RFP DBEA 2024-07.pdf

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

New Hampshire-Specific Economic Development Training Materials and Provision of Training Services

RFP 2024-07

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents SECTION 1 – Overview and Schedule

A. Goal of this procurement/Business needs:

B. Schedule

C. Description of Agency or Program issuing the Request for Proposals

D. Vendor Instructions

SECTION 2 – Requirements and Scope of Work

SECTION 3 -- Contract Terms and Conditions

A. Non-Exclusive Contract

B. Award

C. Standard Contract Terms

SECTION 4 –Request for Proposal Process

A. Agency Point of Contact/Restriction of Contact with Agency Employees

B. Vendor Inquiries

SECTION 5 – RFP Terms and Conditions

A. Debarment

B. Proposal Preparation Cost

C. Validity of Proposal

D. RFP Addendum

E. Non-Collusion

F. Property of the Agency

G. Proposal Confidentiality

H. Public Disclosure

I. Electronic Posting of RFP Results and Resulting Contract

J. Non-Commitment

K. Ethical Requirements

L. Challenges to Identification of Selected Vendor

SECTION 6 – Evaluation of Proposals

A. Criteria for Evaluation and Scoring

B. Planned Evaluations Steps

C. Step 1: Initial Screening

D. Step 2: Preliminary Technical Scoring of Proposals

E. Step 3: Oral Interviews and Product Demonstrations

F. Step 4: Final Technical Scoring of Proposals

G. No Best and Final Offer

H. Final Selection

I. Rights of the Agency in Accepting and Evaluating Proposals

SECTION 7 – Process for Submitting a Proposal

A. Proposal Submission, Deadline, and Location Instructions

SECTION 8 – Proposal Content and Requirements

APPENDIX A: Form P-37, Standard Contract Form

SECTION 1 – Overview and Schedule

A. Goal of this procurement/Business needs The purpose and intent of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to contract with a qualified vendor to provide all services requested in the Scope of Work (SoW). The term of the contract will be for a period from about April 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024, subject to approval by Governor and Executive Council and to the availability of funds.

The New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA, or “Agency”) requests proposals for the development of training materials and the provision of training materials relating to economic development including final training manuals/handbooks for future use. The purpose will be to better assist the Agency, as well as its partners, in delivering economic growth for New Hampshire. As the lead agency for economic development in the state, the Agency wants to ensure that staff have access to relevant best practices and information in various fields related to economic development. The fields are outlined below and in Section 2

– Scope of Work.

As part of the Agency’s ongoing work with local and regional partners and stakeholders, including the Collaborative Economic Development Regions (CEDRs), the services under this contract will improve the ability to better deliver for business and community clients consistent with the state’s Economic Recovery and Expansion Strategy (ERES). The Agency and its staff will use materials that result from this contract, in conjunction with training provided, to help CEDRs and other economic development stakeholders build greater proficiencies in the fields outlined below and in Section 2 – Scope of Work. This can be delivered in a “train the trainer” format or similar method. Lastly, the Agency seeks assistance in developing a certification for participants that would help encourage participation in offered training services.

Specifically, the selected vendor will provide basic economic development training and training materials that are relevant and specific to New Hampshire, including a comprehensive reference book compiling available materials developed by the vendor, the Agency, and other designated partners and stakeholders, specific to New Hampshire ecosystem and existing strategies in the following areas (for further details, see Section 2 – Scope of Work below):

• Basic economic development practices: concepts, current trends, placemaking, practical techniques and best practices.

o Workforce development strategies and NH-specific resources o Role of community placemaking as part of state economic development o Workforce housing o Broadband access

• Business specific background o Expansion financing options for small and large businesses o International opportunities o Startup process and tools for entrepreneurs

• Business recruitment and expansion o Basic real estate development o Finance packaging/stacking options o Meeting workforce needs o Understanding competitive recruitment without significant tax incentives

• The role of NH tourism industry in economic development

• Ethics in economic development

• Briefings and understanding of BEA-driven research and strategy products:

o Economic Recovery and Expansion Strategy o Life Science industry assessment o Workforce assessment o Business recruitment and expansion o Defense/Aerospace industry assessment o International trade opportunities assessment

The resulting contract will be a “Not to Exceed” contract for the approved term.

B. Schedule The following table provides a Schedule of Events for this RFP through contract finalization and approval. The Agency reserves the right to amend this Schedule at its sole discretion and at any time through a published Addendum.

EVENT DATE LOCAL

TIME

RFP Released (Advertisement) 2/6/2024

Vendor Inquiry Period Ends 2/16/2024 4:00 PM Final Agency Responses to Inquiries 2/19/2024 4:00 PM Proposal Due 2/26/2024 4:00 PM Estimated Notification of Selection and Begin Contract Negotiations

2/28/2024

C. Description of Agency or Program issuing the Request for Proposals BEA is dedicated to enhancing the economic vitality of the State of New Hampshire while promoting it as a destination for domestic and international visitors. For more information visit https://www.nheconomy.com/ or https://www.choosenh.com/.

https://www.nheconomy.com/ https://www.choosenh.com/

In this RFP, “Agency” means the Department of Business and Economic Affairs/BEA. "Vendor" means a person or entity who offers products or services for sale. "Selected vendor" means the qualified Bidder which has been identified by the Agency as having received the best score for its proposal according to the criteria set forth in this RFP.

