RFP 240000002261 PEAS Answering Services.docx

Michigan.gov/MiProcurement proposal instructions Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy Pollution Emergency Alerting System (PEAS) Answering Service Request for Proposal No. 240000002261 Solicitation Manager Name: Lisa VanOstran Direct Phone: 517-599-7680 Email: vanostranl@michigan.gov

This is a Request for Proposal (RFP) for:

Pollution Emergency Alerting System (PEAS) Answering Service

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 RFP Structure and Documentation 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. 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.

4. QUESTIONS. Bidder questions about this RFP must be emailed to the Solicitation Manager at vanostranl@michigan.gov 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.

5. 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). If you have issues submitting your response to this RFP, please email your proposal package to vanostranl@michigan.gov by the deadline.

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.

6. EVALUATION PROCESS. The State will evaluate each proposal based on a pass/fail basis. Responses will be evaluated as follows:

[X] Contractor will comply as specified with no exceptions:

PASS

OR

[X] Contractor has noted exceptions to the specification:

PASS if the exception(s), at the sole discretion of the State, is evaluated as acceptable.

FAIL if the exception(s), at the sole discretion of the State, is evaluated as unacceptable.

Pass

Fail

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 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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 the Solicitation Manager no later than 5:00 pm, 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 DTMB - Programs and Policies (michigan.gov) under the “Bidder Protests” link.

12. 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.

13. 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 180 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.

14. 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.”

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. Bidder must complete either Section 1 or Section 2 of this CT Form and sign where indicated. Do not complete both sections. 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. If this section is completed, do not complete Section 2. CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT IS REQUESTED.

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. If this section is completed, do not complete Section 1. CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT IS NOT REQUESTED.

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.

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.

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, Antidiscrimination and Environmental Laws Compliance

Bidder must disclose any violations of state or federal labor, antidiscrimination 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

11. Response to State Requests

Contractor must enter company name here.

Schedule A – statement of work contract activities Pollution Emergency Alerting System (PEAS) Answering Service

Request for Proposal No. 240000002261 This schedule 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, as well as the Contractor who is awarded the contract. The term “bidder” is used to identify where specific responses to the RFP are required.

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.

IMPORTANT NOTE TO CONTRACTORS/BIDDERS: There are specific requirements for which acceptance must be simply acknowledged through a checkbox(es), and others that require further explanation. Click one checkbox and complete the entries as identified.

BACKGROUND

The Pollution Emergency Alerting System (PEAS) began in 1975 as a means for outside parties to provide timely notification to the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) about spills of oil and other hazardous substances. More recently, the PEAS program has expanded to serve notification and communication purposes for all types of incidents for which EGLE has jurisdiction. The PEAS hotline (Hotline) can be used by anyone; it receives most of its calls from the general public, first responders and industry.

Benefits of contracting answering services for PEAS include: EGLE can avail itself of answering services which can serve as a customer-friendly backup call center to State of Michigan PEAS operators. In addition, the backup call center provides live operators which enable Hotline callers to leave EGLE a spill compliance report as needed by certain facilities, or a Michigan citizen can file a concern or complaint and can convey information to EGLE in ways which serve the department best. The back up call center must provide a mechanism to monitor for the receipt of the information by the department and continue as needed with notifications until such confirmation of receipt is obtained.

SCOPE

The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to identify a Contractor who can provide a backup call center that can collect reports and distribute those reports for the EGLE PEAS program to ensure response to a reported incident is addressed in a timely manner. The toll-free telephone number for the PEAS Hotline is 800-292-4706. Calls into the PEAS hotline are initially routed through a call routing system provided by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB). DTMB will then route calls to the appropriate EGLE operator. If a call is not picked up by the EGLE operator within a short period, the DMTB call routing vector will transfer the calls to the Contractor selected for award. The Contractor will internally route the call to one of its operators who will then take the PEAS report information from the facility or complainant, key it into EGLE’s online database form (access provide to Contractor by EGLE), then send report to EGLE based on the procedures provided to the Contractor This will include emailing the report to specific email address(es), sending a pager notification and potentially call out to the EGLE operator. The EGLE operator or representative will confirm receipt of these notifications using one of the following procedures:

· Replying to the Contractor’s notification e-mail with only the word “file received” with in the text of the email, or by

· Calling the Contractor.

If EGLE does not confirm receipt of the above digital notifications, the Contractor will follow backup procedures as laid out below in Section 3.1.

All invoices are due electronically to EGLE by the 15th of the month or the first business day after if it falls on a weekend or holiday. The Contractor shall be able to forward any requested PEAS report operator time information in Excel format usable by EGLE as back up to the invoice.

