RFP 2024-1600-0328 Tobacco Prevention Youth Engagement .pdf

1 Rev. 02/20

STATE OF ALASKA

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

OFFERORS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO RETURN THIS FORM.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: IF YOU RECEIVED THIS SOLICITATION FROM THE STATE OF ALASKA’S “ONLINE PUBLIC NOTICE”

WEB SITE, YOU MUST REGISTER WITH THE PROCUREMENT OFFICER LISTED IN THIS DOCUMENT TO RECEIVE

NOTIFICATION OF SUBSEQUENT AMENDMENTS. FAILURE TO CONTACT THE PROCUREMENT OFFICER MAY RESULT

IN THE REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER.

ISSUED BY:

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

DIVISION OF PUBLIC HEALTH

PRIMARY CONTACT:

HALEY WILKINSON

PROCUREMENT OFFICER

HALEY.WILKINSON@ALASKA.GOV

907-759-3312

TOBACCO PREVENTION YOUTH ENGAGEMENT

RFP 2024-1600-0328

ISSUED 11/20/2024

THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, DIVISION OF PUBLIC HEALTH, IS SOLICITING PROPOSALS FOR A CONTRACT TO

PROVIDE TPC GRANTEES WITH TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ON ENGAGING YOUTH IN WORK PLAN

ACTIVITIES.

mailto:haley.wilkinson@alaska.gov

STATE OF ALASKA – REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS RFP 2024-1600-0328

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1. INTRODUCTION & INSTRUCTIONS

SEC. 1.01 PURPOSE OF THE RFP

SEC. 1.02 BUDGET

SEC. 1.03 DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS

SEC. 1.04 MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS

SEC. 1.05 REQUIRED REVIEW

SEC. 1.06 QUESTIONS PRIOR TO DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS

SEC. 1.07 RETURN INSTRUCTIONS

SEC. 1.08 ASSISTANCE TO OFFERORS WITH A DISABILITY

SEC. 1.09 AMENDMENTS TO PROPOSALS

SEC. 1.10 AMENDMENTS TO THE RFP

SEC. 1.11 RFP SCHEDULE

SEC. 1.12 ALTERNATE PROPOSALS

SEC. 1.13 NEWS RELEASES

SECTION 2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

SEC. 2.01 BACKGROUND INFORMATION

SECTION 3. SCOPE OF WORK & CONTRACT INFORMATION

SEC. 3.01 SCOPE OF WORK

SEC. 3.02 DELIVERABLES

SEC. 3.03 CONTRACT TERM

SEC. 3.04 CONTRACT TYPE

SEC. 3.05 CONTRACT PAYMENT

SEC. 3.06 LOCATION OF WORK

SEC. 3.07 SUBCONTRACTORS

SEC. 3.08 JOINT VENTURES

SEC. 3.09 RIGHT TO INSPECT PLACE OF BUSINESS

SEC. 3.10 CONTRACT PERSONNEL

SEC. 3.11 INSPECTION & MODIFICATION - REIMBURSEMENT FOR UNACCEPTABLE DELIVERABLES

SEC. 3.12 CONTRACT CHANGES - UNANTICIPATED AMENDMENTS

SEC. 3.13 NONDISCLOSURE AND CONFIDENTIALITY

SEC. 3.14 INDEMNIFICATION

SEC. 3.15 INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

SEC. 3.16 TERMINATION FOR DEFAULT

SECTION 4. PROPOSAL FORMAT AND CONTENT

SEC. 4.01 RFP SUBMITTAL FORMS

SEC. 4.02 SPECIAL FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS

SEC. 4.03 OFFEROR INFORMATION AND CERTIFICATIONS (SUBMITTAL FORM A)

SEC. 4.04 EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS (SUBMITTAL FORM B)

SEC. 4.05 UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROJECT (SUBMITTAL FORM C)

SEC. 4.06 METHODOLOGY USED FOR THE PROJECT (SUBMITTAL FORM D)

SEC. 4.07 MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE PROJECT (SUBMITTAL FORM E)

SEC. 4.08 MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS (SUBMITTAL FORM F)

SEC. 4.09 SUBCONTRACTORS (SUBMITTAL FORM G)

SEC. 4.10 COST PROPOSAL (SUBMITTAL FORM H)

SECTION 5. EVALUATION CRITERIA AND CONTRACTOR SELECTION

SEC. 5.01 SUMMARY OF EVALUATION PROCESS

SEC. 5.02 EVALUATION CRITERIA

SEC. 5.03 SCORING METHOD AND CALCULATION

SEC. 5.04 EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

SEC. 5.05 UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROJECT

SEC. 5.06 METHODOLOGY USED FOR THE PROJECT

SEC. 5.07 MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE PROJECT

SEC. 5.08 CONTRACT COST (COST PROPOSAL)

SEC. 5.09 APPLICATION OF PREFERENCES

SEC. 5.10 ALASKA BIDDER PREFERENCE

SEC. 5.11 ALASKA VETERAN PREFERENCE

SEC. 5.12 ALASKA MILITARY SKILLS PROGRAM PREFERENCE

SEC. 5.13 ALASKA OFFEROR PREFERENCE

SEC. 5.14 OFFEROR NOTIFICATION OF SELECTION

SECTION 6. GENERAL PROCESS AND LEGAL INFORMATION

SEC. 6.01 INFORMAL DEBRIEFING

SEC. 6.02 ALASKA BUSINESS LICENSE AND OTHER REQUIRED LICENSES

SEC. 6.03 STANDARD CONTRACT PROVISIONS

SEC. 6.04 QUALIFIED OFFERORS

SEC. 6.05 PROPOSAL AS PART OF THE CONTRACT

SEC. 6.06 ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

SEC. 6.07 HUMAN TRAFFICKING

SEC. 6.08 RIGHT OF REJECTION

SEC. 6.09 STATE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR PREPARATION COSTS

