Active SLED Opportunity · MISSISSIPPI · MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
AI Summary
Mississippi Department of Health seeks a contractor for telephone data collection services for BRFSS and PRAMS health surveys, requiring experienced interviewers, data quality control, and compliance with CDC protocols. Bids due June 24, 2026.
The Mississippi State Department of Health is seeking a Contractor to perform its telephone data collection services.
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) collects information related to chronic health conditions, use of preventive services, and health behaviors from non-institutionalized adults aged 18 years and older in Mississippi. Its data are collected through telephone interviews performed by a contractor. The Contractor will collect random sample telephone survey data related to health risk factors and conditions on the adult population in Mississippi for the BRFSS Program. The contractor will be responsible for obtaining a sufficient sample from the CDC to collect the targeted number of complete interviews, training interviewers on the new survey instrument, completing the required number of interviews in accordance with survey guidelines, performing ongoing quality control of the survey collection, running data edits on the collected data and correcting any errors, submitting the data to CDC within 30 days of the end of the survey year and working with CDC to correct any problem that may be identified with respect to the data. The sample size for the MS BRFSS survey is between 4,000 and 5,000 completes annually.
The Contractor must have at least 7 years of recent experience conducting BRFSS data collection activities and must have successfully collected BRFSS data for at least 10 states/sites.
PRAMS is the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. It is a joint surveillance project between state, territorial, or local health departments and CDC's Division of Reproductive Health. PRAMS was developed in 1987 to reduce infant morbidity and mortality by influencing maternal behaviors before, during, and immediately after live birth. The purpose of PRAMS is to find out why some infants are born healthy and others are not. The survey asks new mothers questions about their pregnancy and their new infant. The questions give us important information about the mother and the infant and help us learn more about the impacts of health and behaviors.
PRAMS uses three modes of data collection. Surveys can be completed by mailed questionnaire, telephone interview, and, starting with the 2023 birth cohort, online, using a web survey module. Selected women are first contacted by mail. If there is no response to repeated mailings, they are contacted and interviewed by telephone.
Each month at the jurisdiction level, a stratified sample is randomly drawn from the current birth certificate file. For each of these monthly samples, or "batches," a series of mailings begins 2 to 4 months after delivery. This is to allow new mothers time to respond to questions about the early postpartum period. With all mailings, an invitation is sent to complete the survey by web.
Telephone follow-up begins for nonrespondents after the mailing of the last questionnaire packet. The calling period continues for 2 to 4 weeks, and up to 15 calls are made for each viable telephone number. The sample size for the MS PRAMS survey is between 1,500 and 2,500 completes annually.
The vendor shall provide MSDH with the professional services detailed below. Services shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
PRAMS is a mail and telephone survey. Telephone interviews are conducted with mothers selected to participate in PRAMS but who did not reply to either of the three mail surveys. The interviews are conducted using a protocol approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and MSDH. The vendor will conduct the telephone phase of the survey using the approved PRAMS protocol. MS PRAMS telephone survey has 75 questions and takes about 25-42 minutes to complete over the phone. Batches are in phone phase for four weeks. THE MS PRAMS average annual sample size is about 2,000. For each monthly batch, an average of about 150 mothers (over 30% of each batch) enter the telephone phase of the survey.
Telephone Survey Using PRAMS Integrated Data System (PIDS) MS PRAMS uses the data collection system PRAMS Integrated Data System (PIDS). PIDS is a data management system which coordinates both the mail and phone phases of PRAMS. The phone module in PIDS will consist of a web-based interview system that will allow for immediate data collection into the system, scheduling, recording call attempts, and outcomes.
Training and Competency:
The vendor will maintain quality staff and use experienced interviewers to conduct the MS PRAMS telephone surveys. As procedures and instructions change, the vendor will re-train and debrief interviewers. The vendor is responsible for training new and/or current interviewers and supervisors who will be working with the MS PRAMS project. All contract staff shall be trained in the use of the PIDS system. The current general procedures, as outlined by the CDC for training and interviewing staff, shall be followed. The vendor shall train interviewers specifically in the administration of the PRAMS questionnaire, covering all information and following all required protocols as noted in the PRAMS Telephone Interviewer Training Manual. Supervisors of the interview staff should become familiar with the interviewer procedures and participate in the interviewer training in addition to the supervisor training.
Training shall include Human Subjects Training (Modules 1-4) for all contract staff with emphasis on the security and confidentiality of PRAMS data, confidentiality for the respondents, interviewing roles and techniques, common response problems and likely respondent concerns, and procedures for dealing with problems and concerns. The vendor shall ensure that PRAMS interviewers are briefed on the questionnaire, can use the correct pronunciation of unfamiliar or medical terms, and conduct practice interviews when they begin working on PRAMS and whenever the survey changes. The vendors' supervisors shall monitor these practice interviews using a monitoring system and provide necessary feedback.
