RFP 40DHHS-S2377 Centralized Credentialing.docx

STATE OF NEVADA

DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION

Purchasing Division 515 East Musser Street, Suite 300 │ Carson City, NV 89701 Phone: 775-684-0170 │ Fax: 775-684-0188

Solicitation: 40DHHS-S2377 For

CENTRALIZED CREDENTIALING

Release Date:06/19/2023 Deadline for Submission and Opening Date and Time: 08/10/2023 @ 2:00 pm

Single point of contact for the solicitation:

Ryan Vradenburg, Purchasing Officer II Phone, 775-684-0197 Email Address, rvradenburg@admin.nv.gov

(TTY for Deaf and Hard of Hearing, 800-326-6868 Ask the relay agent to dial, 1-775-684-0188/V.)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

APPLICABLE REGULATIONS GOVERNING PROCUREMENT

All applicable Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) and Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) documentation can be found at: www.leg.state.nv.us/law1.cfm.

SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT. Vendors and/or their representatives shall only contact the single point of contact or use the electronic procurement system regarding this solicitation until after a notice of award (NOA) has been issued. Failure to observe this restriction may result in disqualification of a proposal per NAC 333.155(3).

Prospective vendors are advised to review Nevada’s ethical standards requirements, including but not limited to NRS 281A, NRS 333.800, and NAC 333.155.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The State of Nevada Purchasing Division, on behalf of Division of Health Care Financing and Policy (DHCFP) is seeking proposals from qualified Credentials Verification Organization (CVO) vendors to provide Centralized Credentialing and recredentialing services using standards recognized by a national accrediting organization for both Fee for Service (FFS) and Managed Care providers as described in the scope of work and attachments.

The State intends to award one (1) contract in conjunction with this Request for Proposals (RFP), as determined in the best interests of the State. DHCFP shall administer the contract resulting from this solicitation. The resulting contract is expected to be for a contract term of four years, with an optional one (1), two (2) year extension, subject to Board of Examiners approval.

Any contract awarded as a result of this RFP is contingent upon approval of funding by the Nevada State Legislature and/or the appropriate federal funding agency and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Per federal regulation 42 CFR 438.602(b), all providers seeking to participate in Nevada Medicaid shall complete the Fee for Service (FFS) screening and enrollment process prior to contracting with a Managed Care Organization or the Dental Benefits Administrator (DBA). Once enrolled in FFS, providers wishing to work with Managed Care Organization (MCO) and Dental Benefits Administrator (DBA) recipients then need to repeat these processes for each Managed Care plan and DBA. This results in multiple applications for providers as well as multiple processing timelines and potentially different decisions from each plan. Additionally, the multiple timelines result in varying MCO re-credentialing and FFS enrollment timelines. These processes are cumbersome for providers and create frustration and redundancies which result in higher administrative costs to DHCFP, MCOs, DBA and providers.

Nevada Medicaid administers the FFS, managed care and dental benefits administrator programs. Medicaid recipients living in rural areas of the state are enrolled in the FFS model. Recipients living in urban Clark County and urban Washoe County Nevada are required to enroll with one of four contracted MCOs. All Managed Care recipients are enrolled with the DBA for dental benefits.

Nevada’s Medicaid program pays for medical and medically related services for persons eligible for Medicaid under Title XIX of the Social Security Act.

Service reimbursement may be offered either through a fee-for-service (FFS) model or under a managed care or dental benefits administration contract, or a combination of all three.

The MCOs are Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Healthcare Solutions, Health Plan of Nevada, SilverSummit Healthplan, and Molina HealthCare of Nevada. The DBA is Liberty Dental. All Nevada Medicaid providers that are enrolled with an MCO and DBA must also be enrolled in Nevada Medicaid FFS.

There are approximately 42,000 Nevada Medicaid enrolled providers and currently 59 active Provider Types.

Nevada has a contracted Fiscal Agent (FA), Gainwell Technologies, that operates the Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) and supports Medicaid operations.

The selected Centralized Credentialing Vendor shall work closely with the Fiscal Agent (FA) vendor and staff.

Vendor’s response shall include detailed implementation plan on working with the Fiscal Agent.

AGENCY BACKGROUND

Within DHHS are the Divisions of Health Care Financing and Policy (DHCFP), Welfare and Supportive Services (DWSS), Child and Family Services (DCFS), Aging and Disabilities Services (ADSD), Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH). The Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) fund programs and services are administered for persons eligible for medical and medically related services under Title XIX and Title XXI of the Social Security Act respectively.

