RFP 250000001027 - Q&A Template for Bidders.docx
DOCX document 75 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- RFP-171-250000001027-3
- Issued by
- Eaton County, Detroit City, Michigan
About this file
This is a Q&A document for RFP 250000001027 issued by the State of Michigan Treasury Department for Collection Services Staff Augmentation. The RFP seeks a single vendor to provide non-State of Michigan staff to support a first-party collection model, with staff working onsite/hybrid at the State of Michigan Operations Center in Dimondale, MI. The proposal due date is March 21, 2025, with a questions deadline of February 14, 2025. The anticipated launch date is mid-2026, and staff will perform duties including call center operations, imaging, data entry, and working with levies and garnishments. New hire training takes 15 business days, and the State will provide all necessary equipment including computers, monitors, and headsets.
The current incumbent is GC Services, who has held contract 180000001279 since September 26, 2018. Compensation will be based solely on hourly rates for hours worked, excluding lunch breaks and State holidays. The State processes approximately 300,000 imaging documents annually and handles 50-100 voicemails per day, with peak garnishment processing reaching over 13,000 paper garnishments weekly during garnishment season. The State will provide all operating systems and software, and no separate contractor facilities are required beyond the State Operations Center. While minority-owned and women-owned business participation is considered in evaluation, there are no specific subcontracting requirements for disadvantaged businesses.
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Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| RFP 250000001027 - Collection Services RFP.docx | DOCX document | |
| RFP 250000001027 - Collection Services RFP - AD #1.docx | DOCX document |
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Michigan.gov/MiProcurement
BIDDER QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
RFP 250000001027
TREA - Collection Services Staff Aug Bidders who have questions for the above Solicitation must fill the sections below and attach the document in an email to the Solicitation Manager, as described in the Instruction to Bidders.
| Q # |
| Document and Section |
| Page # |
| Bidder Question |
| Answer (to be completed by the State) |
| Has the current contract gone full term? |
| Yes |
| Have all options to extend the current contract been exercised? |
| No |
| Who is the incumbent, and how long has the incumbent been providing the requested services? |
| GC Services, since September 26, 2018. |
| How are fees currently being billed by any incumbent(s), by category, and at what rates? |
| This information is not necessary to bid on this RFP. |
| What estimated or actual dollars were paid last year, last month, or last quarter to any incumbent(s)? |
| Not relevant to this RFP. |
| To how many vendors are you seeking to award a contract? |
| One |
To what extent are these accounts owed by private consumers versus commercial businesses?
Not relevant to this RFP.
Will the selected vendor be allowed to litigate balances exceeding a certain dollar amount on your behalf, with your explicit approval?
No
| What is the total dollar value of accounts available for placement now by category, including any backlog? |
| Not relevant to this RFP. |
| What is the total number of accounts available for placement now by category, including any backlog? |
| N/A |
| What is the average balance of accounts by category? |
| This is not necessary information to bid on this RFP. |
What is the average age of accounts at placement (at time of award and/or on a going-forward basis), by category?
This is not necessary information to bid on this RFP.
| What is the monthly or quarterly number of accounts expected to be placed with the vendor(s) by category? |
| This is not necessary information to bid on this RFP. |
| What is the monthly or quarterly dollar value of accounts expected to be placed with the vendor(s) by category? |
| This is not necessary information to bid on this RFP. |
| What has been the historical rate of return or liquidation rate provided by any incumbent(s), and/or what is anticipated or expected as a result of this procurement? |
| This is not necessary information to bid on this RFP. |
| Can you please indicate what inbound and outbound contact methods, beyond phone calls or letters (such as email and text), would be permitted by the scope of work? |
| Our methods include telephone calls, letters, and eservices portal. |
| Please reconfirm the due date for this procurement by providing it in response to answers to questions. |
| March 21st, 2025. |
If there was a previous solicitation for these services, what was its title, number, release date, and due date?
