Staff Development Training Program PRF76: Management Consultants, Program Coordinators and Planned Services

This order is placed under Statewide Contract PRF76. All the Statewide Contract PRF76 terms and conditions are incorporated herein and made a part hereof. Conflicting or additional terms, conditions or agreements shall be superseded and void.

PROJECT SCOPE:

The Department of Developmental Services (DDS) is seeking staff development training sessions for all Area Office teams in having difficult conversations and conflict management. In collaboration with DDS, the training module must be customized to the Department’s needs and use relevant examples to the daily work of DDS staff.

These sessions may be in person or held remotely, depending on the needs of the Department. Sessions may be held for an individual Area Office team or for multiple teams at once. In person training sessions may be held at any DDS Area Office which are located through the state of Massachusetts. A list of the Area Offices can be found here: Locations | Mass.gov

PERFORMANCE & BUSINESS SPECIFICATIONS:

Vendor Qualifications - to be considered for this bid, Vendors must meet the following criteria:

1. Vendor must dedicate personnel to fulfill the responsibilities of this work, which will include developing custom content for Area Office teams and facilitating the training sessions.

2. Vendor must have three (3) years of experience providing conflict training. Previous experience with Health and Human Services agencies preferred.

3. Vendor must be knowledgeable regarding the individuals that DDS serves.

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

Please submit a proposal that addresses the following criteria:

1. Organizational capacity, experience, and expertise in:

1.1. Designing and implementing an effective training program, in particular having difficult conversations and conflict management

1.2. Successful collaborations with State agencies, in particular Human and Health Service agencies

1.3. Soliciting feedback about the sessions and making changes as recommended

2. Experience in conducting similar projects, including case examples

2.1. Provide sample training outline specific to this RFQ

3. Key Staff available to commit to the project (including any plans for subcontracting).

3.1. Key staff that will develop materials and hold the training sessions; include their resume in the response

3.2. If subcontracting, include relationship structure, added expertise, and staff qualifications

4. Organizational Diversity:

4.1. The vendor must demonstrate commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in their organizational structure and business practices.

4.2. Per PRF76, the vendor should demonstrate their measurable financial commitment to diverse and small business partnerships to the extent possible. Refer to PRF76 Subcontractors, Supplier Diversity Requirements, and SDP Commitment sections.

· At least 25% of the available evaluation score must be dedicated to the bidder’s SDP commitment.

5. Detailed Budget/ Cost quote that includes:

5.1. Hourly rates and staff positions of those who will perform the work

5.2. Any ancillary costs, such as mileage or material preparation

5.3. Estimated total project cost, including the proportion going to subcontracting

REVIEW AND EVALUATION PROCESS:

Proposals are limited to ten (10) pages. The Review Team will not read or score responses after page twenty. This page limit does not include attachments requested such as budget and resumes documents. Attachments that are not requested will not be evaluated. The Review Team will consist of DDS staff. All qualified RFQ responses will be reviewed and evaluated according to the criteria set by DDS, adherence to the submission requirements, and project goals. The Review Team will consider each item in the RFQ response package, rate each item, and assign each response a total number of points, taking into consideration the comprehensiveness, responsiveness, and clarity of the response to each requirement as it pertains to the vendor’s qualifications to provide the services outlined.

WHETHER SINGLE OR MULTIPLE CONTRACTORS ARE REQUIRED FOR ENGAGEMENT:

RFQ will result in an award to a single contractor. Partnerships with DEI, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and other minority organizations with expertise in the disability field I/DD and ASD are encouraged.

Subcontracting The selected consultants’ use of subcontractors is subject to the provisions of the Commonwealth’s Terms and Conditions and Standard Contract Form, as well as other applicable terms of this Statewide Contract. Prior approval of DDS is required for any subcontracted service of the Contract. Contractors are responsible for the satisfactory performance and adequate oversight of their subcontractors.

