On-Call Management and Economic Development Consulting Services RFP (Project #2664) Questions and Answers Summary Previous RFP / Retainer... 2 Topic Areas and Types of Projects... 2 Firms and Partnerships... 5 Eligibility... 6 Contract Length and Commitment... 6 Task Orders and Project Assignment Selection... 6 Selection Process and Criteria... 7 Project Size... 8 Pricing... 8 M/WBE... 10 Insurance... 11 Technical Questions / Miscellaneous... 11 1
Previous RFP / Retainer 1. What firms were selected for the previous retainer contracts? The 17 firms selected through the 2011 On Call Management and Economic Development Consulting Services Request For Proposal (RFP) process were A.T. Kearney, Accenture, Appleseed, BAE Urban Economics, Bennett Midland, Boston Consulting Group, Investment Consulting Associates, HR&A Advisors, IBM, KPMG, L.E.K. Consulting, McKinsey & Company, Oliver Wyman, Parsons Brinckerhoff and Urbanomics, Public Works Partners, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and VIP. Each firm was selected for one or more Workstreams. 2. How much was spent through the previous retainer contracts? Would it be possible to get a breakdown of how the money was distributed across topic areas? Over $30 million of projects have been done through the retainer contracts since July 2011. A substantial portion of these were related to Hurricane Sandy and many projects spanned multiple topic areas, so the past breakdown between topic areas is not a good predictor of future retainer contract use. 3. Which of these topic areas are new since the 2011 retainer contracts? Real estate development analysis Partnership design and option development 4. For the previous contract, how many firms applied and how many were selected? 35 applied and 17 were selected. The number of firms per topic area varied. 5. What lessons learned and successes has the NYCEDC realized/achieved from implementing initiatives and programs under the existing contract? Because each project is different, it is difficult to generalize about impact and lessons learned. Topic Areas and Types of Projects 6. Some of these topic areas seem very broad; can you give specific project examples? The topic areas are broad because this is a contract for as-needed services and we do not yet have specific projects planned out when a need for consulting support arises on a project, we will develop a scope of work that fits into one or more of the topic areas for retainer firms to bid on. Appendix pages B-4 through B-12 have in-depth descriptions of the topic areas. To give a sense of the types of projects we may do through the topic areas, the following are representative examples (these are only examples and are not necessarily projects that will be assigned): 2
Economic research and analysis o Understanding the economic impact of a given City investment o Weighing policy options for supporting greater income mobility and economic opportunity o Understanding the importance of a given sector to the city s economy Economic development strategic planning and evaluation o Assessing existing programs o Developing plans to refocus resources o Designing new policies or programs, or providing the framework for a new set of initiatives o Understanding the needs of a given sector, such as the healthcare sector, and developing a set of recommendations for how the City can support development and growth of the sector as an economic engine. Operations and business process analysis, organizational design, and change management o Address technical issues within NYCEDC or in a City agency, such as HR/budget functions Real estate development analysis o Assess individual sites, options, or a portfolio of real estate assets o Understand the real estate needs of a given sector or type of business and ways to address those needs o Assess supply and demand of certain types of real estate o Make recommendations on the City s use of its real estate and land-use levers Partnership design and option development o Understanding options for public-private partnerships (such as for programs like CitiBike, business incubators, etc.) Implementation and project management o Setting up a project management office (PMO) for a complex project o Planning out the implementation of a project, such as the roll-out of a new system or approach 7. Topic Area 3, Task 1, states that the Consultant shall develop a common fact base on the leading performance drivers. How does the EDC define a fact base? What exactly constitutes a fact base would depend on the specific project. Generally, it would be a mix of quantitative data and qualitative information that provide a nuanced understanding of a given issue or topic that is robust enough and at a sufficient level of detail such that analysis of and conclusions drawn from the fact base could lead to program designs, policy changes, or other City actions that are logical, reasonable, and impactful. 3
