DATE: January 18, 2018 QUESTION 1: Whether companies from Outside USA can apply for this? RESPONSE 1: Companies and individuals outside of the US are eligible to apply. However, as stated in the RFP, the proposer should have advanced knowledge of California rules and regulations concerning emergency operations. QUESTION 2: Whether we need to come over there for meetings? RESPONSE 2: Yes, being onsite for meetings is an expectation for the service provider. QUESTION 3: Can we perform the tasks (related to RFP) outside USA? RESPONSE 3: While some tasks may be performed offsite, it is the expectation that the service provider offer training onsite. (See Response 2) QUESTION 4: Can we submit the proposals via email? RESPONSE 4: In accordance with the RFP instructions, all proposals are due not later than 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 8, 2018 at which time they will be opened at the City Clerk s Desk on the First Floor of City Hall. Late submissions will not be accepted. To be considered, proposers must send one (1) color original, one (1) USB flash drive with a searchable PDF copy of the proposal in its entirety and three (3) hard copies of their proposal in a sealed envelope with the name of the company submitting the proposal and the title of RFP #1827 Comprehensive Disaster Cost Recovery Strategic Plan to: City of Culver City City Clerk 9770 Culver Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 Please refer to pages 3-4 of the RFP for complete submittal information. CITY OF CULVER CITY Page 1 of 6 RFP NO. 1827
QUESTION 5: Per Section II, B1, the RFP states, This planning and training will complement the work the City has already done towards emergency preparedness and will aid the City in ensuring its readiness in navigating federal procedures to maximize the City s recovery of eligible expenses in the event of a disaster. Does Culver City prefer that this project consider local emergency proclamations, State of Emergency proclamations and Presidential Disaster Declarations OR only Presidential Disaster Declarations? RESPONSE 5: All of the above proclamations should be considered, not just Presidential Disaster Declarations. QUESTION 6: Per Section III, Scope of Services, of the RFP is the selected proposer required to provide training on all of the following topics or simply include in the Training Plan? See RFP training language in Section III, B as well. a. Cost Recovery Work and Activity Documentation b. Information Work Process Flow c. Development of Burn Rate Worksheets d. Disaster Cost Recovery Accounting System Coding e. Financial Aspects of Damage Assessment Planning f. Insurance and Risk Management for Disaster Cost Recovery g. Disaster Pay / Employee Feeding and Housing Issues h. Volunteers, Donations and Victim s Services/Legal Issues for Disaster Cost Recovery (Real Estate Contracts, Insurance and Donations) i. Creating Project Worksheets for Small Projects RESPONSE 6: Ideally, we would like to have a document/procedure created for each bulleted item with instructions on how to prepare/execute. QUESTION 7: Per Section III, A of the RFP, please provide the federal, state, and local laws that Culver City would like to be covered in an effort to align expectations. RESPONSE 7: As stated within the RFP, the consultant should have extensive experience and background with the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS) at various agency levels of application including local and state emergency operations. The City would, in turn, be reliant upon the selected proposer s knowledge of applicable laws from which our strategic plan and associated training should be governed. CITY OF CULVER CITY Page 2 of 6 RFP NO. 1827
QUESTION 8: Per Section III, A of the RFP, please provide what Culver City defines as the attention to continuity of operations with this planning effort? RESPONSE 8: In the context of this RFP, attention to continuity of operations shall be specifically focused to Finance Department primary functions (i.e. payroll, purchasing, cash management, billing and collection of monies due the City, accounts payable, etc.). QUESTION 9: Per Section III, B of RFP, how many trainings and how many exercises are required? RESPONSE 9: The quantity of classes/exercises will be left to the discretion of the proposer. The expectation of the City is to ensure that all of the needed training components are met. QUESTION 10: Per Section III, B of RFP, can / should exercises be incorporated into the trainings? RESPONSE 10: The expectation is that exercises will be incorporated into trainings. Exercises/presentations expected would be an introduction to the plan and discussion on how to navigate through procedures and complete newly created forms. QUESTION 11: Re: Section VI: Evaluation of Proposals, is the City weighting each criterion equally in its evaluation of proposals? If not, can the City provide information about how each criterion is weighted? RESPONSE 11: Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria, in no particular order: Qualifications & Experience 30% Questions/Response to Scope of Svcs 25% Fees 35% References, Schedule & Required Forms 10% CITY OF CULVER CITY Page 3 of 6 RFP NO. 1827