The Mississippi State Department of Health (hereinafter “MSDH” or “Agency”) has issued this solicitation for the purpose of soliciting sealed bids from qualified Bidders to provide BRFSS and PRAMS Telephone Data Collection Services.
The Mississippi State Department of Health is seeking a Contractor to perform its telephone data collection services.
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) collects information related to chronic health conditions, use of preventive services, and health behaviors from non-institutionalized adults aged 18 years and older in Mississippi. Its data are collected through telephone interviews performed by a contractor. The Contractor will collect random sample telephone survey data related to health risk factors and conditions on the adult population in Mississippi for the BRFSS Program. The contractor will be responsible for obtaining a sufficient sample from the CDC to collect the targeted number of complete interviews, training interviewers on the new survey instrument, completing the required number of interviews in accordance with survey guidelines, performing ongoing quality control of the survey collection, running data edits on the collected data and correcting any errors, submitting the data to CDC within 30 days of the end of the survey year and working with CDC to correct any problem that may be identified with respect to the data. The sample size for the MS BRFSS survey is between 4,000 and 5,000 completes annually.
The Contractor must have at least 7 years of recent experience conducting BRFSS data collection activities and must have successfully collected BRFSS data for at least 10 states/sites.
PRAMS is the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. It is a joint surveillance project between state, territorial, or local health departments and CDC's Division of Reproductive Health. PRAMS was developed in 1987 to reduce infant morbidity and mortality by influencing maternal behaviors before, during, and immediately after live birth. The purpose of PRAMS is to find out why some infants are born healthy and others are not. The survey asks new mothers questions about their pregnancy and their new infant. The questions give us important information about the mother and the infant and help us learn more about the impacts of health and behaviors.
PRAMS uses three modes of data collection. Surveys can be completed by mailed questionnaire, telephone interview, and, starting with the 2023 birth cohort, online, using a web survey module. Selected women are first contacted by mail. If there is no response to repeated mailings, they are contacted and interviewed by telephone.
Each month at the jurisdiction level, a stratified sample is randomly drawn from the current birth certificate file. For each of these monthly samples, or "batches," a series of mailings begins 2 to 4 months after delivery. This is to allow new mothers time to respond to questions about the early postpartum period. With all mailings, an invitation is sent to complete the survey by web.
Telephone follow-up begins for nonrespondents after the mailing of the last questionnaire packet. The calling period continues for 2 to 4 weeks, and up to 15 calls are made for each viable telephone number. The sample size for the MS PRAMS survey is between 1,500 and 2,500 completes annually.
A copy of this IFB, including all appendices and attachments, and any subsequent amendments, including the Question-and-Answer amendment, if issued, will be posted to the MSDH OpenGov Procurement portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/msdh under the “Active ” projects list. It is the responsibility of all interested Bidders to monitor the website for updates regarding this procurement.
Before the award of any contract, the Bidder will be required to document to MSDH that it has the necessary capabilities to provide the core services specified in this IFB. The Bidder may also be required to provide additional client references, as well as related project experience detail in order to satisfy MSDH that the Bidder is qualified. MSDH may make reasonable investigations, as it deems necessary and proper, to determine the ability of the Bidder to perform the work, and the Bidder shall be required to furnish to MSDH all information that may be requested for this purpose. MSDH reserves the right to reject any bid if the Bidder fails to provide the requested information and/or fails to satisfy MSDH that the Bidder is properly qualified to carry out the obligations of the contract and to complete the work described in this IFB.
Vendor must have been in business and provided goods and/or services similar in requirements and scale to those described in this IFB for a minimum of seven years. Vendor must provide the list of jurisdictions and dates of contracts for both BRFSS and PRAMS experience.
All Bidder communications regarding this IFB must be directed through the MSDH OpenGov Procurement Portal or to the designated Bid Coordinator. Unauthorized contact regarding the IFB with other employees of the agency may result in the Bidder being disqualified.
All other terms not defined herein shall have the meanings assigned in HIPAA and its implementing regulations.
a) The target sample size is expected to be approximately 4,200 completed BRFSS interviews (landline and cell phone) for the 12-month period. The overall sample size will be determined by the final cost per completed interview and the availability of funding from either state, federal, or private sources. The sample size will be divided by twelve to create an approximate monthly sample size. The contractor will complete the required number of telephone interviews each month by interviewing state residents, aged 18 years or older.