8. Topic Area 6, Task 2, states that the Contractor shall provide ad hoc services to include procurement support. What will the scope of procurement support encompass? The specific scope would depend on the given Project Assignment. For example, if the implementation of a major initiative involved procuring additional services or vendors such as a technology provider or a specialized service provider then a firm providing implementation support may be asked to research the market of potential providers, standard pricing in the market, or types of services to consider, or may be asked to assist with drafting of documents, evaluation of proposals, or other support related to procurement. 9. Regarding topic areas, if we say we are experienced in A, B, and C, but you decide we are only experienced in A and B, will that completely remove us from consideration? A firm may be chosen for all, some, or none of the topic areas for which they submit a proposal. NYCEDC will make the final decision on which topic areas a firm fits into, though we encourage firms to clearly describe their experience and fit for the topic areas in which they are strong. 10. Can a proposal be submitted in relation to some, but not all, of the Tasks within a Topic Area? Tasks, as well as the specific topics and types of methods of analysis described within each task, are illustrative rather than exhaustive examples of the Services within each Topic Area. While Consultants will be selected for Topic Areas as a whole (rather than for individual tasks within a Topic Area), proposals should highlight the firm s expertise or experience within the Topic Area, including experience with any of the illustrative Tasks identified in the Draft Contract. 11. Are there cases where other agencies need support and EDC will allow them to use the retained firms? Yes. 12. Will there be construction project assignments through these contracts? No; project assignments will all be management consulting and economic development consulting services that fit into the six topic areas. 13. In terms of areas of expertise, what sectors are you most interested in? What are the top five priorities for NYCEDC for the three-year contract term of this RFP? Should we address specific sector strength in our proposal? Is sector strength a selection criterion? NYCEDC and the City are interested broadly in all sectors and there is a wide range of potential projects that may fall under these retainer contracts. We are not selecting firms for the retainer contracts based on specific areas of expertise, but many of the Project Assignments will require specific expertise, so it is 4
beneficial to describe the areas in which your firm is strong. We will be evaluating a firm s experience providing work to similar clients and working on issues relevant to NYCEDC and the City. 14. Has the EDC identified or selected task orders that will be released in the base year of the contract? If so, what projects are currently in the pipeline? There is no current pipeline for this new retainer contract; projects generally enter the pipeline within a few weeks of the release of a Task Order/mini-RFP to consultants. Firms and Partnerships 15. May we collaborate on our submission with another firm? Yes, but there must be a prime contractor to submit the proposal and to contract with NYCEDC. 16. If we are teaming up to submit a joint proposal with another firm, are you looking for teams that are comprehensive or relevant to the topic areas or is it best to add on subs as needed? It is best to pitch to your specific expertise or field, but you can submit a proposal with a partnership. Any given firm or partnership submitting a proposal will be evaluated within the topic areas for which they are qualified, but it is not necessary for a firm/partnership to propose on all topic areas. 17. Can we add specific subcontractors to our submission? If respondents anticipate utilizing specific subcontractors for work in a certain Topic Area and have identified those subcontractors, they can and should be listed in the proposal. In addition, respondents should be sure to list any M/WBE subcontractors they plan to engage for specific tasks that may be awarded through the retainer in the M/WBE Narrative Form submitted in conjunction with the proposal. However, we recognize that certain Project Assignments may require expertise or the hiring of subcontractors that cannot be anticipated at the time of the proposal, so not all subcontractors engaged for work need to be identified at the time of proposal submission. All subcontractors will need to be approved by NYCEDC in order to perform work. 18. Will EDC allow companies to bid as both prime and subcontractors? Firms that are selected as prime consultants (as well as those not selected and those who did not apply) for the retainer contracts may serve as subcontractors to other firms on the retainer for individual Project Assignments in accordance with the terms of the Contract. 19. Do subcontractors need to be exclusive to one prime contractor team, or can they bid as part of multiple teams? 5
