RFP for NCQA Accreditation Consulting Services

1. ABOUT L.A. CARE

L.A. Care’s mission is to provide access to quality health care for Los Angeles County's vulnerable and low income communities and residents, and to support the safety net required to achieve that purpose. 

As the nation's largest publicly operated health plan, L.A. Care is dedicated to helping Los Angeles County residents obtain health care for their families from doctors and other health care providers who understand and respect them. L.A. Care Health Plan is governed by 13 board members representing medical and health care professionals, as well as Medi-Cal consumers. L.A. Care is accountable to community stakeholders, not stockholders. 

L.A. Care advances individual and community health through a variety of targeted activities including a Community Health Investment Fund that has awarded more than $180 million throughout the years to support the safety net and expand health coverage. The patient centered health plan has a robust system of consumer advisory groups, including the Regional Community Advisory Committees and the Executive Community Advisory Committee, health promoters, six Family Resource Centers that offer free health education and exercise classes to the community, and has made significant investments in Health Information Technology for the benefit of the more than 10,000 doctors and other health care professionals who serve L.A. Care members. 

L.A. Care has approximately 2,000 employees, and projects $9.0 Billion in Revenues for the 2023-24 Fiscal year.

Programs

Medi-Cal – In addition to offering a direct Medi-Cal line of business, L.A. Care works with three subcontracted health plans to provide coverage to Medi-Cal members. These partners are Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California Health Plan, and Kaiser Permanente. Since 2012, L.A. Care has enrolled more than 170,000 Seniors and Persons with Disabilities as members. Medi-Cal beneficiaries represent a vast majority of L.A. Care members.

L.A. Care Covered™ – As a state selected Qualified Health Plan, L.A. Care provides the opportunity for all members of a family to receive health coverage under one heath plan in the Covered California state exchange.

L.A. Care Cal MediConnect Plan– – L.A. Care Cal MediConnect Plan provides coordinated care for Los Angeles County seniors and people with disabilities who are eligible for Medicare and Medi-Cal.

PASC-SEIU Homecare Workers Health Care Plan – – L.A. Care provides health coverage to Los Angeles County’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) workers, who enable our most vulnerable community members to remain safely in their homes by providing services such as meal preparation and personal care services.

 

2. PURPOSE

L.A. Care is issuing this Request for Proposals (“RFP”) to solicit proposals for providing NCQA Accreditation Consulting Services. L.A. Care Health Plan requires the support of a full-service event logistics and community relations/outreach firm to support the organization’s involvement in external and internal events aligned with enterprise goals. The work includes supporting grassroots level participation in sponsored events and other local outreach and stakeholder relationship building contributing to the growth of the health plan’s Community Resource Center network.

Interested Bidders may submit a proposal (“Proposal”) containing the information requested in this RFP. L.A. Care will select one Bidder to be contracted at L.A. Care's discretion to perform the required services. The Bidder will provide services as set forth in Appendix A (Master Services Agreement) and Exhibit A-1 (Statement of Work) pursuant to a contract to be entered into with L.A. Care. L.A. Care is under no obligation to order any work pursuant to this RFP.

At L.A. Care, our procurement practices encourage diversity while maintaining competition. All qualified Vendors are encouraged to participate and respond to this RFP.

3. PROPOSAL TIMELINE

The timetable for this RFP is as follows:

ActivityDate

RFP Release

4/23/2024

Letter of Intent, Joint Defense Agreement, W-9 and Written Questions Due to L.A. Care4/30/2024
Q&A Document Released to VendorsEstimated 5/8/2024
RFP Proposals Due by 5:00 pm PDT (No Exceptions) 5/21/2024
Semi-finalist(s) SelectedEstimated 5/30/2024
Semi-finalist Presentation(s)*6/10 through 6/13/2024
Finalist SelectedTBD

*NOTE: Please keep the following dates available on your calendar to provide potential virtual presentations, if selected as a semi-finalist: June 10 through 13, 2024.

4. SOLICITATION, TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The following terms and conditions apply to the submission of proposals.

4.1 Preliminary RFP Required Documents: Letter of Intent, Joint Defense Agreement ("JDA"), W-9 and Questions.

If you intend to submit a proposal in response to this RFP, the following documents are required according to the Timeline under section 3 above.

