Request for Proposals For Issued by: Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education RFP # 2010-QCC-RLG-04 Issue Date: January 22, 2010 Response Date: February 12, 2010
Table of Contents Page Part I General Information... 1 Part II Description of the Organization... 6 Part III Work Statement... 7 Part IV Information Required From Contractors... 9 Part V Criteria for Selection... 12 Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Contract Technical Proposal Form Cost Proposal Form Proposal Signature Form
Part I General Information I-1 Purpose This Request for Proposal (RFP) provides interested service providers/suppliers with sufficient information to enable them to prepare and submit proposals for consideration by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) to provide PASSHE institutions with professional staffing, consulting and/or third party servicers to assist PASSHE institutions with various Financial Aid functional processes, system implementations, and client service support. This RFP will result in multiple participation award contracts, the first step in a two-step procurement process. Qualified Suppliers shall enter into a Master Agreement with PASSHE whereby the 14 universities and the will execute purchase orders against these Master Agreements if services are required. Successful placement on the Qualified Supplier list provides eligible firms with the ability to provide services on an as needed basis only. It is not a guarantee that PASSHE will request the supplier to provide the services. The second step involves the solicitation of a written quotation for each assignment requested. The requestor (one of the 14 PASSHE Universities or the ) will issue individual purchase orders for each assignment. Each purchase order will incorporate the terms and conditions as set forth in the Master Agreement. Each university will be responsible for supplier payments. I-2 Issuing Office This RFP is being issued for PASSHE by the issuing office listed below. The issuing office is the sole point of contact for this RFP. Please refer all inquiries to: Mr. Robert Gross Procurement Manager Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Dixon University Center 2986 North Second Street Harrisburg, PA 17110 V: 717-720-4168; F: 717-720-4111 Email: rgross@passhe.edu Web site: www.passhe.edu Only information supplied by the issuing office, including responses to questions regarding the RFP, should be used in preparing proposals. Any and all other contracts or information received regarding PASSHE s requirement for prior to the release of this RFP should be disregarded in preparing responses. From the issue date of this RFP until a determination is made regarding the selection of a qualified supplier(s), all contacts concerning this RFP must be made through the issuing office. Any violation of this condition is cause for PASSHE to reject a supplier s proposal. If it is later discovered that any violations have occurred, PASSHE may reject any proposal. 1
I-3 Response Date In order to be considered for review and award, proposals must be received at the issuing office by 2:00 P.M. on February 12, 2010. Questions must be submitted via email to the issuing office no later than January 29, 2010, to ensure sufficient time to prepare responses. Responses submitted prior to February 12, 2010 will be evaluated as they are received. I-4 Scope This RFP contains instructions governing the responses to be submitted and the material to be included therein, a description of the services to be provided, requirements which must be met to be eligible for consideration, and contract terms and conditions. I-5 Pre-Proposal Conference There is no pre-proposal conference currently scheduled. I-6 Rejection of Proposals PASSHE reserves the right to reject any and all responses received from suppliers as a result of this RFP and to cancel this solicitation at any time prior to the execution of any contract. I-7 Contract It is proposed that, if a contract is entered into as a result of successful negotiations, the selected supplier will be required to sign a standard Commonwealth of Pennsylvania contract. This agreement will contain the provisions shown in the sample document attached as Appendix A. Negotiations may be undertaken with suppliers whose proposals show them to be qualified, responsible, and capable of performing the work. The Work Statement, as negotiated, will be incorporated into the standard contract. (Note: Appendix A is a sample document only and is not required to be returned with your proposal.) Contract terms and conditions are negotiated upon issuance of intent to award to the supplier. However, some of the terms are not negotiable as they are required to do business with the Commonwealth. Prohibited contract clauses include assignment clauses, law of the contract, attorney s fees, court costs, entry of judgment, indemnity and hold-harmless clauses, arbitration clauses, payment in advance and payment of insurance. I-8 Incurring Costs PASSHE