Eligibility Subcontractors do not need to be exclusive. Multiple respondents may submit proposals that identify the same subcontractors. 20. Please clarify that "academic and research institutions" include colleges and universities. If it does, what level of the institution's management must sign off on the RFP? Would a department head of the school of business suffice? Colleges and universities may apply. A person empowered to sign contracts on behalf of the organization must sign the Contract and all documents related to this RFP. Contract Length and Commitment 21. Will selected consultants be bound to complete all tasks requested by EDC, or may a consultant opt out of certain requests if there are time constraints or other commitments that make them unable to complete a project in the requested timeframe? Consultants with retainer contracts are not bound to bid on any given Project Assignment. When a retainer consultant does respond to a mini-rfp for a particular Project Assignment, selection of a consultant to perform that work would be dependent on their ability to complete the scope of work within the given timeframe (or a timeframe negotiated between NYCEDC and the consultant). 22. Will the contractor be required to work on-site full-time at an EDC facility? That depends on the particular Project Assignment. For some projects, consultants work on-site, for others only certain meetings/events are done on-site or in-person. The amount of time committed by consultants to a given project will also vary. Task Orders and Project Assignment Selection 23. Does the use of mini-rfps to procure services under this contract mean that consultants selected to provide services as a result of submitting a response to this RFP will have to again submit a response to mini-rfps to determine whether they will be selected to provide the service? In other words, is the intent of this RFP to identify prospective consultants who will then be provided the opportunity to respond to mini-rfps, or will winning submissions to this RFP be awarded contracts to provide services when the need arises? Consultants awarded retainer contracts as a result of this RFP will be provided with the opportunity to bid on projects in a certain Topic Area being procured from among the retainer consultants who were selected within that Topic Area. 6
Being selected through this RFP does not guarantee that a firm will be awarded a project, but we do expect a wide range of projects to be put out to the retainer consultants through min-rfps. 24. What is the typical lead time on mini-rfps for individual Project Assignments? It varies. Sometimes the timeline is very short, but the average is two to three weeks from mini-rfp release to proposal due date. 25. Can we add subcontractors later for specific expertise required on a given Project Assignment, or should they be included in the proposal? Yes, subcontractors may be added for specific Project Assignments to provide content expertise or other support. Selection Process and Criteria 26. Regarding selection, do you have a preference for firms with a number of topic areas or for them to specialize in one of the topic areas? We do not have a preference; firms capabilities on each topic area will be evaluated in the context of the other firms being considered for that Topic Area. 27. Regarding selection criteria, will there be points for firms already on the retainer list from the 2011 contract or for firms based in New York City? Firms are evaluated holistically within each selection criterion; no specific points are given for individual items within each category. Firms should identify whether they have performed work for NYCEDC or a City agency in the past and NYCEDC may take such work into account in making its selection. 28. When talking about experience, does it have to be about the firm as a whole? For example, can we point it out if we have a person on our team who has worked with/for EDC before or at other City agencies? Either is fine, and both are valuable and would be beneficial we will evaluate the previous work experience of the firm and/or the team. 29. Is there a specific number of firms you expect to select in a given topic area or overall? No; firms capabilities on each topic area will be evaluated in the context of the other firms being considered for that topic area. 30. In our proposal, should we pitch our entire firm s expertise or a more precise team? You should pitch the experience of the team likely to work on projects through this contract (i.e., with NYCEDC and the City). Because we have not yet determined the content of specific Project Assignments, that may include expertise across a firm, or in a few targeted areas. Staff referenced in this 7
