Emergency Services Transfer Call and Patient Transport Management System

Transcription

1 INVITATION: Sealed proposals, subject to the conditions included in this request for proposal (RFP) will be received in the Office of Contracts Administration at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) until Tuesday, September 8, 2015, 2015, at 2:00 p.m. No proposal will be accepted after this time., as further described in the Specifications section of RFP 1210, needed to assist UMMC in daily operations. NOTE: RFP 1210 CONTAINS MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS TO WHICH NO EXCEPTION MAY BE TAKEN. THOSE SECTIONS INCLUDE: SECTION II SUBSECTIONS A through I SECTION V Bidders 1 must submit proposals to: Contracts Administration Office (Apartment Building C, Suite 13) University of Mississippi Medical Center 2500 North State Street Jackson, MS Bidders must submit one hardcopy original of their proposal and nine (9) additional copies on USB flash drive or compact disc (disc) in PDF format (one copy of the proposal per disc/flash drive). To prevent unauthorized opening, the hardcopy original and the USB flash drives/discs must be in a sealed package. The outside of the container must be plainly marked as follows: Bidder s Name PROPOSAL to Due Tuesday, September 8, 2015, at 2:00 p.m. Note: Faxed, electronically mailed or unsealed responses will not be accepted. Each hardcopy original MUST be signed by an authorized representative of the Bidder. Each disc or flash drive must be plainly marked with the Bidder s name and RFP number. UMMC reserves the right to request additional copies on disc or USB flash drive. 1 For the purpose of this RFP, the term Bidder simply means a business or individual submitting a proposal. The term is not meant to distinguish between businesses or individuals who have submitted acceptable or unacceptable proposals. Page 1 of 21

2 I. INSTITUTIONAL OVERVIEW: UMMC is the state s only academic health science center. The 164 acre campus in Jackson, Mississippi, includes health science schools of medicine, dentistry, nursing, health related professions and graduate studies. The campus houses a large research center, a general acute care teaching hospital, three specialty teaching hospitals and an inpatient rehabilitation facility. UMMC conducts business in an ethical manner. Therefore, please indicate clearly what you, as a Bidder, propose in response to this request and how it will benefit UMMC. II. GENERAL INFORMATION: A. STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS: All Bidders MUST be certified through the Mississippi Secretary of State s Office to conduct business in the state of Mississippi. You will be asked to certify this registration and provide your Mississippi Business Identification Number on the attached RFP Questionnaire and Acknowledgement form. Any proposals found to have been submitted by Bidders that are not certified with the Mississippi Secretary of State will be disqualified. MANDATORY: As an agency of the State, there are standard terms and conditions to which all Bidders must agree. By submitting a proposal, the Bidder acknowledges that acceptance/execution of the UMMC Standard Terms and Conditions is a requirement for an acceptable proposal, and which are hereby incorporated by reference into this RFP and any contract resulting from this RFP. These can also be found at /forms. In addition, if the scope of work for this RFP involves the use of health information of UMMC patients, the Bidder must also sign and enter into a business associate agreement with UMMC, which can be found at /forms. B. PAYMENT: UMMC aims to pay properly submitted invoices within forty-five (45) days of receipt. Original invoices must be presented for payment in accordance with instructions contained on the Purchase Order. The Purchase Order number must be referenced Page 2 of 21

3 and the invoice must be submitted to the correct address for processing. As a State entity, UMMC cannot pre-pay for any commodities or services. C. TAX: UMMC is tax-exempt (exemption number: ). A copy of the exemption letter is available upon request. D. PRICING: Prices shall remain firm for the term of the agreement. ANY PRICE ESCALATION WILL BE BASED ON THE TYPE OF SERVICES NEEDED AND INDUSTRY NORMS. ANY SUCH PRICE ESCALATIONS MUST BE CLEARLY IDENTIFIED IN THE COST SECTION OF THE PROPOSAL. E. CONTRACT TERM: The initial contract shall be in effect for five (5) years. The contract may be terminated by either party prior to the expiration of five (5) years with or without cause. F. RIGHTS RESERVED BY UMMC: i. Right to remove Vendor s employees - UMMC shall have authority to require a Contractor to remove from the site any employee of the Contractor who shall be deemed incompetent or detrimental to the best interests of the work of the Medical Center. ii. Right to conduct background checks/secure access - All individuals who work at any UMMC facility must have a background check in accordance with MS state law. Therefore, UMMC reserves the right to require vendors whose employees will work at any UMMC facility to provide each such employee s nine (9) digit social security number. The social security number will be used to conduct the background checks. The last four digits of the social security number will also be used to provide secure access to UMMC networks, should the scope of work to be performed by the vendor require such access. In addition, UMMC reserves the right to require vendors, whose employees will not be physically working at any UMMC facility but who will have access to our networks, to provide the last four digits of each employee s nine (9) digit social security number in order for UMMC to provide secure access into its network. Page 3 of 21

