Vermont Department of Health s1

Vermont Department of Health

Sealed Bid

Request for Proposals

Project Title: Epidemiology Conferences 2013 Contract Period: May 1, 2013 – April 30, 2014 Contract Amount: Not to exceed $45,000. Date RFP Issued: January 23, 2013 Date of Bid Closing: February 06, 2013 Single Point of Contact: Chaity Naik Contact Address: Vermont Department of Health Division of Health Surveillance 108 Cherry Street, Suite 304 Burlington, Vermont 05401 Phone: 802-_863_-_7304___ Email: [email protected] Keywords: epidemiology conference, infectious disease conference, conference planning and logistics

0924f6de7ae8f91cd9b98f7794ea6040.docx 1 of 14 1. Overview

The purpose of the Infectious Disease Conference 2013 and the Northeast Epidemiology Conference 2013 is to increase knowledge of public health professionals such as physicians, nurses and epidemiologists on current issues in infectious disease, and provide a setting for discussion. The Northeast Epidemiology Conference 2013 is a two day conference for epidemiologists and other interested public health professionals. The Infectious Disease Conference 2013 is a two day conference for physicians and nurses and any other interested public health professionals. The contract for this work will be with the Vermont Department of Health Division of Health Surveillance.

1.1 Requests for Proposals The Vermont Department of Health is seeking a Contractor to plan, conduct, and evaluate the Northeast Epidemiology Conference 2013 and the Infectious Disease Conference 2013. Anticipated contract period will be from May 1, 2013 through April 30, 2014.

1.2 Background The Northeast Epidemiology Conference is a regional conference to be held in Vermont for the first time since 2002. The purpose of the conference is to increase knowledge of epidemiologists in current issues and provide a setting for discussion. This is a two day conference for public health professionals with discussion topics including infectious disease, chronic disease, and environmental health. The Infectious Disease Conference 2013 is a two day statewide conference to be held in Vermont. The purpose of the conference is to enhance the awareness of physicians, nurses, other interested healthcare providers, and public health professionals on current issues in infectious disease in Vermont.

2. Scope of Work

2.1. Scope of Work details The contractor is responsible for all logistics of conference delivery including planning support, venue logistics, conference development, conference marketing, conference execution and evaluation. 1. Planning Support a) Support the conference planning committee by planning and organizing the Northeastern Epidemiology Conference 2013 which will be held from October 17th-18th 2013. b) Support the conference planning committee by planning and organizing the Vermont Infectious Disease Conference 2013 which will be held from October 18th-19th 2013. c) Organize and participate in planning meetings for both conferences by planning and arranging meetings, preparing agendas, and delivering meeting minutes. d) Determine and execute a work plan for each conference. Work plan shall include: e.i. Objectives e.ii. Milestones e.iii. Deliverables e.iv. Deadlines

2. Venue Logistics

a) Contractor will sub-contract with venue(s) for each conference and organize, coordinate and govern venue logistics for each conference. Subcontracts will include but not be limited to: i.i. Meeting space and hotel rooms i.ii. Parking i.iii. Electricity access for vendors i.iv. Wireless internet i.v. Room layouts i.vi. Food and beverage (breakfast, lunch, dinner and breaks) i.vii. Audio/visual

3. Conference Development

a) Contractor will work with the conference planning committee to: a.i. Identify conference objectives a.ii. Establish conference themes a.iii. Determine speakers’ travel & logistics a.iv. Establish conference agendas & schedules a.v.Register attendees a.vi. Maintain conference web sites a.vii. Other conference-related logistics as identified by VDH b) Contractor will work with the conference planning committee to select speakers. Contractor will arrange travel and provide honoraria to speakers. c) Contractor will create a conference schedule which will be agreed upon by the conference planning committee. d) Contractor will maintain and conduct an on-line registration system for each conference.

