RFP - Final~1.docx

State of Nevada

Brian Sandoval

Department of Administration

Governor

Purchasing Division

Patrick Cates

Director

515 E. Musser Street, Suite 300 Carson City, NV 89701

Jeffrey Haag

Administrator

State of Nevada

Purchasing Division

Request for Proposal: 10TCA-S114

For

ECONOMIC IMPACT/TRAVELER SPENDING STUDY

Release Date: April 6, 2018

Deadline for Submission and Opening Date and Time: April 30, 2018 @ 12:00 PM PT

Refer to Section 7, RFP Timeline for the complete RFP schedule

For additional information, please contact:

Annette Morfin, Purchasing Officer

State of Nevada, Purchasing Division

515 E. Musser Street, Suite 300

Carson City, NV 89701

Phone: 775-684-0185

Email address: amorfin@admin.nv.gov

Refer to Section 8 for instructions on submitting proposals

VENDOR INFORMATION SHEET FOR RFP 10TCA-S114

Vendor Shall:

A) Provide all requested information in the space provided next to each numbered question. The information provided in Sections V1 through V6 shall be used for development of the contract;

B) Type or print responses; and

C) Include this Vendor Information Sheet in Section III of the Technical Proposal.

including address if different than above

Name:

Title:

Address:

Email Address:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Prospective vendors are advised to review Nevada’s ethical standards requirements, including but not limited to NRS 281A, which can be found on the Purchasing Division’s website at: http://purchasing.nv.gov.

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

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs (NDTCA) exists to help achieve the statewide strategic priority of a vibrant and sustainable Nevada economy. The Division of Tourism accomplishes this by effectively promoting statewide tourism to enhance economic vitality of Nevada and provide a vibrant quality of life for all Nevadans.

TravelNevada, the Division of Tourism’s consumer facing name, reaches these goals by developing and executing a result-driven strategic marketing program that compels consumer purchase decisions effective use of key marketing and sales channels. Tourism has a direct relationship with increases in revenues and taxes in Nevada’s communities, and TravelNevada works to promote the continued success of tourism.

The Division of Tourism is funded entirely by lodging tax revenues, so driving overnight visitation is critical to the Division’s ability to continue to market the State and ensure long-term sustainability.

The Division of Tourism is soliciting proposals from qualified vendors (research companies with extensive experience working with destination marketing organizations and travel industry brands) to provide an economic impact study using a methodology reliant upon primarily fiscal data. The reported figures for all calendar years must be for the following:

The State;

Five (5) pre-defined regions (consisting of various cities in the State); and Seventeen (17) counties.

The study, which acts as the foundation for any impacts/statistics related to tourism, is essential for the Division of Tourism and its statewide partners, to gain critical insights into topics such as:

Statewide and Rural Nevada Direct Impacts;

Statewide Secondary Impacts (Indirect and Induced);

Statewide Travel Industry Gross Domestic Products;

Statewide and Rural Nevada Type of Travel Impacts;

Statewide and Rural Nevada Transportation Impacts;

Convention and Trade Show Impacts;

Statewide and Rural Nevada Visitor Spending by Accommodation Type;

Statewide and Rural Nevada Visitor Spending by Commodity Purchased;

Statewide and Rural Nevada Travel-Generated Employment;

Statewide and Rural Nevada Travel-Generating Earning;

Statewide and Rural Nevada Employment by Industry; and Statewide and Rural Nevada Tax Revenues Generated by Visitor Spending.

The Division of Tourism is requesting proposals from qualified vendors to provide a Nevada Economic Impact/Traveler Spending Study for a period four (4) years. The contract will commence upon Board of Examiners approval on July 11, 2018 and expire July 10, 2022.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Describe the economic benefits of travel and tourism throughout the State, including spending, employment, earnings and tax receipts;

Show impacts at the county and region level in order to provide valuable information for industry and media at these levels;

Accurately describe trends;

Break out findings by type of traveler and type of business;

Describe the secondary impacts to show travel and tourism connections with the remainder of the Nevada economy;

Analyze gross product in order to allow comparisons with other important Nevada industries;

Make findings as accessible as possible throughout the State by using interactive web-based reporting; and

Provide comparable findings to those of a minimum of the past five (5) years.

