RFR 232128 Catering Services Conference Space Hotel Room Accommodation~1.doc

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Department of public health

Address: Massachusetts Department of Public Health 250 Washington Street Boston MA, 02108

Contact Name: David Harvey Email: David.harvey@mass.gov

Request for Response (RFR) Document Title: Catering Services, Conference Space, Hotel Room Accommodation COMMBUYS BID Number: BD-22-1031-ADMIN-ADM07-71256 ASK "RFR Number/Document Number" \* MERGEFORMAT DPH RFR Document Number: 232128 February 23, 2022

UNSPSC: _901000, 901016_________ Object Code: ____E22_______ Activity Code: ___________

1.1 Procurement Scope and Description:

The purpose of this Request for Response is for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to enter into purchase agreements with multiple Catering Services, Conference Space and Hotel Room Accommodation bidders that qualify to provide services as described within this document.

1.2 Applicable Procurement Law

Executive Branch Goods and Services

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Legal Services

MGL c. 30, § 51, § 52 and § 65; c. 7, § 22; and 801 CMR 21.01(2) (b)

1.3 Whether Single or Multiple Contractors Are Required For Contract(s):

Check One (“X”):

Single Contractor

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Multiple Contractors

1.4 Calendar Rule Type:

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1.5 Acquisition Method:

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Fee-For-Service

Outright Purchase

Rental

Term Lease

Tax Exempt Lease-Purchase

License

Other:

1.6 Use of a Procurement by a Single or Multiple Departments:

Limited User Contract – Restricted to Use by Issuing Entity Only.

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Limited User Contract – Restricted to Use by Defined Entities Only. Any Contract(s) resulting from this Bid will be open for use by the issuing Purchasing Department and the following other entities:

· Identify additional Eligible Entities by name or type.

The Purchasing Department reserves the right to add or remove additional authorized users during the contract term.

1.7 Expected Duration of Contract:

Anticipated Initial Duration up to: __6__ year(s) ____months;

Anticipated Renewal Options: __0__ options to renew for ___0__ year(s) each option

Final End Date of this Contract: _____June 30, 2028___________________

1.8 Anticipated Expenditures, Funding Or Compensation For Expected Duration Estimated Value of Procurement including all potential renewals $__250,000.00_______ Estimated Annualized amount $__42,000.00_______ Check One (“X”):

Contract will have a Maximum Obligation

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Rate Contract: Contract will NOT have a Maximum Obligation Amount

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Subject to Quotes by Pre-Qualified List of Contractors

Will Federal Funds be used to fund any part of Contract(s)?

No

Yes

Funds Balance Forward Requirement for Capital, Trust and Federal Accounts Only: Any funds designated in the budget that are unspent in any fiscal year will not be available for expenditure in the subsequent fiscal year.

2.0 Specifications

This procurement will be broken up into three (3) categories and will include but not be limited to in general terms Catering Services, Conference Space and Hotel Room Accommodation. Categories are as follows.

Category I General Catering Services- Bidders offer general catering services only (breakfast, lunch, dinners, snack, etc.)

Category II Catering Services with Conference Space- Bidders offer catering services with conference center/space availability (e.g. hotels, convention centers, halls, etc.). Departments will be able to use catering services with their in-house or subcontracted caterers and/or conference space if required by the department.

Category III Catering Services with Conference Space and Hotel Room Accommodation Rates- Bidders offer Catering Services and Conference Spaces with the added value option to provide special hotel room rates as it applies to the eligible entity’s needs and requirements.

Bidders may choose to submit responses on any of these types of catering situations on the “Bidders Response Form” available under the “Attachment” tab on COMMBUYS (www.COMMBUYS.com).

Bidders may designate preferred areas of service within the Commonwealth. Awarded bidders will not be restricted to service in the area listed in their response.

Number of awards:

This will be a rolling enrollment RFR with no target number of awards. The Department intends to award contracts to all qualified bidders providing services throughout the Commonwealth.

For environmental purchasing requirements, please see the “Required Procurement Language for Executive Order 515, Establishing an Environmental Purchasing Policy” section of the RFR Standard Required Information document posted at the COMMBUYS Bid Solicitation; File attachment section.

3.0 Performance Requirements and Contract Monitoring

The Department of Public Health is endeavoring to deliver the best value to facilitate our needs. However, it is important to measure the contractor’s performance to ensure the contract is in compliance with what has been requested and what the contractor has offered in this RFR. The following performance areas will be subject to measurement:

1. Timely Delivery (Commodities, Services, Reports, Billing, etc.)

2. Responsiveness to Departmental Inquiries

3. Quality of Deliverables (Commodities, Services, Reports, etc.)

4. Performance Targets/Benchmarks (Quantities, Outcomes, etc.)

5. Attendance at scheduled meetings

6. Municipal Board of Health License in good standing

Failure to meet performance requirements 1-4 above may result in suspension from contract. If the contractor’s municipal board of health license is revoked, it will result in immediate termination from the contract.

