request for proposal – negotiation professional services (p).pdf · dynell...

Form No. DPP-RFP-PS-68-75 Approved 5/7/75 Revised 3/18/08

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GOVERNMENT OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS OF THE UNITED STATES

Request for Proposal – Negotiation Professional Services

To: ………………………………………………. Date: September 25, 2019 ……………………………………………....... RFP No. 035-C-2019 (P) Pursuant to 31 V.I.C. 239 (a) (4) and Rules and Regulations thereunder issued, the Government of the Virgin Islands, herein after referred to as GVI, Department of Property and Procurement will receive proposals for the work described below. Proposals will be received no later than Wednesday, October 9, 2019 at 4:00 o’clock p.m. Atlantic Standard Time. DESCRIPTION OF WORK: The Virgin Islands Office of Highway Safety (VIOHS) is soliciting proposals from qualified firms, or groups of firms, to conduct a Scientific Seat Belt Survey in Territory in the island districts of St. Thomas & St. John and St. Croix. Technical proposals must be prepared and submitted in accordance with the requirements, format, and guidelines presented in this RFP document.

The VIOHS is the designated agency to receive federal funds to carry out Highway Safety programs within the territory.


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NEGOTIATED PROCEDURES: The Commissioner of the Department of Property and Procurement will appoint a Selection Committee to assist in the evaluation and selection of the Contractor. Accordingly, current data on qualifications and performance should be submitted with proposals. After reviewing the qualifications and proposals the Committee will select for discussions from the firm/s or person/s considered not less than three (3), in order of preference, deemed to be most highly qualified to provide the services herein required. Discussions will be conducted successively and severally with the firms or persons so selected the anticipated concepts and the relative utility alternative methods of approach for furnishing the services hereunder. FACTORS FOR DISCUSSIONS Selection criteria will include (i) Professional qualification, registration and general reputation of principals of the firm or person; (ii) the extent to which the firm or person specializes in or has provided services of a type and scope similar to the hereunder; (iii) familiarity with the location (s) in which services will be performed; (iv) capability of meeting schedules; and (v) quality of performance on other similar projects. NEGOTIATION: The Selection Committee shall recommend to the Commissioner the highest qualified firm or person with whom a contract shall be negotiated. The Commissioner, with the assistance of the Selection Committee, shall attempt to negotiate a contract with such firm or person. Should the Commissioner be unable to negotiate a satisfactory contract with the firm considered to be the most qualified, at a price he determines to be fair and reasonable to the Government, negotiations with that firm will be formally terminated. Negotiations will then commence with the second most qualified, the third most qualified or additional firms, in order of preference, and shall continue until an agreement is reached. Anthony D. Thomas Commissioner

Property and Procurement


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INSTRUCTION TO PROPOSERS

A. NOTICE

RFP-035-C-2019 (P)- Qualified Firms to Conduct a Scientific Seat Belt Survey in theU. S. Virgin Islands.

Information provided in the scope of work is to be used only for purposes of preparing a proposal. It is further expected that each bidder will read the scope of work thoroughly, for failure to meet certain specified conditions may invalidate the proposal.

The Government of the Virgin Islands, herein after referred to as GVI, reserves the right to reject any or all proposals or any portion thereof and to accept the proposal deemed most advantageous to GVI. Price shall not be the sole criterion of awarding this project. Scope and quality of work proposed and the ability of the bidder to complete this type of project shall also be considered.

Applicants are requested to submit proposals on the basis of the scope of work. Alternative proposals recommending new features and technology other than that requested in the scope of work will receive consideration providing such new features and/or technology is clearly explained. Any exceptions to the requirements requested herein must be clearly noted in writing and be included as part of the proposal.

The information contained herein is believed to be accurate but is not to be considered in any way as a warranty. Request for additional information clarifying the Scope of Work should be directed in writing to Deputy Commissioner of Procurement, Dynell R. Williams at [email protected].

B. STATEMENT OF PURPOSETo assist the Government of the Virgin Islands in meeting the requirement for the following services: RFP-035-C-2019 (P)- Qualified Firms to Conduct a Scientific Seat Belt Survey in the U. S. Virgin Islands.

C. PROPOSED SCOPE OF SERVICES

Background

Traffic Safety is the top priority in VIOHS’ plans and programs. Along with the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD), VIOHS is actively engaged in several safety–related initiatives and this project involves conducting a Scientific Seat Belt Survey for selected sites throughout the territory in cooperation with the VIPD.

mailto:[email protected]


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In the past, this survey followed the sampling design that adopts and adapts a method by Kish (1965) by which the primary sampling units in the Territory will be in clusters of 15 minutes in which the traffic going past a selected road site will be monitored.

