RFP__24-C0024_-_Addendum1.docx

Request for Proposal

RFP #24-C0024

California Department of Pesticide Regulation Notice to Prospective Bidders Addendum #1 August 9, 2024

Attached for your review is RFP #24-C0024, Addendum 1, which includes answers to all questions received. Repetitive questions were removed and closely related questions were combined.

Please see the following responses to questions submitted:

Question 1: Is this a new effort for DPR or the continuation of existing program? Is there an incumbent agency providing these services for DPR? If so, who is it? Does DPR currently work with any other media or marketing vendors?

Answer 1:

Question 2: For the 12 - 15 events over 12 months, is that 12-15 total events over the term, or 12 - 15 each 12-month period of the contract term? Any preferred dates for the (15) events? Are all (15) events to be in different areas/locations? What is your preferred venues of choice? What is the desired time frame of each event? Can we have more info about the content or what we are trying to accomplish at these events? Are there any existing partners or brands of the event that are already solidified or that would be ideal for these events?

Answer 2:

Question 3: Page 13, Travel and Per Diem - Are the per diem rates noted current for 2024?

Answer 3: The updated per diem rates are as follows:

No travel outside the State of California shall be reimbursed unless prior written authorization is obtained from the agency. All receipts are required.

Question 4: There are 1.5 days between submittals due and intent to award. Do you anticipate meeting this final award date? Is the Notice of Intent to Award date accurate?

Answer 4:

Question 5: On page 12 of the RFP packet, it states under sections Enterprise Zone Act (EZA), Target Area Contract Preference Act (TACPA) and Local Agency Military Base Recovery Act (LAMBRA) that if the budget for services outlined in the announcement, exceeds $100,000, DPR will grant a preference for qualified Proposers. What percent preference will each of these three areas have in this solicitation?

Answer 5: EZA and LAMBRA were repealed and are not longer valid incentives. We apologize for this mistake. TACPA provides bid selection preferences of 5% for eligible worksites (STD.830 Section I), and 1% to 4% for hiring eligible workforce employees (STD.830 Section II). To identify Census Tract and Block Group numbers contact the city or county Planning and Development Commission for the intended worksite or visit the U.S. Census Bureau website (www.census.gov). TACPA forms are included as attachments to this Addendum.

Question 6: Do we need to supply translation and interpretation services?

Answer 6:

Question 7: Is "paid marketing" "media buys" or something additional and including media buys?

Answer 7:

Question 8: Will DPR consider other media tactics to reach this audience aside for paid social and paid radio PSA?

Answer 8:

Question 9: Does DPR have bilingual SMEs available for media interviews or will they need to be identified and media trained for media relations efforts? Does DPR have designated/approved spokespeople identified for media efforts, including Spanish speaking spokespeople or will the contractor need to provide spokesperson support services?

Answer 9:

Question 10: For Task 4 Outreach Events: Can DPR elaborate on what types of outreach events they are looking for? Are these farmers’ markets, local festivals, county fairs, etc. is the consultant expected to organize and execute more formal public workshops and informational sessions?

Answer 10:

Question 11: Has the DPR already conducted any qualitative or quantitative research across the key geographies and key target audiences that can inform messaging strategy? If you cannot share specific research, how comprehensive is your existing research and what does it include?

Answer 11:

Question 12: Can DPR share any previous creative assets that have been created for your communications efforts with the target audiences?

Answer 12:

Question 13: Can you share your current metrics/KPIs in place for campaign efforts?

Answer 13:

Question 14: When is the anticipated date the SprayDays California notification system will be available? Will the system be mobile friendly? Are there any key learnings from the small group beta test DPR conducted between October 2023 and February 2024?

Answer 14:

Question 15: What have been your biggest challenges in communicating your brand/products, and reaching your target audiences?

Answer 15:

Question 16: Can DPR provide a copy of Attachment F? The current copy in the PDF has its margins and copy cut off.

Answer 16: The Darfur Contract Act has been included as an attachment to this Addendum.

Question 17: What attendance figures would DPR consider indicative of a successful event?

Answer 17:

Question 18: Should the events be planned and developed as community-based with vendors and activities, or as informative stakeholder Q&A sessions?

Answer 18:

Question 19: Does the DPR wish to participate in events hosted by other organizations, or should the events be exclusively hosted by DPR?

Answer 19:

Question 20: Has DPR previously conducted paid social media campaigns? If so, could you provide insights on what strategies were successful and which were not? Additionally, is this a tactic you would consider for the SprayDays campaign?

Answer 20:

Question 21: Which social media platforms does DPR currently have established, and which platforms does DPR intend to utilize for the SprayDays campaign?