QUESTION 12: Section V, B1 asks for a description of the firm s history and organizational structure. It also says, Include the size of the firm, location of offices, years in business, organizational chart, name(s) of owner(s) and principal parties, and number and position titles of staff. Will the position titles of proposed project staff suffice or does the City want a list of personnel classifications across the firm? RESPONSE 12: Position titles of proposed project staff is sufficient, although additional information will be welcomed. QUESTION 13: Per Section V, E1 of RFP is there a predetermined budget for this project. If yes, can you share so that the response can be tailored to meet your budget requirements? RESPONSE 13: While an initial budget has been appropriated in the amount of $75,000, the City s primary goal is identifying a solution that meets its requirements with an experienced vendor capable of providing the needed strategic planning, training and support services to ensure a successful project. Pricing will be a factor, but not the determining factor. It is the duty of proposer s to provide the City with a comprehensive and cost-effective solution. QUESTION 14: Can the City confirm that it uses the Emergency Operations Plan available on its website and revised on March 1, 2007? If not, can the City provide its most current Emergency Operations Plan? RESPONSE 14: March 1, 2007 refers to date the Office of Emergency Services revised their crosswalk. The City s approved 2016 Emergency Operations Plan can be accessed via the link: http://www.culvercity.org/home/showdocument?id=6914 QUESTION 15: There is no stated page limitation for response stated in the RFP document, is it correct to assume that there is no page limit associated with this RFP? RESPONSE 15: Correct. CITY OF CULVER CITY Page 4 of 6 RFP NO. 1827
QUESTION 16: The proposal mentions that the contractor will be responsible for conducting "initial training to introduce staff to the Plan with exercises." How many trainings does the City anticipate the contractor should be prepared to provide? One class, two classes, etc.? Approximately how many people would be included in these trainings? RESPONSE 16: The quantity of classes/exercises will be left to the discretion of the proposer. The expectation of the City is to ensure that all of the needed training components are met (See Response 9). The trainings should be catered for approximately 10-12 people. QUESTION 17: In the Training and Exercise Roadmap section, the term "with exercises" implies that the training session should include some tabletop discussions and/or hands-on drill opportunities for staff to fill out paperwork and conduct activities based on a given scenario. Is this an accurate interpretation? Would the contractor be required to conduct other exercises? Would the exercises need to fulfill any grant requirements, e.g., HSEEP-based, Full Scale Exercise, Tabletop, etc.? RESPONSE 17: This interpretation is correct. Other exercises/presentations expected would be an introduction to the plan and discussion on how to navigate through procedures and complete newly created forms. (See Response 10) QUESTION 18: Is there a budget for this project? RESPONSE 18: See Response 13. QUESTION 19: Throughout the plan development process, CONSTANT is prepared to conduct a number of planning meetings with the City to help present outlines and drafts as well as receive feedback. How many planning meetings does the City anticipate needing? Will other departments/agencies potentially be involved in these meetings? If so, who would be part of this planning committee? RESPONSE 19: 3-5 planning meetings at minimum. Only City of Culver City staff would be involved with these meetings. QUESTION 20: Will the City provide venues for both the training and the plan development planning meetings? RESPONSE 20: Yes. CITY OF CULVER CITY Page 5 of 6 RFP NO. 1827
QUESTION 21: To what extent will City staff participate in the development of plan elements to integrate those elements into the City s working procedures? RESPONSE 21: City s Emergency Preparedness Coordinator and Finance Staff would be intricately involved in the development of working procedures. QUESTION 22: Will there be a single point of contact from City staff? RESPONSE 22: Yes. The primary point of contact will be Christine Parra, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator. QUESTION 23: Does the City currently have a Continuity of Operations Plan, and if so, when was it last updated? RESPONSE 23: No, the City does not currently have a Continuity of Operations Plan in place. QUESTION 24: If the City has a Continuity of Operations Plan, does it include a comprehensive element for Information Technology and Communications? RESPONSE 24: See Response 23. QUESTION 25: Does the City have an electronic document management system? If so, does it provide for (or allow for) Project Worksheet filing and management? RESPONSE 25: The City is in the process of deploying a new electronic management system with Konica Minolta. While we have not yet explored Project Worksheet filing and management under this new platform, we can further discuss and develop this process during the planning meetings. QUESTION 26: The RFP states that the Consultant should provide a project timeline of estimated project start date to be June 1, 2018, does the City have a Period of Performance date or an anticipated project end date? RESPONSE 26: Major milestones are anticipated to be completed within one year of the project start date. CITY OF CULVER CITY Page 6 of 6 RFP NO. 1827