Michigan.gov/MiProcurement proposal instructions Department of Natural Resources Burn Permit Call Center Services Request for Proposal No. 220000000020 Solicitation Manager Name: Patrick Avendt, Buyer Direct Phone: (517) 388-6265 Email: avendtp@michigan.gov Main Phone: 1-855-MI-PURCH 1-855-647-8724 This is a Request for Proposal (RFP) for:

Provide the Services of a Call Center for the Issuance of DNR Burn Permits RFP Timeline

*A bidder’s proposal received at 3:00:01 p.m. Eastern is late and subject to disqualification.

This RFP is subject to change. Check www.michigan.gov/SIGMAVSS for current information.

1. PROPOSAL PREPARATION. The State recommends reading all RFP materials prior to preparing a proposal, particularly these Proposal Instructions and the Vendor Questions Worksheet. Bidders must follow these Proposal Instructions and provide a complete response to the items indicated in the table below. References and links to websites or external sources may not be used in lieu of providing the information requested in the RFP within the proposal. Include the bidder’s company name in the header of all documents submitted with your proposal. Note that all documents and information submitted as part of a proposal will become public record immediately upon receipt by the State. Proposals received by the State may be posted on the State’s publicly available website after bidders are notified of the award recommendation.

RFP Structure and Documentation

2. CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE STATE. The sole point of contact for the State concerning this RFP is listed on the Cover Page. Contacting any other State personnel, agent, consultant, or representative about this RFP may result in bidder disqualification.

3. PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING - RESERVED.

4. MODIFICATIONS. The State may modify this RFP at any time. Modifications will be posted on www.michigan.gov/SIGMAVSS. This is the only method by which the RFP may be modified.

5. QUESTIONS. Bidder questions about this RFP must be emailed to the Solicitation Manager no later than the time and date specified on the Cover Page. In the interest of transparency, only written questions are accepted. Answers to questions will be posted on www.michigan.gov/SIGMAVSS. Submit questions using the format below; a Microsoft Excel format or similar is suggested.

6. DELIVERY OF PROPOSAL.

Electronic – The bidder must submit its proposal, all attachments, and any modifications or withdrawals electronically through www.michigan.gov/SIGMAVSS. The price proposal should be saved separately from all other proposal documents. The bidder should submit all documents in a modifiable (native) format (examples include but are not limited to Microsoft Word or Excel and Google Docs or Sheets). In addition to submitting documents in a modifiable format, the bidder may also submit copies of documents in PDF. Attachment file size is limited to 6 MB per document. Bidder’s failure to submit a proposal as required may result in disqualification. The proposal and attachments must be fully uploaded and submitted prior to the proposal deadline. Do not wait until the last minute to submit a proposal, as the SIGMA VSS system requires the creation of an account and entry of certain information, in addition to uploading and submitting the materials. The SIGMA VSS system will not allow a proposal to be submitted after the proposal deadline identified in the solicitation Closing On/Closing Date fields (Summary view/Detail view), even if a portion of the proposal has been uploaded.

Questions on how to submit information or how to navigate in the SIGMA VSS system can be answered by calling (517) 284-0540 or (888) 734-9749. The Solicitation Manager will not provide assistance related to the submittal of the proposal and all attachments on the day of the proposal deadline. Responsibility for a complete submission lies with the bidder. Note that all documents and information submitted in any manner as part of a proposal will become public record immediately upon receipt by the State. Proposals received may be posted by the State on the State’s publicly available website after bidders are notified of the award recommendation.

7. MANDATORY MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS. To avoid disqualification, the bidder must provide documentation to support the following:

The contractor shall provide a Call Center that is based in the continental U.S. and must not use offshore resources.”

Only proposals meeting the mandatory minimum requirements will be considered for evaluation.

8. EVALUATION PROCESS. The State will evaluate each proposal based on the following factors:

Proposals receiving a PASS SCORE on all technical criteria will have pricing evaluated and considered for award.

The State may utilize all bidder information, without regard to a proposal’s technical score, to determine fair market value for goods or services sought. The State is not obligated to accept the lowest price proposal. If applicable, the State’s evaluation will include consideration of a bidder’s qualified disabled veterans/service-disabled veteran owned business(QDV/SDVOB) status under MCL 18.1261(8). Additional information on the SDVOB preference is available at: Michigan.gov/SDVOB.

