Statement of Work

STATEMENT OF WORK

CONFERENCE AND EVENT PLANNING

INVITATION TO QUALIFY (ITQ) CONTRACT

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OVERVIEW: The purpose of this Conference and Event Planning ITQ is to qualify responsible and

responsive Contractors to provide event planning services to Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s executive

agencies. In addition, Local Public Procurement Units, as defined by the Commonwealth Procurement Code,

may use this contract in accordance with the COSTARS Provision contained in this document. Event planning

includes, but is not limited to, assisting in the development, design, and implementation of scheduled events to

better service the needs of the Commonwealth.

ISSUING OFFICE: This ITQ is managed and administered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,

Department of General Services (DGS), Bureau of Procurement. All inquiries should be referred to:

Jason Collett, Commodity Specialist

Department of General Services

Bureau of Procurement, 6

Floor

555 Walnut Street

Harrisburg, PA 17101-1914

Telephone: (717) 346-3273

Email: [email protected]

QUALIFICATIONS: Contractors interested in becoming an ITQ Contractor must meet the following

requirements. Failure to meet the below requirement will result in the application being rejected. Each

Contractor that meets the minimum qualifications will be awarded a contract. Award of a contract to a

Contractor is not a guarantee of business.

• Contractor must provide documentation showing two (2) years of experience in the appropriate

commodity code selected under Service Categories.

• Compliance with the Provision for Donation of Excess Prepared Food: As a further condition for

receiving purchase orders, Contractors must agree to make a good faith effort to donate to a nonprofit

organization for ultimate free distribution to needy individuals any apparently wholesome food or

grocery products apparently fit for human consumption which are not consumed at a Commonwealth

function. A good faith effort includes, but is not limited to, contacting one or more entities appearing

on the referral listing maintained by the Department of Agriculture. Contractor is hereby put on notice

that liability will not attach if the Contractor complies with 42 PA. C.S. 8338. Agencies are to include

this provision (which is required by Management Directive 215.13) on all purchase orders issued

under this Contract.

SERVICE CATEGORIES: Contractors will need to pick the appropriate commodity code(s) to qualify

for this contract. Contractors will select the appropriate code(s) under the Business Details section of the

qualification process. Contractors will indicate for which county or counties services they can provide

services. The Commonwealth may add additional commodity codes as the need arises. The table below lists

the appropriate commodity code and description of each service category.

COMMODITY CODE

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICE CATEGORY

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90000000-ITQ-226

Conference/Event Planner

Duties to include, but not limited to: Obtaining meeting space of requested size/capacity,

food and beverage, lodging, website support, graphic design, multi-media meeting

coordination, audio/visual equipment, pipe and drape, complete registration services,

marketing/sales of exhibit space, signage, AV/IT personnel, guest speakers/entertainers,

compliance with the Provision for Donation of Excess Prepared Food, and administrative

support services and other conference-related support as required for planning and

execution of an event. Minor charges can include printing of materials, as needed for

extra copies. A breakdown of charges must be provided with the quote to the agency.

No training development or instruction can be included in the scope of services.

90000000-ITQ-227

Meeting Room

Meeting room(s) of varied size/square foot capacity required, based on agency RFQ scope.

Additional requirements for rooms include, but are not limited to, audio/visual equipment,

ADA compliancy, high speed internet connection, tables, chairs, podium, pipe and drape,

and free parking to be offered, if available.

90000000-ITQ-228

Audio/Visual Equipment

Equipment to include, but not limited to: Lighting, event audio, TV monitors, screens,

projectors, signs, and signage. Must provide additional, related equipment, per the agency

RFQ scope. Equipment to be used for conferences and events only; no long-term use of

equipment permitted.

90000000-ITQ-229

Information

Technology/Audio Visual

Personnel

Personnel to assist with sound and presentations for planned events. Personnel must be

knowledgeable in operating IT/AV equipment, as agency RFQ scope requires.

90000000-ITQ-230

Food and Beverage

Food and Beverage to include, but not limited to: Provide food and beverage as identified

in agency RFQ scope, food and beverage preparation, setup and cleanup services, and

compliance with the Provision for Donation of Excess Prepared Food.

Use of this category is restricted to agencies or services which are not available through

the statewide Contract for Catering Services and Contract for Supplies Manufactured &

Services Performed by Persons with Disabilities ("UniqueSource").

90000000-ITQ-231

Lodging

Lodging services to include, but not limited to: Room rate negotiation, room blocks, room

reservations, ability to cancel and modify existing reservations without penalty, ADA

compliancy and GSA comparable pricing.