is not liable for any costs or expenses incurred by contractors in the preparation or submission of their proposals or for attendance at any conferences or meetings related to this RFP. I-9 Supplier Responsibilities Each proposal must be signed by the individual representative of the contractor who has contracting authority. That individual will be the sole point of contact with regard to contractual matters. I-10 Prime Contractor/Subcontracting Eligible contractors will be considered prime contractors with respect to any supplies/work they are awarded. Any use of subcontractors must be approved in writing by PASSHE. Prime contractors are encouraged to solicit quotes from Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises when requiring subcontractors. 2
I-11 Economy of Preparation Proposals should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise description of the contractor s ability to meet the requirements of this RFP. I-12 Disclosure of Proposal Contents Supplier(s) proposals will become part of the contract award resulting from this RFP and are not, therefore, confidential. PASSHE has the right to use any other concepts presented in any reply to this RFP. Selection or rejection of a proposal does not affect this right. Please be advised that effective January 1, 2009, all responses to this procurement opportunity are subject to Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law, 65 P.S. 67.101 et seq., (Act 3 of 2008). Refer to section I-19. I-13 Addenda to the RFP If it becomes necessary to revise any part of this RFP, addenda will be posted at the following web site: http://www.passhe.edu/executive/finance/procurement/pages/2010-qcc-rlg-04.aspx The information contained on this web site is current and accurate. It is the supplier s responsibility to check this site periodically to obtain any changes to the solicitation. Suppliers must acknowledge all addenda in their proposal response. Suppliers who fail to submit current copies of the solicitation may be deemed non-responsive. I-14 Debriefing Conference Suppliers whose proposals are not selected will be notified and will be given the opportunity to be debriefed. The purpose of the debriefing is not to compare proposals, but to provide information that may assist individual suppliers in preparing future proposals. The issuing office will schedule the date, time, and location of all debriefing conferences. I-15 News Releases News releases pertaining to this RFP may not be made without PASSHE S approval, and then only in coordination with the issuing office. I-16 Proposals To be considered, proposals must consist of a complete response using the format provided in Appendices B, C and D: Proposal Submittal Forms. Proposals must be submitted as one (1) original and one (1) copy to the issuing office. In addition, all proposals must include an electronic version on diskette or CD in Microsoft Word and/or Excel formats. The information must include both the Technical and Cost Data on separate disks. Contractors must name each file using their company name, e.g., ABCCONSULTING-Tech.doc and ABCCONSULTING-Cost.pdf. Please note that your original proposal must contain the proposal signature form (found in Appendix D of the RFP) with an original signature of an official of your company authorized to bind your company to the provisions of its proposal. No other distribution of proposals will be made by the supplier. Proposal contents will become contractual obligations if and when a contract is executed. For this RFP, the proposal, as submitted, must remain valid during the entire solicitation, award, and contract finalization processes. 3
I-17 Cost Data All cost data for the proposal shall be submitted in a separate sealed envelope within the sealed proposal and kept separate from the technical proposal. Failure to meet this requirement will result in automatic disqualification of the proposal. I-18 Supplier Responsibility Program Suppliers must certify that they are not currently under suspension or debarment by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, any other state, or the federal government to the best to their knowledge. Additionally, suppliers must certify that they are not tax delinquent with either the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue or the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry to the best of their knowledge. Suppliers must acknowledge that, if they are currently under suspension or debarment, or if they owe delinquent taxes, their proposal may not be accepted or considered. This information is completed in the supplier responsibility program section of the Technical Proposal form. I-19 Open Records Please be advised that effective January 1, 2009 all responses to any procurement opportunity are subject to the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law, 65 P.S. 67.101 et seq., (Act 3 of 2008). The Right-to-Know Law permits any requestor to inspect and/or copy any record prepared and maintained or received in the