SP16-Agent-Q65 Catering Conference~1.doc

REQUEST FOR RESPONSE

Caterings, Travel Agent, Hotel, Meeting Rooms

RFR #SP16-Agent-Q65 / COMMBUYS Bid#BD-16-1084-POLGH-GHQ-0000005335

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

SECRETARY OF PUBLIC SAFETY

DEPARTMENT OF STATE POLICE

470 Worcester Road Framingham, MA 01702

Request for Response (RFR) Document Title: Conference, Catering, Travel Agent, Hotel & Meeting Rooms COMMBUYS Bid#: BD-16-1084-POLGH-GHQ-0000005335 Agency Document Number: SP16-Agent-Q65 August 27, 2015

RFR Introduction and General Description

11.1 Procurement Scope and Description

21.2 Background information

21.3 Applicable Procurement Law

21.4 Number of awards

21.5 Adding Vendors after initial Contract award

21.6 Eligible Entities

21.7 Acquisition Method(s)

21.8 Performance and Payment Time Frames Which Continue Beyond Duration of the Contract.

31.9 Contract Duration

31.10 Estimated Value of the Contract

Estimated Procurement Calendar

42.1 Written questions via the Bid Q&A on COMMBUYS

52.2 Locating Bid Q&A

52.3 Amendment Deadline

Specifications

63.1 Bidder Qualifications

63.1.1 Company certifications and affiliations

63.1.2 Company experience

63.1.3 Financial stability including bankruptcy, litigation and contract defaults

63.1.4 References and reference information and/or requirements

63.1.5 Geographic service and delivery areas

63.1.6 Executive Order 515, Establishing an Environmental Purchasing Policy

63.1.7 Environmental plan

Compensation Structure/Pricing: Bidders will submit one rate per county, with bid sheet for each category uploaded electronically through COMMBUYS.

74.1 General

74.2 Pricing

74.3 Request for Quotes

74.4 Prompt Pay Discounts (PPD)

74.5 Surcharges/Fees

84.6 Billing/Invoicing

84.7 Incorrect Invoices

84.8 Payments to Vendors

94.9 Audit of Records

94.10 No Credit Rating

94.11 Failure to perform contractual obligations

Other Terms:

95.1 Continued qualification based on performance

95.2 Security and confidentiality

Evaluation criteria

106.1 Mandatory requirements

106.2 Desirable specifications

106.3 Alternatives

106.4 Evaluation Criteria for Award

106.5 Price

116.6 Supplier Diversity Plan (minimum of 10% weight)

116.7 Company experience

HOW TO SUBMIT A BID RESPONSE

1 RFR Introduction and General Description The Commonwealth of Massachusetts - Massachusetts State Police is to enter into purchase agreements with multiple Caterers, Conference Space Rentals, Travel Agents, Hotel Room Accommodations, Equipment rentals, and Master of Ceremony bidders that qualify to provide services as described within this document.

1.1 Procurement Scope and Description

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Conference/Catering Services Strategic Sourcing Team (SST) are soliciting Bidders for the acquisition of Catering Services, Conference Space, Travel Agent, Hotel Room Accommodation, Equipment rentals and Master of Ceremonies. The resulting Contract will be the primary non-Statewide Contract used by issuing entity only for the goods and services covered by the Contract.

Scope: This procurement will be broken up into six (6) categories and will include but not be limited to in general terms Catering Services, Conference Space, Travel Agent, Hotel Room Accommodation, Equipment rental and Master of Ceremonies. Affiliated Categories may be added during the duration of the contract if there is a need. Categories are as follows.

· Category I - General Catering Services (only): Provision of food for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner including but not limited to: muffins, bagels, fruit, coffee, tea, deli platters, sandwich buffets, box lunches, hot lunch buffets, dessert trays, and hot dinner buffets. Set up, clean up, linens, utensils, paper goods and delivery fees are to be included in quoted price unless agreed to between the MSP and the contractor prior to delivery of service. Bidders responding to this section will only be required to provide catering services alone. Bidders MUST provide electronically with their response a copy of the menu available with pricing information.