0924f6de7ae8f91cd9b98f7794ea6040.docx 3 of 14 e) Contractor will accept payment of leftover funds from the 2012 Northeast Epidemiology Conference from the state of New Hampshire, and use those funds to develop and execute the 2013 Northeast Epidemiology Conference. f) Contractor will arrange and pay for hotel rooms for up to 30 conference attendees as approved by the State Epidemiologist. 2. Conference Marketing a) Contractor will create a marketing plan that will encourage registration of attendees, speakers, and exhibitors. Plan will be agreed upon by the conference planning committee to ensure the conference participation goals are met and the intended audiences are reached. b) Contractor will track marketing success and deliver a concise summary report each month highlighting progress. c) Contractor will be responsible for conference branding and graphic design of online and print materials. Online and print materials to include a conference logo will be utilized in all marketing efforts. All graphics will be submitted to the conference planning committee for approval before use. d) Contractor will be responsible for creating, printing and providing all conference materials including conference agendas and registration packets with handouts for attendees. e) Contractor will recruit exhibitors/vendors for the conferences. f) Contractor will be responsible for designing and disseminating informational materials about the conferences. g) Contractor will govern all aspects of conference registration including early bird and regular registration fee collection and disbursement to vendors or state. 3. Conference Execution a) Contractor will be accountable for all conference logistics. The contractor will need to arrive on site(s) prior to each conference to assure all logistics are in place. The contractor will need to be present on site throughout the course of each conference. b) Contractor will arrange and provide healthcare provider (physician, nurse) continuing education credits for the Vermont Infectious Disease Conference. c) Contractor will provide gift bags with a value of $50 or less for speakers. d) Contractor will organize gift basket drawings for attendees. e) Contractor will create a method for obtaining attendee feedback and evaluations and will summarize the data in a report to VDH.

4. Evaluation a) Following conference completion Contractor and the Conference Planning Committee will have a final debriefing meeting to confer strengths and weaknesses of the conference as stated in the evaluation. b) Contractor will provide a concise summary report with recommendations for improvement at the end of contract period. 3. General Provisions

3.1 Contract Terms The selected Contractor will sign a contract with the VDH to carry out the specifications and provide the activities detailed in the proposal. Terms and conditions from this RFP and Contractor’s response will become part of the contract. This contract will be subject to review throughout its entire term. The VDH will consider cancellation upon discovery that a Contractor is in violation of any portion of the agreement, including an inability by the Contractor to provide the products, support and/or service offered in their response.

3.2 Contract Award The VDH may award one or more contracts and reserves the right to make additional awards to the same vendor or other vendors who submitted proposals at any time during the first year of the contract if such award is deemed to be in the best interest of the VDH.

3.3 Ownership of Work Product and Intellectual Capital Except for proprietary or commercial software, the VDH will have all ownership rights to the documentation designed, developed, and/or utilized for this contract. All data, technical information, materials gathered, originated, developed, prepared, used or obtained in the performance of the contract, including, but not limited to, all reports, surveys, plans, charts, literature, brochures, mailings, recordings (video and/or audio), pictures, drawings, analyses, graphic representations, notes and memoranda, and, written procedures and documents, regardless of the state of completion, which are custom developed and/or are the result of the services required under this contract, shall be and remain the property of the VDH and shall be delivered to the VDH upon 30 days notice by the VDH. A vendor shall not sell a work product or deliverable produced under a contract awarded as a result of bids without explicit permission from the VDH.

3.4 Penalties and Retainage TBD.

3.5 Subcontractors Any subcontractors hired by the primary contractor must adhere to the same standards and contract provisions applicable to the primary contractor. The primary contractor retains overall responsibility for contract performance. The primary contractor must advise the VDH of intent to hire a subcontractor and provide the name of company, name of president/owner and location of company. The VDH reserves the right to reject the hiring of subcontractor during the term of contract.

0924f6de7ae8f91cd9b98f7794ea6040.docx 5 of 14 3.6 Invoicing All invoices are to be submitted by the Contractor on the Contractor's standard invoice. The invoice must include the following: a signed signature, name and address for remittance of payment by the state, state contract number, date of performance and a brief description of the service or product provided.

3.7 Contractor Performance Guidance All bidders will be held to specific performance review criteria over the life of the contract to ensure that project deliverables as outlined in the RFP and attested to in the Scope of Work are being met. Review of project deliverables will occur at intervals agreed upon by both the State and the Contractor and designated in the contract.

