RFP0426

Statewide Financial System Event ID # AGM01-AFTYP3

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

for the

2027 TRANSPORTATION FOR YOUTH TO COUNTY AND LOCAL

FAIRS PROGRAM

Release Request for Proposals (RFP) October 8, 2026

Informational Workshop October 20, 2026, 12:00 p.m.

Questions Due November 4, 2026, 4:00 p.m.

Final Questions & Answers Posted November 12, 2026

Deadline for Proposals December 1, 2026, 4:00 p.m.

Announcement of Grant Awards February 2027

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Overview

1.2 Questions & Answers

1.3 Eligible Applicants

1.4 Available Funding

2 PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

2.1 Eligible Projects

2.2 Project Duration

2.3 Eligible Costs

2.4 Ineligible Costs

3 PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

3.1 SFS Grants Management System

3.2 Completing an Application

4 PROPOSAL EVALUATION & AWARDS

4.1 Receipt of Proposals

4.2 Scoring Criteria

4.3 Awards

4.4 Debriefing

5 PROJECT REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

5.1 Reimbursement Reports

5.2 Final Report

6 CONTRACTS & PAYMENT TERMS

6.1 Contracts

6.2 State of New York Contract for Grants

6.3 Payment

6.4 Worker’s Compensation and Disability Insurance

6.5 Liability

7 CONSIDERATIONS

7.1 Reserved Rights

7.2 Freedom of Information

RFP0426 – 2027 Transportation for Youth to County and Local Fairs Program

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Overview

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (the “Department”) is pleased to announce the availability of funds for the 2027 Transportation for Youth to New York State County and Local Fairs Competitive Grants Program (the “Program”). This Program will provide funding for transportation and related costs to bring participating youth groups to their county and local fairs during the 2027 fair season.

There are over 50 annual county and local fairs for the promotion of agriculture and domestic arts operating throughout New York State pursuant to Article 24 of the New York Agriculture and Markets Law (hereinafter “county and local fairs”). County and local fairs are a longstanding piece of the fabric of New York State agriculture and play a vital role in allowing youth to explore and learn about agriculture. This Program will increase youth attendance at county and local fairs with the goal of enhancing youth participation in, and appreciation of, agriculture and the domestic arts. Successful projects will showcase local agriculture and expose young people to the fair atmosphere creating meaningful, long-lasting memories. Increased attendance at county and local fairs supports local agriculture and the economy.

APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED via the Statewide Financial System Grants Management System (SFS GM) to be considered for funding. The name for this opportunity is “2027 Transportation for Youth to New York State County and Local Fairs” and the Grant Opportunity ID is AGM – AFTYP3.

Proposals are due Tuesday, December 1, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. Late proposals will not be accepted.

1.2 Questions & Answers

All questions about this RFP must be submitted in writing (fax or e-mail) to:

Kathryn Davis NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets 10B Airline Drive Albany, NY 12235 Fax: (518) 457- 2716 E-mail: Fairs@agriculture.ny.gov

All questions must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. on November 4, 2026. Applicants must note that all clarifications are to be resolved prior to the submission of a proposal. A list of questions about the Program which are received from potential applicants, and answers to those questions, as well as any changes, additions or deletions to the RFP, will be posted in the Funding Opportunities section of the Department’s website at https://agriculture.ny.gov/funding-opportunities on or before November 12, 2026. Such official addenda are the only authorized method used to communicate substantive information, including the clarification or modification of the timeline, terms, or other requirements of this RFP.

mailto:Fairs@agriculture.ny.gov https://agriculture.ny.gov/funding-opportunities

All potential applicants are responsible for keeping informed of any revisions to this RFP.

All addenda shall be incorporated into the RFP which will be part of the awarded contract.

A non-mandatory Informational Workshop will be held via Webex. Details for accessing the workshop are as follows:

Webinar topic: 2027 Transportation for Youth to County and Local Fairs Program Date and time: Tuesday, October 20, 2026 12:00 PM | (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) Register link: https://meetny-gov.webex.com/meetny-gov/j.php?MTID=m51f127cb41d66a45c08afb73edd57cdf A recording of the workshop will be posted with the RFP in the Funding Opportunities section of the Department’s website.

1.3 Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants include:

• agricultural and horticultural corporations that sponsor an annual fair or exposition for the promotion of agriculture and domestic arts and receive premium reimbursements pursuant to Article 24 of the New York State Agriculture and Markets Law;

• county extension service associations;

• municipalities;

• not-for-profit corporations; and

• Indian tribal organizations.