4 iii. Right to award in whole or in part - UMMC reserves the right to award the RFP in whole or in part, whichever is deemed to be in the best interest of UMMC as an agency of the State of Mississippi. This RFP does not commit UMMC to contract for any requirements detailed in this document. iv. Right to reject any or all offers - UMMC reserves the right to reject any or all offers and to waive informalities and minor irregularities in the proposal received. UMMC may deem proposals which meet any of the following criteria as nonresponsive and therefore disqualify the proposal/bidder from consideration: Failure to follow specifications and instructions contained in the RFP; Failure to meet the announced requirements of UMMC in some material respect; Submission of a response that alters or limits terms contained in the RFP; or Submission of a response that UMMC deems to be unreasonable in terms, cost, etc. v. Right to request best and final offers - UMMC reserves the right to request Best and Final Offers from Bidders when Bidders proposed cost are more than the available funding for the project or when UMMC determines none of the proposals present the best value (lowest and best proposal) for UMMC. vi. Right to include internal costs in cost proposal UMMC reserves the right to factor into Bidder s cost proposal any additional internal or external costs it may incur as a result of an Award of this RFP, including implementation, training, downtime, etc. G. USE OF SUBCONTRATORS: No subcontractors shall be used without the prior written consent of UMMC. H. REGISTRATION WITH VENDORMATE AND MAGIC: At the time the contract is awarded, the selected Bidder becomes a vendor of UMMC. All Vendors are required to register with the UMMC vendor credentialing system, VendorMate, which requires a fee for registration at the expense of the vendor. VendorMate registration can be completed online at Vendors will be expected to register with the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) for purchases for all State agencies. Registration can be completed online at Page 4 of 21

5 I. COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE STATE: From the issue date of this RFP until a Bidder is selected for award and such selection is announced, neither Bidders nor their representatives may communicate either orally or in writing regarding this RFP with any statewide elected official, state officer or employee member of the legislature or exception as noted herein. This directive is meant to ensure fair and unbiased selection of a Bidder. To ensure equal treatment of each responding Bidder, all questions regarding this RFP must be submitted in writing to the contact persons listed in Section III, Subsection A, of this RFP. J. CONTRACT APPROVAL AND EXECUTION: A contract is not deemed final until it has been signed by the Vice Chancellor of UMMC. All contracts are valid only if signed by the Vice Chancellor of UMMC, and Vendors will be required to sign contracts before the Vice Chancellor of UMMC. All contracts are subject to availability of funds of UMMC and are contingent upon receipt by the winning Vendor of a purchase order from UMMC. K. INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING: UMMC is governed by the Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) and is subject to its approval for particular contracts. The time it takes to obtain any approvals required by IHL is not included in UMMC s internal approval process. Any contracting deadlines will be extended as necessary by UMMC when seeking IHL approval. Page 5 of 21

6 III. SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: A. RFP PREPARATION: The information provided within this RFP is intended to assist Bidders in the preparation of a proper response. It is designed to provide interested Bidders with sufficient basic information to submit proposals meeting minimum requirements; it is not intended to limit a proposal s content, or to exclude any relevant or essential information or data thereof. Bidders are permitted (and encouraged) to expand upon specifications to evidence service capability under any agreement. The Office of Contracts Administration of UMMC is the issuing office for this document and all subsequent addenda relating thereto. The reference number for this transaction is RFP No This number MUST be referenced on all proposals, correspondence, and documentation relating to this RFP. The Bidder will absorb all costs incurred in the preparation of a proposal. Bidders are responsible for examining and following all specifications, terms, conditions, and instructions in the RFP. Failure to do so will be at the Bidder s risk. Bidders may request in writing an interpretation or correction of any inconsistency or error within the request, which would be evident to any reasonably prudent Bidder. All such questions, in order to be considered, must be sent via to Sally O Callaghan at [email protected] and John Genin at [email protected] at least five (5) business days prior to the RFP closing date. Questions should be directed in writing or by only; phone calls will not be accepted. Any unauthorized contact shall not be used as a basis for responding to this RFP and may result in the disqualification of the proposer s submittal. Bidders are hereby informed that only the written interpretation or correction so given by the authorized UMMC representative, as noted above, shall be binding and prospective and that no other agent, or employee of UMMC is authorized to provide information concerning, or to explain or interpret the RFP, unless otherwise notified. Such interpretations or corrections, as well as any additional provisions that UMMC may decide to include, will be issued in writing as an addendum to the RFP documents and binding on all prospective Bidders. UMMC will make addenda available to all known prospective Bidders. Page 6 of 21