DHCFP administers the Medicaid and Nevada Check Up state plans, including the rates and medical benefit plans. Additionally, DHCFP manages the FFS benefit plan, the MCOs, program compliance activities, and the program’s budget and fiscal operations. Nevada Medicaid currently covers over 912,000 individuals including pregnant women, children, the aged, blind, and/or disabled, and people who are eligible to receive federally assisted income maintenance payments. Approximately 78% of recipients are served by Nevada Medicaid Managed Care plans. The provider base serving Nevada Medicaid members includes over 42,000 practitioners/facilities. DHCFP has approximately 315 staff with offices in Carson City, Las Vegas, Reno, and Elko.

DHCFP Provider Enrollment (PE) includes Enrollment, Managed Care and Termination. PE oversees enrollment activities conducted by the Fiscal Agent, monitors enrollment compliance with the MCO Plans and DBA, evaluates and completes provider termination, and develops policy and procedures which comply with federal and state rules and regulations. There are specified provider types authorized for all the services provided by Nevada Medicaid. PE works with the Fiscal Agent and DHCFP program specialists to determine the guidelines/qualifications (state and federal) for each provider type.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The procurement is intended to secure and implement a unified credentialing process offering Nevada Medicaid providers a single point of entry. The selected vendor shall have subject matter expertise and experience in Medicaid Systems, enrollment and credentialing systems, and primary source verification.

At a minimum, Centralized Credentialing Vendor shall:

Determine required credentialing activities to be conducted for each enrolling or revalidating provider based on provider type, risk level and Nevada Medicaid directives, Verify valid licenses and certifications via primary source, real time interfaces with all required licensing boards and authorities, including those in other states, Verify all information collected from enrolling or revalidating providers, including the absence of required information submitted, by comparing this information to primary sources, Develop and support a Credentialing Committee to make credentialing decisions, including developing an Appeals Process to afford providers any appeal rights to which they are entitled to if their application is denied, Provide credentialing customer support, Provide regular reports to monitor credentialing activities, Develop multi-faceted training, at implementation and ongoing, for system users, Have a valid certification as a CVO from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

At a minimum, the Centralized Credentialing System shall:

Be minimally burdensome, Interface with the current Enrollment system/portal, Circulate data securely and in real time, Adhere to the requirements of HIPAA privacy and security law (as defined in Section 3009 of the Public Health Service Act).

The goals of procuring a Centralized Credentialing Vendor include:

Implementing a robust screening and validation process to ensure only qualified and quality providers are enrolled in the program, Aligning enrollment processing times and outcomes, Implementing a streamlined process to reduce provider abrasion and administrative burden, Ensuring compliance with federal regulations.

CONCURRENT IMPACTS

DHHS will be supporting COVID Unwind activities, particularly in the MMIS as the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency concludes.

Surveillance and Utilization Review (SUR) System RFP & Implementation

The 82nd Session of the Nevada Legislature.

CURRENT COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT/SOFTWARE

DHCFP expects Centralized Credentialing Vendor’s system and services to interface with Nevada’s MMIS system, interChange. Provider information will be provided to the successful Vendor from the MMIS.

The DHCFP closely aligns their Medicaid technology and computing environment with CMS Standards and Conditions. DHCFP has adopted a modular, flexible approach to systems development, including the use of open interfaces and exposed application programming interfaces (API); the separation of business rules from core programming; and the availability of business rules in both human and machine-readable formats. The commitment to formal system development methodology and open, reusable system architecture is extremely important in order to ensure that DHCFP can more easily change and maintain systems, as well as integrate and interoperate with a clinical and administrative ecosystem designed to deliver person-centric services and benefits. This approach enables DHCFP the ability to effectively meet current business objectives and provide a platform to support the changing complexities of programs and recipient populations served by DHCFP.

DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE

DHCFP uses a system development lifecycle (SDLC) methodology for improved efficiency and quality of products and services. The system development lifecycle methodology maintains distinct, well-defined phases for inception through close-out; includes planning that describes schedules, target dates, and budgets; exhibits controls over the life of the project via written documentation, formal reviews, and signoff/acceptance by the system owner(s); and well- documented, repeatable processes with clear input and output criteria (e.g., artifacts).

DHCFP’s software development test environments mirror the capabilities of the production environment and support the specific testing levels (e.g., unit testing, systems integration testing, and user acceptance testing.) Testing is conducted in a thorough and accurate manner with an emphasis on planning, execution, and validation. Quality test tools are used to maintain test scenarios and test results are subsequently documented to reveal discrepancies between expected and actual results, resolutions for unexpected results, and any effect on the software implementation schedule.

DHCFP’s software development approach also aligns and integrates with the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) processes into and across the program activities and project lifecycle. The approach promotes consistent use of repeatable processes and documentation across the project.

All proposed software used in the design, development, testing and implementation of the deliverables outlined in this RFP shall be approved by the State.

If the application software is not public domain, the awarded vendor shall provide a licensing strategy.