Answer 21:

Question 22: Can you provide an estimate of the annual quantity of printed materials such as flyers and brochures (e.g., 10,000, 50,000)? What types of printed materials you will require?

Answer 22:

Question 23: Will the awarded contractor be responsible for facilitating email and text message outreach following sign-ups for SprayDays notifications, or will the responsibilities be limited to message and visual graphic development?

Answer 23:

Question 24: For the videos to be produced, will these be live-action videos requiring a traditional video production team, or will they be tutorials using static images and video visuals of the SprayDays tool?

Answer 24:

Question 25: Are there any established goals or benchmarks for the utilization of the SprayDays tool or any other aspects of the campaign?

Answer 25:

Question 26: Beyond the ten target counties, could you provide more detailed information about your target audience for the SprayDays campaign?

Answer 26:

Question 27: Are there specific times of the year when pesticide spraying activity is significantly higher? Can you please clarify whether there are time periods during the contract that may have a higher level of outreach activity anticipated? For example, should the project schedule reflect more activity/needs in the months or weeks leading up to a planned/regular SprayDays?

Answer 27:

Question 28: Why are you issuing this RFP at this time? Are there any special circumstances?

Answer 28:

Question 29: Does location of vendor factor into evaluation of proposals? Do you prefer to work with a company based in one of the 10 agricultural communities noted in the RFP?

Answer 29:

Question 30: Can you describe in more detail what you mean by a “human-centered outreach campaign” for the rollout of SprayDays?

Answer 30:

Question 31: Are California’s top 10 agricultural communities defined as counties, cities, DMAs or MSAs?

Answer 31:

Question 32: Is the $500K minimum media spend per year or for the 24 month contract period?

Answer 32:

Question 33: For Attachment A – Proposal Sheet, should bidders provide costs for 24 months or first 12 months of the contract? How should bidders delineate and detail recommended paid media budget allocation in the Attachment A – Proposal Sheet?

Answer 33: The cost sheet is broken down per task and bidders should include a fixed cost per task considering the total length of the contract (24 months). We want to evaluate costs based on the tasks listed, so any costs to accomplish specific tasks should be included in the total task cost. For example, if there are additional costs associate with media, perhaps this is included in the media relations (Task 6).

Question 34: For clarification, am I to submit the ATTACHMENT A - Proposal Sheet, and in addition, I am also to provide a more detailed spreadsheet with proposed spending by line item?

Answer 34: Attachment A should only include a fixed cost per task listed. Whatever is needed to accomplish that task should be included in the cost. More detail can be presented in the proposal package in whatever format the bidder wishes. The evaluation committee will be determining whether the cost proposal submitted is reasonable and substantiates the work described in the proposal package.

Question 35: Attachment B – Proposal Scoring Sheet 5. Cost Proposal scoring indicates that CDPR would like a detailed expense breakdown with proposed hours by position and project/task. Can you confirm you would like this level of detail in pricing proposal and if so where we should provide that information in the proposal?

Answer 35: The breakdown is something that would be in your proposal package. We do not need this level of detail in the cost proposal (Attachment A). The evaluation committee will be determining whether the cost proposal submitted is reasonable and substantiates the work described in the proposal package.

Question 36: Attachment B – Proposal Scoring Sheet 5. Cost Proposal scoring indicates that “other funding source (if any) that will contribute to this project” will receive 5 points. Can you describe what you are looking for here, and some guidance on types of funding sources we should consider and propose?

Answer 36:

Question 37: There appears to be a discrepancy between the way Cost Proposals will be scored in the RFP – on page 14 “Selection Process” indicates Cost will be evaluated based on total extended cost and on page 27 Attachment B- Proposal Scoring Sheet indicates cost will be evaluated based on Cost Breakdown (20 points), Cost Savings (5 points), and Other Funding sources (5). Which is the correct evaluation methodology for Cost Proposals?

Answer 37: There is not a discrepancy. Once the Evaluation Committee scores the cost proposal, that score is multiplied in the formula explained on page 14 “Selection Process.” The maximum cost points available is 30, but a bidder could be scored lower making the cost points available only 20.

Question 38: Can we provide additional cost information with more detail in additional to Attachment A – Proposal Sheet?

Answer 38: Yes, This can be included in the proposal package, however, Attachment A must provide fixed cost per task. Any delineation makes it difficult to compare costs among bidders. Not following the instructions will result in disqualification or a “non-responsive” bid.

Question 39: Does the proposal have a page limit or any specific formatting requirements (such as fonts, font size, spacing, margins, etc) beyond the submission being a PDF file?

