The NJ Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is seeking quotations for professional consulting services to assist with the implementation and adjudication of approximately 10,000 applications for a utility arrearage program for low-income households.

The State seeks a professional consultant with demonstrated experience in implementing outsourced case management and customer support for benefit programs, including:

• Experience in quickly developing plans and strategies to process a large volume of applicants to result in the provision of assistance to qualified applicants
• Experience with initiating and implementing outsourced:
  • Case Management
  • Customer Support
    • Integrated Interactive Voice Response (IVR) functionality with Connectivity to Data Sources
  • Experience with all aspects of benefit program administration, including determining eligibility, working with customers to complete applications, reviewing submitted documentation, and management reporting
  • Knowledge and experience utilizing Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) instances that stores the applicant submissions
  • Experience in working with large governmental systems to implement and/or advise on benefit programs
  • Demonstrated capacity to quickly begin acceptance and processing of applications to result in full expenditure of funds prior to January 1, 2024

The Bidder’s qualifications in the areas above should be detailed in the narrative description of the Bidder’s organization.

TRANSMITTAL LETTER

Bidder shall submit with its quotation a Transmittal Letter including Bidder’s contact person for the RFQ response, including telephone number and email address. The Transmittal letter should include all assurances detailed in Section VII. Bidder Assurances.

DESCRIPTION OF BIDDER’S ORGANIZATION

In an effort to establish the Bidder’s ability to successfully provide the requisite services, for projects of similar scope, size and complexity, interested Bidders must provide a narrative that imparts general information about their organization. The narrative should address:

• The Bidder’s business name and type (corporation, 501(c)(3), etc.), location, number of years in business, and details of any failure to complete a contract or any litigation within the past two
• The number of years the Bidder has provided benefit program case management consulting services to other clients, as evidenced by submitting a copy of the Bidder’s list of clients and years serviced.
• The Bidder’s history of engagements of a similar size and scope for benefit programs with other clients
• The Bidder’s staff qualifications, capacity, and experience in providing these services, by indicating the number of full-time employees (and, if applicable, part-time employees) qualified to do so; a staffing chart to show each position or title for those individuals who will, or who it is expected will, perform work against the resulting contract; if available, an organizational chart for the Bidder’s entire organization, to evidence its depth of staff;
• The location and contact information (address, telephone, e-mail, ) of the Bidder’s office that will be responsible for managing the resulting contract, as well as the locations of its corporate headquarters and any regional business offices; and
• The name, phone number, and e-mail address of the individual who will be responsible for managing the performance against the resulting

As part of the quotation submission, the Bidder should provide a plan for making qualified replacement(s) available to provide the requisite services during the contract term and any extensions thereto, to ensure uninterrupted performance of the requisite services in the event of vacation, illness, or personal emergency of the Consultant’s staff assigned to perform the work against the resulting contract. This submittal can be as simple as identifying alternate staff for key positions identified in the Bidder’s staffing chart.

ADDITIONAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Detailed plan demonstrating the Bidder’s capacity to quickly begin acceptance and processing of applications within 15 business days of contract execution and to result in full expenditure of funds prior to January 1, 2024

• A preliminary work plan that includes a timeline, significant milestones, and anticipated
• Staffing plan demonstrating the qualifications and experience of the Bidder’s management, supervisory, and other key personnel assigned to perform work against the resulting
• Price

RESUMES OF KEY TEAM MEMBERS

The Bidder should provide a resume for each key individual who will perform work against the resulting contract (including executive, middle management, and support personnel) to clearly demonstrate their respective appropriate qualifications, capabilities, and background.

The resumes should indicate the individual’s name, title, number of years employed with the bidding organization, and any certifications or licenses held that are germane to performing the requisite tasks. At a minimum, the resume should include:

• Demonstrable experience specific to providing the types of services required
• Employment
• Degrees, professional certifications, and/or licenses; and
• Any additional information that would allow the Department to assess the individual’s abilities to perform against the contract, including skills relevant to conducting the assessment sought by the Department.

The contract’s term will be June 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023. This contract may be extended up to 90 days if needed.