The State strongly encourages strict adherence to the Contract Terms. The State reserves the right to deem a bid non-responsive for failure to accept the Contract Terms. Nevertheless, the bidder may submit proposed changes to the Contract Terms in track changes (i.e., visible edits) with an explanation of the bidder’s need for each proposed change. Failure to include track changes with an explanation of the bidder’s need for the proposed change constitutes the bidder’s acceptance of the Contract Terms. General statements, such as that the bidder reserves the right to negotiate the terms and conditions, may be considered non-responsive.

The State may but is not required to conduct an on-site visit to tour and inspect the bidder’s facilities; require an oral presentation of the bidder's proposal; conduct interviews, research, reference checks, and background checks; and request additional price concessions at any point during the evaluation process.

9. NOTICE OF DEFICIENCY. The State reserves the right to issue a Notice of Deficiency to bidders if the State determines after the proposal deadline that a portion of the RFP was deficient, unclear, or ambiguous. Failure to respond to a Notice of Deficiency timely may be cause for disqualification.

10. CLARIFICATION REQUEST. The State reserves the right to issue a Clarification Request to a bidder to clarify its proposal if the State determines the proposal is not clear. Failure to respond to a Clarification Request timely may be cause for disqualification.

11. RESERVATIONS. The State reserves the right to:

a. Disqualify a bidder for failure to follow these instructions.

b. Discontinue the RFP process at any time for any or no reason. The issuance of an RFP, your preparation and submission of a proposal, and the State’s subsequent receipt and evaluation of your proposal does not commit the State to award a contract to you or anyone, even if all the requirements in the RFP are met.

c. Consider late proposals if: (i) no other proposals are received; (ii) no complete proposals are received; (iii) the State received complete proposals, but the proposals did not meet mandatory minimum requirements or technical criteria; or (iv) the award process fails to result in an award.

d. Consider an otherwise disqualified proposal if no other proposals are received.

e. Disqualify a proposal based on: (i) information provided by the bidder in response to this RFP; (2) the bidder’s failure to complete registration on www.michigan.gov/SIGMAVSS ; or (3) if it is determined that a bidder purposely or willfully submitted false or misleading information in response to the RFP.

f. Consider prior performance with the State in making its award decision.

g. Consider overall economic impact to the State when evaluating proposal pricing and in the final award recommendation. This includes but is not limited to: considering principal place of performance, number of Michigan citizens employed or potentially employed, dollars paid to Michigan residents, Michigan capital investments, job creation, tax revenue implications, and economically disadvantaged businesses.

h. Consider total-cost-of-ownership factors (e.g., transition and training costs) when evaluating proposal pricing and in the final award recommendation.

i. Refuse to award a contract to any bidder that has failed to pay State taxes or has outstanding debt with the State.

j. Enter into negotiations with one or more bidders on price, terms, technical requirements, or other deliverables.

k. Award multiple, optional-use contracts, or award by Contract Activity.

l. Evaluate the proposal outside the scope identified in the Evaluation Process section of this document if the State receives only one proposal.

12. AWARD RECOMMENDATION. The contract will be awarded to the responsive and responsible bidder who offers the best value to the State, as determined by the State. Best value will be determined by the bidder meeting the minimum point threshold and offering the best combination of the factors stated in the Evaluation Process section of this document, and price, as demonstrated by the proposal. The State will post an Award Recommendation and Evaluation Synopsis on www.michigan.gov/SIGMAVSS or in the manner it was originally published.

13. DEBRIEF MEETING AND BID PROTEST. The State will post an Award Recommendation and Evaluation Synopsis which will provide instructions on how to request a debrief meeting.

If you wish to initiate a protest of the award, you must submit your written protest to Ms. Laura Gyorkos, DNR Procurement Manager at gyorkosl@michigan.gov not than 5:00 p.m., five (5) business days after posting the Award Recommendation and Evaluation Synopsis. The State reserves the right to adjust this timing and will publish any change.

Additional information about the protest process is available at www.michigan.gov/micontractconnect under the “Programs and Policies” link.

14. STATE ADMINISTRATIVE BOARD. Contracts equal to $250,000 or greater than require approval by the State Administrative Board. The State Administrative Board’s decision is final; however, its approval does not constitute a contract. The award process is not complete until the awarded contractor receives a contract fully executed by all parties.

