RFP S2502 Property & Casualty Market Report.pdf

State of Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner Request for proposals (RFP) S2502

Project Title Property & Casualty Market Report on Feasibility of Joint Underwriting Association for Childcare Services

Questions Due 5pm, 4/28/2025 Proposal Due 11:59pm, 5/29/2025

Emailed proposals will be accepted. Faxed proposals will not.

Estimated period of performance for contract June 1, 2025 – April 1, 2026. The OIC reserves the right to extend the contract for up to 2 times for a period of 6 months each, at the sole discretion of the OIC.

Vendor eligibility This procurement is open to those Vendors that satisfy the minimum qualifications stated herein and that are available for work in Washington State.

Contents of the request for proposals

1. Introduction

2. General Information for Vendors

3. Proposal Contents

4. Evaluation and Award

5. Exhibits and attachments

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Table of Contents

State of Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner

Introduction

1.1 Purpose and background

1.2 Objectives and scope of work

1.3 Accessibility

1.4 Minimum qualifications

1.5 Period of performance

1.6 Contracting with current or former state employees

1.7 Definitions

1.8 ADA

General information for Vendors

2.1 RFP coordinator

2.2 Estimated schedule of procurement activities

2.3 Preproposal conference

2.4 Submission of proposals

2.5 Proprietary information/public disclosure

2.6 Revisions to the RFP

2.7 Minority, women-owned, and veteran-owned business participation

2.8 Subcontractor participation monitoring and reporting

2.9 Acceptance period

2.10 Responsiveness

2.11 Complaint Procedure

2.12 Most favorable terms

2.13 Contract and general terms & conditions

2.14 Costs to propose

2.15 No obligation to contract

2.16 Rejection of proposals

2.17 Commitment of funds

2.18 Electronic payment

2.19 Insurance coverage

Proposal contents

3.1 Letter of submittal (Mandatory)

3.2 Technical proposal (Scored)

3.3 Management proposal (Scored)

3.4 Supplier Diversity (if applicable)

3.5 Cost Proposal (Scored)

Evaluation and contract award

4.1 Proposal Responsiveness and Vendor Responsibility

4.2 Evaluation procedure

4.3 Evaluation weighting and scoring

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4.4 Oral presentations may be required

4.5 Notification to Vendors

4.6 Debriefing of unsuccessful Vendors

4.7 Protest procedure

RFP exhibits

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Introduction

1.1 Purpose and background

The Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) is initiating this Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit responses from individuals or Vendors interested in participating on a project to study the feasibility of using joint underwriting associations to provide property and liability insurance coverage for childcare centers, group foster homes, family childcare homes, child and youth serving organizations, and child placement services.

The Washington state Legislature has identified insurance availability and affordability as a burdensome operational concern for many businesses providing services relating to childcare.

The insurance market condition is threatening their ability to continue to operate a critical service for the residents of the state.

The OIC intends to award one contract to provide the services described in this RFP.

1.2 Objectives and scope of work

The Contractor selected as a result of this RFP will be responsible for the objectives detailed below.

1.2.1 Contractor will collect and analyze the following information to the extent such data is available, including but not limited to:

Data from at least five years on the number and types of policies in effect, whether and why policies were nonrenewed or canceled, claims activity, and premiums and deductibles; and

Any other relevant information that may assist the OIC with analyzing the availability and affordability of property and liability coverages for housing providers and any other trends that may affect market conditions

The Washington state Legislature provides OIC authority to request data from entities transacting insurance with childcare centers, group foster homes, family childcare homes, child and youth serving organizations, and child placement services. The bidder should describe all data that may be needed to complete the study. The bidder should also describe how the confidentiality of that data would be maintained, as some data requested for the purpose of complying with the study and reporting requirements is confidential and privileged and is not subject to public disclosure under chapter 42.56 RCW.

1.2.2 Contractor will make recommendations on potential policy and budget options, including considerations regarding the cost and availability of property and liability coverage for childcare centers, group foster homes, family childcare homes, child and youth serving organizations, and

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1.2.3 Contractor will make recommendations on whether, and how, a joint underwriting association might suit the property and liability coverage needs of childcare centers, group foster homes, family childcare homes, child and youth serving organizations, and child placement services, and any limitations of a joint underwriting association in meeting the need.

This includes any statutory or implementation considerations.

1.2.4 Contractor will attend legislative hearings or workgroups during the 2025-26 legislative session when necessary to answer questions or explain portions of the study and report. Virtual attendance is acceptable for these hearings and workgroups.

1.2.5 Contractor will complete their study and submit their final report to OIC no later than November 21, 2025. OIC will submit a report on the Contractor’s assessment and recommendations to the appropriate committees of the legislature by December 31, 2025.