· Category II - Catering Services with Conference Space: Catering services, as defined above (Category I), affiliated with conference space rental centers. Eligible entities temporarily use space with catering services for training, conferences, seminars, ceremonies and large meetings. The price of the conference space rental is inclusive of all conference incidentals (i.e. audiovisual equipment, internet connections, etc). No additional charges may be applied. Bidders responding to this section will be required to provide catering services with conference space (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. Bidder MUST indicate size of the space(s) with related pricing.

· Category III – Travel Agent – Allows bidders to bid on air travel and accommodations, to include car rentals for out of state travel that MSP would require.

· Category IV - Catering Services with Conference Space and Hotel Room Accommodation Rates: Catering services, as defined above, affiliated with conference space rental centers with the added value feature of special rates for hotel room accommodations. The price of the conference space rental is inclusive of all conference incidentals (i.e. audiovisual equipment, internet connections, etc). No additional charges may be applied. Bidders responding to this section will be required to provide catering services with conference spaces and offer hotel rooms at a discounted rate.

· Category V – Equipment rental – to include but not limited to tables, chairs, tents, portable toilets and cleaning stations, and other associated or similar rental items, as needed, for the purpose of this contract.

· Category VI – Master of Ceremonies to assist with production of large ceremonies. This includes set up of location, meeting with MSP to review number of attendees and specific requirements.

Description: The Commonwealth seeks to award contracts for general catering services, including on-site office meetings, training sessions, conferences and other events. A second aspect of this procurement is to award conference space/centers (e.g. hotels) which require the use of their in-house or subcontracted catering services. A third aspect of this procurement is to award a travel agent to provide air travel and accommodations for out of state travel. A fourth aspect of this procurement is to award conference centers (e.g. hotels) which require the use of their in-house or subcontracted catering services with the added value feature of special pricing for hotel room accommodations. A fifth aspect is equipment rental, not limited to all rental of equipment necessary for meetings, conferences, and to continue daily work in case of emergencies. A sixth aspect is Master of Ceremonies to assist with productions of ceremonies, large or small.

· The ability to reserve the space without the required deposit.

· The ability to visit the arena location for planning purposes.

· The ability to have recruits bring in a bagged lunch and water for rehearsals and possibly prior to graduation ceremonies.

For purposes of this RFR, the Commonwealth has been divided into Counties, in anticipation of the local nature of catering businesses. Bidders may choose to be qualified in a single County, in multiple Counties, or Statewide. Bidders receiving a contract as a result of this RFR will be required to provide services to all cities or towns listed within the Counties they are awarded. Counties are listed:

1.2 Background information

GRO27 was an OSD contract that will expire on 10/31/2015 and will not be rebid

1.3 Applicable Procurement Law

This Bid is issued under the following law(s):

· MGL c. 7, § 22; c. 30, § 51, § 52; and 801 CMR 21.00 (Goods and Services)

1.4 Number of awards

The target maximum number of Vendors is unknown, dependent upon state coverage. This is a target number; the SST may award more or fewer contracts if it is in the best interests of the Commonwealth to do so.

1.5 Adding Vendors after initial Contract award

If, over the life of the Contract, the Strategic Sourcing Team (SST) determines that additional Vendors should be added, these may first be drawn from qualified companies which responded to this Bid but were not awarded contracts. If necessary to meet the requirements of the Commonwealth, the Bid may be reopened to obtain additional Quotes.

1.6 Eligible Entities

Any contract resulting from this Bid will be open for use to the Issuing Entity Only.

1.7 Acquisition Method(s)

The acquisition method(s) to acquire goods and/or services from this Bid are Outright Purchase, and Fee for Service

1.8 Performance and Payment Time Frames Which Continue Beyond Duration of the Contract.

All term leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for services entered into during the duration of this contract and whose performance and payment time frames extend beyond the duration of this contract shall remain in effect for performance and payment purposes (limited to the time frame and services established per each written agreement). No new leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for services may be executed after the contract has expired. Any contract termination or suspension pursuant to this section shall not automatically terminate any leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for services already in place unless the department also terminates said leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for service, which were executed pursuant to the main contract.

