RFA SPARC FY 2027 _PHPA 3730_ 12182025.pdf

REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS (RFA)

STANDARD GRANT AGREEMENT (SGA)

(COMPETITIVE)

PROCUREMENT ID NUMBER – PHPA 3730 / BPM054603

Issue Date: December 18, 2025

Statewide Prevention and Reduction

Collaborative (SPARC)

NOTICE

A Prospective Applicant that has received this document from the Maryland Department of Health, or that has received this document from a source other than the Procurement Officer, and that wishes to assure receipt of any changes or additional materials related to this RFA, should immediately contact the

Procurement Officer and provide the Prospective Applicant’s name and mailing address so that addenda to the RFA or other communications can be sent to the Prospective Applicant.

09/2024

STATE OF MARYLAND

MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

RFA KEY INFORMATION SUMMARY SHEET

Request for Applications: Statewide Prevention and Reduction Collaborative

Solicitation Number: PHPA 3730 / BPM054603

RFA Issue Date: December 18, 2025

RFA Issuing Office: Maryland Department of Health

Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Outbreak Response Bureau

Procurement Officer: Li’Chelle Lindsey

Prevention and Health Promotion Administration

Maryland Department of Health

201 West Preston Street

Baltimore, MD 21201

Phone: 410-767-5621 e-mail: LiChelle.Lindsey@Maryland.gov

Grant Monitor: Rebecca Perlmutter

IDEORB/PHPA

201 W. Preston St, 333E

Baltimore, MD 21201

Questions due date and time: January 08, 2026 Time: 2:00 pm EST Local Time

Applications are to be sent to: eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA)

(https://emma.maryland.gov/page.aspx/en/usr/login?Return

Url=%2fpage.aspx%2fen%2fbuy%2fhomepage). For questions and/or technical assistance, please contact emma.helpdesk@maryland.gov. In addition, you may visit https://procurement.maryland.gov for additional information.

Closing Date and Time: January 15, 2026 Time: 2:00pm EST Local Time https://emma.maryland.gov/page.aspx/en/usr/login?ReturnUrl=%2fpage.aspx%2fen%2fbuy%2fhomepage https://emma.maryland.gov/page.aspx/en/usr/login?ReturnUrl=%2fpage.aspx%2fen%2fbuy%2fhomepage mailto:emma.helpdesk@maryland.gov https://procurement.maryland.gov/

SECTION 1 - GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1 Summary Statement

1.1.1 The Maryland Department of Health (MDH or the Department), Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Outbreak Response Bureau, is issuing this Request for Applications (RFA) to provide subject matter expertise, collaborative management, and program evaluation for the Statewide Prevention and Reduction Collaborative, a program focused on supporting infection prevention and control and antibiotic stewardship throughout the state of Maryland.

1.1.2 It is the State’s intention to obtain services as specified in this RFA, from an Agreement between the selected Applicant and the State. The anticipated duration of services to be provided under this Agreement is August 1, 2026-July 31 2027.

1.1.3 The Department intends to make a single award as a result of this RFA.

1.1.4 Applicants, either directly or through their subcontractor(s), must be able to provide all services and meet all the requirements requested in this solicitation and the successful Applicant shall remain responsible for performance regardless of subcontractor participation in the work.

1.2 Contract Type

1.2.1 The Agreement resulting from this solicitation shall be a Fixed Price Contract.

1.3 Procurement Officer

1.3.1 The sole point of contact in the State for purposes of this solicitation prior to the award of any

Agreement is the Procurement Officer at the address listed below:

Li’Chelle Lindsey

Prevention and Health Promotion Administration

Maryland Department of Health

201 West Preston Street

Baltimore, MD 21201

Phone: 410-767-5621 e-mail: LiChelle.Lindsey@Maryland.gov

1.3.2 The Department may change the Procurement Officer at any time by written notice.

mailto:LiChelle.Lindsey@Maryland.gov

1.4 Grant Monitor

1.4.1 The Grant Monitor is:

Rebecca Perlmutter

Maryland Department of Health

IDEORB/PHPA

201 W. Preston St, 333E

Baltimore, MD 21201

1.4.2 The Department may change the Grant Monitor at any time by written notice.

1.5 eMaryland Marketplace Advantage

1.5.1 Each Applicant is requested to indicate its eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA) vendor number in the Transmittal Letter (cover letter) submitted at the time of its application submission to this RFA.

1.5.2 eMMA is an electronic commerce system administered by the Maryland Department of General

Services. The RFA and associated materials, the solicitation and summary of the Pre-Proposal

Conference, Applicant questions and the Procurement Officer’s responses, addenda, and other solicitation-related information will be provided via eMMA.

1.5.3 In order to receive a contract award, a vendor must be registered on eMMA. Registration is free.

Go to https://procurement.maryland.gov/, click on “Register” to begin the process, and then follow the prompts.

1.6 Questions

1.6.1 Written questions from prospective Applicants will be accepted by the Procurement Officer.

Questions to the Procurement Officer shall be submitted via e-mail to the following e-mail address: LiChelle.Lindsey@maryland.gov. Please identify in the subject line the Solicitation

Number and Title.