GENERAL INORMATION/REQUIREMENTS:

A. Type of Contract. Upon determination that the Contractor meets the ITQ requirements, the

Commonwealth will issue a contract to the Contractor. Upon receipt of a Purchase Order (PO) issued

under this Contract, the Contractor agrees to furnish the requested services to the Commonwealth

agency issuing the PO.

B. Order of Precedence. If any conflicts or discrepancies should arise in the terms and conditions of

this Contract, or the interpretation thereof, the order of precedence shall be: i. This Contract;

ii. The data resident on the ITQ web site and incorporated herein by reference at the date of

execution of the Contract or issuance of an RFQ off of this Contract, whichever is later,

including but not limited to the promises and certifications the Contractor made in qualifying

for the Contract;

STATEMENT OF WORK

CONFERENCE AND EVENT PLANNING

INVITATION TO QUALIFY (ITQ) CONTRACT

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If any conflicts or discrepancies should arise in the interpretation of a PO, the order of precedence shall

be:

i. The consulting service category definitions, descriptions, qualification requirements, and

contract terms and conditions set forth in the RFQ;

ii. This Contract;

iii. The PO and any attachment thereto, including: (1) the Contractor’s Proposal, as accepted by

the Commonwealth; (2) the RFQ.

C. Bid Protest Procedure (April 2016) The Bid Protest Procedure is on the DGS website. Click here

D. COSTARS Purchasers. Section 1902 of the Commonwealth Procurement Code, 62 Pa.C.S. § 1902

(“Section 1902”), authorizes local public procurement units and state-affiliated entities (together,

“COSTARS Members”) to participate in Commonwealth procurement contracts that the Department

of General Services (“DGS”) may choose to make available to COSTARS Members. DGS has

identified this ITQ as one which will be made available for COSTARS Members’ participation.

a. Only those entities registered with DGS are authorized to participate as COSTARS Members

in this Contract. A COSTARS Member may be either a local public procurement unit or a

state-affiliated entity.

1. A “local public procurement unit” is:

• Any political subdivision (local government unit), such as a municipality, school

district, or commission;

• Any public authority (including authorities formed under the Municipality

Authorities Act of 1955 or other authorizing legislation, such as the Public

Transportation Law or the Aviation Code);

• Any tax-exempt, nonprofit educational institution or organization;

• Any tax-exempt, nonprofit public health institution or organization;

• Any nonprofit fire, rescue, or ambulance company; and

• Any other entity that spends public funds for the procurement of supplies, services,

and construction (such as a council of governments, an area government, or an

organization that receives public grant funds).

The Department reserves the right to review and determine eligible applicants as Local Public

Procurement Units on a case-by-case basis.

2. A state-affiliated entity is a Commonwealth authority or other Commonwealth entity that

is not a Commonwealth agency. The term includes:

• The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission;

• The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency;

• The Pennsylvania Municipal Retirement System;

• The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority;

• The State Public School Building Authority;

• The Pennsylvania Higher Education Facilities Authority, and

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• The State System of Higher Education.

The COSTARS Program is not available for use by Executive Agencies and Independent

Agencies as defined by the Commonwealth Procurement Code, or any agency or entity using

funds appropriated to the Department of General Services through Capital Budget Project

Itemization legislation for the procurement of furniture, fixtures, and equipment.

3. A complete list of local public procurement units and state-affiliated entities that have

registered with DGS and that are authorized to procure items from the Contract can be

found at http://www.costars.state.pa.us/SearchCOMember.aspx.

b. COSTARS Members have the option to purchase from this Contract, from any DGS contract

established exclusively for COSTARS Members in accordance with the requirements of

Section 1902, from any other cooperative procurement contracts, or from their own

procurement contracts established in accordance with the applicable laws governing such

procurements. The Contractor understands and acknowledges that there is no guarantee that a

COSTARS Member will place an order under this Contract, and that the decision to procure

from this Contract is within the sole discretion of each COSTARS Member.

c. DGS is acting as a facilitator for COSTARS Members who may wish to purchase under this

Contract. COSTARS Members that participate in this Contract and issue purchase orders

(“POs”) to Contractors are third party beneficiaries who have the right to sue and be sued for

breach of this Contract without joining the Commonwealth or DGS as a party. The

Commonwealth will not intervene in any action between a Contractor and a COSTARS

Member unless substantial interests of the Commonwealth are involved.

d. COSTARS Members electing to participate in this Contract will order items directly from the

Contractor and be responsible for payment directly to the Contractor.