PLEASE NOTE: All not-for-profit applicants must be pre-qualified in the Statewide Financial System (SFS) at the time the application is submitted for their application to be eligible for review. See Section 3 of this RFP for information on how to register and prequalify in SFS. Registration and pre-qualification may take several weeks to complete, it is recommended to start the process as soon as possible.

1.4 Available Funding

A total of $475,000 is available under this RFP. Applicants may apply for only one grant pursuant to this RFP. Applicants can apply for up to $25,000.

2 PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

2.1 Eligible Projects

Eligible projects must involve organizing and providing transportation for youth to local and county fairs. Projects must focus on enhancing agricultural awareness and providing agricultural education to participants. Youth participants should be exposed to stories and experiences of local agriculture with the goal of expanding their knowledge of the agriculture industry in New York and making them aware that some of the best agriculture https://meetny-gov.webex.com/meetny-gov/j.php?MTID=m51f127cb41d66a45c08afb73edd57cdf https://meetny-gov.webex.com/meetny-gov/j.php?MTID=m51f127cb41d66a45c08afb73edd57cdf in the world is grown right here in New York State. Other project goals will be to encourage youth who may not be exposed to agriculture in their daily lives to explore agricultural education opportunities in their schools or communities and to consider a career in agriculture.

Eligible projects must involve a visit to one or more county and local fairs that can be found here: www.nyfairs.org/find-that-fair.

Funds can be used for transportation costs, the cost of entry to the fairs (if applicable), providing lunch to participants, developing and delivering agricultural educational programming to participants, and marketing activities that are directly related to this Program.

Proposed work plans should address how the project will increase agricultural awareness and education among participants. The applicant should also address who will be responsible for youth supervision while at the fair including plans for an adequate number of chaperones.

2.2 Project Duration

The project must be proposed for implementation during the 2027 county and local fair season. Successful proposals will be awarded a contract with a term beginning February 15, 2027 and ending October 1, 2027.

2.3 Eligible Costs

Grant funds may be used for any of the following purposes directly related to completion of an eligible project, including but not limited to:

• salaries and wages;

• contractual services;

• staff training;

• transportation related costs;

• supplies and equipment;

• fair entry and midway fees;

• food and activity vouchers;

• catering; and/or

• consumer marketing campaigns directly related to this Program.

If rides are not included in general admission, they can account for no more than 50% of the total budget. Efforts should be made to obtain group rates or other discounts for midway and/or ride expenses.

2.4 Ineligible Costs

Grant funds may not be used for the following costs:

• any cost unrelated to the eligible project;

https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyfairs.org%2Ffind-that-fair&data=05%7C02%7CKevin.McGarry%40agriculture.ny.gov%7C46cadf87fd584ea5a46808df23bf99de%7Cf46cb8ea79004d108ceb80e8c1c81ee7%7C0%7C0%7C639268977952930009%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=zzDQbOqqP6luHpFwNG0O9vH3L7%2B8HYPGPnNCzMpK3jI%3D&reserved=0

• vehicle purchase;

• indirect and overhead costs;

• fringe benefits;

• marketing expenses not directly related to an eligible project;

• permanent signage; and/or

• any cost incurred prior to February 15, 2027.

3 PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

3.1 SFS Grants Management System

All proposals must be submitted online through the Statewide Financial System (SFS) Grants Management System by 4:00 p.m. local time on December 1, 2026.

Applicants, and not computers or servers, are responsible for the timely submission of proposals. Proposals received after the scheduled date and time will NOT be accepted.

Faxed, mailed or e-mailed proposals will NOT be accepted.

3.1.1 Accessing the SFS Grants Management System

Applicants must be registered in SFS to apply for this grant opportunity. If your organization is registered as a vendor in SFS and you have access to login to the SFS Vendor Portal, log into SFS and select the Apply for Grant button to access Grants Management.

If you do not have access to the SFS Vendor Portal but your organization is registered as a vendor in SFS, an SFS Delegated Administrator has been authorized within your organization to provide user login credentials, unlock accounts, or reset passwords.

Please reach out to your organization’s SFS Delegated Administrator directly.

If your organization is not registered as a vendor in SFS or if your organization is already an SFS vendor but has not been provided access to Grants Management send a complete Grants Management Registration Form for Statewide Financial System (SFS) Vendors and accompanying documentation where required by email to grantsmanagement@its.ny.gov. Organizations are notified by email once registration is complete.