SEC. 6.10 DISCLOSURE OF PROPOSAL CONTENTS

SEC. 6.11 ASSIGNMENT

SEC. 6.12 DISPUTES

SEC. 6.13 SEVERABILITY

SEC. 6.14 SUPPLEMENTAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

SEC. 6.15 SOLICITATION ADVERTISING

SEC. 6.16 SITE INSPECTION

SEC. 6.17 CLARIFICATION OF OFFERS

SEC. 6.18 DISCUSSIONS WITH OFFERORS

SEC. 6.19 CONTRACT NEGOTIATION

SEC. 6.20 FEDERALLY IMPOSED TARIFFS

SEC. 6.21 PROTEST

SECTION 7. ATTACHMENTS

SEC. 7.01 ATTACHMENTS

SECTION 1. INTRODUCTION & INSTRUCTIONS

SEC. 1.01 PURPOSE OF THE RFP

The Department of Health, Division of Public Health, is soliciting proposals for supporting TPC Grantees and Regional Coalitions in assessing readiness to engage youth and providing technical assistance and training to develop their expertise and skills in positive youth development. The contractor will support a youth group which is focused on leadership development and peer to peer education to develop youth capacity for engagement in health education and policy issues.

SEC. 1.02 BUDGET

Department of Health, Division of Public Health, estimates a budget of $1,832,500.00 for completion of this project. Proposals priced at more than $1,832,500.00 will be considered non-responsive.

Payment for the contract is subject to funds already appropriated and identified.

SEC. 1.03 DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS

Proposals must be received no later than 1:00PM prevailing Alaska Time on December 11,2024. Late proposals or amendments will be disqualified and not opened or accepted for evaluation.

SEC. 1.04 MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS

To be considered responsive for this RFP, an offeror must meet the mandatory minimum experience requirements that are provided in Submittal Form F – Mandatory Requirements. Failure to meet all these requirements will result in immediate disqualification.

SEC. 1.05 REQUIRED REVIEW

Offerors should carefully review this solicitation for defects and questionable or objectionable material.

Comments concerning defects and questionable or objectionable material should be made in writing and received by the procurement officer at least ten days before the deadline for receipt of proposals. This will allow time for the issuance of any necessary amendments. It will also help prevent the opening of a defective proposal and exposure of offeror's proposals upon which award could not be made.

SEC. 1.06 QUESTIONS PRIOR TO DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS

All questions must be in writing and directed to the procurement officer and least ten days before the deadline for receipt of proposals. The interested party must confirm telephone conversations in writing.

Two types of questions generally arise. One may be answered by directing the questioner to a specific section of the RFP. These questions may be answered over the telephone. Other questions may be more complex and may require a written amendment to the RFP. The procurement officer will make that decision.

SEC. 1.07 RETURN INSTRUCTIONS

Offerors must submit their proposals via email. The technical proposal and cost proposal must be saved as separate documents and emailed to doh.procurement.proposals@alaska.gov as separate, clearly labeled attachments. The email must contain the RFP number in the subject line.

The maximum size of a single email (including all text and attachments) that can be received by the state is 20mb (megabytes). If the email containing the proposal exceeds this size, the proposal must be sent in multiple emails that are each less than 20 megabytes.

Please note that email transmission is not instantaneous. Similar to sending a hard copy proposal, if you are emailing your proposal, the state recommends sending it enough ahead of time to ensure the email is delivered by the deadline for receipt of proposals.

mailto:doh.procurement.proposals@alaska.gov

It is the offeror’s responsibility to contact the above email address to confirm that the proposal has been received.

The state is not responsible for unreadable, corrupt, or missing attachments.

SEC. 1.08 ASSISTANCE TO OFFERORS WITH A DISABILITY

Offerors with a disability may receive accommodation regarding the means of communicating this RFP or participating in the procurement process. For more information, contact the procurement officer no later than ten days prior to the deadline for receipt of proposals.

SEC. 1.09 AMENDMENTS TO PROPOSALS

Amendments to or withdrawals of proposals will only be allowed if acceptable requests are received prior to the deadline that is set for receipt of proposals. No amendments or withdrawals will be accepted after the deadline unless they are in response to the state's request in accordance with 2 AAC 12.290.

SEC. 1.10 AMENDMENTS TO THE RFP

If an amendment is issued before the deadline for receipt of proposals, it will be provided to all who were notified of the RFP and to those who have registered with the procurement officer after receiving the RFP from the State of Alaska Online Public Notice website.

After receipt of proposals, if there is a need for any substantial clarification or material change in the RFP, an amendment will be issued. The amendment will incorporate the clarification or change, and a new date and time established for new or amended proposals. Evaluations may be adjusted as a result of receiving new or amended proposals.

SEC. 1.11 RFP SCHEDULE

RFP schedule set out herein represents the state’s best estimate of the schedule that will be followed. If a component of this schedule, such as the deadline for receipt of proposals, is delayed, the rest of the schedule may be shifted accordingly. All times are Alaska Time.