15. GENERAL CONDITIONS. The State will not be liable for any costs, expenses, or damages incurred by a bidder participating in this solicitation. The bidder agrees that its proposal will be considered an offer to do business with the State in accordance with its proposal, including the Contract Terms, and that its proposal will be irrevocable and binding for a period of Ninety (90) calendar days from date of submission. If a contract is awarded to the bidder, the State may, at its option, incorporate any part of the bidder’s proposal into a contract. This RFP is not an offer to enter into a contract. This RFP may not provide a complete statement of the State’s environment or contain all matters upon which agreement must be reached. The bidder understands that their proposal will become public record immediately upon receipt by the State. Other than verified trade secrets, proposals submitted via www.michigan.gov/SIGMAVSS are the State’s property.

16. CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT FORM AND THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT. As a public record, all portions of the bidder’s proposal and resulting contract are subject to disclosure as required under Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), MCL 15.231, et seq. However, the State may exempt some information from disclosure as permitted by law. Under MCL 18.1261(13)(b), records containing “a trade secret as defined under section 2 of the uniform trade secrets act, 1998 PA 448, MCL 445.1902,” are exempt from disclosure under FOIA. In addition, “financial or proprietary information” submitted with a bidder’s proposal is exempt from disclosure under FOIA. A bidder’s failure to comply with this Section is grounds for rejecting a bidder’s proposal as non-responsive. As a part of its proposal, each bidder must follow the procedure below.

SUBMIT A COMPLETED “CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT FORM” (CT FORM) WITH YOUR BID. Completion and submission of the CT Form is required regardless of whether the bidder seeks confidential treatment of information. Failure to submit a completed CT Form may be cause for disqualification from the solicitation process. If a bidder fails to properly complete and submit the CT Form or otherwise fails to follow CT Form instructions, the proposal may be publicly disclosed in its entirety without redaction after an award recommendation.

Complete and sign Section 1 of the CT Form if the bidder does NOT request confidential treatment of information contained in its proposal; or

i. Complete and sign Section 2 of the CT Form if the bidder requests confidential treatment of certain information. Bidder must also submit a “Public Copy” of the proposal with the trade secret, financial, and proprietary information redacted and clearly labeled as the “Public Copy.”

ii. Failure to complete and sign a CT Form may result in disqualification of the bidder. If a bidder fails to properly complete and submit the CT Form or otherwise fails to follow the CT Form instructions, the proposal, in its entirety, will be treated as a “Public Copy” and may be publicly disclosed by the State without redaction after bidders have been notified of an award recommendation.

b. FOIA REQUESTS. If a FOIA request is made for a bidder’s proposal, the Public Copy may be distributed to the public along with the bidder’s CT Form. The CT Form is a public document and serves as an explanation for the redactions to the Public Copy. Do not put any trade secret, financial, or proprietary information in the CT Form. Do not redact the CT Form itself.

c. NO ADVICE. The State will not advise a bidder as to the nature or content of documents entitled to protection from disclosure under FOIA or other laws, as to the interpretation of such laws, or as to the definition of trade secret or financial or proprietary information. Nothing contained in this provision will modify or amend requirements and obligations imposed on the State by FOIA or other applicable law.

d. FAILURE TO REQUEST CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT. Failure to request material be treated as confidential as specified herein relieves the State, its agencies, and personnel from any responsibility for maintaining material in confidence.

e. Bids containing a request to maintain an entire proposal as confidential may be rejected as non-responsive. Bidders may not request confidential treatment with respect to resumes, pricing, and marketing materials. The State reserves the right to determine whether material designated as exempt by a bidder falls under MCL 18.1261 or other applicable FOIA exemptions. If a FOIA request is made for materials that the bidder has identified as trade secret, financial, or proprietary information, the State has the final authority to determine whether the materials are exempt from disclosure under FOIA.

