RFQ Financial Literacy - Final.pdf

Request for Qualifications

Office of the State Treasurer and Receiver General

Address: One Ashburton Place, 12th Floor, Boston, MA 02108

Internet Address: https://www.commbuys.com;

http://www.mass.gov/treasury/about/procurements

RFQ File Name/Title: RFQ for Financial Literacy Curriculum

RFQ File Number: 19-TRE- Financial Literacy Curriculum RFQ

RFQ Contact Person: Jameel Moore, Esq., e-mail address: procurements@tre.state.ma.us

Attachments: Respondent Response Template

I. SUMMARY AND PURPOSE

The Office of the Treasurer and Receiver General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

(“Treasury”) requests responses from experienced organizations or individuals interested in providing financial literacy curriculum, related products, services and/or materials, as set forth below, to the Treasury’s Office of Economic Empowerment (“OEE”).

OEE is seeking responses to support existing financial literacy programs serving adult residents in Massachusetts. OEE currently administers the Women’s Economic Empowerment Series

(WEES), a program that delivers workshops on financial education and salary negotiations to women across Massachusetts. In January 2020 OEE will launch a statewide college savings account program whereby every child born or adopted as a Massachusetts resident will be eligible to receive a $50 deposit into a 529 college savings account. This college savings program is designed to encourage families across the Commonwealth to plan and save from the moment their child is born and will include financial education on the importance of college savings and saving early. The Office of Economic Empowerment also has programs serving veterans and seniors. Please see the Questionnaire on page fifteen (15) of the Respondent

Response Template for more detailed information about each of the programs administered by

OEE. OEE is seeking financial literacy curriculum, materials, products and services to enhance these programs, including but not limited to, digital platforms and electronically accessible financial literacy products and services.

The purpose of this Request for Qualifications (“RFQ”) is to allow the Treasury to obtain information and establish a pre-qualified list of organizations and/or individuals to provide, on an as needed basis: financial literacy curriculum, related products, services and/or materials to supplement one or all of the above-described financial literacy programs.

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An organization or individual responding to this RFQ may respond with respect to one or all of the above-listed programs offered by OEE and may ultimately be selected to provide materials, products and/or services for one or more such programs. It is the intent of the Treasury that this

RFQ result in a list of pre-qualified organizations and individuals qualified to provide financial literacy curriculum and/or services on an as needed or project-specific basis. The Treasury reserves the right to negotiate with any and all qualified organizations and individuals and to cancel in part or in its entirety the RFQ. As the purpose of this RFQ is to establish a list of pre-qualified organizations and individuals, the Treasury provides no assurance that any organization or individual chosen to be part of a pre-qualified list will be retained to provide any materials, products or services. This document will refer to organizations and individuals that respond to this RFQ as “Respondents.”

Once Respondents are pre-qualified pursuant to this RFQ, the Treasury may, but is not required to, solicit price quotes from all or some of the pre-qualified Respondents when it seeks to retain specific financial literacy curriculum materials and/or services. In any such future Request for

Quote process, the Treasury will select the response(s) that demonstrates the “Best Value” overall, including proposed alternatives that will achieve the procurement goals of the Treasury. The

Treasury may use the rates contained in the Respondent’s Cost Proposal as a starting point for each future engagement’s negotiation process.

II. GENERAL INFORMATION

To the maximum extent possible the Treasury follows the rules and regulations set forth in

801 Code of Massachusetts Regulations (“CMR”) 21.00: Procurement of Commodities and Services in this Request for Qualifications (“RFQ”). All terms, conditions, requirements and procedures included in this RFQ must be met for a response to be qualified as responsive. A response that fails to meet any material term, condition, requirement or procedure of this RFQ may be deemed unresponsive and disqualified. The

Treasury reserves the right to waive or permit cure of non-material errors or omissions.

The Treasury and the subject Procurement Management Team (“PMT”) reserves the right to modify, amend or cancel the terms of the RFQ at any time. Unless otherwise specified, all communications, responses and documentation regarding this RFQ must be in English, all measurements must be provided in feet, inches and pounds and all cost proposals or figures in U.S. Currency. All responses must be submitted in accordance with the specific terms of this RFQ.