The Contractor must provide status reports to the OIC at least every two weeks;

A draft of the report must be submitted to OIC by October 31, 2025, for review and edits to be returned to the Contractor by November 12, 2025; and

A final report must be submitted to OIC by November 21, 2025. Vendors should incorporate the short timeline of this project in preparing their proposals.

The work required for this study can be assisted through coordination between the Contractor and interested parties including childcare centers, group foster homes, family childcare homes, child and youth serving organizations, child placement services, authorized insurers, surplus line companies, risk retention groups and relevant associations groups including the Surplus Line Association of Washington. The Contractor can also coordinate their work efforts with the state agencies in Washington, such as OIC, Department of Enterprise Services (DES) and their Office of Risk Management and the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF).

1.3 Accessibility

The draft and final reports submitted to OIC by the Contractor must meet the accessibility principals identified by the Washington State Office of the Chief Information Officer’s Accessibility Policy, stated below:

Perceivable - Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.

Operable - User interface components and navigation must be operable.

Understandable - Information and the operation of user interface must be understandable.

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Robust - Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.

All documents generated by Contractor must pass the built-in accessibility checks in their respective programs (e.g. Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe InDesign).

1.4 Minimum qualifications

CONTRACTOR minimum qualifications include:

Licensed to do business in the State of Washington or provide a commitment that it will become licensed in Washington within thirty (30) calendar days of being selected as the Apparent Successful Contractor.

Demonstrate knowledge of, and prior experience in, the areas of work for which the proposal is being submitted. Vendor must have previously held three (3) years of responsibilities substantially the same as, or very similar to, the Scope of Work in Section

1.2 of this RFP.

Contractor must be or employ actuaries who are members of the American Academy of Actuaries and Society of Actuaries and meet the qualification standard to complete the scope of work stated in this RFP.

o Credentialed actuaries shall perform or be responsible for all actuarial services under the Contract. Actuarial work must be supervised by an individual who is a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Agree to the Certifications and Assurances set forth in Exhibit A.

Submit proposals as specified on Section 3, Proposal Contents, of this RFP.

1.5 Period of performance

The period of performance of any contract resulting from this RFP is tentatively scheduled to begin on or about June 1, 2025, and to end on April 1, 2026.

The OIC, at its sole discretion, may extend the contract two (2) times for a period of six (6) months each.

1.6 Contracting with current or former state employees

Specific restrictions apply to contracting with current or former state employees pursuant to chapter 42.52 of the Revised Code of Washington. Vendors should familiarize themselves with the requirements prior to submitting a proposal that includes current or former state employees.

1.7 Definitions

Definitions for the purposes of this RFP include:

OIC – The Office of the Insurance Commissioner is the OIC of the state of Washington that is issuing this RFP.

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Apparent Successful Contractor – The individual or company selected as the entity to perform the anticipated services, subject to completion of contract negotiations and execution of a written contract.

Contractor – Individual or company whose proposal has been accepted by the OIC and is awarded a fully executed, written contract.

Proposal – A formal offer submitted in response to this solicitation.

Vendor – Individual, company, of firm that submits a proposal to attain a contract with the OIC.

Request for Proposals (RFP) – Formal procurement document in which a service or need is identified but no specific method to achieve it has been chosen. The purpose of an RFP is to permit the contractor community to suggest various approaches to meet the need at a given price.

1.8 ADA

The OIC complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Vendors may contact the RFP Coordinator to receive this Request for Proposals in Braille or on tape.

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General information for Vendors

2.1 RFP coordinator

All communications concerning this RFP must be directed to:

Lesley Gordon

5000 Capitol Blvd Tumwater, WA 98501

360/725.7024 Contracting@oic.wa.gov

Any other communication will be considered unofficial and non-binding on the OIC. Vendors are to rely on written statements issued by the RFP Coordinator. Communication directed to parties other than the RFP Coordinator may result in disqualification of the Vendor.

2.2 Estimated schedule of procurement activities

Issue request for proposals 4/18/2025 Question & answer period 4/28/2025 Issue Q&A addendum to RFP 5/6/2025 Preproposal conference 5/15/2025 11am Issue final addendum to RFP 5/22/2025 Proposals due 5/29/2025 11:59 pm Evaluate proposals 6/4/2025 Announce ‘Apparent Successful Contractor’ 6/5/2025 Hold debriefing conferences (if requested) 6/6/2025-6/15/2025

Begin contract negotiations 6/5/2025

The OIC reserves the right to revise the above schedule.

2.3 Preproposal conference

A preproposal conference is scheduled to be held on 5/15/2025, at 11 AM Pacific Standard/Daylight Time as long as at least two Vendors express interest. The preproposal conference will be held virtually using Zoom. The preproposal conference is not required but is recommended.