ENGAGEMENT LENGTH

July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027

ANTICIPATED FUNDING

$40,000

RFQ CALENDAR

· RFQ Posting Date: April 30, 2026

· Proposal Due Date: May 15, 2026

· Estimated Award: July 1, 2026

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 the “Register” link on the front page.

The Department of Developmental Services must receive all Quotes before the specified date, month, year, and time of the RFQ 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. DDS 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.

File Format and Naming Conventions Scanned documents will be accepted and must be scanned to read on a computer monitor and printed on 8 1/2” x 11” paper, unless otherwise specified. Attachments must be uploaded individually and cannot be combined in a zipped file.

Public Records All information, documents, and attachments submitted as a response to this RFQ 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 prevent these documents from being released as a public record pursuant to these statutes once the procurement is awarded, unless statutorily exempt from disclosure.

COMMBUYS Support The following resources are provided to assist Bidders in submitting Quotes:

· An online job aid on “Creating a Quote in COMMBUYS” Website: Go to www.commbuys.com Email: Send inquiries to the OSD Helpdesk at OSDHELPDESK@mass.gov.

Telephone: Call the OSD Help Desk at 1-888-MA-STATE (1-888-627-8283). 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.

COMMBUYS Technical assistance is available during the procurement process through the COMMBUYS Help Desk. 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.

PRIVACY AND SECURITY

In performing its work, Vendor may have access to Protected Information (“PI”) and/or Confidential Information, from, for, or on behalf of DDS. In performing and/or providing activities, functions and/or services for or to DDS pursuant to the Contract which involve access to or use, maintenance, disclosure or creation of PI or Commonwealth Security Information belonging to DDS, Vendors shall comply with all obligations set forth in Attachment C, the Business Associate Agreement Standard Terms and Conditions Addendum, as well as applicable laws that may be in effect upon execution of, or as may be effective, during the course of this contract, including, but not limited to M.G.L. c. 66A, M.G.L. c. 93H, M.G.L. c. 123B, §17, 801 CMR 3.00, 201 CMR 17, 115 CMR 4.05 and 4.06, and the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules, 42 CFR 431, Subpart F, 42 CFR Part 2

In performance of its duties under the Contract, the Vendor must comply with M.G.L. c. 66A, M.G.L. c. 93H, and any other applicable federal or state law or regulation pertaining to the use, disclosure, maintenance, privacy, confidentiality or security of Protected Information, which shall be defines as any “personal data” as defined in M.G.L. c. 66A, any “personal information” as defined in M.GL. c. 93H, and any other individually identifiable information that is treated as confidential under State or Federal Law (including, for example, any state and federal tax return information) that the Vendor uses, maintains, discloses, receives, creates, transmits or otherwise obtains in connection with its performance of its duties. Any PI created or maintained by the Vendor pursuant to the Contract, shall only be used for the purposes stated in the Contract.

If the Vendor becomes aware of any breach or potential breach of this Subsection, the Vendor must notify the applicable DDS and any other agency that is impacted by such breach immediately. To the extent possible, the notice shall include (1) a description of what happened, including the date of the incident and the date of discovery; (2) the nature and extent of the PI involved; (3) the unauthorized person who used the information or to whom the disclosure was made; and (4) what the Vendor is doing to investigate the breach, to mitigate harm, and to protect against any further breaches. The Vendor shall provide the state agencies with any other available information that may be required or requested. The Vendor shall cooperate in the any of the state agencies in the analysis of any breach of such laws and participate in conducting any risk assessment in this area, if requested by any of the agencies. The Vendor shall be responsible for the full cost of any notifications that must be sent to third parties as a result of any such breach as is required under M.G.L.c. 93H. Prior to sending any notifications under M.G.L. c. 93H, the Vendor must consult with the applicable state agency. The Vendor shall cooperate with any of the state agencies in the analysis of any breach of such laws and participate in conducting any risk assessment in this area, if requested by any of the agencies.

As of the Contract effective date, the Vendor shall implement administrative, physical, and technical safeguards that reasonably and appropriately protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of PI and that prevent use or disclosure of such PI other than as provided for the Contract.