Request for Proposal HQC2013-08-08 for Event Management Services for Saskatchewan Health Care Quality Summit May 6-8, 2014
Table of Contents 1 Statement of Purpose... 3 2 About HQC... 3 3 Proposal Process... 3 3.1 Intent to Respond... 3 3.2 Correspondence regarding the RFP... 4 3.3 Proposal Submissions... 4 3.4 Procurement and Project Schedule... 5 4 Requirements... 5 4.1 Organizational Information... 5 4.2 Resources and References... 6 4.3 Pricing Structure... 6 4.3.1 Collaboration... 6 4.3.2 Project Approach... 6 4.4 Workplan... 6 5 Proposal Format and Template... 7 6 Evaluation Process... 7 6.1 Mandatory Criteria... 7 6.2 Desirable Criteria and Scoring... 8 7 Terms and Conditions... 8 Appendix A: Intent to Respond... 9 Appendix B: Glossary of Terms... 10 Appendix C: 2013 Program... 11 Appendix D: Services... 12 Page 2 of 13
1. Statement of Purpose The objective of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to identify vendor(s) to work with Health Quality Council (HQC) in the planning, coordination and management of its Saskatchewan Health Care Quality Summit to be held May 6 th through 8 th, 2014 at TCU Place (www.tcuplace.com) in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. This is the fourth year for this annual event. The event will bring together between 500 and 700 individuals from the health care system, including leaders, managers, providers, researchers, and patient advocates. Many of the attendees are those dedicated to continuous improvement across Saskatchewan s health care system. We also hope to attract between 15 and 20 attendees from outside of Saskatchewan. The current website for this event can be reviewed at www.qualitysummit.ca. The summit will include keynote addresses from international leaders, plenary panel presentations, concurrent break-out sessions, an exhibitors area, poster presentations as well as breakfast, lunch and nutrition breaks. A copy of last year s program can be found in Appendix C. 2. About HQC HQC was established in November 2002 to measure and report on the quality of health care in Saskatchewan and to work with its health system partners to improve the quality of Saskatchewan s health system. HQC is led by a 12-member board of directors comprising provincial, national and international experts in health care planning and quality improvement. HQC has a staff of approximately 50 individuals with diverse skills in statistics, program evaluation, research, communications, quality improvement, change management facilitation and conflict resolution. For more information on HQC, please go to www.hqc.sk.ca. 3. Proposal Process 3.1 Intent to Respond In order to be included in communication related to revisions to the RFP document, questions and answers, or related supporting materials, respondents are strongly encouraged to communicate their intention to respond to this request for proposals by returning the form in Appendix A: Intent to Respond via fax or email by August 14, 2013 (4:00 p.m. CST) to: Health Quality Council Attention: Kirstie Dow Email: kdow@hqc.sk.ca Fax: 306-668-8820 HQC will compile all questions received and share all responses with those vendors who have indicated their interest in the bid via the Intent to Respond form, according to the Procurement and Project Schedule in section 3.4 below. Page 3 of 13
3.2 Correspondence regarding the RFP Any questions or enquiries concerning this RFP must be emailed to Kirstie Dow (kdow@hqc.sk.ca) no later than the date and time indicated in the Procurement and Project Schedule in section 3.4 below. A copy of all questions and their associated responses will be emailed to all participants no later than the date indicated in the Procurement and Project Schedule in section 3.4 below. Respondents are directed not to make verbal enquiries of HQC staff or board members. Oral information or information from other sources should not be relied upon, and will not be considered binding. 3.3 Proposal Submissions Submit a copy of your response to: Jade Gulash Health Quality Council 241-111 Research Drive Saskatoon SK S7N 3R2 Phone: 306-668-8810, ext. 164 Email: jgulash@hqc.sk.ca Proposals must be submitted in both an electronic (MS Word, Adobe PDF, and MS Excel are acceptable electronic document formats) and signed paper format. The electronic copy may be in the form of a USB Flash Drive, CD-ROM or an emailed attachment. The RFP number and name should appear on the outside of the envelope/package or box. It is the sole responsibility of the respondent to ensure that the response is received as specified in the RFP. HQC is not responsible for lost, misplaced or incorrectly-delivered submissions. All submissions will be date and time stamped. Submissions are accepted at the above address Monday to Friday (excluding statutory holidays) between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. local time. Faxes: Facsimile transmissions of responses to the RFP will not be accepted. Proposals must be received no later than August 26, 2013 (4:00 p.m. CST), as indicated in the Procurement and Project Schedule in section 3.4 below. Responses received after this deadline will not be considered and will be returned unopened to the vendor. It is the sole responsibility of the vendor to ensure that their response reaches HQC by the designated deadline. Page 4 of 13