SCOPE OF WORK

PROGRAM TASKS: The Division of Tourism seeks input from the vendor on creating and administering the program; however, the current program includes these components:

Program Methodology

The Division of Tourism has recently received biennial economic impact reports; however, the agency will be moving to an annual reporting structure. The awarded vendor will be required to compile and provide data to meet this format, including the need for preliminary figures in advance of each biennial Legislative session that starts in February of each odd calendar year.

This appendix provides a brief overview of methodology, terminology and limitations of the Regional Travel Impact Model (RTIM), as previously used for travel impact analysis in Nevada.

Direct Impacts:

At present, the Division of Tourism incorporates the estimates of the direct impacts associated with traveler spending in Nevada as produced using the RTIM developed by Dean Runyan Associates. The input data used to detail the economic impacts of the Nevada travel industry were gathered from various local, state and federal sources.

Travel impacts consist of estimates of travel spending and the employment, earnings and tax receipts generated by this spending. These estimates are also broken out by type of traveler accommodation and by the type of business in which the expenditures occur.

Comparable methodology and data sources are used each year in order to provide reliably comparable trend analysis. Findings for previous years are updated as necessary in order to reflect methodology and data source variations.

Secondary (indirect and induced) Impacts:

Direct impacts are reported for all counties within Nevada. Secondary employment and earnings impacts over and above direct impacts are reported at the State level only. These indirect and induced impacts are generated from the direct impacts produced by the RTIM, discussed in Section 2.1.1.3 and an input-output model of the Nevada economy prepared by the Minnesota IMPLAN Group, Inc.

Indirect impacts represent the purchases of goods and services from other firms by businesses that directly receive expenditures from travelers. Hotels, for example, purchase maintenance services from independent contractors.

Induced impacts represent the purchase of goods and services by employees whose earnings are in part derived from travel expenditures.

The current report has the sum of the direct, indirect and induced impacts equaling the total impact of all spending by visitors in the State. The “multiplier” refers to the ratio of the total impacts to the direct impacts for employment or earnings.

Nevada Travel Industry Gross Domestic Products:

An estimate of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the Nevada travel industry based on the RTIM direct travel impacts is also provided in this report.

The GDP of an industry is equal to gross output (sales or receipts) minus intermediate inputs (the goods and services purchased from other industries).

GDP is always less than output or sales because GDP measures only the “value added” of an industry and does not include the cost of the inputs that are also necessary to produce a good or service.

GDP is a useful concept because it permits comparisons of the economic contributions of different industries.

Types of Travel Impacts Included:

Most of the travel that occurs in Nevada is included in the scope of this analysis. The purpose of such travel can be for business, pleasure, shopping, to attend meetings, or for personal, medical or educational purposes.

All trips to Nevada by U.S. residents and foreign visitors are included.

The travel of Nevada residents to other destinations within Nevada is included, provided that it is neither commuting nor other routine travel.

Travel to non-Nevada destinations by Nevada residents is not included as a component of visitor spending.

Outbound air travel impacts and spending on travel arrangement services are included in the “Other Travel” category.

The impacts associated with both overnight and day travel are included if the travelers remain at the destination overnight or the destination is over fifty (50) miles, one-way, from the traveler’s home.

These definitions are used to screen and, if necessary, to interpret and adjust local data used for travel impact measurements. The most conservative interpretation is employed where data limitations cause deviations from the above definition.

Transportation Impacts:

The focus of this analysis is on the destination-specific impacts of visitors. This is straightforward with respect to the spending on commodities such as accommodations, food services, recreation and retail purchases.

It is less obvious with respect to ground and air transportation services, in that transportation provides a link between an origin and destination.

In this report, the impacts related to spending on transportation are allocated to the location (i.e., county) in which those spending impacts occur, regardless of whether that location is the ultimate destination of the visitor.

For this reason, urban counties will tend to have relatively greater transportation impacts even through some of that spending on transportation may be related to visits at other destinations.

Convention and Trade Show Impacts:

Visitor spending does not include the payments made by the organizational sponsors of conferences, conventions and trade shows.

The expenditures of exhibitors are trade shows are also not included.

These convention and trade show impacts are reported in the “other” category and are a component of the direct travel impacts.

The impact estimates are based on data provided by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, delegate counts reported by the Division of Tourism and other survey and employment data.

Impact Categories: The specific categories of travel impacts included in this analysis are as follows:

Visitor Categories: Travelers are classified according to the type of accommodation in which they stay. The types of visitors are as follows:

Reporting Format: A description of the headings and categories of the detailed direct impact tables is provided below.

