RFP_Amendment_33017-40824_Amendment_2.pdf

RFP # 33017-40824 – Amendment # 2 Page 1 of 5

STATE OF TENNESSEE

ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS # 33017-40824

AMENDMENT # 2

FOR GOODS OR MUSIC ECOSYSTEM

DATE: RFP AMENDMENT RELEASE DATE: 02/12/2025

RFP # 33017-40824 IS AMENDED AS FOLLOWS:

1. This RFP Schedule of Events confirms scheduled RFP dates.

EVENT

TIME

(central time zone)

DATE

1. RFP Issued January 6, 2025

2. Disability Accommodation Request Deadline 2:00 p.m. January 9, 2025

3. Pre-response Conference 2:30 p.m. January 14, 2025

4. Notice of Intent to Respond Deadline 2:00 p.m. January 17, 2025

5. Written “Questions & Comments” Deadline 2:00 p.m. January 23, 2025

6. State Response to Written “Questions & Comments” February 12, 2025

7. Response Deadline 2:00 p.m. February 21, 2025

8. State Completion of Technical Response Evaluations February 28, 2025

9. State Schedules Respondent Oral Presentation March 4, 2025

10. Respondent Oral Presentation 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. March 6 – March 12 2025

11. State Opening & Scoring of Cost Proposals 2:00 p.m. March 13, 2025

12. Negotiations March 17 – March 20, 2025

13. State Notice of Intent to Award Released and RFP Files Opened for Public Inspection 2:00 p.m. March 21, 2025

14. End of Open File Period March 28, 2025

2. State responses to questions and comments in the table below amend and clarify this RFP.

Any restatement of RFP text in the Question/Comment column shall NOT be construed as a change in the actual wording of the RFP document.

RFP # 33017-40824 – Amendment # 2 Page 2 of 5

RFP

SECTION

PAGE

# QUESTION / COMMENT STATE RESPONSE

1 Will Oral Presentations be virtual or required to be in person? Oral presentations will be virtual. The

Solicitation Coordinator managing this Request for Proposals will schedule oral presentations later in the procurement process.

2 Do you have a list of credit bureaus the State of TN recognizes for A.3?

A non-exhaustive list of acceptable agencies includes Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, Fitch, Dun & Bradstreet, A.M.

Best. Any other rating bureau currently registered as an NRSRO by the SEC would also be acceptable.

3 Specifically what type of report from a Credit Bureau will you accept for A.3?

Any “official document or letter from an accredited credit bureau” that indicates a “satisfactory credit score for the Respondent” would suffice for A.3.

4 Will a "ProfilePlus Report" from Experian satisfy A.3?

Yes.

5 Will a Dun & Bradstreet “CreditSignal” report satisfy A.3?

Yes, provided that the report does not present only a “credit bureau report number without the full report.”

6 For the income statement or balance sheet needed for A.3, will you accept a Quickbooks report? If so, does it require any level of certification or endorsement?

Yes, as long as the income statement and balance sheet reflect “Respondent’s most current operating period.” Financial statements submitted for A.3 need not be independently audited, although audited financial statements are acceptable.

7 How many communities/cities/regions should the respondents consider to be servicing for each Round? An estimate or range would be helpful for cost proposal.

The Contractor will be expected to service up to two (2) communities/regions during each round. The State anticipates a total of five (5) communities/regions will be services by the end of the Term of Contract. Distribution of the five communities/regions between the respective rounds will be determined by the State and the Contractor once the contract is awarded.

8 Has the State identified which communities/cities/regions will be served through this contract? If so, which ones?

The State is currently conducting a comprehensive review of all potential communities/regions, but no decisions have been rendered to date. The State will rely on the Contractor to assist in the selection process before any such decisions are rendered.

9 How will communities/cities/regions being served by this contract be selected?

See the State’s response to Item #8.

10 Does the “Initial Community Partner and Stakeholder Setup” include No, the “Initial Community Partner and

Stakeholder Setup” will not include communities/regions in all three rounds simultaneously.

RFP # 33017-40824 – Amendment # 2 Page 3 of 5

PAGE

# QUESTION / COMMENT STATE RESPONSE

communities/cities/regions in all three Rounds simultaneously?

11 For “Round 1 - Pre-Census Phase: Launch and Planning Services” cost proposal, how many communities/cities/regions should our proposed price cover?

See the State’s response to Item #7 above.

12 For “Round 1 - Pre-Census Phase: Launch and Planning Services” cost proposal, do you want the price for doing just one community/city/region even if the round will include multiple communities, or do you want the price for multiple communities if we propose doing multiple within the budget parameters?