D. Vendor Instructions Interested vendors must read the entire RFP and submit the required documents in the manner specified in the RFP. Vendors are responsible for reviewing the most updated information related to this RFP before submitting proposals.

SECTION 2 – Requirements and Scope of Work

As a minimum requirement, vendor must demonstrate experience with providing consulting services the same as or equivalent to all of those outlined in the Scope of Work below. Vendors that fail to meet this requirement will not receive any further consideration.

One of the main objectives in New Hampshire’s Economic Recovery and Expansion Strategy (ERES) is to build a strong ecosystem for economic development throughout the state to ensure that issues and needs can be addressed from both statewide and regional resources as appropriate. However, communities across New Hampshire have varying levels of economic development infrastructure to attract and retain businesses and talent. The formation of the Collaborative Economic Development Regions (CEDRs) focused on enabling and incentivizing the regional collaboration and coordination needed to ensure a “critical mass” of economic development services across the state.

To support the CEDRs, as well as to ensure that Agency staff have a broader and more complete understanding of economic development concepts, the Agency will contract with a vendor to provide training to Agency staff on the below topics. In addition, the vendor will provide training materials to Agency staff so that, following the completion of the contract, Agency staff that interact with CEDRs and other economic development partners can provide information and training to members of CEDRs to build a more comprehensive knowledge to assist businesses and communities with economic development.

This RFP, and the work below, will provide resources to the Agency and to CEDRs and local economic development groups to ensure sustainable access to these and other economic development services in the future.

Development of Training Materials:

• Provide an assessment of existing economic development related programs in the state currently offered and/or managed by BEA and other organizations

• Use existing resources from economic development agencies (i.e., International Economic Development Council, Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness, and similar organizations) as well as new input (at Vendor’s discretion) to develop a series of training programs that can be delivered in person OR virtually and with a focus on the relevance to New Hampshire to include the following segments:

• Basic economic development practices: concepts, current trends, placemaking, practical techniques and best practices.

o Workforce development strategies and NH-specific resources o Role of community placemaking as part of state economic development o Workforce housing o Broadband access https://www.nheconomy.com/about-us/bea-reports/eres https://www.nheconomy.com/about-us/bea-reports/eres

• Business specific background o Expansion financing options for small and large businesses o International opportunities o Startup process and tools for entrepreneurs

• Business recruitment and expansion o Basic real estate development o Finance packaging/stacking options o Meeting workforce needs o Understanding competitive recruitment without significant tax incentives

• The role of the NH tourism and outdoor recreation industry in economic development

• Ethics in economic development

• Briefings and understanding of BEA-driven research and strategy products:

o Economic Recovery and Expansion Strategy o Life Science industry assessment o Workforce assessment o Business recruitment and expansion o Defense/Aerospace industry assessment o International trade opportunities assessment o Tourism Development Strategy

• In developing training materials, contractor should:

o Provide materials in a format that can be reused (recorded) and updated by BEA after the completion of the contract to take into account possible changes (i.e., updating statistics or identifying new industry trends).

Compilation of Training Materials:

• Compile relevant and related materials and resources developed by the Vendor, the Agency, and other designated partners and stakeholders into a comprehensive, digital reference/training book that can be utilized, updated, and refined by Agency staff.

o The Vendor will work with the Agency to identify desired content.

Provision of Training Services:

• Provide training to Agency economic development staff on all of the above topics in a “train the trainer” or similar format in a way that will allow Agency staff to deliver training following the completion of the contract.

• Assist Agency in developing incentives for training based on industry best practices among companies that offer training services and in the field of economic development (such as the development of a “NH economic development professional certificate” or similar incentive).

Vendor Deliverables Include:

1. Existing programs assessment report

2. A series of training materials, such as slide decks and videos, which can be used and updated by Agency staff to provide training in the segments noted above;

3. A digital reference book compiling key training tools and resources; and

4. A series of training events, presented in person OR virtually, for Agency staff in the segments noted above.

NOTE: As part of the contract process, Vendor will be required to attest that they will comply with certain U.S. Federal requirements for grant recipients (and subrecipients). Vendor will be required to comply with laws on drug free workplaces (including smoke free workplaces where children will be present), restrictions on lobbying with Federal funds, restrictions on doing business with debarred or ineligible companies, laws on disability and other types of discrimination, and executive compensation reporting and more. See Appendix A for details.

SECTION 3 -- Contract Terms and Conditions

A. Non-Exclusive Contract Any resulting Contract from this RFP will be a non-exclusive Contract. The Agency reserves the right, at its discretion, to retain other contractors to provide any of the services or deliverables identified in this RFP or make an award by item, part or portion of an item, group of items, or total Proposal.

