DNR FRD Burn Permit Call Center - Q & A are being Posted

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources issued Request for Proposal 22-0020 on November 8, 2021, to procure 24/7 call center services for the issuance of DNR burn permits across 49 Michigan counties. The contractor must establish a continental U.S.-based call center with live representative support to serve as a backup to the DNR's existing Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, handling approximately 2,800 calls annually and providing location-based burn permit restriction information retrieved from the DNR's website. Key service requirements include achieving service level agreements with 85% of calls answered within 25 seconds, 97% answered within two minutes, 100% answered within three minutes, and average handle time under 90 seconds. The contractor must provide call center capacity with high-speed internet access, maintain detailed call reporting with online call detail records available to the DNR, and handle operator-placed outbound calls to DNR offices (estimated 50 annually) in addition to answering services and per-call-per-minute charges for message and burn permit issuance calls (estimated 1,500 minutes annually). Contractors are not required to have previous call center operation experience but must be knowledgeable in Michigan's Burn Permit Program, and no minimum or maximum number of operators or supervisors is specified. The proposal deadline was November 22, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time, with bidder questions due November 15, 2021, and answers posted November 18, 2021; the anticipated contract commencement date is December 8, 2021, with a five-year initial term plus five optional one-year renewal periods.

There are no specific set-aside designations or restrictions on the types of organizations that can respond to this procurement, though contractors must comply with mandatory minimum requirements including location in the continental United States with no offshore resource utilization and must pass background checks on employees with federal database access. The incumbent contractor is Crusecom Technology Consultants, LLC, located in Oscoda, Michigan, which completed the full contract term with all extension options exercised; the current contract expires December 31, 2021. Contractors must integrate with the DNR's existing IVR system and retrieve burn permit information from the DNR's website, and Microsoft TEAMS is the required platform for virtual meetings and training sessions. The contract is classified as a low volume, low dollar value procurement with a five-year anticipated spend of approximately $4,000, and the fee structure for the new contract mirrors the existing contract structure with bidders prohibited from deviating from the advertised fee structure. Performance penalties apply at $100 for the first five monthly non-compliance occurrences and $500 for subsequent occurrences, and the State reserves all rights to terminate for convenience, conduct facility inspections during normal business hours, and maintain audit rights for four years following contract completion.