1.6.2 Questions are requested to be submitted no later than the due date indicated on the RFA Key

Information Summary Sheet. The Procurement Officer, based on the availability of time to research and communicate an answer, shall decide whether an answer can be given before the

Application due date.

https://procurement.maryland.gov/

1.7 Application Due (Closing) Date and Time

1.7.1 Applications, in the number and form set forth in Section 4.2 “Applications' ' must be received by the Procurement Officer, in eMaryland Marketplace (eMMA) or the RFA email address

RFA.PHPA@maryland.gov, no later than 2:00 pm EST Local Time on January 15, 2026 in order to be considered. If emailing, please identify in the subject line the Solicitation Number and Title.

1.7.2 Requests for an extension of this time or date will not be granted. Applications received after the due date and time listed in this section will not be considered. Questions regarding this solicitation should be directed (By e-mail only, no phone calls will be accepted) to the

PROCUREMENT OFFICER.

1.7.3 Applications may be modified or withdrawn by written notice received by the Procurement

Officer before the time and date set forth in this section for receipt of Application. Multiple and/or alternate Applications will not be accepted.

1.8 Award Basis

1.8.1 The Grant shall be awarded to responsible Applicants submitting Applications that have been determined to be the most advantageous to the State, considering price and evaluation factors set forth in this RFA, for providing the activities as specified in th is RFA. See RFA Section 5 for further award information.

1.9 Revisions to the RFA

1.9.1 If it becomes necessary to revise this RFA before the due date for Applications, the Department shall endeavor to provide addenda to all prospective Applicants that were sent this RFA, or which are otherwise known by the Procurement Officer to have obtained this RFA.

1.9.2 Acknowledgment of the receipt of all addenda to this RFA issued before the Application due date shall be included in the Transmittal Letter accompanying the Applicant’s Project Narrative.

Acknowledgement of the receipt of addenda to the RFA issued after the Application due date shall be in the manner specified in the addendum notice. Failure to acknowledge receipt of an addendum does not relieve the Applicant from complying with the terms, additions, deletions, or corrections set forth in the addendum.

1.10 Cancellations

1.10.1 The State reserves the right to cancel this RFA, accept or reject any and all Applications, in whole or in part, received in response to this RFA, waive or permit the cure of minor irregularities, and conduct discussions with all qualified or potentially qualified applicants in any manner necessary to serve the best interests of the State. The State reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to award a Grant based upon the written Applications received without discussions or negotiations.

1.10.2 In the event a government entity proposes and receives the recommendation for award, the contract, application and solicitation for this RFA may be canceled, and the award processed in accordance with COMAR 21.01.03.01.A(4). If the services that are the subject of the RFA are currently being provided under an interagency agreement with a public institution of higher mailto:RFA.PHPA@maryland.gov education and the State determines that the services can be provided more cost effectively by the public institution of higher education, then the RFA may be canceled in accordance with Md.

Code Ann., State Finance and Procurement Art., § 3- 207(b)(2).

THE REMAINDER OF THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.

SECTION 2 – MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS

2.1 Applicant Mandatory Requirements

The Applicant must provide proof with its application that the following Mandatory Requirements have been met:

2.1.1 The Applicant shall be a social organization as defined per Section 7-402 of the State Finance and

Procurement Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland or a local, state government agency, public college or state university.

2.1.2 For social organization Applicants (not local, state government agency, public college, or state university), the Applicant must be a nonprofit organization, classified by the IRS as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Applications must include attachments of the following documentation from the applicant:

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION: Documentation of tax-exempt status of the Applicant or the

Applicant’s fiscal sponsor (i.e., IRS tax exempt status determination letter)

2.1.3 The Applicant shall be an academic medical center with at least 5 years of experience working with state health department collaboratives and experience implementing infection prevention interventions with non-academic community hospitals. As proof of meeting this requirement, the

Applicant shall provide with its Application the Primary Investigator’s resume

SECTION 3 – SCOPE OF WORK

3.1 Background and Purpose

The State is issuing this solicitation for the purposes of continuing the Statewide Prevention and

Reduction Collaborative (SPARC). Since 2017, SPARC has been a successful collaborative between the state and academic medical centers providing infection prevention and control support to acute care hospitals in the state. Originally the collaborative focused on the reduction of C. difficile, but has expanded to cover COVID-19, CLABSI, antibiotic stewardship, water management, and surgical site infections. Future directions will continue to be responsive to the needs of the Maryland acute care and other healthcare settings, state priorities, and national interests.

The overall objective of this project is to provide subject matter expertise and infection control resources focusing on the prevention and care of COVID-19 and other healthcare associated infections across the acute care spectrum in Maryland. This work will build upon a previous successful Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) prevention collaborative, the Statewide Prevention and Reduction of C. difficile (SPARC) collaborative. When COVID-19 emerged, the SPARC collaborative was well positioned to pivot the focus to provide education and connections with subject matter experts to acute care facilities across the state. We intend to continue this valuable collaboration with the state and stakeholders, including practicing academic infection prevention specialists, physician epidemiologists, infectious disease-trained pharmacists and national CDC-recognized experts in infection prevention, to be able to provide up to date education, best practices, incorporation of emerging research, and practical strategies to support the prevention of health care associated infections, including COVID-19, in Maryland. In addition, the applicant partner will ensure provision of specialized project management support to the collaborative to help ensure positive outcomes.