B. Award If the Agency decides to award a contract as a result of this RFP process, any award is contingent upon approval of the contract by the Governor and Executive Council of the State of New Hampshire and upon continued appropriation of funding for the contract.

C. Standard Contract Terms

The Agency will require the selected vendor to execute a contract using the Standard Terms and Conditions of the State of New Hampshire (Form P-37) which is attached as Appendix A. In no event is a vendor to submit its own standard contract terms and conditions as a replacement for the State’s terms in response to this solicitation.

The terms of this RFP and the selected vendor’s Proposal will be used to form the terms of any resulting contract. The resulting contract may incorporate some or all of the selected vendor’s Proposal. References in the P-37 to Exhibits A, B and C are references to the required structure of any resulting contract (Exhibit A – Special Provisions/Amendments to the P-37, Exhibit B – Scope of Services, and Exhibit C – Payment Terms) and are not references to sections of this

RFP.

To the extent that a vendor believes that exceptions to the contract terms in Appendix A will be necessary for the vendor to enter into the contract, the vendor must note those issues during the Vendor Inquiry Period, as further described Section 4B.

SECTION 4 –Request for Proposal Process

A. Agency Point of Contact/Restriction of Contact with Agency Employees The sole point of contact for this RFP, from the RFP issue date until the approval of the resulting contract by the Governor and Executive Council is:

dedrfpresponses@livefree.nh.gov

From the date of release of this RFP until an award is made and announced regarding the selection of a vendor, all communication with personnel employed by or under contract with the Agency regarding this RFP is prohibited unless first approved by the RFP Sole Point of Contact.

Agency employees have been directed not to hold conferences and/or discussions concerning this RFP with any potential contractor during the selection process, unless otherwise authorized by the RFP Sole Point of Contact. Vendors may be disqualified for violating this restriction on communications.

B. Vendor Inquiries All inquiries concerning this RFP, including but not limited to, requests for clarifications, questions, any changes to the RFP, and any exceptions to the contract terms in Appendix A, including the Form P-37, shall be submitted via email to the Agency Point of Contact specified above. Inquiries must be received by the end of vendor inquiry period (see Schedule of Events herein).

The vendor must identify the RFP name and the number and include the vendor’s name, telephone number, and e-mail address.

The Agency will issue responses to properly submitted inquiries on or before the date specified in the Schedule of Events; however, this date is subject to change at the Agency’s discretion.

The Agency may consolidate and/or paraphrase questions for sufficiency and clarity. The Agency may, at its discretion, amend this RFP on its own initiative or in response to issues raised by inquiries, as it deems appropriate. In response to requested exceptions to P-37, the Agency will review requested exceptions and accept, reject or note that it is open to negotiation of the proposed exception at its sole discretion. Questions about or requested exceptions to the RFP, Form P-37 and/or any relevant attachments not raised during the inquiry period are waived. Oral statements, representations, clarifications, or modifications concerning the RFP mailto:dedrfpresponses@livefree.nh.gov shall not be binding upon the Agency. Official responses by the Agency will be made only in writing by the process described above. Vendors shall be responsible for reviewing the most updated information related to this RFP before submitting a proposal.

SECTION 5 – RFP Terms and Conditions

A. Debarment Vendors who are ineligible to bid on proposals, bids or quotes issued by the Department of Administrative Services, Division of Procurement and Support Services pursuant to the provisions of RSA 21-I:11-c shall not be considered eligible for an award under this RFP.

B. Proposal Preparation Cost By submitting a proposal, a vendor agrees that in no event shall the Agency be either responsible for or held liable for any costs incurred by a vendor in the preparation of or in connection with the Proposal, or for work performed prior to the Effective Date of a resulting Contract.

C. Validity of Proposal

Proposals must be valid for one hundred and eighty (180) days following the deadline for submission of Proposals in Schedule of Events, or until the Effective Date of any resulting Contract, whichever is later.

D. RFP Addendum The Agency reserves the right to amend this RFP at its discretion, prior to the Proposal submission deadline. In the event of an addendum to this RFP, the Agency, at its sole discretion, may extend the Proposal submission deadline, as it deems appropriate.

E. Non-Collusion The vendor’s signature on a Proposal submitted in response to this RFP guarantees that the prices, terms and conditions, and work quoted have been established without collusion with other Vendors and without effort to preclude the Agency from obtaining the best possible competitive Proposal.

F. Property of the Agency All material received in response to this RFP shall become the property of the Agency and will not be returned to the vendor. Upon contract award, the Agency reserves the right to use any information presented in any Proposal.

G. Proposal Confidentiality Unless necessary for the approval of a contract, the substance of a proposal must remain confidential until the Effective Date of any Contract resulting from this RFP. A vendor’s disclosure or distribution of Proposals other than to the Agency may be grounds for disqualification.