1.9 Contract Duration

The expected duration of this contract is as follows:

Initial Duration

Total Maximum Contract Duration

No goods may be ordered and no new leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for services may be executed after the Contract has expired.

1.10 Estimated Value of the Contract

The estimated value of purchase(s) resulting from this Bid is unknown. The Commonwealth makes no guarantee that any commodities or services will be purchased from any Contract resulting from this Bid. Any estimates or past procurement volumes referenced in this Bid are included only for the convenience of Bidders, and are not to be relied upon as any indication of future purchase levels.

2 Estimated Procurement Calendar

Announcement of Intent to Procure

Times are Eastern Standard/Daylight Savings (US), as displayed on the COMMBUYS system clock displayed to Bidders after logging in. If there is a conflict between the dates in this Procurement Calendar and dates in the Bid’s Header, the dates in the Bid’s Header on COMMBUYS shall prevail. Bidders are responsible for checking the Bid record, including Bid Q&A, on COMMBUYS for Procurement Calendar updates.

2.1 Written questions via the Bid Q&A on COMMBUYS

The “Bid Q&A” provides the opportunity for Bidders to ask written questions and receive written answers from the SST regarding this Bid. All Bidders’ questions must be submitted through the Bid Q&A found on COMMBUYS (see below for instructions). Questions may be asked only prior to the Deadline for Submission of Questions stated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar. The issuing department reserves the right not to respond to questions submitted after this date. It is the Bidder’s responsibility to verify receipt of questions.

Please note that any questions submitted to the SST using any other medium (including those that are sent by mail, fax, email or voicemail, etc.) will not be answered. To reduce the number of redundant or duplicate questions, Bidders are asked to review all questions previously submitted to determine whether the Bidder’s question has already been posted.

Bidders are responsible for entering content suitable for public viewing, since all of the questions are accessible to the public. Bidders must not include any information that could be considered personal, security sensitive, inflammatory, incorrect, collusory, or otherwise objectionable, including information about the Bidder’s company or other companies. The SST reserves the right to edit or delete any submitted questions that raise any of these issues or that are not in the best interest of the Commonwealth or this Bid.

All answers are final when posted. Any subsequent revisions to previously provided answers will be dated.

It is the responsibility of the prospective Bidder and awarded Vendor 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 Vendor’s designated email address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with the prospective Bidder’s/awarded Vendor’s computer, network or internet service provider (ISP) cause email communications sent to/from the prospective Bidder/Awarded Vendor and the Purchasing Department to be lost or rejected by any means including email or spam filtering.

2.2 Locating Bid Q&A

Log into COMMBUYS, locate the Bid, acknowledge receipt of the Bid, and scroll down to the bottom of the Bid Header page. The “Bid Q&A” button allows Bidders access to the Bid Q&A page.

2.3 Amendment Deadline

The SST reserves the right to make amendments to the Bid after initial publication. It is each Bidder’s responsibility to check COMMBUYS for any amendments, addenda or modifications to this Bid, and any Bid Q&A records related to this Bid. The SST and the Commonwealth accepts 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.

3 Specifications

Additional required terms appear in the Appendices to this RFR.

3.1 Bidder Qualifications

3.1.1 Company certifications and affiliations

Company affiliations

Statutory, certification and license requirements (Municipal Board of Health License)

3.1.2 Company experience

Business background (Bidders must submit a brief description and/or firm profile of their qualifications (this can be uploaded as an attachment) Years in business (must have at a minimum two (2) years experience in the category bid.

Years in the industry of the Bid Organizational chart

3.1.3 Financial stability including bankruptcy, litigation and contract defaults

Gross annual revenue for most recently completed fiscal year

3.1.4 References and reference information and/or requirements

Largest customers in MA if applicable Largest state government customers if applicable

3.1.5 Geographic service and delivery areas

3.1.6 Executive Order 515, Establishing an Environmental Purchasing Policy

Products and services purchased by state agencies must be in compliance with Executive Order 515, issued October 27, 2009. Under this Executive Order, Executive Departments are required to reduce their impact on the environment and enhance public health by procuring environmentally preferable products and services (EPPs) whenever such products and services perform to satisfactory standards and represent best value, consistent with 801 CMR 21.00. In line with this directive, all contracts, whether departmental or statewide, must comply with the specifications and guidelines established by OSD and the EPP Program. EPPs are considered to be products and services that help to conserve natural resources, reduce waste, protect public health and the environment, and promote the use of clean technologies, recycled materials, and less toxic products. Questions concerning the EO or the appropriate specifications may be directed to OSD’s EPP Procurement Program, www.mass.gov/epp. The Order can be seen at http://www.mass.gov/Agov3/docs/Executive%20Orders/executive_order_515.pdf.