ACTIVITY TIME DATE

Issue Date / RFP Released 11/20/2024 Deadline to Submit Questions 1:00 PM 12/02/2024 Deadline for Receipt of Proposals / Proposal Due Date 1:00 PM 12/11/2024 Proposal Evaluations Complete 01/09/2024 Notice of Intent to Award 01/20/2025 Contract Issued 01/30/2025

This RFP does not, by itself, obligate the state. The state's obligation will commence when the contract is approved by the Commissioner of the Department of Health, or the Commissioner's designee. Upon written notice to the contractor, the state may set a different starting date for the contract. The state will not be responsible for any work done by the contractor, even work done in good faith, if it occurs prior to the contract start date set by the state.

SEC. 1.12 ALTERNATE PROPOSALS

Offerors may only submit one proposal for evaluation. In accordance with 2 AAC 12.830 alternate proposals (proposals that offer something different than what is asked for) will be rejected.

SEC. 1.13 NEWS RELEASES

News releases related to this RFP will not be made without prior approval of the project director.

SECTION 2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

SEC. 2.01 BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Tobacco remains a leading cause of preventable death and disease in Alaska. Each year, about 600 people in Alaska die prematurely because of smoking. In the last 5-year report of Alaska’s Cancer Registry, more than 1,871 Alaska adults had been diagnosed with lung or bronchus cancer, a majority of which were caused by smoking or secondhand smoke exposure.1 Smoking-related health care costs were estimated at $438 million in 2009.2 Due to inflation and rising health care costs, this is very likely an underestimate of tobacco-related health care costs in Alaska. Alaska loses an estimated $400 million per year because of smoking-related illness effects on workers and people being able to do their usual activities.3 In 2016, Alaska Medicaid faced $192 million in tobacco-related health care costs.4 In FY2022, long term forecasts of Medicaid spending in Alaska showed that reducing tobacco use beginning with 0.25% in FY2023 and growing to 5.0% by FY2042 would reduce save $6,713,542 by FY2027.

The Tobacco Prevention and Control Program is grounded in CDC Best practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs. This comprehensive approach has been shown to be effective in reducing smoking among adults and youth in Alaska. Smoking prevalence among adults has declined significantly, from 27% in 1997 to 19% in 2020 in Alaska. While cigarette smoking prevalence among adults has declined, cigarette smoking prevalence is relatively greater among some populations, including Alaska Native adults, people ages 30-54, people experiencing frequent mental distress, people of lower socioeconomic status, people with less educational attainment, people unable to work or unemployed, and residents of the Northern and the Southwest regions of the state.

Smoking rates have similarly declined among high school students from 37% in 1995 to an all-time low of 6.5% in

2023.5 3.2% of Alaska high school students report current use of cigars, cigarillos, or little cigars, a significant decrease from 2011. That progress continues to be threatened by high prevalence of e-cigarette use among Alaska high school students. Following statewide partnerships and coordination of evidence-based programs, Alaskans successfully reduced current e-cigarette use among Alaska high school students from 26% in 2019 to 17.7% in 2023, a significant decrease in the short-term trend. While progress has been made, the long-term trend has not changed significantly from 17.7% in 2015.5 Vaping remains a significant public health concern for Alaska youth. Continued efforts are needed to help prevent students from trying e-cigarettes and tobacco products and to help them quit. In 2023, 22.9% of Alaska high school students reported using any type of tobacco product (including e-cigarettes).5

According to the Department of Education and Early Development’s suspension report, Tobacco related suspensions have increased by 312% from the 2015-2016, with over 1200 students receiving suspension due to tobacco and e-cigarette related incidents.

As part of a comprehensive approach, the Tobacco Prevention & Control (TPC) program awarded 8 regional tobacco prevention policy and development grants and 7 health systems change grants statewide. Each regional tobacco prevention policy and development grantee implements community interventions to address the four primary goals of the TPC Program: prevent youth initiation of tobacco, protect the public from exposure to secondhand smoke, promote cessation of tobacco use among youth and adults, and identify and eliminate tobacco-related disparities and achieve health equity. Engaging youth in policies and educational programs which impact them is essential to ensuring relevancy and success of efforts.

The offeror will provide TPC Grantees with training and technical assistance on engaging youth in work plan activities with impact people of their age group, such as youth prevention policies and health communications.

Sources

1. Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health, Health Analytics and Vital Records Section. (2023). Incidence of Cancers Associated with Screening and Modifiable Risk Factors. Anchorage: Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.

2. CDC (2023, January 27). Smoking and Tobacco Use: State Fact Sheets. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/stateandcommunity/state-fact-sheets/alaska/

3. Shrestha, S. S. (2022). Cost of Cigarette Smoking-Attributable Productivity Losses. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 478-485.

4. Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health, Section of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. The cost of eight chronic conditions on Alaska’s Medicaid Program. Report prepared by Evergreen Economics, October 18, 2017. Accessed March 20, 2023. Available at:

https://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/Chronic/Documents/Publications/2017_CostOfChronicConditions_EvergreenEcono mics_web.pdf5 . Alaska Department of Health, Division of Public Health, Section of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Alaska Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2023. Published online 2024.