NOTE: New York State Grants Management reserves 5-10 business days from the receipt of complete materials to process a registration request. Due to the length of time this process could take to complete, it is advised that new registrants send in their registration form as soon as possible. Failure to register early enough may prevent potential applicants from being able to complete a grant application on time.

3.1.2 Pre-Qualification in SFS

In addition to being registered in SFS, all not-for-profit organizations that intend to submit a proposal in response to this RFP must be prequalified in SFS by the date and time applications are due. Municipalities are exempt from pre-qualification.

https://esupplier.sfs.ny.gov/psc/fscm/SUPPLIER/ERP/c/NUI_FRAMEWORK.PT_LANDINGPAGE.GBL?lp=ERP.SUPPLIER.NY_SUP_PUB_HOMEPG_FL https://esupplier.sfs.ny.gov/psc/fscm/SUPPLIER/ERP/c/NUI_FRAMEWORK.PT_LANDINGPAGE.GBL?lp=ERP.SUPPLIER.NY_SUP_PUB_HOMEPG_FL https://esupplier.sfs.ny.gov/psc/fscm/SUPPLIER/ERP/c/NUI_FRAMEWORK.PT_LANDINGPAGE.GBL?lp=ERP.SUPPLIER.NY_SUP_PUB_HOMEPG_FL https://esupplier.sfs.ny.gov/psc/fscm/SUPPLIER/ERP/c/NUI_FRAMEWORK.PT_LANDINGPAGE.GBL?lp=ERP.SUPPLIER.NY_SUP_PUB_HOMEPG_FL https://grantsmanagement.ny.gov/grants-management-registration-form-statewide-financial-system https://grantsmanagement.ny.gov/grants-management-registration-form-statewide-financial-system mailto:grantsmanagement@its.ny.gov

If you are a not-for-profit organization your proposal will be rejected and not considered for funding under this RFP if your organization is not prequalified in SFS by the date and time applications are due.

To prequalify, a not-for-profit organization must first register with SFS and complete an online Prequalification Application. This includes answering basic questions regarding the organization and uploading key organizational documents. For more information regarding the pre-qualification process, please view the Prequalification Manual for Grantees.

Once prequalified, it is the responsibility of not-for-profit organizations to maintain prequalification. Three of a not-for-profit organization’s essential financial documents – the IRS990, Financial Statement, and Charities Bureau filing – expire on an annual basis.

A not-for-profit organization must upload current versions of these documents and submit an updated prequalification application for review and approval each year to maintain prequalification. Not-for-profit organizations are provided a full 10.5 months from the end of their fiscal year to provide a current IRS990 or Financial Statement without the interim requirement of uploading extension requests.

Note: New York State reserves 5-10 business days from the receipt of complete prequalification applications to conduct its review. If supplementary information or updates are required, review times will be longer. Due to the length of time this process could take to complete, it is advised that not-for-profit organizations prequalify as soon as possible. Failure to successfully complete the prequalification process early enough may result in a grant application being disqualified.

3.1.3 Technical Assistance with SFS

Resources available to help grant applicants apply for grants in SFS are available on the Grants Management website at the following web address:

https://grantsmanagement.ny.gov/resources-grant-applicants.

Information for live help desk support can be found at https://grantsmanagement.ny.gov/contact-sfs.

3.2 Completing an Application

Applicants must respond to each of the sections as provided in the Grant Opportunity posted in SFS to create a proposal to be submitted to the Department. Each proposal will be comprised of the applicant’s responses to the “Applicant Questions” (including required attachments), completion of a proposed Work Plan, and completion of a Budget for the proposed project. Applicant text responses are limited to 2,000 characters.

Applicant responses requiring an attachment are limited to PDF attachments with a maximum size of 20 MB.

Please Note: Waiting until the last several days to complete your application online is not recommended, as you may have technical questions. Beginning the process of applying https://grantsmanagement.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2023/12/january-2024-grantee-prequalification-manual.pdf https://grantsmanagement.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2023/12/january-2024-grantee-prequalification-manual.pdf https://grantsmanagement.ny.gov/resources-grant-applicants https://grantsmanagement.ny.gov/contact-sfs as soon as possible will produce the best results. Late applications will not be accepted.

Applications will not be accepted via fax, e-mail, hardcopy, or hand delivery.

3.2.1 Applicant Questions:

1. Provide a background of your organization which demonstrates commitment to youth development and agricultural education.