If a license-based solution is used, then the awarded vendor shall procure licenses for all base components and third-party equipment (operating system, data base, etc.) based upon specifications provided by the awarded vendor, unless otherwise agreed to in writing by DHCFP. If access is based on licenses, the vendor will provide a licensing strategy or licenses for the state staff.

The awarded vendor shall provide all licenses information, including the ability to leverage existing statewide contracts for cost savings and formal training for all users Vendor shall include pricing for various numbers of users within their cost proposal.

The awarded vendor shall be required to interface with the interChange MMIS.

The Vendor shall operate within Nevada’s current and future LAN/WAN network architecture in accordance with performance standards established by the State.

The Vendor’s telecommunications/data communications network shall be compatible with State standards or be able to interface with state platforms and interconnections unless there are mutually agreed upon exceptions.

B2B between Azure Public and the FedRAMP high is not supported by Microsoft in the State Environment.

DHCFP’s adoption of a modular, flexible, enterprise technology platform leverages solutions and services that provide DHCFP with the ability to meet current business objectives. DHCFP’s modular platform supports the evolving complexities of recipients served by DHCFP’s programs. Where possible, DHCFP prefers to utilize commercial off-the shelf (COTS) products and software as a service (SaaS), to enhance IT capabilities and gain cost efficiencies with respect to development and maintenance.

MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS CHANGE MANAGEMENT

DHCFP regards Change Management (CM) as integral to Medicaid’s success. A critical trigger for change is policy changes, and as such the CM process is often used to manage these changes outside of the contract. The purpose of the CM process is to facilitate the organized planning, development, and execution of modifications and enhancements to the system contracted for use.

The vendor is expected to respond efficiently and effectively to the need for changes stemming from the ever-increasing complexity of the health care environment brought about by policy changes at the local, state, and federal level. To stimulate and support innovative responses to the demand for change, Vendor is required to actively participate in the change evaluation and management processes and ensure that they analyze and understand the impact of all changes regardless of the originating party.

Vendor shall propose a CM process and tool through which ongoing system modifications and/or enhancements of the system will be recorded, tracked, managed, and considered by DHCFP and Vendor. The CM process shall apply to all systems and tools and is a process shared between Vendor and DHCFP. This includes how future modifications, enhancements, and defects introduced into to the system will be categorized, tracked, and completed through the CM process and how system maintenance will be addressed through changes to table values, system parameters, configurations, or code and changes requested by Vendor to maintain related operations. The Maintenance and Operations CM requirements define Vendor and State responsibilities for maintaining and modifying the Nevada System.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT PLAN. Vendor shall:

Submit a CM Plan with this RFP for consideration.

Complete all tasks related to CM Plan detailed in attachment, Scope of Work.

Throughout the contract term, update the CM Plan as needed upon request by DHCFP. Changes or updates needed at the direction or approval of DHCFP, regardless of reason, must be made within five business days.

Perform CM activities in accordance with approved CM Plan.

Identify and provide staff competent to perform all functions of modification and enhancement tasks and responsibilities.

CHANGE CONTROL BOARD. The vendor shall

Participate in a joint Change Control Board (CCB) for the purpose of reviewing, clarifying, approving and prioritizing all change requests, and managing change impacts to time, cost and quality.

Analyze proposal size and cost estimates.

Work with the State to update Project Control Documents.

Work with DHCFP State to communicate status to stakeholders using appropriate communication channels.

Work with the State to monitor outcomes.

Participate in long range planning sessions to coordinate future enhancements.

Utilize established CM and review processes for any Vendor requests for changes to approved deliverables, software, processing, procedures, manuals, forms, reports, and other approved project artifacts.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT PROCESS SOLUTION. The proposed solution from the vendor shall, Incorporate CM Responsibilities as stated in this RFP.

Initiate all proposals for change through a change request. Any document resulting from the change request shall be binding upon the agreement and signature of all associated parties. Approval may also come through the workflow of the approved tool rather than by signature.

Document CM meetings and planning sessions in writing, summarizing the key points covered, and distribute to DHCFP staff within five working days after the meeting.

Allow for change requests to be initiated and submitted by both DHCFP and Vendor staff through the proposed CM tool.

Adhere to the agreed upon CM process, turn-around time frames and requirements including but not limited to review and approval of change requests being released into production, including post-implementation review changes.

Require change requests for any identified deficiency to be submitted within three business days or within a time agreed upon by both parties.

Ensure that there is adequate planning for the change to accommodate the State and any impacted vendors.