SECTION 3. SCOPE OF WORK & CONTRACT INFORMATION

SEC. 3.01 SCOPE OF WORK

The Department of Health, Division of Public Health, is soliciting proposals In order to expand the resources and expertise of the community grants to engage youth, the TPC program will continue a statewide approach by offering a contract to offerors who have the ability to provide TPC Grantees with training and technical assistance on youth engagement best practices and host a statewide youth engagement program to foster leadership development skills among youth and support peer-to-peer education activities.

SEC. 3.02 DELIVERABLES

The contractor will be required to provide the following deliverables:

Deliverable 1:

A minimum of two (2) persons (FTE) to conduct the work of these deliverables and support youth-adult partnerships. Employees must work collaboratively with the TPC staff and be available for meetings and trainings during standard State of Alaska business hours (8am – 5pm).

Deliverable 2:

Provide individualized technical assistance to grantees seeking to use positive youth development strategies to support authentic youth engagement in community and peer education and policies which impact their age group. Technical assistance will include assessing barriers to engaging youth and assessing their agency’s use of positive youth development principles and areas for growth using tools such as the State of Colorado’s Positive Youth Development tool box:

https://sites.google.com/state.co.us/pydinaction/home . The contractor and grantee will develop a training and technical assistance plan with goals based on level of readiness. Other examples of readiness assessments include the NAF Youth Engagement Readiness Tool: https://naf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/NAFYouth- Engagement-Readiness-Tool.pdf

Deliverable 3:

Contractor will facilitate approximately 6, one hour long, online Communities of Practice (CoPs) for grantees.

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/stateandcommunity/state-fact-sheets/alaska/ https://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/Chronic/Documents/Publications/2017_CostOfChronicConditions_EvergreenEconomics_web.pdf5 https://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/Chronic/Documents/Publications/2017_CostOfChronicConditions_EvergreenEconomics_web.pdf5 https://sites.google.com/state.co.us/pydinaction/home https://naf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/NAFYouth-Engagement-Readiness-Tool.pdf https://naf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/NAFYouth-Engagement-Readiness-Tool.pdf

Contractor will:

a) Coordinate with TPC grant managers quarterly to review grantee work plan activities which impact youth and identify opportunities to provide individualized technical assistance to communities on youth engagement strategies.

b) Facilitate online CoP approximately once every other month regarding authentic Youth Engagement in health education and policies. The CoP schedule can be adjusted in advance and in coordination with the project manager to accommodate changes, such as a mini-series on a specific topic when needs arise. CoP schedules and topics will be sent to grantees a minimum of 30 days in advance whenever possible.

c) Develop plan and outline for Youth Engagement CoP with a maximum of 15 participants. CoPs may include presentations by guest speakers. Plans must be submitted to the project director for review and consultation no later than 30 days prior to sessions.

d) Identify, develop and disseminate tool kits and assessments to guide community organizations in assessing readiness to support youth engagement and develop action plans to deepen their agency’s knowledge and application of positive youth development principles.

e) Participate in program evaluation activities relating to the Communities of Practice model a maximum of once per year.

Deliverable 4:

Participate in the planning and implementation of the TPC annual training (Anchorage) by hosting a minimum of one (1) session each year. Provide ongoing training and technical assistance to grantees and community organizations on evidence-based practices to recruit and engage youth in health programs and policies which impact them. Training curriculum should include Positive Youth Development and CDC Best Practices to support authentic youth engagement and to help prepare youth to be effective leaders through trainings and mentorship.

Deliverable 5:

Strengthen existing wellness/tobacco coalitions for regions and/or statewide youth engagement. Strategize with the TPC Strategic Team to implement TPC Strategic Plan activities to support authentic youth engagement in regional and statewide tobacco control and wellness coalitions.

a) Identify existing coalitions working on youth prevention policy, assist coalitions in identifying barriers to youth engagement, and provide ongoing consultation and support on ways to address barriers to engage youth.

b) Develop opportunities to support youth in providing feedback to coalitions on their youth related goals and outreach activities. The contractor will coordinate competitive, fair market payments or incentives for youth consultation services.

c) Identify opportunities to partner with other youth-engagement programs to host joint trainings geared toward youth leadership development.

Deliverable 6:

Identify and connect with 2-3 other youth engagement programs and organize a maximum of three (3) joint training opportunities for the combined youth engagement programs each year on topics to support leadership development and skills necessary to engage in health programs and policies. The contractor will work with youth groups to provide logistical support and planning facilitation to ensure authentic youth engagement.

Deliverable 7:

Contractor will meet with the TPC team and strategic team monthly to identify, develop and coordinate training opportunities each year to help youth learn skills in the following:

https://bpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/sites.wustl.edu/dist/e/1037/files/2011/11/UG_YouthEngagement_2019.pdf https://bpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/sites.wustl.edu/dist/e/1037/files/2011/11/UG_YouthEngagement_2019.pdf

• Media literacy

• Public speaking

• Teamwork and peer to peer education

• Action planning

• Tobacco control strategies

• Public health policy

• Trainings may be coordinated and contracted through credible national organizations such as

Tobacco Free Kids with prior review and approval from the project manager.

• Trainings for youth may include travel to national conferences for youth leadership development with prior review and approval by the project manager. National conference opportunities will be planned and proposed within the first quarter of each contract year whenever possible.