For security purposes, Vendors must contact the RFP coordinator listed above via email for Zoom meeting credentials. To receive the credentials, the email must include the name of the Vendor, the Vendor’s federal tax ID number, and a list of planned attendees. The following information must be provided for each planned attendee:

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Full name Email address

OIC will be bound only to OIC’s written answers to questions. Questions that arise at the preproposal conference or in subsequent communication with the RFP Coordinator will be documented and answered in written form. Documents will be posted on OIC’s website and in

WEBS.

2.4 Submission of proposals

The OIC will ONLY accept electronic submissions of the Proposal.

Note: If your attachment exceeds 30 MB, please contact the RFP coordinator for an alternate means of electronic submittal.

ELECTRONIC PROPOSALS:

The proposal must be received by the RFP Coordinator no later than 11:59 pm Pacific Time on 5/29/2025.

Proposals are to be submitted electronically and should be sent as attachments in an email to Lesley Gordon, the RFP Coordinator, at the email address listed in Section 2.1. Attachments to email should be in Microsoft Word, Excel, or PDF. Zipped files can be received by the OIC and can be used for submission of proposals. The cover submittal letter and the Certifications and Assurances form must have a signature of the individual within the organization authorized to bind the Vendor to the offer. The signature may be signed in ink and scanned, or it may be an Electronic Signature, defined as an electronic identifier, created by a computer, attached to, affixed to, or logically associated with an electronic record. The OIC does not assume responsibility for problems with Vendor’s email. If the OIC’s email is not working, appropriate allowances will be made.

Proposals may not be transmitted using facsimile transmission.

Vendors should allow sufficient time to ensure timely receipt of the proposal by the RFP Coordinator. Late proposals will not be accepted and will be automatically disqualified from further consideration, unless the OIC’s email is found to be at fault. All proposals and any accompanying documentation become the property of the OIC and will not be returned.

2.5 Proprietary information/public disclosure

Proposals submitted in response to this competitive procurement shall become the property of the OIC. All proposals received shall remain confidential until the Apparent Successful Contractor, if any, resulting from this RFP is announced by the OIC; thereafter, the proposals shall be deemed public records as defined in Chapter 42.56 of the Revised Code of Washington

(RCW).

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Any information in the proposal that the Vendor desires to claim as proprietary and exempt from disclosure under the provisions of Chapter 42.56 RCW must be clearly designated. The information must be clearly identified and the particular exemption from disclosure upon which the Vendor is making the claim must be cited. Each page containing the information claimed to be exempt from disclosure must be clearly identified by the words “Proprietary Information” printed on the lower right-hand corner of the page. Marking the entire proposal exempt from disclosure or as Proprietary Information will not be honored.

In accordance with Department of Enterprise Services Supplier Diversity Policy DES-090-06, all bid awards and resulting contracts will be available for public review.

If a public records request is made for the information that the Vendor has marked as "Proprietary Information," the OIC will notify the Vendor of the request and of the date that the records will be released to the requester unless the Vendor obtains a court order enjoining that disclosure. If the Vendor fails to obtain the court order enjoining disclosure, the OIC will release the requested information on the date specified. If a Vendor obtains a court order from a court of competent jurisdiction enjoining disclosure pursuant to Chapter 42.56 RCW, the OIC shall maintain the confidentiality of the Vendor's information per the court order.

A charge will be made for copying and shipping, as outlined in chapter 42.56 RCW. No fee shall be charged for inspection of contract files, but twenty-four (24) hours’ notice to the RFP Coordinator is required. All requests for information should be directed to the RFP Coordinator.

2.6 Revisions to the RFP

If it becomes necessary to revise any part of this RFP, addenda will be published in WEBS and on www.insurance.wa.gov. For this purpose, the published questions and answers and any other pertinent information will be provided as an addendum to the RFP and will be placed on the website and in WEBS.

If you downloaded this RFP from the OIC’s website as listed above, you are responsible for checking the website to ensure you receive any amendments or questions and answers. Vendors are encouraged to download solicitations using WEBS to ensure notification of amendments.

The OIC reserves the right to cancel or to reissue the RFP, in whole or in part, before execution of a contract.

2.7 Minority, women-owned, and veteran-owned business participation In accordance with chapter 39.19 RCW, the state of Washington encourages participation by Vendors certified by the Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises (OMWBE). In accordance with Executive Order 13-01, the state of Washington encourages participation by Vendors certified by the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) in all of its contracts. Participation must be on a direct basis in response to this solicitation. The OIC will not give preference in the

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The established annual procurement inclusion goals are:

10% Minority Owned Business certified by OMWBE 6%, Women Owned Business certified by OMWBE 5% Veteran Owned Business certified by DVA 5% Washington Small Businesses self-identified

These goals are voluntary. For information on certification, Vendors may contact OMWBE at 360/753-9693 or http://www.omwbe.wa.gov, or DVA at 360/725-2200 https://dva.wa.gov/.