3.1.7 Environmental plan

Beginning the first year of the Contract and throughout the life of the Contract, awarded Bidders must agree to work with the SST to examine the feasibility of implementing an environmental plan. The objective of this requirement is to actively encourage suppliers to incorporate sustainable practices throughout their business operations and further market such practices to Contract users. Such a plan may include, but not be limited to, the following:

· Implementing energy efficiency initiatives at the corporate level in line with Executive Order 484, such as lighting retrofits, purchase of energy from renewable sources, use of bio-heat fuel, and other energy reduction technologies.

· Encouraging environmental initiatives at a corporate and/or manufacturing level for the purpose of reducing the impact of manufacturing on the environment; such as clearly identifying recycled content of packaging on the packaging, providing product life cycle assessments, working toward the elimination of ozone depleting chemical usage in the manufacturing or refining process (where applicable), and conducting internal environmental auditing related to pollution control.

· Developing a plan to implement the recycling of materials used or produced in normal business operations.

· The SST may award points to Bidders who provide evidence that measures and initiatives such as these are already in place within their operations, and/or for written proposals submitted with their Quote detailing a commitment to action contingent upon receipt of a Contract award. (See the Additional Environmentally Preferable Products / Practices form on COMMBUYS).

4 Compensation Structure/Pricing: Bidders will submit one rate per county, with bid sheet for each category uploaded electronically through COMMBUYS.

4.1 General

Bidders must complete line item pricing electronically within COMMBUYS. Please note that when preparing a Quote in response to this Bid, on the Items tab of the Quote, Bidders will be required to check the “No Charge” box in order to create a valid quote and then upload all the documentation sought in the Bid as attachments on the Attachments tab. The “No Charge” selection will not be construed by the SSST to mean an offer to provide services or products at no charge. In addition, bidder response sheets must be submitted electronically; please refer to the attachment “Instructions to Vendors Responding to Bid”. For the uploaded Bid Sheet, Business Hours are defined Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Non-Business Hours defined as hours not covered under Business Hours. There should be one rate per county with a Bid Sheet for each category uploaded electronically.

4.2 Pricing

Compensation will be based on the cost tables (from bid form) by the Bidder and accepted by the SSST. Cost tables must contain all goods and services identified under each category bid to be provided on this contract. Compensation will be based on the pricing information and cost tables/ price list, etc. provided by the bidder.

Delivery must be made at no extra cost to the Commonwealth with all deliveries being FOB destination. Fuel surcharge provisions - Any bidder(s) awarded a contract as a result of this RFR will not charge any additional fuel surcharges on any order received from departments. Departments will NOT be required to pay any additional fuel surcharges upon receipt of contractor invoicing.

Any additional costs incurred by the Commonwealth, as a result of the contractor’s failure to deliver is the responsibility of the contractor(s). Any product delivered that does not conform to this requirement will be returned at the contractor’s expense. “Will Call” orders are orders that are to be picked up by the contract user within 24 hours of request and the contractor(s) will provide for “will call” orders if immediate delivery is necessary and the contract user is willing to pick up the order. The contractor(s) may be asked to provide emergency delivery and may charge a compensation rate for such deliveries if agreed to in advance by the ordering entity.

Cancellations- Contractors will be required to provide at a minimum the flowing notices for cancellation: General Catering Services- 7 days notice; Catering Services with Conference Space- 14 days notice; Catering Services with Conference Space & Hotel Room Accomodations- 30 days notice.

4.3 Request for Quotes

Any Bidder(s) awarded a contract as a result from this RFR will not charge for quotes or site inspections in preparation of a quote. The MSP will NOT be required to pay charges for quotes or site inspections.