Copies of this RFQ may be obtained electronically at COMMBUYS at http://www.commbuys.com & on the Treasury website at http://www.mass.gov/treasury/about/procurements/.

http://www.commbuys.com/ http://www.mass.gov/treasury/about/procurements/

III. RFQ CALENDAR, INSTRUCTIONS AND EVALUATION PROCESS

A. RFQ CALENDAR/TIMELINE

The following is the tentative time schedule for the Treasury’s selection of qualified

Respondents under this RFQ. All dates are subject to change by the Treasury with notice on COMMBUYS.

• Issuance of RFQ February 14, 2019

• Respondent Question Deadline February 22, 2019

• Post Answers to Respondent Questions February 26, 2019

(posted on COMMBUYS at http://commbuys.com and http://www.mass.gov/treasury)

• RFQ Respondent Submission Deadline March 7, 2019

• Notification to Pre-Qualified Respondents TBD

NOTE: Questions concerning the RFQ must be submitted to the RFQ Contact Person in writing via mail or e-mail:

Jameel Moore, Director of Procurement/Associate General Counsel

Office of the State Treasurer and Receiver General

ATTN: 19-TRE-Financial Literacy Curriculum RFQ

One Ashburton Place, 12th Floor

Boston, Massachusetts 02108

E-mail Address: procurements@tre.state.ma.us

No other employee may be contacted, and responses from such other person shall have no effect on this solicitation.

B. RFQ INSTRUCTIONS

1. Response Submission: The original, and one (1) USB stick (or equivalent USB storage device) of the Respondent’s responses and attachments must be delivered in the same sealed package no later than March 7, 2019 at 4:00 PM EDT.

THE COST PROPOSAL(S) MAY BE SUBMITTED IN THE SAME

PACKAGE AS THE REST OF THE RESPONSE, BUT MUST BE

SUBMITTED UNDER SEPARATE COVER IN A SEPARATE SEALED

ENVELOPE(S) LABELED “COST PROPOSAL”. DO NOT INCLUDE ANY

COST PROPOSALS ON THE MEMORY STICK(S) OR WITHIN THE

ORIGINAL PROPOSAL SUBMISSION. FAILURE TO MEET THIS

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REQUIREMENT MAY RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION OF THE

RESPONSE.

Responses and attachments received after this deadline date and time will not be evaluated. A facsimile or email response will not qualify as a “submission” for deadline purposes in advance of or in lieu of a hard copy submission. Facsimile and email responses will not be accepted.

Responses and attachments should be delivered to:

Jameel Moore

Director of Procurement / Associate General Counsel

Office of the Treasurer and Receiver General

ATTN: 19-TRE-Financial Literacy Curriculum RFQ

One Ashburton Place, 12th Floor

Boston, MA 02108

E-mail Address: procurements@tre.state.ma.us

2. Response Format: Failure to follow these formatting requirements may result in the disqualification of the Respondent’s response. Respondents are required to use the

Response Template which can be downloaded from COMMBUYS. The Response

Template contains all required elements of a valid response to this RFQ as indicated below:

(a) Cover Letter

(b) Executive Summary

(c) Statement of Minimum Qualifications

(d) Legal and Other Requirements

(e) Represenations and Warranties

(f) Disclosure Statement

(g) Phase Two Questionnaires

(h) Mandatory Attachments

(i) Cost Response (Separate envelope)

NO COST INFORMATION SHALL BE INCLUDED ANYWHERE IN THE

RESPONSE EXCEPT IN A SEPARATE SEALED ENVELOPE.