The Letter of Intent ("LOI"), signed "Appendix B," Joint Defense Agreement (JDA), and W-9 form are required prior to submission of an RFP response, along with questions using the "Appendix F," Q&A template provided if you have questions about the RFP which would assist in providing your proposal. 

4.1.1 Preliminary RFP Required Documents Due Date: All of the following (LOI, W-9 Form, Appendix B (JDA), and Appendix F (Questions – if any) must be submitted to L.A. Care Health Plan no later than 5:00 pm PST on Tuesday, April 30, 2024.

4.1.2 On the above Preliminary RFP Required Documents Due date, please submit the signed LOI, signed JDA, W-9, and Appendix F (Questions) via e-mail to: 

Attention: L.A. Care Procurement
Email: RFP@lacare.org 

4.1.3 Description of Preliminary RFP Required Documents

Please read all instructions carefully. Failure to comply with any of the proposal submission and formatting instructions may result in L.A. Care rejecting the entire proposal.

Each document submitted must be kept as separate documents/files with your preliminary response email. Do not combine forms/documents into one single pdf.

Required DocumentDescription

Letter of Intent

The Letter of Intent (LOI) must contain the following:

  • Name of the Vendor, physical address, phone number, and website address.
  • Name, address, phone and e-mail address of the person responsible/primary contact(s) for the RFP response.
  • Brief description of the qualifications and experience of the Vendor.
  • The LOI may be the form of an email as well as an attached letter.

W-9 Form

Attach a copy of your company's current W-9 form, which must be signed within the last 12 months.

Appendix B

Joint Defense, Confidentiality and Reimbursement Agreement ("Joint Defense Agreement" or "JDA")

All Bidders are required to provide an executed Joint Defense, Confidentiality and Reimbursement Agreement (“JDA”), provided in Appendix B, and submit a redacted copy of your proposal as outlined in Section 4.2 (Notice regarding the Public Records Act) below.
 

Please keep all documents as separate, individual
documents with your RFP response – do not combine the signed Appendix B, JDA and your redacted proposdal pdf into one pdf.
 

This is required to enable each Bidder to protect
proprietary or company secret parts of its proposal from disclosure under the CPRA. Reference section 4.2 below for additional information regarding this form and the Public Records Act.
 

Reminder: Please keep all documents as
separate, individual documents with your RFP
response – do not combine into one pdf, ZIP
file, or through 3rd party secure website
requiring separate log-in.

Appendix F

Questions and Answers

Questions about this RFP:

  • Bidders may submit written questions regarding this RFP, to be included with the above Preliminary RFP Required Documents.
  • All questions, without identifying the submitting company, may be compiled with the appropriate answers and released to participating Bidders in accordance with the schedule below.
  • When submitting questions please use the form provided, “Appendix F, Questions and Answers” and specify the RFP section or document section number, paragraph number, and page number, and quote the language that prompted the question. This will ensure that the subject of the question can be quickly found in the RFP. L.A. Care reserves the right to group similar questions when providing answers.

Reminder: Please keep all documents as separate, individual documents with your RFP response – do not combine into one pdf, ZIP file, or through 3rd party secure website requiring separate log-in.

 

4.2 Notice regarding the Public Records Act. By submitting a proposal, Bidder
agrees to all of the following:

(a) Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation shall become the exclusive property of L.A. Care, and Bidder grants L.A. Care the right to make unlimited copies of its proposal and any additional documents or communications submitted by Bidder.

(b) L.A. Care is a public agency, and as such, its records are subject to disclosure under the California Public Records Act (“CPRA”), Gov’t Code Section 6250 et seq. Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation are public records subject to disclosure to the public under the CPRA.

(c) The CPRA grants L.A. Care the authority to withhold from the public all or part of a public record that is exempt from disclosure under the CPRA, and L.A. Care will exercise this authority in its sole and absolute discretion. L.A. Care shall not, in any way, be liable for any damages of any kind, whether under theory of contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability or otherwise, for the disclosure of a Bidder’s proposal, communications about a Bidder’s proposal, or any such related records or any parts thereof (“Bidder’s records”). Each Bidder’s sole remedy against L.A. Care is to seek injunctive relief prohibiting disclosure of Bidder’s records.