2. Provide a clear, concise description of your project including which fair(s), youth group(s), and the number of youths that will be involved.

3. How will the proposed project increase youth attendance at county and local fairs?

4. How will the proposed project promote and encourage youth engagement and involvement in local agriculture?

5. How will the proposed project provide engaging and meaningful agricultural education to participating youth?

6. What are the anticipated positive impacts on county and local fairs and local youths?

7. Provide a timeline for the proposed project that outlines the specific activities, when each activity will occur, and who is responsible for completing each activity.

8. What is the anticipated increase in youth attendance at county and local fairs and how will results be measured?

9. What is the anticipated increase in youth exhibitors at county and local fairs and how will results be measured?

10. Describe your outreach strategies to engage the public and partnering organizations throughout the proposed project.

11. Describe how the community in which the proposed project is located will be, or has been, engaged in project planning and implementation.

12. Please provide the names and titles of the key members of your organization and their role in the proposed project.

13. Describe your organization’s experience in grant administration, youth development, agricultural education, event planning, developing and fostering project partnerships and/or conducting community outreach.

14. Do you have outside partners and what is their role in the project?

15. Provide commitment letters from partnering businesses, organizations, and/or producers.

3.2.2 Proposed Project Budget

Applicants will provide the amount requested for each budget category and a narrative that describes the proposed expenses. The Personal Services category should only be used for the applicant’s staff time. Any other personal services should be described in the Contractual category. Equipment budget lines do not need to include specific models but should describe the general type of equipment and use. Additional detail regarding each expenditure should be provided in the Narrative section for each budget category.

3.2.3 Writing the Work Plan

Applicants will describe their proposed Work Plan through the identification of “Objectives, Tasks and Performance Measures” in the SFS Grants Management System.

The Objective of the 2027 Transportation for Youth to County and Local Fairs Competitive Grants Program is to:

“Increase youth attendance at county and local fairs with the goal of enhancing youth participation in, and appreciation of, agriculture and the domestic arts while showcasing and educating youth about local agriculture.”

A wide variety of tasks may be proposed to meet this objective. Examples of some possible tasks intended to meet this objective include, but are not limited to:

1. Contract with a bus company to provide transportation for youth groups to get to and from their county or local fair.

2. Partner with a local restaurant to provide lunch for youth attendees.

3. Partner with Cornell Cooperative Extension to develop an educational component or programming to deliver to youth attendees.

4. Develop a marketing campaign to encourage youth participation in the Program.

5. Partner with a local 4-H or FFA group to have them act as guides and explain their projects and how youth can get involved.

These “tasks” are intended as suggestions. Proposals may include these tasks or other tasks not listed to meet the overall objective. Each task must be accompanied by one or more performance measure(s).

Identify at least one performance measure per task. Performance measures should be clearly defined results against which the project can be objectively evaluated.

4 PROPOSAL EVALUATION & AWARDS

4.1 Receipt of Proposals

The Department will first screen applications to ensure that they meet all eligibility and proposal completeness requirements. All proposals deemed eligible by the Department will be competitively rated by evaluator(s) designated by the Department.

4.2 Scoring Criteria

A total of 100 points are available based on the following scoring criteria which will be used by the evaluators in rating proposals:

4.2.1 Project Description (20 points)

1. Is there a complete description of which fair(s), youth groups, and the number of youths that will be involved? (5 pts)

2. How well does the project address the increase in youth attendance at local and county fairs? (5 pts)

3. How well does the project promote youth engagement and involvement in local agriculture? (5 pts)

4. Does the project adequately provide participating youth with meaningful and engaging agricultural education? (5 pts)

4.2.2 Work Plan (20 points)

1. Is there a clear and detailed description of the work plan including a timeline?

(5 pts)

2. What are the specific tasks involved in the project? Is the explanation of each task thorough and sufficiently detailed? (5 pts)

3. Is the party responsible for completing each task specified? (5 pts)

4. Will the work plan reasonably achieve the desired outcomes of the Program?

(5 pts)

4.2.3 Reasonableness of Cost (20 Points)

1. Are the project costs detailed and reasonable for the proposed activities? (10 pts)

2. Is the project impact proportional to the budget requested? The relation between project cost and anticipated increase in youth attendance and engagement in agriculture at local and county fairs is described and reasonable. (10 pts)

4.2.4 Project Benefits (25 points)

1. To what extent will the project increase youth attendance at county and local fairs? (10 pts)

2. To what extent will the project increase youth engagement in agriculture at local and county fairs. (5 pts)

3. To what extent will the project’s agricultural education provide lasting benefits to youth participants. (5 pts)

4. Project has additional significant anticipated benefits as described and identified by the applicant. (5 pts)

4.2.5 Organizational Capacity and Personnel (10 points)

Is the full project team described and equipped to successfully carryout the project? What degree of experience do the key persons involved in the project have in grant administration, event organization, developing and fostering project partnerships and/or conducting educational initiatives to New York State youths?

