Eligibility Support Services

Agency:	State Government of Arkansas
State:	Arkansas
Type of Government:	State & Local
NAICS Category:	541611 - Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services 541990 - All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 561110 - Office Administrative Services 561210 - Facilities Support Services
Posted Date:	Apr 3, 2024
Due Date:	May 8, 2024
Solicitation No:	710-23-074
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STATE OF ARKANSAS

Department of Human Services

Office of Procurement

700 Main Street

Little Rock, Arkansas 72201

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

RFP SOLICITATION DOCUMENT

SOLICITATION INFORMATION

Solicitation Number: 710-23-074

Solicitation Issued: April 3, 2024

Description:

Eligibility Support Services

Agency:

Department of Human Services, Division of County Operations

Proposal Submission

Date and Time:

SUBMISSION DEADLINE

May 8, 2024, 1:00 p.m.,

Central Time

Proposal Opening

Date and Time:

May 8, 2024, 2:00 p.m., Central

Time

Proposals shall not be accepted after the designated bid opening date and time. In accordance with Arkansas Procurement Law and

Rules, it is the responsibility of Contractors to submit proposals at the designated location on or before the bid opening date and time.

Proposals received after the designated bid opening date and time shall be considered late and shall be returned to the Contractor

without further review. It is not necessary to return “no bids” to the Office of Procurement (OP).

Drop off Address:

United States mail

(USPS):

DELIVERY OF RESPONSE DOCUMENTS

Arkansas Department of Human Services

Attn: Office of Procurement

700 Main Street

Little Rock, AR 72201

Note: Hand deliveries of packages must be delivered directly to the security desk otherwise these

deliveries will not be accepted and may be grounds for disqualification.

Arkansas Department of Human Services

Attn: Office of Procurement

P.O. Box 1437 Slot W345

Little Rock, AR 72203-1437

Commercial Carrier

(UPS, FedEx or

USPS Exp):

Arkansas Department of Human Services

Attn: Office of Procurement

112 West 8th Street, Slot W345

Little Rock, AR 72201

Proposal’s Outer

Packaging:

Delivery providers, USPS, UPS, and FedEx deliver mail to OP’s street address on a schedule determined by

each individual provider. These providers will deliver to OP based solely on the street address. Prospective

Contractors assume all risk for timely, properly submitted deliveries.

Seal outer packaging and properly mark with the following information. If outer packaging of proposal

submission is not properly marked, the package may be opened for proposal identification purposes.

 Solicitation number  Date and time of proposal opening  Vendor’s name and return address

OP Buyer:

Email Address:

DHS Website:

OSP Website:

OFFICE OF PROCUREMENT CONTACT INFORMATION

Karrie Goodnight

Buyer’s Direct Phone Number:

DHS.OP.Solicitations@dhs.arkansas.gov

OP’s Main Number:

https://humanservices.arkansas.gov/do-business-with-dhs

http://www.arkansas.gov/dfa/procurement/bids/index.php

501-320-3906

501-396-6045

Solicitation Document

Solicitation No. 710-23-074

SECTION 1 – GENERAL INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS

• Do not provide responses to items in this section unless specifically and expressly required.

1.1 INTRODUCTION

This Request for Proposal (RFP) is issued by the Arkansas Department of Human Services (AR DHS), Office of

Procurement (OP) for the Division of County Operations (DCO) to obtain pricing and a contract for Medicaid

Eligibility Support Services.

The contractor will assist AR DHS in processing Medicaid applications, changes, and renewals and assisting with

case processing, including after the end of the Public Health Emergency (PHE) period. The contractor will provide

resources to supplement the AR DHS team across several work threads to address the backlog, increase

throughput, evaluate issues, and identify areas for enhancement or automation.

At the sole discretion of DHS, Eligibility Support Services may be modified as needed. The Office of

Procurement is the sole point of contact throughout the solicitation process.

1.2 INTERGOVERNMENTAL/COOPERATIVE USE OF PROPOSAL AND CONTRACT

In accordance with Arkansas Code §19-11-249, this proposal and resulting contract is available to any State

Agency or Institution of Higher Education that wishes to utilize the services of the selected proposer, and the

proposer agrees, they may enter into an agreement as provided in this solicitation.

1.3 TYPE OF CONTRACT

A. As a result of this RFP, OP intends to award a contract to a single Contractor.

B. The term of this contract shall be for one (1) year. The anticipated start date for the contract is October 1, 2024.

Upon mutual agreement by the Prospective Contractor and agency, the contract may be renewed by OP, on a

year-to-year basis, for up to six (6) additional one-year terms or portions thereof.

C. The total contract term shall not be more than seven (7) years.

1.4 ISSUING AGENCY

The Office of Procurement (OP), as the issuing office, is the sole point of contact throughout this solicitation

process. Vendor questions regarding this Bid Solicitation should be made through the Issuing Officer as shown on

page one (1) of this document.