H. Public Disclosure The information submitted in response to this RFP (including all materials submitted in connection with it, such as attachments, exhibits, addenda, and presentations), any resulting contract, and information provided during the contractual relationship may be subject to public disclosure under Right-to-Know law, including RSA 91-A. In addition, in accordance with RSA 9-F:1, any contract entered into as a result of this RFP will be made accessible to the public online via the website Transparent NH (http://www.nh.gov/transparentnh/).

Confidential, commercial or financial information may be exempt from public disclosure under RSA 91-A:5, IV. If a vendor believes any information submitted in response to this RFP should be kept confidential, the vendor must specifically identify that information where it appears in the submission in a manner that draws attention to the designation and must mark/stamp each page of the materials that the vendor claims must be exempt from disclosure as “CONFIDENTIAL.” Vendors must also provide a letter to the person listed as the point of contact for this RFP, identifying the specific page number and section of the information you consider to be confidential, commercial or financial and providing your rationale for each designation. Marking or designating an entire proposal, attachment or section as confidential shall neither be accepted nor honored by the State. Vendors must also provide a separate copy of the full and complete document, fully redacting those portions and shall note on the applicable page or pages that the redacted portion or portions are “confidential.”

Submissions which do not conform to these instructions by failing to include a redacted copy (if necessary), by failing to include a letter specifying the rationale for each redaction, by failing to designate the redactions in the manner required by these instructions, or by including redactions which are contrary to these instructions or operative law may be rejected by the State as not conforming to the requirements of the proposal.

Pricing, which includes but is not limited to, the administrative costs and other performance guarantees in Proposals or any subsequently awarded contract shall be subject to public disclosure regardless of whether it is marked as confidential.

Notwithstanding a vendor’s designations, the State is obligated under the Right-to-Know law to conduct an independent analysis of the confidentiality of the information submitted in a proposal.

If a request is made to the State to view or receive copies of any portion of the proposal, the State http://www.nh.gov/transparentnh/ shall first assess what information it is obligated to release. The State will then notify you that a request has been made, indicate what, if any, information the State has assessed is confidential and will not be released, and specify the planned release date of the remaining portions of the proposal. To halt the release of information by the State, a vendor must initiate and provide to the State, prior to the date specified in the notice, a court action in the Superior Court of the State of New Hampshire, at its sole expense, seeking to enjoin the release of the requested information.

By submitting a proposal, vendors acknowledge and agree that:

• The State may disclose any and all portions of the proposal or related materials which are not marked as confidential and/or which have not been specifically explained in the letter to the person identified as the point of contact for this RFP;

• The State is not obligated to comply with a vendor’s designations regarding confidentiality and must conduct an independent analysis to assess the confidentiality of the information submitted in your proposal; and

• The State may, unless otherwise prohibited by court order, release the information on the date specified in the notice described above without any liability to a vendor.

I. Electronic Posting of RFP Results and Resulting Contract At the time of receipt of proposals, the Agency will post the number of responses received with no further information. No later than five (5) business days prior to submission of a contract to the Department of Administrative Services, the Agency will post the ranks or scores of each responding vendor. In the event that the contract does not require Governor & Executive Council approval, the Agency will disclose the rank or score at least 5 business days before final approval of the contract.

Pursuant to RSA 91-A and RSA 9-F:1, the Secretary of State will post to the public any document submitted to G&C for approval, including contracts resulting from this RFP, and posts those documents on its website (https://sos.nh.gov/administration/miscellaneous/governor-executive-council/). By submitting a proposal, vendors acknowledge and agree that, in accordance with the above-mentioned statutes and policies, (and regardless of whether any specific request is made to view any document relating to this RFP), any contract resulting from this RFP that is submitted to G&C for approval will be made accessible to the public online.

J. Non-Commitment Notwithstanding any other provision of this RFP, this RFP does not commit the Agency to award a contract. The Agency reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to reject any and all proposals, or any portions thereof, at any time; to cancel this RFP; and to solicit new proposals under a new acquisition process.

https://sos.nh.gov/administration/miscellaneous/governor-executive-council/ https://sos.nh.gov/administration/miscellaneous/governor-executive-council/

K. Ethical Requirements From the time this RFP is published until a contract is awarded, no vendor shall offer or give, directly or indirectly, any gift, expense reimbursement, or honorarium, as defined by RSA 15-B, to any elected official, public official, public employee, constitutional official, or family member of any such official or employee who will or has selected, evaluated, or awarded an RFP, or similar submission. Any vendor that violates RSA 21-G:38 shall be subject to prosecution for an offense under RSA 640:2. Any vendor who has been convicted of an offense based on conduct in violation of this section, which has not been annulled, or who is subject to a pending criminal charge for such an offense, shall be disqualified from bidding on the RFP, or similar request for submission and every such vendor shall be disqualified from bidding on any RFP or similar request for submission issued by any state agency. A vendor that was disqualified under this section because of a pending criminal charge which is subsequently dismissed, results in an acquittal, or is annulled, may notify the department of administrative services, which shall note that information on the list maintained on the state’s internal intranet system, except in the case of annulment, the information, shall be deleted from the list.

