RFP 2008-IP-7100

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-IP-7100 Consumers and Families Leadership and Development Assistance. 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 September 1, 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 31, 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	January 5, 2009

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. Are the PSAs produced by us or do we sub-contract to produce?

It is at the discretion of the provider to produce the Public Service Announcements (PSAs) or subcontract to produce the PSAs. As with other tasks of the contract, the successful provider may, only with prior written approval of FDDC, enter into written subcontracts for performance of specific services. See page 14, Section 5.8 of the RFP for further information about sub-contracting.

2. Is there a requirement to have liability insurance under this contract?

Yes, please see page 26, Section H of the Request for Proposals (RFP) 2800-IP-7100 for these requirements.

3. What is the main purpose of this project?

How many conferences/meetings attended per individual is the goal? Through this project, individuals with developmental disabilities and their families will be able to participate in various training opportunities, meetings forums and information sessions that will enable them to become better self-advocates and enhance their quality of life through improved knowledge of many aspects of the disability system. In addition, this knowledge will facilitate their inclusion and participation in numerous planning and decision-making committees, forum and leadership in organizations in their communities.

Provider will provide financial assistance to at least 35 eligible individuals with developmental disabilities and/or their families in Florida to cover allowable costs to participate in conferences, workshops, training, etc. Provider will ensure that individuals who receive financial assistance under this project are ineligible to apply for and receive funding again for a period of 36 months. This provision will also apply to those individuals awarded funding under last year’s contract.

4. Will program advertising take place on fddc.org website? Distribution of 10,000 announcements will come from FDDC database or multiple databases?

Program advertising will take place on provider’s website. FDDC will work with the provider to help them to distribute announcements to a wide range of advocates and agencies. A link from the FDDC website to the provider’s website will also be implemented.

5. What is the criteria for 35+ individuals receiving funding – are there any major hurdles that could negatively impact the process?

Please see the specific outcomes section of the RFP (p. 6) to see criteria and minimum percentages of those targeted to receive funding. The major hurdles encountered in the past included increased transportation and lodging expenses and reaching rural and minority individuals with the information and encouraging them to take advantage of the opportunity.

6. How much “allowance” is given to individuals? Does the allowance cover all costs? What items are not-allowed? Will the Advisory Committee determine this?

If by “allowance” you are referring to the funding allocated per person to attend training, this will depend on the amount remaining after provider expenses. It is up to the provider to determine projected funding for training/conference expenses for 35 people and provider expenses within the $50,000.00 limit of the contract. Some applicants will choose to attend less expensive local events, while others will wish to go to national events and will be funded as the provider is able to allocate funds. The funding awarded an individual or family may not cover all expenses. Please see attached Travel Policy to know what expenses can and cannot be covered. Advisory Committee can provide input to amount spent per participant.

7. Is there a previous application or template of an application that FDDC has used in the past?

FDDC can provide the selected provider with a template for an application. This does not preclude changes to improve any other application.

8. Will the training events calendar be located at www.fddc.org – or on the provider’s website? Is there a calendar already being utilized by FDDC or will this have to be developed?

The training events calendar will be located on the provider’s website. The provider will be responsible for gathering and showcasing a full calendar of training events on their website.

9. With regard to section 1.3 of the RFP, Statement of Work, item 1, will the “financial assistance” provided by the contractor come from another source and budget other than the “not to exceed $50,000 of federal grant funds” noted in section 1.4, Terms of Agreement, or are the costs needed to send eligible individuals with developmental disabilities and/or their families to participate in conferences, workshops, training events, etc. to come from that $50,000 pool of funds?

Both the providers expenses and the funds needed to send individuals to participate in the conferences and training events are to come from the $50,000.00 pool of funds. It is the responsibility of the provider to use the funds effectively to cover their own expenses and to maximize the spending to meet the specific outcomes of the project listed on page 6 of the RFP.

10. With regard to section 1.3 of the RFP, Statement of Work, item 13, there are three parts to my question:

1.) Is the Public Service announcement called for to be a television PSA, a radio PSA or some other form of media communication? Nothing is specified, but the provider is responsible for reaching all target groups.

2.) Are there funds available to pay for airtime to broadcast this PSA on traditional media “throughout Florida” (as noted in the RFP) or is the contractor expected to secure donated airtime from broadcasters or other sources? Only Public Service Announcements (PSAs) are required, as no additional funding is available from FDDC to pay for airtime. The contractor is expected to secure the donated airtime.

3.) Would the contractor be allowed to fulfill the requirements for this task through other, non-traditional distribution strategies?

With prior approval from the FDDC contract manager, this is possible.

Approval to perform travel funded by the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council (FDDC) must have prior approval of the applicable Council staff and the Executive Director. Travelers are requested to submit reimbursement claims not more than ninety (90) days after completion of travel activity. Reimbursement requests submitted after 90 days of travel will not be reimbursed by FDDC. FDDC will not reimburse expenses reimbursed by another agency or entity and will periodically exchange reimbursement information with other agencies to ensure reimbursement of expenses is not duplicated.