(d) All Bidders are required to include a signed Joint Defense, Confidentiality and Reimbursement Agreement (“Joint Defense Agreement” or “JDA”). This is required to enable each Bidder to protect
what it believes to be proprietary or company secret parts of its proposal from disclosure under the CPRA.

(e) Bidder shall execute and submit the Joint Defense, Confidentiality and Reimbursement Agreement (“Joint Defense Agreement” or “JDA”), which is attached as Appendix B to this RFP, along with the Bidder’s Letter of Intent (LOI), W-9, and any Questions (Appendix F).

(f) Bidder shall, when submitting its proposal, submit a complete duplicate copy of its proposal as one electronic file in Adobe Acrobat PDF format, with those parts of its proposal which Bidder deems to be exempt from disclosure under the CPRA redacted using black-out (“redacted copy”). Do not omit any pages from the redacted copy.

(g) A Bidder may redact only those provisions of its proposal which are "Trade Secrets," or are otherwise exempt from disclosure under the CPRA. “Trade Secrets” mean those trade secrets protected from disclosure pursuant to California Evidence Code 1060 et seq. and defined in California Civil Code Section 3426.1.

(h) Bidder shall submit with its redacted proposal a separate letter detailing its basis for each redaction.

(i) A blanket statement of confidentiality or the marking of each page of the proposal as confidential shall not be deemed sufficient notice of a CPRA exemption, and a Bidder who indiscriminately and without justification identifies most or all of its proposal as exempt from disclosure, or submits a redacted copy but fails to execute and submit a Joint Defense Agreement, shall be deemed non-responsive.

(j) After L.A. Care receives a Joint Defense Agreement executed by a Bidder along with that Bidder’s redacted copy, L.A. Care will review the redacted copy for responsiveness, and if the redacted copy is responsive, L.A. Care will execute the Joint Defense Agreement and return a copy to the Bidder.

(k) Submittal of an executed Appendix B, JDA, is a firm requirement for participation in this RFP.

4.3 Conflicts of interest.

(a) Conflicts of Interest. By submission of a proposal, Bidder warrants that no member of L.A. Care’s Board of Governors or any officer, official, director, employee or consultant of L.A. Care whose position enables such member, officer, official, director, employee or consultant to influence L.A. Care’s award or administration of an agreement in response to this solicitation or any competing agreement is currently or shall be employed in any capacity by the Bidder or shall have any direct or indirect financial interest in the selection of the successful Bidder.

(b) Additional Conflicts of Interest Requirements. Bidder understands that L.A. Care is a public agency and, as such, L.A. Care and its Board of Governors, officers, directors and employees are subject to various rules, laws and regulations relating to conflict of interests, gifts, honoraria and travel or other payments. Based on the nature of the services contemplated by the Proposal, Bidder and any Bidder personnel assigned to provide the services contemplated by the Proposal may be subject to additional conflicts of interest requirements. If applicable, the Proposal will identify the conflict of interest terms that apply and will identify the specific Bidder personnel subject to such conflict of interest terms, including the following additional requirements:

(i) Bidder and specified Bidder personnel shall comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations pertaining to conflicts of interest laws, including without limitation L.A. Care’s Conflict of Interest Code, filing of Statement of Economic Interests (Form 700) (if applicable) and associated ethics training requirements (AB 1234), the California Political Reform Act (Government Code Section 81000 et seq.), Government Code Section 1090 et seq. and/or common law conflict of interest laws (collectively, the “Conflicts of Interest Laws”).

(ii) During the term of the agreement contemplated by this Proposal, Bidder shall not perform any work for L.A. Care or any another person, entity or business, which would: (i) result in an actual or potential conflict of interest under the Conflict of Interest Laws; (ii) require Bidder to abstain from any decision under the proposed agreement subject to the Proposal or prospective services of Bidder and its affiliate companies pursuant to the Conflict of Interest Laws and/or (iii) violate the Conflict of Interests Laws. Bidder warrants that it is not now aware of any facts, which violate any of these provisions and the Conflict of Interest Laws.

(iii) Bidder understands that, if the proposed agreement contemplated by this Proposal is made in violation of Government Code Section 1090 et seq., the entire proposed agreement shall be voidable and Bidder will not be entitled to any compensation for services performed pursuant to such agreement and Bidder will be required to reimburse L.A. Care any sums paid to Bidder. Bidder further understands that, in addition to the foregoing, Bidder may be subject to criminal prosecution for a violation of Government Code Section 1090.