3.8 Contractor Staffing Key staff member(s) must be assigned to this contract for the full duration proposed. None of the key staff member(s) may be reassigned or otherwise removed early from this project without explicit written permission of the VDH.

The Contractor must identify staff member(s) who will remain on this project until completion, unless indicated otherwise in the Contractor’s proposal. The Contractor may propose other staff members as “key” if desired. The Contractor will make every reasonable effort to ensure that the early removal of a key staff member has no adverse impact on the successful completion of this project.

3.9 Key Contractor Responsibilities The selected Contractor must assume primary responsibility for the implementation of the contract specifications and activities.

3.9.1 The Contractor will successfully implement the plan to accomplish the tasks described and defined in the Scope of Work.

3.9.2 The Contractor must abide by all State policies, standards and protocols as provided, and defined in this contract.

4. Management Structure and General Information

4.1 Project Management The Contractor will be accountable to the State Epidemiologist for Infectious Disease and hold accountability for the conference deliverables, schedules and adherence to contract provisions. The Contractor must abide by all VDH standards and protocols as defined by the State Epidemiologist. 4.2 Status Reports Contractor will be accountable for submitting status reports on a schedule to be determined by VDH and contractor during contract negotiations. Report frequency shall be no less than quarterly and no more frequently than monthly.

Reports shall include:

- Duties accomplished; - Duties that are partial, or behind schedule, with reasons given; - Activities for the coming month; - Summary of the current status of activities; - Unresolved issues and obligation by contractor to resolve the issues; - Any pending action items that require VDH attention;

VDH reserves the right to call a meeting with contractor either in person or by conference call to ensure that unresolved issues are resolved during contract period.

5. Proposal Requirements and Timelines

5.1 Proposal Guidelines Applicants must adhere to the instructions and conditions stated in the RFP and provide all the required information. Failure to furnish all information or comply with stated requirements will result in disqualification from the bidding. Applicants must set forth full, accurate, and complete information as required by this RFP.

5.2 Single Point of Contact Chaity Naik is the single point of contact for this proposal. All communications regarding this RFP are to be referred in writing to the attention of Chaity Naik listed on cover sheet of this proposal. Attempts by bidders to contact any other party could result in the rejection of their proposal as determined by the VDH.

5.3 Question and Answer Period Any bidder needing explanation of any section of this proposal or wishing to submit questions may do so according to the 5.5 Timetable schedule listed in this section. Questions may be e-mailed to Chaity Naik listed on page 1 of this proposal. Any questions submitted following the closing period will not be responded to.

At the close of the question period a copy of all questions or comments and the State's responses will be posted on the State’s web site: http://www.vermontbusinessregistry.com. Every effort will be made to have these available soon after the question period ends, contingent on the number and complexity of the questions.

0924f6de7ae8f91cd9b98f7794ea6040.docx 7 of 14 5.4 Bidders Conference Call See 5.5 below. Bidders Conference Call

5.5 Timetable The table below presents the VDH schedule for this RFP and contracting process. Please note that the VDH may change this schedule at any point.

RFP published January 23, 2013 Written questions due January 29, 2013 Bidders Conference Call January 30, 2013 11:00 am- 12:00 pm US Toll Free: 1 (877) 273-4202 Passcode: 5942158 Response to questions will be posted February 1, 2013 Proposal due February 6, 2013 by 4:00PM EST (see Section 5.6 for detailed (Eastern Standard Time) instructions on proposal format and submission instructions) Contract negotiation period February 11 – 18, 2013 Anticipated “Start Work Date” May 1, 2013

The State reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals. Selected State staff will evaluate proposals. If a proposal is selected, the chosen Contractor will be invited to negotiate a contract for all or part of the activities outlined in this RFP. Work to be completed under this contract will commence no later than May 1, 2013.

5.6 Proposal Submission

Bidders must submit an original and three hard copies of the proposal with a signed cover letter.

The State reserves the right to exclude from further consideration any proposal deemed to be substantially or materially unresponsive to the requests for information contained herein.

The proposal must be structured in the order described below. Use the numbering designations outlined.

Example language (Response Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9). The numbering will allow assessors to score areas appropriately. Failure to use number labels may result in scores of zero as assessors may be unable to find answers that correspond to numbered specifications/requirements).