proposal would not limit a firm from including other staff on a team for a specific Project Assignment. 31. If selected to interview, what is the process and how many interviews will there be? Firms selected to interview will have a 45-minute in-person interview between March 2 and March 13. Selected firms will have the opportunity to give a presentation of their proposal, and then discuss specific questions with the selection committee. 32. Can you be more specific regarding representative sample of staff? What are the standards for comparison? (i.e., number of years of experience; specific City agency experience, etc.) Where a firm is large enough so that it would not be practical to submit resumes of all potential staff who might work on a project, the firm should submit a selection of resumes that demonstrate the types of backgrounds of its team at each level who would be expected to work on projects for NYCEDC. The consultant s experience and personnel will be evaluated holistically. Project Size 33. How much funding does the NYCEDC estimate will be obligated to the vehicle in the base year and over the life of the vehicle? There are not specific funds set aside for the retainer contracts. Rather, individual projects will have their own funding. Though we cannot predict future needs, over $30 million has been spent through the previous retainer contracts from 2011 to present. 34. What is the typical size of a project team? Are there ever one-person teams? Individual projects on the previous retainer contracts ranged from $75,000 to $5 million, and project teams for those Project Assignments were commensurate with those budgets. A one-person team is not very common, but possible. Pricing 35. Given that the Respondents are not responding to a specific task order, developing a cost schedule with any degree of fidelity is difficult to achieve. Can the NYCEDC please provide parameters for developing the cost schedule in order to facilitate a relative comparison across the Respondents? Respondents should submit hourly rates (fully loaded costs) for staff at each level, substantially in the same format as Exhibit 2, Item A, Sample Proposed Staff and Fee Schedule. (Item B, Cost Schedule, does not need to be included, 8
since there is not a specified Project Assignment scope of work.) NYCEDC will compare price proposals of firms by calculating a weekly rate for a standard hypothetical team based on the positions and hourly rates provided. 36. Respondents are required to submit a sample fee and cost schedule as part of the proposal response. Since this is a multi-year contract, are Respondents allowed to escalate their rates on an annual basis or should the rates be held constant throughout the course of the contract? The fee and cost schedule will be used to compare Respondents rates for selection for the RFP. Please provide accurate rates for the next three years. 37. For staff-fee schedule, should it be labor costs only or inclusive, fullyloaded costs? Inclusive, fully-loaded costs. 38. If the respondent elects to perform work under the contract on an hourly fee basis, at what point are the details of a "project assignment" provided so that a definitive estimate of time required to complete it may be determined and how is this handled in the overall costs evaluation of the response? The details of a Project Assignment will typically be provided in the mini-rfp released to on-call consultants in the relevant Topic Areas. Consultants will have an opportunity to develop a more detailed understanding of the projects during the selection process, e.g. interviews, prior to agreeing on a final price. When possible, pricing on individual Project Assignments is done as task-based pricing. 39. Can EDC provide an average number of hours for a project so that we can appropriately estimate the number of hours for each position? It is not necessary to estimate a number of hours for a given position for the purposes of this RFP just list the positions and hourly rates. For any given Project Assignment, the project length and number of hours per position will vary substantially. 40. When and how is the "Maximum Project Assignment Price" determined? The Maximum Project Assignment Price is determined during the selection process for mini-rfps it will not be used for comparing prices in this RFP. 41. In relation to the Sample Fee and Cost Schedule Spreadsheet included in Exhibit 2, please confirm that B. Cost Schedule is only intended to capture Allowable Additional Costs, and that it is not intended to capture the total estimated budget for each Topic Area. The Sample Fee and Cost Schedule Spreadsheet in Exhibit 2 is the format for firms to provide information on rates for their staff. Allowable Additional Costs 9
that is, costs beyond staffing may be considered for individual Project Assignments, but will not be used in comparing price proposals for this RFP. 42. Is your intent to create something similar to the GSA schedule or a prequalification list based on pricing up-front? The pricing proposed in the Sample Fee and Cost Schedule should be hourly based on the respondent s current rates. When we send out mini-rfps for individual Project Assignments, they will usually request task-based pricing for the specific project scope. M/WBE 43. Should the M/WBE narrative be about the firm or our projects? The M/WBE Narrative Form should include specific information regarding how you will go about engaging M/WBE firms to meet the M/WBE goals that may be set on a project. 44. When we set a goal, does it have to be an either or (minority or women) or a combo? NYCEDC does not break down M/WBE targets by category; goals will be set as a combination of these categories. 