The applicant partner will work with the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) and with other experts to oversee and carry out implementation of antibiotic stewardship and HAI prevention activities at

Maryland hospitals with high rates of antibiotic use or infections based on NHSN data. These antibiotic stewardship and HAI prevention activities will be implemented in a collaborative fashion with the participating hospitals and other Maryland healthcare facilities. This collaborative work is supported by the Epidemiologic Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases (ELC) Cooperative Agreement from

CDC. The applicant will provide guidance and clinical expertise in hospital epidemiology, infection control, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, especially focusing on reduction of healthcare associated infections, including COVID-19. Applicant staff will provide clinical and subject matter expertise, implementation experience, data analytics, data interpretation and writing of related reports. The applicant will be expected to demonstrate capacity by having previously conducted activities in all the capacities outlined in the scope of work.

3.2 Scope of Work - Requirements

The Applicant shall:

3.2.1 General Requirements

3.2.1.1 The Americans with Disabilities Act: The Americans with Disabilities Act (https:

www.ada.gov/) protects qualified individuals with disabilities from discrimination on the basis of disability in services, programs, and activities. Accessibility and inclusion of diverse populations are essential to reduce health disparities for vulnerable populations. Contractors must comply with all ADA requirements in their work to ensure the needs of persons with disabilities and other vulnerable populations are met. This includes, but is not limited to:

● facilities and any venues used for meetings/conferences are accessible.

● requested accommodations are provided in a timely manner; and

● written and printed materials developed in accessible formats (easy to read, large print, etc.), or providing access to alternative formats.

For contracts which include direct patient care or service delivery through a program, the ADA requires entities provide full and equal access for people with disabilities. This includes, but is not limited to:

● reasonable modifications of policies, practices, and procedures.

● effective communication; and

● accessible facilities.

3.2.2 Webinar organization

3.2.2.1 SPARC hosts webinars twice a month for acute care hospitals; one webinar is based on infection control, and the other webinar is specific to antibiotic stewardship. The applicant must be able to provide subject matter experts to speak on these webinars, on specific pre-identified topics that come from previous needs assessments of Maryland facilities. SPARC has hosted these webinars every month since 2020, so applicants must be able to provide high quality, relevant speakers for both IPC and

Stewardship webinars in August 2026, Month 1 of the contract

3.2.2.2 The SPARC webinar speakers are top experts in the field, with significant experience in the subject area. The applicant must have access to subject matter experts who can speak on a wide variety of topics. The subject matter experts do not need to work for the applicant, but a wide network of national contacts will be crucial to recruiting high quality speakers for each webinar.

3.2.2.3 The applicant will develop in concert with the Department (MDH) an overall antimicrobial stewardship curriculum, and HAI prevention curriculum for acute care and other healthcare settings, and other webinars based on current facility needs and state and federal priorities

3.2.3 Needs Assessments

3.2.3.1 Webinar content is based on needs assessments and participant feedback from Maryland healthcare facilities. The applicant will send out a needs assessment designed based on feedback during previous SPARC webinars to identify topics of interest and gaps in knowledge and practice within the relevant community of infection preventionists and antibiotic stewards.

3.2.3.2 The applicant must have experience designing needs assessments, administering needs assessments, and following up for close to a 50% response rate.

3.2.3.3 Since we do not want to have a gap in the webinar content, the needs assessment must be designed and sent out before the second week of August. Results must be received and analyzed by the end of August, in order to identify topics and speakers for webinars starting in September.

3.2.3.4. Needs assessments and quality improvement surveys are an ongoing process that wll be repeated several times throughout the year based on progress within the previously identified topic, constituent interest, and outcomes data.

3.2.4 Collaborative management

The applicant will ensure provision of expert logistical and collaborative management support, to include assistance with arranging and supporting collaborative meetings, webinar logistics, reports, publications, and fill other gaps not available from subject matter experts;

3.2.4.1 Applicants must have significant familiarity with work that SPARC has done, including participation in previous webinars since 2020, and ideally with experience in the C. difficile prevention collaborative from 2018/2019.

3.2.4.2. The applicant will present monthly updates and annual reports of collaborative activities to MDH.

3.2.4.3 Applicant will host weekly small group meetings for steering group members and additional relevant subject matter experts to plan for future webinars, site visits, intervention implementation, evaluations, data sharing, and other critical aspects of the collaborative.

3.2.4.4 The applicant will collect and manage process measure and outcome data from webinars, surveys, interviews, focus groups, and external sources like NHSN.

3.2.4.5 The applicant will support the communication of results from program evaluations, in the form of publications, presentations, or other modalities.

3.2.5 Site Visits

A valuable part of the SPARC collaborative has been in-person site visits to Maryland healthcare facilities throughout the state. The topic for these site visits is identified from existing data and from surveys and evaluations of the stakeholders at acute care hospitals. Hospitals that will be the focus of recruitment efforts will be identified in collaboration with the steering committee based on NHSN data, surveys, and interest. Teams of subject matter experts from across the state will visit the hospitals that have been identified to learn about policies, observe practices, and work with the hospitals to develop facility specific interventions based on each hospital’s capacity and priorities.

3.2.5.1. The applicant must be able to recruit healthcare facilities to participate in site visits, schedule site visits, and provide teams of subject matter experts to attend

3.2.5.2 The applicant will supply a team of subject matter experts from different hospitals across the state for each site visit. Depending on the topic, site visit teams should be made up of infectious disease physicians, infection preventionists, pharmacists, and/or laboratorians, as well as specialized experts who have in-depth knowledge and experience in the topic at hand.