See the table below (Compensation) for a breakdown of completes per month. In the event that during the contract period there are budget modifications, either due to increasing or to reducing survey funding available to MSDH, the Contractor agrees to adjust the goal of surveys to be completed to the extent allowed by the budget available and the quoted cost per completed interview.
b) The contractor will conduct interviews using the questionnaire provided by CDC for each calendar year.
c) The contractor will assume responsibility for programming all questions and response categories in a computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) system by two weeks before the start of the interviewing period if a non-CATI/Ci3 system is used. Programming for WinCATI /Ci3will be provided by CDC.
d) The contractor will conduct interviews among randomly selected adults aged 18 and older using the questionnaire and methodology specified by CDC in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System User's Guide. This includes, but is not limited to, conducting interviews each month in accordance with the scheduling guidelines provided by CDC, randomly selecting an adult respondent in each household, and providing the monthly raw data to the CDC in the format and time frame specified.
e) The contractor will contact selected telephone numbers for screening, if necessary, and subsequent interviewing until the minimum monthly requirement of completed interviews is met and all active sampled numbers have reached final disposition. The contractor will call at a variety of times during the day and week to ensure a representative cross section of the population. Calls are to be made during evening, daytime, and weekend hours.
f) The contractor will dial numbers not answering or busy a maximum of 8 times over 5 calling occasions, including at least one attempt during a weekend, one attempt during a weekday, and one attempt during a weekday evening, or as currently recommended by CDC. Approximately 80% of calls should be made during evenings and weekends, with the remaining 20% conducted during weekdays and weekends. Business establishments and residents of institutions and group quarters are not eligible for interview. Eligible persons initially refusing to participate will be re-contacted a minimum of one additional time for attempted conversion.
g) The contractor will perform double data entry, error checking, and validating of entries (if not using CATI) to provide a single data file each month that is acceptable to both CDC and the State, code data per CDC instructions and edit and correct the resulting data file, including performance of data consistency checks using programs supplied by CDC. The contractor will then submit (via CDC or Internet) a standard, reliable dataset for each month's interviewing period within 25 days of completing the interviewing period, as per CDC instructions.
h) The data file must contain information about all telephone numbers called, including complete and incomplete interviews. Computer programs for checking errors will be provided by CDC to assist in data editing. Data must be provided according to coding instructions (available from CDC) in ASCII format and sent electronically via CDC or the Internet.
i) The contractor will implement procedures for assuring and documenting the interviewing process quality and the data management steps. The contractor will also provide supervision and monitoring of interviewers. Monitoring is to be conducted through the use of unobtrusive, electronic two-way audio and video means. If possible, remote monitoring should be made available.
j) If electronic monitoring is not available, the contractor will verify a 5% random sample of completed interviews each month, stratified by interviewer, to validate (1) respondent selection, (2) selected demographic characteristics, (3) selected behaviors and (4) interviewer manner. On request, the contractor will provide to the State the actual sample of telephone numbers for cross-checking and verification.
k) The contractor will develop and maintain procedures to ensure respondent's confidentiality.
l) The contractor will ensure that interviewers have experience in conducting telephone interviews, facilitate the training of interviewers in the administration of the BRFSS questionnaire (including practice interviews) and ensure that interviewers are briefed on the new questionnaire and have opportunities to conduct practice interviews using the questionnaire before its implementation. Training to conduct BRFSS activities will be determined by the State BRFSS PI/Coordinator who will be overseeing the contractor. The PI/Coordinator will assess the contractor's capabilities and determine the type and level of technical assistance and consultation needed. The State BRFSS PI/Coordinator can request additional technical assistance from CDC to ensure that procedures and protocols for survey administration are uniformly followed.
m) The contractor will maintain adequate records to support costs associated with this agreement. Such records shall, at a minimum, include personnel time records signed and approved by supervisory personnel and additional records supporting computer time and equipment rental, telephone lines, supplies, and other costs.
n) The contractor will, in the event that a systematic, recurring error is discovered in the sampling or interviewing operations, immediately notify the State of this error, correct the error at no cost to the State and provide documentation to the State of the occurrence and correction.
o) The contractor will, if the State finds problems in reviewing datasets, correct these to the State's satisfaction within 6 weeks of notification at no cost to the State. The State may then require the contractor to implement additional data consistency checks.
p) The contractor will send project deliverables to CDC on a monthly basis by the 25th of the month following the CDC's interviewing window. The contractor is expected to have internet access for electronic mail and data transmission.
q) The contractor will maintain all written reference materials and interviewer instructions and retain one copy of all deliverables for a period of one year after the end of the calendar year during which interviewing occurred.
r) Within three weeks after the end of each survey month, the contractor will provide the BRFSS PI/Coordinator with a monthly report on the number of surveys completed by landline and cell phones.
Bids must be submitted electronically through the MSDH OpenGov Procurement portal no later than 10:00 am Central Standard Time (CST), Wednesday, June 24, 2026. Timely submission of the bid package is the responsibility of the Bidder. Any bid received after the deadline will be considered late and will be rejected and will not be considered for award. The Bidder shall be notified as soon as practicable if their bid was rejected and the reason for such rejection.