(c) Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest. If Bidder at any time becomes aware of any facts, which might reasonably be expected to either create a conflict of interest under the Conflict of Interest Laws or violate the provisions of these conflict of interest terms, Bidder shall immediately make full written disclosure of such acts to L.A. Care. Full written disclosure shall include, without limitation, identification of all persons, entities and businesses implicated and a complete description of all relevant circumstances. Bidder shall submit any disclosures required by these conflict of interest terms to RFP@lacare.org, with a copy to the attention of the General Counsel.

4.4 Validity of proposals. Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation must remain valid for a period of at least six (6) months (183) calendar days.

4.5 Contract terms and conditions. Any agreement awarded in response to this RFP shall be subject to the terms and conditions in Appendix A (Master Services Agreement). The Master Services Agreement included in this RFP is provided to assist the proposer in submitting a bid and is subject to material change prior to execution to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, L.A. Care payor agreements and L.A. Care policies and procedures.

4.6 Compliance with HIPAA. Any agreement awarded in response to this RFP may require access to protected health information or individually identifiable information, as defined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), Title XIII of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and regulations and guidance promulgated thereunder (“ARRA”), also known as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (the “HITECH Page 8 of 15 RFP-202401 NCQA Accreditation Consulting Services Act”), and other privacy statutes or regulations. The access, use and disclosure of such information shall be governed by the Business Associate Addendum.

4.7 Proposal preparation costs. Any costs incurred while developing responses to this RFP are the sole responsibility of the Bidder.
 

5. INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

5.1 Submission of Proposals 

Bidders shall submit proposals using the forms provided by L.A. Care and return an electronic copy** of each section per submission instructions to:

Attention: Procurement Department
Email: RFP@lacare.org 
Subject: [BidderName] – L.A. Care & Blue Shield Promise Community Resource Center Partnership Evaluation 
Due Date: Tuesday, May 21 2024 5:00PM, PST 

**NOTE: Please do not email your proposal in a 3rd party secured email requiring separate log-in or sign-in. Please email proposal documents in one or more emails with attachments (as may be required due to file sizes) directly to RFP@lacare.org. Each RFP document must be kept as separate documents/files with your RFP response. Do not combine forms/documents into one single pdf.

A complete version of the RFP is available as a PDF document under Resources.

5.2 PROPOSAL DUE DATE. Proposals are due by 5:00pm PDT on Tuesday, May 21, 2024.

5.3 Preparation and submission of a Proposal by interested Bidders will be at no cost or obligation to L.A. Care. L.A. Care reserves the right to terminate its efforts to contract for said services without obligation. Proposals and other materials submitted will become the property of L.A. Care and will not be returned. Your proposal must not be marked proprietary or confidential. Please note that L.A. Care is subject to the California Public Records Act.

5.4 Proposal format. Proposals should be provided via email, in one or more emails as may be required due to file sizes of attachments. 

5.4.1 Documents must be submitted as individual Word, “.pdf,” PowerPoint, and/or Excel documents and should not include any unnecessarily elaborate promotional material. 

5.4.2 Lengthy narrative is discouraged, and presentations should be brief and concise. Documents requiring review and comment or redlines (i.e. MSA, SOW, or any Vendor contract or licensing documents requiring L.A. Care review) must be submitted as unprotected Word documents. 

5.4.3 As instructed in section 3.10 (f) above, please submit a redacted version of your proposal as a separate Adobe Acrobat “.pdf” file.

5.5 The following proposal submittal methods/formats will not be accepted: 

5.5.1 Proposals submitted through 3rd party secured email sites requiring separate log-in or sign-in. 

5.5.2 ZIP files. Do not submit proposal documents in a ZIP file. Proposals may be submitted using multiple emails if files are too large for a single email. 

5.5.3 Proposal documents combined into a pdf file. (Redlines to the Appendix A (MSA) or Exhibit A-1 (SOW) must be made directly on the unprotected Word documents, and/or entered onto the Excel documents as as instructed below – and not converted into pdf, Excel, JPEG or other file types).

