Solicitation Process/General Info:

Q:	What are RFP's

A:	Request for Proposal - document that everyone should have received.

Q:	What are EMQ's

A:	Estimated Monthly Quantities and you are seeing a combination of both of our agencies EMQ's.

Q: Is there some specific way the RFPs are to be put together - i.e. stapled, clipped, in a notebook, font size, etc? I have been through the RFP several times and can't find any set requirements regarding this.

A:	The RFPs do not need to be bound or clipped. We do encourage you to be careful to keep the RFP packets separate, if you are responding to more than one RFP.

A:	The RFPs do not need to be bound or clipped. We do encourage you to be careful to keep the RFP packets separate, if you are responding to more than one RFP.

Process After Grant Selection/Solicitation Process:

Q:	We are considering "teaming" with an agency. The other agency is also bidding on the RFP. Can we share our intended prices for services with each other?

A:	Whether a vendor wants to "team up" with another vendor to provide services listed in the RFP is your decision. If that includes the sharing of prices that is also your choice. Our concern is that all of the codes are addressed in your response as well as an explanation of how they will be provided including the use of a third party who will also need to meet the RFP requirements for those codes.

Q:	What if there is a combination? What is there is mental health and substance abuse issues?

A:	It doesn't matter who has the lead on that contract. You're contracting with both of us.

It's who is in charge of the contract basically. I am basically the contact person if there are issues in regards to documentation, or having problems with the agreement. As far as the day to day running, you will literally be dealing with the officer who is in that area, who is referring to your agency for services.

As far as Troy and I, our involvement will be more about making sure that the plans or the contracts officers send you are appropriate, and they check all of the right boxes. As far as day to day, we won't be involved with that. We are concerned about compliance with the agreement.

Q:	Will you have more explicit instructions to the successful bidder on tamper and what to do about that?

A:	We will have a full training on how the samples are to be collected, tested and all that stuff. This training will include use of the refractometer, the sweat patches and the other testing devices. There is even a video which comes with the sweat patch that we will go through and even a test which needs to be completed before application and removal of the patch would be.

Q: Is there only going to be one vendor for each BPA?

A:	The Request for Proposal indicates the possibility of more than one. We will talk about it as well. We want flexibility. I don't know if we will go to 2, but we want the flexibility to go to 2. It just depends. If it is not going to be financially feasible for the vendor as well as for us to do that, then it doesn't make sense to go to 2. Part of it is to wait and see what we get back with the regards to the RFP's before we even start looking to that, if even look at more than one.

Q:	Is there a preference for the variety of services for a vendor that can provide the most services?

A:	There is not going to be any preferences. Literally what it is, the RFP specifies exactly what services we are interested in. Obviously, if you do all the things that would be great for our offender, but as far as what we are looking for, we are going to be looking for specifically the services we are soliciting for. That's all we are looking at. It will come down to those services and price. That's all we will look at in regards to that.

Q: The client or probationer would be coming into the office versus us going to them?

A:	Yes. We don't expect any of our mental health services to be off your sites. You would not be doing anything in their home or outside your site.

Q:	If given sample medications, would sufficient verification be the prescription pad/note?

A:	Yes, we could do that through the prescription pad and service from the doctor as well.

At the conclusion of the conference. The vendor could also document on the monthly treatment report that sample medication was distributed to the client.

Q. If you are doing individual therapy and patient/probationer no shows, how many no shows do we have to take before we decline further services?

A:	Actually, the only person that can make the decision to terminate counseling, according to the RFP is the referring agency. If there is an issue where the client is not showing up for his appointments and we can't get him to show up, we are going to take other appropriate action, such as use another level of supervision. Technically, you can't terminate a client for not attending appointments. Our emphasis is to maintain close communication between officers and vendors regarding each client, so problems are reported immediately. We don't want to wait for the second or third, fourth or fifth no show before we take action. This is why the local service is added with the project codes. This is for your protection as well.

Q: Page I-2, item I.4, do we insert the period of time within which the contracting officer may exercise the option? or is that something that is done later by the Feds?

A: This date is for the judiciary to extend the terms and conditions of the BPA at the end of the agreement. If the responding/interested agency wants to put a date in, it can be written into this section. However, if agencies fail to do so, it will default to the time frames listed in this paragraph and will not impact the evaluation of the RFP.

Q: Is service 1401 Contractor Local Travel to be responded to in the RFP?

A: The 1401 Contractor Local Travel code does not need to be responded to in the RFP.

Q: Do we only address the service marked in Section B?

A: Yes. You only need to address the services marked with an "X" in Section B. These should be addressed in your narrative statement with a price form.

Q: Do you only need to specifically address the services you are planning to provide?

A: No. All services checked in the RFP have to be addressed. You can't pick and choose. If you cannot or are unable to provide all the services outlined in the RFP, it will be construed as technically unacceptable.

Q: In reference to J.1(5) are you asking for all clients we serve for all offenders that participate for that service whether they are federal clients or not?

A: We are asking for all clients whether they are federal or not and the outcomes of services which we are specifically inquiring about in the RFP

Q: Do we need to send back all pages of the RFP or do we only send back the sections which are pertinent to the us?

A: That is your choice. You do not need to send all pages which do not involve the services pertaining to your RFP, and you do not need to send back sections L and M. Go ahead and send all sections in that you are not sure about. Too much is better than too little, and if you are missing a part you could be found to be technically unacceptable.

Q: When you are doing the narrative section is it alright for us to reference the offenders/defendants as clients?

A: Yes.

Q: When you have multiple vendors, what is the selection process for choosing the lowest price proposal which is technically acceptable?