course of the operation of a public office or agency that is not subject to the enumerated exceptions under the law. If your response to a procurement opportunity contains a trade secret or confidential proprietary information, you should include with your proposal a separate signed written statement to that effect. Should your proposal become the subject of a Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law request, you will be notified by the procurement office to identify all trade secrets or confidential and proprietary information that are included in your proposal. The procurement office will then determine whether the claimed trade secret or confidential and proprietary information is subject to disclosure. I-20 Type of Contract Contracts entered into as a result of this RFP are eligible for (optional) use by all 14 universities and the ( PASSHE ). Interested Suppliers agree to supply services to PASSHE as per the terms and conditions listed herein in and in any resulting Master Agreement. To the extent that any university or the procures from any resulting Master Agreement, each institution shall assume liability for payment to the Supplier(s). 1. One contract (Master Agreement) will be issued to each qualified supplier. Universities and the will issue individual release purchase orders against the Master Agreements. 2. Any resulting contract shall be awarded based upon PASSHE s Qualified Collaborative Contract (QCC) process. Reference Section I-21. 3. This RFP shall not result in any exclusive rights contracts. 4
4. Terms and conditions are negotiated upon issuance of intent to award to the supplier. However, some of the terms are not negotiable as they are required to do business with the Commonwealth. Prohibited contract clauses include assignment clauses, law of the contract, attorney s fees, court costs, entry of judgment, indemnity and hold-harmless clauses, arbitration clauses, payment in advance and payment of insurance. I-21 Qualified Collaborative Contract Process 1. Proposal due dates listed in Section I-3 shall apply. This RFP will be posted and remain open until February 12, 2010. It will be re-opened in June and December in subsequent years for a one month period to allow for other suppliers to qualify. 2. Proposals will be reviewed and rated by an evaluation team comprised of PASSHE end users. 3. Suppliers must achieve the minimum qualifying point level to be awarded a contract. Supplier qualifications may vary by the competency area but standard qualifications include experience level, service level, references, and cost. Award of a contract does not guarantee business, but does guarantee an opportunity to bid on all procurements over $20,000. 4. Purchases under $10,000 are open sourced. Universities may select any supplier from this RFP s qualified supplier list or select any supplier outside of the qualified supplier list. 5. For purchases between $10,000 and $20,000, the University may select any supplier from the qualified supplier list. 6. If the procurement is over $20,000, all qualified suppliers within the applicable competency area will be eligible to submit a quote. A Request for Quote (RFQ) will be issued and will be posted for at least 3 days on the PASSHE website. Suppliers are responsible for reviewing the website for open RFQs. Only qualified suppliers may submit quotes. If the selection criterion is based on more than just cost (example: favorable service terms) the RFQ must state that it is a best value selection. Separate template RFQ forms will be issued depending upon selection criteria (example: cost selection only or best value selection.) 7. First year contracts will be created for a period not to exceed five years. Subsequent year contracts will be created up through the end date of the initial contracts. (For example, all suppliers who qualify in 2010 will receive contracts through 2015. All suppliers who qualify in subsequent years will still have a contract end date of 2015.) Suppliers will agree to set pricing for the first year with the opportunity to update pricing upon the yearly review of the contracts. Increases in pricing will be reviewed to ensure the supplier is not exceeding the qualification level. Supplier s contracts may be cancelled if the pricing becomes uncompetitive or if service issues result in the supplier s not being utilized within a two year period. Suppliers whose contracts are cancelled for nonutilization may re-qualify by submitting a proposal in response to the next scheduled issued RFP. 5
Part II Description of the Organization II-1 PASSHE Fact Sheet http://www.passhe.edu/executive/finance/procurement/documents/factsheet10-01.pdf 6