4.4 Prompt Pay Discounts (PPD)

All Bidders must agree to offer discounts through participation in the Commonwealth Prompt Payment Discount (PPD) initiative for receiving early and/or on-time payments.

4.5 Surcharges/Fees

No transportation, delivery, commuting, fuel, energy, insurance, meals, lodging, incidental fees or any other surcharges will be allowed throughout the duration of the contract(s).

4.6 Billing/Invoicing

The Awarded Vendor must agree to timely and correct billing for products and services. The MSP will not tolerate consistent and continual erroneous or untimely billing. Such behavior on the part of the Vendor may result in the removal of the Vendor from the existing contract for poor performance.

· The ability to reserve the space without the required deposit.

· The ability to visit the arena location for planning purposes.

· The ability to have recruits bring in a bag lunch and water for rehearsals and possibly prior to graduation ceremonies.

The Vendor must provide a contact person that will be knowledgeable and available to resolve outstanding billing issues and are trained in and familiar with the both the terms and conditions of this RFR’s procurement requirements.

The Bidder must agree that invoices to the MSP for products and services are delivered in the current fiscal year (July 1st to June 30th) and are reconciled by July 30th to ensure payment from appropriate budgets.

· The Vendor must not submit invoices for products and services that do not fall under this RFR.

· The Vendor must not submit for billing services prior to services

· The Vendor must submit invoices directly from the Vendor to MSP not through a third party payer.

· The Vendor must submit invoices for services performed. No services will be paid until after services are rendered, including monthly monitoring services.

· Invoices for all service must have a separate line item within the invoice for all elements Vendors may be required to provide additional detail history of invoice.

· The invoice must include the quantity of each item, a description of each item and the cost for each item in a simple report format understandable to the “lay person”. The use of “codes” in place of product description will not be acceptable in the Vendor’s invoice, although the Vendor may list associated billing codes for its own use.

4.7 Incorrect Invoices

The Bidder must agree that the MSP will use the following instructions when dealing with incorrect invoices:

· In compliance with the Office of the State Comptroller’s Expenditure Guidelines, MSP may apply reasonable standards of invoice verification.

· Incorrect invoices from Vendors, whether paper or electronic documents, should be returned to and corrected by the Vendor and not adjusted by the MSP Agency staff.

· A correct invoice must be received by the MSP within 60 days of the date of dispute to be paid.

· There must be evidence of a permanent solution of the error condition. Non-recurrence of the error condition will be considered an acceptable solution.

· If the error is found to be inherent in the Vendor’s billing system, a correct bill is still required.

· If these guidelines are not met, the Vendor will assume responsibility for the charges.

4.8 Payments to Vendors

It is required that payments received by the Vendor be appropriately posted to the specific MSP account for which the payment was received. The Vendor must not create a single “Commonwealth of Massachusetts” account to which it will post received payments.

The Vendor is required to provide, at the request of the MSP, written reports to demonstrate the Vendor’s account receivables procedures including a payment history of the MSP.

4.9 Audit of Records

During the term of this Agreement and for a period of five (5) years thereafter, Department of State Police, its auditors, the Operational Services Division, the Office of the Inspector General or other authorized representatives shall be afforded access at reasonable times to Vendor's accounting records, including sales information on any system, reports or files, in order to audit all records relating to goods sold or services performed pursuant to this Agreement. If such an audit indicates that Vendor has materially overcharged Department of State Police, then the Vendor shall remit the overcharged amount and be responsible for payment of any costs associated with the audit.

The Vendor agrees to allow State and Federal auditors and state agency staff access to all the records related to this contract, and the right to copy those records, for audit, inspection and monitoring of services. Such access will be during normal business hours or by appointment.

4.10 No Credit Rating

MSP will make no application for credit ratings related to term lease under this Vendor, nor may a Vendor seek such ratings from the MSP.

4.11 Failure to perform contractual obligations

Problems with service quality, documentation, customer service and/or failure to adhere to the any provisions of this RFR or an MSP’s standard operating procedures are grounds for any or all of the following actions.

