RFP27006984 Scope of Work.pdf

RFP - AGENCY SOLICITATION SPECIFICATIONS

TITLE: RFP27006984 Analytical Laboratory Inspection Services

SECTION A. BACKGROUND

The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), Division of State Health Laboratories, is soliciting proposals from qualified Vendors to provide Analytical Laboratory inspection services.

The initial contract period will begin approximately November 1, 2026. Contracts may be renewed for up to four (4) additional 12-month periods based on vendor performance and the availability of funds. Multiple vendors may be accepted in response to this solicitation.

Inspections of the state’s twenty-three (23) analytical laboratories and three (3) cannabis analytical laboratories is of paramount importance. Pursuant to Title 23, Chapter 23-16.2-4 of the RI General Laws, as amended, “It shall be unlawful for any analytical laboratory to perform testing or analyses of samples originating in this state, for which the Department requires certification, without obtaining certification. Certification for specific analytes and methods shall be required for laboratory testing of potable water, non-potable water and environmental samples for lead content.” In addition, pursuant to Title 21, Chapter 21-28.6-16 of the RI General Laws, as amended, “Medical marijuana cultivators shall be subject to any regulations promulgated by the department of health or department of business regulation that specify how marijuana must be tested for items, including, but not limited to, potency, cannabinoid profile, and contaminants.”

The proper operation of laboratories within RI is a matter of vital concern to the health and safety of the state. The determination and enforcement of proper standards is necessary to ensure the qualifications and competence of personnel in the laboratories and to ensure the adequacy of equipment and facilities. Quality assurance programs are required for the operation of analytical laboratories in order to promote the general welfare of the state.

RIDOH is seeking expert consultant services for the Division of Laboratories, Center for Environmental Sciences, relative to on-site inspections of municipal, commercial analytical laboratories and cannabis analytical laboratories. Significant emphasis will be placed on experience in theory and practice relative to the oversight and/or inspection of environmental laboratories. Individuals who can demonstrate knowledge, experience and accomplishments in this area are encouraged to submit a proposal in response to this request. Consultants must have successfully completed the Certification Officers Training Course offered by EPA in the field of inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry and/or microbiology and must provide such proof in the proposal.

The consultant will report to the Certification Officer at the State Health Laboratories.

SECTION B: SCOPE OF WORK AND REQUIREMENTS

The successful vendor(s) shall

1. Conduct 6-8 on-site inspections per year of analytical laboratories under the certification authority of the Rhode Island Department of Health, Division of Laboratories, according to the Standard Operating Procedure for On-site Inspections of Analytical Laboratories (SOP CERT01) and On-site inspections Cannabis Laboratories. These 6-8 inspections are to be conducted using:

a. the requirements set forth in the current edition of the Manual for the Certification of

Laboratories Analyzing Drinking Water, Fifth Edition (EPA 815-R-05-004);

b. the Rules and regulations for Certifying Analytical Laboratories (R23-16.2-A/LAB);

c. EPA promulgated methods for analysis of drinking water and/or wastewater;

d. the checklist provided in the Manual for the Certification of Laboratories Analyzing

Drinking Water and the applicable checklists approved for use by the Certification Officer.

e. the Rules and regulations for Licensing Analytical Laboratories for Sampling and Testing Cannabis (216-RICR-60-05-6);

2. Prepare and submit to the RI Department of Health Certification Officer detailed reports relative to inspection results, including a report of deviations for each inspected laboratory, based on the on-site visit. The report may include defensible negative findings, which support cited deviations from the standards in the Manual for the Certification of Laboratories Analyzing Drinking Water or required by the state or federal regulations and recommended corrective action(s).

3. Review and critique the laboratories’ corrective action plans and evidence of undertaken corrective action, when requested to do so by the Certification Officer, to determine if the plans represent reasonable measures to correct the cited deviations.

4. Recommend to the Certification Officer the granting or denial of certification for specific categories and certification for specific methods and analytes.

