WNY RBHN HCF RFP 21
RFP 21 includes equipment for one organization only.
** All proposals are due by close of business (4:00 PM EST) Wednesday, May 08, 2019.
Please note that for the Brockport location the Catalyst 3850 24 Port PoE IP (or equivalent) requirement should be 48 port!
Download the RFP and Network Plan by going to https://rhc.usac.org/hcf/public/searchPosted.htm and entering the following search criteria:
Fund Year: “2019”
HCP Number: “17268”
Find the posting date of 04/09/19 and click “Details”
Review the PDF under “Request for Proposals” to ensure you are looking at RFP 21.
Contracts must be signed and copies received by May 24, 2019 at the latest, but cannot be signed prior to the end of the bidding period (May 08, 2019).
Pricing Format:
Bidders must use our standard pricing format for broadband pricing (Section 9.2 equipment pricing may still be proposed in the bidder’s own format):
Follow the instructions at the top of the spreadsheet.
Include the finished spreadsheet as a separate file within the electronic bid proposal copy.
Questions about the RFP can be emailed to us here. Any incoming questions and corresponding answers will be posted on this page.
Reminder: Important 2018 Changes to RFP:
- A new Section, “New Service Not Required Until” Date, has been added. A new column has been added in the Broadband Requests table. This column, entitled “New Service Not Required Until,” advises bidders that, should they win the contract for a given line item, services do not necessarily need to start until the date shown in the column. Services may start earlier than the date in the column if it does not cause an administrative or financial burden for the HCP; nevertheless, the column exists to inform bidders that some requests may not require immediate services. See Section 3.4.3, “New Service Not Required Until” Date for more information.
- New Contract Acceptance language has been added. As always, contracts cannot be signed prior to the bidding period end date. This round, we are also requiring that contracts be signed by the HCP and winning bidder by May 24th, 2019 to ensure ample time to submit funding requests. See Section 6, Contract Requirements for more information.
- The “Equipment” column has been removed from Broadband Request table. However, you are still required to clearly define whether your broadband pricing includes managed routers/switches/etc… and if not, at what cost an HCP could add that into a contract if they wanted.
Questions and Answers:
All questions must be submitted by email. Please thoroughly read the RFP before asking questions; your answer may be found within the RFP.
1. When submitting the Pricing Proposal for the Equipment, do we follow the Proposal Format outlined in 3.3? Many of the bullet points do not seem applicable if we are only proposing hardware for one entity on the bid.
A: You need to follow the bullet points which are applicable, in the order shown in the RFP. If you are only responding to equipment, some of these bullet points will not be applicable and therefore you don’t need to follow them (for example, the Description of Proposed Broadband Solution and/or Public Internet Service).
2. Section 3.9.2 states that all solutions must have HIPAA-compliant routes for data sharing. What does this mean?
A: This means any solution offered must be able to allow facilities to securely transmit confidential patient data in a manner which meets HIPAA standards. Vendors must meet the following requirements (source: Iron Mountain):
-Do your contracts address secure PHI and control its use and disclosure?
-What safeguards do you have in place to satisfy the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules?
-How do you document reporting of all HIPAA privacy and security incidents?
-Do you hold your agents and subcontractors to all restrictions and conditions of compliance?
-Can you provide the information you would need to respond to patient requests for “accounting of all disclosures”?
-Can you make all PHI-related records available if you’re audited?
-Will you return or destroy all PHI upon contract expiration or termination?
3. How is the RFP actually scored? Who makes the final decision on awarding contracts?
A: The RFP scoring process is a multi-step procedure. First, R-AHEC reviews each bid in its entirety and scores each vendor based on the Scoring Criteria found at the end of the RFP. R-AHEC then creates a proposal summary for each individual organization from the RFP, and sends that summary along with the responses and internal scoring sheet to each respective organization. Each organization then has a chance to score the bidders on their own. R-AHEC then meets with each organization to discuss the bids and select winners based on the organization’s review and feedback. It is ultimately the organization’s decision which bidder is selected.
4. As a bidder can we respond only to portions of the RFP, or must we respond to all requests?
A: You can choose to respond only to certain portions of the RFP if you wish. However, you must follow all the guidelines of the RFP, so it is important to thoroughly read the entire RFP to ensure you are complying with all provisions.