See the State’s response to Item #7 above.

13 Can the contract be completed in less than 36 months? The services under the Contract can be completed within thirty-six (36) months and that is the timeline the respondents should account for in their respective RFP responses. The State included Sections B.2 (Renewal Option) and B.3 (Term Extension) in the event more time is needed to complete any projects associated with the initial three-year Term of Contract.

14 How will the Music Scene Certified Initiative expansion be integrated with the work of this RFP?

Communities/Regions that take an active role in the census will gain knowledge through data and analysis about their music ecosystems that will allow them to leverage music as an effective economic development tool.

15 When responding to the technical response, we are instructed to duplicate Attachment 6.2 and adding page numbers as a table of contents. Do we leave all the RFP language in there as table of contents (10 pages) and then submit our responses to them following the table of contents and identified by Item reference or do you want them embedded into the table of contents in place of the RFP language?

Duplicate attachment 6.2 and add the page numbers that correspond with each Item Reference. Do not modify any of the RFP language. Please provide a table of contents as well.

16 Do the Table of Contents pages (6.2) count against the page count limit?

No.

17 References - there is a discrepancy in the number to submit: 6. 2, B.20 on pages 25-26 is different from RFP Attachment 6.4 on page 33 . Please clarify whether 2 or 3 references should be submitted.

3 references are required in total.

RFP # 33017-40824 – Amendment # 2 Page 4 of 5

PAGE

# QUESTION / COMMENT STATE RESPONSE

18 Can emailed references be in the body of the email (using format provided in 6.4) or do you want them to be an attachment (PDF) of the form provided?

Emailed references should be in the form of an attachment.

19 For B.15, how would you like for us to respond to this given Executive Order/Action on January 21, 2025 titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” as well as “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Referencing” on January 20, 2025.

The State will not attempt to interpret or clarify Federal Executive Orders for this procurement.

20 Is this project a continuation or related to the Northeast Tennessee Initiative? If so, would we have to use the same questions as that census?

Northeast Tennessee was the pilot for the initiative. However, the contractor will have flexibility on development of the questions and can work with the State to determine the best language to utilize.

21 How many selected cities/regions/communities will the project include (or, if it has already been decided, what are the selected cities/regions/communities)?

See the State’s response to Item #7 above.

22 The scope mentions a mapping (“Engagement of community stakeholders, educational institutions, nonprofits, and local government administration to drive the development of cohorts and cultivate consensus on strategic planning and asset mapping”). Is the Consultant expected solely to deliver the results, or is there an expectation to train and enable communities to conduct self-assessments (as part of capacity-building efforts)?

The consultant’s primary responsibility will be to deliver the results with a list of recommendations that can be reasonably activated by the respective communities/regions.

23 Does the scope include an economic impact assessment (as there is mention of “research and analysis to measure economic outputs”)? If so, is this by community or regional/state-wide?

Yes, the State is asking for general economic outputs to be integrated into the study.

24 Can you please clarify what the budget available for this work is? As stated in RFP Section 1.1.2, the total estimated maximum liability associated with this solicitation and pro forma contract is anticipated to be $510,000.00.

25 Can the timeframe be expedited if it is proven possible to do so? So long as the quality of the services rendered is not compromised, the Contractor will be permitted to perform on an expedited schedule. All deviations from the programmatic timeframes stated in Section A.3 of the pro forma contract must be approved in writing by the State.

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RFP # 33017-40824 – Amendment # 2 Page 5 of 5

PAGE

# QUESTION / COMMENT STATE RESPONSE

26 Can you please confirm how many references will need to be provided –

p. 33 indicates ‘One (1) contract Respondent currently services that is similar in size and scope to the services required by this RFP; and Two (2) completed contracts that are similar in size and scope to the services required by this RFP.’; whereas p. 25 indicates ‘a) one (1) account the Respondent currently services; and one (1) completed project the Respondent previously serviced.’

The RFP requires 3 references in total.

27 What specific areas (i.e.

geographies) of the state are you targeting for this research and resulting strategy?

See the State’s response to Item #8 above.

28 With the current timeline in mind, given the questions that must be addressed by the State and the Jan 31 State response to written questions date, will the Feb 7 response deadline be amended or pushed back to allow respondents the proper time to review State answers and enable proper RFP response preparation/delivery?

The Schedule of Events was amended in RFP Amendment 1.

3. RFP Amendment Effective Date. The revisions set forth herein shall be effective upon release. All other terms and conditions of this RFP not expressly amended herein shall remain in full force and effect.