Are the individuals responsible for youth supervision identified and is the supervision plan adequate? (10 pts)

4.2.6 Outside Support (5 points)

What is the level of project support from the local fair(s) and project partners? Are the project partners and fair(s) specified? Is the support they will provide specified?

Are letters of support included? Is there significant engagement with outside partners to make the project successful? (5 pts)

4.3 Awards

Evaluation Process Proposals will be evaluated based on each of the scoring criteria outlined in Section 4.2.

Evaluators’ final scores will be averaged, and proposals will be ranked by their average final score from highest to lowest.

The maximum available score is 100 points. All scores will be recorded using whole numbers (no decimals). All projects receiving average scores at or above 65 will be considered worthy of funding; all projects scoring below 65 will not be recommended for funding, regardless of funding availability.

Funding of Proposals Awards will be made in order of rank, from the highest score to the lowest score, until the scoring threshold has been reached or the $475,000 in available funds is exhausted.

Only one proposal per county will be awarded funding, unless enough funding is available to award multiple proposals per county. If multiple proposals are received from within the same county, the proposals will be ranked by their average final score from highest to lowest, with the highest ranked proposal receiving funding. We encourage organizations located within the same county to partner together on projects to the extent possible.

Should there be areas of New York State where no eligible proposals are ranked high enough to receive funding after completing the above evaluation utilizing the Application Form and criteria set forth in it, a total of five additional points per proposal may, at the discretion of the Department, be awarded to help achieve geographic diversity for the Program.

The following 10 regions will be used for this purpose:

Western New York: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Niagara.

Finger Lakes: Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, Yates.

Southern Tier: Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Delaware, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins.

Central New York: Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, Oswego.

Mohawk Valley: Fulton, Herkimer, Montgomery, Oneida, Otsego, Schoharie.

North Country: Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence.

Capital Region: Albany, Columbia, Greene, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Warren, Washington.

Mid-Hudson: Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, Westchester.

New York City: Bronx, Kings, New York, Richmond, Queens.

Long Island: Nassau, Suffolk.

Final Ranking of Proposals

After ensuring geographic diversity to the extent feasible, proposals will be ranked again in order from highest score to lowest score to create the final ranked list of proposals.

Tie Breaker If two or more proposals have the same final score and there are not enough available funds remaining to fully fund each of the proposals, then the proposals to be awarded funding shall be determined by the following tie-breaking procedure (in order of priority sequence).

First Category – If only one of the tied proposals is requesting funds that are less than or equal to the remaining funds then that proposal will be funded. (For example: remaining funds = $20,000, proposal #1 requests $15,000, proposal #2 requests $25,000. Proposal #1 would get funded.)

Second Category – If more than one of the tied proposals is requesting funds that are less than or equal to the remaining funds the proposal that has the lowest percentage of the total budget allocated for midway/ride expenses will be funded.

4.4 Debriefing

Upon request, the Department will provide a debriefing to any unsuccessful applicant as to the reasons the proposal submitted was not selected for an award. To request a review of an unsuccessful application, contact the Kathryn Davis, via e-mail at:

Fairs@agriculture.ny.gov. A debriefing must be requested within 15 calendar days of the date of the notice of non-award.

An unsuccessful applicant may protest a non-award by filing a protest in writing with the Department within 10 business days of notice of the contract award, or within 5 days of the debriefing if one has been requested, whichever is later. Protests must contain specific factual and/or legal allegations setting forth the basis on which the protesting party challenges the non-award decision by the Department.

5 PROJECT REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The Department will monitor contract performance and reserves the right to modify reporting requirements during the project term.

5.1 Reimbursement Reports

A Reimbursement Request Report summarizing work completed and spending on the project shall accompany each Claim for Payment submitted for reimbursement of project expenses. A Reimbursement Request Report template will be provided by the Department to generate the reports.