1. Requirements

1.1. General Requirements

Contractor responsibilities will include answering calls routed by EGLE to the Contractor, keying in received incident information into EGLE’s online reporting software provided by GoFormz.com (access provided by EGLE), electronically, and as needed, verbally transmitting the information to EGLE, dispatching call report received during business hours to district offices, dispatching call report received after business hours to the EGLE after hours operator, monitoring the status of each incident call to make sure EGLE receives the information in a timely manner according to established procedure, and recording all times and durations of incoming and outgoing calls, and e-mails, pages, and internet filings.

The Contractor is to use backup protocols laid out below in Section 3.1 in case the above EGLE operator or their representative fail to confirm receipt of call report. The Contractor will also be responsible for the transmission of PEAS call information via telephone, text pager, and via email to EGLE.

List all exception(s):

1.2. Training

The Contractor must use the guidance and/or training provided by EGLE to train its operators about such matters including but not limited to the basic responsibilities of EGLE its district locations (for proper referral of daytime calls to the district), use of EGLE’s on-line database reporting form and special instructions provided by EGLE.

List all exception(s):

2. Staffing

2.1. Contractor Representative

The Contractor must appoint at least one individual specifically assigned to State of Michigan accounts, who will respond to State inquiries regarding the Contract Activities, answer questions related to ordering and delivery, etc. (the “Contractor Representative”). The Contractor must notify the Contract Administrator at least 30 calendar days before removing or assigning a new Contractor Representative.

The Contractor must have the ability to staff incoming telephone lines 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. The Contractor must also provide sufficient staffing and telephone and data systems so that a minimum of two (2) PEAS calls may be handled simultaneously while any additional callers would be able to remain on hold until an incoming operator became available with hold times being held to less than one minute.

List all exception(s):

Bidder must identify its Contractor Representative:

2.2. Customer Service Number (Toll-free if applicable)

The Contractor must specify its customer service number for the State to contact the Contractor Representative. The Contractor Representative must be available for calls during the hours of 8:00 am to 5:00 pm EST.

List all exception(s):

Bidder must identify its Customer Service Number (Toll-free if applicable):

2.3. Technical Support, Repairs and Maintenance

When providing technical support, the Call Center must resolve the caller’s issue within 60 minutes.

List all exception(s):

2.4. Work Hours

The Contractor must staff incoming phone lines 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

List all exception(s):

2.5. Disclosure of Subcontractors

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

· The legal business name; address; telephone number; a description of subcontractor’s organization and the services it will provide; and information concerning subcontractor’s ability to provide the Contract Activities.

· The relationship of the subcontractor to the Contractor.

· Whether the Contractor has a previous working experience with the subcontractor. If yes, provide the details of that previous relationship.

· A complete description of the Contract Activities that will be performed or provided by the subcontractor.

Bidder must provide detailed information as requested in the above requirement(s).

The legal business name, address, telephone number of the subcontractor(s).

A description of subcontractor’s organization and the services it will provide and information concerning subcontractor’s ability to provide the Contract Activities.

The relationship of the subcontractor to the Bidder.

If yes, provide the details of that previous relationship.

A complete description of the Contract Activities that will be performed or provided by the subcontractor.

Of the total bid, the price of the subcontractor’s work.

Bidder must provide information based on the work performed by all subcontractors.

Total percentage of work that will be performed by subcontractors:

3. Project Management

3.1. Project Plan

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 in this request for proposal:

· The Contractor must staff incoming phone lines 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

· The Contractor must provide enough staffing and telephone and data systems so that a minimum of two (2) PEAS calls may be handled simultaneously, while any additional callers would be able to remain on hold until an incoming operator becomes available, with average hold times being held to less than one minute.

· The Contractor must digitally record all conversations between operators, hotline callers, district offices and EGLE Call Managers. Recordings to be immediately available to EGLE if requested via secure website, or by e-mail. The data must be archived and made available for retrieval for at least 90 days from the date of the recording. Digital recording file names should identify the time and date stamp of the call.

· The Contractor’s operators must take incident information from the hotline caller, completing all the requested fields of an EGLE provided online data form (see attached Schedule C - Michigan EGLE PEAS Incident Report), including recording of EGLE contact to which the Contractor refers the information. If the call is completed during normal EGLE business hours the outgoing operator shall immediately refer the information to the appropriate EGLE District Office or their backup as defined by EGLE. For calls completed after normal business hours the outgoing operator shall immediately refer the information to the EGLE’s after hour operator or their representative as defined by EGLE. Conveyance of the report information to EGLE shall be done digitally by e-mail, smart message, text pager, etc. The call information must also be archived for at least 90 days.

