cassette test mechanism.

· Question: Must the test be in the body of the cup or is a test in the lid of the cup acceptable?

17) Response: See Section 1.2. The test panel is in the body of the cup.

· Question: Regarding the quantity shown on Attachment A, is 113,250 the annual volume or the volume across the 3 years of the contract (i.e. 37,750 per year)?

18) Response: The quantity shown on Attachment A, 113,250 is the quantity for 3 years of the contract.

· Question: 12. Testing for cross-reactivity for Sustiva patients is not something typically performed for rapid test devices. Would the State allow for vendors to begin such a study following award and provide results to the State upon completion?

19) Response: This Invitation for Bid does not request a study. Section 1.2.9 requires documentation that Sustiva does not give a false positive on the drug panel.

· Question: 13. For the Sustiva study, by ?independent laboratory test? does the State mean independent of the device result or independent to the manufacturer/distributor?

20) Response: The test for Sustiva cross reactivity is done by a laboratory independent to the manufacturer.

· Question: Is only the designated NIGP code of 475-70 to be searched for BEP Participation in the bid? Or are other additional NIGP codes to be searched?

21) Response: The NIGP Codes associated with this IFB are as follows: These can also be viewed under the Items Tab.

· Question: Would NIGP code 19300 not be applicable to this situation also?

22) Response: No

· Question: Are companies that are certified by the Small Business Administration as minority, woman-owned, etc. accepted for the BEP Participation or only those residing and certified in Illinois to be used?

23) Response: To be considered as a BEP vendor, an entity must be registered in the Illinois Procurement Gateway as a BEP vendor at time of quote submission.

· Question: The provided contract start date of December 1, 2019 is very close to the current bid due date of November 20, 2019. Would the State consider allowing a longer roll-out between contract notification and contract start date to allow for contract administration/negotiations (if required) and for vendors to build up inventory specific to the State?s needs?

24) Response: Contract would be effective the date of actual execution by the State and run for three (3) years.

· Question: If vendors need a roll-out window to manufacture a device specifically meeting the configuration/technical needs of the State, would the State consider a substitute interim device that is not FDA cleared? These types of devices are typically referred to as ?forensic use only? products, which are generally acceptable for criminal justice agencies performing tests on offenders for compliance.

25) Response: No.

· Question: At the pre-bid call in, it was stated that the BEP participation could not be indirect activities. Could you clarify your definition of indirect activities as opposed to direct activities?

26) Response: Please direct BEP questions as outlined in Section A.23 per the IFB document.

· Question: If the test is contained inside the the collection cup device and sealed properly, is there a need for a separate lid for the cup? And if your experience indicates there is some need, would an extra lid be needed for each cup?

27) Response: See Section 1.2.12. The sample must have the ability to be sent to a laboratory in a sealed condition. The requirements to accomplish this (e.g. separate lid) would be determined by the vendor.

· Question: Are you able to share or estimate when a first order might take place under this contract after bid award?

28) Response: As this is a Joint Purchasing Master Contract any governmental unit or not-for-profit agency may order anytime after execution.

· Question: Section 1.8 of the Description of Supplies and Services states that services are to be performed in the United States. Is this in any way to be taken that the product must be manufactured in the United States as opposed to distributed and shipped in the United States?

29) Response: If any part of the product is being performed anywhere other than in the US you must disclose the location and provide the value of that portion. The value may be displayed as a percent.

· Question: At least twice, the bid states that the vendor shall invoice at the completion of the contract unless the invoicing is tied to certain milestones or deliverables. May we assume that the receipt of a purchase order and timely delivery of the product will be the accepted deliverables?

30) Response: yes

· Question: Are you aware that Questions & Answers and Questions & Answers (1) are exactly the same? I just want to make sure I have not missed the responses to any Questions that may have been released.

31) Response: Yes

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