f. Bidder forever releases the State, its departments, subdivisions, officers, and employees from all claims, rights, actions, demands, damages, liabilities, expenses and fees, which arise out of or relate to the disclosure of all or a portion of bidder’s proposal submitted under this RFP. Bidder must defend, indemnify and hold the State, its departments, subdivisions, officers, and employees harmless, without limitation, from and against all actions, claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs, attorney fees, and expenses (including those required to establish the right to indemnification), arising out of or relating to any FOIA request, including potential litigation and appeals, related to the portion of bidder’s proposal submitted under this RFP that bidder has identified as a trade secret, or financial or proprietary information. The State will notify bidder in writing if indemnification is sought. The State is entitled to: (i) regular updates on proceeding status; (ii) participate in the defense of the proceeding; (iii) employ its own counsel; and to (iv) retain control of the defense, or any portion thereof, if the State deems necessary. Bidder will not, without the State’s written consent (not to be unreasonably withheld), settle, compromise, or consent to the entry of any judgment in or otherwise seek to terminate any claim, action, or proceeding. If a State employee, official, or law is involved or challenged, the State may control the defense of that portion of the claim. Any litigation activity on behalf of the State, or any of its subdivisions under this Section, must be coordinated with the Department of Attorney General. An attorney designated to represent the State may not do so until approved by the Michigan Attorney General and appointed as a Special Assistant Attorney General.

confidential treatment form INSTRUCTIONS. Complete either Section 1 or Section 2 of this CT Form and sign where indicated. This CT Form must be signed by the individual who signed the bidder’s proposal. A completed CT Form must be submitted with your proposal, regardless of whether your proposal contains confidential information.

Failure to submit a completed CT Form with your bid is grounds for rejecting the proposal as non-responsive. If a bidder fails to properly complete and submit the CT Form or otherwise fails to follow CT Form Instructions, the proposal, in its entirety, will be treated as a “Public Copy” and may be publicly disclosed by the State without redaction after bidders have been notified of an award recommendation. See the Confidential Treatment Form and The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) sections of the Proposal Instructions for additional information.

Section 1. CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT IS NOT REQUESTED This section must be completed, signed, and submitted with the proposal if the bidder does not request confidential treatment of any material contained in the proposal.

By signing below, the bidder affirms that confidential treatment of material contained in their proposal is not requested.

RFP Number

RFP Title

Signature

Date

Printed Name, Title, Company

Section 2. CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT IS REQUESTED This section must be completed, signed, and submitted with the proposal if bidder requests confidential treatment of any material contained in the proposal. Submission of a completed CT Form is required to request confidential treatment.

Provide the information in the table below. Bidder may add rows or additional pages using the same format shown in the table. Bidder must specifically identify the information to be protected as confidential and state the reasons why protection is necessary.

The CT Form will not be considered fully complete unless, for each confidentiality request, the bidder: (1) identifies the Proposal Page #, Section #, and Paragraph #, (2) identifies whether the material is a Trade Secret (TS), Proprietary Financial Information (FI), or Proprietary Information (PI), and (3) explains the specific legal grounds that support treatment of the material as TS, FI, or PI. Bidders must provide a complete justification as to how the material falls within the scope of an applicable FOIA exemption or relevant case law. Bidders must not simply cite to an applicable exemption or case name. Bidders must also provide the contact information for the person at their organization authorized to respond to inquiries by the State concerning the material.

Bidder must also submit a “Public Copy” of the proposal with the trade secret, financial, and proprietary information redacted and clearly labeled as the “Public Copy”.

(1) Proposal Page #, Section #, Paragraph # (2) Material is Trade Secret (TS), Proprietary Financial Information (FI), Proprietary Information (PI) (3) Applicable FOIA Exemption with Written Justification (4) Bidder Contact Information

By signing below, the bidder affirms that confidential treatment of material contained in their proposal is requested and has attached to this form a redacted “Public Copy” of the bidder’s proposal.

RFP Number

RFP Title

Signature

Date

Printed Name, Title, Company vendor questions worksheet Provide a detailed response to each question. “You” and “company” refers to the bidder.

1. Contact Information

Bidder’s sole contact person during the RFP process. Include name, title, address, email, and phone number.

Person authorized to receive and sign a resulting contract. Include name, title, address, email, phone number and vendor customer code in SIGMA VSS.

2. Company Background Information

Legal business name and address. Include business entity designation, e.g., sole proprietor, Inc., LLC, or LLP.

What state was the company formed in?

Phone number.

Website address.

Number of years in business and number of employees.

Legal business name and address of parent company, if any.

Has there been a recent change in organizational structure (e.g., management team) or control (e.g., merger or acquisition) of your company? If the answer is yes: (a) explain why the change occurred and (b) how this change has affected your company.

Discuss your company’s history. Has growth been organic, through mergers and acquisitions, or both?