By submission of a clear and detailed written notice, the respondent may amend or withdraw its proposal prior to the closing date and time. Upon bid closing, all proposals become irrevocable. The respondent will not change the wording of its proposal after closing and no words or comments will be added to the proposal unless requested by HQC for purposes of clarification. Respondents are solely responsible for their own expenses in preparing a proposal and for subsequent negotiations with HQC, if applicable. This includes but is not limited to: interview costs, travel costs, RFP response development and proof of concept development and presentation costs. All proposals submitted to HQC will become the property of HQC. Proprietary or confidential information should be clearly identified and marked as such. All proposals must be signed by a representative of the organization with recognized signing authority to bind the organization to statements made in the RFP. 3.4 Procurement and Project Schedule The table below reflects the procurement and project schedule. HQC reserves the right to amend the schedule at any time. Milestone Date Request for Proposal issued August 8, 2013 Deadline for receipt of questions August 14, 2013 (4:00 p.m. CST) Responses to questions provided August 16, 2013 RFP closes August 26, 2013 (4:00 p.m. CST) RFP respondent shortlist established August 28, 2013 Final selection September 4, 2013 Contract signed September 11, 2013 4. Requirements Proponent responses must be organized to follow the section headings indicated below. 4.1 Organizational Information Include a brief overview of your organization. At a minimum, provide how long you have been in business, and types of consulting contracts you have been involved with. Please include an overview of your work with any not-for-profit or public organizations. Page 5 of 13
4.2 Resources and References Provide the project team composition. Identify the named individuals who will be assigned to this project, their specific qualifications and role on the team, and the estimated percentage commitment of each resource by time period and project phase. Describe similar projects which your organization has successfully completed, and identify any lessons learned from those which will assist in the planning, development, implementation and ongoing support of this project. Provide a minimum of three (3) customer references, including at least one from a government or other public organization. 4.3 Pricing Structure Provide the pricing structure in a separate document. Provide a price for all of the services included in Appendix D that you are prepared to provide. Please also include a breakdown, indicating which services are mandatory to your acceptance of a contract, and which services HQC could elect to perform on their own. As part of the evaluation process, HQC will contact your customer references to learn their experiences with pricing, scope and timeline variances (actual to estimates). Provide a proposed fee schedule and terms based on the services listed in Appendix D. Describe any price adjustments/discounts that HQC would realize if all services were provided as opposed to only some services provided, with HQC taking on responsibility of services not provided by your organization. 4.3.1 Collaboration An internal resource at HQC is assigned to the overall project management of this project. The selected vendor and their project team, HQC project manager and HQC project team, will work together on the planning and execution of the Quality Summit. This collaboration includes HQC s commitment to allocating and scheduling of HQC resources to ensure their availability as appropriate throughout the duration of the project. 4.3.2 Project Approach Describe the project management approach and methodology that will be applied to ensure the success (on budget, on schedule and at full scope) of this project. Your approach should include innovative ideas that will maximize attendance at the event. Please describe any tools that you may use in this approach. 4.4 Workplan Provide a proposed workplan for meeting objectives and requirements. The final workplan will be refined and agreed upon in collaboration with HQC project manager and team. Page 6 of 13
5. Proposal Format and Template Proposals must be returned in the following format. Responses not following this format will be considered to have failed a mandatory requirement and will not be considered for further evaluation. 1 Cover Letter The cover letter should indicate your organization s interest in the RFP and include a brief summary of both your experience/portfolio and your organization s most relevant qualifications and benefits. The cover letter must be signed by a representative of your organization who has the authority to act on and bind the organization to all statements in the RFP response. 2 Executive Summary Present a synopsis of your organization s response to the RFP. This section should be brief and highlight distinguishing features and benefits of working with your organization. 