Total Direct Travel Spending: This includes the total visitor spending at a destination, described in 2.1.1.10, plus spending on travel agencies and resident air travel (other spending). Total direct travel spending does not include secondary (indirect and induced) effects.

Visitor Spending by Type of Traveler Accommodation: This refers to the total direct spending of each category of visitor at that destination (county or State). For example, the spending of visitors that stayed at hotels or motels includes their spending on accommodations, food & beverage service, recreation, transportation and all other visitor related commodities.

Visitor Spending by Commodity Purchase: This refers to the total spending on each commodity for all types of visitors. For example, the total spending on Food & Beverage Services includes spending by visitors staying in hotels, private campgrounds, private homes and the other types of accommodations. The total spending on commodities is identical to the total spending by type of accommodation.

The next two (2) sections, Travel-Generated Earnings and Employment by Industry, provide estimates of travel generated earnings and employment that are based on an industry, rather than a commodity classification. A business that is classified in a particular industry may include more than one (1) commodity. For example, a casino hotel that is classified in the accommodation industry may provide accommodations, food and beverages, and entertainment.

Industry Earnings Generated by Travel Spending includes the payroll, other earned benefits and proprietor income of all employees in that industry classification.

Industry Employment Generated by Travel Spending includes all full- and part-time employees. This includes payroll employees covered by unemployment insurance and those that are not, as well as proprietors.

The final section provides an estimate of tax receipts generated by travel spending.

Tax Revenues Generated by Travel Spending provides a breakout of local and state tax receipts. The specific taxes are listed in (refer to Section 2.1.1.9 Impact Categories).

PROGRAM DELIVERABLES

The Division of Tourism requires timely accurate information. Please indicate your firm’s estimated delivery dates for the following:

Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 – July 1, 2018-June 30, 2019

Delivery Date

Draft Calendar Years 2016 and 2017 Report

Final Calendar Years 2016 and 2017 Report

Calendar Years 2016 and 2017 Data Posted to Online Website/Dashboard

Calendar Year Preliminary 2018 Report (for Legislative Session)

Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 – July 1, 2019-June 30, 2020

Delivery Date

Draft Calendar Year 2018 Report

Final Calendar Year 2018 Report

Calendar Year 2018 Data Posted to Online Website/Dashboard

Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 – July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021

Delivery Date

Draft Calendar Year 2019 Report

Final Calendar Year 2019 Report

Calendar Year 2019 Data posted to Online Website/Dashboard

Calendar year Preliminary 2020 Report (for Legislative Session)

Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 – July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022

Delivery Date

Draft Calendar Year 2020 Report

Final Calendar Year 2020 Report

Calendar Year 2020 Data Posted to Online Website/Dashboard

Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 – July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023

Delivery Date

Draft Calendar Year 2021 Report

Final Calendar year 2021 Report

Calendar Year 2021 Data Posted to Online Website/Dashboard

ADDITIONAL ITEMS REQUESTED BY THE DIVISION OF TOURISM

Document your proposed methodology as a part of your proposal.

Proposing vendor must provide examples of their current economic impact/traveler spending studies for other Destination Marketing Organizations (DMO) as a part of their proposal.

The project includes preparing and maintaining a widely accessible website that allows users to access data on visitor spending, business earnings and employment at the State, pre-defined region and county level. This website will rely on a database maintained by the contractor and will allow the users to select statewide, pre-defined territories and counties for purposes of preparing data tables and graphics. Provide a link to access current websites/online dashboards where travel impacts/spending data can be reviewed as a part of your proposal.

The awarded vendor will work directly with the Division of Tourism research staff in developing, modifying and maintaining the integrity of the Economic Impact/Traveler Spending Study.

The awarded vendor will consider, as appropriated, other research findings of Nevada’s various DMOs.

Subject to data availability, the results from the Economic Impact Research will be tabulated and analyzed for each calendar year with the results to be included in a comprehensive narrative report (written and a PDF version). The report and an evaluation of the effort to date will be presented to the Division of Tourism by way of an in-person presentation for each calendar year, at the discretion of the Division of Tourism.

QUESTIONS THAT MUST ANSWERED AS A PART OF THE PROPOSAL

Type of methodology employed. Is fiscal data used?

Will county impacts be included?

Will region (Territory) impacts be included?

Will a separate Rural Nevada model/run be included?

What is the timeliness of calendar year reports?