Failure to submit a bid on the bid form provided will be considered cause for rejection of the bid. Modifications or additions to any portion of the bid document may be cause for rejection of the bid. The MSDH reserves the right to decide, on a case-by-case basis, whether to reject a bid with modifications or additions as non-responsive. MSDH may request the Bidder to withdraw or modify non-responsive portions that do not affect the service’s quality, quantity, price or delivery.
Any potential Bidder can request that MSDH reconsider the terms of this solicitation. This reconsideration request can be accomplished by reference to Section 5.2.4. of the Public Procurement Review Board Office of Personal Service Contract Review Rules and Regulations. The potential Bidder shall file any such request within three (3) business days following the date of public notice of the solicitation. The potential Bidder must submit the request by email to the following:
It shall be the sole responsibility of the requesting Bidder to ensure the request is received in a timely manner by all required parties. Failure to request reconsideration in compliance with this Section in a timely manner results in the waiver of any claim regarding the terms of the solicitation.
The request shall contain the requesting Bidder’s name, a single contact person, all contact information for the contact person, the RFx number of the solicitation, and the date the IFB was issued. The request shall identify which of the Public Procurement Review Board Office of Personal Service Contract Review Rules and Regulations the requesting Bidder believes to have been violated by the solicitation, as written. The request may not be based on anything other than the solicitation document and the applicable rules and regulations. The Bidder shall not include exhibits with the request. Instead, the requesting Bidder shall clearly identify the section(s) of the solicitation document at issue in its request. The request shall not be supplemented.
Vendor shall provide notarized copies of all valid licenses and certificates required for performance of the work. The notarized copies shall be delivered to the agency no later than ten days after Vendor receives the Notice of Intent to Award from the agency. Current notarized copies of licenses and certificates shall be provided to the agency within twenty-four hours of demand at any time during the contract term. Vendor must possess and maintain the minimum vendor certifications, accreditations, and/or licensures described in this IFB, by way of illustration and not limitation, the following:
After receiving the bids, MSDH reserves the right to award the contract based on the terms, conditions, and premises of the IFB and the bid of the selected company without negotiation.
MSDH reserves the right to decide, on a case-by-case basis, whether to reject a bid with modifications or additions as non-responsive. As a precondition to bid acceptance, MSDH may request the bidder to withdraw or modify those portions of the bid deemed non-responsive that do not affect quality, quantity, price, or delivery of the service.
Vendor must be financially stable or solvent.
| Invitation for Bid Issue Date: | May 27, 2026 |
| Request for Reconsideration of the Terms of the Solicitation: | June 1, 2026 |
| Questions Submission Deadline: | June 4, 2026, 10:00am |
| Anticipated Posting of Written Answers to Questions: | June 8, 2026, 3:00pm |
| Bid Package Submission Deadline: | June 24, 2026, 10:00am |
| Anticipated Bid Opening: | 06/24/2026 at 10:30 am |
| Anticipated Date of Notice of Intent to Award: | June 25, 2026 |
| Request for Reconsideration of the Intent to Award: | June 30, 2026 |
NOTE: Adjustments to the schedule may be made as deemed necessary by MSDH.
Vendor must be financially stable or solvent, if required. Each vendor shall submit copies of the most recent years independently audited financial statements as well as financial statements for the preceding three years, if they exist. The submission must include the audit opinion, the balance sheet, and statements of income, retained earnings, cash flows, and the notes to the financial statements. If independently audited financial statements do not exist, Vendor must state the reason and, instead submit sufficient information to enable the Agency to access the financial stability or solvency of the vendor, such as financial statements, credit ratings, a line of credit, or other financial arrangements sufficient to enable the vendor to be capable of meeting the requirements of this IFB.
MSDH has the right to waive minor defects or variations of a bid from the exact requirements of the specifications that do not affect the price, quality, quantity, delivery, or performance of the services being procured and if doing so does not create an unfair advantage for any Bidder. If insufficient information is submitted by a Bidder for MSDH to properly evaluate the offer, MSDH has the right to require such additional information as it may deem necessary after the submission deadline, provided that the information requested does not change the price, quality, quantity, delivery, or performance time of the services being procured and such a request does not create an unfair advantage for any Bidder. (Information requested may include, for example, a copy of business or professional licenses, or a work schedule.)
Questions must be submitted electronically through the MSDH OpenGov Procurement portal through the "Question & Answer" tab of this project, (RFX3160008067) - BRFSS and PRAMS Telephone Data Collection Services. Questions must be submitted before 10:00 am, on Thursday, June 4, 2026, to ensure a response by MSDH. Responses to questions will be posted to the project page on the MSDH OpenGov Procurement portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/msdh. Questions received after the due date and time of questions may be considered for response, although there is no guarantee as to if or when a response will be provided. It is the Bidder’s sole responsibility to regularly monitor the website for amendments and/or announcements concerning this IFB.