5. Coordinate the schedule of inspections with the Certification Officer. Time allotted for the surveys shall consist of the following:

a. a review of the pertinent information as required by SOP CERT01 prior to the on-site visit as necessary to determine the scope of the inspection;

b. the on-site inspection based on laboratory size and scope of certification;

c. preparation of the on-site inspection report;

d. a follow-up on-site visit when necessary, and

e. review of corrective action plans when necessary.

6. Arrange travel to and from the facility, including overnight hotel stays if approved by the

Certification Officer. The inspector must maintain mileage and odometer records and the summary of expenses must be submitted for reimbursement in a timely manner.

7. Participate in the adjudication and enforcement process if required.

It is a requirement that the consultant have successfully completed the Certification Officers Training Course offered by EPA in the field of inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry and/or microbiology and must provide such proof in the proposal.

RIDOH agrees to compensate the contractor at the proposed hourly rate for such services.

Mileage expenses will be reimbursed at the current rate effective for RI State employees, usually reflective of the current federal rate (currently at .76/mile). Overnight accommodations, if approved, will be reimbursed at the actual rates. Overnight accommodations should be made within the federal guidelines for per diem rates, found at Per Diem Rates | GSA.

RIDOH shall regularly monitor the activities under this contract. The contractor must provide access to any and all materials relevant to the evaluation and monitoring activities and requirements described herein.

The contractor shall be responsible for supervision, performance and adherence to contractual language of any and all subcontractors.

The State will retain total discretion of all administrative decisions regarding the management and billing of and/or receipts of payments for services rendered.

https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates

ANTICIPATED LOCATION LIST OF LABORATORIES: for estimation only, approximately 6-8 laboratories are to be inspected each year.

New England Testing Laboratory West Warwick, RI

RI Analytical Laboratories, Inc Warwick, RI

Eurofins Environmental Testing Northeast North Kingstown, RI

Eurofins Microbiology, Inc North Kingstown, RI

Newport Water Department Laboratory Newport, RI

Providence Water Providence, RI

Pawtucket Water Purification Facility Pawtucket, RI

Woonsocket Water Treatment Plant Woonsocket, RI

URI Watershed Watch Laboratory Kingston, RI

Narragansett Bay Commission Providence, RI

Bristol WPCF Bristol, RI

East Providence W/WW Riverside, RI

New Shoreham WPCF Block Island, RI

Cranston/Veolia North America Cranston, RI

Quonset Point WWTF North Kingstown, RI

Warren WWTF Warren, RI

Warwick Sewer Authority Warwick, RI

Burrillville WWTF Oakland, RI

Blount Seafood Corporation Warren, RI

Newport WPCF Newport, RI

Manchester Street LLC Providence, RI

Westerly WWTP Westerly, RI

PureVita Labs West Warwick, RI

CannalyticsRI LLC West Warwick, RI

Lifted Testing Warwick, RI

CONTRACTOR QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Possession of a Bachelor’s Degree is required, and consultants must have successfully completed the Certification Officers Training Course offered by the EPA in the field of inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry and/or microbiology.

2. Contractor(s) must be experienced in theory and practice of state oversight of environmental laboratories.

3. Contractor(s) must have at least three (3) years of experience in conducting on-site inspections of environmental laboratories testing drinking water, wastewater and/or solid/hazardous waste for chemical and microbiological contaminant is required.

4. Contractor(s) must have sufficient liability coverage as referenced in this solicitation.

SECTION C: PROPOSAL

1. Technical Proposal Narrative and format: Vendors must submit a technical proposal which addresses each of the following elements and is limited to six (6) pages (this excludes any appendices and as appropriate, resumes of key staff that will provide services covered by this request):\

A. Staff Qualifications – Provide staff resumes/CV and describe qualifications and experience of key staff who will be involved in this project, including their experience in inspections of commercial and municipal laboratories. Include copy of Certification of Completion for the EPA’s Officer Training Course.