Deliverable 8:

Contactor will coordinate and facilitate a statewide youth group focused on leadership development and health issues which impact and interest them, such as mental health, social determinants of health, and evidence-based youth substance use prevention policies and programs.

a) The contractor will use principles of positive youth development to support youth in developing their skills and interests as leaders in health education and policy.

b) The contractor will offer monthly, individualized mentorship and support to youth participants in identifying their areas of interest within public health, identifying intersections with tobacco and nicotine products, and creating learning and development goals to grow their skills in their areas of interest.

c) The contractor will facilitate monthly gatherings for the youth group to plan an annual conference on youth leadership in health education and policy.

d) The contractor will support youth by coordinating the costs and logistics of hosting an annual conference.

e) The contractor will coordinate logistics to support statewide participation by youth across the state.

Contractor must be knowledgeable in online safety for media platforms and virtual engagement. The contractor must obtain consent from parents or legal guardians for youth participation through an application process. The contractor must ensure that the application packet provides parents and/or legal guardians with information about the program content, meeting frequency, travel and chaperone policies, safety protocols, background check policies for personnel, and other logistics for youth participation.

Deliverable 9:

Develop travel opportunities for a minimum of three (3) youth from underserved communities to participate in annual youth leadership development conference.

Deliverable 10:

Ensure project management and administration. Upon full execution of the contract, the offeror and the Project Manager will meet to discuss the project. The offeror will submit a detailed work plan to the Project Manager within 30 days of the start of the contract. The offeror will be available by phone and for meetings during regular business hours, generally, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Alaska prevailing Time. The offeror and Project Manager will agree on a reporting structure, but at minimum it will include monthly verbal reports of activities for the youth engagement project. The offeror will elevate urgent issues immediately to the Project Manager.

The offeror will develop and provide progress reports and documents as negotiated in collaboration with the Project Manager and monitor the project budget. The offeror will prepare and submit quarterly invoices and reports on contract activities in a form approved by the Project Manager.

For this project, all contact lists and materials created by the offeror are the property of the State of Alaska. At the end of the contract period or when requested, the offeror will provide a jump drive or hard drive of all files in their original format. The offeror will not use the State or Department logos without approval from the Project Manager. The resources available will meet agreed-upon ADA accessibility criteria.

SEC. 3.03 CONTRACT TERM

The initial contract will be for one (1) year term starting from the date of award, with four (4), one (1) year optional renewal options to be executed at the sole discretion of the State. The total term, if the renewals are executed, will be five (5) years.

Unless otherwise provided in the RFP, any extension of the contract beyond the exercised renewal options will be upon mutual agreement between the State and the contractor and effected with a contract amendment processed by the procurement officer and signed by both parties. All other terms and conditions of the contract, including those previously amended, shall remain in full force and effect. Unless otherwise agreed to by both parties, the procurement officer will provide written notice to the contractor of the intent to cancel an extension at least 30 days before the desired date of cancellation.

SEC. 3.04 CONTRACT TYPE

This contract is a firm fixed price contract as identified in Submittal Form H- Cost Proposal.

SEC. 3.05 CONTRACT PAYMENT

No payment will be made until the contract is approved by the Commissioner of the Department of Health or the Commissioner's designee. Under no conditions will the state be liable for the payment of any interest charges associated with the cost of the contract. The state is not responsible for and will not pay local, state, or federal taxes. All costs associated with the contract must be stated in U.S. currency.

Any single contract payment of $1 million or higher must be accepted by the contractor via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).

SEC. 3.06 LOCATION OF WORK

The location(s) the work is to be performed, completed and managed at the contractors workspace.

The state will not provide workspace for the contractor. The contractor must provide its own workspace.

Contractor will need to have equipment and technology necessary to work closely with the Anchorage based TPC team through online video conferencing or be based in Anchorage and available to meet in person. The contractor must demonstrate the ability to travel to Anchorage to meet with the TPC teams in Anchorage quarterly for the duration of the annual grantee training. In general, the contractor must provide its own workspace. Access to state-owned workspace may be made available as necessary and mutually agreed upon (for meetings, etc.).

Travel will be required for work on this contract. Travel must be conducted in accordance with the State of Alaska Travel Guidelines, provided below.

State Approved Travel Guidelines

Costs associated with travel are included in this contract per the criteria below. Expenses above these criteria must be approved in advance by the Program Manager.

• Air Travel: copies of receipts and boarding passes for flights must be submitted with the invoice. The State will reimburse for coach travel only.

• Hotel: copies of original hotel receipts at commercial facilities must be submitted with the invoice. Actual lodging expenses that exceed $300 room rate per night, excluding taxes, must be approved in advance by the Program Manager.

• Rental Car: copies of the rental car receipt and agreement must be submitted with the invoice. Rental should be for a mid-size or less car (unless approved in advance) and the rental period is to cover the business travel period only.

• Ground Transportation: between the Contractor’s home and the airport, and the destination airport and hotel; via airport shuttle, courtesy van, or taxi service.

• Per Diem: the maximum amount for food and all other travel related incidentals in Alaska is $60 per day, per person.

Note: Costs of parking violations will not be reimbursed.

**Travel will be required in the performance of the services for this contract. Of the annual contract amount, the budget will be set at 15% to cover travel expenses. The exact instances of required travel will be determined as the services begin and communities are identified for support. Travel outside of the state of Alaska is permitted in order to fund scholarships for youth participation in an annual youth summit. Chaperones will be required and related travel costs reimbursable through this contract. Out of state travel for professional development of key project staff will be limited to 1 trip per year with prior approval from the project director.

