RFP 260000002520 Bidder Q&A.docx

Michigan.gov/MiProcurement

BIDDER QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

RFP 260000002520

Release Day Transportation for MDOC Clients September 9, 2026 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.

Is this requirement based on a majority of the bidder’s total workforce, the personnel assigned to this contract, or another standard?

Please also identify what documentation the State will accept to demonstrate compliance with this requirement.

The State will evaluate vendors, and a majority of an organization’s leadership must be comprised of formerly incarcerated individuals. Individuals will be verified using the Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN).

For purposes of Schedule B – Client Transportation Pricing, please clarify when billable transportation time begins and ends. Does billable time include travel by the Contractor from its dispatch location to the MDOC facility, waiting time at the facility, transportation of the client to the approved destination, and return/deadhead travel following client drop-off?

The bidder should propose a price that will include all costs. Schedule B-Pricing identifies that flat rate pricing is required.

Section 21 requires mileage logs “if reimbursement is requested for mileage as outlined in the contract.” Please identify the applicable mileage reimbursement provision and rate, and clarify which mileage is eligible for reimbursement, including travel to the MDOC facility and return/deadhead mileage after client drop-off.

The State hereby removes Section 21. Invoice Requirements, Number 6 from this RFP.

If a Contractor driver arrives at the confirmed release time but the client’s release is delayed by MDOC, is the resulting waiting time billable at the Schedule B hourly transportation rate?

The billable time begins 15 minutes before the agreed pickup time at an MDOC facility, and ends when the client is dropped off at the destination.

For long-distance transports, are meals, tolls, parking, lodging, or other necessary travel expenses reimbursable separately, or must those expenses be incorporated into the hourly transportation rate?

The bidder must submit a flat-rate price which includes any additional travel expenses related to transportation of clients. However, additional expenses to be used for the client (i.e. meals for the client) should be submitted as a separate expense on the Optional Vendor-Proposed Extra Services table on Schedule B – Pricing.

If the Contractor arrives at an MDOC facility at the scheduled pickup time but the client’s release is delayed, is the waiting time billable at the proposed hourly transportation rate? If so, please clarify when billable waiting time begins and whether any maximum or approval requirement applies.

See answer to question #4.

If a confirmed transport is cancelled, changed, or the client is not released after the Contractor has committed or dispatched a vehicle and driver, is any portion of the transportation charge billable?

Please clarify the applicable cancellation or no-release policy, including whether compensation differs based on when notice is provided.

Cancellations by the State are billable if the cancellation request is received by the bidder within one business day or less before a scheduled pickup. If cancellation requests are received by the bidder one business day or more before a scheduled pickup, cancellations are not billable. If the bidder arrives at a facility and the client has arranged for alternate transportation, the canceled transportation request will be billable.

Please clarify when hourly billing begins and ends for each transport. Does billable time include travel from the Contractor’s dispatch/base location to the MDOC facility and return/deadhead travel after the client is dropped off, or is billable time limited to the period beginning when the client is picked up at the MDOC facility and ending upon arrival at the approved destination?

See answer to question #2.

Is required participation in transition team meetings and/or resource meetings expected to be in-person, virtual, or either?

Please clarify the expected frequency and typical duration of these meetings and whether Contractor time spent participating in the meetings is billable under the hourly transportation rate or considered included in the proposed rate.

Transition Team meetings last 30 minutes. There will be one meeting per client. Bidder pricing should include the time spent attending Transition Team meetings.

To assist bidders in determining appropriate fleet and staffing capacity, please provide any available historical or estimated transportation volume, including average referrals per day or month, common pickup facilities and destination regions, typical trip duration or distance, and the maximum number of simultaneous transports the State anticipates requiring.

The State estimates that approximately 60 referrals per month will be made. A majority of releases originate from Jackson, Ionia, and St. Louis, Michigan facilities, with occasional facility releases in the Upper Peninsula. Average distance and duration will depend on the client’s drop-off location and cannot be determined ahead of time.

Please clarify whether the requirements related to suspected substance use, treatment encouragement, and use of techniques such as Motivational Interviewing apply to transportation drivers and dispatch personnel providing transportation-only services.

If these requirements apply to transportation personnel, please identify any required training, certification, or MDOC-provided instruction.

The requirements only apply to transportation staff only. The MDOC Training Division will determine the Training Syllabus after the contract is awarded. A $10.00 flat rate will be paid for each module completed per staff member. Upon successful completion of all modules, the bidder may bill for reimbursement for training. Partial completion of training modules will not be accepted for reimbursement. Any required training will not include Motivational Interviewing.

Schedule A requires bidders intending to use subcontractors to disclose subcontractor information and provides a process for State review and approval. Standard Contract Terms §11 also requires the Contractor to notify the State at least 90 calendar days before a proposed delegation.

Please clarify whether the 90-day notice requirement applies to transportation subcontractors that are disclosed in the bidder’s proposal and approved by the State as part of the award or contract startup process.

No, the bidder will not need to seek an additional approval from the State for a subcontractor upon contract award for a subcontractor who was included in the bidder’s proposal. The notice requirements only apply if the subcontractor identified in the RFP is changed at any point during the contract period.