3.2.5.3 The applicant must attend site visits to take notes, organize presentations, and write up final reports.

3.2.6 Program Evaluation

SPARC is continually working on quality improvement by evaluating process measures, stakeholder satisfaction, and outcomes. Evaluation will include surveys, in depth interviews and focus groups with participants.

3.2.6.1 The Applicant must have documented extensive experience in program evaluation, for both process and outcome measures.

3.2.6.2 The applicant must perform a stakeholder satisfaction evaluation of both the antibiotic stewardship and infection control arm of the collaborative using in depth interviews, focus groups and/or quantitative survey data.

3.2.6.3 The applicant will perform outcome evaluation based on available data from NHSN, and from data collected during the implementation process. This data may include antibiotic use rates, pathogen specific infections, or device associated infections.

3.2.7 Participate in steering committee

The steering committee is made up of members from MDH, subject matter experts, and collaborative management experts. The core subject matter experts must include infectious disease physicians, infection preventionists, laboratorians, pharmacists, and hospital epidemiologists. The make-up of the steering committee will shift depending on the current topics of interest within the collaborative. The applicant must have access to subject matter experts from a wide variety of disciplines who will be able to support the steering group if needed. The steering group helps identify topics and speakers for webinars, which hospitals should be recruited for site visits, and what the next topic area should be.

3.2.7.1 Subject matter experts in infection control and antibiotic stewardship from the applicant and any subcontractors will join the SPARC steering group. The steering group is responsible for evaluating the needs assessment data, sharing observations from their current experience in practice,

3.2.7.2 The steering committee will collaboratively design needs assessments, webinar curriculums, interventions, implementation strategies, program evaluations, and communications.

3.2.8 Intervention design and Implementation

SPARC Interventions are designed collaboratively with each individual participating Maryland healthcare facility. Since healthcare facilities will all have their own strengths, opportunities, and priorities, there is no one size fits all intervention for any of the topics that have been covered by the SPARC collaborative.

Interventions will be implemented by each hospital, with support from the SPARC team.

3.2.8.1 Develop, schedule, and conduct gap assessments with those hospitals, and prepare and distribute related materials, and provide gap assessment reports to MDH and to the facilities;

3.2.8.2 Tailor implementation packages based on previous implementation toolkits and findings from the gap assessments.

3.2.8.3 Work with the participating healthcare facilities to implement a range of antimicrobial stewardship and HAI prevention activities across different domains, based on collaborative priorities and hospital capacity.

3.3 Invoicing

3.3.1 General

(a) All invoices shall include the following information:

● Grantee name;

● Remittance address;

● Federal taxpayer identification number (or if sole proprietorship, the individual’s social security number);

● Invoice period;

● Invoice date;

● Invoice number

● State assigned Contract number;

● State assigned (Blanket) Purchase Order number(s);

● Goods or services provided; and

● Amount due.

Invoices submitted without the required information cannot be processed for payment until the Contractor provides the required information.

(b) The Department reserves the right to reduce or withhold Grant payment in the event the

Grantee does not provide the Department with all required deliverables within the time frame specified in the Grant or in the event that the Grantee otherwise materially breaches the terms and conditions of the Grant until such time as the Grantee brings itself into full compliance with the Grant.

3.3.2 Invoice Submission Schedule

The Grantee shall submit invoices in accordance with the following schedule:

Invoices will be submitted every month. Invoices are due by the 15th of the month following the month in which services were performed.

Monthly Invoice Performance Period Due Date

August 2026 August 2026 September 15, 2026

September 2026 September 2026 October 15,2026

October 2026 October 2026 November 15,2026

November 2026 November 2026 December 15 2026

December 2026 December 2026 January 15, 2027

January 2027 January 2027 February 15, 2027

February 2027 February 2027 March 15, 2027

March 2027 March 2027 April 15, 2027

April 2027 April 2027 May 15, 2027

May 2027 May 2027 June15, 2027

June 2027 June 2027 July 15, 2027

July 2027 July 2027 August 15, 2027

3.3.3 Insurance Requirements - The recommended awardee must provide current certificate(s) of insurance with the prescribed coverages, limits and requirements set forth in this section within five (5) Business Days from notice of recommended award. During the period of performance for multi-year contracts, the Grantee shall provide certificates of insurance annually, or as otherwise directed by the Contract Monitor. Any insurance furnished as a condition of the Contract shall be issued by a company authorized to do business in the State of Maryland.

3.3.3.1 Subcontractor Insurance - The Grantee shall require any subcontractors to obtain and maintain comparable levels of coverage and shall provide the

Contract Monitor with the same documentation as is required of the

Contractor.

SECTION 4 – APPLICATION FORMAT

4.1 Two Part Submission

4.1.1 Applicants shall submit applications in separate volumes:

▪ Volume I – Project Narrative

▪ Volume II – Budget Justification/Narrative

4.2 Applications

4.2.1 Applications must be submitted to eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA), or the RFA email address RFA.PHPA@maryland.gov. The Procurement Officer will not accept submission after the date and exact time stated in the Key Information Summary Sheet.

4.2.1.1 The submission subject line shall state the RFA Title and PHPA number and either

Project Narrative or Budget Narrative.