Has bidder ever been debarred, suspended, or disqualified from bidding or contracting with any entity, including the State of Michigan? If yes, provide the date, the entity, and details about the situation.

Has your company been a party to litigation against the State of Michigan? If the answer is yes, then state the date of initial filing, case name and court number, and jurisdiction.

Within the last 5 years, has your company or any of its related business entities defaulted on a contract or had a contract terminated for cause? If yes, provide the date, contracting entity, type of contract, and details about the termination or default.

State your gross annual sales for each of the last 5 years.

If receiving a contract under this RFP will increase your gross revenue by more than 25% from last year’s sales, explain how the company will scale-up to manage this increase.

Describe partnerships and strategic relationships you think will bring significant value to the State.

State the physical address of the place of business that would have primary responsibility for this account if bidder is awarded a contract under this RFP.

3. Qualified Disabled Veteran/Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Program

To demonstrate qualification as a qualified disabled veteran, you must provide:

(a) Proof of service and conditions of discharge (DD214 or equivalent);

(b) Proof of service-connected disability (DD214 if the disability was documented at discharge or Veterans Administration Rating Decision Letter or equivalent if the disability was documented after discharge); and

(c) Legal documents setting forth the ownership of the business entity.

In lieu of the documentation identified above, you may provide proof of certification by the National Veterans Business Development Council.

Enter the names of documents submitted with your proposal to demonstrate status as a qualified disabled veteran.

4. Participation in RFP Development or Evaluation

If you enter “YES”, you are not eligible for contract award or to work as a subcontractor for the awarded vendor.

If you enter “YES,” you are not eligible for contract award. An awarded vendor may not partner or subcontract with anyone to provide goods and services required under a resulting contract if that subcontractor or partner assisted in the development of this solicitation.

If you enter “YES”, you are not eligible for contract award or to work as a subcontractor for the awarded vendor.

5. State of Michigan Experience and Prior Experience

Does your company have experience working with the State of Michigan? If so, please provide a list (including the contract number) of the contracts you hold or have held with the State for the last 10 years.

Describe at least [3]relevant experiences from the last [5] years supporting your ability to successfully manage a contract of similar size and scope for the work described in this RFP.

Experience 1

Company name.

Contact name.

Contact role at time of project.

Contact phone.

Contact email.

City.

State.

Zip.

1. Project name and description of the scope of the project.

2. What role did your company play?

3. How is this project experience relevant to the subject of this RFP?

Dollar value.

Start and end date (mm/yy – mm/yy)

Status (completed, live, other – specify phase)

Results obtained.

Experience 2

Company name.

Contact role at time of project.

City.

1. Project name and description of the scope of the project.

Dollar value.

Start and end date (mm/yy – mm/yy)

Status (completed, live, other – specify phase)

Results obtained.

Experience 3

Company name.

Contact role at time of project.

City.

1. Project name and description of the scope of the project.

Dollar value.

Start and end date (mm/yy – mm/yy)

Status (completed, live, other – specify phase)

Results obtained.

6. Standard Contract Terms

Bidder must affirm agreement with the attached Contract Terms. If not in agreement, written exceptions in accordance with the Evaluation Process section of the Proposal Instructions must be provided with Bidder’s proposal.

7. Michigan Economic Impact

Number of employees currently employed at locations within the State of Michigan.

Number of additional employees to be employed at locations within the State of Michigan if awarded this Contract (if any)

Minimum wage paid to employees employed at locations within the State of Michigan.

Average wage paid to employees employed at locations within the State of Michigan.

Percentage of employees employed at locations within the State of Michigan that are covered by employer-provided health insurance.

8. Labor and Environmental Laws Compliance

Bidder must disclose any violations of state or federal labor and employment laws and regulations received within the past five years.

Bidder must disclose any violations of state or federal environmental laws and regulations received within the past five years.

9. Supplier Diversity

10. Other

Contractor must enter company name here.

Schedule A – statement of work contract activities Burn Permit Call Center Services Request for Proposal No. 220000000020

EXHIBIT A

STATEMENT OF WORK

CONTRACT ACTIVITIES

This exhibit identifies the anticipated requirements of any Contract resulting from this RFP. The term “Contractor” in this document refers to a bidder responding to this RFP.