L. Challenges to Identification of Selected Vendor Within 5 business days of the Agency’s posting of the rank or score on its website, vendors may, in accordance with RSA 21-G:37, request that the agency review its selection process. The request must be in writing and must specify all points on which the vendor believes the agency erred in its process and shall contain such argument in support of its position as the vendor seeks to present. In its request for review, a vendor shall not submit, and an agency will not accept nor consider, any substantive information that was not included in the original proposal. The agency will respond to the request within 5 business days of its receipt.

SECTION 6 – Evaluation of Proposals

A. Criteria for Evaluation and Scoring The Agency will evaluate each responsive Proposal using a scoring scale of 100 points, which will be distributed as set forth in the table below.

CATEGORIES POINTS

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL with the following potential maximum scores for each Technical Proposal category;

Experience and Qualifications of Key Staff and Subcontractors (if any) 30 Overall Strategy and Approach to Scope of Work 30 Creativity/Innovation 25 Budget Approach/Cost Effectiveness of Work 15

TOTAL MAXIMUM POINTS 100

The Agency will select a vendor based upon the criteria and standards contained in this RFP and from applying the weighting in this section. Oral interviews and reference checks, to the extent they are utilized by the Agency, will be used to refine and finalize scores.

If the Agency, decides to make an award based on these evaluations, the Agency will notify the selected vendor(s). Should the Agency be unable to reach agreement with the selected vendor(s) during Contract discussions, the Agency may then undertake Contract discussions with the next preferred vendor and so on, or the Agency may reject all proposals, cancel this RFP, or solicit new Proposals under a new acquisition process.

B. Planned Evaluations Steps The Agency plans to use the following process:

• Step 1. Initial screening to ensure that the Proposals are in compliance with submission requirements;

• Step 2. Preliminary evaluation of the Technical Proposals;

• Step 3. Oral interviews and Product Demonstrations (if necessary);

• Step 4. Final Scoring of Technical Proposals;

• Final Selection: Select the highest scoring vendor(s) and begin contract execution.

C. Step 1: Initial Screening

The Agency will conduct an initial screening to verify vendor compliance with the proposal submission requirements set forth in Sections 4 and 7. The Agency may waive or offer a limited opportunity to cure immaterial deviations from the RFP requirements if it is determined to be in the best interest of the State.

D. Step 2: Preliminary Technical Scoring of Proposals The Agency will establish an evaluation team to review for compliance of the minimum requirements as set forth in Section 2. This evaluation team will then review the technical proposals and give a preliminary score to the technical proposals under the guidelines set forth in this section. Price proposals will be considered during this review under the “budget approach/cost effectiveness of work” category. Vendors should provide, at a minimum, a lump sum price for all work.

E. Step 3: Oral Interviews and Product Demonstrations If the Agency determines that it is appropriate, vendors may be invited to oral interviews and/or product demonstrations including demonstrations of any proposed automated systems or technology components. The Agency retains the sole discretion to determine whether to conduct oral interviews, with which vendors; and the number of interviews. Vendors are advised that the Agency may decide to conduct interviews with less than all responsive vendors.

The purpose of oral interviews and product demonstrations is to clarify and expound upon information provided in the written proposals. Vendors are prohibited from altering the basic substance of their proposals during the oral interviews and product demonstrations. The Agency may ask the vendor to provide written clarifications of elements in their technical proposal regardless of whether it intends to conduct oral interviews.

Information gained from oral interviews and product demonstrations will be used to refine technical review scores assigned from the initial review of the proposals.

F. Step 4: Final Technical Scoring of Proposals Following oral interviews, product demonstrations, reference checks (if appropriate) and/or review of written clarifications of proposals requested by the Agency, the evaluation team will determine a final score for each technical proposal, with such final scoring to include the price proposal under the “budget approach/cost effectiveness of work” category. Vendors are advised that this is not a low bid award and that the scoring of the price proposal will be combined with the scoring of the technical proposal to determine the overall highest scoring vendor.

G. No Best and Final Offer The Proposal should be submitted initially on the most favorable terms which the vendor can offer. There will be no best and final offer procedure.

H. Final Selection The Agency will conduct a final selection based on the final evaluation of the proposals or, if requested, as a result of the Best and Final Offer, and begin contract discussions with the selected vendor(s).

I. Rights of the Agency in Accepting and Evaluating Proposals The Agency reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to:

• Make independent investigations in evaluating proposals;

• Request additional information to clarify elements of a proposal;

• Waive minor or immaterial deviations from the RFP and contract requirements, if determined to be in the best interest of the State;

• Omit any planned evaluation step if, in the Agency’s view, the step is not needed;

• Reject any and all proposals at any time; and

• Open contract discussions with the second highest scoring vendor and so on, if the

Agency is unable to reach an agreement on contract terms with the higher scoring vendor(s).

SECTION 7 – Process for Submitting a Proposal

A. Proposal Submission, Deadline, and Location Instructions Proposals submitted in response to this RFP must be received no later than the Proposal Due Date specified in the Schedule of Events, herein.