Meal Allowance

The traveler will receive reimbursement of meals based on the departure and return time of a travel event. Such time criteria and meals allowances are identified below:

Meals	Depart Before	Return After	Allowance
Breakfast	8:00am	10:00am	$10.00
Lunch	12:00pm	2:00pm	$10.00
Dinner	4:00pm	8:00pm	$20.00

Lodging

A traveler may not claim expense for lodging for overnight travel within 30 minutes of his or her official headquarters or residence, unless he or she obtains prior approval of the Executive Director with written justification.

Lodging expenses will be calculated on a travel day basis beginning on the day of departure, regardless of when such expenses are actually paid. No one will be reimbursed for more than one lodging expense during any travel day unless fully justified in writing.

Hotel rooms exceeding $129 per night require justification by the traveler and prior approval by the Executive Director.

FDDC will pay room rate for only the traveler.

Mode of Travel

Travel by automobile if the destination is within 300 miles is strongly encouraged. Individuals traveling via automobiles are encouraged to use rental cars. If a rental car is used, the state rate through AVIS should be requested. Other carriers may be used if AVIS vehicles are not available or if a lower rate can be obtained. Carpooling is encouraged. Individuals may use their personal automobile and shall be reimbursed at the IRS approved mileage rate.

Airfare

Commercial air travel must be made by the most economical fare; early reservations are encouraged.

All original receipts for travelers must be submitted with travel reimbursement form when requesting reimbursement.

Rental Cars

Arrangements for rental cars must be made in advance by the traveler. Rental cars are to be used only for FDDC business. Renting a vehicle larger than class C (compact) requires justification by the traveler and prior approval by the Executive Director unless the car will be used to transport 3 or more individuals. Hybrid cars may be rented instead of compact car if cost effective.

Travel in the destination location (in conjunction with commercial air travel)- Rental cars are permitted in the destination location (1) if the hotel is more than 5 miles from the airport, (2) if the hotel within 5 miles from the airport does not provide airport shuttle service, (3) to accommodate a disability or health condition, (4) other extenuating circumstances. A limited number of rental cars may be made available to provide transportation for Council members and staff for numbers 1 and 2 above.

The original rental car receipt must be submitted with travel reimbursement form when requesting reimbursement.

Mileage

All mileage from point of origin to point of destination and return, and when possible computed on the basis of the Official Road Map published by the State Department of Transportation.

Vicinity and map mileage to conduct official business in the city of official headquarters or immediate vicinity will be reimbursed at a rate of $. .585 per mile (effective July 1, 2008) on an individual basis at the discretion of the employee's supervisor. This is the IRS approved rate for mileage.

Mileage is allowed to the airport from actual point of origin when performing authorized travel.

Incidental Expenses

Taxi Fare - Receipts are required for reimbursement

Tolls - Receipts are required when tolls are in excess of $3.00 per round trip

Parking Fees - Receipts are required. Hotel and airport parking will be reimbursed using the lowest rate provided. Travelers may use parking requiring a higher rate but will be reimbursed at the lowest rate level. Valet parking is permitted for hotels only and only under the following conditions (1) as a disability or health condition accommodation, (2) to unload a large volume of cargo (limited to one day only), (3) if self-park would be unsafe, or (4) if self park is unavailable.

Communication Expenses - A written statement must accompany communication expenses claimed for FDDC business only, i.e., monthly phone bill, photocopies or facsimile charges.

Registration Fees and Related Charges - Registration fees for a convention or conference for which the traveler is authorized to attend are allowed. If any meals are included in the registration fee the traveler's meal allowance will be reduced, by the aforementioned meal rate, for each meal provided. Travelers are encouraged to seek the lowest registration prices via early registration.

A portage cap of $10.00 per round trip is allowed. Portage requested over $10.00 per round trip will require a written explanation and approval of the executive director.

Special Assistance Portage of $10.00 per day is allowed, if accompanied by a written explanation, in cases of disability, injury, or medical necessity.

Personal Care Attendant Fees are reimbursable up to limits prescribed in accordance with FDDC’s Personal Care Attendant’s Policy. FDDC’s Invoice for Personal Care form is required to be completed and submitted in order to be reimbursed.

The Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Inc. (FDDC) is pleased to announce that this request for proposals (RFP #2008-IP-7100) is released in order to assist individuals with developmental disabilities and their families to participate in various training opportunities, meetings, forums and information sessions that will enable them to become better self-advocates and enhance their quality of life through improved knowledge of many aspects of the disability system. The selected provider will do this by awarding financial assistance and making arrangements for individuals with developmental disabilities and families to attend such events. FDDC has set aside federal funds for a period not to exceed one (1) year for fiscal support of this RFP. Interested parties should obtain a copy of RFP #2008-IP-7100 for specific information related to funding amounts.

The deadline for submitting written questions and letters of intent for this RFP is September 1, 2008 by 4:00 p.m. (EST). In order for your proposal to be considered, your letter of intent must be received by the above referenced deadline. 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 8, 2008. The deadline for submitting proposals for this RFP to FDDC is October 10, 2008 by 2:00 p.m. (EST).