The SST will inform the Vendor of non-compliance with the contract. A specific period of time will be provided for the Vendor to correct the situation. If the situation has not been corrected in the allotted time period or if the problem reoccurs, the SST may impose penalties including but not limited to the ones listed below:

· Requiring the Vendor to credit the MSP based on the period of time when the quality of service was unsatisfactory.

· Issuing penalties, including, but not limited to the estimated cost of any remedial action incurred by the MSP.

· Suspending the Vendor until the problem is resolved.

· Terminating the contract.

The SST will be the final decision-making body for the resolution of any conflicts between MSP and the Vendors.

5 Other Terms:

5.1 Continued qualification based on performance

5.2 Security and confidentiality

The Vendor shall comply fully with all security procedures of the Commonwealth and Commonwealth Agencies in performance of the Contract. The Vendor shall not divulge to third parties any confidential information obtained by the Vendor or its agents, distributors, resellers, subcontractors, officers or employees in the course of performing Contract work, including, but not limited to, security procedures, business operations information, personally identifiable information, or commercial proprietary information in the possession of the Commonwealth Agency.

6 Evaluation criteria Bidder scores will be used to rank Bidders and determine the best value for the MSP. Such Bidders will proceed to subsequent stages of the evaluation and/or enter into negotiations with the MSP to receive a Contract award.

6.1 Mandatory requirements

Mandatory Specifications must be met in order for a Bid to be evaluated and may be used to disqualify Bidders. In addition, certain mandatory specifications have desirable components to them that may be evaluated by the SST. The SST reserves the right, in its discretion, to determine if non-compliance with a Mandatory Specification is insignificant or can be easily corrected.

Bid sections that include terms such as: “must”, “shall”, “will” and “required” are “mandatory.” Failure to meet the requirements of a mandatory specification without providing an alternate that is acceptable to the evaluators may result in the disqualification of a Bidder's proposal.

6.2 Desirable specifications

Desirable specifications will be scored according to the Evaluation Criteria.

RFR specifications prefaced with language such as: "desirable", "could," "can," "should," "preferably," "prefers," "suggested," and "requested" identify a desirable or discretionary item or factor that is considered by the issuer to be "desirable." The issuer has listed all desirable specifications which will receive points in the evaluation criteria.

6.3 Alternatives

A Quote which fails to meet any material term or condition of the Bid, including the submission of required attachments, may lose points or be deemed unresponsive and disqualified. Unless otherwise specified, Bidders may submit Quotes proposing alternatives which provide equivalent, better or more cost effective performance than achievable under the stated Bid specifications. These alternatives may include related commodities or services that may be available to enhance performance during the period of the Contract. The Quote should describe how any alternative achieves substantially equivalent or better performance to that of the Bid specifications.

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

6.4 Evaluation Criteria for Award

The following criteria will be evaluated in consideration of an award by the SST and will carry a significant weight in the evaluation process:

· Pricing

· Prompt Payment Discounts

· Supplier Diversity Plan (minimum of 10% weight)

· Years of experience

· Qualifications

· References

· Menu Variety (categories I, II, and IV)- sample catering products may be requested at no additional costs.

· Conference Room Availability (categories II and IV)

· Room Rates (category IV)

6.5 Price

Please note that price will carry a significant weight in the evaluation process. Prompt Pay Discounts (PPD) All Bidders must agree to offer discounts through participation in the Commonwealth Prompt Payment Discount (PPD) initiative for receiving early and/or on-time payments, unless the Bidder can provide compelling proof that it would be unduly burdensome. The SST will assign additional points to bidders offering discounts. Bidders must submit agreeable terms for Prompt Payment Discount unless otherwise specified by the SST. The SST will review, negotiate or reject the offering as deemed in the best interest of the Commonwealth.

Please note that the Prompt Pay Discount is mandatory and Bidders who fail to submit their Prompt Pay Discount may be removed from further consideration.

6.6 Supplier Diversity Plan (minimum of 10% weight)

Bidders responding to this RFR are required to submit a Supplier Diversity Plan. Requirements for the Supplier Diversity Plan are included on Appendix 2 - RFR - Required Specifications

6.7 Company experience

PDF file(s) are preferred for Bidders responding to RFR via COMMBUYS. Minimum of three (3) years is required; additional years of experience will receive additional points during the evaluation as determined by SST.