The PMT shall negotiate with contractors any requirements not set forth in the RFR

4.0 Contract Invoicing

Payment through Electronic Funds Transfer is required for any contract awarded through this solicitation. The EFT form and instructions on how and when to submit this form can be found in the Vendor Activation Folder (VENDACT) in the Attachments for this RFR.

5.0 Evaluation Criteria

The following components will be some of the criteria considered by the Evaluation Team when evaluating each quote.

· Pricing

· Years of experience

· Qualifications

· References

· Menu Variety (Applies for Categories I, II, III)

· Conference Room Availability (Applies for Categories II, III)

· Room Rates (Applies for Categories III only)

· Municipal Board of Health License

· Supplier Diversity Program Plan Form (Formerly the Affirmative Market Program Plan Form)

· Prompt Pay Discount

6.0 Estimated Procurement Calendar

Deadline for Questions and Answers

All Questions must be received in writing. Questions can be sent by email no later than the date and time indicated in the Procurement Calendar. The issuing department reserves the right not to respond to questions submitted after this date. All Questions with answers will be posted on the COMMBUYS Attachment section for this procurement.

Questions will be taken throughout the duration of the contract.

Submit question by e-mail to David.harvey@mass.gov All questions and answers will be posted in the attachment section of COMMBUYS.

The BID opening date

(Deadline for Submission of Response)

All responses to be submitted electronically using the online submission tools available to active COMMBUYS account holders.

June 30, 2028

7.0 Requirements/Instructions for Submission of Responses

7.1 Submission Requirements

Responses should be uploaded to COMMBUYS. The Application Response form found in the Attachment Section on COMMBUYS must be included in all responses to the bid. Responses should include menus, pricing (including delivery charges, set-up and discounts where applicable), company brochures preferred area of service and relevant licenses as required by the response form. Bids should also include all required forms listed in the attachment section in COMMBUYS. See section 8 below for instructions on electronic response.

· Category 1 bidders must include delivery charges, if any in their bid response

· Category 2 bidders must include a list of required subcontractors, if any, and applicable menus and prices.

· Category 3 bidders must include descriptions of conference space and include menus and food prices if applicable to bid.

· Bidders in all categories should include cancellation policy.

Incomplete responses will result in delay of contract award.

Vendor Activation Requirements: As part of this RFR application a potential bidder who is new to the state system or who will need to update existing information in MMARS must follow the instructions found in the Vendor Activation Folder (VENDACT) in the Attachments for this RFR.

Prompt Payment Discounts (PPD): All bidders responding to this procurement are strongly encouraged to participate in the Commonwealth Prompt Payment Discount (PPD) initiative for receiving early and/or on-time payments. PPD benefits both contractors and the Commonwealth. Contractors benefit by increased, usable cash flow as a result of fast and efficient payments for commodities or services rendered. Participation in the Electronic Funds Transfer initiative further maximizes the benefits with payments directed to designated accounts, thus eliminating the impact of check clearance policies and traditional mail lead time or delays. The Commonwealth benefits because contractors reduce the cost of products and services through the applied discount. Payments that are processed electronically can be tracked and verified through the Comptroller’s Vendor Web system. The PPD form can be found on the OSD Forms page and in this solicitation at the COMMBUYS Bid Solicitation and can be uploaded as part of your submission.

7.2 Submission Instructions

COMMBUYS Submission:

All responses are to be submitted electronically using the online submission tools available to Vendors registered in COMMBUYS. There is no charge to register in COMMBUYS. To Register go to www.COMMBUYS.com and click on the “Register” link on the front page. COMMBUYS Vendor Registration Job Aide is also available.

All Quotes must be received by the Department of Public Health before the specified date, month, year and time of the Bid Opening Date displayed on COMMBUYS. Times are Eastern Standard/Daylight Savings (US), as applicable.

All Bidders are advised to allow adequate time for submission by considering potential online submission impediments like Internet traffic, Internet connection speed, file size, and file volume. DPH is not responsible for delays encountered by Bidders or their agents, or for a Bidder’s local hardware failures, such as computers or related networks, associated with bid compilation or submission. Bids submitted via COMMBUYS are time stamped by the COMMBUYS system clock which is considered the official time of record.

Bidders are encouraged to upload attachments well in advance of the Bid Opening Date. This will help to reduce disqualified submissions that can occur if upload is not fully completed or if an attachment is missing at the deadline. Prior to the Bid Opening Date listed in the Procurement Calendar above, documents can easily be deleted and revised versions can be uploaded. If you wish to revise or delete a quote after submission, you may do so prior to the bid opening date. Please review the Withdraw, Reopen, and Resubmit a Quote in COMMBUYS Job Aide for additional instructions.