3. Cost Proposal. THE COST PROPOSAL MAY BE SUBMITTED IN THE SAME

PACKAGE AS THE REST OF THE RESPONSE, BUT MUST BE SUBMITTED

UNDER SEPARATE COVER IN A SEPARATE SEALED ENVELOPE LABELED

“COST PROPOSAL”. FAILURE TO MEET THIS REQUIREMENT MAY RESULT

IN DISQUALIFICATION OF THE RESPONSE. PLEASE NOTE THAT

ULTIMATE COST IS SUBJECT TO NEGOTIATION AT THE TIME OF

RETENTION FOR SPECIFIC SERVICES, HOWEVER THE COST PROPOSAL

RATES MAY SERVE AS A STARTING POINT FOR EACH FUTURE

ENGAGEMENT’S NEGOTIATION PROCESS.

mailto:procurements@tre.state.ma.us

4. Response Provisions: When responding to this RFQ, Respondents should take note of the following provisions:

a. The Treasury reserves the right to request additional information from

Respondents responding to this request. Additionally, upon reviewing the responses, the PMT may decide to have certain Respondents make oral presentations.

b. The Treasury reserves the right to reject any and all responses to this request, to waive any minor informality in a response, and to request clarification of information from any Respondent responding. The Treasury reserves the right to amend or cancel this RFQ at any time.

c. All responses and their contents will become the sole property of the

Commonwealth/Treasury upon receipt and will not be returned to the

Respondent.

d. The Treasury will not reimburse any Respondent for any costs associated with the preparation or submittal of any response to this request or for any travel and/or per diem incurred in any presentation of such responses.

e. The narrative response should address all items included in each section of the

Technical Proposal.

5. Disqualification of Responses:

a. Late Proposals: Proposals that are received after the deadline date and time shall be automatically disqualified.

b. Non-responsive Proposals: A response that fails to meet any material term, condition, requirement or procedure of this RFQ may be deemed unresponsive and disqualified. The Treasury reserves the right to waive or permit cure of non-material errors or omissions. Non-responsive proposals shall include, but not be limited to those, which fail to address or meet any mandatory item, and those submitted in insufficient number, or in incorrect format.

c. Collusion: Collusion by two or more Respondents agreeing to act in a manner intended to avoid or frustrate fair and open competition is prohibited and shall be grounds for rejection or disqualification of a proposal or termination of this contract. Respondents will be required to complete a “Certificate of Non-

Collusion” as one of the mandatory attachments to this RFQ.

d. Debarred Respondents or Subcontractors: A Respondent, who is currently subject to any Commonwealth or federal debarment order or determination, shall not be considered for evaluation by the PMT. If a Respondent’s proposal is dependent upon the services of a named subcontractor and the disqualification of this named subcontractor would materially alter the proposal, then that proposal shall be deemed unresponsive if the named subcontractor is found to be debarred.

Proposals that indicate that subcontractors will be used but do not rely on any specifically named subcontractor shall not be deemed unresponsive if the disqualification of a proposed subcontractor will not materially alter the proposal.

C. RFQ EVALUATION PROCESS

1. Evaluation Process: The RFQ Evaluation Process will be conducted in two phases. A review team will complete the Phase I Review for all proposal submissions. The purpose of the Phase I Review is to eliminate any responses that are non-responsive to the requirements of the RFQ. Responses that are deemed to be qualified based on the

Phase I Review will be submitted to the Procurement Management Team (“PMT”) for the Phase II Review. The PMT will consist of staff from the Treasury. The PMT will recommend to the State Treasurer and Receiver General (“Treasurer”) that certain

Respondents be pre-qualified to provide the services described in this RFQ and the

Treasurer will accept or reject the PMT’s recommendation. The Treasurer will make the final selection decision.

(Phase I and Phase II of this RFQ will be evaluated separately.)

a. Phase I Review: Respondents’ responses will be reviewed based on listed criteria and completeness of response, including mandatory attachments and compliance to submission criteria. Responses that do not comply with these components will be rejected and will not proceed to the Phase II Review. The Treasury reserves the right to waive or permit cure of non-material errors or omissions.

b. Phase II Review: Qualified responses, based on the Phase I Review, will be considered for additional review in Phase II by the PMT. During the Phase II review, the PMT shall have the option to invite Respondents to make oral presentations. The PMT reserves the right to adjust any preliminary scoring in

Phase II based on any clarification of the Respondent’s response at any such oral presentation.

Phase II evaluation of the responses will be based on the criteria listed below. The

PMT may score Respondents’ responses for each criterion as Highly

Advantageous, Advantageous, Not Advantageous, or Nonresponsive.

I. Response Template -- Highly Advantageous, Advantageous, Not

Advantageous, or Nonresponsive.