All travel must receive prior approval from the project director. **

By signature on their proposal, the offeror certifies that all services provided under this contract by the contractor and all subcontractors shall be performed in the United States.

If the offeror cannot certify that all work will be performed in the United States, the offeror must contact the procurement officer in writing to request a waiver at least 10 days prior to the deadline for receipt of proposals.

The request must include a detailed description of the portion of work that will be performed outside the United States, where, by whom, and the reason the waiver is necessary.

Failure to comply with these requirements may cause the state to reject the proposal as non-responsive or cancel the contract.

SEC. 3.07 SUBCONTRACTORS

Subcontractors may be used to perform work under this contract. If an offeror intends to use subcontractors, the offeror must complete the Submittal Form identified in Section 4.02 of this RFP.

An offeror's failure to provide this information with their proposal may cause the state to consider their proposal non-responsive and reject it.

Subcontractor experience shall be considered in determining whether the offeror meets the requirements set forth in Submittal Form F – Mandatory Requirements. Offerors must be specific in Submittal Form F as to which subcontractor(s) defined in Submittal Form G – Subcontractors they are citing to meet the specific requirement listed in Submittal Form F.

If a proposal with subcontractors is selected, the state may require a signed written statement from each subcontractor that clearly verifies the subcontractor is committed to provide the good or services required by the contract.

The substitution of one subcontractor for another may be made only at the discretion and prior written approval of the project director or procurement officer.

Note that if the subcontractor will not be performing work within Alaska, they will not be required to hold an Alaska business license.

SEC. 3.08 JOINT VENTURES

Joint ventures will not be allowed.

SEC. 3.09 RIGHT TO INSPECT PLACE OF BUSINESS

At reasonable times, the state may inspect those areas of the contractor's place of business that are related to the performance of a contract. If the state makes such an inspection, the contractor must provide reasonable assistance.

SEC. 3.10 CONTRACT PERSONNEL

Any change of the project team members or subcontractors named in the proposal must be approved, in advance and in writing, by the project director or procurement officer. Changes that are not approved by the state may be grounds for the state to terminate the contract.

SEC. 3.11 INSPECTION & MODIFICATION - REIMBURSEMENT FOR UNACCEPTABLE

DELIVERABLES

The contractor is responsible for the completion of all work set out in the contract. All work is subject to inspection, evaluation, and approval by the project director. The state may employ all reasonable means to ensure that the work is progressing and being performed in compliance with the contract. The project director or procurement officer may instruct the contractor to make corrections or modifications if needed to accomplish the contract’s intent. The contractor will not unreasonably withhold such changes.

Substantial failure of the contractor to perform the contract may cause the state to terminate the contract. In this event, the state may require the contractor to reimburse monies paid (based on the identified portion of unacceptable work received) and may seek associated damages.

SEC. 3.12 CONTRACT CHANGES - UNANTICIPATED AMENDMENTS

During the course of this contract, the contractor may be required to perform additional work. That work will be within the general scope of the initial contract. When additional work is required, the project director will provide the contractor a written description of the additional work and request the contractor to submit a firm time schedule for accomplishing the additional work and a firm price for the additional work. Cost and pricing data must be provided to justify the cost of such amendments per AS 36.30.400.

The contractor will not commence additional work until the procurement officer has secured any required state approvals necessary for the amendment and issued a written contract amendment, approved by the Commissioner of the Department of Health or the Commissioner's designee.

SEC. 3.13 NONDISCLOSURE AND CONFIDENTIALITY

Contractor agrees that all confidential information shall be used only for purposes of providing the deliverables and performing the services specified herein and shall not disseminate or allow dissemination of confidential information except as provided for in this section. The contractor shall hold as confidential and will use reasonable care (including both facility physical security and electronic security) to prevent unauthorized access by, storage, disclosure, publication, dissemination to and/or use by third parties of, the confidential information. “Reasonable care” means compliance by the contractor with all applicable federal and state law, including the Social Security Act and HIPAA. The contractor must promptly notify the state in writing if it becomes aware of any storage, disclosure, loss, unauthorized access to or use of the confidential information.

Confidential information, as used herein, means any data, files, software, information or materials (whether prepared by the state or its agents or advisors) in oral, electronic, tangible or intangible form and however stored, compiled or memorialized that is classified confidential as defined by State of Alaska classification and categorization guidelines provided by the state to the contractor or a contractor agent or otherwise made available to the contractor or a contractor agent in connection with this contract, or acquired, obtained or learned by the contractor or a contractor agent in the performance of this contract. Examples of confidential information include, but are not limited to: technology infrastructure, architecture, financial data, trade secrets, equipment specifications, user lists, passwords, research data, and technology data (infrastructure, architecture, operating systems, security tools, IP addresses, etc).

If confidential information is requested to be disclosed by the contractor pursuant to a request received by a third party and such disclosure of the confidential information is required under applicable state or federal law, regulation, governmental or regulatory authority, the contractor may disclose the confidential information after providing the state with written notice of the requested disclosure ( to the extent such notice to the state is permitted by applicable law) and giving the state opportunity to review the request. If the contractor receives no objection from the state, it may release the confidential information within 30 days. Notice of the requested disclosure of confidential information by the contractor must be provided to the state within a reasonable time after the contractor’s receipt of notice of the requested disclosure and, upon request of the state, shall seek to obtain legal protection from the release of the confidential information.