A: We would chose the two lowest priced vendors who are technically acceptable and would contract with them to make sure that the fiscal levels were equal between those two
vendors. We would also make sure that there are enough EMQs to warrant more than one vendor. It is partially made up from what we project to use, as well as what will benefit the government and the vendor.

Q: Will you have more explicit instructions to the successful bidder on tamper and what to do about that?

A: We will have a full training on how the samples are to be collected, tested and all that stuff. This training would include use of the refractometer, the sweat patches and the other testing devices. There is even a video which comes with the sweat patch that we will go through and even a test which needs to be completed before application and removal of the patch would be.

Section G and J, Billing and Forms

Q: The next question pertains to credentialing for project codes on 2010, 2020, 2030, 2040, and intensive outpatient 2080 I believe. When looking at the credentialing of a person in the State of Nebraska who has a license as a drug and alcohol counselor without a 4 year degree, is that acceptable?

A: The above issue was addressed with Rafael Borges of the Administrative Office on July 27, 2006. Mr. Borges advised Section C is the minimum standard which needs to be met on behalf of the vendor to perform these services outlined in the RFP. If the minimum standards are not met, the RFP is technically unacceptable.

Q: In reference to the RFP for short term residential, you indicate 17 people per month in the program which is the same as a full treatment program. How soon do you plan on that program being up and running before referrals are received?

A: The 17 units per month does not reference 17 people, but 17 days. This would equal to

17 days out of a month there could be a person in short term residential. We have averaged 17 days a month for short term residential in the Lincoln Catchment area over the course of the past 3 years.

Q: The bed would be filled for 17 days out of the month? Does this mean that there will not be more than 1 person in treatment at one time?

A: We are projecting an average of 17 days out of a month that we would be using one bed.

We could have more than one person in treatment at one time, but based upon our district's use of this project code in this catchment area over the past 3 years, we are projecting that when we average it for the year we will be at 17 days out of a month with a person in short term residential treatment. There will be an ebb and flow to the number of people in treatment at one time.

Q: A question was posed about how 2080 was defined as a unit. The initial response given was not accurate and it was decided clarification would be obtained from the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services' Administrative Office in Washington, D.C.

A: 1 Unit for 2080 is 1 day of counseling. This counseling shall include group or individual counseling sessions and the minimum length of each of these sessions are 3 hours per day. The program must also meet at least 3 days per week for a minimum total of 9 hours of

group or individual counseling a w eek.

When bidding this project code, the prospective vendor needs to build into the cost of each unit (a day) individual sessions as well. The vendor needs to keep in mind when formulating the bid, there may be some clients/defendants/offenders who will not require frequent individual sessions while others may require individual sessions.

Section L

Q: Must all of the services be provided in the catchment area for which they are defined?

A: That is correct. All of the services listed in a specific catchment area must be provided by the vendor within the catchment area.

Q: Can you have more than one provider in a catchment area providing the same services?

A: Yes we can. It does not mean that we will split the EMQs as much as that we will split the financial cost so they are equitable for both vendors. An example would be one vendor charging $10 for a service while another charges $20 for the same service, and we contract with both in the same catchment area. We would send twice as many referrals to the $10 vendor so that every month the amount spent would be equal between the two vendors.

Q: How many individual or group sessions are you projecting per month?

A: Those are the estimated monthly quantities which are shown for each RFP in Section B for that catchment area for that RFP.

Q: Can a vendor team with another agency?

A: A vendor can team with another agency to fulfill the obligations outlined in the RFP.

However, the teaming agency is subject to the same requirements as outlined in the RFP. (There is an explanation of this process on Page 1 of Section I (Section I.2)).

Q: Please clarify how to respond to the question in Section B regarding the "area and state"?

A: In some areas of the country there are different districts within a state, such as the Southern District of Iowa or Northern District of Iowa. In the District of Nebraska, there is only one District and therefore the area will remain blank.

Q: In reference to 1010 and 1011 you indicate that the facility must be open on the collection day from 8 AM to 8 PM. What if we wanted to be open at 9 AM or be closed for a portion of the day? Would that make us technically unacceptable?

A: It could make you technically unacceptable.

OFFEROR'S CONFERENCE

NORTH PLATTE

Solicitation Process:

Section C-Statement of Work:

Section L & M - Completion and Evaluation Criteria:

Q: Clarify the monitoring reports and who should complete them for us?

A: The report should be completed by anybody that could speak to the performance of your agency. Monitoring reports are nice because they rate the agency. If there are areas of deficiency, that doesn't automatically eliminate your agency, but we need that information to follow up what those deficiencies are and were they addressed. The agency who completed these reports could also serve as a reference.

OFFEROR'S CONFERENCE OMAHA Section C - Statement of Work:

Q: We are looking at 6040 psychotrophic medications as a local service. Does that means it will be performed on site in a RCF?

A: That would have to be determined. What I had perceived for local services is that each vendor would work through a local pharmacy to obtain the medication, and then supply it to the client. The client would sign to verify receipt of the bottle of medication, not individual pills. The vendor would then send us the receipts along with their billing to document that medication was given. We expect everyone on medication monitoring would be seen by the vendor on a regular basis.

Q: Can the vendor bill for sample medications, if there is no cost to the facilities and the medication is distributed?

A: If there is no cost to you, then there should be no cost to us.

Section G & J - Billing Procedures:

Q. How do we bill you?

A. We would like to have that billing submitted by the 10th of the following month. We need an original and three copies.

Section L & M - Completion and Evaluation:

Q: What if we are interested in more than one RFP?

A: You will have to submit for each one separately. Upon completion of the RFP every project code must be addressed. Each RFP is mutually exclusive. The thing to pay attention to is the solicitation number in the upper left hand corner of Section A of the RFP.