This is a rebid of contract 180000001279 which was put in place 9/26/2018.
| Is there a deadline for questions? |
| February 14th, 2025. |
| Can you please provide greater explanation of your expectations related to any required subcontracting to minority-owned, women-owned, or other types or categories of small or disadvantaged businesses? For example, what is required with the proposal, and what is required to comply during the term of the contract? |
| It is not a requirement to subcontract minority-owned, women-owned or other types of categories for SDVOBs. |
| Are bidders permitted to deviate in any way from any manner of quoting fees you may be expecting? For example, if there is a pricing page in the RFP, can bidders submit an alternate fee structure? If there is no pricing page in the RFP, do you have any preference for how bidders should quote fees or can bidders create their own pricing categories? |
| The State prefers you follow our pricing structure to the best of your ability. However, using a different pricing structure will not disqualify a bidder. |
Please describe your level of satisfaction with your current or recent vendor(s) for the same purchasing activity, if applicable.
Not relevant to this RFP.
| Can the State please clarify the expectations for the content to go in the highlighted portion of #7 in Schedule C? |
| This was a State error. The State of Michigan will submit an amendment to include our insurance requirements. |
| Given the green highlights in the standard contract, does the State wish vendors to complete and return the contract with their bids? |
| Yes. |
| Does the State want one document uploaded? Or each section loaded separately? |
| Both types of submissions will be considered for award. Responses should be in the bidder response boxes. |
| Would the State please delineate the order in which you prefer the separate sections of vendors' responses to appear in their bids? |
| Responses should be in the order of the bidder response boxes. |
| Schedule A SOW |
| 36 |
| Is it still a requirement to have agents in an office in Michigan? If so, what is the size requirement for the office within the greater Lansing area? |
| Onsite/hybrid contract staff will work in the State of Michigan Operations Center in Dimondale, MI. Additional contractor space is not required. |
| Schedule B Pricing |
| 49 |
| What is the current hourly rate you are paying? |
| Not relevant to this RFP. |
| Schedule A SOW |
| 38 |
| How long is training? |
| The current new hire training takes place over 15 business days. |
| Schedule B Pricing |
| 49 |
| Please provide clarification regarding hourly rate. Is your definition based on payroll hour (173.3 hours per month) or on a productive hourly rate (approximately 147 hours per month where you do not pay for lunch/breaks/PT/holidays)? |
| The hourly rate is paid based on hours worked for the State, where the State does not pay for lunch breaks or State holidays. |
| State prefer the vendor work off our on CRM solution? |
| The State does not understand what the vendor is asking here. |
| Scope |
| 36 |
| Can the State confirm that the vendor does not need a physical location within the State of Michigan? |
| Onsite/hybrid contract staff will work in the State of Michigan Operations Center in Dimondale, MI. Additional contractor space is not required. |
General Question
| Can the State confirm that they will be providing all computer equipment and all that is expected of the vendor is to provide agents and oversight? |
| The State will be providing equipment such as computers, monitors, and headsets. The contractor is required to provide agents and supervisory oversight. |
General Question
| Does the State anticipate a time where the vendor will need to provide IT or training resources? |
| It is not anticipated that the vendor will need to provide IT or any significant training resources. |
| Staff Roles, Location, Work Requirements |
| 36 |
| Can you please define what a non-business/non-individual collection agents duties entail? |
| These duties typically include imaging, data entry, and working correspondence, and may relate to levies and garnishments. |
General Question
| Does the vendor need to provide a telephony and call recording solution? |
| No. |
General Question
| How is the contract funded? Self-funded? |
| Not relevant to this RFP. |
| Audit |
| 28-29 |
| Can the State specify what types of audits are required by the vendor? |
| Any bidder requirements needed for this RFP are listed in the solicitation. |
| What is the historical volume of imaging that is required per month and during surge periods? Who is expected to do the imaging? |
| Approximately 300,000 annually. This is typically pretty consistent month to month with possible increases in mid summer/fall. |
| Background Checks |
| 21 |
| Will prospective employees utilize the State's vendor when going for fingerprinting and drug testing? Will these results be reported to the vendor or to the State? |