Content

The objectives of the VIOHS 2019 Seat Belt Survey are to:

1. Determine the Territory’s 2019 seat belt use for all vehicle traffic observed at the selected sites.

2. Compare the 2019 Seat Belt usage rate to the 2018 and 2016 usage rates. A survey was not conducted in 2017 due to the impact of hurricanes Irma and Maria.

3. Compare the Territory’s 2019 usage rate to the territory’s past usage rates and to the most recent national usage rate.

The contractor shall be responsible to:

1. Hire the Field Monitors 2. Train the Field Monitors 3. Provide materials for the Field Monitors 4. Deploy the Field Monitors 5. Schedule the Field Monitors 6. Ensure the collection of driver and vehicle characteristics 7. Safeguard the data collected 8. Analyze the data 9. Provide the formal report

Observer Training

Contractors will train observers and make available the necessary supplies. These supplies include:

• Uniform Criteria for Observational Seat Belt Survey – 23CFR Part 1340 Manual to

be part of the field material • Maps • Schedules • Observer forms • Clipboards and pens or data collection devices • Caution vests

Observer Forms

• Daily Activity Report – a chronological account of the observer’s day times at each

location, lunch and breaks.


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• Observation Form – actual observations per site, including seat belt usage, gender, and cell phone usage. Plus, a note place for any other comments for that vehicle.

• Tally Form –. Total observation data per site with a header with location (street names, town (area), island, date, day of week and time interval.

Collection of Data Methodology:

• Driver seat belt use and gender • Field Monitors will note the use of seat belt restraints for drivers and front seat

outboard passengers in passenger cars, pick up trucks, vans and SUV’s and all other types of vehicles to determine the level of use.

• Field data shall be noted in such a way that it would be possible to derive separate estimates for passenger cars and other vehicles, as well as for drivers and front seat outboard passengers within the vehicle group.

• The sampling will take place from Monday to Saturday. The hours of observation shall range from 7:00am to 6:00pm

• Driver cell phone use and other distractions

Observations:

• Observers should work in pairs for safety but may conduct observations independently.

• If a clear determination on seat belt usage cannot be made, the observer should not count that vehicle.

• Observations are made from the roadside or from a stationary vehicle.

• Accuracy is the priority. It is not necessary to observe every vehicle that passes by but those that are included need to be correct.

Observer Schedule:

The contractor will ensure that the observers are assigned times and sites that are beneficial for maximum gathering of data within the 7:00am to 6:00pm range.

Summary Sampling Procedures:

One or two individuals will be stationed at selected sites. Each day, forty-for (44), 15-minute periods will be arranged in 2 strata. Each district will provide 60 strata with a pair of clusters from each stratum. The survey count will be captured, verified and tabulated.

Computation of Estimates:


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All data collected pursuant to §1340.7 (c) shall be used, without exclusion, in the computation of the Territory-wide seat belt use rate, standard error, and non-response rate. Known values of data contributing to the Territory-wide seat belt use rate shall not be altered in any manner. Unknown values of variables shall not be imputed unless NHTSA has approved the Territory’s imputation procedure prior to data analysis.

The estimation formula shall weight observed data by the sampling weights as required by the sample design and any subsequent adjustments. Procedures will be included to adjust the sampling weights for observation sites with no usable data, including observation sites where no data were collected, and for observation sites with no usable data, including observation sites where no data were collected, and for observation sites where data were discovered to be falsified.

Report

The contractor will prepare a draft report for the VIOHS to review. Comments and changes from VIOHS will be incorporated into the final report. Consistency with decimals and percentages, one place, is required. The final report needs to contain the language below: DISCLAIMER The preparation of this report has been funded by the USDOT/NHTSA FY2019 Seat Belt Survey project. This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the US Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The Government of the Virgin Islands assumes no liability for its contents or its us thereof.

Deliverables

Project deliverables must include, at a minimum, all tangible products derived or produced in the course of completing the work described in the above section. After tabulation, a report will be created with the finding and sent to the Virgin Islands Office of Highway Safety, who will in turn prepare an additional report to be sent to the Region 2 office of NHTSA. Additionally, one (1) draft report and five (5) final hard copy reports, along with one (1) electronic format in PDF format are required. The proposal should clearly state the specific formats for the deliverables.

