COMMUNICABLE DISEASE RESPONSE PLAN

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a comprehensive Communicable Disease Response Plan focusing on five major ports of entry in the state, including Charleston International Airport, Columbia Metropolitan Airport, Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, Myrtle Beach International Airport, and the Sea Port of Charleston. The solicitation requires vendors to develop a state-level plan with five annexes, one for each port, which must review existing plans, facilitate in-person meetings with port authorities, and coordinate with governmental agencies and stakeholders. Key deliverables include developing command and control procedures using the Incident Command System (ICS), defining response protocols, outlining stakeholder roles, and creating provisions for vulnerable populations, security, medical care access, and individual notifications. The solicitation opened on January 6, 2020, with questions due by January 15, 2020, and proposal submissions required by February 4, 2020, at 2:30 p.m. ET. Evaluation criteria include Ability to Perform (40%), Experience and Qualifications (35%), and Cost (25%), with cost not used as an initial evaluation factor.

The RFP requires offerors to be registered South Carolina vendors with a minimum of five years of experience in planning, coordinating, and synchronizing infectious disease, emergency, or crisis management. Vendors must demonstrate understanding of federal, state, and local laws related to communicable disease reporting and port entry regulations, with a bachelor's degree serving as the minimum educational requirement. The estimated budget for the project is $50,000, with proposals exceeding this amount acceptable for consideration. All pricing must be all-inclusive and cover travel-related expenses, with no hidden costs permitted. Offerors must submit technical and price proposals separately through the South Carolina Enterprise Information System (SCEIS) and comply with DHEC requirements, including a Business Associate Agreement for HIPAA compliance and maintaining confidentiality of protected health information. The contract period is estimated from February 19, 2020, through February 18, 2021, with award notification originally scheduled for February 18, 2020, though multiple extensions of the award posting date were subsequently issued.