2.8 Subcontractor participation monitoring and reporting

Once a contract is awarded through the solicitation or proposal process, the awarded Contractor is obligated to complete the vendor registration in Access Equity. Access Equity is a secure online vendor management system (B2GNow). Confidential information (Tax ID, etc.) will not be published. Contractors that have previously registered with B2Gnow for any public entity, must verify the system has updated information. Contractors can access the system at https://omwbe.diversitycompliance.com/ or through a direct link on the Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises (OMWBE) website at: https://omwbe.wa.gov/.

Each month during the contract, the Contractor will report payments to ALL Subcontractors through the Access Equity system. This monthly reporting information includes total payment in dollars made to the Subcontractor, payment dates, and any additional information required to verify payment to Subcontractors. The Contractor will enter this payment information into the Access Equity system, and the Subcontractors will verify this payment information in the system.

Online training is available through the Access Equity/B2Gnow system. This requirement applies to both Contractors and Subcontractors.

2.9 Acceptance period

Vendors must provide 60 days from the due date for receipt of proposals for the OIC to accept the proposal.

2.10 Responsiveness

All proposals will be reviewed by the RFP Coordinator to determine compliance with administrative requirements and instructions specified in this RFP. The Vendor is specifically notified that failure to comply with any part of the RFP may result in rejection of the proposal as non-responsive.

The OIC also reserves the right at its sole discretion to waive minor administrative irregularities.

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2.11 Complaint Procedure

This purpose of this procedure is to provide an avenue to submit issues or concerns that are not resolved during the Q&A process. This procedure is available to Vendors who submitted a Question during the Question & Answer period. Complaints must be submitted no later than five business days before the bid response deadline.

Vendors submitting a complaint about this procurement must follow the procedures described below. Complaints that do not follow these procedures will not be considered.

All complaints must be in writing and signed by the protesting party or an authorized Agent.

The complaint must clearly state the grounds for the complaint with specific facts and include a proposed remedy. All protests must be addressed to the RFP Coordinator.

Only complaints concerning the following subjects will be considered:

The solicitation unnecessarily restricts competition;

The solicitation evaluation or scoring process is unfair or flawed; or The solicitation requirements are inadequate or insufficient to prepare a response.

Complaints not based on the above subjects will not be considered and will be returned unanswered.

Upon receipt of a complaint, a review will be held by the OIC. The OIC procurement coordinator or a delegate will consider the record and all available facts and issue a decision within three business days of receipt of the complaint. If additional time is required, the complaining party will be notified of the delay. This process does not include an appeal process.

Responses to considered complaints will be in writing. Additionally, considered complaints, responses and remedies must be posted in WEBS.

Complaints may not be raised again during the protest period.

2.12 Most favorable terms

The OIC reserves the right to make an award without further discussion of the proposal submitted. Therefore, the first proposal should be submitted on the most favorable terms that the Vendor can propose. The OIC does reserve the right to contact a Vendor for clarification of its proposal.

The Vendor should be prepared to accept this RFP for incorporation into a contract resulting from this RFP. Contract negotiations may incorporate some or all of the Vendor’s proposal. The proposal will become a part of the official procurement file on this matter without obligation to the OIC.

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2.13 Contract and general terms & conditions

The Apparent Successful Contractor is expected to enter into a contract, which is substantially the same as the sample contract and its general terms and conditions attached as Exhibit B. A Vendor may not submit its own standard contract terms and conditions in response to this solicitation. The Vendor may submit exceptions as allowed in the Certifications and Assurances section, Exhibit A to this solicitation. The OIC will review requested exceptions and accept or reject them at its sole discretion.

2.14 Costs to propose

The OIC will not be liable for any costs incurred by the Vendor in preparation of a proposal submitted in response to this RFP, in conduct of a presentation, or any other activities related to responding to this RFP.

2.15 No obligation to contract

This RFP does not obligate the state of Washington or the OIC to contract for services specified herein.

2.16 Rejection of proposals

The OIC reserves the right at its sole discretion to reject any and all proposals received without penalty and not to issue a contract as a result of this RFP.

2.17 Commitment of funds

The Chief Deputy of the OIC or their delegate are the only individuals who may legally commit the OIC to the expenditures of funds for a contract resulting from this RFP. No cost chargeable to the proposed contract may be incurred before receipt of a fully executed contract.

2.18 Electronic payment

The state of Washington prefers to use electronic payment in its transactions. The successful Contractor, if not already registered as a statewide Vendor, must register with the Office of Financial Management for a Statewide Vendor Number.

2.19 Insurance coverage

The Contractor must furnish the OIC with a certificate of insurance executed by a duly authorized representative of each insurer, showing compliance with the insurance requirements set forth below.

The Contractor must, at Contractor’s own expense, obtain and keep in force insurance coverage during the term of the contract. The Contractor must furnish evidence in the form of a Certificate of Insurance that insurance coverage is provided, and a copy must be forwarded to the OIC within fifteen (15) days of the contract effective date.