Respondents must complete the attached Response Template, which requests information and documents. The PMT will score each question or category as Highly Advantageous, Advantageous, Not Advantageous, Nonresponsive.

II. Treasury Supplier Diversity Program – Advantageous or Not

Advantageous.

For purposes of the Treasury Supplier Diversity Program, Respondents that clearly demonstrate the intent to further the development of a Minority

Business Enterprise (MBE), Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE), Veteran Business Enterprise (VBE), and/or Portuguese Business Enterprise

(PBE) or the existence of a relationship furthers these goals may receive an

“Advantageous” consideration from the PMT.

III. Invest in Massachusetts – Advantageous or Not Advantageous.

For purposes of the Invest in Massachusetts program, all Respondents must submit with their responses an Invest in Massachusetts Data Form (“IMD

Form”). Respondents that submit an IMD Form certifying that 50% or more of the work-hours performed in connection with any contract arising out of its RFQ Response will be performed in Massachusetts and certifying that jobs will be preserved or created based on the Respondent receiving this contract will be deemed “Advantageous.” Any Respondent unable to make such a certification will be deemed “Not Advantageous” and will be given

0 points on this scoring component.

c. Cost Proposal: Cost will be revealed after the Phase II Review is complete. These

Cost Proposals will not be factored into the evaluation for each Respondent.

Rather, the Cost Proposal rates will serve as a starting point for each future engagement’s negotiation process. Ultimate cost will be subject to negotiation at the time of retention for specific materials or services described in this RFQ.

d. Recommendation: Based on the Phase I and II Reviews, the PMT will make a recommendation to the Treasurer regarding the organizations and/or individuals to be deemed pre-qualified to provide the services described in this RFQ. The

Treasurer will then accept or reject the recommendation.

2. Oral Presentations/Interviews

After completion of Phase I but before the completion of Phase II, the PMT shall have the option to invite all or some Respondents to make oral presentations or come in for interviews. Oral presentations/interviews provide the PMT with an opportunity to evaluate the Respondent through the presentation of their proposal. The PMT will make the decision on whether to have Respondents in for oral presentations/interviews.

Based upon scores determined during the initial Phase II evaluations of Respondents’ responses to the Phase II technical questions; it will be within the full discretion of the

PMT to determine the cutoff for top scoring Respondents to move onto the oral presentations/interviews. Respondents will not be informed of their rank at the time of the oral presentation/interview. Additionally, the PMT reserves the right to adjust any

Phase II score following any Oral Presentation/Interview.

The time allotments and the format shall be the same for all oral presentations/interviews. The PMT will give the Respondent at least three (3) business days prior notice regarding the date of an oral presentation/interview. The PMT may waive the location and medium requirements of an oral presentation/interview upon the written request of a Respondent due to special hardships, such as a Respondent with disabilities or limited resources. In these circumstances, the PMT may conduct oral presentations through an alternative written or electronic medium (e.g., telephone, videoconference, TTY or Internet). The PMT may require the Respondents assign key personnel to conduct the oral presentation/interview.

A Respondent is limited to the presentation of material contained in its proposal, with the limited exception that a Respondent may address specific questions posed by the

PMT or provide clarification of information contained in its proposal. Any other correction or modification of the proposal or the presentation of supplemental information shall be considered prejudicial to the interests of other Respondents and fair competition and shall not be permitted. A Respondent’s attempt to submit such corrections, modifications or supplemental information during an oral presentation/interview may subject the Respondent’s response to disqualification. A

Respondent’s failure to agree to an oral presentation/interview may result in disqualification from further consideration. Oral presentations may be recorded by the

Treasury as a matter of public record.