Schedule

The Data collection is due to be completed on or before December 27, 2019. Draft Report is due by February 1, 2020 and Final Report by February 28, 2020.


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FIRM SELECTION

A review committee will evaluate each proposal and may recommend firms to present additional information and appear for interviews. Or, the proposal may be the sole basis for the selection.

Negotiations and award of the contract will be to the firms that provide the most advantageous proposals. The DPP & VIOHS reserves the right to reject any and all proposals. LATE PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE EVALUATED. The submission should be stapled or bound with no loose pages. The following criteria have been established to guide the evaluation of each consultant proposal with each criterion weighted as indicated below. The proposal must contain the following information:

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

1. Technical Approach: A narrative describing the understanding of the effort and products required, including descriptions of the specific tasks and subtasks to be undertaken.

a. The issues or problems and a detailed approach to completing the work program.

A list with description of deliverables. b. A project schedule indicating project milestones, deliverables, and key meetings

using a Notice to Proceed as “Day 0”. Time allotments for work under the control of the consultant will be regarded as a commitment.

2. Firm Qualifications: Qualifications of the firm and any subcontractors:

a. A list of similar work, including the name and telephone number of the clients,

and a full description of the services provided by the firm. An organizational chart and description of the firm.

b. A description of the firm's facilities, number of offices and employees in each

office, any special equipment and other factors, (knowledge, skills, etc.) which may affect the delivery of the required services.

3. Staff Qualifications: Qualifications, experience and office address of firm's and any

subcontractor's staff:

a. Resumes of the professional staff.

b. Location of office that will be performing the work on this project.


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4. Vendor Qualifications

a. A copy of current business license or IRS 501 (c) (3) certification for non-profits. b. Proof of Certificate of General Liability Insurance. c. Trademark name registration (if needed). d. Certificate of Good Standing e. Proof of Incorporation (if needed) f. Dunn & Bradstreet registration number (DUNS #) g. Proof of registration on SAM.gov (necessary for all vendors being paid with

Federal funds).

CONTRACTING

A contract with the VIOHS will be executed via the Department of Property & Procurement, the procurement arm of the Government of the Virgin Islands (GVI). Submission of a proposal indicates the submitter agrees with the general form of the DPP contract as seen on the DPP website. All provisions and requirements of the DPP pertaining to contractual matters will be in effect. This project is funded by the FY2019 Seat Belt Survey project award from the United States Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Administration (USDOT/NHTSA) FAST ACT 402.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY PROVISION

Consultant and their subconsultant shall not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, or sex in the award and performance of this contract.

All potential Consultants must demonstrate a commitment to the effective implementation of an affirmative action plan or policy on equal employment opportunity. The potential Consultant must ensure equal employment opportunity to all persons and not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment opportunity because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, physical disability, mental disorder, ancestry, marital status, criminal record, or political beliefs. The Consultant must uphold and operate in compliance with Executive Order 11246 and as amended in Executive Order 11375, Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972, and the Fair Employment Practices Act.

In response to this Request for Qualifications/Request for Proposals, the Consultant should furnish a detailed statement relative to its Equal Employment Opportunity practices and any statistical employment information that it deems appropriate, relative to the composition of its work force or its subconsultants.


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INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

The Consultant shall carry and maintain in full force and effect for the duration of this contract, and any supplement thereto, appropriate insurance. The Consultant shall submit to the VIOHS, a Certificate of Insurance indicating the existence of the coverage required. Policies shall be issued by an insurance company authorized to do business in the Territory in the USVI or has a subsidiary located in the USVI.

Insurance like that required by the Consultant shall be provided by or on behalf of all subconsultants to cover its operation(s) performed under this contract and include in all subcontracts. The Consultant shall not be issued the Notice to Proceed until evidence of the insurance coverage required has been received, reviewed, and accepted by the DPP.

D. TIMETABLE

1. Last day for request for written clarification will be Thursday, October 3, 2019 at 12:00 noon Atlantic Standard Time.

2. Proposals will be accepted at Department of Property & Procurement, no later than Wednesday, October 9, 2019 at 4:00 o’clock p.m. Atlantic Standard Time.

E. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL

All interested parties shall submit one (1) original and five (5) copy sets of proposals, which are to be delivered to the Department of Property and Procurement no later than Wednesday, October 9, 2019 at 4:00 o’clock p.m. Atlantic Standard Time.