Part III Work Statement III-1 III-2 Objective The objective of this RFP is to provide PASSHE institutions with professional staffing, consulting and/or third party servicers to assist PASSHE institutions with providing various financial aid functional processes, system implementations, and client service support. A contract will be issued for specific service categories to suppliers who have been determined through the evaluation process to meet the requirements and qualification criteria outlined herein and to provide the most advantageous terms for PASSHE at the time of selection. Nature and Scope of the Project Because of the breadth and complexity of the required services, PASSHE anticipates that a number of suppliers will be selected to provide the specific services. These services are categorized into three specific areas: 1. Professional Staffing Services a. Interim/Temporary Staffing to perform the following: i. Assist the Director or University in the overall management of the Financial Aid Operation ii. Advise Students/Parents of Financial Aid Programs and Eligibility iii. Administer all Title IV aid programs in compliance with current regulations iv. Financial Aid Processing, e.g., Packaging, Satisfactory Academic Progress, Verification, C code review, Citizenship Matches, R2T4, and Other Processing-Related Functions v. FFELP, Direct, PLUS and Private Loan Certification vi. Data Entry of Financial Aid Documents vii. State Grant Certifications according to Program Guidelines viii. Staff Training on Business Processes and Aid Programs ix. Front-line Client Services Support 2. Professional Consulting Services a. Implementation of Financial Aid Software Systems i. Banner ii. PeopleSoft and iii. Other Approved Systems b. Direct Loan Implementation c. Web Design/Portal Enhancements d. Staff Training on new Software System e. IT Support Personnel f. Compliance Support 3. Third Party Servicing a. Perkins Loan Collections b. COD Processing of Pell, ACG, Smart and Direct Loans 7
III-3 Qualification Requirements To be considered for award, suppliers must meet all of the following requirements: 1. A demonstrated track record of providing financial aid services in compliance with current Federal Regulations e.g., Direct Loan implementation, Verification, Loan Certification, Banner Implementation, etc. for at least five years within a higher education setting. 2. Achieve an acceptable score, as determined by PASSHE, in response to the qualification requirements outlined in Section IV-1. III-4 III-5 Reporting Qualified Suppliers must maintain all records in compliance with federal and state regulations. Qualified Suppliers must provide to PASSHE quarterly volume reports for services that have been provided. The will request university comments and opinions as to the supplier s performance on the services that have been provided. Cost Problem Provide a clear, detailed and inclusive description of the compensation your firm would expect for providing services to PASSHE. Suppliers must designate their agreement with the travel reimbursement statement below on the QCC Cost Proposal form Appendix C. All cost data for the proposal shall be submitted in a separate sealed envelope within the sealed proposal and must be kept separate from the technical proposal. Failure to meet this requirement will result in the automatic disqualification of the proposal. NOTE: With respect to supplier travel reimbursement: 1. The Supplier must submit itemized invoices for fees and actual expenses incurred. Reimbursement for travel expenses will be made in accordance with PASSHE s Travel Expense Regulations located at: http://www.passhe.edu/executive/finance/accounting/pages/rates.aspx. 2. Expenses include lodging, meals, airfare, parking, mileage and tolls. Include all receipts with invoices. No alcoholic beverages or other incidentals may be billed. The Supplier is responsible for all lodging room incidental costs. 8
Part IV Information Required From Contractors To be considered, proposals must respond, at a minimum, to all requirements in this part of the RFP. Any other information thought to be relevant, but not applicable to the enumerated categories, should be provided as appendices to the proposal. IV-1 Statement of Qualifications Suppliers shall complete Appendix B (Technical Proposal Form). Instructions for completion are as follows: 1. Business References. Three business references, including the company name, address, contact person, email address, and telephone number. Include a description of the services provided to these clients and how they relate to the requirements of this RFP. 2. Company Profile. Provide a brief description of how your firm is organized, including the businesses in which it is engaged, the location of offices, and the number of professionals in each office. Include a discussion of the specific expertise and services that distinguish your firm. 3. Experience. Provide the names, proposed roles, background and experience, office location and availability of the personnel that would work on PASSHE s account, and specifically identify the primary person(s) who will be responsible for managing the relationship with PASSHE. Also include a list of your personnel's experience in the state of Pennsylvania. IV-2 Work Plan Suppliers shall complete Appendix B (Technical Proposal Form). Instructions for completion are as follows: 1. General Statement. Provide a general statement reflecting your understanding of PASSHE, how it functions, and its need for the services requested herein. 