RFP Number: 041-0004

Date: December 11, 2020

Request for Proposals

for

Test & Trace (T2) Canvassing

All communication regarding this RFP must be to: David Larish

Director of Solicitation
Supply Chain Services
160 Water Street, 13th Floor
New York, New York 10038
(212) 442‐3869
larishd@nychhc.org

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 RFP Number: 041-0004
Date: December 11, 2020

I. RFP Timeline

Date Time (EST)

RFP Release 12/11/20 n/a

Pre-Proposal Conference Call RSVP:

(by emailing the person designated on the first 12/14/20 11:59 PM
page of this RFP)

Mandatory Pre-Proposal Conference Call

12/15/20 1:00
Conference Line: 844-621-3956
Access Code: 737 017 125

Proposer Questions Due 12/16/20 3:00 PM

Proposal Due 12/21/20 3:00 PM

Anticipated Contract Start 1/1/21 n/a

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 RFP Number: 041-0004
Date: December 11, 2020

II. NYC Health + Hospitals

New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (NYC Health + Hospitals) is an integrated health
care system of hospitals, neighborhood health centers, long-term care, nursing homes and
home care – the public safety net health care system of New York City. NYC Health + Hospitals
is committed to the health and well-being of all New Yorkers and we offer a wide range of high
quality and affordable health care services to keep our patients healthy and to address the
needs of New York City's diverse populations.

www.nychealthandhospitals.org

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 RFP Number: 041-0004
Date: December 11, 2020

III. Project Description

NYC Health + Hospitals has been assigned a lead role by the City of New York in managing the
City’s response to the COVID-19 epidemic. NYC Health + Hospitals has taken on this job through
its Test + Trace unit. Test + Trace is meeting the COVID-19 epidemic in many ways, one of which
is extensive community outreach to educate the public about: ways to stay safe from the virus,
information about a vaccine, what to do if a person is infected or comes into contact with an
infected person, support services from NYC Health + Hospitals and other City agencies, and how
incoming travelers are to comply with NY State quarantine requirements.

As part of this effort, NYC Health + Hospitals seeks to contract with one or more vendor to go
into New York City neighborhoods with high incidence of COVID-19 to knock on doors and
perform other community engagement activities aimed at disseminating public health messages
about COVID-19 or to ascertain the quarantine status of individuals traveling in from out of state.
NYC Health + Hospitals will supply scripts to guide staff in their interactions with the public and
will partner with vendor training in appropriate ways to engage with the public. NYC Health +
Hospitals will direct the selected vendor(s) to various neighborhoods as the incidence of COVID-
19 infection shifts within the City. Vendors that wish to respond should have the capacity to field
teams of not less than 25 people on only 10 days’ notice.

Vendors will be required to provide appropriate supervision of its staff to ensure that work is
being performed, scripts are being followed and quality standards maintained. Vendor will be
required to maintain detailed records of the identity of all staff members, their daily activities
including geographic areas covered, number of doors knocked on and number of in-person
conversations conducted by location.

Groups that wish to be considered for such contracts shall respond with a written proposal of not
more than 10 pages that should be emailed to larishd@nychhc.org not later than 12/21/20. Each
proposal shall give the background of the organization, its history and current size, focus and
activities. Vendors should describe their approach to staffing the proposed work. Those
submitting proposals shall indicate the language proficiency of their staff and any neighborhoods
with which the organization is particularly familiar. Responding organizations should indicate
their proposed fee by individual worker who will conduct outreach activities for each 8-hour day.
Such daily fee shall include any out-of-pocket expenses, any cost for overhead, PPE, supervision
and management – in other words, the daily fee for each worker shall be an all-in fee that

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 RFP Number: 041-0004
Date: December 11, 2020

includes the entire compensation payable. Test & Trace will provide printed materials for
distribution.

Standard NYC Health + Hospitals’ contracts will be issued to selected organizations on a

requirements contract basis meaning that vendors will be on stand-by to receive assignments
but that NYC Health + Hospitals will not commit to use any particular vendor in any particular
quantity ahead of work actually being assigned. NYC Health + Hospitals shall have the right to
terminate the agreements without cause on 15 days’ notice. It is expected that this community
outreach work will stretch over the next six months and that the total amount of money among
the contracted vendors to be $20 million.

Questions about this subject may be directed to David Larish, Director of Solicitation, who can be
reached at larishd@nychhc.org.

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 RFP Number: 041-0004
Date: December 11, 2020

IV. Minimum Criteria

The proposer must meet and attest that it meets all of the following minimum qualifications in
order to participate in this RFP (see Section VIII.B.4):
● MWBE Utilization Plan, Waiver, or MWBE Certification (see Section VIII.B.10)
● Provide documented ability to maintain secure databases for purposes of recording and
sharing.
● Provide documented resources of ability to begin work and scale quickly.
● Provide examples and contact information of proven success in providing large scale
canvassing in relevant settings.