IV. SPECIFICATIONS, REQUIREMENTS & COMPONENTS

By submitting a response to the RFQ, the Respondent agrees to comply with all of the

RFQ’s required specifications, components and requirements listed below in Sections

A & B:

A. RFQ REQUIRED SPECIFICATIONS

1. Alternatives. A response which fails to meet any material term or condition of the

RFQ, including the submission of required attachments, may lose points or be deemed unresponsive and disqualified. Unless otherwise specified, Respondents should submit responses proposing alternatives that provide equivalent, better or more cost-effective performance than achievable under the stated RFQ specifications. These alternatives may include related services that may be available to enhance performance during the period of the contract. The response should describe how any alternative achieves substantially equivalent or better performance to that of the RFQ specifications. The

Treasury will determine if a proposed alternative method of performance achieves substantially equivalent or better performance. The goal of this RFQ is to provide the best value of commodities and services to achieve the procurement goals of the

Treasury. Respondents that propose discounts, uncharged commodities and services or other benefits in addition to the RFQ specifications may receive a preference or additional points under this RFQ as specified.

2. Request for Quotes, Best Value Selection and Negotiation.

After pre-qualified Respondents have been selected, the Treasury may, but is not required to solicit quotes from all or some of the pre-qualified Respondents when it seeks to retain the services described in this RFQ. In any such quote solicitation, the

Treasury will select the response(s) that demonstrates the “Best Value” overall, including proposed alternatives that will achieve the procurement goals of the Treasury.

The Treasury may use the rates contained in the Cost Proposal of this RFQ as a starting point for each future engagement’s negotiation process. The Treasury and any pre-qualified Respondent may negotiate any element of contract performance within the scope of the RFQ or cost identified in a pre-qualified Respondent’s RFQ response or any subsequent response from a pre-qualified Respondent which results in lower costs or in a more cost-effective or better value than was presented in the selected

Respondent’s original response.

3. Respondent Communication. Respondents are prohibited from communicating directly with any employees of the Treasury, including any of the Treasury’s departments and divisions and affiliated commissions, boards, and trusts,1 or any member of the PMT regarding this RFQ and may be disqualified for doing so at the determination of the PMT, except as specified in this RFQ, and no other individual

Commonwealth employee or representative is authorized to provide any information or respond to any question or inquiry concerning this RFQ. Respondents may communicate with the contact person for this RFQ in the event this RFQ is incomplete or the Respondent is having trouble obtaining any required attachments electronically through COMMBUYS (https://www.commbuys.com).

4. Brand Name or Equal. Unless otherwise specified in this RFQ, any reference to a particular trademark, trade name, patent, design, type, specification, producer or supplier is not intended to restrict this RFQ to any manufacturer or proprietor or to constitute an endorsement of any service. The Treasury will consider clearly identified offers of substantially equivalent services submitted in response to such reference.

5. COMMBUYS Market Center. COMMBUYS is the official source of information for this RFQ and is publicly accessible at no charge at www.commbuys.com.

Information contained in this document and in COMMBUYS, including file attachments, and information contained in the related Response Questions and Answers

1 For purposes of this RFQ, “Treasury” includes the following departments, divisions, boards, trusts, and commissions:

Defined Contribution Plan Division, Unclaimed Property Division, Cash Management Department, Debt Management

Department, Veterans’ Bonus Division, MA State Board of Retirement, Massachsetts Pension Reserves Investment

Management Board, Massachusetts School Building Authority, Massachusetts State Lottery Commission, Massachusetts Clean Water Trust (formerly known as the Water Pollution Abatement Trust), Alcoholic Beverages

Control Commission, and the Office of Economic Empowerment.

http://www.commbuys.com/

(Q&A), are all components of the RFQ, as referenced in COMMBUYS, and are incorporated into the RFQ and any resulting contract.

Respondents are solely responsible for obtaining all information distributed for this

RFQ via COMMBUYS.

It is each Respondent's responsibility to check COMMBUYS for:

• Any amendments, addenda or modifications to this RFQ, and

• Any RFQ Q&A records related to this RFQ.

The Commonwealth accepts no responsibility and will provide no accommodation to

Respondents who submit a response based on an out-of-date RFQ or on information received from a source other than COMMBUYS.

Respondents may not alter (manually or electronically) the RFQ language or any RFQ component files. Modifications to the body of the RFQ, its specifications, or terms and conditions, which change the intent of this RFQ are prohibited and may disqualify a response.

6. COMMBUYS Subscription. Respondents may elect to obtain a free COMMBUYS

Seller subscription which provides value-added features, including automated email notification associated with postings and modifications to COMMBUYS records.