Employ a change request form/process that includes the following minimum fields/topics to be completed as information becomes available through research and request consideration:

Reason for change request Detailed description of requested change Detailed description of solution Potential impacts to other system(s) or process areas Communication plan Estimated hours to complete modification or enhancement Tracking of decisions and discussions regarding the request Version control Reason for non-approval Date of approval Approval signatures for specific DHCFP and Contractor management. May also be approved through the CM tool.

Contains a web-based electronic tracking system capable of tracking change requests from submission through all steps to approval or closure, including status and decisions, with access and record update capabilities for both DHCFP and Vendor staff.

Track through the proposed CM tool, maintain issue logs and allow DHCFP access to the issue logs as needed.

Include standards for Design deliverables resulting from approved change requests, including DHCFP approval of both elevated level and detailed design documents.

Include standards for testing of developed system changes, including DHCFP approval of test results.

Maintain the change request process and ensure that the process and testing results comply with specified quality and timeliness standards.

Include approach for training Vendor and/or DHCFP staff on process or system changes resulting from approved change requests.

Develop an impact analysis as part of enhancement proposals that includes estimates for effort, resources, timing, cost, and impacts to system, functionality, and users.

Provide an approved monthly tracking report, for DHCFP approval, of total enhancement/pool hours expended to date, and remaining hours available for enhancements including design, testing, and implementation, within an agreed upon timeframe.

Provide reporting to meet DHCFP needs including, but not limited to, a Weekly report of all tickets with sufficient detail to allow staff to determine the status of tickets quickly and efficiently that they are interested in.

Provide detailed monthly accounting of all tickets, engineering hours spent by ticket and the source of the hours. This information will be used as supporting documentation to verify the invoicing process, which will be audited.

Provide the ability for all staff to view the current status of all tickets. The information on display must be sufficient and detailed to allow staff to determine current status, next steps and all history and documents for this ticket.

Provide DHCFP feedback on areas of the CM process that could be changed/enhanced to improve the process efficiency, achieve better CM outcomes and/or improve the process. With DHCFP approval, implement those changes.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT TRACKING.

Provide and maintain a tool to track and manage all changes put through the CM Process.

Provide a weekly status report that includes a listing of each outstanding change request along with DHCFP’s requested documentation.

DHCFP shall support the Change Management Tracking by:

Provide staff to participate in CM meetings and planning sessions.

Review estimates and either approve or disapprove changes based on estimates, priority, and other factors.

Clarify priority and impact on existing enhancements and other change requests.

Approve Vendor’s proposed CM process.

Review and approve Vendor’s monthly CM report.

ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE MANAGEMENT

This task is to ensure an adequate Organization Change Management (OCM) framework to ensure accountability and success of project outcomes. By definition, OCM is a framework for managing the effect of new business processes, new technology, shifting economic landscapes, or changes in organizational structure and culture within an enterprise. Simply put, OCM addresses the people side of change.

Vendor shall establish and submit to DHCFP for approval, an OCM plan that encompass the following areas:

OCM Communication OCM Training OCM Change Readiness

The draft OCM Plan shall be submitted within 10 business days of the contract effective date.

The final OCM Plan shall be submitted to DHCFP for review and approval within 30 calendar days of the contract effective date. Updates shall be submitted thereafter based on the frequency determined by DHCFP, unless otherwise agreed to in writing.

The OCM Plan shall be updated as changes are deemed appropriate. Proposed revisions to the approved OCM Plan shall be reviewed and approved by DHCFP prior to the update.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DHCFP hours of operations are Monday through Friday, 8:00AM to 5:00PM Pacific Time, the vendor shall be available to staff during hours of operation.

Deliverables sent after 3:00PM Pacific Time will be considered delivered the following day

Adequate planning and project management are dedicated to this project.

Vendor shall establish and submit to DHCFP for approval, all project planning documents in this RFP that are identified as necessary for this project. Plans shall be developed in accordance with the timeline in the approved Project Schedule. Approved plans shall be maintained and updated by Vendor for the duration of the contract.

Vendor shall incorporate standards guidance from the following industry resources:

Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) CMS Standards and Conditions Medicaid Information Technology Architecture (MITA) Standards Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) standards

Vendor shall develop and maintain a comprehensive Project Management Plan. A draft Project Management Plan shall be included with the proposal and address the following elements:

Scope of Work Approach to Project Documentation Management and Maintenance Team Organizational Chart, Roles, and Responsibilities Entrance and Exit Criteria for Configuration, Deployment, Operations, and Closeout Quality milestone review process Status reporting Change Management Project Plan/Schedule Communications Management Risk Management Test Management Closeout and Transition Lessons Learned

The Project Management Plan may require subsidiary plans for:

Operational Change Management Quality Management Resource Management Contract Administration/Customer Care

The draft Project Management Plan shall be submitted within 10 business days of the contract effective date.

The Project Management Plan shall be reviewed and approved by DHCFP within 30 calendar days of the contract effective date, unless otherwise agreed to in writing.