Liability Insurance

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Commercial General Liability Insurance: Contractor must maintain commercial general liability (CGL) insurance and, if necessary, commercial umbrella insurance, with a limit of at least $1,000,000 per each occurrence. If CGL insurance contains aggregate limits, the general aggregate limit must be at least twice the “each occurrence” limit. CGL insurance must have products-completed operations aggregate limit of at least two times the “each occurrence” limit. CGL insurance must be written on ISO occurrence form CG 00 01 (or a substitute form providing equivalent coverage). All insurance must cover liability assumed under an insured contract (including the tort liability of another assumed in a business contract) and contain separation of insureds (cross liability) condition.

Additionally, the Contractor is responsible for ensuring that any subcontractors provide adequate insurance coverage for the activities arising out of subcontracts.

Business Auto Policy: As applicable, the Contractor must maintain business auto liability and, if necessary, commercial umbrella liability insurance with a limit not less than $1,000,000 per accident. Such insurance must cover liability arising out of “Any Auto.” Business auto coverage must be written on ISO form CA 00 01, 1990 or later edition, or substitute liability form providing equivalent coverage.

Employers Liability (“Stop Gap”) Insurance The Contractor must buy employers liability insurance and, if necessary, commercial umbrella liability insurance with limits of at least $1,000,000 each accident for bodily injury by accident or $1,000,000 each employee for bodily injury by disease.

Additional Provisions Above insurance policy must include the following provisions:

Additional Insured. The OIC, its elected and appointed officials, agents and employees must be named as an additional insured on all general liability, excess and umbrella insurance policies. All insurance provided in compliance with this contract must be primary as to any other insurance or self-insurance programs afforded to or maintained by the state.

Cancellation. The OIC must be provided written notice before cancellation or non-renewal of any insurance required by this RFP in accordance with these specifications. Insurers subject to 48.18 RCW: The insurer must give the state 45 days advance notice of cancellation or non-renewal. If cancellation is due to non-payment of premium, the state must be given 10 days advance notice of cancellation. Insurers subject to 48.15 RCW (Surplus lines): The state must be given 20 days advance notice of cancellation. If cancellation is due to non-payment of premium, the state must be given 10 days advance notice of cancellation.

Identification. The insurance policy must reference the state’s contract number and the OIC name.

Insurance Carrier Rating. All insurance and bonds should be issued by companies admitted to do business within the state of Washington and have a rating of A-, Class VII or better in the most recently published edition of Best’s Reports. Any exception must be reviewed and approved by the OIC or the risk manager for the state of Washington before the contract is accepted or work may begin. If an insurer is not admitted, all insurance policies and procedures for issuing the insurance policies must comply with chapters 48.15 RCW and

284-15 WAC.

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Excess Coverage. By requiring insurance, the state does not represent that coverage and limits will be adequate to protect contractor, and the insurance coverage and limits do not limit Contractor’s liability under the indemnities and reimbursements granted to the state in this contract.

Workers’ Compensation Coverage The Contractor must at all times comply with all applicable workers’ compensation, occupational disease, and occupational health and safety laws, statutes, and regulations to the full extent applicable. The state will not be held responsive in any way for claims filed by the Contractor or their employees for services performed under the terms of this contract.

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Proposal contents Proposal sections that exceed the page limits, when listed, will have the additional pages removed and only the allowed page limit listed will be provided to the scoring team for consideration.

ELECTRONIC PROPOSALS:

Proposals must be written in English, submitted electronically to the RFP Coordinator, and contain the items listed below:

A. Letter of Submittal, including signed Certifications and Assurances (Exhibit A to this RFP).

B. Technical Proposal.

C. Management Proposal.

D. Experience / Related Information; and E. Cost Proposal.

Proposals should provide information in the same order as presented in this document with the same headings. This will not only be helpful to the evaluators of the proposal but should assist the Vendor in preparing a thorough response. OIC reserves the right to reject incomplete proposals.

Items marked “mandatory” must be included as part of the proposal for the proposal to be considered responsive; however, these items are not scored. Items marked “scored” are those that are awarded points as part of the evaluation conducted by the evaluation team.

3.1 Letter of submittal (Mandatory)

The Letter of Submittal and the attached Certifications and Assurances form (Exhibit A to this RFP) must be signed and dated by a person authorized to legally bind the Vendor to a contractual relationship, e.g., the President or Executive Director if a corporation, the managing partner if a partnership, or the proprietor if a sole proprietorship. Along with introductory remarks, the Letter of Submittal is to include by attachment the following information about the Vendor.

A. Name, address, principal place of business, telephone number, and email address of legal entity or individual with whom contract would be written.