The following information shall not be considered confidential information: information previously known to be public information when received from the other party; information freely available to the general public;

information which now is or hereafter becomes publicly known by other than a breach of confidentiality hereof;

or information which is disclosed by a party pursuant to subpoena or other legal process and which as a result becomes lawfully obtainable by the general public.

SEC. 3.14 INDEMNIFICATION

The contractor shall indemnify, hold harmless, and defend the contracting agency from and against any claim of, or liability for error, omission or negligent act of the contractor under this agreement. The contractor shall not be required to indemnify the contracting agency for a claim of, or liability for, the independent negligence of the contracting agency. If there is a claim of, or liability for, the joint negligent error or omission of the contractor and the independent negligence of the contracting agency, the indemnification and hold harmless obligation shall be apportioned on a comparative fault basis. “Contractor” and “contracting agency”, as used within this and the following article, include the employees, agents and other contractors who are directly responsible, respectively, to each. The term “independent negligence” is negligence other than in the contracting agency’s selection, administration, monitoring, or controlling of the contractor and in approving or accepting the contractor’s work.

SEC. 3.15 INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

Without limiting contractor's indemnification, it is agreed that contractor shall purchase at its own expense and maintain in force at all times during the performance of services under this agreement the following policies of insurance. Where specific limits are shown, it is understood that they shall be the minimum acceptable limits. If the contractor's policy contains higher limits, the state shall be entitled to coverage to the extent of such higher limits.

Certificates of Insurance must be furnished to the procurement officer prior to beginning work and must provide for a notice of cancellation, non-renewal, or material change of conditions in accordance with policy provisions.

Failure to furnish satisfactory evidence of insurance or lapse of the policy is a material breach of this contract and shall be grounds for termination of the contractor's services. All insurance policies shall comply with and be issued by insurers licensed to transact the business of insurance under AS 21.

Workers' Compensation Insurance: The contractor shall provide and maintain, for all employees engaged in work under this contract, coverage as required by AS 23.30.045, and; where applicable, any other statutory obligations including but not limited to Federal U.S.L. & H. and Jones Act requirements. The policy must waive subrogation against the State.

Commercial General Liability Insurance: covering all business premises and operations used by the Contractor in the performance of services under this agreement with minimum coverage limits of $300,000 combined single limit per claim.

Commercial Automobile Liability Insurance: covering all vehicles used by the contractor in the performance of services under this agreement with minimum coverage limits of $300,000 combined single limit per claim.

SEC. 3.16 TERMINATION FOR DEFAULT

If the project director or procurement officer determines that the contractor has refused to perform the work or has failed to perform the work with such diligence as to ensure its timely and accurate completion, the state may, by providing written notice to the contractor, terminate the contractor's right to proceed with part or all of the remaining work.

This clause does not restrict the state's termination rights under the contract provisions of Appendix A, attached in SECTION 7. ATTACHMENTS.

SECTION 4. PROPOSAL FORMAT AND CONTENT

SEC. 4.01 RFP SUBMITTAL FORMS

This RFP contains Submittal Forms, which must be completed by the offeror and submitted as their proposal. An electronic copy of the forms is posted along with this RFP. Offerors shall not re-create these forms, create their own forms, or edit the format structure of the forms unless permitted to do so.

Unless otherwise specified in this RFP, the Submittal Forms shall be the offeror’s entire proposal. Do not include any marketing information in the proposal.

Any proposal that does not follow these requirements may be deemed non-responsive and rejected.

SEC. 4.02 SPECIAL FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS

The offeror must ensure that their proposal meets all special formatting requirements identified in this section.

Documents and Text: All attachment documents must be written in the English language, be single sided, and be single spaced with a minimum font size of 10. Pictures or graphics may be used if the offeror feels it is necessary to communicate their information, however, be aware of the below requirements for page limits.

Page Limits: Some Submittal Forms listed below have maximum page limit requirements. Offerors must not exceed the maximum page limits. Note, the page limit applies to the front side of a page only (for example, ‘1 Page’ implies that the offeror can only provide a response on one side of a piece of paper).

Submittal Form Maximum

Page Limits

Submittal Form A – Offeror Information and Certifications N/A Submittal Form B – Experience and Qualifications 10 Submittal Form C – Understanding of the Project 8 Submittal Form D – Methodology Used for the Project 7 Submittal Form E – Management Plan for the Project 5 Submittal Form F – Mandatory Requirements N/A Submittal Form G – Subcontractors N/A Submittal Form H – Cost Proposal N/A

Any Submittal Form that is being evaluated and does not follow these instructions may receive a ‘1’ score for the evaluated Submittal Form, or the entire response may be deemed non-responsive and rejected. Failure to submit any of the Submittal Forms will result in the proposal being deemed non-responsive and rejected.

SEC. 4.03 OFFEROR INFORMATION AND CERTIFICATIONS (SUBMITTAL FORM A)

The offeror must complete and submit this Submittal Form. The form must be signed by an individual authorized to bind the offeror to the provisions of the RFP.

By signature on the form, the offeror certifies they comply with the items listed in the Certifications section of the Submittal Form. If the offeror fails to comply with these items, the state reserves the right to disregard the proposal, consider the contractor in default, or terminate the contract.

The Submittal Form also requests the following information:

a) The complete name and address of offeror’s firm along with the offeror’s Tax ID.

b) Information on the person the state should contact regarding the proposal.

c) Names of critical team members/personnel.

d) Addenda acknowledgement.

e) Conflict of interest statement.

f) Federal requirements.

g) Alaska preference qualifications.