The Project Management Plan shall be updated as changes are deemed appropriate. Updates shall be submitted to DHCFP for review and approval through the deliverable review process below.

The Project Plan/Schedule component of the comprehensive Project Management Plan shall address the following elements:

Project phases, tasks, and activities Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) represented in the schedule Project milestones Deliverables Assigned resources Assigned completion dates Task dependencies

The final Project Plan/Schedule component shall be submitted to DHCFP for review and approval within 30 calendar days of the contract effective date. Updates shall be submitted thereafter based on the frequency determined by DHCFP and Vendor, no less than bi-weekly.

The approved Project Plan/Schedule component of the comprehensive Project Management Plan shall be maintained by Vendor and updates shall be submitted on regular intervals. Project progress shall be reported during scheduled project status meetings via an agreed upon template. Proposed revisions to the approved Project Plan/Schedule shall be reviewed and approved by DHCFP prior to the update.

The Project Team Organizational Chart, Roles and Responsibilities component of the comprehensive Project Management Plan shall address the following elements:

Scheduled staffing levels to support all tasks Assignment of the following required positions for the duration of the Planning and Administration, Configuration, and Deployment tasks:

Account Manager Project Manager Design Lead Testing Lead System Implementation Manager Training / Outreach Lead and Operations / Call Center Manager

Assignment of the following required positions for the duration of the Operations and Maintenance and Closeout tasks:

Account Manager Call Center Manager Training / Outreach Lead

Designated Vendor staff shall attend and participate in all project-related meetings (including, but not limited to, weekly status meetings) requested by the State at a location to be determined by the State.

All project activities shall be held in Pacific Time, and Vendor is expected to provide project staff and coverage during State hours of operation.

Attendance may be in person or via teleconferencing, as mutually agreed to by the project team, and meetings shall follow an agenda mutually developed by Vendor and the State.

Vendor shall prepare materials or briefings for these meetings as requested by the State. Minutes shall be taken and distributed by Vendor within five business days after the meeting. Minutes may be distributed via email, file management system or Microsoft Teams.

Vendor shall provide an electronic document repository tool to support and maintain all project documentation. Project documentation shall be customized for Nevada users and providers. The repository shall also provide document version control capabilities.

Vendor shall work closely with DHCFP, designated stakeholders (e.g., MCOs), and other contractors to successfully comply with the implementation mandate.

Vendor shall establish and use a project management system, approved by DHCFP, which will encompass entire project control and provide reporting matrices. The system shall be available online to all appropriate DHCFP users.

COST

The State prefers a cost proposal that is not based on costs for individual deliverables.

All proposal terms, including prices, shall remain in effect for a minimum of 180 calendar days after the proposal due date. In the case of the awarded vendor, all proposal terms, including prices, shall remain in effect throughout the contract negotiation process.

Costs from the Summary Table of the workbook will be used in scoring each vendor’s submitted cost proposal. It is the vendor’s responsibility to ensure their costs are transferred correctly to Summary Tab of the Cost Schedule.

The State reserves the right to solicit a Best and Final Offer (BAFO) and conduct Proposer discussions, request more competitive pricing, clarify Proposals, and contact references with the finalists, should it be in the State of Nevada's best interest to do so. The State of Nevada is the sole determinant of its best interests.

CENTRALIZED CREDENTIALING COST SCHEDULE. The cost for each task shall be complete and include all expenses, including travel, per diem and out-of-pocket expenses as well as administrative and/or overhead expenses. Each table throughout the Excel workbook in Cost Schedule shall be completed, and detailed backup shall be provided for all cost schedules. Failure to use the state provided attachment may lead to a vendor’s entire proposal being deemed unresponsive.

Summary Cost Schedule.

The schedules have been set up so that the sub-total from each section of cost schedule, (x.1.2 – x.1.7) shall automatically be transferred to the summary table in Attachment xx, Cost Schedule), unless otherwise specified.

It is the proposer’s responsibility to make sure that all totals are correctly transferred to the summary tab in Attachment xx, Cost Schedule prior to submitting their cost proposal.

DDI Services

Proposers shall provide the cost for each item identified in this schedule as well as a detailed description and associated cost for additional items identified by the proposer.

M&O Services

Proposers shall provide the cost for each item identified in this schedule as well as a detailed description and associated cost for additional items identified by the proposer.

Potential Changes

Proposers shall indicate how potential changes to project requirements will impact costs.

Optional Services

Proposers shall provide the cost for each item identified in this schedule as well as a detailed description and associated cost for additional items identified by the proposer.

M&O Option Year

Proposers shall provide the cost for each item identified in this schedule as well as a detailed description and associated cost for additional items identified by the proposer.