Bidders will submit their proposals to: Chaity Naik, MPH Vermont Department of Health 108 Cherry St. Suite 304 Burlington, VT 05401

The closing date for the receipt of proposals is 4:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) on February 6, 2013.

Bid must be delivered to Chaity Naik at the address listed above prior to that time. Proposals or unsolicited amendments submitted after that time will not be accepted and will be returned to the bidder. There are no exceptions to the closing date conditions.

Application Delivery Process:

 Delivery Method # A: Bidders can submit application by U.S. MAIL. However, bidders are cautioned that it is their responsibility to originate the mailing of bids in sufficient time to insure receipt by the State prior to the time of the bid closing.

 Delivery Method # B: Bidders can submit application by EXPRESS DELIVERY SERVICE. If bids are being sent via an express delivery service, be certain that the RFP designation is clearly shown on the outside of the delivery envelope or box.

 Delivery Method # C: Bidders can submit application by HAND DELIVERY. Hand carried bids must be delivered to Dr. Patsy Kelso or may be delivered to a representative of the Division of Health Surveillance if the contact person is unavailable.

ELECTRONIC/EMAIL: Electronic bids will not be accepted.

FAXED BIDS: Faxed bids will not be accepted.

5.7 Proposal Format Proposals may not exceed 20 double-spaced pages excluding staff résumés, the cost proposal (budget pages) and references in 12-point, Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins. Shorter applications are encouraged. Longer applications will be considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed.

0924f6de7ae8f91cd9b98f7794ea6040.docx 9 of 14 The layout of the proposal must be numbered as follows:

5.8 Response Sections: Response Section 1: Cover Letter, Vermont Tax Certificate and Insurance Certificate The cover letter must be signed and dated by a person authorized to legally bind the vendor to a contractual relationship, e.g., the President or Executive Director if a corporation, the managing partner if a partnership, or the proprietor if a sole proprietorship.

The cover letter must include by attachment the following information about the vendor:

 Name, address, principal place of business, telephone number, and fax number/email address of legal entity or individual with whom contract would be written.  Legal status of the vendor (sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, etc.) and the year the entity was organized to do business, as the entity now substantially exists.  Location of the facility from which the vendor would operate.  Number of years’ experience carrying out the activities of this contract.  Establish sufficient financial capitals and be financially sound as proven by furnishing balance sheet/financial statements, showing that the vendor has been in business continually for the last three (3) years.  Provision of a single point managerial level contact to coordinate all State requirements and to be the point of contact for any problems/questions that may arise.  Statement showing agreement that vendor’s procedures shall be in compliance with all applicable Federal and State laws.  Insurance Certificate must be included in Response Section I. ( See Template State of Vermont Standard Personal Services Contract, Attachment C)  Vermont Tax Certificate must be included in Response Section I. Response Section 2: General Background and Qualifications

Bidder must provide the following information about their company so that the VDH can assess the bidder’s stability and capability to sustain the responsibilities set forth in response to the RFP. The VDH may require additional documentation to support and/or clarify requested information.  A brief description of the company, including past history, present status, and if fitting future plans, etc.  Company size and organization.  Disclose any history of defaults, contract terminations, and bankruptcies.

Response Section 3: Implementation Plan In this section, the bidder must specify the goals and objectives of the project. Goals are general statements of intent; Objectives define a specific problem or task to be accomplished. The objective should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-framed). The bidder should describe in detail the methodology that the vendor will take in executing the activities and specifications. This description should include all components of the proposed project described in this RFP. The proposal should clearly demonstrate how each of these project components directly relates to the project’s stated goals. This section should also describe how success will be measured, and should propose specific performance indicators which can be used to track progress and determine the project’s success. This section must include a time-task plan that clearly identifies the timeline for carrying out the project’s major activities.

Bidders are recommended to present the following for each project component: • An overview of the proposed project component and its respective activities. • A description of how the project component supports the overall goal of the project. • A detailed outline of the methodology that will be used to implement the proposed component. • An analysis of anticipated implementation risks and challenges. A summary of expected outputs with their expected impact, using performance indicators that will be used to track progress towards the anticipated results.