5.2 Final Report

A Final Report will be required within 60 days following completion of the project. A Final Report template will be provided by the Department to generate the report. The Final Report shall include a detailed description of the work completed; an assessment of the potential for future viability of the project; and a description of problems encountered, if any, which affected completion of the project. In addition, to the Final Report, the Department reserves the right to conduct a follow-up survey of funded projects to determine long-term impacts.

6 CONTRACTS & PAYMENT TERMS

6.1 Contracts

A contract defining all terms and conditions and responsibilities of the awardee will be developed by the Department after funds have been awarded. The contract will incorporate the work plan and budget included in the awardee’s project proposal, among its provisions.

6.2 State of New York Contract for Grants

New York State has developed a standard contract for grants that is required for all state grant contracts. The State of New York Contract for Grants will be executed for all projects mailto:Fairs@agriculture.ny.gov awarded under the Program, and successful applicants will be responsible for complying with the terms and conditions contained therein. A sample contract will be posted with this RFP on the Department's website.

6.3 Payment

Once the Contract is fully executed, grant funds will be disbursed on a reimbursement basis. Awardees may request, at the discretion of the Department, an initial payment of up to twenty-five percent (25%) of the total grant award. The Department shall retain ten percent (10%) of the award amount to be disbursed to the Contractor upon acceptance of the Final Report. A signed New York State Claim for Payment Form must be submitted to the Department for the Contractor to be reimbursed for funds expended.

Payment to the Contractor shall only be rendered electronically unless payment by paper check is expressly authorized by the Commissioner, at the Commissioner’s sole discretion, due to extenuating circumstances. Such electronic payment shall be made in accordance with ordinary state procedures and practices. The Contractor shall comply with the OSC’s procedures for authorizing electronic payments. The Contractor acknowledges that it will not receive payment on any Claim for Payment Form submitted under this agreement if it does not comply with the OSC’s electronic payment procedures, except where the Commissioner has expressly authorized payment by paper check as set forth above.

6.4 Worker’s Compensation and Disability Insurance

New York State Workers’ Compensation Law sections 57 and 220 prohibit the Department from entering into a contract unless proof of Workers’ Compensation and Disability Insurance in a form satisfactory to the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board has been secured.

Please visit the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board website, www.wcb.ny.gov, for more information. You may contact the Board’s Bureau of Compliance with any questions related to workers’ compensation or disability insurance at (866) 298-7830.

6.5 Liability

The Department will not be held liable for any costs incurred by any party for work performed in the preparation of and production of a proposal, or for any work performed prior to the formal execution of an agreement. Any contract resulting from this RFP will not be valid, effective, or binding upon the Department, or the state until it is signed by the awardee and the Department and approved by the Attorney General and the State Comptroller.

7 CONSIDERATIONS

7.1 Reserved Rights

The Department reserves the right to:

http://www.wcb.ny.gov/

• Modify proposal submission requirements and/or change any of the scheduled dates as deemed necessary with appropriate written notice to all potential applicants.

• Prior to the deadline for proposals, amend the RFP specifications to correct errors or oversights, or to supply additional information, as it becomes available and with appropriate written notice to all potential applicants by posting amendments on the Department’s website.

• Prior to the deadline for proposals, direct applicants to submit proposal modifications addressing subsequent RFP amendments.

• Withdraw the RFP at any time, at the Department’s sole discretion.

• Reject any or all proposals received in response to this RFP.

• Make an award under the RFP in whole or in part.

• Disqualify any applicant whose conduct and/or proposal fails to conform to the requirements of the RFP.

• Seek clarifications and revisions of proposals.

• Eliminate any mandatory, non-material specifications with which all applicants cannot comply.

• Waive or modify minor irregularities in proposals received after prior notification and concurrence of the applicant.

• Waive any requirements that are not material.

• Require clarification at any time during the grant process and/or require correction of arithmetic or other apparent errors for the purpose of assuring a full and complete understanding of an applicant’s proposal and/or to determine an applicant’s compliance with the requirements of the RFP.

• Utilize any or all ideas submitted in the proposals received unless those ideas are covered by legal patent or proprietary rights.

• Negotiate with successful applicants any matter within the scope of the RFP in the best interest of the State, including but not limited to the terms of the budget.

• Make all final decisions with respect to the amount of State funding and the timing of payments to be provided to an applicant.

• Conduct a follow-up survey of funded projects to determine long-term impacts.

All proposals submitted in response to this RFP become the property of the Department upon receipt.

7.2 Freedom of Information

All proposals submitted and all related contracts and reports may be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Law.

4.3 Awards