7 B. CONFIDENTIAL AND/OR PROPRIETARY INFORMATION Bidders should mark any and all pages of the proposal considered to be proprietary information which may remain confidential in accordance with Miss. Code Ann and (1972, as amended). Each page of the proposal that the Bidders considers trade secrets or confidential commercial or financial information should be on a different color paper than non-confidential pages and be marked in the upper right hand corner with the word CONFIDENTIAL. Failure to clearly identify trade secrets or confidential commercial or financial information will result in that information being released subject to a public records request. UMMC is a public agency of the State of Mississippi and is subject to the Mississippi Public Records Act, Miss. Code Ann , et seq. If a public records request is made for any information provided to UMMC regarding this IFB, UMMC shall promptly notify Bidders of such request. UMMC shall not be liable to Bidders for disclosures of information required by court order or required by law. UMMC also is subject to the provision of the Mississippi Accountability and Transparency Act of 2008, Miss. Code Ann., , et seq., and is required to provide public access to its financial information and expenditures through the Institutions of Higher Learning Accountability and Transparency website. C. RFP RESPONSE OUTLINE: Proposals must be written, concise, and in outline format. Pertinent supplemental information should be referenced and included as attachments. If a Bidder considers its proposal or particular portions thereof as containing trade secrets, information privileged by law, or confidential commercial or financial data, then this should be conspicuously noted in the proposal. All proposals must be organized and tabbed to comply with the following sections: Tab A: Letter of Transmittal. The letter of transmittal should include an introduction of the Bidder, the name, address, address, telephone number and fax number of the person to be contacted, along with others who are authorized to represent the Bidder in dealing with this RFP. The letter of transmittal should also contain the Mississippi Business ID number assigned to the Bidder by the Mississippi Secretary of State s Office. Any other information not appropriately contained in the proposal itself should also be included in the letter. Page 7 of 21

8 Tab B: Executive Summary. An executive summary will briefly describe the Bidder's approach and clearly indicate any options or alternatives being proposed. It should also indicate any major requirements that cannot be met by the Bidder. Tab C: Detailed Discussion. This section should constitute the major portion of the proposal and must contain a specific response to the Vendor Specifications section as well as any other requested sections in this RFP. Tab D: Proposal. The Bidder MUST submit a cost proposal allowing costs to be evaluated independently of other criteria in the proposal. Pricing should only include those items/services specifically requested in this RFP. The cost must be presented in a clear and accurate manner if no cost proposal format is given. If additional items or services are included, they should be clearly identified and priced separately from those items specifically requested. The type and format of any cost proposal will be dependent upon the request type. Omissions, errors, misrepresentations or inadequate details in the Bidder s cost proposal may be grounds for rejection of the Bidder s proposal. All costs that are not clearly identified will be borne by the Bidder. Required Format: Bidder must provide its cost proposal in the following format for all three (3) categories of costs. 1. Ongoing Fixed Fees includes hosting and web-based application services, technical support, system maintenance, and services such as quality assurance capabilities, transfer center call systems, charting capabilities. Description Hosting & Web- Based Application Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Total Technical Support System Maintenance Services Other (please list each separately) Total Page 8 of 21

9 2. Ongoing Variable Fees includes billing and collection services. Description Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Total Air Transport Billing Services Collection Services Specialty Ground Transport Billing Services Collection Services Non-Specialty Ground Transport Billing Services Collection Services Total 3. One-Time Fees includes system implementation and training fees. Description System Implementation Training Fees Other (please list each separately) Total Page 9 of 21