| State’s fingerprinting vendor will be used and results will be reported to the State Human Resources personnel. With regard to drug testing, there is not a requirement to use the State’s vendor. |
| Extraction of Data |
| 26 |
| If the vendor will use State computer equipment, what data does the State anticipate the vendor storing on their own system? |
| None. |
General Question
| Can you confirm that the vendor will be working directly off Michigan's operating systems? Or does the |
| The vendor will be working directly off Michigan’s operating systems. |
| Schedule A – Statement of Work |
| 7-8 |
| Could you please specify any particular topics that the state would like the vendor to address during new hire training and/or in post-training support? |
| The State will be conducting the new hire training. Any training requirements required by the vendor is listed in the RFP. |
| Is this a newly initiated project, or is it a continuation of an existing one? |
| This is a continuation. |
| If it is ongoing, kindly provide the names of the current service providers/incumbent vendors? |
| GC Services |
| Could you provide details on the previous expenditure associated with this contract? |
| Not relevant to this RFP. |
| Could you confirm if it is possible to obtain the proposals or pricing details of the incumbent vendors? |
| Not relevant to this RFP. |
| Are there any specific challenges or issues currently being faced with the existing vendors? |
| Not relevant to this RFP. |
| Can you clarify the expected number of awards for this solicitation? |
| One |
| Is there any preference or priority given to local vendors for this contract? |
| The State awards based on best value. |
| Key Personnel |
| 41 |
| Is it required that all key personnel be onsite Monday through Friday? |
| No, currently key personnel is onsite Tuesdays and Wednesdays. |
General
| What are the estimated funds to be allocated for this contract? |
| This information is not needed to bid on this RFP. |
General
| What are the current pain points for the State? |
| This information is not needed to bid on this RFP. |
General
| Is there a voice mail component to the customer call center platform? If so, what is the volume of voicemails? |
| Yes, approximately 50-100 per day. |
| Standard Contract Terms. 31 B. Contractor Use of State Data and d. Backup and Recovery of State Data |
| 26 |
| Given that our employees would be working on the State’s system, in what scenario would we maintain a backup of State Data? |
| None. |
Schedule A – Statement of Work
1. Requirements
| 34 |
| Does the State require bilingual staff? |
| No |
Schedule A – Statement of Work
c. Equipment
| 35 |
| Please confirm the State is responsible for procuring, delivering, configuring, deploying and performing continued system administration for: (a) collection representatives, (b) managers, (c) supervisors, (d) support staff, (e) help desk coordinator and (f) lien and probate staff. |
| Yes |
Schedule A – Statement of Work
e. Staff Roles, Location and Work Requirements
| 36 |
| How many seats are available at your existing call center? |
| N/A |
Schedule A – Statement of Work
| 36 |
| Will the State allow the installation of a physically separate Bidder’s corporate network for purposes such as timekeeping, Bidder’s HR needs and so Bidder’s employees can receive Bidder’s corporate email communications? |
| No |
Schedule A – Statement of Work
| 36 |
| If so, will the State allow the Bidder to use in-all cabling and server room telecom infrastructure to set up Bidder’s corporate network? |
| No |
Schedule A – Statement of Work
a. Call Customer Services Rate
| 37 |
| Does the State’s call recording platform capture 100% recordings and screen capture on both inbound and outbound calls? |
| Not currently. |
Schedule A – Statement of Work
a. Call Customer Service Rate
| 37 |
| Is the State using speech analytics? |
| No |
Schedule A – Statement of Work Call Customer Service Rate
| 37 |
| How many calls does Treasury anticipate monitoring per agent per month? |
| Up to 100%. |
Schedule A – Statement of Work g Imaging Processing Rate
| 38 |
| How many documents does Treasury anticipate needing imaged per day? |
| A rough estimate is 1250 daily. Approximately 300,000 annually. |
Schedule A – Statement of Work
h. Data Entry Garnishments
| 38 |
| What is the average volume of garnishments received per week during garnishment season? |
| Over 13,000 paper garnishments per week during garnishment season. |
Schedule A – Statement of Work
1.2 Transition
| 38 |
| As the anticipated launch date isn’t until mid-2026, some personnel may not be assigned until after selection and we begin implementation planning. Which key personnel must be assigned at the time of proposal submissions? |
| The State understands changes may happen. |
Please do your best to be accurate at the time of submission and if anything changes during the RFP process please notify the State of Michigan.
