TA Evidence Based Practices QA.docx

State of Colorado RFP# 2016000036 - TA Evidence Based Practices Inquiries and Responses:

Inquiries received by close of business September 14th, with response; additional notes and instructions are added in red for informational purpose, and are hereby incorporated into RFP. Refer also to modified version (v2) of the RFP for updated requirements and timelines.

1) [We] cannot discern whether we would be eligible to apply – given the definition of a “vendor” Can we apply?

RESPONSE: All organizations types are eligible to apply (for-profit, non-profit, governmental entities, etc.).

If your concern may have been in reference to RFP Section IV, Statement of Work: “The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to solicit competitive proposals from qualified and experienced vendors to select a Contractor to provide strategic planning and coordination assistance to CDHS, and technical assistance to community-based prevention and intervention organizations that work with youth, in order to enhance their level of evidence-base.”

The determination whether any Offeror may be considered as a “qualified and experienced vendor” is made during the evaluation and award process.

Please also reference our response to Inquiry question number two.

If your concern may have been in reference to RFP Section: “B. MODIFICATION OR WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS: Proposals may be modified or withdrawn by the Offeror prior to the established due date and time. Vendors must be registered with Colorado VSS by the proposal submission due date and time.” Prospective Offerors should ensure that they have been registered by the date proposals are due. Item number 1, in the RFP Schedule of Activities lists the link to the State of Colorado Vendor Self Service site.

2) As long as [our organization] meets the Mandatory Minimum Requirements, are we eligible to apply?

RESPONSE: This RFP has not established any separate process for pre-qualification or eligibility to apply determination for potential Offerors. If a potential Offeror organization believes they meet the Mandatory Minimum Requirements they are encouraged to submit their proposal. Please refer to our response number 1.

3) What is the policy on indirect costs for this program? We have a federally negotiate rate of 53.5-54% but some state programs have policy limiting the rate.

RESPONSE: The Department (CDHS) has no policy in place setting any specific caps on contractor indirect rates. The evaluation of Proposals will include but not be limited to, as described in the Cost Proposal Criteria, how the proposed “costs are reasonable and necessary for the level of services and expertise, and represent the best value to the State (most advantageous).” The TGYS Program spends less than 5% of its total award on administrative and operating costs, and likes to see spending be devoted to programming. Proposals with high indirect rates may have the reasonability and necessity of their costs questioned.

In previous CDHS solicitations some Offerors will charge a lower percentage than the Offeror’s full indirect rate, sometimes allocating a portion of the balance of that indirect rate cost in the budget to “Match, or In-Kind”.

4) Are there page limits to the different proposal sections?

RESPONSE: This RFP has been modified to include the following page limitations in Section V. Response Format as follows:

“To facilitate an effective evaluation process, proposals must be submitted in the following format on 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper and all pages should be numbered in the following manner: page____ of ____ pages. Please use double-sided pages. All acronyms in the proposal must be defined. Failure to provide the requested information may result in disqualification of the proposal. Proposals that do not follow the sequence, outline, and response format of this RFP, may be deemed non responsive and disqualified from further consideration. The following are the maximum allowable page numbers for each section of submitted Proposals: Technical Proposal section - maximum of thirty-five (35) pages, Organizational Experience, Capacity and Staff Qualifications – maximum of fifteen (15) pages, Cost Proposal – maximum of ten (10) pages.

Evaluator considerations in reviewing the Technical Proposal includes but is not limited to, as described in RFP Section VII C. General Criteria, that “The response is well written and provides evidence that the Offeror can complete written documents with a high degree of quality”.

5) How many selected recipients will we offer T/TA to over the 2 year period?

RESPONSE: The RFP does not set any minimum number, or any expected number, regarding potential recipients for T/TA.

From the Proposals, we are looking for the Offerors to give us an idea of the scope and size of technical assistance that they can offer that they believe will meet the goal of the RFP. There are many potential approaches to meeting the goal: for example, an offeror may provide broad technical assistance to a large number of agencies, or in depth technical assistance to a small number of agencies. The proposed approach will feed in to the work completed during Phase One of the resulting contract. It is up to the Offeror to consider what they believe will be most effective using the information available to them at this time.

During Phase One the Contractor will work with CDHS to further refine the work plan for technical assistance based on what is reasonable and what will be the most effective. It is possible that the final number of recipients for T/TA will only be determined during Phase Two of the project.

6) Is funding for evidence-based programs offered to selected recipients outside the $300,000 available under this solicitation?

RESPONSE: No. Funding under this solicitation is limited to the $300,000.00 amount referenced in RFP Section I, G. Performance Period and Budget. If this question is in reference to RFP Section V, F. “In the Cost Proposal, those Offerors who anticipate awarding financial assistance should estimate the dollar amount of billable contract funding that may be made available to sub-grantees. Offeror’s Technical Proposal shall also clearly justify an approach that includes financial assistance.” The dollars associated with this requested estimate is part of that maximum available amount of $300,000.00. Offerors may include matching or In-Kind funding if available to enhance this portion of the project.

Please note; This RFP has been modified to contain a new Section V.RESPONSE FORMAT, Subsection D. POTENTIAL ADDITIONAL FUNDING SCALE-UP. Your Technical and Cost Proposals still shall be based on the $300,000.00 maximum available amount. This separate section is asking Offerors to submit a separate document that will only be available for review after the Evaluators have completed their determination and recommendation for award, based on Offeror’s Technical and Cost Proposals. Please refer to this new section in the modified RFP for more details.