Schedule A §21 states that monthly invoices are due 10 calendar days after each monthly invoicing period, while Schedule D, Metric 4 states that invoices must be received within 15 calendar days after each monthly invoicing period.

Please clarify which submission deadline will govern the resulting contract.

The State will utilize the 15 calendar day timeframe for the invoice due date.

Metric 5 states that the Contractor must follow the MDOC process for declining a referral.

Please provide or describe the required process for declining a transportation referral, including acceptable reasons for declining, required notification method and timing, and any documentation or approval requirements necessary to avoid a service-level credit.

Bidders must have capacity to conduct up to 3 transports per day and up to 60 per calendar month. Beyond that, bidders may only decline a requested transport for one of the following reasons:

· Bidder cannot accommodate an unusual disability request. (Accessibility needs related to height and weight should be accommodated by the bidder with an appropriate vehicle, such as a minivan).

· The referral request was made with less than one calendar week notice.

Appendix A includes correctional facilities as well as locations such as the Ionia Complex Warehouse, Jackson Regional Warehouse, Duane Waters Health Center, and Green Oaks Training Center.

Please clarify whether these non-prison locations are anticipated client pickup origins under this transportation contract or are included for informational or administrative purposes.

The Ionia Complex Warehouse, Jackson Regional Warehouse, Duane Waters Health Center, and Green Oaks Training Center will not be included locations under this contract.

Schedule A §16 requires the Contractor Program Manager to be available for calls from 7:00 AM–6:00 PM Monday through Friday.

Please clarify whether transportation services may be required outside those hours, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and State holidays. If so, please identify the anticipated service expectations and advance-notice requirements for transportation occurring outside the stated customer-service hours.

The MDOC will only submit transportation requests between the hours of 7:00AM – 6:00PM. Client releases will only occur within the hours of 7:00AM – 6:00PM. However, the subsequent transport of a client to a drop-off location may take place outside of those hours, depending on the length of the transport and time of pickup.

Will accessibility needs be identified at the time of the initial referral, and is there a minimum notice period for arranging an accessible vehicle?

Accessibility needs will be identified at the time of the initial referral. If the bidder needs to decline a referral because of an inability to accommodate a disability, the MDOC would accept that as a reason to decline a referral. Accessibility needs related to height and weight should be accommodated by the bidder with an appropriate vehicle, such as a minivan. Any referral received with less than one calendar week of notice may be declined by the bidder.

Please clarify the anticipated payment timeframe after MDOC receives and accepts a complete and accurate monthly invoice packet.

If the resulting contract will follow the State’s standard payment terms, please identify the applicable payment period.

Please see Standard Contract Terms, Section 21, Invoices and Payment.

Please provide the total number of release-day transportation referrals/trips completed during the most recent available 12-month period, along with the highest number of transportation referrals/trips required on a single day.

If available, please also provide the highest number of simultaneous transports required at one time.

This information will help us accurately determine daily capacity, regional provider coverage, and staffing requirements for the proposed statewide service model.

The MDOC expects an average of 60 referrals per month. The bidder must state their expected transportation capacity in their bid. Average simultaneous transports per day are 3 transports, but the MDOC makes no guarantee on average referral or simultaneous transport numbers.

Schedule B requests a flat fee per hour, measured in 15-minute increments, for each transport.

Please clarify when billable transportation time begins and ends for each referral.

If billable time begins when the MDOC client enters the vehicle and ends when the client is delivered to the approved destination, may the Contractor establish a minimum billable charge or minimum number of billable hours per transportation referral to account for required vehicle and driver positioning to remote MDOC facilities?

This clarification will help us accurately price statewide transportation coverage, including remote facilities and shorter-distance destination trips.

The billable time begins 15 minutes before the agreed pickup time at an MDOC facility, and ends when the client is dropped off at the destination.

What is anticipated Start Date for this bid if awarded? Do you anticipate awarding the bid to multiple vendors? What is the time length of initial award and are there renewals?

The State estimates that a contract would be in place from this bid by November 15, 2026. The State anticipates awarding this contract to one vendor. The time length of the initial award will expire on 9/30/2027 and renewal will be dependent on future legislative appropriation which has not yet taken place.

Bidders must submit a proposal which includes all subcontractors that the bidder intends to use during the contract. The State will approve or deny any proposed subcontractors. During the contract, Contractors may request to use additional subcontractors. MDOC will decide within 90 days.

The price will be the same regardless of the number of clients transported in the same vehicle at the same time. Most transports will only include one client.

The State anticipates the bidders’ pricing adheres to the revised Schedule B - flat transport rate and flat training rate. Bidders proposing additional fees or rates must clearly specify them in their proposal, for the State to consider whether allowable or approved.

In addition, meal reimbursements would follow the allow State reimbursement rates for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The State Program Manager will provide the allowable meal rates and contract kick off and also at the beginning of each fiscal year, dependent on appropriation from the Legislature. Meal expenses above the stated rates will not be reimbursed.

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