Answer 39: There is no page limit or formatting requirement beyond the submission of a proposal package in a PDF file and a second PDF file with Attachment A, Cost Proposal.

Question 40: Section IV: Cost Breakdown mentions requirements concerning the “Task Breakdown Sheet” and “Cost Proposal Sheet.” The Cost Proposal Sheet is visible as Attachment A, but there does not appear to be an attachment analogous to the “Task Breakdown Sheet.” Is the Task Breakdown Sheet necessary for submission?

Answer 40: The Task Breakdown Sheet is the same as Attachment A, Cost Proposal Sheet. We decided that we wanted to evaluate costs based on tasks.

Question 41: Section III: Proposal Submittal Requirements calls for “a copy of a verifiable written work that is similar in nature to the proposed project and deliverables.” Can you expand on what this requirement entails for this project, or provide any examples? Could you clarify what samples of written work we are required to submit? Does this constitute only one item, or may we submit multiple samples? And would a social media post (image plus accompanying copy), also count as a written work example?

Answer 41:

Question 42: Within Q1 2025, is there a planned rollout date of the SprayDays web app?

Answer 42:

Question 43: Will the SprayDays web app be part of a larger website containing other relevant information, or will it be standalone?

Answer 43:

Question 44: During “Pre-Launch Outreach” in late 2024, will there be a landing page or other dedicated SprayDays website to direct users towards?

Answer 44:

Question 45: Section VI: Description of Work calls for 15 events over a 12-month period. Does this include any expectation of frequency; i.e., at least one event a month for 12 consecutive months?

Answer 45:

Question 46: What, if any, KPIs have been defined at this stage that will be used to measure success?

Answer 46:

Question 47: Conducting a statewide awareness campaign typically involves a larger budget than outlined in your RFP. If we were to prioritize audiences, can you please provide your preferred audiences in order of priority (by geography, stakeholder group, etc.) What are the top 10 agricultural counties in California you want to prioritize?

Answer 47:

Question 48: Will we have access to the responses from the public comment period that ends Aug 1 prior to the proposal deadline?

Answer 48:

Question 49: Do you have any current assets other than the website that we should review and/or consider in our design?

Answer 49:

Question 50: Do you have any brand guidelines for us to follow in design? Will the successful bidder need to develop one?

Answer 50:

Question 51: Do you have existing giveaways, branded items, etc for outreach activities?

Answer 51:

Question 52: Regarding the SprayDays California system, How close to completion is the tool? Will there be ongoing / future opportunities for optimization or modifications to the system? Who will manage the system once it is launched?

Answer 52:

Question 53: Regarding SprayDays California branding, is DPR looking to redesign the logo and initial branding that has been done, or would you like the proposer to build off of existing design elements?

Answer 53:

Question 54: Regarding Section III: Proposal Submittal Requirements, for Samples of Written Work, Is DPR seeking case studies of similar work and deliverables, or would you like the proposer to include specific work samples (e.g. communications strategy, fact sheets, etc)? Regarding Contract Eligibility, Is there a specific attachment to fill out, or will a written statement suffice? Regarding Licenses, Is DPR seeking just the prime contractor license, or should we included licenses for all subconsultants? Regarding Small Business Participation & DVBE Participation, Proposer is asked to fill out a “Participation Summary,” but there does not appear to be a corresponding attachment. Is there a specific document that should be included with this section?

Answer 54: Yes, DPR is seeking case studies of similar work and deliverables. Regarding Contract Eligibility, a written statement will suffice. Regarding Licenses, licenses should be included for both the contractor and subcontractors listed. Regarding Small Business Participation & DVBE Participation, the participation summary refers to the Bidder Declaration form, Attachment E.

Question 55: Regarding Payment Withhold, Does the 10% withholding per task include the cost of paid media (expected to be a minimum of $500,000)? The RFP states, "The withheld payment amount will be included in the final payment to the Contractor and will only be released when all required work has been completed to the satisfaction of DPR." Will DPR consider waiving this withholding requirement as work will be conducted on an ongoing basis over the 24-month period of time and a contractor being forced to wait up to two years for payment of work can be a substantial hardship, especially to a certified small business.

Answer 55: The cost of marketing should be encompassed in any applicable tasks listed. The 10% withhold is per task until the contract manager can confirm that the task was completed. This cannot be waived as it is a requirement in state contracting when requesting consulting work.

Question 56: Will you be willing to accept a prime contractor that qualifies to be a Certified CA SB as defined in Section V, if we are just now submitting our application but have not yet been certified (assuming we achieve certification before the contract commences)?