4.2.1.2 Two Part Submission:

A. Project Narrative (See Section 4.3)

B. Budget Narrative (See Section 4.4)

4.2.2 Applications will be shown only to State employees, members of the Evaluation Committee, or other persons deemed by the Department to have a legitimate interest in them.

*All information submitted as part of this proposal is subject to release under the Public

Information Act (PIA). If you would like the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) to consider redactions in the event that your proposal is subject to a PIA request, submit a proposed PIA copy including justifications for each redaction and under what statute that justification is qualified for redaction.

4.3 Volume I – Project Narrative

Note: No pricing information is to be included in the Project Narrative (Volume 1). Pricing information is to be included only in the Budget Justification/Narrative (Volume II).

4.3.1 The Project Narrative shall include the following documents and information in the order specified as follows:

4.3.1.1 Transmittal Letter:

● Applicant;

● Solicitation Title and Solicitation Number that the Proposal is in response to;

● Signature, typed name, and title of an individual authorized to commit the

Applicant to its Proposal;

● Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) of the Applicant, or if a single individual, that individual’s Social Security Number (SSN);

mailto:RFA.PHPA@maryland.gov

● Applicant’s eMMA number;

● Applicant’s MBE certification number (if applicable);

● Applicant’s SBR number (if applicable) – please contact eMMA at 410-767-1492 if you don’t know your number.

4.3.1.2 Scope of Work/Work Plan shall include the Scope of Work, including the Work Plan

(as described in Section 3.2).

4.3.1.3 Mandatory Requirements Documentation

4.3.1.4 Applicant Technical Response to RFA Requirements and Proposed Work Plan:

a. The Applicant shall address each Scope of Work requirement (Section 3.2) in its

Project Narrative and describe how its proposed services, including the services of any proposed subcontractor(s), will meet or exceed the requirement(s). If the

State is seeking Applicant agreement to any requirement(s), the Applicant shall state its agreement or disagreement. Any paragraph in the Project Narrative that responds to a Scope of Work (Section 3.2) requirement shall include an explanation of how the work will be done. Any exception to a requirement, term, or condition may result in having the Application classified as not reasonably susceptible of being selected for award or the Applicant deemed non-responsive.

b. Applicant shall acknowledge they have read the American with Disabilities Act

Statement in Section 3.2 and will meet all requirements.

4.3.1.5 Signed W-9 with Contact Person Names and Phone Number

4.3.1.6 SDAT Status- Maryland State Department of Assessments & Taxation (SDAT).

Visit https://sdat.dat.maryland.gov/RealProperty/Pages/default.aspx for additional information.

a. The applicant shall take the necessary steps to ensure good standing with the

Maryland State Department of Assessments & Taxation.

b. The applicant must be in good standing at the time the award is made.

4.4 Volume II – Budget Narrative

4.4.1 Under a separate folder from the Project Narrative and clearly identified in the format identified in

Section 4.2 “Applications,” the Applicant shall submit a copy of the Budget Narrative. The

Budget Narrative shall contain all price information in the format specified in Exhibit C. The

Applicant shall complete the Budget Narrative Form only as provided in the Budget Narrative

Form.

4.4.2 The Applicant shall attach to the Budget Form Exhibit B document that details the total cost of the proposed activities. The budget categories may include: Personnel (salary and fringe), Consultants; Travel; Contractual; Supplies; Operating Costs; and Other project -related costs.

https://sdat.dat.maryland.gov/RealProperty/Pages/default.aspx

SECTION 5 – EVALUATION COMMITTEE, EVALUATION CRITERIA,

AND SELECTION PROCEDURE

5.1 Evaluation Committee

5.1.1 Evaluation of Applications will be performed by a committee established for that purpose and based on the evaluation criteria set forth below. The Evaluation Committee will review

Applications, participate in Applicant oral presentations and discussions, and provide input to the

Procurement Officer. The Department reserves the right to utilize the services of individuals outside of the established Evaluation Committee for advice and assistance, as deemed appropriate.

5.2 Project Narrative Evaluation Criteria

The criteria to be used to evaluate each Project Narrative within the Scope of Work: Requirements are listed below in descending order of importance.

5.2.1. General Requirements as described in Section 3.2.1

5.2.2 Webinar organization as described in Section 3.2.2

5.2.3 Needs Assessments as described in Section 3.2.3

5.2.4 Collaborative management as described in Section 3.2.4

5.2.5 Site Visits as described in Section 3.2.5

5.2.6 Program Evaluation as described in Section 3.2.6

5.2.7 Participate in steering committee as described in Section 3.2.7

5.2.8 Intervention design and Implementation as described in Section 3.2.8

3.3 Invoicing

Invoices will be submitted every month. Invoices are due by the 15th of the month following the month in which services were performed.

Monthly Invoice Performance Period Due Date

August 2026 August 2026 September 15, 2026

September 2026 September 2026 October 15,2026

October 2026 October 2026 November 15,2026

November 2026 November 2026 December 15 2026

December 2026 December 2026 January 15, 2027

January 2027 January 2027 February 15, 2027

February 2027 February 2027 March 15, 2027

March 2027 March 2027 April 15, 2027

April 2027 April 2027 May 15, 2027

May 2027 May 2027 June15, 2027

June 2027 June 2027 July 15, 2027

July 2027 July 2027 August 15, 2027

5.3 Budget Narrative Evaluation Criteria

All Qualified Applicants will be ranked from the lowest (most advantageous) to the highest (least advantageous) based on the rating of the Project Narratives. The Budget Narrative (including the Budget

Form and Budget Narrative), will be evaluated based on reasonable cost given the time and effort described in the Project Narrative. The budget line items must be within the stated guidelines set forth in this RFA and as submitted on Exhibit C – Budget Narrative.