5.6 *Vendor shall submit its proposal using the forms provided by L.A. Care as noted in the table below. Any additional information should be provided separately and labeled as “Supplemental Information.” Failure to comply with proposal instructions may result in L.A. Care rejecting the submitted proposal. 

Vendor shall submit its proposal in the following format:

SectionDescription

RFP Notice Response/Executive Summary

Please provide your Executive Summary of the contents of the Proposal in a “pdf” format, as a separate individual document, to provide a broad understanding of the Bidder’s approach, qualifications, experience, and staffing, and to include the following as may be applicable:

  • Provide a description of the methodology the Bidder will use to meet the requirements as delineated in this RFP.
  • Include a staffing plan, identify any key personnel who will be assigned to the project, and describe how staff continuity will be provided as may be appropriate.
     
  • Identify any assumptions or variables that may impact the scope, schedules or pricing.
     
  • Provide a comprehensive quality control plan Bidder will use to ensure the required services are provided as specified in the SOW.
     
  • List any connections the Bidder might have with L.A. Care that could create a conflict of interest or bias. Describe the Bidder’s system in place used to identify and prevent possible causes of bias.
     
  • Please do not include, embed or attach your company’s standard sales brochure-type materials. 

Reminder: Please keep all documents as separates individual documents with your RFP response – do not combine into one pdf, ZIP file, or through 3rd party secure website requiring separate log-in. 

Appendix A Exceptions to Master Services Agreement

A statement offering the Bidder’s acceptance of or exceptions* to all terms and conditions provided by L.A. Care in Appendix A (Master Services Agreement). For each exception, the Bidder shall provide: 

  • An explanation of the reason(s) for the exception; 

  • The proposed alternative language; and 

  • A description of the impact, if any, to the Bidder’s price. 

*Indicate all exceptions to the Master Services Agreement by providing a ‘red-lined’ version of the language in question, in the original Word document, with Track Changes turned on, and enable L.A. Care to identify those persons making changes or adding comments. L.A. Care relies on this procedure and any Bidder who fails to make timely exceptions as required herein, may be barred, at L.A. Care’s sole discretion, from later making such exceptions.

Reminder: Please keep all documents as separate, individual documents with your RFP response – do not combine into one pdf, ZIP file, or through 3rd party secure website requiring separate log-in. 

L.A. Care reserves the right to determine if Bidders’ exceptions are material, singularly or in total, such that L.A. Care may deem the proposal non-responsive and not subject to further evaluation. 

L.A. Care reserves the right to make changes to the Master Services Agreement and its appendices and exhibits at its sole discretion. 

*Note: If your proposal requires a Software License Agreement or End-User License Agreement, and/or a Product Schedule, please include an unprotected Word copy along with your review/redline of the MSA.

Exhibit A-1 Exceptions to SOW

A statement offering the Bidder’s acceptance of or exceptions* to all requirements outlined in Exhibit A-1, Statement of Work (SOW) to Appendix A. For each exception, the Bidder shall provide: 

An explanation of the reason(s) for the exception; 

The proposed alternative language; and 

A description of the impact, if any, to the Bidder’s price.

*Indicate all exceptions to the SOW by providing a ‘red-lined’ version of the language in question, in the original Word document, with Track Changes turned on, and enable L.A. Care to identify those persons making changes or adding comments. L.A. Care relies on this procedure and any Bidder who fails to make timely exceptions as required herein, may be barred, at L.A. Care’s sole discretion, from later making such exceptions. 

Reminder: Please keep all documents as separate, individual documents with your RFP response – do not combine into one pdf, ZIP file, or through 3rd party secure website requiring separate log-in. 

*Please do not embed the reviewed or redlined Exhibit A1 into a “.pdf” with other documents, please keep as a separate stand-alone document with your submittal.

*Please do not embed any “.pdf,” “.jpeg,” “.ppt,” charts, pictures or other such items into the L.A. Care-provided templates, documents or forms for this proposal. Please use the document templates and forms attached. 

L.A. Care reserves the right to determine if Bidders’ exceptions are material, singularly or in total, such that L.A. Care may deem the proposal non-responsive and not subject to further evaluation. 

L.A. Care reserves the right to make changes to the SOW and its exhibits (if any) at its sole discretion.