The Contractor must respond to each requirement or question, and explain how it will fulfill each requirement. Attach any supplemental information and appropriately reference within your response.

BACKGROUND

State law requires a burn permit to burn debris. The DNR has Century Link phone service Interactive Voice Response (IVR) to permit burning in 49 counties in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Lower Michigan. DNR Fire Managers set burning restrictions on a daily basis by evaluating weather and fire danger conditions. Some local governments have ordinances that incorporate burning restriction. This information is located on an interactive DNR website at www.michigan.gov/burnpermit and is updated daily. The public can easily go online to see what the burning restrictions are for the day in their area. Some burners prefer to call the IVR system number to check the burn permit availability if they do not have internet access. This Contract serves to provide telephone back up access to the IVR system when it fails or for those individuals who are unable to have the automated system navigate them to the county information they are calling about or who cannot access the on line DNR burn permit site.

SCOPE

Operators will be performing a service as an intermediary for citizens without access to the Internet. It is estimated that operators will receive approximately 2,800 calls per year. Information received from callers will include the county and township of the planned burn. Permit restrictions will be managed by the local DNR fire supervisors. There will be days with restrictions on burn permits or when permits will not be issued at all. Some callers from specific townships and communities will not be able to obtain a permit through this system due to local regulations; these areas will be identified clearly on the website.

Counties include: Alcona, Alger, Alpena, Antrim, Arenac, Baraga, Bay, Benzie, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Chippewa, Clare, Crawford, Dickinson, Delta, Emmet, Gladwin, Grand Traverse, Gogebic, Houghton, Iosco, Iron, Isabella, Kalkaska, Keweenaw, Lake, Leelanau, Luce, Mackinac, Manistee, Marquette, Mason, Mecosta, Menominee, Midland, Missaukee, Montmorency, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Ogemaw, Ontonagon, Osceola, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle, Roscommon, Schoolcraft, Wexford. The telephone line must be operational 24 hours per day and have a live representative to assist callers with burn permit restrictions for any given day and location.

When there is snow cover, a burn permit is not required. However, since not all 48 counties have uniform snow cover throughout the winter, on any given day some callers will still need a permit and require assistance from an operator.

Upon execution of this Contract, a Letter of Authorization (LOA) will be provided to the Contractor to provide backup service to the Century Link IVR system and provide burn permit restrictions for any given day and location based on the information retrieved from the DNR burn permit website.

BIDDERS MUST RESPOND IN THE BOXES BELOW EACH REQUIREMENT WITH THEIR PLAN ON HOW TO MEET THE REQUIREMENT.

1. Requirements

1.1 General Requirements:

The Contractor must provide Deliverables/Services and staff, and otherwise do all things necessary for or incidental to the performance of work, as set forth below.

The Contractor is responsible for providing telephone lines to the Contractor’s premises. The Contractor will pay the cost of maintaining and repairing all lines. The telephone number will be provided to Century Link for all IVR error calls to be transferred to for assistance by a live representative.

Bidder Response: Does the bidder agree to the above requirement?

1.2 Call Center Requirements:

The Contractor shall provide call center staff and operators who are knowledgeable of Michigan’s Burn Permit Program. The Call Center is required to be located in the State of Michigan.

Bidder Response: Provide location of call center:

The Contractor shall provide a Call Center that is based in the continental U.S. and must not use offshore resources.

Bidder Response:

The Contractor must provide 24/7 coverage 365 days per year with a live representative to assist callers with understanding and notification if burn permits are issued within the county they are calling about on any given day.

The Contractor’s facility must have a sufficient number of telephone lines for the transfer of incoming IVR error calls to acquire burn permits to comply with the standards, and to easily meet call center performance requirements. For callers awaiting the next available operator, a system generated message indicating “All calls will be answered in the order received with an expected hold time. (i.e., “Your estimated wait time will be XX minutes”). No caller will be told to hang up and call back later while waiting to speak with a call center representative.

The Contractor’s phone system must be capable of expansion or reduction in operator personnel and equipment, as needed, as demand changes due to call volume fluctuations.

Bidder Response: Please describe proposed plan to prepare for and manage changing demand periods.

The Contractor’s facility must have high speed internet capabilities connected to all computers so that any operator who interacts with a caller can connect to the DNR burn permit site. The website is maintained by the DNR.

Bidder Response: Please describe high speed internet capabilities and number of employees able to access it simultaneously.