All Respondents submitting a response to this RFQ agree that, if awarded a contract:

(1) they will maintain an active seller account in COMMBUYS; (2) they will, when directed to do so by the procuring entity, activate and maintain a COMMBUYS-enabled catalog using Commonwealth Commodity Codes; (3) they will comply with all requests by the procuring entity to utilize COMMBUYS for the purposes of conducting all aspects of purchasing and invoicing with the Commonwealth, as added functionality for the COMMBUYS system is activated; and (4) in the event the

Commonwealth adopts an alternate market center system, successful Respondents will be required to utilize such system, as directed by the procuring entity. Commonwealth

Commodity Codes are based on the United Nations Standard Products and Services

Code (UNSPSC).

The COMMBUYS system introduces new terminology, which Respondents must be familiar with in order to conduct business with the Commonwealth. To view this terminology and to learn more about the COMMBUYS system, please visit the

COMMBUYS Resource Center.

7. Conflict of Interest. Prior to award of any contract, the Respondent shall certify in writing to the Treasury that no relationship exists between the Respondent and the

Treasury that interferes with fair competition or is a conflict of interest, and no relationship exists between the Respondent and another person or organization that constitutes a conflict of interest with respect to a state contract. No official or employee of the Commonwealth who exercises any function or responsibility in the review or approval of the undertaking or carrying out of this project shall, prior to the completion of the project, voluntarily acquire any personal interest, either directly or indirectly, in this contract or proposed contract.

The Respondent shall provide assurance that it presently has no interest and shall not acquire any interest, either directly or indirectly, which will conflict in any manner or degree with the performance of its services hereunder. The Respondent shall also provide assurances that no person having any such known interests shall be employed during the performance of this contract.

8. Costs. The rates identified in the Respondent’s Cost Proposal may serve as a starting point for each future engagement’s negotiation process, however ultimate cost will be subject to negotiation at the time of retention for specific services. The Commonwealth will not be responsible for any costs or expenses incurred by Respondents in responding to this RFQ.

9. Electronic Communication/Duty of Respondent to Update Contact Information.

It is the responsibility of the Respondent to keep current the E-mail address of the

Respondent’s contact person and prospective contract manager and to monitor that E-mail inbox for communications from the PMT and/or the Treasury. The PMT and the

Commonwealth assume no responsibility if a Respondent’s designated E-mail address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with the Respondent’s computer, network or internet service provider (ISP) cause E-mail communications sent to/from the Respondent and the PMT/Treasury to be lost or rejected by any means including E-mail or spam filtering.

10. Environmental Response Submission Compliance. In an effort to promote greater use of recycled and environmentally preferable products and minimize waste, all responses submitted should comply with the following guidelines:

• All copies should be printed double sided.

• All submittals and copies should be printed on recycled paper with a minimum post-consumer content of 30% or on tree-free paper (i.e., paper made from raw materials other than trees, such as kenaf). To document the use of such paper, a photocopy of the ream cover/wrapper should be included with the response.

• Unless absolutely necessary, all responses and copies should minimize or eliminate use of non-recyclable or non-reusable materials such as plastic report covers, plastic dividers, vinyl sleeves, and GBC binding. Three ringed binders, glued materials, paper clips, and staples are acceptable.

• Respondents should submit materials in a format which allows for easy removal and recycling of paper materials.

• Respondents are encouraged to use other products that contain recycled content in their response documents. Such products may include, but are not limited to, folders, binders, paper clips, diskettes, envelopes, boxes, etc.

Where appropriate, Respondents should note which products in their responses are made with recycled materials.

• Unnecessary samples, attachments, or documents not specifically asked for should not be submitted.

11. Estimated Provisions. The Treasury makes no guarantee that any commodities or services will be purchased from any qualification resulting from this RFQ. Any estimates and/or past or current procurement volumes that may be referenced in this

RFQ are included only for the convenience of Respondents, and are not to be relied upon as any indication of future purchase levels.

12. Minimum Response Duration. Respondent responses made in response to this RFQ must remain in effect for 150 days from the date of response submission and thereafter until either the Respondent withdraws the response in writing, a contract is executed, or the procurement is canceled, whichever occurs first.