Appendix C 

Vendor Qualifications

Discussion of proposer’s qualifications, including Firm’s:
Business Location.
 

Vendor Profile (Size, Organizational structure, e.g.,
corporation, partnership, etc.);
 

Number of years in business;
 

Affiliates;
 

Market Data, including scope of services available;
 

Business qualifications (e.g., relevant background and
experience with Public Agencies, Health Care organizations,
non-profits, etc.);
 

Diversity classification Information;
 

References (at least 3, to include contacts –
name/email/phone);
 

Copies of the Bidder’s most current financial statements.
 

Ability to meet HIPAA requirements.
 

Complete the Vendor Requirements spreadsheet tabs 1, 2, & 3, attached as Appendix C.
 

If a mutual non-disclosure agreement would be required in order to share any requested information, please indicate in your response in the relevant section of this questionnaire, and we
will send our Mutual NDA for your review.
 

Please keep all documents as separate, individual
documents with your RFP response – do not combine into one pdf.

Appendix C-1 

Privacy and Information Security Requirements

Complete the Privacy and Information Security Requirements spreadsheet attached as Appendix C-1. 

Reminder: Please keep all documents as separate, individual documents with your RFP response – do not combine into one pdf, ZIP file, or through 3rd party secure website requiring separate log-in. 

*Please do not embed the completed Appendix C in a “.pdf” with other documents, please keep as a separate stand-alone document with your submittal.

Appendix D, Pricing Exhibit

Complete the Pricing Exhibit, in the template attached as Appendix D. 

If necessary, include a separate attachment to Appendix D discussing pricing methodology and structure (e.g., time and materials, fixed price, milestones, etc.), including any expenses. 

If applicable, please include price breaks/discounts for recurring licensing and/or maintenance fees for a possible multi-year contract. 

Reminder: Please keep all documents as separate, individual documents with your RFP response – do not combine into one pdf, ZIP file, or through 3rd party secure website requiring separate log-in.

Appendix E

Certification of Eligibility for Award

Fill out and sign the Certification regarding Eligibility for Award, provided in Appendix E (Eligibility for Award). 

Reminder: Please keep all documents as separate, individual documents with your RFP response – do not combine into one pdf, ZIP file, or through 3rd party secure website requiring separate log-in.

Appendix G Business 

Requirements Questionnaire

Complete and return Appendix G, Business Requirements questionnaire in the form provided. 

Please enter your responses in the space provided in the Excel worksheet provided, and please do not convert this to a pdf or embed in another document. If additional space is needed, you may attach additional pages, however please limit these to no more than 10 pages total. 

Please keep all documents as separate, individual documents with your RFP response – do not combine into one pdf.

5.7 Withdrawal of proposals. A Bidder may withdraw its proposal in writing on Bidder’s letterhead or by email, signed by an authorized representative, to: 

Attention: Procurement Department 

Email: RFP@lacare.org 

The notice of withdrawal must be received by L.A. Care before the proposal due date listed below.

5.8 Contact with L.A. Care personnel. All contact regarding this RFP or any matter relating thereto must be in writing and emailed only to: 

Attention: Procurement Department 

Email: RFP@lacare.org 

If it is discovered that Bidder contacted and received information from any L.A. Care personnel, other than Procurement as specified above (RFP@lacare.org) regarding this solicitation, L.A. Care may, in its sole determination, disqualify their proposal from further consideration.

5.9 Amendment of RFP. L.A. Care retains the right to amend the RFP by a written amendment. 

5.10 L.A. Care option to reject proposals. L.A. Care may, at its sole discretion, reject any or all proposals submitted in response to this RFP at any time, with or without cause. L.A. Care shall not be liable for any costs incurred by the Bidder in connection with the preparation and submission of any proposal. L.A. Care reserves the right to waive immaterial deviations in a submitted proposal. 

6. PRESENTATION REQUIREMENTS 

6.1 Selected semi-finalists may be invited to provide a Virtual presentation. If selected as a semi-finalist, L.A. Care will inform Bidder of the tentative assigned presentation date and time. Presentations will via WebEx. 

Please do not plan to provide a presentation unless specifically notified by an invitation to provide a presentation, and provided a presentation time and date by L.A. Care. 