Once answered, the operator must take location information including county and township from the caller and be able to retrieve information matching that location from the DNR internet burn permit site (www.michigan.gov/burnpermit).

The DNR will make daily adjustments to the website, modifying permit availability based on fire danger. It is important for the Contractor to monitor fire danger and weather conditions on a daily basis, in order to anticipate call volume on any given day.

Bidder Response: Please describe experience and understanding of what high-risk fire weather consists of and the resources/websites you have or intend to use for monitoring.

1.3 Staffing Requirements:

The Contractor must provide sufficient staffing to meet DNR needs and have the ability to effectively anticipate and respond at times of high caller volume.

Bidder Response: Please describe the process to anticipate and respond to high call volumes.

The Contractor’s operators must clearly and articulately request the caller’s location by asking questions about where they intend to burn. It is important that operators be familiar with the geographic location of the 49 counties in Michigan where the electronic burn permit system is used. It is equally important to have full knowledge of where the remaining 34 counties that are not part of the electronic burn permit system are located.

Bidder Response: Please describe the operators’ minimum level of familiarity and knowledge of Michigan geography and landscapes.

The Contractor’s operators must have the Michigan burn permit website readily viewable on a monitor in order to clearly pass along either an affirmation that burning is allowed on a particular day, or if there are restrictions or if no burn permits are being issued.

All calls must be answered with a live agent within 30 seconds, based on a weekly average. Average weekly (Sunday through Saturday) wait time for a burn permit operator must not exceed one minute. The goal is that no caller shall be in queue for more than 180 seconds without being connected to an operator who must process their requested information needs. MERELY speaking to a live person for a moment who does not actually finalize the callers’ burn permit request does not meet this requirement.

All calls must be concluded within 5 minutes or less, including the amount of time that a caller is placed on hold. Special attention will be paid to those calls which exceed 5 minutes in length.

The Contractor’s pricing per minute includes all set-up costs, any monthly fees, and call charges.

Bidder Response:

1.4 Complaints:

The Contractor’s operators must take complaint information from callers and relay the complaint to the appropriate DNR office OR provide the caller with the appropriate DNR office number so they may personally place the call during normal DNR business hours, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. EST, except holidays. Fire duty officers’ names and contact info for the Northern Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula will be designated at the time of contract award.

Bidder Response:

Bidder Response: Please describe operator’s complaint reporting format and process.

The Contractor’s operators shall handle Emergency DNR & County Dispatch notification as follows: Have the caller contact the local emergency dispatch center by dialing 911 in case of an escaped fire or other hazardous situation.

1.5 Training

The Contractor must provide the following training:

Contractor’s employees who answer DNR burn permit calls will be required to complete DNR training session if applicable. The training will be delivered at the call center site by the DNR prior to the call center being activated. It will include DNR customer service expectations as well as FAQ’s and common difficult situations that sometimes occur with the burn permit system.

Bidder Response:

The Contractor will be required to ensure that all of its employees are adequately trained. After award of contract, the Contractors shall provide a complete copy of the proposed training materials and any related materials to the DNR Project Manager, for review and approval. The proposed training materials will be verified for compliance with the contract and DNR Standards.

Bidder Response: Please provide an outline of needed training materials to be disseminated and communicated to contractor’s employees.

2. Staffing

2.1. Contractor Staffing

The Bidder must provide a staffing table of other personnel that will be assigned to contract work that includes the name of individual, title, and brief description of job function. Also include the physical location of where staff will be working. The Contractor will be required to assume responsibility for all contractual activities offered in the Contract, whether or not that Contractor performs them.

The Bidder must provide staffing table, facility location and list of all personnel, their titles, and their role.

Bidder Response: Please provide an organization chart with the above information so indicated.

2.2. Customer Service Toll-Free Number

The Contractor must specify its toll-free number for the State to make contact with the Contractor Representative. The Contractor Representative must be available for calls during the hours of 8 am to 5 pm EST.

2.3. Back-up Support and Repairs

The Contractor must specify its toll-free number for the State to make contact with the Contractor for back-up support or repairs. The Contractor must be available for calls and service during the hours of 8 am to 5 pm EST.

If the call center experiences technical issues that are expected to last longer than 15 minutes, the Contractor must contact the DNR to report the problem along with an estimate of time how long the call center will be down and update DNR if it goes beyond that time estimate. As well, notification must be made to the DNR when the call center is fully operational.