Contractor Call Referral Detail:

Contractor operators must handle EGLE notification/incident information referral as follows:

Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. EST except state holidays:

Key in the incident information into the EGLE’s online database form from the caller and download the report from the online database. Then immediately refer the PEAS report to the appropriate EGLE District Office via email address provided by EGLE. Upon the caller’s request provide the appropriate EGLE District Office telephone number so they may call the districts themselves directly if they wish to.

If the EGLE district office does not file the report within 10 minutes of the first report email, continue sending the report email every 10 minutes identifying the emails with second request, third request, etc. until receipt from the EGLE has been received.

When EGLE confirms receipt of a report, the Contractor must immediately stop all further efforts to convey that report information for which receipt has been confirmed.

After normal EGLE business hours Monday through Thursday 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Friday through 8:00 a.m. Monday EST and State Holidays:

Key in the incident information into the EGLE’s online database form from the PEAS caller and download report from the online database. Then immediately refer the PEAS report to the email address provided by EGLE, page the EGLE after hours operator or their backup, as needed, upon completion of the incoming call to the hotline, and relay the information provided.

The following timeline should be followed until EGLE after hours operator files the report via one of the following ways: email, telephone contact with the EGLE after hours operator or backup is made, or until the EGLE after hours operator files the report by other EGLE approved means listed within this Contract. Beginning with the time that the call report was completed by the Contractor operator, i.e., the call completion time (CCT):

CCT + 0 minutes: e-mail to PEAS Administrator CCT + 0 minutes: e-mail to EGLE after hours operator CCT + 0 minutes: page to the EGLE after hours operator CCT + 10 minutes: second email and page to the EGLE after hours operator CCT + 15 minutes: third email and page to the EGLE after hours operator CCT + 20 minutes: begin calling EGLE staff using live operator, in this order:

1. Call the EGLE after hours operator at their work number.

2. Call the EGLE after hours operator using all backup numbers for that EGLE after hours operator.

3. Call the Agency Contract Administrator (PEAS Administrator) cell phone.

4. Call the Agency Contract Administrator (PEAS Administrator) using all other after-hours backup numbers for that person (home, other, etc.)

5. Call all EGLE after hours operator staff who are not currently on call in the order specified by EGLE (to be determined)

If the above contact attempts fail, repeat the entire procedure beginning with e-mails and pages, and continuing through contact of the entire On-Call staff.

When EGLE confirms receipt of a report, the Contractor must immediately stop all further efforts to convey that report information for which receipt has been confirmed.

The above notification and backup contact protocol is subject to change at the request of EGLE and is not in effect until authorized.

Record the number and times of page and call attempts per incident callout, and report in an Activities Log on the Contractor’s secure, on-line website available to EGLE PEAS and Emergency Management staff.

The Contractor must provide the following services for each call:

1. Record the information provided by the PEAS Hotline caller into the EGLE online database (access and login information provided by EGLE).

2. Submit the report to EGLE based on the procedures outlined within this document. Continue reaching out to EGLE as outlined in this document until a receipt has been received for the report. Record receipt date and time in EGLE’s online database PEAS report form for the call.

3. Record the amount of time that the Contractor staff used to complete the report including the time from when the Contractor answered the phone, completed the report in the online database, and emailing and or paging for receipt of report by EGLE.

When requested by EGLE, the Contractor must provide EGLE with all PEAS report information outlined below, in Excel format usable by EGLE, with all the call data for the requested billing period, The reports must be itemized by PEAS Report Number, activity type, and complete enough to account for all charges included in the Contractor’s monthly invoice. The itemized charges in all call activity types must include to the extent possible reference numbers that can be used to link them to their respective incoming or outgoing call or e-mail.

The Contractor must be amenable to alternate call-handling procedures, including the possibility of simply taking the phone number, name and a brief incident description from the PEAS caller, and text-paging or otherwise conveying this information to the EGLE operator for after-hours calls. Alternate call-handling procedures might also include asking the hotline caller to hold the line while the Contractor operators contact EGLE and then patching the EGLE contact with the hotline caller.

The Contractor must be able to accept and immediately implement special instructions, e.g., call referral instructions specific to a caller or call type.

The Contractor is required to use guidance or training provided by the EGLE to train its operators about such matters including, but not limited to, the basic responsibilities of EGLE, district office locations (for proper referral of daytime calls to the district), use of EGLE’s on-line database, and or special instructions provided by EGLE.

Contractor Staff Roles and Responsibilities:

Telephone Operators: Operators must receive PEAS calls, digitally document the report information, and refer the information to EGLE staff as per procedure, using means of communication appropriate to the circumstance, outlined with in this…