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This document is a Request of Proposal (“RFP”) for legislative affairs representation and administrative services on issues relating to blood services coalition administration.

Blood Centers of California (BCC) is seeking proposals for strategic advice and legislative representation (lobbying) services as well as administrative management for our coalition. Contract terms desired is for one (1) year, with an option to renew for an additional one (1) year term.

Additionally, BCC is seeking proposals for administrative management of the coalition including website upkeep, meeting scheduling, agenda preparation and recording and distributing meeting minutes.

Please submit an electronic copy of your proposal no later than August 31, 2022 to:

Susan Noone, President, Blood Centers of California

snoone @vitalant.org

Blood Centers of California

I. Introduction

Blood Centers of California (BCC) is an alliance of 11 non-profit blood centers, located throughout the state. BCC members supply more than 1.4 million units of blood and blood products, representing over 90% of products needed, to California’s hospitals, physicians and patients. Our mission is to promote collaboration and advocate for California’s blood centers to support their mission to meet the life-impacting blood transfusion needs of their patients.

II. Statement of Work

A. Advocate for BCC member organizations.

B. Keep BCC members informed of all priority issues in a timely matter.

C. Possess and maintain working relationships with members and committees of the Legislature, personnel of the Governor’s office, various federal, state and local officials, representatives of other public agencies and professions, business and industries, as applicable, in connection with advancing  blood services legislation.

D. Track and analyze bills. Keep Blood Centers of California advised regarding their status.

G. Set up and appear with BCC officials meetings with legislative members and governor staff to create relationships and discuss issues.

H. To the extent reasonably possible, clear any and all proposed official oral and written communication involving all elected officials and their staff with the BCC Board.

I. Provide BCC with a record of dates of all oral testimony and electronic copy of all written testimony given by the Consultant on behalf of the BCC.

J. Coordinate Legislative Day visits.

K. Consultant will submit a record of activities to BCC on a monthly basis. The report format and details will be mutually agreed upon by the Consultant and the Executive Board members.

• Administrative Management:

A. Maintain records, meeting minutes, legal documents and other records pertaining to the operation of BCC.

B. Arrange and attend all BCC meetings including but not limited to

• Three virtual and one in-person Board meetings per year
• Monthly Executive Committee meetings, virtual
• Medical/Technical Advisory Committee meetings as requested

C. Facilitate email networking and consultation.

D. Share industry links and information pertinent to BCC members.

G. Maintain and ensure information on BCC’s website is kept current.

III. Terms of Contract

The Contract will begin on October 1, 2022 and run through October 1, 2023 with option to extend as agreed upon by both parties. Either party may cancel the contract with a 30-day notice.

The contract constitutes a part-time agreement, with the Consultant devoting an average of 10 hours a week to fulfill the obligations of this agreement.

The Consultant may not participate as a paid consultant or as a volunteer in any political campaigns or engage in activities that would constitute a conflict of interest with BCC during the term of the Agreement.

IV. Proposal Submission

In addition to responding to the scope of services, please include:

A. A brief description of the history and organization of the bidder’s firm and of any proposed subcontractor.

B. Copies of business licenses, professional certifications or other credentials, together with evidence that bidder, if a corporation, is in good standing and qualified to conduct business in California.

C. A written statement verifying no potential conflicts of interest with other clients.

D. A description of relationships with legislative leaders and chairs of relevant committees.

E. Qualifications, background and experience of individual(s) proposed to work on the project.

F. A general description of the techniques, approaches and methods to be used in performing the scope of work.

G. A detailed cost proposal, including any travel costs and other expenses. Cost may be bid either as a monthly retainer fee or an hourly rate with a monthly maximum cap. The consultant will be responsible for all costs and expenses incident to their performance of services, with the exception of travel expenses which are subject to prior approval. As Blood Centers of California may award a contract based on the initial offer, a bidder should make its initial offer on the most favorable terms available. Blood Centers of California reserves the right, however, to have discussions with those bidders falling within a competitive range, and to request revised pricing offers from them and to make an award or conduct negotiations thereafter.

H. Three references

V. Evaluation Process and Highest Scored Bidder

Submissions should provide straightforward and concise information that fulfill the requirements of the RFP. Emphasis should be placed on brevity, conformity to BCC’s instructions, and completeness and clarity of content. Proposals should not include generic promotional materials and graphics that increase page count and PDF file size without addressing substantive content. Hard copy brochures and marketing materials may be included as a supplement if desired.

An evaluation team will review, in detail, all proposals that are received to determine the Highest Scored Bidder.

BCC reserves the right to determine the suitability of proposals on the basis of a proposal’s meeting administrative requirements, technical requirements, the review team’s assessment of the quality and performance of the services proposed, and cost.

During the evaluation process, BCC may require a bidder’s representative to answer questions with regard to the proposal. BCC may also have discussions with those bidders falling within a competitive range, request revised pricing offers from such bidders, and makes an award and/or conduct negotiations thereafter.

This Request for Proposal does not commit BCC to awarding a contract. Bidders shall bear all costs incurred in the preparation of the Proposal and participating in the Proposal evaluation process. BCC reserves the right to reject any all Proposals, to accept the Proposal it considers most favorable in its sole discretion, and to waive minor irregularities. BCC further reserves the right to seek new Proposals when such procedure is considered by it to be in the best interest of Blood Centers of California.

A. The following criteria will be used in used in reviewing and comparing the proposals and in determining the Highest Scored Bidder. The weight to be assigned to each criterion appears following each item.

1. Responsiveness of the proposal to the submission requirements set forth in the RFP (5%).

2. Experience advocating for at least three of the key areas of interest for Blood Centers of California and working with similar organizations in California (40%).

3. The total cost of the proposal solution. If the proposal contains itemized rates, or per piece pricing, BCC reserves the right to calculate total contracted cost by calculating rates using either previous known usage activity or future projected volume. Costs will be evaluated only if a proposal is determined to be otherwise qualified. Costs should be itemized by type to allow BCC to implement the solution over the term of the contract (55%).

B. If a large number of proposals are received, BCC reserves the right to review the proposals using a tiered evaluation system. All qualified proposals will be evaluated based on the Submission Requirements and Cost, with the top candidates advancing as finalists and receiving full evaluation as outlined above.

VI. Rejection of Proposals

BCC reserves the right in its sole discretion to reject any or all proposals in the whole or in part, without incurring any cost or liability whatsoever. All proposals will be reviewed for completeness of the submission requirements. If a proposal fails to meet a material requirement of the RFP, or it is incomplete or contains irregularities, the proposal may be rejected. A deviation is material to the extent that a proposal is not in substantial accord with RFP requirements.

Any proposal may be rejected where it is determined to not be competitive, or where the cost is not reasonable.

VII. Award and Execution of Contract

Subject to BCC’s right to reject any or all proposals, the Highest Scored Bidder will be awarded the contract. Upon selection, BCC and the selected Vendor will enter into good faith negotiations on a contract containing, without limitation, the Statement of Work.

The expectation is to pay the contractor a monthly fee based on the amount of the time the contractor estimates it will take to provide the services or a straight monthly retainer fee. We will not withhold any amount for tax or other withholdings. Contractor will invoice monthly.

VIII. News Releases

News releases pertaining to the award of a contract may not be made without the written approval of Blood Centers of California .