B. Capability, Capacity, and Qualifications of the Vendor - Please provide a detailed description of the Vendor’s experience as a laboratory inspector. List a minimum of three (3) relevant client references, to include client names, addresses, contact names with emails and phone numbers, dates of service and type(s) of service(s) provided.

C. Work Plan - Please describe in detail, the framework within which requested laboratory inspection services will be performed. The following elements should be included: Checklists which refer to specific standards and regulations, personal notes, summary of findings and recommendations.

D. Approach/Methodology – Define the methodology to be used for verifying compliance/non-compliance with regulations and documentation. Describe inspection methodology, including any pre-and post-inspection duties.

2. Cost Proposal

Detailed Budget and Budget Narrative:

Budget must include hourly rate for inspection services, anticipated in-state mileage and out-of-state travel expenses. Cost proposal for this RFP will be evaluated on hourly inspection only, as in-state mileage is fixed and hotel cannot be determined prior to inspection.

Laboratory Inspection Services Hourly rate $ In-State Mileage Based on current federal/state rate of .76 mile Out-of-state travel Reimbursed at actual rates.

Preferred hotels at federal per diem rates.

The vendor must prepare a cost proposal reflecting the proposed scope of services. This is a reimbursement-based contract by which the Vendor will be reimbursed by RIDOH.

Administrative costs are not allowed.

The State does not guarantee any number of inspections or payments to any specific vendor. Up to two vendors may be chosen for this solicitation, based on final scores.

3. ISBE Proposal

See Appendix A on the “Overview” tab in Ocean State Procures™ for information and the MBE, WBE and/or Disability Business Enterprise Participation Plan form(s). Vendors are required to complete, sign and submit these forms with their overall proposal. Please complete separate forms for each MBE, WBE, and/or Disability Business Enterprise subcontractor to be utilized on the solicitation.

SECTION D: EVALUATION AND SELECTION - SOLICITATION SPECIFIC

Proposals will be evaluated by a Technical Review Committee, which will be comprised of state government staff, as required by state procurement policies.

Applications will be evaluated competitively by the Technical Review Committee for adherence to the RFP. Points will be assigned based on the offeror’s clear demonstration of his/her abilities to complete the work, apply appropriate methods to complete the work, create innovative solutions and quality of past performance in similar projects.

The following list outlines the relevant evaluation items and their maximum scores.

Technical proposals must receive a minimum of 55 (78.6%) out of a maximum of 70 points to advance to the cost evaluation phase. Technical proposals scoring less than 55 points shall not have the accompanying cost or ISBE participation proposals opened or evaluated; such proposals shall not receive further consideration.

Technical proposals scoring 55 points or higher shall have the cost proposals evaluated and assigned up to a maximum of 30 points bringing the total potential evaluation score to 100 points. As total possible evaluation points are determined, vendor ISBE proposals shall be evaluated and assigned up to 6 bonus points for ISBE participation.

Proposals shall be reviewed and scored based upon the following criteria:

Criteria

Possible Points

Staff Qualifications

30 Points

Capability, Capacity, and Qualifications of the Vendor

20 Points

Work Plan 10 Points

Approach/Methodology 10 Points

Total Possible Technical Points 70 Points

Cost proposal

30 Points

Total Possible Evaluation Points 100 Points ISBE Participation 6 Bonus

Points

Total Possible Points

106 Points

Additional evaluation criteria can be found at:

• For those with an OSP account, see the “Requirements” tab of this solicitation in OSP for additional information on the evaluation and selection process in the “RFP Standard Specification” section.

• For those without an OSP account, public access to the full bid can be found at https://ridop.ri.gov/vendors/bidding-opportunities. Search for this solicitation, open the record, click on the “Print/Download Solicitation Summary” button in the upper right corner for all the solicitation requirements and supporting documents are found at the bottom of the page in the “Solicitation Attachments” section.

https://ridop.ri.gov/vendors/bidding-opportunities

SECTION D: EVALUATION AND SELECTION - SOLICITATION SPECIFIC