Will data be prepared and maintained on a publicly accessible website that allows users to access data on visitor spending, business earnings and employment at the State, pre-defined region and county level?

Will the database be maintained by the vendor and allow the users to select statewide, pre-defined territories and counties for purposes of preparing data tables and graphics?

Will the proposing vendor provide comparable findings to those of a minimum of the past five (5) years?

What is the proposing vendor’s experience in performing economic impact studies in the travel and tourism industry?

Will secondary impacts be included in the study?

COMPANY BACKGROUND AND REFERENCES

VENDOR INFORMATION

Vendors shall provide a company profile in the table format below.

Company name:

Ownership (sole proprietor, partnership, etc.):

State of incorporation:

Date of incorporation:

# of years in business:

List of top officers:

Location of company headquarters, to include City and State:

Location(s) of the office that shall provide the services described in this RFP:

Number of employees locally with the expertise to support the requirements identified in this RFP:

Number of employees nationally with the expertise to support the requirements in this RFP:

Location(s) from which employees shall be assigned for this project:

A Nevada-based business may apply for a five percent (5%) preference on its proposal. This preference may apply if a business has its principal place of business within Nevada. This preference cannot be combined with any other preference, granted for the award of a contract using federal funds, or granted for the award of a contract procured on a multi-state basis. To claim this preference a business must submit a letter with its proposal showing that it qualifies for the preference.

Please be advised, pursuant to NRS 80.010, a corporation organized pursuant to the laws of another state shall register with the State of Nevada, Secretary of State’s Office as a foreign corporation before a contract can be executed between the State of Nevada and the awarded vendor, unless specifically exempted by NRS 80.015.

The selected vendor, prior to doing business in the State of Nevada, shall be appropriately licensed by the State of Nevada, Secretary of State’s Office pursuant to NRS76. Information regarding the Nevada Business License can be located at http://nvsos.gov.

Nevada Business License Number:

Legal Entity Name:

Is “Legal Entity Name” the same name as vendor is doing business as?

Yes

No

If “No”, provide explanation.

Has the vendor ever been engaged under contract by any State of Nevada agency?

Yes

No

If “Yes”, complete the following table for each State agency for whom the work was performed. Table can be duplicated for each contract being identified.

Name of State agency:

State agency contact name:

Dates when services were performed:

Type of duties performed:

Total dollar value of the contract:

Are you now or have you been within the last two (2) years an employee of the State of Nevada, or any of its agencies, departments, or divisions?

Yes

No

If “Yes”, please explain when the employee is planning to render services, while on annual leave, compensatory time, or on their own time?

If you employ (a) any person who is a current employee of an agency of the State of Nevada, or (b) any person who has been an employee of an agency of the State of Nevada within the past two (2) years, and if such person shall be performing or producing the services which you shall be contracted to provide under this contract, you shall disclose the identity of each such person in your response to this RFP, and specify the services that each person shall be expected to perform.

Disclosure of any significant prior or ongoing contract failures, contract breaches, civil or criminal litigation in which the vendor has been alleged to be liable or held liable in a matter involving a contract with the State of Nevada or any other governmental entity. Any pending claim or litigation occurring within the past six (6) years which may adversely affect the vendor’s ability to perform or fulfill its obligations if a contract is awarded as a result of this RFP shall also be disclosed.

Does any of the above apply to your company?

Yes

No

If “Yes”, please provide the following information. Table can be duplicated for each issue being identified.

Date of alleged contract failure or breach:

Parties involved:

Description of the contract failure, contract breach, or litigation, including the products or services involved:

Amount in controversy:

Resolution or current status of the dispute:

Status of the litigation:

Vendors shall review and provide if awarded a contract the insurance requirements as specified in Attachment D, Insurance Schedule for RFP 10TCA-S114.

Company background/history and why vendor is qualified to provide the services described in this RFP. Limit response to no more than five (5) pages.

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

Financial information and documentation to be included in accordance with Section 8.5, Part III – Confidential Financial Information.

Dun and Bradstreet Number

Federal Tax Identification Number

SUBCONTRACTOR INFORMATION

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

Does this proposal include the use of subcontractors?

Yes

No

If “Yes”, vendor shall:

Identify specific subcontractors and the specific requirements of this RFP for which each proposed subcontractor shall perform services.

If any tasks are to be completed by subcontractor(s), vendors shall:

Describe how the work of any subcontractor(s) shall be supervised, channels of communication shall be maintained and compliance with contract terms assured; and

Describe your previous experience with subcontractor(s).

