Recommendation to award PEAS Call Center RFP

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) issued RFP# 190000001368 on March 13, 2019, to procure telephone answering services for the PEAS (Public) system. The solicitation period lasted 21 days with proposals due on April 3, 2019. The procurement sought a qualified vendor to provide comprehensive call center services including monthly service charges, per-minute charges for message or call handling, per-minute charges for out-dial services, and per-minute charges for operator time. The contract term is structured as three years with two optional one-year renewal periods. All five responsive bidders—Allegheny Answering Service, Inc., AMBS Message Center, Inc., Answer Carolina, Inc., McGhee and Associates, LLC, and Exela Technologies, Inc.—met the mandatory pass/fail requirements, demonstrating acceptance without exceptions of staffing, technical support and repairs and maintenance, work hours, project plan, and reporting sections. The evaluation committee assessed proposals based on overall cost-effectiveness across the four deliverable categories, with pricing serving as the primary evaluation criterion among qualified vendors.

Allegheny Answering Service, Inc., located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was recommended for award based on its lowest overall cost proposal at $30,000.00, subject to State Administrative Board approval. Allegheny's competitive pricing structure included a $25.00 monthly charge and $0.60 per-minute charges for messages, out-dial services, and operator time. No specific set-aside designations or disadvantaged enterprise restrictions were indicated in the procurement documents. The award letter indicates no incumbent vendor information or technology integration requirements were specified. Unsuccessful bidders were notified that they could request a debriefing session with Solicitation Manager Lisa VanOstran to understand the evaluation rationale and award decision.