The vendor may be required before the award of any contract to show to the complete satisfaction of the agency that it has the necessary facilities, ability, and financial resources to provide the service specified therein in a satisfactory manner. The vendor may also be required to give a past history and references in order to satisfy the agency in regard to the vendor’s qualifications. The agency may make reasonable investigations deemed necessary and proper to determine the ability of the vendor to perform the work, and the vendor shall furnish to the agency all information for this purpose that may be requested. The agency reserves the right to reject any quote if the evidence submitted by, or investigation of, the vendor fails to satisfy the agency that the vendor is properly qualified to carry out the obligations of the contract and to complete the work described therein. Evaluation of the vendor’s qualifications shall include:
The bid submitted by the successful Bidder shall be incorporated into and become part of the resulting contract. All bids received by MSDH shall upon receipt become and remain the property of MSDH. MSDH shall have the right to use all nonproprietary concepts contained in any bid and this right shall not affect the solicitation or rejection of the bid.
Prior to the bid due date, a submitted bid may be withdrawn by submitting a written request for its withdrawal to MSDH, signed by the Bidder. If submitted electronically through the MSDH OpenGov Procurement portal, Bidder may "unsubmit" their bid until the due date and time for bids has passed.
An Bidder may submit an amended bid before the due date for receipt of bids. Such amended bids shall be a complete replacement for a previously submitted bid and shall be clearly identified as such. MSDH shall not merge, collate, or assemble bid materials.
Unless requested by MSDH, no other amendments, revisions, or alterations to bids shall be accepted after the bid due date.
Any submitted bid shall remain a valid bid for one hundred eighty (180) calendar days from the bid due date.
Should an amendment to the IFB be issued, it will be posted on the Procurement Portal and the MSDH OpenGov Procurement Portal in a manner that all bidders will be able to view. Bidders shall acknowledge receipt of any amendment to the IFB by electronically signing the amendment in the MSDH OpenGov Procurement Portal, or by email.
Should any bidder fail to submit all necessary acknowledgement(s) with its bid, the Agency shall have the sole discretion as to whether to request a bidder to submit the required acknowledgement(s) after the bid submission deadline but prior to issuance of the Notice of Intent to Award. The Agency shall exercise that discretion in a manner that is fair to all bidders. Any bidder who does not provide the Agency acknowledgement(s) of every amendment issued may be deemed non-responsive and not eligible for award. Bidders are responsible for monitoring both websites for any updates or amendments to the IFB. Each Bidder shall submit a written acknowledgment of every amendment to the MSDH on or before the submission deadline.
The Vendor shall ensure that the professional staff and other decision-making staff shall be required to carry professional liability insurance in an amount commensurate with the professional responsibilities and liabilities under the terms of this Solicitation.
The Vendor shall obtain, pay for and keep in force during the Contract period general liability insurance against bodily injury or death in an amount commensurate with the responsibilities and liabilities under the terms of this Solicitation.
A bid response that includes terms and conditions that do not conform to the terms and conditions specified within this IFB document is subject to rejection as non-responsive. Further, submission of a bid that is not complete and/or unsigned is subject to rejection as non-responsive. MSDH staff reserves the right to permit the Bidder to withdraw nonconforming terms and conditions from its bid response prior to a determination by MSDH staff of non-responsiveness based on the submission of nonconforming terms and conditions. Any bid which is conditioned upon receiving award of both the particular contract being solicited and another Mississippi contract shall be deemed non-responsive and will be rejected.
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All parties participating in the procurement process in regard to this IFB shall bear their own costs of participation, pursuant to Section 1.4.4 of the OPSCR Rules and Regulations. All costs incurred by the Bidder in preparing and delivering its bid, making presentations, and any subsequent time and travel to meet with MSDH regarding its bid shall be borne exclusively at the Bidder’s expense.
MSDH reserves the right to request clarifications or corrections to bids. Any bid received which does not meet any of the requirements of this IFB, including clarification or correction requests, may be considered non-responsive and eliminated from further consideration.
At MSDH’s sole discretion, an IFB may be canceled or any or all responses to the solicitation may be rejected, in whole or in part, when MSDH determines that it is in the Agency’s best interest to do so.
All bids received in response to this IFB by the stated deadline will receive a comprehensive, fair, and impartial evaluation based on the requirements outlined in this IFB. No criteria other than those outlined in this IFB will be used in an evaluation. Only Bidders who are found responsive and responsible will have their bids considered. The Contract shall be awarded to the Bidder who is responsible and responsive and submitted the lowest cost bid.
All bids will be evaluated based on: (1) whether each bidder was responsive and provided all required information in the format required by the IFB; (2) whether each bidder is responsible and objectively meets the minimum qualifications or other criteria listed in the IFB; and (3) which of the responsive and responsible bidders submitted the lowest overall price.
Responsive Bidder
Bidder must submit its bid, including all required attachments and other documents, in a manner that conforms in all material aspects to this IFB as determined by MSDH.