CVO Personnel Rates

Proposers shall recommend the number of pool hours for the listed tasks. Proposers shall provide firm, fixed hourly rates for services for the base contract term and option year.

Rate information presented in this worksheet does not apply to the blended rate information associated with the Nevada Medicaid Centralized Credentialing Request Pool rates as presented in the summary tab in Attachment xx, Cost Schedule.

Hourly rate information does not automatically transfer to other cost schedules

ATTACHMENTS

ATTACHMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE. To be read and not returned.

Terms and Conditions for Services Terms and Conditions for Goods Abbreviations Business Associate Addendum Liquidated Damages Information Services Change Management Plan Sample Project Deliverable Sign-Off sample Reference Library Scope of Work Deliverables Table

ATTACHMENTS FOR REVIEW. To be read and not returned (unless redlining).

Contract Form Insurance Schedule Service Level Agreements

PROPOSAL ATTACHMENTS. To be completed and returned.

Scope of Work Cloud Hosting Questionnaire Requirements Matrix System Requirements Technical Questionnaire Cost Schedule Proposed Staff Resume Reference Questionnaire Attachments for Signature

Vendor Information Response Vendor Certifications Certification Regarding Lobbying Confidentiality and Certification of Indemnification

TIMELINE

QUESTIONS. All questions regarding this solicitation shall be submitted using the Bid Q&A feature in NevadaEPro.

TIMELINE. The following represents the proposed timeline for this project.

All times stated are Pacific Time (PT).

These dates represent a tentative schedule of events.

The State reserves the right to modify these dates at any time.

EVALUATION

Evaluation and scoring are conducted in accordance with NRS 333.335 and NAC 333.160-333.165.

Proposals shall be kept confidential until a contract is awarded.

In the event the solicitation is withdrawn prior to award, proposals remain confidential.

The evaluation committee is an independent committee established to evaluate and score proposals submitted in response to the solicitation.

Financial stability shall be scored on a pass/fail basis.

Proposals shall be consistently evaluated and scored based upon the following factors and relative weights.

Presentations

Cost proposals will be evaluated based on the following formula.

Cost Factor Weight x (Lowest Cost Submitted by a Vendor / Proposer Total Cost) = Cost Score

Presentations

Following the evaluation and scoring process specified above, the State may require vendors to make a presentation of their proposal to the evaluation committee or other State staff, as applicable.

The State, at its option, may limit participation in vendor presentations to vendors above a natural break in the relative scores from technical and cost scores.

Following the presentations, the combined technical, cost, and presentation scores will become the final score for a proposal.

The State reserves the right to add additional criteria or presentations.

The State reserves the right to forego vendor presentations and select vendor(s) based on the written proposals submitted.

MANDATORY MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Pursuant to NRS 333.311 a contract cannot be awarded to a proposal that does not comply with the requirements listed in this section. The proposal shall include confirmation of compliance with all mandatory minimum requirements.

NEVADA LAW AND STATE INDEMNITY. Pursuant to NRS 333.339, any contract that is entered into may not: (1) Require the filing of any action or the arbitration of any dispute that arises from the contract to be instituted or heard in another state or nation; or (2) Require the State to indemnify another party against liability for damages.

NO BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL. Pursuant to NRS 333.338, the State of Nevada cannot enter a contract with a company unless that company agrees for the duration of the contract not to engage in a boycott of Israel. By submitting a proposal or bid, vendor agrees that if it is awarded a contract, it will not engage in a boycott of Israel as defined in NRS 333.338(3)(a).

INDEMNIFICATION. Required contract terms on Indemnification: "To the fullest extent permitted by law, Contractor shall indemnify, hold harmless and defend, not excluding the State’s right to participate, the State from and against all liability, claims, actions, damages, losses, and expenses, including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs, arising out of any breach of the obligations of Contractor under this contract, or any alleged negligent or willful acts or omissions of Contractor, its officers, employees and agents. Contractor’s obligation to indemnify the State shall apply in all cases except for claims arising solely from the State’s own negligence or willful misconduct. Contractor waives any rights of subrogation against the State. Contractor’s duty to defend begins when the State requests defense of any claim arising from this Contract."

LIMITED LIABILITY. Required contract terms on Limited Liability: "The State will not waive and intends to assert available NRS Chapter 41 liability limitations in all cases. The contract liability of both parties shall not be subject to punitive damages. Damages for any State breach shall never exceed the amount of funds appropriated for payment under this Contract, but not yet paid to Contractor, for the Fiscal Year budget in existence at the time of the breach. Contractor’s tort liability shall not be limited."