10 Tab E: Financial Reports. The Bidder should furnish a current audited financial report for their most recent fiscal year. Tab F: Sample Agreement. The Bidder must furnish a proposed contract for all services to be provided. The proposed contract must be fully completed based upon Bidder s response and cost proposal to the RFP. The proposed contract must not conflict with UMMC s Standard Terms and Conditions Addendum. The submission of a proposed contract does NOT guarantee an Award of this RFP. Tab G: Experience and References. The Bidder should submit a breakdown of any experience with performing the same or similar services as requested in this RFP. Bidder should focus on those experiences with customers of like size and complexity as UMMC and the requested service(s). Contact information of such customers should be included, which UMMC may use as a reference in verifying such experience(s) and the customer s satisfaction with the Bidder. The Bidder should include a listing of the abilities, qualifications, and experience of all persons who will be assigned to provide the required services. Tab H: Miscellaneous. Additional information and attachments, such as insurance certificates, if required by UMMC, should be located under this tab. The Bidder may also submit information and attachments that are not required by the RFP but which the Bidder considers essential to the proposal under this tab. Page 10 of 21

11 IV. SPECIFICATIONS: (UMMC) seeks one (1) vendor to provide a single, vendor-hosted, web-based platform and database for the following services: patient transfer center database management for multiple facilities; computer-aided dispatch for UMMC owned and leased medical transport helicopters and ground ambulances; quality assurance capabilities; mobile, electronic charting services capable of integration with EPIC, UMMC s Electronic Health Records (EHR) system; and comprehensive revenue cycle management services related to Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The facilities contemplated under this RFP include UMMC s main campus in Jackson, MS, as well as outlying hospitals in Grenada and Lexington, MS. UMMC reserves the right to add additional features and functionalities to the resulting contract for enhancements to the requested service. 1. Bidder Requirements. Bidder s proposal should include detailed discussion regarding the following requirements: 1.1 Bidder must provide detailed discussion related to its experience providing similar services to institutions of similar size and complexity as UMMC in the previous three (3) years. 1.2 Bidder must detail the number of years it has provided the proposed system to customers. 1.3 Bidder must detail its experience with EPIC Electronic Medical Record (EMR) integration with its proposed system Bidder must detail its experience with 3M Electronic Record Management (ERM) integration with its proposed system. 1.4 Bidder must state the number of customers for which it currently provides hosting services for the proposed system. 1.5 Bidder must describe its expertise and background related to: Patient transfer center database management services; Page 11 of 21

12 Computer-aided dispatch services for medical transport helicopters, fixed wing aircraft, and ground ambulances; Quality assurance capabilities related to emergency services; Mobile, electronic charting services capable of integration with EPIC; and Comprehensive revenue cycle management services related to Emergency Medical Services (EMS), including, but not limited to, billing and collection services. 1.6 Bidder must detail any pending or final non-compliance findings issued by entities, including, but not limited to, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) or Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), within the previous five (5) years as a service provider. Such findings may include, but are not limited to, any and all pending and final reports of the Bidder and/or all related entities operating as subsidiaries of a holding group or otherwise. Non-compliance findings shall be broken down and identified according to the subsidiary and holding group name. 1.7 Bidder must detail any pending or final litigation related to the services requested herein, excluding litigation regarding debt collection, within the previous five (5) years as a service provider. Such litigation may include, but is not limited to, any and all pending and final settlements of the Bidder and/or all related entities operating as subsidiaries of a holding group or otherwise. Litigation history shall be broken down and identified according to the subsidiary and holding group name. 1.8 Bidder must provide detailed discussion related to compliance initiatives and risk mitigation experience with clinical documentation and revenue cycle management services for EMS. 1.9 Bidder must provide detailed discussion regarding its activities related to reporting quality metrics in transport Bidder must provide all services requested herein without subcontracting or requiring a third-party agreement for a portion of the services requested herein. 2. System and Support Requirements. Bidder s proposal should include detailed discussion regarding its capabilities to meet the following requirements: Page 12 of 21

13 2.1 Bidder must provide a detailed description of the single, vendor-hosted, web-based platform and database for the services requested herein. 2.2 The successful Bidder s proposed system must have the ability to function in an internet connected or disconnected environment capable of automatic synchronization of data upon restoration of connectivity. Bidder s proposal should provide detailed discussion related to its system s ability to provide these functionalities. 2.3 The successful Bidder s proposed system must have the ability to provide customizable data reporting. Bidder s proposal should provide detailed discussion related to its customizable data reporting capabilities, including samples or examples, if applicable. 2.4 The successful Bidder s proposed system must provide detailed discussion related to any aspects of proposed software for the system that differentiate it from competing products in the marketplace. 2.5 Bidder must provide access to its support resources to authorized system administrators and users of the system in the form of a help desk or other support mechanism. This support must be available 24/7/365. Bidder s proposal should discuss in detail its support resources and availability. 2.6 Bidder must describe how UMMC s account will be staffed. Bidder should provide detailed discussion related to a proposed dedicated manager that will serve as point of contact to assist in the management of the account. 2.7 Bidder must provide detailed discussion related to the installation and implementation processes for its proposed system. 2.8 Bidder must provide detailed discussion related to its offerings of ongoing system support and maintenance. s associated with support and maintenance must be included as a separate line item. 2.9 Bidder must provide detailed discussion related to its system s capabilities to perform comprehensive revenue cycle management services, including, but not limited to, billing and collection services. Revenue Cycle Management Services must include strategies and projected collections Page 13 of 21