By submitting a bid, the Bidder certifies that it is registered to do business in the State of Mississippi as prescribed by Mississippi law and the Mississippi Secretary of State or, if not already registered, that it will do so within five (5) business days of being offered an award. Sole proprietors are not required to register with the Secretary of State.
By submitting a bid, the Bidder certifies that it is not currently debarred from submitting bids for contracts issued by any political subdivision or agency of the State of Mississippi or Federal government and that it is not an agent of a person or entity that is currently debarred from submitting bids for contracts issued by any political subdivision or agency of the State of Mississippi.
The agency intends to award one contract to provide the services described in this IFB to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder.
MSDH reserves the right to consider historical information regarding the Bidder, whether gained from the Bidder’s bid, conferences with the Bidder, references, or any other source during the evaluation process. This may include, but is not limited to, information from any state or federal regulatory entity.
The Notice of Intent to Award for this procurement will be made available to the public through posting on the MSDH OpenGov Procurement Portal. All participating Bidders will be notified of MSDH's intent to award a contract and identify the selected Bidder.
The successful vendor is instructed not to begin work, purchase materials, or enter into subcontracts relating to the project or services until execution of the contract.
It is understood that this contract may require approval by the PPRB. If required and if this contract is not approved by PPRB and/or OPSCR, it is void and no payment shall be made hereunder.
An Bidder who responded to an IFB has an opportunity to request that MSDH reconsider its intent to award the contract to specific Bidder(s). Any such request shall be filed with MSDH within three (3) business days following issuance of the Notice of Intent to Award in compliance with Sections 5.6.1, 5.6.1.1, 5.6.1.2 of the OPSCR Rules and Regulations. It shall be the sole responsibility of the requesting Bidder to ensure the request is timely received by all required parties. Failure to timely request reconsideration in compliance with this Section results in waiver of any claim a Bidder may have as to MSDH’s decision to award the contract.
The request shall contain the requesting vendor’s name, a single contact person, all contact information for the contact person, the RFx number of the solicitation, the date the IFB was issued, and the date the Notice of Intent to Award was issued. The request shall identify which of the OPSCR Rules and Regulations and/or the terms of the IFB the requesting Bidder believes were violated by MSDH during the evaluation process, explain the factual basis for the alleged violation(s), and specify how the alleged violation(s) affected the outcome of the procurement. The request shall not be based on anything other than the MSDH Procurement File, the OPSCR Rules and Regulations, and the terms of the IFB. The request shall not be supplemented.
MSDH shall consider the alleged violation and review the Procurement File to determine if such alleged allegation is supported. MSDH shall issue a written determination regarding the alleged violation. This decision shall become part of the Procurement File.
Property rights do not inure to any Bidder until such time as services have been provided under a legally executed contract. No party responding to this IFB has a legitimate claim of entitlement to be awarded a contract or to the provision of work thereunder. MSDH is under no obligation to award a contract and may terminate a legally executed contract at any time.
Following issuance of the Notice of Intent to Award, successful negotiation of the contract, and approval of the contract by the PPRB and any other required entities, MSDH will make a Notice of Contract Award available to the public.
Contract rights do not vest in any party until a contract is legally executed. MSDH is under no obligation to award a contract following issuance of this IFB.
If a redacted copy is not submitted, MSDH shall consider the entire Bid to be public record. The redacted copy should identify which section or information has been redacted and the Bidder should provide the specific statutory authority for the exemption. Per Mississippi Code Annotated §25-61-9(7), the type of service to be provided, the price to be paid and the term of the contract cannot be deemed confidential.
The redacted copy shall be considered public record and immediately released, without notification of the Bidder, pursuant to any request under the Mississippi Public Records Act, Miss. Code Ann. §§25-61-1 et seq. and Miss. Code Ann. §79-23-1. Redacted copies shall also be used/released for any reason deemed necessary by MSDH, including, but not limited to, submission to the PPRB, posting to the Transparency Mississippi website, etc.
All documentation submitted in response to this IFB and any subsequent requests for information pertaining to this IFB shall become the property of MSDH and will not be returned to the Bidder.
All information requested is considered important. Failure to provide all requested information and in the required format may result in disqualification of the Bid. MSDH has no obligation to locate or acknowledge any information in the bid that is not presented under the appropriate outline and in the proper location according to the instructions herein.
By submitting a bid, the Bidder certifies that the prices submitted in response to the solicitation have been arrived at independently and without any consultation, communication, or agreement with any other Bidder or competitor for the purpose of restricting competition.
The contract shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Mississippi, excluding its conflicts of laws provisions, and any litigation with respect thereto shall be brought in the courts of Mississippi.
It is understood that if this contract requires approval by the Public Procurement Review Board (“PPRB”) and/or the Department of Finance and Administration Office of Personal Service Contract Review (“OPSCR”), and this contract is not approved by PPRB and/or OPSCR, it is void and no payment shall be made hereunder.