CONTRACT RESPONSIBILITY. Awarded vendor shall be the sole point of contract responsibility. The State shall look solely to the awarded vendor for the performance of all contractual obligations which may result from an award based on this solicitation, and the awarded vendor shall not be relieved for the non-performance of any or all subcontractors.

DATA ENCRYPTION. State IT requires that data be encrypted in transit and in rest.

STATESIDE DATA. State IT requires that State data assets must be maintained in the United States and data will not be held offshore. Transmission, transportation, or storage of HIPAA protected information outside the United States and its Territories, or access to HIPAA protected information from outside the United States and its Territories, is prohibited. Respondent hereby attests that it will not perform any of the Contract services from outside of the United States and its Territories, including not utilizing offshore subcontractors in the performance of a Contract award.

NEVADA BUSINESS LICENSE. Pursuant to NRS 353.007, prior to contract execution awarded vendor must hold a state business license pursuant to NRS chapter 76 unless exempted by NRS 76.100(7)(b).

DISCLOSURE. Each vendor shall include in its proposal a complete disclosure of any alleged significant prior or ongoing contract failures, contract breaches, any civil or criminal litigation or investigations pending which involves the vendor or in which the vendor has been judged guilty or liable.

CRITICAL ITEMS

In addition to the Scope of Work and Attachments, the items listed in this section are critical to the success of the project. These items will be used in evaluating and scoring the proposal. Vendor proposals should address items in this section in enough detail to provide evaluators with an accurate understanding of vendor capabilities. Proposals that fail to sufficiently respond to these items may be considered non-responsive.

CONTRACT FORM. The State strongly prefers vendors agree to the terms of the attached Contract Form as is. The ability to agree to contract terms is a high priority for the State. Vendors who cannot agree to the contract as is must include a redlined Word version of the attached Contract Form with their proposal response. To the extent a vendor has prior contractual dealings with the State, no assumption should be made that terms outside those provided herein have any influence on this project.

DATA TRANSMISSION. Transmission, transportation, or storage of HIPAA protected information outside the United States and its Territories, or access to HIPAA protected information from outside the United States and its Territories, is prohibited. Respondent hereby attests that it will not perform any of the Contract services from outside of the United States and its Territories, including not utilizing offshore subcontractors in the performance of a Contract award.

INSURANCE SCHEDULE

The State strongly prefers vendors agree to the terms of the attached Insurance Schedule as is. Vendors who cannot agree must explain which areas are causing non-compliance and attach a red line if necessary.

Awarded vendor shall maintain, for the duration of the contract, insurance coverages as set forth in the fully executed contract.

Work on the contract shall not begin until after the awarded vendor has submitted acceptable evidence of the required insurance coverage.

Failure to maintain any required insurance coverage or acceptable alternative method of insurance shall be deemed a breach of contract.

VENDOR BACKGROUND

Company background/history and why vendor is qualified to provide the services described in this solicitation.

Provide a brief description of the length of time vendor has been providing services described in this solicitation to the public and/or private sector.

VENDOR STAFF RESUMES

A resume shall be included for each proposed key personnel, see Proposed Staff Resume.

A resume shall also be included for any proposed key subcontractor personnel.

PROJECT MANAGER - The Centralized Credentialing Project Manager assigned by the awarded vendor shall have:

A minimum of four (4) years of project management experience within the last ten (10) years, in government or the private sector;

A minimum of three (3) years of experience, within the last ten (10) years, managing similar systems development and implementation projects;

A minimum of two (2) years of experience, within systems design and configuration; and Completed at least one (1) project within the past three (3) years that involved coordination of communication, training, and outreach activities with external stakeholders

TECHNICAL LEAD / IMPLEMENTATION MANAGER - Centralized Credentialing System Implementation Manager. The Centralized Credentialing System Implementation Manager assigned by the awarded vendor to the engagement shall have:

A minimum of three (3) years of experience managing system implementations to support a new business initiative and processes;

A minimum of two (2) years of experience managing a COTS product implementation;

Completed at least one (1) project within the past three (3) years that involved the procurement, receipt and make ready of computer equipment and software; and Completed at least one (1) project within the past three (3) years that involved a phased implementation where systems activities were coordinated across multiple stakeholder groups

ACCOUNT MANAGER - Centralized Credentialing Account Manager. The Centralized Credentialing Account Manager assigned by the awarded vendor to the engagement shall have:

A minimum of four (4) years of project management experience, within the last ten (10) years, in government or the private sector;

A minimum of three (3) years of experience, within the last ten (10) years, managing systems development and implementation projects;

Completed at least one (1) project within the past three (3) years that involved communication and coordination of activities with external stakeholders.

DESIGN LEAD - The Centralized Credentialing Design Lead assigned by the awarded vendor to the engagement shall have:

A minimum of four (4) years of experience in systems design, development, and programming of automated systems;

A minimum of four (4) years of experience designing or developing a highly configurable system; and A minimum of two (2) years of experience developing internet applications.