1.5 BID OPENING LOCATION

Bids submitted by the opening date and time will be opened via video conference. DHS will publish a link to the live

bid opening on the DHS website for public access. Individuals will not be permitted to attend in-person. If the bid

opening cannot be held as scheduled due to technical or other issues, DHS will publish an updated schedule and

video conference link on the DHS website.

1.6 ACCEPTANCE OF REQUIREMENTS

A. The words “must” and “shall” signify a Requirement of this solicitation and that the Contractor’s agreement to

and compliance with that item is mandatory.

B. A Contractor’s proposal will be disqualified if a Contractor takes exceptions to any Requirements named in this

RFP.

C. Contractor may request exceptions to NON-mandatory items. Any such request must be declared on, or as an

attachment to, the appropriate section’s Agreement and Compliance Page. Contractor must clearly explain the

requested exception and should reference the specific solicitation item number to which the exception applies.

(See Agreement and Compliance Page.)

D. DHS must not be required to accept any requested exceptions. Only exceptions expressly accepted by DHS

will become part of the resulting contract.

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

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Solicitation Document

Solicitation No. 710-23-074

A. Unless otherwise defined herein, all terms defined in Arkansas Procurement Law and used herein have the

same definitions herein as specified therein.

B. “Prospective Contractor”, means a responsible offeror who submits a proposal in response to this solicitation.

“Prospective Contractor”, “Contractor”, “bidder”, “vendor” and “respondent” are used synonymously in this

document.

C. The terms “buyer” and “Issuing Officer” are used synonymously in this document.

D. The terms “Request for Proposal”, “RFP,” “RFP Solicitation,” “Bid Solicitation” and “Solicitation” are used

synonymously in this document.

E. “Responsive proposal” means a proposal submitted in response to this solicitation that conforms in all material

respects to this RFP.

F. “Proposal Submission Requirement” means a task a Prospective Contractor shall complete when submitting a

proposal response. These requirements will be distinguished by using the term “shall” or “must” in the

requirement.

G. “Requirement” means a specification that a Contractor’s commodity and/or service must meet or exceed in the

performance of its contractual duties under any contract awarded as a result of this RFP. These

specifications will be distinguished by using the terms “shall” or “must” in the requirement.

H. “State” means the State of Arkansas. When the term “State” is used herein to reference any obligation of the

State under a contract that results from this solicitation, that obligation is limited to the State Department using

such a contract.

I. Acronyms:

Term

ABD

CBT

CHIP

FTE

KMS

MAGI

SNAP

TANF

Definition

Aged, Blind, and Disabled Medicaid

Computer-Based Training

Children’s Health Insurance Program

Full Time Employee

Knowledge Management System

Modified Adjusted Gross Income

Quality Control

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

1.8 RESPONSE DOCUMENTS

A. Original Technical Proposal Packet

The following items are Proposal Submission Requirements and must be submitted in the original Technical

Proposal Response Packet.

1. A hard copy of the original Technical Proposal Packet must be received on or before the bid submittal

date and time. Copy should not be two sided.

2. The Proposal Packet should be clearly marked “Original” and must include the following:

a. Original signed Response Signature Page. (See Technical Proposal Packet.)

b. Original signed Agreement and Compliance Form. (See Technical Proposal Packet.)

c. Original Proposed Subcontractors Form. (See Technical Proposal Packet.)

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Solicitation Document

Solicitation No. 710-23-074

d. EO 98-04 Contract and Grant Disclosure Form, Attachment A.

e. Technical Proposal response to the Information for Evaluation section included in the Technical

Proposal Packet.

f. Other documents and/or information as may be expressly required in this Bid Solicitation.

3. The following items should be submitted in the original Technical Proposal Packet.

a. Copy of Contractor’s Equal Opportunity Policy. (See Equal Opportunity Policy.)

b. Signed addenda to this RFP, if applicable. (See Requirement of Addendum.)

c. Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT), if applicable. (See Technology Access.)

4. DO NOT include any other documents or ancillary information, such as a cover letter or

promotional/marketing information.

B. Official Bid Price Sheet and Cost Proposal Template. (See Pricing.)

1. Contractor’s original Official Bid Price Sheet and Cost Proposal Template (Attachment J) must be

submitted in hard copy format.

2. Contractor should also submit one (1) electronic copy of the Official Bid Price Sheet and Cost Proposal

Template, in PDF format, preferably on a flash drive. A CD will also be acceptable. All items on flash drive

or CD should be in PDF format.

3. The Official Bid Price Sheet and Cost Proposal Template, including the hard copy and electronic copy,

must be separately sealed from the Technical Proposal Packet and should be clearly marked as “Pricing”.

Vendor must not include any pricing in the hard copies or electronic copies of their Technical Proposal

Packet.