As the price proposal will be reviewed as part of the overall technical proposal, Vendors shall include pricing information with the technical proposal.

Unless waived as a non-material deviation in accordance with Section 6, late submissions will not be accepted and will be returned to the vendors unopened. Delivery of the Proposals shall be at the vendor’s expense. The time of receipt shall be considered when a Proposal has been officially documented by the Agency, in accordance with its established policies, as having been received at the location designated below. The Agency accepts no responsibility for damaged, mislabeled, or undeliverable mailed or emailed proposals. Any damage that may occur due to shipping shall be the vendor’s responsibility.

Proposals must include one electronic copy of the Proposal with all Confidential Information fully redacted, as provided for in Section 5.H of this RFP.

Proposals must be clearly marked as follows:

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

RESPONSE TO RFP: Development of Economic Development Training Materials and Provision of Training Services RFP 2024-07

Electronic Proposals

Electronic Proposals must be addressed to:

TO: dedrfpresponses@livefree.nh.gov Subject line must include: RESPONSE TO RFP: Development of Economic Development Training Materials and Provision of Training Services RFP 2024-07 Electronic Submissions must be submitted using the following criteria:

a. Searchable PDF Format

b. Files must be less than 10MB in size.

Exception: If files are greater than 10MB in size, the vendor will be required to submit their proposal in parts. It is the vendors responsibility to ensure a complete proposal is submitted.

SECTION 8 – Proposal Content and Requirements

Proposals shall follow the below format and provide the required information set forth below:

mailto:dedrfpresponses@livefree.nh.gov

• A written one-page introductory statement including:

o Experience in providing services as described in the Scope of Work in Section 2 o Summary of technical proposal (with price and activities the Vendor will undertake to respond to the Scope of Work)

• Technical Proposal:

o Background of the Vendor and experience in providing consulting services to state governments o Experience of Participating Personnel o Proposal on addressing each item of the Scope of Work in Section 2, including a budget for each bolded heading o Relevant case studies of equivalent or similar work performed (no more than two

(2)) o Overall price to complete all tasks in the Scope of Work in Section 2 and a rationale for such price.

• Any proposed special conditions to the contract the Vendor is seeking, including any changes to the standard terms and conditions in Attachment A.

APPENDIX A: Form P-37, Standard Contract Form

FORM NUMBER P-37 (version 2/23/2023)

AGREEMENT

The State of New Hampshire and the Contractor hereby mutually agree as follows:

GENERAL PROVISIONS

1. IDENTIFICATION.

1.1 State Agency Name

Click or tap here to enter text.

1.2 State Agency Address

1.3 Contractor Name

1.4 Contractor Address

1.5 Contractor Phone

Number

1.6 Account Unit and

Class

1.7 Completion Date

1.8 Price Limitation

1.9 Contracting Officer for State Agency

1.10 State Agency Telephone Number

1.11 Contractor Signature

Date:

1.12 Name and Title of Contractor Signatory

1.13 State Agency Signature

Date:

1.14 Name and Title of State Agency Signatory

1.15 Approval by the N.H. Department of Administration, Division of Personnel (if applicable)

By: Director, On:

1.16 Approval by the Attorney General (Form, Substance and Execution) (if applicable)

By: On:

1.17 Approval by the Governor and Executive Council (if applicable)

G&C Item number: G&C Meeting Date:

Notice: This agreement and all of its attachments shall become public upon submission to Governor and Executive Council for approval. Any information that is private, confidential or proprietary must be clearly identified to the agency and agreed to in writing prior to signing the contract.

2. SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED. The State of New Hampshire, acting through the agency identified in block 1.1 (“State”), engages contractor identified in block 1.3 (“Contractor”) to perform, and the Contractor shall perform, the work or sale of goods, or both, identified and more particularly described in the attached EXHIBIT B which is incorporated herein by reference (“Services”).

3. EFFECTIVE DATE/COMPLETION OF

SERVICES.

3.1 Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement

to the contrary, and subject to the approval of the Governor and Executive Council of the State of New Hampshire, if applicable, this Agreement, and all obligations of the parties hereunder, shall become effective on the date the Governor and Executive Council approve this Agreement, unless no such approval is required, in which case the Agreement shall become effective on the date the Agreement is signed by the State Agency as shown in block 1.13 (“Effective Date”).

3.2 If the Contractor commences the Services prior to

the Effective Date, all Services performed by the Contractor prior to the Effective Date shall be performed at the sole risk of the Contractor, and in the event that this Agreement does not become effective, the State shall have no liability to the Contractor, including without limitation, any obligation to pay the Contractor for any costs incurred or Services performed.

3.3 Contractor must complete all Services by the

Completion Date specified in block 1.7.