5.4 Selection Procedures

5.4.1 General

The Grant will be awarded in accordance with the Standard Grant Agreement method outlined in the Announcement. The State may determine an Applicant to be non-responsive and/or an

Applicant’s Application to be not reasonably susceptible of being selected for award at any time after the initial closing date for receipt of Applications and prior to Grant award.

If the State finds an Applicant to be not responsive and/or an Applicant’s Project Narrative to be not reasonably susceptible of being selected for award, that Applicant’s Budget Narrative will be returned if the Budget Narrative is unopened at the time of the determination.

5.4.2 Award Determination

Upon completion of the Project Narrative and Budget Narrative evaluations and rankings, each

Applicant will receive an overall ranking. The Procurement Officer will recommend award of the

Grant to the responsible Applicant that submitted the Application determined to be the most advantageous to the State. In making this most advantageous Application determination, technical factors and financial factors will be weighted equally.

RFA ATTACHMENTS

EXHIBIT A – Budget Form

This must be completed and submitted with the Project Narrative in a separate envelope.

EXHIBIT B- Budget Narrative

This form must be completed and submitted with the Budget Form in a separate envelope from the

Project Narrative.

EXHIBIT C- Standard Grant Agreement “Sample”

This is the sample grant agreement used by the Department. It is provided with the RFA for informational purposes and is not required to be submitted an Application submission time. Upon notification of recommendation for award, a completed standard grant agreement will be sent to the recommended awardee for signature. The recommended awardee must return to the Procurement Officer one (1) executed copies of the Standard Grant Agreement within five (5) Business Days after receipt.

Upon award, a fully executed copy will be sent to the Grantee.APPENDIX A & B

EXHIBIT D – RFA Document Checklist Use this checklist to ensure that the required documents for the Project Narrative and Budget Narrative are completed.

ATTACHMENT A- Conditions of Award

ATTACHMENT B- Federal Funds

ATTACHMENT C- Debarment Affirmation

ATTACHMENT D - Certification Regarding Tobacco Smoke

ATTACHMENT E - Certification Regarding Lobby

ATTACHMENT F- Additional Information required for Prevention and Health Promotion

Administration Grants

EXHIBIT A – BUDGET FORM

BUDGET FORM

The Budget Narrative shall contain all price information in the format specified on these pages. Complete the Budget Form only as provided in the Budget Form format. Do not amend, alter or leave blank any items on the Budget Form. Failure to adhere to any of these instructions may result in the Budget

Narrative being determined non-responsive and rejected by the Department.

Submitted By:

Authorized Signature: _______________________________________________ Date:

Printed Name and Title:

Company Name:

Company Address:

Location(s) from which services will be performed (City/State):

FEIN: _________________________________________

eMMA #: ________________________________________

Telephone: (_______) _______-- ____________________

Fax: (_______) _______--____________________

E-mail: _________________________________________

Budget Summary

Line Item Qty Unit Cost Total Cost

Salary

Fringe

Contractual

Travel

Operating Costs

Supplies

Other

Other

Other

Other

TOTAL

IDC % CAP

EXHIBIT B – BUDGET NARRATIVE

BUDGET NARRATIVE TEMPLATE

(Please submit a separate Narrative for each Budget Period)

Sample Line-Item Justification

Personnel (Preventionist): $15,600

Justification: The Preventionist will be responsible for: conducting project-related relationship-building activities with new and existing partners; developing informational materials for community leaders and the public, including fact sheets and social media posts related to the project topic; coordinating and facilitating monthly project meetings with partners; conducting awareness-building activities within key demographic areas in the community to engage the project target audience; developing and providing professional training at targeted local governmental agencies and private businesses; attending community events relevant to the project and the project’s partners. The Project Coordinator will also attend RISEMD meetings, collect data, conduct evaluation activities, prepare reports, and act as a liaison with the MDH Grant Monitor.

$30/hr. x 520 hours = $15,600

EXHIBIT C – Standard Grant Agreement “Sample” (Replace with RFA template revision)

ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVING APPROPRIATIONS FROM THE STATE

STANDARD GRANT AGREEMENT

This Agreement, which is executed in compliance with Section 7-402 of the State Finance and Procurement Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, is made this <enter day> day of <month, year> , between the State of

Maryland (the “State”), acting through the Maryland Department of Health, (the “Department”), located at <enter

MDH Address> and the <grantee name> (the “Grantee” ), located at <grantee address> in <county / city> County, <state, zip> , a Maryland Limited Liability Company / Corporation. .

1. Effective on the date of execution of this Agreement, the State is extending to the Grantee a grant in the amount of <amount in words> Dollars ($ xx,xxx.xx) (the “Grant”), which the Grantee shall use only for the following purposes: <grant purpose>

2. Any expenditure of Grant funds that is not consistent with the purposes stated in paragraph 1 may, at the sole discretion of the Department, be disallowed. Should any expenditure be disallowed, or should the Grantee violate any of the terms of this Agreement, the State may require repayment to the State Treasury, an offset from any State Grant to the Grantee in the current or succeeding fiscal year, or other appropriate action. The Grantee shall repay to the State any part of the Gra nt that is not used for the purposes stated in paragraph 1 within 3 months after the date of this Agreement.

