Employee engagement survey

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is seeking a contractor to develop, administer, and analyze a comprehensive employee engagement survey for approximately 3,400 staff members across four public health regions and 16 environmental affairs offices. The primary objectives include creating an enhanced survey instrument, facilitating bi-annual survey administration, and conducting in-depth analysis with historical comparisons and industry benchmarking. Key deliverables include comprehensive reporting, group workshops, one-on-one leadership coaching for the Executive Leadership Team and Leadership Team members, and development of leadership competency-based training courses. The evaluation criteria will be based on a best value methodology, with 60 percent weighted to price, 20 percent to technical proposal quality, and 20 percent to qualifications and risk assessment. The solicitation timeline includes a pre-bid conference on April 6, 2023, at 10:00 AM ET via Microsoft Teams, with questions due by April 7, 2023, at 5:00 PM ET. Proposals must be submitted by May 2, 2023, at 2:30 PM ET through the online procurement portal, with award notification scheduled for May 17, 2023.

No specific set-aside designations or restrictions on respondent organizations were mentioned in the solicitation documents. The contract has a maximum budget of $25,000 per year, with a potential three-year term consisting of an initial one-year period and two optional one-year renewals. The contractor must maintain 99.9 percent system uptime, provide technical support within two business days, and deliver the enhanced survey within 60 days of purchase order receipt. Compliance requirements include adhering to South Carolina laws regarding illegal immigration, ethics certifications, drug-free workplace regulations, and debarment certification. Additionally, the awarded vendor will be required to sign a Business Associate Agreement to protect Protected Health Information (PHI) under HIPAA regulations. The agency reports significant workforce challenges, with approximately 475 full-time employees leaving annually and 31 percent of job classifications experiencing turnover rates exceeding 15 percent. The contract aims to address these engagement and retention issues through a comprehensive survey and targeted improvement strategies.