Response Section 4: References In order to validate the highest-ranking proposal, references will be contacted for further input. These clients may be contacted to determine the quality of the work performed and the personnel assigned to the project. The results of the reference calls will be used by the evaluation team in developing its recommendation for awarding the contract.

Bidder must provide at least three (3) references along with the name, title, phone number, and email address of the person who can speak to the bidder’s work and experience.

0924f6de7ae8f91cd9b98f7794ea6040.docx 11 of 14 Response Section 5: Staffing This section should contain the following information about the bidder’s staffing to support the project and ability to carry out the activities and work specifications outlined in the RFP.

Response Section 6: Proposed Work Plan (Response to Requirements) This section should contain information about the bidder’s approach to meeting the goals of the project.

Proposal should:  Describe the bidder’s method to successfully achieving the goals of the project  Explain in detail a plan that bidder has formulated to achieve the requirements of the proposal.  Establish that the bidder has experience with this type of project and develop a coherent plan of action based upon activities and work specifications.  Demonstrate that the bidder has experience with diverse populations. Describe experience.

Response Section 7: Cost Proposal This section of the proposal should include costs for this project. There are several different options available that you may want to consider that most closely fits project.

Some points to consider are:  Is this a fee for service, activities based, etc.?  Are there startup costs?  Will contractor be required to travel in-state during course of contract, will there be overnight stays?  Is there custom programming for project or service?

Response Section 8: Exceptions

If the vendor should choose not to address a certain Activity, Deliverable or Condition, the vendor’s proposal must clearly explain why and what the vendor proposes as an alternative.

Response Section 9: Bidder’s Review of RFP, State Contract Template, and Insurance Requirements. Bidder has reviewed the terms and all provisions of the Request for Proposal, the State of Vermont contract template and insurance requirements and accepts conditions set forth. 6. Proposal Evaluation

The evaluation team will assess each proposal and determine if it is sufficiently responsive to the RFP to permit a complete evaluation of the individual/organization and experience. Proposals must comply with the instructions to bidders contained in Section 5: Proposal Requirements. Failure to comply with the instructions shall deem the proposal non-responsive and subject to rejection without further consideration. The State reserves the right to waive irregularities.

6.1 Minimum Requirements Minimum requirements for a proposal to be given consideration are:

 The proposal must have been received by February 6, 2013 at 4:00pm, Eastern Standard Time and in the number and form of copies specified.

 The proposal must contain the following items in the following order: o Response Section 1: Cover Letter and Insurance Certificate o Response Section 2I: General Background and Qualifications o Response Section 3: Ability to Implement the Activities and Specifications of this Contract o Response Section 4: References o Response Section 5: Staffing o Response Section 6: Proposed Work Plan o Response Section 7: Cost Proposal o Response Section 8: Exceptions o Response Section 9: Acceptance of RFP and State Contract Conditions

6.2 Finalists Presentations

The State reserves the right to request on-site demonstrations in Burlington, VT from bidders prior to the selection of a contractor.

6.3 Method of Award The State reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals. Upon completion of the evaluation process, the State Epidemiologist will select one bidder based on the evaluation findings and other criteria deemed relevant for ensuring that the decision made is in the best interest of the VDH. The selected bidder will be requested to enter into negotiation with the State of Vermont on

0924f6de7ae8f91cd9b98f7794ea6040.docx 13 of 14 contract specifications, including detailed work plans, deliverables and timetables, payment provisions, and penalties/retainage as appropriate.

In the event the VDH is not successful in negotiating a contract with a selected bidder, the VDH reserves the option of negotiating with another bidder.

Any contract negotiated must undergo review and signature according to statute and policy.

6.4 Scoring Information The VDH evaluation review team will evaluate proposals based on the criteria listed in Section 6. Proposals will be assigned points and scored as follows:

Total Points

Response Section II: General Background and Qualifications 5 Response Section III: Ability to Implement the Solution 10 Response Section V: Staffing 10 Response Section VI: Proposed Work Plan (response to requirements) 10 Response Section VII: Quality Control 5 Response Section VIII: Cost Proposal Not scored

All documents related to this bidding process, including bidders’ proposals and the evaluation review team’s score sheets, are considered public domain.