RFP 2008-CC-7300

RANKINGS

DELAY IN TIMELINE

Due to an unexpected delay in providing responses to the questions submitted, the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council (FDDC) is amending the Schedule of Events and Deadlines for the Request for Proposal #2008-CC-7300 Media Services. The dates have been changed for the following activities/events:

Letter of Intent is requested by this date (although not mandatory) Written questions due to FDDC	Prior to 4:00 pm EST On August 15, 2008	Submit to: Lisa Taylor, Chief Financial Officer Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Inc. 124 Marriott Drive, Suite 203 Tallahassee, Florida 32301 - 2981 Phone: 850 / 488-4180 Fax: 850 / 922-6702
FDDC responses to offerors' written inquiries	Week of September 29, 2008	Responses to inquiries mailed to all offerors who submitted a letter of intent and posted at FDDC's website (fddc.org).
Sealed RFP proposals due and opened	Prior to 2 pm EST on October 24, 2008	U.S. Mail, Express Mail, & Hand Delivery Submit to: Lisa Taylor, Chief Financial Officer Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Inc. 124 Marriott Drive, Suite 203 Tallahassee, Florida 32301 - 2981
Mandatory Criteria Evaluation and proposal scoring begins	Week of November 10, 2008	Selection Committee Meets
Anticipated Posting of top ranked offeror RFP proposals (Posting is for 72 hours)	November 24, 2008	Posted by written notice at: 1. Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Inc. 124 Marriott Drive, Suite 203 Tallahassee, Florida 32301 - 2981 2. FDDC website (fddc.org)
Start contractual negotiations	November 28, 2008
Anticipated contract start date	December 18, 2008

Posting of the top ranked offeror’s proposal will occur November 24, 2008. Posted written notice will be placed in the following locations:

Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Inc.
124 Marriott Drive, Suite 203
Tallahassee, Florida 32301 – 2981; and
FDDC website (fddc.org).

We apologize for any inconvenience this change in schedule may cause your organization.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. What is the project budget?

The Council purposefully did not include a total budget amount for this Request for Proposal (RFP) because this RFP is not to undertake a specific project. Instead, this RFP is seeking an entity to provide public relations and media services as needed and identified by the Council. The specific situations for which the public relations and media services would be used will be determined by the Council’s Communication Coordinator. The budget information requested is therefore an hourly or daily fee-for-service rate for the performing the public relation and media services as stipulated in 1.3 Statement of Work section of the RFP.

2. Is there an amount not to exceed for the 12-month contract?

See the response to the first question. An amount not to exceed for the 12 month contract is not applicable for this fee-for-service contract. Also, the extent to which the public relation and media services will be used is unknown because, to a large extent, is dependant on the issues and opportunities that surface during the year.

3. Have funds already been appropriated for this contract?

Are the funds currently part of FDDC’s 2008-2009 budget? The Council has approved the funding for public relation and media services identified in this RFP.

4. How has FDDC determined per budget item the amount of available funds?

Is there an amount not to exceed per budget item? (Reference attachment 2) No, the Council has not determined per budget item the amount of available funds. Relative to an amount not to exceed per budget item, indirect costs cannot exceed ten percent (10%) of total salary and fringe benefits. In addition, the description of the match requirement includes caps on certain types of match that can be used (see 1.4 Terms of Agreement in the RFP).

5. Please explain your match strategy. Can you give examples of matches you have received in the past?

The match of not less than 33% of the total Council funded project costs is a requirement of our federal funding source. This match is normally calculated and provided within the context of the total project (e.g., For a project that totals $100,000 in costs, $75,000 would be from Council funds and $25,000 would be from the match provided by the contractor). For this fee-for-service arrangement where the total amount of the funding for the year is unknown, one match strategy may be to determine the match for the daily or hourly rate (e.g., for 75.00 per day fee to be paid by the council for performing the public relations and media services, the provider would provide $25.00 per day in match). Examples of matches provided in the past include the difference between the full rate customarily charged to clients and a discounted rate charged to the Council, or time provided performing the work that is not covered in the payment of Council funds.

6. How does FDDC define “indirect costs” and “direct costs”?

The Council uses standard accounting practices and, in particular, the OMB Circular A-87 to define “indirect costs” and “direct costs”. Basically, “direct costs” are those costs directly attributable to the project being funded and “indirect costs” are those costs attributable to the functioning of the organization. The OMB Circular A-87 identifies typical “direct costs” that are chargeable to federal awards as compensation of employees for the time devoted and identified specifically to the performance of those awards; costs of materials acquired, consumed, or expended specifically for the purpose of the awards; equipment; and travel expenses incurred specifically to carry out the award. The OMB Circular A-87 describes “indirect costs” as those costs incurred for a common or joint purpose benefiting more than one cost objective and those costs not readily assignable to the cost objectives specifically benefitted.

7. Fee-for-service information will be provided as part of the RFP response. However, in certain cases, salary and fringe benefit information may not be easily available. Will the fee-for-service information be sufficient to be deemed responsive?

The fee-for-service proposed for performing the public relation and media services identified in 1.3 Statement of Work needs to be accompanied by a line item budget which reflects the costs and hours to perform the services. The fee-for-service rate alone will not be sufficient.

8. How many workshops do you conduct annually? Is ethnicity of target audiences an issue for FDDC? If so, can you please prioritize?

The Council funds 30 to 50 initiatives in a year, many of which include workshops or multiple workshops. We do not have readily available the total number of workshops that are conducted annually. Most of the Council initiatives are conducted with a provider who has varying levels of responsibility for marketing their workshop, product or event. We do not anticipate that public relation and media services through this fee-for-service arrangement would be used for all of the workshops and/or all of the council contracted initiatives. Relative to ethnicity of target audiences, the Council is very interested in reaching what the federal law refers to as unserved and underserved populations. This could include the different ethnic populations in our state, as well as rural communities and certain age groups not reached through traditional means. We do not have a prioritization of these unserved and underserved populations.

9. Is there an established budget for this project? Is so, what is the amount?

See the response to questions 1 and 2 above.

10. Does the Florida DD Council now have a PR firm providing these services?

The Council currently has a contract with a PR firm for a specific project, not for the fee-for-service arrangement being requested through this RFP.

11. There is some confusion about the in-kind match requirement. Can you please explain this?

See the response to question #5 above.

The Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Inc. (FDDC) is pleased to announce that this request for proposals (RFP #2008-CC-7300) is released in order to seek public relations and media services on a fee-for-service basis to support activities and initiatives of the Council.

Individuals, not-for-profit, and for-profit agencies may submit proposals in response to this RFP. FDDC has set aside federal funds for a period not to exceed one (1) year for fiscal support of this RFP. The exact amount of this contract will be developed during contract negotiations.

Copies of this RFP can be downloaded from the FDDC website (www.fddc.org) or copies may be requested by writing FDDC at 124 Marriott Drive, Suite 201, Tallahassee, FL 32301, or calling (850) 488-4180 or Toll Free 1-800-580-7801 or TDD Toll Free (888) 488-8633.

The deadline for submitting written questions and letters of intent for this RFP is August 29, 2008 by 4:00 p.m. (EDT). Letters of intent are encouraged but not mandatory. Letters of Intent will only be accepted by fax, mail, or hand delivery. Letters of Intent by email will not be accepted. All answers to written questions will be posted on the FDDC website during the week of September 1, 2008. The deadline for submitting proposals for this RFP to FDDC is September 26, 2008 by 2:00 p.m. (EDT).