C. Additional Copies and Redacted Copy of the Technical Proposal Packet

In addition to the original Technical Proposal Packet and the Official Bid Price Sheet, the following items should

be submitted:

1. Additional Copies of the Technical Proposal Packet

a. Three (3) complete hard copies (marked “COPY”) of the Technical Proposal Packet.

b. Four (4) electronic copy of the Technical Proposal Packet, preferably on flash drives. A CD will also be

acceptable. All items on flash drive or CD should be in PDF format.

c. All additional hard copies and electronic copies must be identical to the original hard copy. In case of

a discrepancy, the original hard copy shall govern.

1.9 ORGANIZATION OF RESPONSE DOCUMENTS

A. It is strongly recommended that Contractors adhere to the following format and suggestions when preparing

their Technical Proposal response.

B. The original Technical Proposal Packet and all copies should be arranged in the following order:

• Response Signature Page.

• Agreement and Compliance Page.

• Signed Addenda, if applicable.

• E.O. 98-04 – Contract Grant and Disclosure Form.

• Equal Opportunity Policy.

• Proposed Subcontractors Form.

• Other documents and/or information as may be expressly required in this Bid Solicitation. Label

documents and/or information so as to reference the Bid Solicitation’s item number.

• Technical Proposal response to the Information for Evaluation section of the Technical Proposal

Packet.

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Solicitation Document

Solicitation No. 710-23-074

1.10 CLARIFICATION OF RFP SOLICITATION

A. Contractor may submit written questions requesting clarification of information contained in this Bid Solicitation.

Written questions should be submitted via email by 4:00 p.m., Central Time on or before April 10, 2024. Submit

questions to the OP buyer as shown on page one (1) of this Bid Solicitation. It is the contractor’s responsibility

to guarantee receipt of the questions by the specific time and date. DHS accepts no responsibility for accurate

or timely receipt of email submission.

B. The attached response template (Attachment B) should be used for submission of all written questions. For

each question submitted, Vendor should reference the specific solicitation item number to which the question

refers. Written questions submitted in a different format may not be answered by DHS.

C. Contractor’s written questions will be consolidated and responded to by the State. The State’s consolidated

written response is anticipated to be posted to the OP website by the close of business on April 24, 2024.

D. Answers to verbal questions may be given as a matter of courtesy and must be evaluated at contractor’s risk.

E. Oral statements by OP shall not be part of any contract resulting from this solicitation and may not

reasonably be relied on by any vendor as an aid to interpretation unless it is reduced to writing and

expressly adopted by DHS.

1.11 RESPONSE SIGNATURE PAGE

A. An official authorized to bind the Contractor(s) to a resultant contract must sign the Response Signature Page

included in the Technical Proposal Packet.

B. Contractor’s signature on this page shall signify contractor’s agreement that either of the following shall cause

the contractor’s proposal to be disqualified:

1. Additional terms or conditions submitted intentionally or inadvertently.

2. Any exception that conflicts with a Requirement of this Bid Solicitation.

1.12 AGREEMENT AND COMPLIANCE PAGE

A. Contractor must sign the Agreement and Compliance page relevant to each section of the Bid Solicitation

Document. The Agreement and Compliance Page is included in the Technical Proposal Packet.

B. Contractor’s signature on this page shall signify agreement to and compliance with all Requirements within the

designated section.

1.13 SUBCONTRACTORS

A. Contractor must complete and submit the Proposed Subcontractors Form included in the Technical Proposal

Packet to indicate contractor’s intent to utilize, or to not utilize, subcontractors.

B. Additional subcontractor information may be required or requested in following sections of this Bid Solicitation

or in the Information for Evaluation section provided in the Technical Proposal Packet. Do not attach any

additional information to the Proposed Subcontractors Form.

C. The utilization of any proposed subcontractor is subject to approval by the State agency.

1.14 PRICING

A. Contractor(s) shall include all pricing on the Official Price Bid Sheet and the Cost Proposal Template

(Attachment J). Any cost not identified by the successful contractor but subsequently incurred in order to

achieve successful operation shall be borne by the Contractor. The Official Bid Price Sheet and the Cost

Proposal Template (Attachment J) are provided as separate files posted with this Bid Solicitation.

B. To allow time to evaluate proposals, prices must be valid for 180 days following the bid opening.

C. The Official Bid Price Sheet and the Cost Proposal Template (Attachment J), including the hard copy and

electronic copy, must be separately sealed from the Technical Proposal Packet and should be clearly marked

as “Pricing”. DO NOT submit any ancillary information not related to actual pricing in the sealed pricing

package.

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This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.

Eligibility Support Services

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See Also

description	agency	opening date/time	bid number	buyer
Eligibility Support Services	Arkansas Department of Human Services	05/08/2024 02:00 PM CDT	710-23-074