Provide the same information for any proposed subcontractors as requested in Section 3.1, Vendor Information.

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

Vendor shall notify the using agency of the intended use of any subcontractors not identified within their original proposal and provide the information originally requested in the RFP in Section 3.2, Subcontractor Information. The vendor shall receive agency approval prior to subcontractor commencing work.

BUSINESS REFERENCES

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

Vendors shall submit Attachment E, Reference Questionnaire to their business references.

It is the vendor’s responsibility to ensure that completed forms are received by the Purchasing Division on or before the deadline as specified in Section 7, RFP Timeline for inclusion in the evaluation process. Reference Questionnaires not received, or not complete, may adversely affect the vendor’s score in the evaluation process.

The State reserves the right to contact and verify any and all references listed regarding the quality and degree of satisfaction for such performance.

VENDOR STAFF RESUMES

A resume shall be completed for each proposed key personnel responsible for performance under any contract resulting from this RFP per Attachment F, Proposed Staff Resume.

COST

Proposing vendors must provide detailed fixed prices for all costs associated with the responsibilities and related services. Clearly specify the nature of all expenses anticipated (refer to Attachment G – Cost Schedule).

FINANCIAL

PAYMENT

Upon review and acceptance by the State, payments for invoices are normally made within 45 – 60 days of receipt, providing all required information, documents and/or attachments have been received.

Pursuant to NRS 227.185 and NRS 333.450, the State shall pay claims for supplies, materials, equipment and services purchased under the provisions of this RFP electronically, unless determined by the State Controller that the electronic payment would cause the payee to suffer undue hardship or extreme inconvenience.

BILLING

The State does not issue payment prior to receipt of goods or services.

The vendor shall bill the State as outlined in the approved contract and/or payment schedule.

The State presently has a Procurement Card Program that participating State agencies may use to pay for some of their purchases. The Program is issued through a major financial institution and is treated like any other major credit card. Using agencies may desire to use the card as a method of payment. No additional charges or fees shall be imposed for using the card. Please indicate in your proposal response if you will accept this method of payment.

TIMELINESS OF BILLING

The State is on a fiscal year calendar. All billings for dates of service prior to July 1 shall be submitted to the State no later than the first Friday in August of the same year. A billing submitted after the first Friday in August that forces the State to process the billing as a stale claim pursuant to NRS 353.097, shall subject the contractor to an administrative fee not to exceed $100.00. This is the estimate of the additional costs to the State for processing the billing as a stale claim and this amount shall be deducted from the stale claims payment due the contractor.

WRITTEN QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

The Purchasing Division shall accept questions and/or comments in writing regarding this RFP as noted below:

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

All questions regarding this RFP should be submitted using the Bid Q&A feature in NevadaEPro.

To access the Bid Q&A:

Log into your Seller account on NevadaEPro:

Click the Bids tab in the header, Click View under Bid Q&A on the appropriate Bid Solicitation under the Open Bids section.

The deadline for submitting questions is as specified in Section 7, RFP Timeline.

All questions and/or comments shall be addressed using the Bid Q&A in NevadaEPro. If questions and answers require a material change to the Bid Solicitation, an Amendment will be posted in NevadaEPro and you will receive email notification.

RFP 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.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS, FORMAT AND CONTENT

GENERAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Vendors shall submit their proposals by using Create Quote through the State electronic procurement website, https://NevadaEPro.com, in accordance with the instructions below.

Refer to Instructions for Vendors Responding to a Bid in the Important Links section on the front page of NevadaEPro for instructions on how to submit a Quote using NevadaEPro.

The Quote/Proposal shall contain a maximum of four (4) attachments which may include:

Technical Proposal Confidential Technical (if applicable) Cost Proposal (if applicable) Confidential Financial (if applicable)

Proposals shall have a technical response, which may be composed of two (2) parts in the event a vendor determines that a portion of their technical response qualifies as “confidential” per NRS 333.020 (5) (b).

If complete responses cannot be provided without referencing confidential information, such confidential information shall be provided in accordance with Section 8.3, Part IB – Confidential Technical Proposal and Section 8.5, Part III Confidential Financial Information.

Specific references made to the section, page, and paragraph where the confidential information can be located shall be identified on Attachment A, Confidentiality and Certification of Indemnification and comply with the requirements stated in Section 8.6, Confidentiality of Proposals.