An offeror's failure to provide this information may cause the proposal to be determined to non-responsive and rejected.

SEC. 4.04 EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS (SUBMITTAL FORM B)

Offerors must provide detail on their specific experience in the following:

• Conducting trainings for adult learners and supporting local grantee activities of engaging youth in coalition and policy efforts.

• Organizing and facilitating youth engagement programs using principles of positive youth development.

• Experience training youth in peer-to-peer education and

• Experience working on health or social service projects within rural communities. (Offerors must include at least one letter or reference from a rural community organization/member to exemplify this experience.)

• Three letters of support from community organizations which demonstrate the offeror’s success implementing youth peer-to-peer education and engagement programs, including rural communities.

• Three letters of reference which demonstrate specific areas of expertise as outlined in 4.04.

• Additional letters of support from community members, educators, and/or school administrators.

• Offerors must also provide resumes which demonstrate specific areas of expertise for key staff as outlined above.

Offerors must also provide detail on the primary project manager’s specific experience in projects of a similar nature along with the directly related experience of the overall project team identified in Submittal Form A.

Letters of reference and resumes will not count against the set page limit in the submittal form as mentioned in Section 4.02.

For both above, this can include other specific areas of expertise, including Positive Youth Development, trauma- Informed care, knowledge of adolescent development, facilitating adult learning, CDC Best Practices for Commercial Tobacco Prevention and Control, cultural humility, and health topics such as evidence-based youth prevention interventions, substance use, mental health, and social determinants of health.

Finally, offerors must provide a description of the organization of the project team and the individual(s) responsible and accountable for the completion each component and deliverable of the RFP.

SPECIAL NOTE: The offeror shall not disclose their costs in this Submittal Form and cannot exceed the page limit (as described in Section 4.02).

SEC. 4.05 UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROJECT (SUBMITTAL FORM C)

Offerors must provide detail that demonstrates their understanding of the requirements of the project and how to meet the state’s needs.

SPECIAL NOTE: The offeror shall not disclose their costs in this Submittal Form and cannot exceed the page limit (as described in Section 4.02).

SEC. 4.06 METHODOLOGY USED FOR THE PROJECT (SUBMITTAL FORM D)

Offerors must provide detail that demonstrates the methodology they will employ and how the methodology will serve to accomplish the work and meet the state’s needs.

SPECIAL NOTE: The offeror shall not disclose their costs in this Submittal Form and cannot exceed the page limit (as described in Section 4.02).

SEC. 4.07 MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE PROJECT (SUBMITTAL FORM E)

Offerors must provide detail that demonstrates the management plan they intend to follow and how the plan will serve to accomplish the work and meet the state's needs.

Offerors must also identify any potential issues, risks, or problems they foresee with this project and how they will address them.

SPECIAL NOTE: The offeror shall not disclose their costs in this Submittal Form and cannot exceed the page limit (as described in Section 4.02).

SEC. 4.08 MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS (SUBMITTAL FORM F)

Offerors must complete and submit this Submittal Form.

SEC. 4.09 SUBCONTRACTORS (SUBMITTAL FORM G)

If using subcontractors, the offeror must complete and submit this Submittal Form.

SEC. 4.10 COST PROPOSAL (SUBMITTAL FORM H)

Offerors must complete and submit this Submittal Form. Proposed costs must include all direct and indirect costs associated with the performance of the contract. The costs identified on the cost proposal are the total amount of costs to be paid by the state. No additional charges shall be allowed.

SECTION 5. EVALUATION CRITERIA AND CONTRACTOR SELECTION

SEC. 5.01 SUMMARY OF EVALUATION PROCESS

The state will use the following steps to evaluate and prioritize proposals:

1) Proposals will be assessed for overall responsiveness. Proposals deemed non-responsive will be eliminated from further consideration.

2) A proposal evaluation committee (PEC), made up of at least three state employees or public officials, will evaluate specific parts of the responsive proposals.

3) The Submittal Forms, from each responsive proposal, will be sent to the PEC. No cost information will be shared or provided to the PEC.

4) The PEC will independently evaluate and score the documents based on the degree to which they meet the stated evaluation criteria.

5) After independent scoring, the PEC will have a meeting, chaired by the procurement officer, where the PEC may have a group discussion prior to finalizing their scores.

6) The evaluators will submit their final individual scores to the procurement officer, who will then compile the scores and calculate awarded points as set out in Section 5.03.

7) The procurement officer will calculate scores for cost proposals as set out in Section 5.08 and add those scores to the awarded points along with factoring in any Alaska preferences.

8) The procurement officer may ask for best and final offers from offerors susceptible for award and revise the cost scores accordingly.

9) The state will then conduct any necessary negotiations with the highest scoring offeror and award a contract if the negotiations are successful.

SEC. 5.02 EVALUATION CRITERIA

Proposals will be evaluated based on their overall value to state, considering both cost and non-cost factors as described below. Note: An evaluation may not be based on discrimination due to the race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, disability, or political affiliation of the offeror.

Overall Criteria Weight Responsiveness Pass/Fail Mandatory Requirements Compliance (Submittal Form E)

Qualifications Criteria Weight Experience and Qualifications (Submittal Form B) 130 Understanding of the Project (Submittal Form C) 130 Methodology Used for the Project (Submittal Form D) 125 Management Plan for…