13. Public Records. All responses and information submitted in response to this RFQ are subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, Massachusetts General Laws

(“M.G.L.”), Chapter 66, Section 10, and Chapter 4, Section 7, Subsection 26. Any statements in submitted responses that are inconsistent with these statutes will be disregarded. Respondents are advised that all proposals are deemed sealed, and therefore their contents will be treated as confidential and will not be disclosed to competing Respondents until the evaluation process has been completed and selected

Respondents have been pre-qualified to provide the services described in this RFQ.

14. Reasonable Accommodation. Respondents with disabilities or hardships that seek reasonable accommodation, which may include the receipt of RFQ information in an alternative format, must communicate such requests in writing to the RFQ contact person. Requests for accommodation will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. A

Respondent requesting accommodation must submit a written statement which describes the Respondent’s disability and the requested accommodation to the contact person for the RFQ. The PMT reserves the right to reject unreasonable requests.

15. Restriction on the Use of the Commonwealth Seal. Respondents and contractors are not allowed to display the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Seal in their response package or in any subsequent marketing materials if they are awarded a contract. Use of the Coat of Arms and the Great Seal of the Commonwealth for advertising or commercial purposes is prohibited by law.

16. Prohibition Against Selling or Distributing Information. Any Respondent awarded a contract under this RFQ is prohibited from selling or distributing any information collected or derived from the contract and/or procurement process, including lists of participating or eligible Commonwealth of Massachusetts employee names, telephone numbers, email addresses or mailing addresses.

17. Change Notification. Changes to the Contractor’s contact information, company name, legal address, payment address, tax identification number, authorized signatories, or EFT information must be promptly reported in writing to the Treasury.

In some cases, additional paperwork will be required to effect the change.

B. COMPONENTS OF PROCUREMENT

1. Duration and Renewal Options.

The Treasury intends to select pre-qualified Respondents for a three (3) year pre-qualification list for the services solicited in this RFQ. The Treasury may, at its option, extend the pre-qualified list for an additional one (1) year, under the same terms and conditions.

All contracts for services pursuant to this RFQ entered into during the pre-qualification period and whose performance and payment time frames extend beyond the duration of the contract shall remain in effect for performance and payment purposes for a maximum of twelve (12) calendar months. No contract for services pursuant to this

RFQ shall extend more than twelve (12) months beyond the pre-qualification period.

2. Acquisition Method.

✓ Outright Purchase

❑ License

✓ Fee for Service

❑ Tax-exempt Lease Purchase

❑ Term Lease

❑ Lease Purchase

❑ Rental (not to exceed 6 months)

❑ Other (specify)

3. Single or Multiple Contracts. The Treasury reserves the right to select multiple organizations and/or individuals as deemed qualified by the PMT to be in the best interest of the Treasury.

The selected organizations and/or individuals must agree to cooperate with such other selected organizations and/or individuals, and must not commit or permit any act that may interfere with the performance of work by any other selected organization and/or individual.

4. Contract Guidelines. (Those that apply are checked)

✓ Only the Office of the State Treasurer and Receiver General may contract under

RFQ

❑ Option to allow other Departments/political subdivisions to contract under RFQ

❑ Statewide Contract

❑ Multi-Treasury User Contract

✓ Pre-Qualification List

5. Contract Performance and Additional Business Specifications.

a. Evaluation and Selection of Qualified Respondents. The Treasury shall have sole authority to evaluate and make the final selection of Respondent(s) to be pre-qualified and for any subsequent contract negotiation(s) pursuant to this RFQ.