Proposals that do not comply with the requirements may be deemed non-responsive and rejected at the State’s discretion.

Although it is a public opening, only the names of the vendors submitting proposals shall be announced per NRS 333.335(6). Technical and cost details about proposals submitted shall not be disclosed.

Assistance for handicapped, blind or hearing-impaired persons who wish to attend the RFP opening is available. If special arrangements are necessary, please notify the Purchasing Division designee as soon as possible and at least two (2) days in advance of the opening.

For ease of evaluation, the technical and cost proposals shall be presented in a format that corresponds to and references sections outlined within this RFP and shall be presented in the same order. Written responses shall be in bold/italics and placed immediately following the applicable RFP question, statement and/or section.

Proposals are to be prepared in such a way as to provide a straightforward, concise delineation of capabilities to satisfy the requirements of this RFP. Expensive color displays, promotional materials, etc., are not necessary or desired. Emphasis shall be concentrated on conformance to the RFP instructions, responsiveness to the RFP requirements, and on completeness and clarity of content.

For purposes of addressing questions concerning this RFP, the sole contact shall be the Purchasing Division as specified on Page 1 of this RFP. Upon issuance of this RFP, other employees and representatives of the agencies identified in the RFP shall not answer questions or otherwise discuss the contents of this RFP with any prospective vendors or their representatives. Failure to observe this restriction may result in disqualification of any subsequent proposal per NAC 333.155(3). This restriction does not preclude discussions between affected parties for the purpose of conducting business unrelated to this procurement.

Any vendor who believes there are irregularities or lack of clarity in the RFP or proposal requirements or specifications are unnecessarily restrictive or limit competition shall notify the Purchasing Division, in writing, as soon as possible, so that corrective addenda may be furnished by the Purchasing Division in a timely manner to all vendors.

If a vendor changes any material RFP language, vendor’s response may be deemed non-responsive per NRS 333.311.

The vendor understands and acknowledges that the representations made in its proposal are material and important, and shall be relied on by the State in its evaluation of a proposal. Any misrepresentation by a vendor shall be treated as fraudulent concealment from the State of the true facts relating to the proposal.

PART IA – TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

The Technical Proposal shall not include cost and/or pricing information. Cost and/or pricing information contained in the technical proposal may cause the proposal to be rejected.

Using Create Quote in NevadaEPro, vendors shall provide one (1) PDF Technical Proposal on the Attachments tab that includes the following:

Section I – Title Page with the following information:

Part IA – Technical Proposal

Vendor Name:

Address:

Section II – Table of Contents

An accurate and updated table of contents shall be provided.

Section III – Vendor Information Sheet

The vendor information sheet shall be completed and signed by an individual authorized to bind the organization.

Section IV – State Documents

The State documents section shall include the following:

The signature page from all amendments signed by an individual authorized to bind the organization.

Attachment A – Confidentiality and Certification of Indemnification signed by an individual authorized to bind the organization.

Attachment B – Vendor Certifications signed by an individual authorized to bind the organization.

Copies of any vendor licensing agreements and/or hardware and software maintenance agreements.

Copies of applicable certifications and/or licenses.

Section V – Scope of Work

Vendors shall place their written response(s) to Section 2, Scope of Work in bold/italics immediately following the applicable RFP question, statement and/or section.

Section VI– Company Background and References

Vendors shall place their written response(s) to Section 3, Company Background and References in bold/italics immediately following the applicable RFP question, statement and/or section. This section shall also include the requested information in Section 3.2, Subcontractor Information, if applicable.

Section VII – Proposed Staff Resume(s)

Vendors shall include all proposed staff resumes per Section 3.4, Vendor Staff Resumes in this section.

This section shall also include any subcontractor proposed staff resumes, if applicable.

Section VIII – Other Informational Material

Vendors shall include any other applicable reference material in this section clearly cross referenced with the proposal.

PART IB – CONFIDENTIAL TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

Vendors only need to submit Part IB if the proposal includes any confidential technical information (Refer to Attachment A, Confidentiality and Certification of Indemnification).

If needed, vendors shall provide one (1) PDF Confidential Technical Proposal file that includes the following:

Section I – Title Page with the following information:

Part IB – Confidential Technical Proposal

Vendor Name:

Address:

Section II – Confidential Technical

Vendors shall cross reference the confidential technical information back to the technical proposal, as applicable.