3 Services Provide detailed information addressing the services outlined in Appendix D. Your proposal should clearly state what services you are not open to HQC performing; any minimum amount of work/dollar amount you are willing to undertake; and any services that you feel are critical to hosting an event that HQC has not currently considered. Note that HQC is open to working with more than one vendor to ensure that it is receiving professional services in all areas. Please indicate if there are areas of service you feel would be best provided by HQC or another vendor other than yourself. 6. Evaluation Process 6.1 Mandatory Criteria The following are mandatory requirements. Responses not clearly demonstrating that they meet them will receive no further consideration during the evaluation process. a) The Response must be received by HQC by the specified closing date and time. b) The Response must be in English and must not be sent by facsimile. c) The electronic version of the Response must be searchable. d) The Response must include a cover letter, and the cover letter must be signed by a person authorized to bind the organization to statements made in the Response. e) Respondents must include an appropriately completed Appendix D: Services. f) The Respondent must receive a passing grade on all categories of the evaluation criteria. Page 7 of 13
6.2 Desirable Criteria and Scoring Responses meeting the mandatory requirements will be further assessed against the following desirable criteria: Organizational Information Resources and References Workplan Criteria Experience working in the public/not-for-profit sector Experience in providing similar services to other organizations Pricing 7. Terms and Conditions Any costs associated with preparing a response to this RFP are the sole responsibility of the vendor. HQC shall keep confidential and secure all documents, information and other material provided by the vendor in their RFP response. All information and accompanying documentation received under this competition will become the property of HQC and will not be returned. Information pertaining to HQC provided to the vendor as a result of its participation in this RFP is confidential and must not be disclosed by the vendor, except as authorized in writing by HQC. HQC reserves the right to verify any and all information provided by the vendor in their response to this RFP. HQC reserves the right to halt the RFP process, cancel or re-issue this RFP at any time. HQC reserves the right to NOT enter into a contract with any vendor, if no acceptable proposal is identified. The vendor s response to this RFP will form part of the subsequent contractual agreement entered into by both parties. Any contracts resulting from this RFP are subject to the laws of the Province of Saskatchewan. Page 8 of 13
Appendix A: Intent to Respond RFP: HQC2013-08-08 Health Quality Council Attention: Kirstie Dow Email: kdow@hqc.sk.ca Fax: 306-668-8820 Submission of this form is a non-binding expression of your organization s intent to submit a response to RFP: HQC2013-08-08 Event Management Services. Please submit this form by August 14, 2013 4:00 p.m. CST in order to be included in all follow-up communication related to this RFP. Organization Name: Contact Person: (name/title) Address: City Prov Postal Code Phone: Fax: Email: Page 9 of 13
Appendix B: Glossary of Terms The terminology used throughout the RFP is as follows: HQC Health Quality Council RFP Request for Proposal Contract a written agreement or Purchase Order resulting between a successful vendor and HQC Page 10 of 13
Appendix C: 2013 Quality Summit Program Page 11 of 13
Appendix D: Services The following list of services includes some that are mandatory, i.e., you must be willing to provide these services; and others that are optional. You may choose to provide a description and pricing for the optional services, if you are prepared to provide these. However, HQC is willing to provide these services themselves, or to use another vendor. Service Requested Pre-Event and On-site Registration (mandatory) Planning and set-up On-line and manual registration processing Registration accounting and regular reporting On-line credit card processing On-site registration area set-up and management Proposed Cost Comments Abstract, Awards and Speaker Management (mandatory) On-line and manual collection and processing of abstracts and awards applications Coordination of peer review Program scheduling Speaker management and coordination Awards ceremony scheduling and program management Sponsorship and Exhibit Sales and Management (mandatory) Develop sponsorship packages and prospectus Sell sponsorship and exhibition packages to past and potential new sponsors Liaise with sponsors pre-, during and post-event, providing excellent service Sponsor/Exhibitor evaluation Project Management and Design (optional) Setting goals and objectives with steering committee Timeline and overall plan Execution and management Page 12 of 13
Communication, risk management and contingency plans Committee liaison and management Evaluation (optional) Prepare and deliver attendee survey Collect responses and prepare summary report Marketing and Promotion (optional) Website development and/or maintenance Print and electronic materials design and coordination (includes event program) Email campaign planning and execution Logistics (optional) Contract negotiation and management Venue logistics and coordination Food and beverage management Signage management and coordination A/V management and coordination Other services offered (please list): Page 13 of 13