4. CONDITIONAL NATURE OF AGREEMENT.

Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, all obligations of the State hereunder, including, without limitation, the continuance of payments hereunder, are contingent upon the availability and continued appropriation of funds. In no event shall the State be liable for any payments hereunder in excess of such available appropriated funds. In the event of a reduction or termination of appropriated funds by any state or federal legislative or executive action that reduces, eliminates or otherwise modifies the appropriation or availability of funding for this Agreement and the Scope for Services provided in EXHIBIT B, in whole or in part, the State shall have the right to withhold payment until such funds become available, if ever, and shall have the right to reduce or terminate the Services under this Agreement immediately upon giving the Contractor notice of such reduction or termination. The State shall not be required to transfer funds from any other account or source to the Account identified in block

1.6 in the event funds in that Account are reduced or unavailable.

5. CONTRACT PRICE/PRICE LIMITATION/

PAYMENT.

5.1 The contract price, method of payment, and terms

of payment are identified and more particularly described in EXHIBIT C which is incorporated herein by reference.

5.2 Notwithstanding any provision in this Agreement

to the contrary, and notwithstanding unexpected circumstances, in no event shall the total of all payments authorized, or actually made hereunder, exceed the Price Limitation set forth in block 1.8. The payment by the State of the contract price shall be the only and the complete reimbursement to the Contractor for all expenses, of whatever nature incurred by the Contractor in the performance hereof, and shall be the only and the complete compensation to the Contractor for the Services.

5.3 The State reserves the right to offset from any

amounts otherwise payable to the Contractor under this Agreement those liquidated amounts required or permitted by N.H. RSA 80:7 through RSA 80:7c or any other provision of law.

5.4 The State’s liability under this Agreement shall be

limited to monetary damages not to exceed the total fees paid. The Contractor agrees that it has an adequate remedy at law for any breach of this Agreement by the State and hereby waives any right to specific performance or other equitable remedies against the State.

6. COMPLIANCE BY CONTRACTOR WITH

LAWS AND REGULATIONS/EQUAL

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY.

6.1 In connection with the performance of the

Services, the Contractor shall comply with all applicable statutes, laws, regulations, and orders of federal, state, county or municipal authorities which impose any obligation or duty upon the Contractor, including, but not limited to, civil rights and equal employment opportunity laws and the Governor’s order on Respect and Civility in the Workplace, Executive order 2020-01. In addition, if this Agreement is funded in any part by monies of the United States, the Contractor shall comply with all federal executive orders, rules, regulations and statutes, and with any rules, regulations and guidelines as the State or the United States issue to implement these regulations. The Contractor shall also comply with all applicable intellectual property laws.

6.2 During the term of this Agreement, the Contractor

shall not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment because of age, sex, sexual orientation, race, color, marital status, physical or mental disability, religious creed, national origin, gender identity, or gender expression, and will take affirmative action to prevent such discrimination, unless exempt by state or federal law. The Contractor shall ensure any subcontractors comply with these nondiscrimination requirements.

6.3 No payments or transfers of value by Contractor or

its representatives in connection with this Agreement have or shall be made which have the purpose or effect of public or commercial bribery, or acceptance of or acquiescence in extortion, kickbacks, or other unlawful or improper means of obtaining business.

6.4. The Contractor agrees to permit the State or

United States access to any of the Contractor’s books, records and accounts for the purpose of ascertaining compliance with this Agreement and all rules, regulations and orders pertaining to the covenants, terms and conditions of this Agreement.

7. PERSONNEL.

7.1 The Contractor shall at its own expense provide all

personnel necessary to perform the Services. The Contractor warrants that all personnel engaged in the Services shall be qualified to perform the Services, and shall be properly licensed and otherwise authorized to do so under all applicable laws.

7.2 The Contracting Officer specified in block 1.9, or

any successor, shall be the State’s point of contact pertaining to this Agreement.

8. EVENT OF DEFAULT/REMEDIES.

8.1 Any one or more of the following acts or omissions

of the Contractor shall constitute an event of default hereunder (“Event of Default”):

8.1.1 failure to perform the Services satisfactorily or on schedule;

8.1.2 failure to submit any report required hereunder;

and/or

8.1.3 failure to perform any other covenant, term or condition of this Agreement.

8.2 Upon the occurrence of any Event of Default, the

State may take any one, or more, or all, of the following actions:

8.2.1 give the Contractor a written notice specifying the Event of Default and requiring it to be remedied within, in the absence of a greater or lesser specification of time, thirty (30) calendar days from the date of the notice; and if the Event of Default is not timely cured, terminate this Agreement, effective two

(2) calendar days after giving the Contractor notice of termination;

8.2.2 give the Contractor a written notice specifying the Event of Default and suspending all payments to be made under this Agreement and ordering that the portion of the contract price which would otherwise accrue to the Contractor during the period from the date of such notice until such time as the State determines that the Contractor has cured the Event of Default shall never be paid to the Contractor;

8.2.3 give the Contractor a written notice specifying the Event of Default and set off against any other obligations the State may owe to the Contractor any damages the State suffers by reason of any Event of Default; and/or

8.2.4 give the Contractor a written notice specifying the Event of Default, treat the Agreement as breached, terminate the Agreement and pursue any of its remedies at law or in equity, or both.