3. The Grantee may not sell, lease, exchange, give away, or otherwise transfer or dispose of real or personal property, or any part of or interest in real or personal property, acquired with Grant funds without the prior written consent of the Department. This includes transfer or disposition to a successor on the merger, dissolution, or other termination of the existence of the Grantee. The Grantee shall give the Department written notice at least 30 calendar days before any proposed transfer or disposition. Any proceeds from a permitted transfer or disposition shall be applied to repay to the State a percentage of that portion of the Grant allocable to the particular real or personal property transferred or disposed of, unless the Department and the Grantee agree to other terms and conditions. The percentage shall be equal to the percentage of the unadjusted basis of the property that would remain if the property had been recovery property placed in service after December 31, 1980, and if all allowable deductions had been taken up to the time of disposition under the Accelerated Cost Recovery System (ACRS) specified in the United States Internal Revenue Code, Section 168(b)(1).

4. For any item of real or personal property that is acquired with Grant funds and has an original fair market value of

Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000) or more, the Grantee shall, at its own expense, and for the reasonable useful life of that ite m or for 5 years, whichever is less, obtain and maintain insurance. The insurance shall provide full protection for the Grantee and the State against loss, damage, or destruction of or to the real or personal property. The Grantee shall, on request, provide th e Department with satisfactory evidence of its compliance with this requirement. Proceeds of insurance required by this paragra ph shall be applied toward replacement of the real or personal property or toward the partial or total repayment of the State of the Grant, in the sole discretion of the Department.

5. The Grantee may not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other characteristic forbidden as a basis for discrimination by applicable laws and ce rtifies that its Constitution or by-laws contains a non-discrimination clause consistent with the Governor’s Code of Fair practices.

6. The person executing this Agreement on behalf of the Grantee certifies, to the best of that person’s knowledge and belief, that:

A.) Neither the Grantee, nor any of its officers or directors, nor any employee of the Grantee involved in obtaining contracts with or grants from the State or any subdivision of the State, has engaged in collusion with respect to the Grantee’s application for the Grant or this Agreement or has been convicted of bribery, attempted bribery, or conspiracy to bribe under the laws of any state or of the United States.

B.) The Grantee has not employed or retained any person, partnership, corporation, or other entity, other than a bona fide employee or agent working for the Grantee, to solicit or secure the Grant or this Agreement, and the Grantee has not paid or agreed to pay any such entity any fee or other consideration contingent on the making of the Grant or this Agreement; the grantee understands and complies with the Conflicts of Interest provision of the Public Ethics Law, Maryland

Code Annotated, General Provisions, Title 5, Subtitle 5.

C.) The Grantee, if incorporated, is registered or qualified in accordance with the Corporations and Associations

Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, is in good standing, has filed all required annual reports and filing fees with the Department of Assessments and Taxation and all required tax returns and reports with the Comptroller of the Treasury, the Department of Assessments and Taxation, and the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, and has paid or arranged for the payment of all taxes due to the State; and

D.) No money has been paid to or promised to be paid to any legislative agent, attorney, or lobbyist for any services rendered in securing the passage of legislation establishing or appropriating funds for the Grant.

E.) Neither the Grantee, nor any of its officers or directors, nor any person substantially involved in the contracting or fund raising.

activities of the Grantee, is currently suspended or debarred from contracting with the State or any other public entity or subject to debarment under the Code of Maryland Regulations, COMAR 21.08.04.04.

7. Within 60 calendar days after the close of any grant period in which the Grantee receives funds under this Agreement, the Grantee shall provide to the Department an itemized statement of expenditures, showing how the funds were expended for that grant period. In addition, a copy of the statement shall be mailed to the Director, General Accounting Division, Office of the Comptroller of the Treasury, Room 200, Louis L. Goldstein Treasury Building, Annapolis, Maryland 21401. The

Grantee shall retain bills of sale or other satisfactory evidence of the acquisition of any real or personal property for at least 3 years after the date of this Agreement. The Department, the Department of Budget and Management, the State Comptroller, and the Legislative Auditor, or any of them, may examine and audit this evidence, on request, at any reasonable time within the retention period.

8. The Grantee shall comply with Section 7-221, 7-402, and 7-403 of the State Finance and Procurement Article of the

Annotated Code of Maryland, as applicable.

9. The laws of Maryland shall govern the interpretation and enforcement of this Agreement.

10. This Agreement shall bind the respective successors and assigns of the parties.

11. The Grantee may not sell, transfer, or otherwise assign any of its obligations under this Agreement, or its rights, title, or interest in this Agreement, without the prior written consent of the Department.

12. No amendment to this Agreement is binding unless it is in writing and signed by both parties.

13. The following items are incorporated by referenced and made a part of this Agreement . Appendix A & B, Attachment A, B, C, D, E.&F.

SIGNATURES ON THE FOLLOWING PAGE

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, WITNESS the hands and seals of the parties.

GRANTEE

(Name of Corporation or Association)

By: ___________________________________________

. SEAL

Name: .

Title:

DEPARTMENT

Maryland Department of Health.