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 RFP Number: 041-0004
Date: December 11, 2020

V. Scope of Work: T2 Canvassing

Canvasser Activities
● Community canvassing (which will include door-to-door canvassing)
● Event canvassing
● Data collection (see Data Management section)
● General community engagement activities which could include, but may not be limited
to:
o Handing out branded materials
o Posting to social media
o Setting up event tents/tables
o Tabling
o Directing lines to maintain proper social distancing
● Phone canvassing and provision of visitation notices (to maximize contact with
residents)

Staffing
Vendors should have the capacity to field teams of not less than 25 people on only 10 days’
notice. Vendors will be required to provide appropriate supervision of its staff to ensure that
work is being performed, scripts are being followed and quality standards maintained. Vendors
will also be required to maintain detailed records of the identity of all staff members.

Data Management
Selected vendors will be expected to provide and maintain databases for purposes of tracking
contact attempts and results, and sharing that data in real time with NYC Health + Hospitals.
Daily reports with tracked data will be required from all selected vendors.

For standard outreach work, tracked data will include:

● Geographic areas covered
● # of canvassers deployed
● # of doors knocked on
● # of in-person conversations conducted by location
● # of masks distributed
● # of people committed to test
● # of people wearing a mask
● # of people not wearing a mask
● # of pieces of literature distributed

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 RFP Number: 041-0004
Date: December 11, 2020

For work related to the travel advisory, tracked data will include:
● # of canvassers deployed
● # doors attempted
● # of doors by each outcome
● Date and Time of each visit
● Canvasser Name
● Notes from visits

For travel advisory work, vendor must have the ability for individual staff to electronically sign
the results of individual canvass activity and to share these signed forms with NYC Health +
Hospitals hourly.

Vendor must have ability to share back canvass activity in excel hourly in a format dictated by
NYC Health + Hospitals.

Each proposal shall give the background of the vendor, its history and current size, focus and
activities. Organizations should describe their approach to staffing the proposed work.

Pricing
Interested vendors should propose budgets per by individual canvasser per 8-hour day. Such
daily fee shall be inclusive of all wages and out-of-pocket expenses, including transportation
costs, logistics cost, supervision expenses, electronics, PPE, etc.

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 RFP Number: 041-0004
Date: December 11, 2020

VI. Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation criteria shall be as follows:

Category Weight %
Cost 25%
Relevant Experience 25%
Ability to Scale 15%
Data Management 15%
Community/language expertise 10%
MWBE Utilization Plan or MWBE Status 10%

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 RFP Number: 041-0004
Date: December 11, 2020

VII. Contract and Payment

The term of the contract resulting from this RFP shall be for a term of six months.

Payment will be net 30. Invoices are to be submitted each week, after work is performed.

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 RFP Number: 041-0004
Date: December 11, 2020

VIII. RFP Process and Rules of Participation

A. RFP Process

1. Questions. Substantive questions regarding the Scope of Work must be received by email
before the date and time in the RFP Timeline and by the person designated on the first page of
this RFP. Questions not timely received by such person are not guaranteed a response. Emails
sent to the person on the first page of this RFP must include the RFP Number as written in this
document in the Subject Line.

2. Conference. Pre-proposal conference call is mandatory and shall be held at the time set forth
in the RFP Timeline. RSVP by emailing the person designated on the first page of this RFP.

3. Submission. Proposers shall submit the Proposal Package in digital format by the time and
date set forth in the RFP Timeline via email to the person designated on the first page of this
RFP.

The Proposal Package envelope must include the RFP name and number.

Proposals that are late will not be considered, however, NYC Health + Hospitals may accept late
proposals when it is in the best interests of NYC Health + Hospitals.

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 RFP Number: 041-0004
Date: December 11, 2020

B. Proposal Package Contents

1. Proposal Package size limit. The Proposal Package shall not exceed 20 megabytes.

2. Cover Sheet. A cover sheet containing the following information:

RFP Title
Vendor Name and Address
Principal contact person name and contact information
Number of addenda received

3. Table of Contents. The proposer must provide a table of contents with page numbers.

4. Minimum Criteria. The proposer must attest and provide some description of how the
minimum criteria are met.

5. Executive Summary. Provide a summary of no more than one page describing how you will
meet the goals of the RFP and a summary of the cost information.

6. Vendor’s Background and Organization: In this section provide the following information:

Number of employees
Organization chart
Audited financial statement for the last 3 years
Background of principals
Recently completed similar size projects
A copy of any licenses relevant to this project
Duration you have been doing business in this service or product line

7. References. List of three current clients and one former client, including client email
addresses and phone numbers.

8. Technical Proposal. The Technical Proposal must address all issues in the Scope of Work and
include any other information you believe would be relevant. The technical proposal shall not
exceed 10 pages.