They shall be addressed to: Anthony D. Thomas Commissioner

Property & Procurement 3274 Estate Richmond

Christiansted, Virgin Islands 00820

THE SEALED ENVELOPE CONTAINING THE PROPOSAL MUST HAVE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WRITTEN ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE ENVELOPE OR PACKAGE:

SEALED PROPOSALS-DO NOT OPEN RFP-035-C-2019 (P) (Name of Bidder) (Mailing Address of Bidder) (Telephone Number of Bidder) (Fax Number of Bidder)


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Where proposals are sent by mail, the bidder shall be responsible for their delivery to Department of Property & Procurement before the date and time set for the closing of acceptance of proposals. F. WITHDRAWALS OF PROPOSAL

A proposal may be withdrawn at any time prior to the time specified as the closing time for acceptance of proposals. However, no proposal shall be withdrawn or canceled for a period of thirty (30) days after said closing time for acceptance of proposals nor shall the successful provider withdraw, cancel or modify the proposal, except at the request of GVI after having been notified that said proposal has been accepted by GVI.

G. INTERPRETATION OF SPECIFICATIONS

If any person contemplating submitting a proposal requires clarification of any part of the scope of work, he/she may submit to the GVI a written request for an interpretation thereof to the Deputy Commissioner of Procurement, Dynell R. Williams. GVI will not respond to questions received after the above established date. The person submitting the request will be responsible for its prompt delivery. Any interpretation of the scope of work will be made in writing to all prospective providers. Oral explanations will not be binding.

H. CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSAL

The Commissioner of Property and Procurement shall represent and act for GVI in all matters pertaining to the scope of work and contract in conjunction therewith. This RFP does not commit GVI to the award of a contract, nor pay of any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of proposals in anticipation of a contract. GVI reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to disregard any informality and/or irregularity in the proposal when, in its opinion, the best interest of GVI will be served by such action. Proposals failing to provide some of the items in the scope of work shall not be rejected per se but any deviations from the scope must be clearly noted.

I. ACCEPTANCE OF PROPOSALS

GVI will notify in writing acceptance of one of the proposals. Failure to provide any supplementary documentation to comply with the respondent’s proposal may be grounds for disqualification.


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J. CONTENTS OF PROPOSALThe following is a list of information to be included in the written proposal.Failure to comply with all the requirements as outlined, may disqualify theapplicant.

1. Introductory letter about the applicant:a. Name, address, email and telephone numbers.b. Type of service for which individual/firm is qualified.

2. Organization:a. Names/addresses of Principals of Firm.b. Names of key personnel with experience of each and length of time in

organization. See also Proposed Scope of Services Section C: Firm Qualifications

c. Number of staff available for project. (Local & Off-Territory). See also Proposed Scope of Services Section C: Staff Qualifications

d. Copy of Articles of Incorporatione. Copy of Certificate of Resolutionf. Copy of valid Business License

3. Outside consultants that will be retained for this project and percentage ofwork to be sub-contracted.

4. Project experience:

a. List of completed projects and estimated cost of each.b. Current projects underway; scope; percentage completed to date and estimated

cost of each.

5. Project References: 3 minimum (including a notarized written consent from the authorized representative which must include: name; telephone number; and email address).

6. Project Approach:

a. See Proposed Scope of Services Section C: Technical Approach

7. Cost: Cost Proposal (one (1) original and four (4) copy sets of proposals) must be submitted in a separate sealed envelope. The cost proposals must include a price and level of effort for the Scope of Work. All other charges, such as fringe benefit, overhead, profit, etc., must be identified, yielding a total project cost. Please also include a list of key personnel arranged by title and level with hourly rates.


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K. CONFLICT OF INTEREST

A proposer filing a proposal hereby certifies that no officer, agent or employee of GVI has a pecuniary interest in this proposal or has participated in contract negotiations on behalf of GVI; that the proposal is made in good faith without fraud, collusion, or connection of any kind with any other Bidder for the same request for proposals; the Bidder is competing solely in its own behalf without connection with, or obligation to, any undisclosed person or firm.

L. LICENSE REQUIREMENT

An award will not be made to any firm or individual doing business in the Virgin Islands with the Government of the Virgin Islands until evidence is submitted that said firm or individual has a valid Virgin Islands Business License pursuant to Title 31 V.I.C. Chapter 23 § 236 (g) which states that all prospective bidders when submitting a bid “has been licensed for at least one year by the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs to do business in the Virgin Islands”. A current hard copy of a valid Virgin Islands Business License must be submitted within ten (10) business days after award. All Bidders bidding as Joint Ventures must be licensed as a Joint Venture in the Virgin Islands.

M. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

1. PUBLIC LIABILITY: The successful bidder will be required to obtain and have in place public liability insurance and other insurance necessary as requested in this proposal package. Insurance policy(ies) shall name the Government of the Virgin Islands as "Additional Insured". The public liability insurance shall have a minimum limit of not less than one hundred thousand ($100,000.00) dollars for any one occurrence for death or personal injury and one hundred thousand ($100,000.00) dollars for any one occurrence for property damage. Bidder must provide public liability insurance within ten (10) business days after award.

2. WORKERS' COMPENSATION: Within ten (10) business days after award of

contract, the successful bidder must submit a copy of their certificate verifying his firm and agents are covered by Workers' Compensation Insurance.

3. FAILURE TO PROVIDE THE CERTIFICATES WITHIN THE STATED

TIME PERIOD MAY RESULT IN THE PROPOSAL DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE AND MAY BE IMMIDIATELY DISQUALIFIED WITH NO FURTHER CONSIDERATION GIVEN FOR POTENTIAL AWARDING OF THE CONTRACT.


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N. MANDATORY LIST OF REQUIRED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS TO CONTRACT WITH GOVERNMENT OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS 1. See Attached. THESE WILL BE REQUIRED PRIOR TO AWARD OF CONTRACT.

OPCMR

Note: Documents listed in Nos. 1-4 above are required for all contractors. Documents listed in No. 5 apply to professional services

contracts only. Documents listed in Nos. 6-9 are specific to each organization type, and are required in addition to the documents listed in

Nos. 1-4 and 5 (if applicable). If a contractor is not performing work in the Virgin Islands and do not require local documents, agency

has an obligation to verify expiration dates of all documents in the applicable state. Do not submit expired documents to DPP.

MANDATORY LIST OF REQUIRED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS TO CONTRACT WITH

GOVERNMENT OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS

This list applies to all contracts, amendments and exercises of renewal options. All supporting documents must be submitted

for every contract, amendment or renewal of a contract.

1. Current VI Business License (to conduct activity covered by contract being pursued); and/ or copy of a

current business license issued by a state. IRS 501(c)(3) certification letter required for non-profit

corporations.

2. Proof of Commercial General Liability Insurance with the Government of the Virgin Islands as Certificate

Holder and Additional Insured as indicated on Endorsement (policy number on endorsement must match

policy number on certificate). An endorsement that explicitly names the Government of the Virgin Islands as an

additional insured is required– blanket insurance endorsements that do not name the Government of the Virgin Islands

are not accepted) 3. Proof of Worker’s Compensation Coverage/ Government Insurance Coverage

4. Sam.Gov Registration

5. Proof of Professional Liability Coverage with Government of the Virgin Islands as Certificate Holder for

professional services contract. Professional services include but are not limited auditing and accounting

firms, doctors, lawyers, architectural and engineering services, consulting, marketing firms. Professional

liability (also known as errors and omissions/ malpractice insurance) is required only for professional services

contracts where the Government will rely on the advice and services of the Contractor in its decision making processes

OR where the government can suffer harm/ losses from faulty performance of the services from the quality of the

contractor’s work. 6. Corporations (Inc., Corp, Co., Corporation)

a. Articles of Incorporation (and applicable amendments)

b. Tradename Certificate if company uses a tradename (valid for two years)

c. Certificate of Good Standing (valid from July 1st thru June 30th)

d. Corporate Resolution on company letterhead (signed/ attested & dated by corporate secretary

authorizing signatory)

7. Limited Liability Company (LLC)

a. Articles of Organization (and applicable amendments)



d. Memorandum Authorizing Signatory on company letterhead (signed/attested by secretary or all

members)

8. General Partnerships

a. Partnership agreement (if it exists)

b. Memorandum authorizing signatory signed by all partners or secretary if one exists (valid for two

years)

c. Tradename Certificate if company uses a tradename (valid for two years)

9. Limited Partnerships (L.P/ LLP/ LLLP)

a. Certificate of Limited Partnership or Statement of Qualification for LLP/LLLP



d. Memorandum Authorizing Signatory on company letterhead (signed/attested by secretary or all

members)

10. Sole Proprietorship

a. Tradename certificate if a tradename is used (valid for two years)