PART II – COST PROPOSAL

Vendors shall submit pricing information on the Items tab of their Quote in NevadaEPro.

Vendors shall provide additional pricing information as detailed in Section 8.4.4 if appropriate or required in accordance with Section 4, Cost.

The cost proposal shall not be marked “confidential”. Only information that is deemed proprietary per NRS 333.020 (5) (a) may be marked as “confidential”.

If needed, vendors shall provide one (1) PDF Cost Proposal file that includes the following:

Section I – Title Page with the following information:

Part II – Cost Proposal

Vendor Name:

Address:

Section II – Cost Proposal

Vendor’s shall place the information required per Section 4, Cost in this section.

PART III – CONFIDENTIAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION

If needed, vendors shall provide one (1) PDF Confidential Financial Information file that includes the following:

Section I – Title Page with the following information:

Part III – Confidential Financial Information

Vendor Name:

Address:

Section II – Financial Information and Documentation

Vendors shall place the information required per Section 3.1.11 in this section.

CONFIDENTIALITY OF PROPOSALS

As a potential contractor of a public entity, vendors are advised that full disclosure is required by law.

Vendors are required to submit written documentation in accordance with Attachment A, Confidentiality and Certification of Indemnification demonstrating the material within the proposal marked “confidential” conforms to NRS §333.333, which states “Only specific parts of the proposal may be labeled a “trade secret” as defined in NRS §600A.030(5)”. Not conforming to these requirements shall cause your proposal to be deemed non-compliant and shall not be accepted by the State.

Vendors acknowledge that material not marked as “confidential” shall become public record and shall be posted to the Purchasing website upon contract award.

It is the vendor’s responsibility to act in protection of the labeled information and agree to defend and indemnify the State of Nevada for honoring such designation.

Failure to label any information that is released by the State shall constitute a complete waiver of any and all claims for damages caused by release of said information.

PROPOSAL PACKAGING

Vendors shall submit their proposals through the State electronic procurement website, https://NevadaEPro.com, in accordance with the instructions below.

Proposals shall be received via https://NevadaEPro.com no later than the date and time specified on the General tab of the Bid Solicitation in NevadaEPro. Proposals that are not submitted by bid opening time and date shall not be accepted. Vendors may submit their proposal any time prior to the deadline stated in NevadaEPro. In the event that dates and times specified in this document and dates times specified in NevadaEPro conflict, the dates and time in NevadaEPro shall take precedence.

Proposals submitted as physical copies, email, or any submission method other than via NevadaEPro shall not be considered.

PROPOSAL EVALUATION AND AWARD PROCESS

The information in this section does not need to be returned with the vendor’s proposal.

Proposals shall be consistently evaluated and scored in accordance with NRS 333.335(3) based upon the following criteria. The following criteria are listed in order of importance.

Cost

Cost proposals will be evaluated based on the following formula:

Lowest Cost Submitted by a Vendor = Price Factor Proposers Total Cost Price Factor X points = Cost Criteria Score

Effective July 1, 2017, a five percent (5%) preference will be awarded to businesses based in Nevada. A Nevada business is defined as a business which certifies either that its ‘principal place of business’ is in Nevada, as identified in Section 3.1, Vendor Information, or that a ‘majority of goods provided for the contract are produced’ in Nevada. The preference will be applied to the total score.

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

Proposals shall be kept confidential until a contract is awarded.

The evaluation committee is an independent committee comprised of a majority of State officers or employees established to evaluate and score proposals submitted in response to the RFP pursuant to NRS 333.335.

The evaluation committee may solicit information from any available source concerning any aspect of a proposal and seek and review any other information deemed pertinent to the evaluation process.

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. Failure to comply with the terms of this provision may disqualify any proposal. The State reserves the right to reject any proposal based upon the vendor’s prior history with the State or with any other party, which documents, without limitation, unsatisfactory performance, adversarial or contentious demeanor, significant failure(s) to meet contract milestones or other contractual failures. Refer generally to NRS 333.335.

Clarification discussions may, at the State’s sole option, be conducted with vendors who submit proposals determined to be acceptable and competitive per NAC 333.165. Vendors shall be accorded fair and equal treatment with respect to any opportunity for discussion and/or written revisions of proposals. Such revisions may be permitted after submissions and prior to award for the purpose of obtaining best and final offers. In conducting discussions, there shall be no disclosure of any information derived from proposals submitted by competing vendors. Any modifications made to the original proposal during the best and final negotiations shall be included as part of the contract.