The Consultant shall execute the following tasks:

• Within 5 business days of contract execution, develop plans and materials for launch of new program
• Within 15 business days of contract execution, demonstrate capacity to begin accepting and processing applications
• Communicate in hard copy, digitally and via phone with applicants regarding pre- application process, application process, guidelines of the program, and status of applications and payments
• Assist applicants in navigating application process
• Communicate with applicants regarding incomplete applications and collect missing data
• Ensure entry of all needed applicant information into DCA’s D365 application database and abide by all applicable policies issued by the New Jersey Office of Information Technology
• Review and determine eligibility of applications
• Communicate with all applicants regarding determination of eligibility
• Work with DCA staff and Utility partners to facilitate weekly subsidy payments
• Work with DCA staff and Utility partners to ensure quality administration of program

The following evaluation criteria will be used to evaluate submissions received in response to this RFQ:

• Demonstrated understanding of the scope of Awareness of implementation challenges and issues.
• Demonstrated ability to quickly ramp up and begin administration of the
• A staffing plan that demonstrates the Bidder’s qualifications and experience of the Bidder’s management, supervisory, and other key personnel assigned to successfully complete the
• The extent and quality of the Bidder’s documented experience in successfully providing similar services of comparable size and scope, as evidenced by the narratives
• The Bidder’s price quotation including:
• A detailed budget: maximum award is $1,454,752.
• A detailed fixed fee proposal by task and estimated number of billable hours, based on a Preliminary Work Plan.

Upon determination that its best interests would be served, the Department shall have the right to do the following:

1. Cancellation - Cancel this procurement at any time before the contract
2. Amendment of procurement - Amend this procurement at any time before responses are
3. Refusal to accept - Refuse to accept or return accepted quotations that do not comply with procurement requirements.
4. Rejection of incomplete quotations - Reject any quotation in which any part of the quotation is incomplete or in which there are significant inconsistencies or inaccuracies (the State reserves the right to reject all quotations).
5. Prior contract default - Reject the quotation of any Bidder in default of any prior contract or for the misrepresentation of material presented.
6. Reject quotations after stated due date and time - Reject or refuse to evaluate any quotation that is received after the stated due date and time.
7. Written clarification - Require Bidders, at their own expense, to submit written clarification of quotations in a manner or format that the Department may require to resolve minor ambiguities irregularities or clerical errors.
8. Oral clarification - Require Bidders, at their own expense, to make oral presentations at a time and in a place selected by the Department, if requested.
9. Allowance of quotation changes - Except as may be authorized by the Department, allow no additions or changes to the original quotation after the stated due date and time.
10. Property of the State - Own all materials submitted in response to this procurement upon receipt by the Department.
11. Separate service negotiation - Negotiate separately any services in any manner needed to serve the best interest of the State.
12. Privileged and confidential information - Share the contents of any quotation with any of its designees for purpose of evaluating quotations to make an award (the contents of all meetings including the first, second, and any subsequent meetings and all communications while negotiating and arriving at the resultant contract periods shall be privileged and confidential).
13. Best and Final Offers - Seek Best and Final Offers (BFO) on price from Bidders upon review of the scored criteria.
14. Unacceptable quotations - Reopen the bidding process if advantageous to the

The selected Bidder shall maintain professional liability insurance in amounts/limits that the Department dictates are reasonable and adequate to protect the Department from acts, omissions, and negligence on the part of the firm and/or of its partners, attorneys, or employees.

The Bidder shall furnish the Department with original certificates of insurance naming the Department as an additional insured and evidencing such coverage dictated by the Department on the effective date of the contract resulting from this RFQ.

If the Bidder fails to provide complete and adequate evidence of insurance coverage, the Department reserves the right to rescind its offer and award the contract to an alternate Bidder.

Quotations with all supporting material must arrive by 5:00 PM on April 28, 2023

Submissions must be emailed to: Sheri Malnak Sheri.Malnak@dca.nj.gov and Fidel Ekhelar Fidel.Ekhelar@dca.nj.gov

Request for Quotation for Professional Consulting Services to Administer Utility Assistance Program.pdf