Answer 56: In order to receive the SB preference and be considered as a certified SB, we will need to be able to have the Certification number and Bidder Declaration form complete at the time of submission. If we cannot find your business listed in the system, the bid will be determined as “non-responsive.”

Question 57: If we intend to satisfy the CA SB 5% requirement with sub-contractors, do we need to have identified said sub-contractors prior to submitting our proposal? Same for the 3% DVBE requirement?

Answer 57: Yes, all subcontractors would have to be identified in the Bidder Declaration form Attachment E at the time of submission. The same is true for the DVBE requirement.

Question 58: Will in-person meetings be required with DRP leadership, or will meetings happen virtually most of the time?

Answer 58:

Question 59: For the 15 in-person events that the contractor will coordinate and execute: how many participants do you expect per event, and do we need to include all related event costs (catering etc) in our budget?

Answer 59:

Queston 60: Is there a format/template we should use for the cost breakdown sheet? Or may we use our own? We currently only see the cost proposal sheet (attachment A), but not a more detailed breakdown sheet included in the submission package.

Answer 60: The Cost Proposal Sheet Attachment A must remain in the format provided with costs broken down by task. If you would like to provide more information, this can be included in the proposal package in whatever format you feel is best.

Question 61: The RFP indicates that the Proposal Cost must be submitted in a separate PDF and clearly labeled as “Proposal Cost – Do Not Open.” Can DPR please verify that the proposer is to submit two separate PDFs (one for cost, one for proposal), in one email to the DPR contact listed on the RFP, or should they be sent in two separate emails with the “Do not open” in the subject line of the cost proposal?

Answer 61: Yes, this is correct. There should be two PDF files. One should be the entire proposal package and the second should be a file with just the Cost Proposal Sheet. Both files should be submitted in one email to the contact listed on the RFP. The title of the file should make it clear which is the proposal package and which is the Cost Proposal.

Question 62: Will the successful bidder be permitted to move money between budgeted line-items/tasks as needed, if the total bid amount is not exceeded?

Answer 62:

Question 63: Can DPR please provide examples of what other kinds of funding sources might contribute to a project to address evaluation criteria 5.C listed in the RFP, since cost savings, including in kind services are identified in the scoring criteria under 5.B.

Answer 63:

Question 64: How will DPR evaluate staff's knowledge and educational background of the particular project involved? Can you please provide more detail on what would constitute a score of 2 in this scoring area?

Answer 64:

Question 65: How will DPR evaluate the abilities of assigned staff to conduct the necessary research with proficiency and accuracy and without omission? Can you please provide more detail on what would constitute a score of 3 in this area?

Answer 65:

Question 66: For scoring criteria 4.b – are only projects that have been “completed” eligible for the full score or can related work be current and/or ongoing? If the latter, how will the success be measured by DPR for scoring purposes to get the full 4 points?

Answer 66:

Question 67: How will DPR score recommendations by project review panel of previous projects? Can you please provide more detail on what would constitute a score of 3 in this area?

Answer 67:

Question 68: Are mark-ups or media commissions allowed?

Answer 68:

Question 69: Does DPR have an existing stakeholder list or will the contractor be responsible for developing one?

Answer 69:

Question 70: How often will the contractor be able to submit invoices to DPR and is there a specific format that will be required? For instance, will showing tasks, staff/title, hours and rates be sufficient or is there another method that will be required for invoicing?

Answer 70: Invoices must be itemized according to the rates in the cost proposal sheet and must be submitted not more frequently than monthly or less than quarterly, in arrears.

Question 71: The contract term shows approximately 24 months beginning October 2024, does that mean that the contract will end approximately 9/30/2026? Will there be any options for renewals available on this contract?

Answer 71: Yes, it will end approximately 9/30/2026. There is an option to extend the contract if absolutely necessary, but no additional money could be added.

Question 72: For clarification, the max budget for this campaign is $2M for a total of 24 months, correct? Is it ok to assume half of the max but is allocated for the first 12 months?

Answer 72:

Question 73: For clarification, am I to provide an overview of how my team and I meet your desired qualifications and needs, as well as provide a detailed marketing plan for the SprayDays campaign? For the detailed proposed marketing plan, do you recommend we focus on the 12 months?

Answer 73:

Question 74: Generally speaking, do you recommend we provide more information and details while still being concise? When information is unknown, should we outline our assumptions?

Answer 74:

Question 75: Are there any additional needs that have come up for DPR that we should keep in mind when writing out this proposal?

Answer 75:

Question 76: Will we have the opportunity to ask any additional questions before the deadline?

Answer 76:

image1.emf