A Letter of Intent (LOI) shall be issued in accordance with NAC 333.170 notifying vendors of the State’s intent to award a contract to a vendor, pending successful negotiations. Negotiations shall be confidential and not subject to disclosure to competing vendors unless and until an agreement is reached. All information remains confidential until the issuance of the formal Notice of Award (NOA). If contract negotiations cannot be concluded successfully, the State upon written notice to all vendors may negotiate a contract with the next highest scoring vendor or withdraw the RFP.

A Notification of Award (NOA) shall be issued in accordance with NAC 333.170. Vendors shall be notified that a contract has been successfully negotiated, executed and is awaiting approval of the Board of Examiners (BOE). Any award is contingent upon the successful negotiation of final contract terms and upon approval of the BOE, when required. Any non-confidential information becomes available upon written request.

Any contract resulting from this RFP shall not be effective unless and until approved by the Nevada State Board of Examiners (NRS 333.700).

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

PROCUREMENT AND PROPOSAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The information in this section does not need to be returned with the vendor’s proposal.

This procurement is being conducted in accordance with NRS Chapter 333 and NAC Chapter 333.

The State reserves the right to alter, amend, or modify any provisions of this RFP, or to withdraw this RFP, at any time prior to the award of a contract pursuant hereto, if it is in the best interest of the State to do so.

The State reserves the right to waive informalities and minor irregularities in proposals received.

For ease of responding to the RFP, vendors are encouraged to download the RFP from the Purchasing Division’s website at http://purchasing.nv.gov.

The failure to provide clearly marked, separate PDF file(s) for Part IB and Part III, which contain confidential information, trade secrets and/or proprietary information, shall constitute a complete waiver of any and all claims for damages caused by release of the information by the State.

The State reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received prior to contract award (NRS 333.350).

The State reserves the right to limit the scope of work prior to award, if deemed in the best interest of the State. (NRS 333.350)

The State shall not be obligated to accept the lowest priced proposal, but shall make an award in the best interest of the State of Nevada after all factors have been evaluated (NRS 333.335).

Proposals which appear unrealistic in the terms of technical commitments, lack of technical competence, or are indicative of failure to comprehend the complexity and risk of the project, may be rejected.

Proposals from employees of the State of Nevada shall be considered in as much as they do not conflict with the State Administrative Manual (SAM), NRS Chapter 281 and NRS Chapter 284.

Proposals may be modified or withdrawn by written notice received prior to the proposal opening time. Withdrawals received after the proposal opening time shall not be considered except as authorized by NRS 333.350(3).

Prices offered by vendors in their proposals are an irrevocable offer for the term of the contract and any contract extensions. The awarded vendor agrees to provide the purchased services at the costs, rates and fees as set forth in their proposal in response to this RFP. No other costs, rates or fees shall be payable to the awarded vendor for implementation of their proposal.

The State is not liable for any costs incurred by vendors prior to entering into a formal contract. Costs of developing the proposal or any other such expenses incurred by the vendor in responding to the RFP, are entirely the responsibility of the vendor, and shall not be reimbursed in any manner by the State.

Proposals submitted per proposal submission requirements become the property of the State, selection or rejection does not affect this right; proposals shall be returned only at the State’s option and at the vendor’s request and expense. The flash drive or CD from each vendor shall be retained for official files.

Any unsuccessful vendor may file an appeal in strict compliance with NRS 333.370 and NAC Chapter 333.

NRS 333.290 grants a preference to materials and supplies that can be supplied from a “charitable, reformatory or penal institution of the State” that produces such goods or services through the labor of inmates. The Administrator reserves the right to secure these goods, materials or supplies from any such eligible institution, if they can be secured of equal quality and at prices not higher than those of the lowest acceptable bid received in response to this solicitation. In addition, NRS 333.410 grants a preference to commodities or services that institutions of the State are prepared to supply through the labor of inmates. The Administrator shall apply the preferences stated in NRS 333.290 and 333.410 to the extent applicable.

CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The information in this section does not need to be returned with the vendor’s proposal.

The 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 RFP, and the awarded vendor shall not be relieved for the non-performance of any or all subcontractors.

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

The State shall not be liable for Federal, State, or Local excise taxes per NRS 372.325.

The State reserves the right to negotiate final contract terms with any vendor selected per NAC 333.170.