9. Cost Template: Interested vendors should propose budgets per by individual canvasser per 8-
hour day

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 RFP Number: 041-0004
Date: December 11, 2020

10. MWBE Utilization Plan (attached). NYC Health + Hospitals follows New York State Executive
Law Article 15-A which requires 30% participation of New York State Certified Minority or
Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE) as subcontractors. An MWBE Utilization Plan
shall be submitted with the names of the MWBE subcontractors the proposer plans to use to
meet such goal. Alternatively, proposers may meet this requirement by being a certified MWBE
with the State of New York or the City of New York. Waiver of the 30% goal, total or partial,
may be given but only after good faith efforts have been demonstrated.

11. Doing Business Data Form (“DBDF”) (attached). In accordance with New York City Local Law
34 of 2007, the proposer must submit an accurate and complete DBDF, enclosed in a separate
envelope. Failure to do so will result in rejection of the proposal.

12. Vendor Security Requirements Checklist (attached). This document has been created to
highlight NYC Health + Hospital’s security requirements which should be understood by all
Proposers. It does not replace the requirement to complete a security review during the new
business or project initiation request process (i.e. Project In-Take) for awarded Vendor. This can
be provided in a Word document upon request.

Additional Forms (attached). Upon contract award the proposer will be required to submit the
following:
Vendor Demographics Form with W9
Equal Employment Opportunity Report
PASSPort Registration (for contract values over $1M)

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 RFP Number: 041-0004
Date: December 11, 2020

C. Rules of Participation

1. Communication with NYC Health + Hospitals. From the date this RFP is issued until the award
of contract proposer and its staff shall direct all communications relating to this RFP solely to
the person set forth on the first page of this RFP. Emails sent to the person on the first page of
this RFP must include the RFP Number as written in this document in the Subject Line.

2. Solely within its discretion, NYC Health + Hospitals may withdraw this RFP prior to award of a
contract, postpone this RFP, reject all proposals, award in part, or choose not to award a
contract as a result of this RFP.

3. Addenda. NYC Health + Hospitals may issue addenda to this RFP to correct or clarify the
solicitation. It is the proposer’s responsibility to ensure that it has received all addenda. Prior
to submitting the Proposal Package the proposer should check with the contact person on the
first page of this RFP.

4. Minimum Criteria. Please provide a signed attestation confirming that you meet such
minimum criteria and the evidence supporting the qualification.
5. Mistakes. NYC Health + Hospitals may waive or modify any mistakes in proposals that are
deemed to be not material.

6. NYC Health + Hospitals shall not be bound by any oral or written representations, statements
or explanations other than those made in this RFP or in formal written addenda issued to this
RFP.

7. Proposal. The proposal is a written offer and shall be irrevocable for six months. The offer
may not be withdrawn after the submission deadline.

8. Modifications to or withdrawals of a proposal after the submission deadline shall not be

considered.

9. Costs. NYC Health + Hospitals shall not be liable for any costs incurred by proposers in the
preparation of proposals or for any work performed in connection therewith.

10. Negotiations. NYC Health + Hospitals may award a contract on the basis of initial offers
received. The Proposal Package should therefore contain the proposer’s best terms from a

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Date: December 11, 2020

programmatic and cost standpoint. NYC Health + Hospitals may choose to negotiate all
proposers or a limited pool of proposers and award a contract to one or more proposers.

11. Conditions of Award. All proposed awards will be subject to compliance with NYC Health +
Hospitals legal requirements, vendor responsibility determination, and approval by its internal
governing bodies.

12. Confidential or Proprietary Information. NYC Health + Hospitals is a public entity subject to
New York State’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). Confidential material shall be clearly
marked by the vendor and be easily separable or redacted, and will not be disclosed unless
required by Freedom of Information Law or other applicable state or federal laws.

13. NYC Health + Hospitals Terms and Conditions, Form 110-96 (attached). NYC Health +
Hospitals does not accept any changes to the terms and conditions set forth as mandatory
within Form 110-96. Any exceptions taken to such mandatory terms may result in rejection of
the proposal.

Any exceptions to the terms and conditions must be set forth in writing, with reasons for such
objection, and alternate language suggested, or are otherwise waived.

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 RFP Number: 041-0004
Date: December 11, 2020

D. Evaluation
1. Evaluation Committee. An Evaluation Committee shall be formed and comprised of a
minimum of five persons who will evaluate the proposals.

2. Scoring. The Evaluation Committee shall score and weight responsive proposals of proposers
that meet the Minimum Qualifications in accordance with the scoring criteria set forth above in
this RFP. As part of the evaluation process there may be a request for additional information
from all or a subset of proposers that might result in additional scoring.

3. Presentations. The Evaluation Committee may require all or a short list of proposers to give
one or more oral or visual presentations in support of their proposals and/or otherwise
demonstrate the information contained therein.

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 RFP Number: 041-0004
Date: December 11, 2020

Proposal Package Checklist

An envelope addressed to the person set forth on the first page of

this RFP, including the name and number of this RFP

Email containing the Proposal Package

MWBE Utilization Plan, Waiver, or Certificate

Doing Business Data Form

Vendor Security Requirements Checklist

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