2.4. Work Hours

The Contractor must provide Contract Activities 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

2.5. Key Personnel

The Contractor must appoint one Project Manager who will be directly responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Contract (“Key Personnel”). Key Personnel must be specifically assigned to the State account, be knowledgeable on the contractual requirements, and respond to State inquires within 24 hours.

The State has the right to recommend and approve in writing the initial assignment, as well as any proposed reassignment or replacement, of any Key Personnel. Before assigning an individual to any Key Personnel position, Contractor will notify the State of the proposed assignment, introduce the individual to the State’s Project Manager, and provide the State with a resume and any other information about the individual reasonably requested by the State. The State reserves the right to interview the individual before granting written approval. In the event the State finds a proposed individual unacceptable, the State will provide a written explanation including reasonable detail outlining the reasons for the rejection. The State may require a 30-calendar day training period for replacement personnel.

Contractor will not remove any Key Personnel from their assigned roles on this Contract without the prior written consent of the State. The Contractor’s removal of Key Personnel without the prior written consent of the State is an unauthorized removal (“Unauthorized Removal”). An Unauthorized Removal does not include replacing Key Personnel for reasons beyond the reasonable control of Contractor, including illness, disability, leave of absence, personal emergency circumstances, resignation, or for cause termination of the Key Personnel’s employment. Any Unauthorized Removal may be considered by the State to be a material breach of this Contract, in respect of which the State may elect to terminate this Contract for cause under Termination for Cause in the Standard Terms. It is further acknowledged that an Unauthorized Removal will interfere with the timely and proper completion of this Contract, to the loss and damage of the State, and that it would be impracticable and extremely difficult to fix the actual damage sustained by the State as a result of any Unauthorized Removal. Therefore, Contractor and the State agree that in the case of any Unauthorized Removal in respect of which the State does not elect to exercise its rights under Termination for Cause, Contractor will issue to the State the corresponding credits set forth below (each, an “Unauthorized Removal Credit”):

(i) For the Unauthorized Removal of any Key Personnel designated in the applicable Statement of Work, the credit amount will be $5,000.00 per individual if Contractor identifies a replacement approved by the State and assigns the replacement to shadow the Key Personnel who is leaving for a period of at least 30 calendar days before the Key Personnel’s removal.

(ii) If Contractor fails to assign a replacement to shadow the removed Key Personnel for at least 30 calendar days, in addition to the $5,000.00 credit specified above, Contractor will credit the State $100.00 per calendar day for each day of the 30 calendar-day shadow period that the replacement Key Personnel does not shadow the removed Key Personnel, up to $5,000.00 maximum per individual. The total Unauthorized Removal Credits that may be assessed per Unauthorized Removal and failure to provide 30 calendar days of shadowing will not exceed $15,000.00 per individual.

Contractor acknowledges and agrees that each of the Unauthorized Removal Credits assessed above: (i) is a reasonable estimate of and compensation for the anticipated or actual harm to the State that may arise from the Unauthorized Removal, which would be impossible or very difficult to accurately estimate; and (ii) may, at the State’s option, be credited or set off against any fees or other charges payable to Contractor under this Contract.

The Contractor must identify the Key Personnel, indicate where they will be physically located, describe the functions they will perform, and provide current chronological résumés.

2.6. Organizational Chart

The Contractor must provide an overall organizational chart that details staff members, by name and title, and subcontractors.

2.7. Disclosure of Subcontractors

If the Contractor intends to utilize subcontractors, the Contractor must disclose the following for each subcontractor:

Sub-Contractor Name

Business Address:

Email Address:

Phone #:

Complete description of services to be provided under this contract:

Describe the Sub-Contractors ability/resources to provide the services listed above.

The relationship of the subcontractor to the Contractor as it pertains to the work they will be performing as a part of this contract.

Contractor must provide percent of work to be performed by each subcontractor: ______%

Does the Contractor have previous work experience with the subcontractor? If yes, provide the details of that previous relationship.

Contractor Response: Contractor must list the projects which the subcontractor has collaborated on and detail exactly what tasks/roles the subcontractor provided under the contract in the chart below, if additional charts are needed, please duplicate.

Project Name:

Project Description:

Sub-contractor tasks:

Date of Project:

3. Project…