45. Can we submit a draft of our narrative beforehand for review? No. 46. Our firm is registered as an M/WBE; do we need to submit a narrative, and will we get full credit as an M/WBE? M/WBE firms applying as prime contractors on the retainer contract, like other firms, must submit a narrative form. They will receive credit for the dollar value of their work as an M/WBE on projects, less any subcontracting to non-m/wbe firms. 47. In terms of M/WBE certification, do we have to be certified before the proposal or can we do it after the contract is awarded? You should at least be in the process of certification and make note of it in your proposal if you are applying as an M/WBE. 48. Regarding the 15% of the evaluation score associated with the M/WBE requirements, is this a simple yes/no criterion to award the 15% or will EDC issue points based on an overall goal established by the prime contractor? It is not a simple yes/no criterion. In evaluating responses to this RFP, NYCEDC will issue points based on the strength of each respondent s proposal relative to that of other respondents. For individual Project Assignments, NYCEDC will issue points based on the strength of each respondent s chosen M/WBE Participation Goal relative to that submitted by other respondents. 10
49. If the respondent is a sole member LLC and is a minority, must the firm still be certified as minority firm to receive credit for such? Yes, M/WBE firms must be registered with the NYC Department of Small Business Services to qualify as M/WBEs. 50. Does the EDC anticipate setting aside a certain amount/percentage of work for Minority/Women Owned Small Businesses? It is a priority for NYCEDC to provide M/WBEs the opportunity to serve as prime contractors on the retainer contracts as well as to serve as subcontractors on some Project Assignments. Projects will not be explicitly set aside, but we do expect there to be M/WBE participation goals on some projects. Insurance 51. Considering the nature of the work required under this RFP, can the insurance requirements outlined in Appendix E be waived for a respondent organized as a single member LLC with no employees? Workers compensation insurance would not be required if the respondent does not have any employees and is not required by law to maintain such insurance. Technical Questions / Miscellaneous 52. Can we format our proposals as we please or do you prefer a certain structure? Any format is acceptable, so long as respondents follow the specific instructions in the RFP. 53. What are the acceptable formats for electronic submission (i.e., email; USB drive, etc.)? The required electronic submission must be provided physically with the paper copies, and can be either a CD or a USB drive. 54. For this contract, does NYCEDC require general firm references, or specific project references for the individual projects that we choose to illustrate our experience? General references are acceptable. 55. In relation to the General Terms and Conditions provided in the Contract Draft, is NYCEDC willing to consider changes that are mutually agreeable? Although we are willing to enter into an agreement that would incorporate the substance of many of the Terms and Conditions, we have identified the main substantive issues to which we would take exception, as well as 11
some of the provisions that we would require to be included in a definitive agreement for the provision of professional services by us. Any proposed change to the Draft Contract included in the RFP would be considered on a very limited basis in light of the totality of the respondent s proposal. Please be advised that NYCEDC considers the Draft Contract included in the RFP to be fair and balanced. 56. Will the sign-in sheet from the information session be posted? Yes; it is attached. 57. Is the Doing Business Data Form required for firm and subcontractors? The Doing Business Data Form only needs to be submitted for the Respondent on the submission due date for this RFP. If subcontractors are working on a specific Project Assignment, they will have to fill out the form at that point. 58. If a consultant is selected under this RFP, may that consultant may continue to represent clients before the EDC? Yes. However, potential conflicts of interest would be assessed for any given Project Assignment. 59. Is there a page limit for the RFP response? No, but we encourage (and appreciate) brevity. 60. The RFP requires that respondents provide three hard copies of their proposals. There is also a requirement for specific envelopes. For instance, envelope #2 is to contain Fee and Cost Schedules. Should the required three copies of the Fee and Cost Schedule be in one envelope #2? Or should each copy of the Fee and Cost Schedule be in its own envelope #2? As described in Part III, Section 1.1, a separate envelope is required for each element of the proposal, but the multiple copies of that element may be put in the same envelope. In this example, envelope #2 may contain the three required copies of the Fee and Cost Schedule. 12