B. Name, address, and telephone number of each principal officer (President, Vice President, Treasurer, Chairperson of the Board of Directors, etc.)

C. Legal status of the Vendor (sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, etc.) and the year the entity was organized to do business as the entity now substantially exists.

D. Washington Uniform Business Identification (UBI) number issued by the state of Washington Department of Revenue. If the Vendor does not have a UBI number, the Vendor must state that it will become licensed in Washington within thirty (30) calendar days of being selected as the Apparent Successful Contractor.

E. Location of the facility from which the Vendor would operate.

F. Identify any state employees or former state employees employed or on the Vendor’s governing board as of the date of the proposal. Include their position and responsibilities within the Vendor’s organization. If following a review of this information, WA State Office of the Insurance Commissioner

16 of 25 S2502 it is determined by the OIC that a conflict of interest exists, the Vendor may be disqualified from further consideration for the award of a contract.

3.2 Technical proposal (Scored)

The Technical Proposal must contain a comprehensive description of services including the following elements:

A. Project Approach/Methodology – In no more than two (2) pages, Include a complete description of the Vendor’s proposed approach and methodology for the project. This section should convey Vendor’s understanding of the proposed project.

B. Work Plan – In no more than four (4) pages, include all project requirements and the proposed tasks, services, activities, etc. necessary to accomplish the scope of this project as defined in Section 1.2, Objectives and Scope of Work. This section of the technical proposal must contain sufficient detail to convey to members of the evaluation team the Vendor’s knowledge of the subjects and skills necessary to successfully complete the project. Include any required involvement of OIC staff. The Vendor may also present any creative approaches that might be appropriate and may provide any pertinent supporting documentation.

Specifically, address the following:

How the Vendor will meet the objectives related to each of the tasks described in Section 1.2, Objectives and Scope of Work.

C. Project Schedule - Include a project schedule indicating when the elements of the work, as described in Section 1.2, will be completed. Project schedule must ensure that any deliverables requested are met.

D. Outcomes and Performance Measurement – Describe the impacts/outcomes the Vendor proposes to achieve as a result of the delivery of these services including how these outcomes would be monitored, measured and reported to the OIC.

E. Risks – The Vendor must identify potential risks that are considered significant to the success of the project. Include how the Consultant would propose to effectively monitor and manage these risks, including reporting of risks to the OIC’s contract manager.

F. Deliverables – Fully describe deliverables to be submitted under the proposed contract.

Deliverables must support the requirements set forth in Section 1.2, Objectives and Scope of Work.

3.3 Management proposal (Scored)

The Management Proposal must contain a comprehensive description of services including the following elements:

A. Project Management (Scored)

1. Project Team Structure/Internal Controls

a. In no more than two (2) pages, provide a description of the proposed project team structure and internal controls to be used during the course of the project, including any subcontractors. Provide an organizational chart of your organization, indicating lines of authority for personnel involved in

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The organizational chart does not count toward the page limit.

2. Staff Qualifications/Experience

a. In no more than four (4) pages, identify project manager and other staff, including subcontractors, who will be assigned to the potential contract, indicating the responsibilities and qualifications of such personnel, and include the amount of time each will be assigned to the project.

b. Provide a resume’ (no more than two (2) pages) for each named staff, which include information on the individual’s particular skills related to this project, education, experience, significant accomplishments, and any other pertinent information. The Vendor must commit that staff identified in its proposal will actually perform the assigned work. Any staff substitution must have the prior approval of the OIC.

B. Experience of the Vendor (Scored) (no more than four (4) pages)

1. Indicate the experience, including months/years, the Vendor and any subcontractors has in the following areas:

Required:

Contracting with federal, state, or local governmental agencies for work similar to that described in Section 1.2, Objectives and Scope of Work.

Project management for projects similar to that described in Section 1.2, Objectives and Scope of Work.

Additional:

Work or familiarity with insurance companies, childcare services or consumer organizations in the State or Washington.

Additional resources or expertise that the contractor has access to, in addition to the staff who will be conducting the activities described in Section 1.2, Objectives and Scope of Work.

2. Indicate other relevant experience that indicates the qualifications of the Vendor, and any subcontractors, for the performance of the potential contract.

3. Include a list of work the Vendor has completed during the last five years that relate to the Vendor’s ability to perform the services needed under this RFP. List client company name, time frame, contact persons, telephone numbers, and email addresses.

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C. Subcontracting (mandatory) Identify whether any subcontractors are to be utilized by the Vendor. If subcontractors are to be utilized, the following must be provided:

1. Subcontractor assignment summary. In no more than two (2) pages, identify any subcontractor that may be utilized, and describe what work would be assigned to the subcontractor. Specifically address whether the work could be completed by Vendor’s internal staff if the subcontract was terminated for any reason.