TESTING LEAD - The Centralized Credentialing Testing Lead assigned by the awarded vendor to the engagement shall have:

A minimum of three (3) years leading a software testing project with full testing lifecycle experience, within the last ten (10) years, in government or the private sector;

A minimum of three (3) years of experience designing and developing complex test scenarios and accurately reporting results to ensure that the delivered solution meets specification; and A minimum of two (2) years of experience in all aspects of the software engineering process, testing techniques and tools.

TRAINING LEAD - The Centralized Credentialing Training Lead assigned by the awarded vendor shall have:

A minimum of three (3) years of experience leading training, within the last ten (10) years, in government or the private sector;

A minimum of three (3) years of experience with designing and implementing training curriculum; and A minimum of two (2) years of experience assessing training needs across multiple stakeholder groups.

HELP DESK MANAGER - The Centralized Credentialing Help Desk Manager assigned by the awarded vendor shall have:

A minimum of three (3) years of help desk or customer care support services experience requiring effective communication skills, within the last ten (10) years, in government or the private sector;

A minimum of three (3) years of experience solving end user problems encountered in a systems or service industry environment; and A minimum of two (2) years of experience providing timely and successful delivery of training or technical instruction to a non-technical audience.

SUBCONTRACTORS

Subcontractors are defined as a third party, not directly employed by the contractor, who shall provide services identified in this solicitation. This does not include third parties who provide support or incidental services to the contractor.

The proposal should include a completed Vendor Information Response form for each subcontractor.

Vendor shall not allow any subcontractor to commence work until all insurance required of the subcontractor is provided to the vendor.

Vendor proposal shall identify specific requirements of the project for which each subcontractor shall perform services.

How the work of any subcontractor(s) shall be supervised How channels of communication shall be maintained How compliance with contracts terms and conditions will be assured Previous experience with subcontractor(s)

VENDOR FINANCIAL INFORMATION

The information requested in this section is designated as confidential business information by the Administrator pursuant to NRS 333.020(5)(b) and is not public information pursuant to NRS 333.333.

This information should be submitted as a separate attachment, flagged as confidential in NevadaEPro.

Proposing vendor shall provide the following financial information and documentation:

Dun and Bradstreet Number Federal Tax Identification Number The last two (2) full years and current year interim:

1. Profit and Loss Statements

2. Balance Statements

BUSINESS REFERENCES

The information requested in this section is designated as confidential business information by the Administrator pursuant to NRS 333.020(5)(b) and is not public information pursuant to NRS 333.333.

Vendors shall provide a minimum of three (3) business references from similar projects performed for private and/or public sector clients within the last five (5) years, see Reference Questionnaire.

The purpose of these references is to document relevant experience and aid in the evaluation process.

Business references should return Reference Questionnaire directly to Single Point of Contact via email.

Business references will not be accepted directly from proposing vendor.

The State will not disclose submitted references but will confirm if a number of references have been received.

The State reserves the right to contact references during evaluation.

SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

This section identifies documents that shall be submitted to be considered responsive. Vendors are encouraged to review all requirements to ensure all requested information is included in their response.

Proposals must be submitted as a Quote through NevadaEPro, https://NevadaEPro.com.

Vendors are encouraged to submit a single file attachment per proposal section if possible.

Technical proposal information and Cost proposal information shall not be included in the same attachment.

Cost proposal attachment shall not be flagged as confidential in NevadaEPro.

Additional attachments may be included but are discouraged and should be kept to a minimum.

Proposal attachments should be labeled in the following format:

Technical Proposal.Vendor Name.40DHHS-S2377 Cost Proposal.Vendor Name.40DHHS-S2377 Proprietary Information.Vendor Name.40DHHS-S2377 Financial Information.Vendor Name.40DHHS-S2377 Signed Attachments.Vendor Name.40DHHS-S2377 Other Attachments.Vendor Name.40DHHS-S2377

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

Title Page Table of Contents Response to Mandatory Minimum Requirements Response to Critical Items Response to Scope of Work Proposed Staff Resumes Other Informational Material

PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. If necessary. The attachment should be flagged confidential in NevadaEPro.

Title Page Table of Contents Trade Secret information, cross referenced to the technical proposal

COST PROPOSAL

VENDOR FINANCIAL INFORMATION. The attachment should be flagged confidential in NevadaEPro.

SIGNED ATTACHMENTS

Vendor Information Response Vendor Certifications Confidentiality and Certification of Indemnification Certification Regarding Lobbying

OTHER ATTACHMENTS. If necessary, not recommended.

REFERENCE QUESTIONNAIRES. Not submitted directly by vendor.

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