14 for 1,200 air ambulance patients per year, 500 specialty ground transports per year, and 3,000 non-specialty ground transports per year. 3. Training Requirements. Bidder s proposal should include detailed discussion regarding its training services and offerings. 3.1 Bidder must propose training services for two (2) to four (4) UMMC system administrators including implementation, operation, and maintenance of the system. Bidder must provide a detailed description of the training services provided including, at a minimum, content, duration, type of training (individual trainer or online training), and location of the training. s associated with training must be included in Bidder s cost proposal as described in Section III.C. Tab D. 3.2 Bidder must provide training services for five (5) to ten (10) UMMC authorized users that cover daily operation of the system. Bidder must provide a detailed description of the training services provided including, at a minimum, content, duration, type of training (individual trainer or online training) and location of the training. s associated with training must be included in Bidder s cost proposal as described in Section III.C. Tab D. 3.3 Bidder must supply any and all training course materials and documentation necessary for system administrator and user training at no additional cost to UMMC. Attendees shall retain course materials upon completion of training. Training material should be accessible and printable from an online source. 3.4 Bidder must provide specific training related to the use of customized reporting capabilities and the ability to automatically the hospital/provider/clinic/unit specific reports to providers and clinic leaders. s associated with training must be included in Bidder s cost proposal as described in Section III.C. Tab D. 3.5 Bidder must provide user and system administrator documentation and training on any significant differences between upgrades/versions that will affect the use of the proposed solution. 4. Hosting and Technical Requirements. Bidder s proposal should include detailed discussion regarding its capabilities to meet the following requirements: Page 14 of 21

15 4.1 Bidder must propose services consisting of hosting on bidder s platform, web-based software application, implementation services, technical support, maintenance and training for the implementation of the proposed system. Pricing for each of these services must be itemized and detailed as separate line items in Bidder's cost proposal as described in Section III.C. Tab D. 4.2 The proposed system must be accessible via any web browser, with no additional client side software required and no dependencies (e.g.,.net, Flash, Java). Client computers must require only a standard web browser and Internet, intranet, or extranet access to the server. 4.3 Bidder must describe in detail how hosting, bandwidth, security, backup, and recovery from the web-based application will be provided in response to the hosting requirements listed below. 4.4 The proposed system must be accessible and have charting capability via mobile devices. Bidder s proposal must detail the charting capabilities of the Bidder s mobile application, the platforms and devices for which it is compatible, and the supported level of encryption. 4.5 All UMMC data must remain within the continental United States borders. At no time will the transmission or storage of any UMMC data be permitted to any resource outside of the United States. 4.6 All hosting agencies must be able to show an independent security audit at least once (1) every 24 months against the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) HIPAA Audit Protocol. This HIPAA audit must be passed and verified. 4.7 All particular IT services must meet the HIPAA compliant security standards for protecting Protected Health Information (PHI). 4.8 All hosting agencies must show documented policies and procedures, including, but not limited to, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), Data Breach procedures, and advance notification of planned outages for maintenance or system updates. 4.9 Data at rest should be encrypted using AES-256 or greater encryption algorithms. Page 15 of 21

16 4.10 All Bidder s employees dealing with UMMC data must be properly trained to HIPAA policies and procedures. Hosting service must provide most recent proof of training for these individuals All traffic between UMMC and the hosting service will need to be encrypted with at least a 128 bit SSL connection with certificates being issued specific to the UMMC connection and not to be used by any other entities. (No wildcard certificates.) 4.12 Physical security of the data hosting service must be verified to insure proper safeguards are in place to prevent any unauthorized access to data All Operating Systems must be currently supported by the software vendor contractually and systems patches applied to all systems quarterly All hardware must be under contract for vendor maintenance and support All systems deemed to be of a critical nature by the client must have redundancy and Disaster Recovery (DR) capabilities documented and annually tested All systems deemed to be of a critical nature by the client must have a DR RTO (Return to Operations) not to exceed four hours All systems must have vendor support by the hardware and software company that is 24/7/ All systems must have hardware support contracts that specify four hours for hardware swap or replacement due to component failure Any external/internal access to the systems by vendors or support personnel must be documented and auditable System performance must be documented and monthly benchmark reports shared that quantitatively reflect performance, CPU usage, memory usage, response time, and system availability. Page 16 of 21