2. Complete and submit Exhibit C: Diverse Business Inclusion Plan. Vendors who do not submit a Diverse Business Inclusion Plan will be precluded from utilizing subcontractors.

a. Exhibit C is not required if Vendor does not intend to use subcontractors.

Any Contractors that use subcontractors must comply with the reporting requirements described in section 2.8 Subcontractor participation monitoring and reporting.

D. Related Information (Mandatory)

1. If the Vendor contracted with the state of Washington during the past 24 months, indicate the name of the agency, the contract number and project description and/or other information available to identify the contract.

2. If a member of the Vendor’s staff was an employee of the state of Washington during the past 24 months, or is currently a Washington State employee, identify the individual by name, the agency previously or currently employed by, job title or position held and separation date.

3. If the Vendor has had a contract terminated for default in the last five years, describe such incident. Termination for default is defined as notice to stop performance due to the Vendor’s non-performance or poor performance and the issue of performance was either (a) not litigated due to inaction on the part of the Vendor, or (b) litigated and such litigation determined that the Vendor was in default.

4. Submit full details of the terms for default including the other party's name, address, and phone number. Present the Vendor’s position on the matter. The OIC will evaluate the facts and may, at its sole discretion, reject the proposal on the grounds of the past experience. If no such termination for default has been experienced by the Vendor in the past five years, so indicate.

E. References (Mandatory)

List names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses of three (3) business references for the Vendor and three (3) business references for the lead staff person for whom work has been accomplished and briefly describes the type of service provided.

Do not include current OIC staff as references.

As a part of the reference list, the Vendor and the lead staff person must grant permission to the OIC to contact the references and others who may have pertinent information regarding the Vendor’s and the lead staff person’s qualifications and

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3.4 Supplier Diversity (if applicable)

A. Certification Vendors that submit proof of certification with either the Washington State Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises, or the Washington Department of Veteran’s Affairs will receive five (5) Supplier Diversity Certification points in their evaluation.

A full point scoring breakdown is below in section 4.2 Evaluation and weighting.

3.5 Cost Proposal (Scored)

The evaluation process is designed to award this procurement not necessarily to the Vendor of least cost, but rather to the Vendor whose proposal best meets the requirements of this RFP.

However, Vendors are encouraged to submit proposals which are consistent with state government efforts to conserve state resources.

OIC has allotted two hundred fifty thousand ($350,000.00) dollars to this project.

A. Identification of Costs (Scored)

The contract resulting from this RFP will be paid on a deliverables basis. Submit a fully detailed and fully loaded budget broken into discrete deliverables. OIC will not consider cost proposals for time and materials.

The budget must account for all staff costs and any expenses necessary to accomplish the tasks and to produce the deliverables under the contract.

Contractors are required to collect and pay Washington state sales and use taxes, as applicable.

Costs for subcontractors are to be broken out separately. Please note if any subcontractors are certified by the Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises.

B. Computation

The score for the cost proposal will be computed by using the fully loaded cost. The lowest cost received will be divided by the Vendor’s total cost. Then the resultant number will be multiplied by the maximum possible points for the cost section.

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Evaluation and contract award

4.1 Proposal Responsiveness and Vendor Responsibility

Proposals will be reviewed – on a pass/fail basis – to determine whether the proposal is ‘responsive’ to this RFP. This means that the RFP Coordinator will review each proposal to determine whether the proposal is complete – i.e., does the proposal include each of the required proposal submittals, are the submittals complete, signed, legible. The RFP Coordinator reserves the right to determine whether a proposal is responsive – i.e., to determine a Vendor’s compliance with the requirements specified in this Competitive Solicitation and to waive informalities in a proposal. An informality is an immaterial variation from the exact requirements of the Competitive Solicitation, having no effect or merely a minor or negligible effect on quality, quantity, or delivery of the goods or the quality, capability, or performance of the services being procured, and the correction or waiver of which would not affect the relative standing of, or be otherwise prejudicial, to bidders.

The RFP Coordinator reserves the right to:

Request clarification regarding any proposal Waive any informality Reject any or all proposals, or portions thereof Accept any portion of the proposal unless the Vendor stipulates all or nothing in their proposal Cancel the Competitive Solicitation and, if desired, re-solicit proposals; and/or Negotiate with the lowest responsive and responsible Vendor(s) to determine if such proposal can be improved.

For responsive proposals, the RFP Coordinator must determine whether the proposer is a ‘responsible proposer.’ Accordingly, the RFP Coordinator will make reasonable inquiry to determine proposer responsibility on a pass/fail basis. In determining Vendor responsibility, the RFP Coordinator will consider the following statutory elements:

Vendor’s ability, capacity, and skill to perform the contract or provide the service required

Vendor’s character, integrity, reputation, judgment, experience, and efficiency Vendor’s ability to perform the contract within the time specified Vendor’s performance quality pertaining to previous contracts or services Vendor’s compliance with laws relating to the contract or services Such other information as may be secured having a bearing on the decision to award the

Contract

4.2 Evaluation procedure

Responsive proposals will be evaluated strictly in accordance with the requirements stated in this solicitation and any addenda issued. The evaluation of proposals shall be accomplished by an evaluation team to be designated by the OIC, which will determine the ranking of the proposals.