9. TERMINATION.

9.1 Notwithstanding paragraph 8, the State may, at its

sole discretion, terminate the Agreement for any reason, in whole or in part, by thirty (30) calendar days written notice to the Contractor that the State is exercising its option to terminate the Agreement.

9.2 In the event of an early termination of this

Agreement for any reason other than the completion of the Services, the Contractor shall, at the State’s discretion, deliver to the Contracting Officer, not later than fifteen (15) calendar days after the date of termination, a report (“Termination Report”) describing in detail all Services performed, and the contract price earned, to and including the date of termination. In addition, at the State’s discretion, the Contractor shall, within fifteen (15) calendar days of notice of early termination, develop and submit to the State a transition plan for Services under the Agreement.

10. PROPERTY OWNERSHIP/DISCLOSURE.

10.1 As used in this Agreement, the word “Property”

shall mean all data, information and things developed or obtained during the performance of, or acquired or developed by reason of, this Agreement, including, but not limited to, all studies, reports, files, formulae, surveys, maps, charts, sound recordings, video recordings, pictorial reproductions, drawings, analyses, graphic representations, computer programs, computer printouts, notes, letters, memoranda, papers, and documents, all whether finished or unfinished.

10.2 All data and any Property which has been

received from the State, or purchased with funds provided for that purpose under this Agreement, shall be the property of the State, and shall be returned to the State upon demand or upon termination of this Agreement for any reason.

10.3 Disclosure of data, information and other records

shall be governed by N.H. RSA chapter 91A and/or other applicable law. Disclosure requires prior written approval of the State.

11. CONTRACTOR’S RELATION TO THE

STATE. In the performance of this Agreement the Contractor is in all respects an independent contractor, and is neither an agent nor an employee of the State.

Neither the Contractor nor any of its officers, employees, agents or members shall have authority to bind the State or receive any benefits, workers’ compensation or other emoluments provided by the State to its employees.

12.

ASSIGNMENT/DELEGATION/SUBCONTRAC

TS.

12.1 Contractor shall provide the State written notice

at least fifteen (15) calendar days before any proposed assignment, delegation, or other transfer of any interest in this Agreement. No such assignment, delegation, or other transfer shall be effective without the written consent of the State.

12.2 For purposes of paragraph 12, a Change of

Control shall constitute assignment. “Change of Control” means (a) merger, consolidation, or a transaction or series of related transactions in which a third party, together with its affiliates, becomes the direct or indirect owner of fifty percent (50%) or more of the voting shares or similar equity interests, or combined voting power of the Contractor, or (b) the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Contractor.

12.3 None of the Services shall be subcontracted by

the Contractor without prior written notice and consent of the State.

12.4 The State is entitled to copies of all subcontracts

and assignment agreements and shall not be bound by any provisions contained in a subcontract or an assignment agreement to which it is not a party.

13. INDEMNIFICATION. The Contractor shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the State, its officers, and employees from and against all actions, claims, damages, demands, judgments, fines, liabilities, losses, and other expenses, including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising out of or relating to this Agreement directly or indirectly arising from death, personal injury, property damage, intellectual property infringement, or other claims asserted against the State, its officers, or employees caused by the acts or omissions of negligence, reckless or willful misconduct, or fraud by the Contractor, its employees, agents, or subcontractors. The State shall not be liable for any costs incurred by the Contractor arising under this paragraph 13. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing herein contained shall be deemed to constitute a waiver of the State’s sovereign immunity, which immunity is hereby reserved to the State. This covenant in paragraph 13 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

14. INSURANCE.

14.1 The Contractor shall, at its sole expense, obtain

and continuously maintain in force, and shall require any subcontractor or assignee to obtain and maintain in force, the following insurance:

14.1.1 commercial general liability insurance against all claims of bodily injury, death or property damage, in amounts of not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate or excess; and

14.1.2 special cause of loss coverage form covering all Property subject to subparagraph 10.2 herein, in an amount not less than 80% of the whole replacement value of the Property.

14.2 The policies described in subparagraph 14.1

herein shall be on policy forms and endorsements approved for use in the State of New Hampshire by the N.H. Department of Insurance, and issued by insurers licensed in the State of New Hampshire.

14.3 The Contractor shall furnish to the Contracting

Officer identified in block 1.9, or any successor, a certificate(s) of insurance for all insurance required under this Agreement. At the request of the Contracting Officer, or any successor, the Contractor shall provide certificate(s) of insurance for all renewal(s) of insurance required under this Agreement. The certificate(s) of insurance and any renewals thereof shall be attached and are incorporated herein by reference.

15. WORKERS’ COMPENSATION.

15.1 By signing this agreement, the Contractor agrees, certifies and warrants that the Contractor is in compliance with or exempt from, the requirements of N.H. RSA chapter 281-A (“Workers’ Compensation”).

15.2 To the extent the Contractor is subject to the

requirements of N.H. RSA chapter 281-A, Contractor shall maintain, and require any subcontractor or assignee to secure and maintain, payment of Workers’ Compensation in connection with…