L.A. Care reserves the right to change dates related to presentation. In the event that these dates change, L.A. Care will inform Bidder in advance in writing. 

7. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS 

7.1 The selection of the Vendor will be based upon evaluation by L. A. Care considering all appropriate factors and criteria (subjective and otherwise) as L.A. Care may, at its sole discretion, deem relevant. In no event will L. A. Care be limited to selecting a successful respondent based solely upon total cost submissions. 

7.2 Bidders will be evaluated on the following factors including, but not limited to:

a) Rates/Pricing. 

(b) Quality of service, project or solution structure and demonstrated effectiveness. 

(c) Bidder’s willingness to accept the Terms and Conditions outlined by L.A. Care in the Master Services Agreement (Appendix A), and Joint Defense Agreement (Appendix B) will be considered. 

(d) References/Previous relevant experience. 

(e) Responsiveness - Proposals submitted in accordance with the RFP instructions and clearly responding to L.A. Care’s requirements. 

(f) L.A. Care retains the right to determine if Bidders’ exceptions are material, singularly or in total, such that L.A. Care may deem the proposal nonresponsive and not subject to further evaluation.

Note: Bidders are discouraged from making numerous exceptions to the Agreement provided unless absolutely essential. Bidders’ proposals that contain Agreement exceptions deemed excessive in volume or immaterial by L.A. Care may be evaluated less favorably.

8. SUMMARY – PRELIMINARY INTENT TO PARTICIPATE DOCUMENTS 

List of documents required prior to proposal submittal, as referenced in section 4.1 above (the following documents may be provided as separate documents attached to one email):

Required DocumentDescription

Letter of Intent

The Letter of Intent (LOI) as described in section 4.1 above. May be expressed in your email itself rather than separate attachment.

W-9 Form

Attach a copy of your company’s current W-9 form, which must have been signed within the last 12 months.

Appendix B 

(“Joint Defense, Confidentiality and Reimbursement Agreement” or “JDA”)

Provide executed copy of Appendix B, “JDA” and submit as appropriate a redacted copy of your proposal as outlined in Section 3.10 (Notice regarding the Public Records Act).
Appendix F Questions and AnswersFill out and return if there are questions about this RFP.

9. SUMMARY – PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS 

List of documents required with your full Proposal submittal as referenced in section 5.6 above:

Document Number / SubsectionDocument NameAction Required
Response to RFP Notice

Executive Summary

Provide an Executive Summary of your proposal, as described in section 5.6 above. This document may be in your own preferred format. 

*Please do not embed any “.pdf,” “.jpeg,” “.ppt,” charts, pictures or other such items into the form for this proposal.

Appendix A

Master Services Agreement

Review, indicate acceptance, or provide a redline with exceptions or comments in accordance with the above instructions.* NOTE: If your proposal requires a Software License Agreement or EndUser License Agreement, and/or a Product Schedule, please include an unprotected Word copy along with your review/redline of the MSA.
Exhibit A-1 to Appendix AStatement of Work (SOW)Review, indicate acceptance, or provide a redline with exceptions or comments, including quality control plan as applicable.*
Appendix CVendor QualificationsFill out tabs 1, 2 & 3 Vendor qualifications and business requirements questionnaire.
Appendix C-1Privacy and Information Security RequirementsFill out and sign privacy and information security requirements questionnaire.
Appendix DPricing ExhibitPlease provide pricing in this form as applicable.
Appendix EEligibility for Award CertificationFill out and sign Certification.
Appendix GBusiness Requirements QuestionnaireFill out and return the questionnaire.

SUMMARY OF SPECIAL NOTES: 

*Please do not email your proposal in a 3rd party secured email requiring separate log-in or sign-in. Please email proposal documents in one or more emails (as may be required due to file sizes) directly to RFP@lacare.org. 

**Please keep all documents as separate, individual documents with your RFP response – do not combine into one pdf or ZIP file. 

***Vendor shall submit its proposal using the forms provided by L.A. Care as noted in the table below. Please do not embed any “.pdf,” “.jpeg,” “.ppt,” charts, pictures or other such items into the L.A. Care-provided templates, documents or forms for this proposal. 

ALL COMMUNICATION CONCERNING THIS RFP MUST BE DIRECTED ONLY TO 

RFP@LACARE.ORG