(Name of Corporation or Association)

By: __________________________________________

SEAL

Name: _______________________________

Title:

Date:

Date: __________________________________________

APPENDIX A

The Department’s Grant Monitor is: The Grantee’s Grant Monitor is:

<Name and Title of MDH grant monitor> <enter name, title, office, grantee agency, address, <Office> phone number and email >

Maryland Department of Health

201 W. Preston Street

Baltimore, Maryland 21201

Phone:

Email:

I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION OF AGREEMENT

<Enter background information of the agreement>

II. DUTIES OF THE GRANTEE

SCOPE OF WORK:

<Enter all duties and scopes of work for the grant agreement>

APPENDIX B (insert revised budget)

Cost Estimate for:

<Name of Project>

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE - <Date of Project>

<Enter Budget>

II. DUTIES OF THE DEPARTMENT

Other than awarding the funds to the <grantee/sub-recipient/sub-awardee> for this project

<MDH awarding agency> will:

Provide necessary technical support and monitoring to <grantee/sub-recipient/sub-awardee> to ensure state and federal grant compliance.

This includes but is not limited to:

● Completion of the MDH Office of the Inspector General Risk Assessment. Visit https://health.maryland.gov/oig/Pages/DHMH%20OIG.aspx for more information.

● Completion of the Standard Grant Agreement Checklist.

● Determination of Good Standing with the Maryland State Department of

Assessments & Taxation (SDAT). Visit https://sdat.dat.maryland.gov/RealProperty/Pages/default.aspx for additional information.

● Review for Debarment, Suspension, or any Exclusion from doing business with

Maryland. Visit https://bpw.maryland.gov/pages/debarments.aspx for additional information.

● Determination regarding No Conflicts of Interest.

● Review of Single Audits https://health.maryland.gov/oig/Pages/DHMH%20OIG.aspx https://sdat.dat.maryland.gov/RealProperty/Pages/default.aspx https://bpw.maryland.gov/pages/debarments.aspx

SECTION IV. INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Both parties hereby agree that the documents described below, if any, are hereby incorporated into and made an integral part of this Agreement: (Type "None", if none)

Exact Title of Document(s)

Number of Pages

Conditions of Award- Attachment A 2

Federal Funds- Attachment B 2

Debarment Affirmation- Attachment C 2

Certification Regarding Tobacco Smoke- Attachment D 1

Certification Regarding Lobby- Attachment E 5

Additional Information required for Prevention and Health Promotion Administration Grants – Attachment F

ATTACHMENT A

CONDITIONS OF AWARD

Maryland Department of Health (MDH)

<Enter Department Here>

<Enter Federal Awarding Agency Here>

<Enter Name of Federal Award and Grant Number Here>

Period of Performance: <Enter from and To Dates Here>

Important Dates:

<Enter Date Here>: Quarterly progress report

<Enter Date Here>: All funds obligated

<Enter Date Here>: All funds must be spent

<Enter Date Here>: Final progress and fiscal report due to MDH

The grantee/sub-grantee/sub-recipient (circle one), shall comply with these conditions. Consequences for failure to comply with these conditions may include: a point reduction in score for future competitive and non -competitive applications, a reduction of overall award, audit exceptions and/or reduction in future awards.

Program Requirements:

1. The grantee/sub-grantee/sub-recipient, <Enter Grantee Name Here > agrees to comply with MDH guidelines and initiatives with regards to their expenditures/purchases.

2. When procuring equipment, the recipient must comply with the procurement standards at 45 CFR Part

92.36 and 45 CFR 74.40 through 74.48, including 74.45, which requires the performance and documentation of some form of cost or price analysis with every procurement action.

3. The grantee/sub-grantee/sub-recipient, will perform activities that coordinate, integrate, prioritize and sustain improvements in public health emergency preparedness.

4. The grantee/sub-grantee/sub-recipient, shall cite < Enter Name of Federal Award > and the MDH <Enter

Department Here> as a funding source when publishing or presenting data or programs partially or fully funded by MDH grants.

5. The grantee/sub-grantee/sub-recipient, should inform the MDH <Enter Department Here> as a courtesy when a presentation or publication is made public that involves programs or data partially or fully funded by MDH, and any federal grants. All reports, data, software, or presentations generated from federal funded projects must be made available to MDH for review and comment prior to release or distribution.

Fiscal Requirements:

1. The grantee/sub-grantee/sub-recipient, shall not use <Enter Name of Federal Award> to:

a. Support the costs of operating clinical trials of investigational agents, equipment or treatments;

b. Make payments directly to recipients of services, except for reimbursement of reasonable and allowable out-of-pocket expenses associated with consumer participation in State or consortia activities;

c. Support legal services;

d. Provide direct maintenance expenses of privately owned vehicles or any other costs associated with a vehicle, such as lease or loan payments, vehicle insurance, or license registration fees;

e. Purchase or improve land, or to purchase, construct, or make permanent improvements to any building, except for minor remodeling;

f. Pay property taxes;

g. Fund capital improvement projects;

h. Supplant personnel costs and/or other activities.

i. Prepare, distribute, or use of any material (publicity/propaganda) or to pay the salary or expenses of grants, contract recipients, or agents that aim to support or defeat the enactment of legislation, regulation, administrative action, or executive order proposed or pending before a legislative body.

2. The grantee/sub-grantee/sub-recipient will comply with all MDH and federal fiscal requirements for timely submission of detailed…