Schedule A – Statement of Work
1.3 Training
| 39 |
| Does the State have a knowledge base for agents? |
| The State does not understand what the vendor is asking here. |
Schedule A – Statement of Work
1.3 Training
| 39 |
| How long is the State’s training, including nesting? Who pays for attrition training? |
| Currently vendor new hires are in training for 15 business days. |
Schedule A – Statement of Work
3. Staffing
| 40 |
| Do the Contractor Representative, Contract Administrator or Program Manager have to be located in Michigan? |
| No. |
Schedule A – Statement of Work
3.6 Key Personnel
| 41 |
| Are there particular qualifications you value most in the key personnel? |
| Accountable/metrics focused, solution/improvement mindset, and cooperative with excellent communication skills. |
Schedule A – Statement of Work
4.1 Project Plan
| 45 |
| Can the State clarify whether the project plan must be submitted with the bid or whether the bidder is required to describe how they will submit the plan within 15 days of the Effective Date? |
| A sample project plan must be submitted with the RFP response. A final project plan submission is required within 15 days of the effective date of the contract. |
Schedule A – Statement of Work
4.1 Project Plan
| 45 |
| Regarding the org chart, does the State require an organization chart for our entire organization, or only for those employees related to the project? |
Should we outline hires without names for those employees we will add?
Only for who is relevant to this RFP.
Schedule A – Statement of Work
2. Call Customer Service Rate
| 47 |
| What are the current metrics for the in-house call center? |
| This is not necessary information to bid on this RFP. The RFP lists any SLA requirements for this contract. |
Schedule A – Statement of Work
1. Staffing Levels
| 47 |
| What is the preferred ratio of agents to supervisor? |
| This information is listed in the RFP. |
Schedule A – Statement of Work
4. Training Requirements
| 48 |
| Given that the State is in charge of training, can the State explain the Training SLA financial credit? |
| Successful training is defined as an employee still on the SOM project 90 business days after placement on the SOM project. |
Does the State have a current vendor performing the services listed in Scope of Work? If so, can you please provide the contract number and all relevant details?
Yes, the State does have a current contractor. The contract number is 180000001279.
| Since the State requires that employees work in the Operations Center (Ops) in Dimondale, MI, is having other facilities in the State a necessity? How will this impact scoring? |
| The vendor is not required to have other facilities in the State. This does not impact scoring. |
| How is debtor data, including contact data, stored currently? |
| N/A |
| What Customer Relationship Management (CRM)/collection software does the State currently use? |
| Multiple platforms, yes |
Will the State provide the successful vendor with access to their CRM software?
Yes, the vendor will use State software.
| Section 3.1 states that we must identify our Contractor Representative. What are the expectations of this role? Is this individual expected to reside in the State? |
| Any information needed is located within the RFP. See section 3.2. |
Regarding Section 3.7, are there any expectations that the successful vendor should subcontract any of the work?
There are no expectations that the vendor should subcontract work.
Section 3.3 states that we must identify our Program Manager. What are the expectations of this role? Is this individual expected to reside in the State?
See section 3.3 for definition. They are not required to reside within the State.
| Will the State charge rent and utility charges for the space in the facilities contractors are required to use? |
| No |
In Schedule C Insurance Requirements, Section 7, insurance requirements are missing. Can the State please provide?
The State will provide an amendment for these.
Are contractors required to follow the State's holiday schedule? If so, must they provide paid time off for all designated holidays?
The contractor is expected to follow the State’s holiday schedule. There is not a requirement for the contractor to provide paid time off for all designated holidays.
Can bidders incorporate performance-based staff incentives into the submitted rates to drive optimal results for the state?
Yes.
The RFP mentions that QDV/SDVOB status may be considered in the evaluation. Does this affect the score? If so, what points are assigned for each category?
There are not a specific number of points assigned to this.
| Section 4.1 requires the contractor to submit a final project plan within 15 days of the effective date, but also states, "Bidder must submit its project plan as described above." Does the State expect an initial plan with our bid response? |
| Yes. |
| Document: 2025 MI RFP Section: |
| 1 |
| The RFP indicates this is for the recruiting and hiring of non-State of Michigan staff to support a first party collection model. Will there be a subsequent RFP issued pertaining to any third-party collection services? |
| No, there is no current plan for third party collection services. |
| Document: 2025 MI RFP Section: |
| 38 |
| In addition to call center staffing, will the State look to utilize any other outside collection agency services for this project? |
| The State does not understand what the vendor is asking here. |
| Document: 2025 MI RFP Section: |
| 49 |
| For this RFP, will the hourly rate of the provided staffing be the only form of compensations for the contracted vendor? |
| Yes |
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