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OIC, at its sole discretion, may also elect to select the top-scoring Vendors as finalists for an oral presentation.

The RFP Coordinator may contact the Vendor for clarification of any portion of the Vendor’s proposal.

4.3 Evaluation weighting and scoring

The following weighting and points will be assigned to the proposal for evaluation purposes:

Technical Proposal - 45% 45 points Management Proposal – 40% 40 points Cost Proposal – 10% 10 points Supplier Diversity Certification – 5% 5 points TOTAL – 100% 100 points

4.4 Oral presentations may be required

Oral presentations, if considered necessary by the AGENCY, may be utilized in selecting the winning proposal. The AGENCY, at its sole discretion, may elect to select the top-scoring Vendor(s) from the written evaluation for an oral presentation and contact the top-scoring Vendor(s) to schedule a date, time and location for an oral presentation. Commitments made by the Vendor at the oral interview, if any, will be considered binding.

The oral presentation shall determine the apparently successful bidder.

4.5 Notification to Vendors

The OIC will notify the Apparent Successful Contractor of their selection via email upon completion of the evaluation process. Vendors whose proposals were not selected for further negotiation or award will be notified separately by email.

4.6 Debriefing of unsuccessful Vendors

Any Vendor who has submitted a proposal and been notified that they were not selected for contract award may request a debriefing. The request for a debriefing conference must be received by the RFP Coordinator within three (3) business days after the Unsuccessful Notification is emailed to the Vendor. Debriefing requests must be received by the RFP Coordinator no later than 4:30 PM, local time, in Tumwater, Washington on the third business day following the transmittal of the Unsuccessful Notification. The debriefing must be held within three (3) business days of the request.

Discussion at the debriefing conference will be limited to the following:

Evaluation and scoring of the Vendor’s proposal;

Critique of the proposal based on the evaluation;

Review of Vendor’s final score in comparison with other final scores without identifying the other proposers.

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Comparisons between proposals or evaluations of the other proposals will not be allowed.

Debriefing conferences may be conducted in person or on the telephone and will be scheduled for a maximum of one hour.

4.7 Protest procedure

Protests may be made only by Vendors who submitted a response to this RFP and who have participated in a debriefing conference. Upon completing the debriefing conference, the Vendor is allowed three (3) business days to file a protest of the acquisition with the RFP Coordinator.

Protests must be received by the RFP Coordinator no later than 4:30 PM, local time, in Tumwater, Washington on the third business day following the debriefing. Protests may be submitted by e-mail, but must then be followed by the document with an original signature.

Vendors protesting this procurement shall follow the procedures described below. Protests that do not follow these procedures shall not be considered. This protest procedure constitutes the sole administrative remedy available to Vendors under this procurement.

All protests must be in writing, via email, addressed to the RFP Coordinator, and signed by the protesting party or an authorized Agent. The protest must state the RFP number, the grounds for the protest with specific facts and complete statements of the action(s) being protested. A description of the relief or corrective action being requested should also be included.

Only protests stipulating an issue of fact concerning the following subjects shall be considered:

A matter of bias, discrimination or conflict of interest on the part of an evaluator;

Errors in computing the score;

Non-compliance with procedures described in the RFP or OIC policy.

Protests not based on procedural matters will not be considered. Protests will be rejected as without merit if they address issues such as: 1) an evaluator’s professional judgment on the quality of a proposal, or 2) OIC’S assessment of its own and/or other agencies needs or requirements.

Upon receipt of a protest, a protest review will be held by the OIC. The Chief Deputy Insurance Commissioner of OIC (Chief Deputy) or an employee delegated by the Chief Deputy who was not involved in the procurement will consider the record and all available facts and issue a decision within five (5) business days of receipt of the protest. If additional time is required, the protesting party will be notified of the delay.

In the event a protest may affect the interest of another Vendor that also submitted a proposal, such Vendor will be given an opportunity to submit its views and any relevant information on the protest to the RFP Coordinator.

The final determination of the protest shall:

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Find the protest lacking in merit and uphold the OIC’s action; or Find only technical or harmless errors in the OIC’s acquisition process and determine the OIC to be in substantial compliance and reject the protest; or Find merit in the protest and provide the OIC options which may include:

--Correct the errors and re-evaluate all proposals, and/or --Reissue the solicitation document and begin a new process, or --Make other findings and determine other courses of action as appropriate.

If the OIC determines that the protest is without merit, the OIC will enter into a contract with the Apparent Successful Contractor.