Electronic Signatures Quotes submitted via COMMBUYS must be signed electronically by the Bidder or the Bidder’s Agent by accepting the terms and conditions of the bid on the “Terms & Conditions” tab in COMMBUYS. Bidders do this by selecting “Save & Continue” on the “Terms and Conditions” tab after accepting the terms and conditions of the bid. By agreeing to this the submitter attests that s/he is an agent of the Bidder with authority to sign on the Bidder’s behalf, and that s/he has read and assented to each document’s terms.

File Format and Naming Conventions

Scanned documents will be accepted and must be scanned in such a way that they can be read on a computer monitor and printed on 81/2” x 11” paper, unless otherwise specified. Attachments must be uploaded individually and cannot be combined in a zipped file.

DPH is requiring that all response attachments that are uploaded in COMMBUYS include the company name of the Bidder, the RFR number and the name of the document. (e.g. Company Name _ RFR Number _Doc Name).

Public Records All information, documents, and attachments submitted as a response to this RFR are considered a public document subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, M.G.L., c. 66, s. 10, and to c. 4, s. 7, ss. 26. Please be aware that checking the “confidential” box in COMMBUYS does not bar these documents from being released as a public record pursuant to these statutes once the procurement is awarded, unless statutorily exempt from disclosure.

Amendments to BID

DPH reserves the right to make amendments to the Bid after the initial publication. It is each Bidder’s responsibility to check COMMBUYS for any amendments, addenda or modifications to this Bid. DPH and the Commonwealth accept no responsibility and will provide no accommodation to Bidders who submit a quote based on an out-of-date Bid or on information received from a source other than COMMBUYS.

8.0 RFR Attachments:

The forms listed in the COMMBUYS with this RFR must be submitted with your response where indicated.

To assist bidders in identify the purpose of the attachments for this procurement; the forms posted on the COMMBUYS attachment section have a prefix according to the following chart:

9.0 COMMBUYS Support

A link to a job aid on How to Submit a Quote on COMMBUYS COMMBUYS Resource Information at www.mass.gov/osd/commbuys Email: Send inquiries to the COMMBUYS OSD Help Desk at OSDHelpDesk@mass.gov Telephone: Call the COMMBUYS Help Desk at 1-888-627-8283 or 617-720-3197. The Help Desk is staffed from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday Eastern Standard or Daylight time, as applicable, except on federal and state holidays.

Technical assistance is available during the procurement process. Every effort is made to respond to inquiries within one business day.

Bidders are advised that COMMBUYS will be unavailable during regularly scheduled maintenance hours of which all users will be notified.

COMMBUYS REGISTRATION

It is the responsibility of the prospective Bidder and awarded Contractor to maintain an active registration in COMMBUYS and to keep current the email address of the Bidder’s contact person and prospective contract manager, if awarded a contract, and to monitor that email inbox for communications from the Purchasing Department, including requests for clarification. The Purchasing Department and the Commonwealth assume no responsibility if a prospective Bidder’s/awarded Contractor’s designated email address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with the prospective Bidder’s/awarded Contractor’s computer, network or internet service provider (ISP) cause email communications sent to/from the prospective Bidder/Awarded contractor and the Purchasing Department to be lost or rejected by any means including email or spam filtering. To register review the COMMBUYS Job Aide �HYPERLINK "https://www.mass.gov/doc/commbuys-vendor-registration-job-aid/download"��COMMBUYS Vendor Registration� or go to � HYPERLINK "http://www.COMMBUYS.com" �www.COMMBUYS.com�.

QUOTE SUBMISSION

This BID requires the submission of electronic quotes. All Bidders are advised to allow adequate time for submission of their quotes by considering potential online impediments like Internet traffic, Internet connection speed, file size, and file volume. DPH is not responsible for delays encountered by Bidders or their agents, or for a Bidder’s local hardware failures, such as computers or related networks, associated with bid compilation or submission. Bids submitted via COMMBUYS are time stamped by the COMMBUYS system clock which is considered the official time of record.

VENDOR ACTIVATION

To receive a contract with state a vendor must be active in The Massachusetts Management Accounting and Reporting System (MMARS). MMARS is the official accounting system of the Commonwealth and once registered a vendor will be issued a Vendor Code number or a “VC” number. This VC number is used for all contracts that a vendor has with state agencies. An organization with existing state contracts or a vendor who has had state contracts with any state agency in the past has been registered in MMARS and does not need to re-submit paperwork again unless existing information in MMARS will need to be updated. As part of this RFR application a potential bidder who is new to the state system or who will need to update existing information in MMARS must follow the instructions found in the Vendor Activation Folder (VENDACT) in the Attachments for this RFR.

Standard Template 9/2021