It is expressly understood and agreed that the obligation of MSDH to proceed under this agreement is conditioned upon the appropriation of funds by the Mississippi State Legislature and the receipt of the appropriated funds. If the funds anticipated for the continuing time fulfillment of the agreement are, at any time, not forthcoming or insufficient, regardless of the source of funding, MSDH shall have the right upon ten (10) business days written notice to Contractor, to terminate this agreement without damage, penalty, cost or expense to the MSDH of any kind whatsoever. The effective date of termination shall be as specified in the notice of termination.
Contractor understands that the MSDH is an equal opportunity employer and therefore, maintains a policy which prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, sex, age, national origin, physical handicap, disability, genetic information, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws. All such discrimination is unlawful, and Contractor agrees during the term of the agreement that Contractor will strictly adhere to this policy in its employment practices and provision of services.
Contractor shall comply with, and all activities under this agreement shall be subject to, all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, as now existing and as may be amended or modified.
Contractor agrees to accept all payments in United States currency via the State of Mississippi’s electronic payment and remittance vehicle. The Agency agrees to make payment in accordance with Mississippi “Timely Payments for Purchases by Public Bodies” laws, which generally provide for payment of undisputed amounts by the Agency within forty-five (45) calendar days of receipt of invoice. Mississippi Code Annotated § 31-7-301, et seq.
If applicable, Contractor represents and warrants that it will ensure its compliance with the Mississippi Employment Protection Act and will register and participate in the status verification system for all newly hired employees. Mississippi Code Annotated §§ 71-11-1 and 71-11-3. Contractor agrees to provide a copy of each verification upon request of the MSDH subject to approval by any agencies of the United States Government. Contractor further represents and warrants that any person assigned to perform services hereafter meets the employment eligibility requirements of all immigration laws. The breach of this clause may subject Contractor to the following: (1) termination of this contract and exclusion pursuant to Chapter 15 of the Public Procurement Review Board Office of Personal Service Contract Review Rules and Regulations; (2) the loss of any license, permit, certification or other document granted to Contractor by an agency, department, or governmental entity for the right to do business in Mississippi; or (3) both. In the event of such termination, Contractor would also be liable for any additional costs incurred by the Agency due to Contract cancellation or loss of license or permit to do business in the state.
By executing the contract, the Contractor represents that it has not retained any person or agency on a percentage, commission, or other contingent arrangement to secure this contract. If the contractor cannot make such a representation, a full and complete explanation shall be submitted in writing to the Agency prior to contract execution.
This contract shall be governed by the applicable provisions of the Public Procurement Review Board Office of Personal Service Contract Review Rules and Regulations, a copy of which is available on the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration’s website (www.dfa.ms.gov). Any bidder or offeror responding to a solicitation for personal and professional services and any contractor doing business with a state Agency is deemed to be on notice of all requirements therein.
Contractor represents that it has not, is not, and will not offer, give, or agree to give any employee or former employee of MSDH a gratuity or offer of employment in connection with any approval, disapproval, recommendation, development, or any other action or decision related to the solicitation and resulting contract. Contractor further represents that no employee or former employee of MSDH has or is soliciting, demanding, accepting, or agreeing to accept a gratuity or offer of employment for the reasons previously stated; any such action by an employee or former employee in the future, if any, will be rejected by contractor. Contractor further represents that it is in compliance with the Mississippi Ethics in Government laws, codified at Mississippi Code Annotated §§ 25-4-101 through 25-4-121, and has not solicited any employee or former employee to act in violation of said law.
Upon execution of a contract, the provisions of the contract which contain the personal or professional services provided, the unit prices, the overall price to be paid, and the term of the contract shall not be deemed to be a trade secret or confidential commercial or financial information pursuant to Mississippi Code Annotated § 25- 61-9(7). The contract shall be posted publicly on www.transparency.ms.gov and shall be available for at the Agency for examination, inspection, or reproduction by the public. The Contractor acknowledges and agrees that the MSDH and this contract are subject to the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983 codified at Mississippi Code Annotated §§ 25-61-1, et seq. and its exceptions, Mississippi Code Annotated § 79-23-1, and the Mississippi Accountability and Transparency Act of 2008, codified at Mississippi Code Annotated §§ 27-104-151, et seq.
The MSDH may, by written order to Contractor at any time, require Contractor to stop all or any part of the work called for by this contract. This order shall be for a period of time specified by the MSDH. Upon receipt of such an order, Contractor shall forthwith comply with its terms and take all reasonable steps to minimize any further cost to the MSDH. Upon expiration of the stop work order, Contractor shall resume providing the services which were subject to the stop work order, unless the MSDH has terminated that part of the agreement or terminated the agreement in its entirety. The MSDH is not liable for payment for services which were not rendered due to the stop work order.