17 4.21 Any performance issues or outages must be reported and a root cause analysis performed and documented Service Level Agreements must be agreed to reflect the operational requirements of the system and renewed annually to reflect current requirements All systems must be updated annually to match the then-current operating standards of UMMC s technical environment or an agreed update timeframe established. Page 17 of 21

18 V. MEETINGS: MANDATORY: Bidders may be asked to attend an interview with UMMC Selection Committee. The interview will count toward the evaluation of the proposal. Bidders will be notified of the date and time of their respective interview. This interview is intended to provide the Selection Committee the opportunity to ask questions to the Bidder about the proposal to ensure a complete understanding of the offerings made by the Bidder. Page 18 of 21

19 VI. BASIS OF AWARD: The award of the RFP will be determined based on a two-step evaluation process as follows: STEP I VALIDATION The first step will be to determine if the proposal is valid. To be valid, the proposal must properly address all specifications and information needed to facilitate a proper evaluation as described in the Evaluation Criteria. Proposals that are found not to adhere to the specifications will be rejected for evaluation. STEP II EVALUATION Each proposal that is not rejected in step one will be evaluated by an appointed Selection Committee. Unless otherwise justified by the nature of the project, UMMC uses a consensus scoring approach to assign points to non-cost criteria. scores are computed using the total cost of the contract over the entire life of the contract, including any optional renewals contained with the contract. The cost score is computed as a ratio of the difference between a given proposal's total cost and the total cost of the lowest valid proposal. The following cost scoring formula is used for every proposal evaluation: Points awarded for cost = (1-((B-A)/A))*n Where: A = Total cost of lowest valid proposal B = Total cost of proposal being scored n = number of points allocated to cost for this procurement In simpler terms, lowest price gets a perfect score. A proposal that is 20% more expensive than the lowest priced offering gets 20% fewer points. When the above formula would result in a negative cost score (i.e. the total cost of the proposal being scored is more than twice that of the lowest valid proposal), the cost score is set to zero, rather than deducting points from the vendor's score. The Evaluation Criteria are as follows: Page 19 of 21

20 Bidder Requirements System and Support Requirements Training Requirements Hosting and Technical Requirements Experience and References s Evaluation Criteria: The detailed discussions regarding Bidder s capabilities to meet UMMC requirements. The detailed discussions regarding Bidder s system and support capabilities. The detailed discussions regarding Bidder s training services and offerings. The detailed discussions regarding Bidder s capabilities to meet UMMC s hosting and technical requirements. The experience of the Bidder and the results of reference checks. s to UMMC as presented in Bidder s proposal. Weight of Score: 20% 10% 10% 10% 10% 40% Page 20 of 21

21 VII. AWARD and NEGOTIATION OF A CONTRACT: All proposals shall remain firm until the proposal has been rejected or, in the case of acceptance, until the Parties can negotiate the contract through their internal approval systems. UMMC reserves the right to reject any and all proposals submitted. A contract will be awarded to the Bidder whose proposal, based upon the evaluation criteria listed in the specifications of this request, is deemed to be in the best interest of UMMC. All contractual issues MUST be successfully negotiated with UMMC within a reasonable time from the selected Bidder s notice of award. This initial period of negotiation does not include the time necessary for obtaining approval from IHL when applicable. The contract must be based upon the proposed contract provided in and considered during the evaluation of the proposal. Failure of the Bidder to negotiate a contract within this timeframe may constitute grounds for UMMC to withdraw its award and either begin negotiations with any other ranked Bidder or pursue other options, whichever is in the best interest of UMMC as an Institution of Higher Learning of the State of Mississippi. In submitting a proposal, each Bidder acknowledges its understanding and acceptance of the procedures, terms and conditions contained herein, as well as of all attached documents, including UMMC s Standard Terms and Conditions. Any contract that is entered into as a result of this process will be based on the contents of this Request for Proposal. Therefore, the contents of this RFP and your responses to it both now and during negotiations will be considered an integral part of the final contract. Page 21 of 21