7 HOW TO SUBMIT A BID RESPONSE

All bids will require the submission of electronic quotes. Consequently, all bids will be required to contain electronic quote submission instructions.

Responses must be sent via the “Create Quote” functionality contained in COMMBUYS. For instructions concerning how to submit a Quote, please see Additional attachments for instructions.

Any submission which fails to meet the submission requirements of the RFR will be found non-responsive without further evaluation unless the evaluation team, at its discretion, determines that the non-compliance is insubstantial and can be corrected. In these cases, the evaluation team may allow the vendor to make minor corrections to the submission.

Assemble and upload in COMMBUYS the Bid Response Sheet with the attachments according to the Checklist. Response must contain any and all documentation & literature requested in this RFR. (PDF and Zipped files will be accepted)

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 of the Bid in COMMBUYS. By selecting “Save & Continue” on the “Terms and Conditions” tab after accepting the terms and conditions of the bid, 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.

Successful Bidders who agreed to the terms and conditions of these forms electronically via COMMBUYS online Quote submission tool must still submit the above forms with ink signatures within seven (7) calendar days of award notification or their contract may not be executed by the Commonwealth. Bidders who have previous contract(s) with the Commonwealth and have up-to-date, ink-signature versions of the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions and Request for Taxpayer Identification and Verification (Mass. Substitute W9 Form) on file with the Office of the State Comptroller may submit copies of the signed forms. However, a new Standard Contract Form and Vendor Authorized Signatory Listing with original ink signatures must be submitted for each new contract with the Commonwealth.

Bidders are required to monitor COMMBUYS for changes to the procurement calendar for this Bid.

· Online Questions (Bid Q&A) due by September 3, 2015 by 3 PM EST Written Questions must be entered by pressing the “Bid Q&A” tab for the Bid in COMMBUYS no later than the “Online Questions Due” date and time indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above). The issuing department reserves the right not to respond to questions submitted after this date. It is the Bidder’s responsibility to verify receipt of questions.

It is the responsibility of the prospective Bidder and awarded Vendor 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 Vendor’s designated email address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with the prospective Bidder’s/awarded Vendor’s computer, network or internet service provider (ISP) cause email communications sent to/from the prospective Bidder/Awarded Vendor and the Purchasing Department to be lost or rejected by any means including email or spam filtering.

Written Responses to Questions will be released on or about the “Responses to Questions Posted Online” date indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above). (Written questions and responses will be posted on the Bid Q&A Tab for this Bid in COMMBUYS.)

· Bid Amendment Deadline September 11, 2015 The Purchasing Department reserves the right to make amendments to the Bid after initial publication. It is each Bidder’s responsibility to check COMMBUYS for any amendments, addenda or modifications to this Bid, and any Bid Q&A records related to this Bid. The Purchasing Department 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.

· Quotes (Bid Responses) Deadline September 29, 2015 at 3:00 PM EST

See the Quotes (Bid Responses) Deadline (Bid Opening) Date and Time indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above).

· Estimated Contract Start Date October 1, 2015 This is the approximate start date. The actual start date will be the Contract Effective Date which is the date the Contract is executed by the parties.

Required Forms

Responses to this RFR must contain the following documents:

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The above attachments are available as attachments as part of the Bid record on WWW.COMMBUYS.COM.

Please Note: This is a single document associated with a complete Bid (also referred to as Solicitation) that can be found on � HYPERLINK "http://www.COMMBUYS.com" �www.COMMBUYS.com�. All Bidders are responsible for reviewing and adhering to all information, forms and requirements for the entire Bid, which are all incorporated into the Bid. Bidders may also contact the COMMBUYS Helpdesk at � HYPERLINK "mailto:COMMBUYS@state.ma.us" �COMMBUYS@state.ma.us� or the COMMBUYS Helpline at 1-888-MA-STATE. The Helpline is staffed from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday Eastern Standard or Daylight time, as applicable, except on federal, state and Suffolk county holidays.