2. Work Plan. Describe in narrative form your firm s plan to accomplish the work. Provide a scope of services and a proposed outline of tasks, deliverables to be performed, duration for each task, and project schedule. Include an implementation plan that describes in detail the methods, including controls by which your firm manages projects of the type sought by this RFP. 3. Client Satisfaction. Include a detailed description of efforts your firm will undertake to achieve client satisfaction and to satisfy the requirements of the "Scope of Services" section of this RFP. IV-3 Acknowledgments Suppliers must complete Appendix D (Supplier Proposal Signature Form) and acknowledge that they meet/understand the items listed: 1. Company Information. Include the signature that certifies the supplier s proposal is being submitted in accordance with the terms and conditions as outlined in the RFP. 9
2. Type of Organization. Complete as required. 3. Supplier Responsibility Program. Complete as required (reference RFP Section I-18 for additional information.) 4. Cost Proposal. Complete as required. 5. Appendices. Complete as required and list any appendices that are being submitted. Attach appendices to the Technical Proposal Form. IV-4 Response to Cost Problem Suppliers shall complete Appendix C (Cost Proposal Form.) Instructions for completion are as follows: All cost information must be submitted separately from the technical portion of the proposal. 1. Fee Schedule. Present a concise list of the scope of services and the work products that your firm proposes to provide. Given your proposed scope of services and work products, discuss your proposed fee arrangement. Provide your firm s compensation on a time and expense basis, with a list of hourly billing rates for the proposed personnel and any proposed increases in such rates during the term of the contract, and the types of reimbursable expenses with proposed charges. Cost proposals shall include all charges that may be imposed in fulfilling the terms of this RFP, Master Agreement and any resulting university purchase order. Qualified Suppliers must provide the universities with itemized invoices that specify actual services provided. 2. Payment Schedule. Universities shall reimburse for Out-of-Pocket expenses upon proper invoices rendered with appropriate receipts attached. Such expenses, if applicable, will be reimbursed at cost and include long distance telephone, postage, air express charges, fax, reproduction and related costs necessarily incurred in providing the services herein. Reimbursement of travel expenses will be made in accordance with the Board of Governors Policy 1986-07-A, Travel Expense Regulations. Include your organization s requirements with regard to its payment schedules. Any costs incurred by the Supplier not specifically provided for herein shall be at the expense of the Supplier. 3. Overhead fees, administrative expenses, and indirect costs will not be considered. 4. The Supplier expressly agrees and understands that any resulting contract shall not be an exclusive one, and that PASSHE may obtain the services listed herein from any other Supplier on the award list. 10
IV-5 Format for Required Information To be considered for evaluation, proposals must respond to all requirements in Section III of this RFP. Proposals are to be submitted as follows: A. Identified on the envelope: 1. - Technical Proposal (include signed Signature Form) 2. Supplier name. 3. Delivery location. B. Consisting of: 1. The responses to sections IV-1 through IV-4. 2. A completed ORIGINAL proposal signature form (Appendix D) MUST be signed by an individual with contracting authority. 3. Separate appendices containing supporting materials as necessary. 4. An electronic version of the technical proposal and cost proposal. The information must submitted ON SEPARATE READ-ONLY diskettes or CDs. 5. All cost proposals in sealed and separately labeled envelopes. 11
Part V Criteria for Selection V-1 Evaluation of Proposals All proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by a committee of qualified personnel selected by PASSHE. Supplier qualifications may vary by the competency area but standard qualifications include experience level, service level, references, and cost and value-added services proposed. Remember to: Check our web site for addenda at: http://www.passhe.edu/executive/finance/procurement/pages/2010-qcc- RLG-04.aspx Mark the face of your proposal envelope (including overnight mailing envelopes) with the following reference number: RFP 2010-QCC-RLG-04. Carefully review all listed requirements to ensure compliance with the RFP. V-2 Selection Criteria The following areas of consideration will be used in qualifying suppliers: 1. Completeness of supplier response 2. Supplier profile, qualifications and experience 3. Cost 12