The selection of qualified Respondents will be made after evaluation of the technical (Phase I & II) proposals by the PMT and final approval by the State

Treasurer.

b. Changes to Personnel Performing Services. The Treasury reserves the right to reject an organization’s/individual’s use of any particular individual to perform the services sought under this RFQ, within the Treasury’s sole discretion. Any changes to personnel performing services under a contract pursuant to this RFQ require approval by the Treasury and the Treasury reserves the right to terminate a contract if changes are not approved. New personnel are required to submit a resume stating qualifications and experience to accomplish the services. The

Treasury reserves the right to verify each candidate’s experience and education.

c. Change in Terms. The Treasury reserves the right to modify the specifications identified in the RFQ at any time prior to the closing date. The Treasury reserves the right to negotiate with the selected Respondent(s) as to any element of cost or performance, including without limitation, elements identified in the RFQ and/or the selected Respondent’s response in order to achieve the best value for the

Commonwealth. In any Request for Quote issued to organizations/individuals that have been pre-qualified pursuant to this RFQ, the Treasury reserves the right to request from any Respondent a “best and final offer” as to the Respondent’s proposal or cost proposal. The Treasury reserves the right to procure some, all, or none of the services specified in this RFQ.

d. Termination or Suspension. Once retained, a Respondent’s service may be terminated or suspended from the Treasury’s contract for poor performance, failure to perform, fraud or other cause at any time without prior notice.

Respondents may be terminated from the contract without cause with thirty (30) day prior written notice. Respondents may not terminate the contract or performance except upon a minimum of 120 days written notice to the Treasury.

e. Permits and Compliance. The Respondent shall procure and pay for all permits, licenses and approvals necessary to perform the services solicited in this RFQ.

The Respondent shall comply with all applicable laws, ordinances, rules, orders and regulations related to the performance of the services solicited. The Treasury may, at its option, request documentation evidencing the Respondent’s compliance.

f. Rejection of Proposals. The Treasury reserves the right to reject any and all proposals submitted in response to this RFQ.

g. Fees Subject to Office of the State Treasurer and Receiver General Signatory

Authorization. All fees must be approved by the Treasury and are subject to verification of performance.

h. Confidentiality Policy Regarding Respondent’s Support Staff and/or

Vendors. The Treasury may require Respondents’ support staff or outside vendors to sign a confidentiality agreement for the confidential information to which they will have access.

i. Subcontracting Policies. The services to be procured under this RFQ shall not be sub-contracted or performed under any joint-venture agreement or similar arrangement without the specific written approval of the Treasury.

j. Concurrent Contracts Running (Renewals and Transitions). The Treasury shall cancel any contract if funds are not appropriated or otherwise made available to support continuation of performance in any fiscal year succeeding the first year or if unsatisfactory performance by the Respondent occurs. The Treasury will also have the right to sole discretion in exercising an option to renew, which will not be subject to Respondent acceptance or agreement. Any assistance required for this transition must be provided in a smooth and timely manner. If at any time the contract is canceled, terminated or expires, and a contract is subsequently executed with an organization other than the contractor, the contractor has the affirmative obligation to assist in the smooth transition of contract services to the subsequent contractor.

k. Pricing: Price Limitation. The Respondent must agree that no other state or public entity customer within the United States of similar size and with similar terms and conditions shall receive a lower price for the same commodity and service during a contract period, unless this same lower price is immediately effective for the Treasury. If the Treasury believes that it is not receiving the lower price as required by this language, the Respondent must agree to provide current or historical pricing offered or negotiated with other state or public entities at any time during a contract period in the absence of proprietary information being part of such contracts.

l. Submission of Proposal Materials and Oral Presentation. All materials, representations and submissions made within the Respondent’s response and at the oral presentation are subject to becoming part of the contract binding the selected Respondent to uphold the materials, representations and submissions made by the selected Respondent within the response and at the oral presentations.

m. Fiduciary Status of the Respondent; Chapter 268A. With respect to the performance of its duties and responsibilities hereunder, if awarded the contract pursuant to this RFQ, the Respondent acknowledges that it is a fiduciary, and that the Respondent will discharge its duties and responsibilities under this Agreement in accordance with the fiduciary standards of conduct and other requirements as they apply to the Respondent. The Respondent is advised of the existence of

Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 268A (the Massachusetts "Conflict of

Interest" statute), and is required to act and perform its duties in accordance with such provisions.

n. Security Breach Law, M.G.L. c. 93H. The Respondent hereby acknowledges and agrees to comply with the requirements and responsibilities, including those of providing notice and response, as set forth in G.L. c. 93H concerning Security

Breaches and any regulations implemented to effectuate security of “personal information” as defined in § 1 of G.L. c. 93H.