Termination for Convenience. The MSDH may, when the interests of the Agency so require, terminate this contract in whole or in part, for the convenience of the Agency. The MSDH shall give written notice of the termination to Contractor specifying the part of the contract terminated and when termination becomes effective. Contractor shall incur no further obligations in connection with the terminated work and on the date set in the notice of termination Contractor will stop work to the extent specified. Contractor shall complete the work not terminated by the notice of termination and may incur obligations as are necessary to do so.
Termination for Default. If the MSDH gives the Contractor a notice that the personal or professional services are being provided in a manner that is deficient, the Contractor shall have thirty (30) days to cure the deficiency. If the Contractor fails to cure the deficiency, the MSDH may terminate the contract for default and the Contractor will be liable for the additional cost to the MSDH to procure the personal and professional services from another source. Termination under this paragraph could result in Contractor being excluded from future contract awards pursuant to Chapter 15 of the Public Procurement Review Board Office of Personal Service Contract Review Rules and Regulations. Any termination wrongly labelled termination for default shall be deemed a termination for convenience.
Enter your MAGIC Vendor Number here. This is a ten (10) digit number that begins with 310. This information must be submitted accurately.
Please see below for additional guidance:
Is Offeror currently registered with PayMode?
Is Offeror in compliance with Mississippi Code Annotated § 79-4-15.01 regarding authorization to transact business in Mississippi?
Bidders shall acknowledge which of the following statements is applicable regarding release of its bid document as a public record. A bidder may be deemed non-responsive if the bidder does not acknowledge either statement, acknowledges both statements, or fails to comply with the requirements of the statement acknowledged.
Choose one:
Offeror hereby certifies that the fees submitted in response to this IFB have been arrived at independently and without, for the purpose of restricting competition, any consultation, communication, or agreement with any other Offeror or competitor relating to those fees, the intention to submit a bid, or the methods or factors used to calculate the fees proposed. In submitting a bid, we certifies that the price submitted was independently arrived at without collusion.
Offeror hereby certifies that they _____ retained any person or agency on a percentage, commission, or other contingent arrangement to secure this contract.
Please submit Independently Audited Financial Statements as part of your submittal to this IFB.
For any additional information requested or required by any of your previously provided answers or as stated within this IFB please upload the additional documentation here.
This includes but is not limited to a redacted copy (if applicable) of the Offeror's submittal in which all information deemed to be confidential commercial and financial and/or trade secrets is redacted in black.
Offeror confirms and acknowledges that they have read this IFB in its entirety and fully understands all requirements. Submitting party further confirms that they are authorized on behalf of the vendor to submit such a bid.
What do you intend to be the basis for determining your low bidder for this IFB?
Are there minimum requirements or prerequisites for vendors submitting a quote for this IFB?
If so, which of the following apply?
If there are no prerequisites or minimum requirements for this IFB then you may skip this question.
What is the minimum number of years of experience required by the vendor?
Your answer should be structured as if filling in the highlighted area below:
Contractor must have been in business and provided services similar in requirements and scale to those described in this IFB for a minimum of ____ years.
Will the vendor be required to submit Independently Audited Financial Statements as part of their submittal to this IFB?
What is the estimated calendar date on which the period of performance for services obtained through this IFB shall begin?
EXAMPLE:
July 1, 2025
What is the estimated calendar date on which the period of performance for services obtained through this IFB shall end?
EXAMPLE:
July 1, 2025
How many business days after the offer will the successful Bidder have to register with the Mississippi Secretary of State if they are not already registered?
Be sure to state in both written and numeric value.
NOTE: Sole proprietors are not required to register with the Secretary of State.
For how many calendar days will a bid remain valid after the bid due date?
Be sure to state in both written and numeric value.
NOTE: You are filling in the highlighted section below:
Any submitted bid shall remain a valid bid for ______ calendar days from the bid due date.
Select if you want to require references to minimum qualifications.
(This will add minimum of 5 business days before a vendor may be selected)
What is the minimum number of references that Offerors are required to submit?
Please specify using the following format:
three (3)
Is there any federal grant money being used with this procurement?
Will the business associate agreement be used?
Please specify the cost center information. Be sure to include the % of each cost center. If there are multiple cost centers, please separate each with a comma and be sure they add up to 100% or your posting will not be approved.
EXAMPLE 1
1301010707 100%
Please specify the functional area information. Be sure to include the % of each functional area. If there are multiple functional areas, please separate each with a comma and be sure they add up to 100% or your posting will not be approved.
EXAMPLE 1
13010101000000DV 100%
Please specify the internal order information. Be sure to include the % of each internal order. If there are multiple internal orders, please separate each with a comma and be sure they add up to 100% or your posting will not be approved.
EXAMPLE 1
30000035771 100%
SLED stands for State, Local, and Education. These are solicitations issued by state governments, counties, cities, school districts, utilities, and higher education institutions — as opposed to federal agencies.
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