e. Those Contractors electing to permit COSTARS Members to procure from this Contract shall

pay the Required Administrative Fee applicable to the Contractor’s classification:

Contractor Classification

Required Administrative Fee

DGS-verified Small Diverse Business

Contractor

$166

DGS Self-Certified Small Business

Contractor

$500

All Other Contractor

$1,500

1. Each Contractor electing to permit COSTARS Members to participate in the Contract

must submit the COSTARS Program Election to Participate form with its bid submittal

and pay the applicable Administrative Fee upon Contract award in order to sell the

awarded items/services to COSTARS Members. If the Contractor is a Department of

General Services Self-Certified Small Business or Department of General Servicesverified

Small Diverse Business, a copy of its active Small Business Contracting Program

certificate must be included with the bid submittal.

STATEMENT OF WORK

CONFERENCE AND EVENT PLANNING

INVITATION TO QUALIFY (ITQ) CONTRACT

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2. At the beginning of each Contract year and upon any Contract renewal, the Contractor

shall submit a check for the required amount, payable to “Commonwealth of PA”. The

Contractor must pay the Administrative Fee at each contract renewal date to continue to

sell the awarded items/services to COSTARS Members.

f. DGS has registered the COSTARS name and logo (together, the “COSTARS Brand”) as a

trademark with the Pennsylvania Department of State. Therefore, the Contractor may use the

COSTARS Brand only as permitted under in this Subsection.

1. The Contractor shall pay the Administrative Fee covering its participation in the program,

including without limitation any use of the COSTARS Brand, for each year of the

Contract period. The fee is payable upon Contract award and prior to the renewal date for

each succeeding Contract period.

2. DGS grants the Contractor a nonexclusive license to use the COSTARS Brand, subject to

the following conditions:

• The Contractor agrees not to transfer to any third party, including without limitation

any of its subcontractors or Contractors, any privileges it may have to use the

COSTARS Brand under this Contract.

• The Contractor agrees not to use the COSTARS Brand to represent or imply any

Commonwealth endorsement or approval of its products or services.

• The Contractor is permitted to use the COSTARS Brand in broadcast, or Internet

media solely in connection with this Contract and any other Contract with the

Commonwealth under which it has agreed to make sales to COSTARS Purchasers.

The Contractor may use the COSTARS Brand on business cards, brochures, and

other print publications so long as the purpose is to identify the Contractor as a

COSTARS vendor, and only so long as the required Contract fee is kept current.

• Should this Contract terminate for any reason, the Contractor agrees promptly to

remove the COSTARS Brand from any and all print and electronic media and to

refrain from using the COSTARS Brand for any purpose whatsoever from the date

of Contract termination forward.

• The Contractor agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Commonwealth

of Pennsylvania and DGS from and against all claims, demands, liabilities,

obligations, costs, and expenses of any nature whatsoever arising out of or based

upon the Contractor’s use of the COSTARS Brand.

• The Contractor agrees it has no property rights in the use of the COSTARS Brand

by virtue of this nonexclusive license. The Contractor expressly waives any claims,

including without limitation due process claims that may otherwise be available

under the law in the event of any dispute involving these terms of use.

g. The Contractor shall furnish to the DGS COSTARS Program Office a quarterly electronic

Contract sales report detailing the previous quarter’s Contract purchasing activity, using the

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form and in the format prescribed by DGS. The Contractor shall submit its completed

quarterly report no later than the fifteenth calendar day of the succeeding Contract quarter.

1. The Contractor shall submit the reports through the web-based COSTARS Contractors’

Gateway of the PA Contractor Portal at

https://paContractorportal.state.pa.us/irj/portal/anonymous , Enterprise Applications. If a

Contractor does not have access to the Internet, the Contractor shall send the reports, using

the form and in the format prescribed by DGS, on compact disc via US Postal Service to

the DGS COSTARS Program Office, Bureau of Procurement, 6th Floor Forum Place, 555

Walnut Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101-1914.

2. For each PO received, the Contractor shall include on the report the name and address of

each COSTARS-Registered Purchaser that has used the Contract along with the sales date,

and dollar volume of sales to the specific Purchaser for the reporting period.

3. DGS may suspend the Contractor’s participation in the COSTARS Program for failure to

provide the Quarterly Sales Report within the specified time.

h. Additional information regarding the COSTARS Program is available on the DGS COSTARS

Website at www.costars.state.pa.us.

1. If the Contractor is aware of any qualified entity not currently registered and wishing to

participate in the COSTARS Program, please refer the potential purchaser to the DGS

COSTARS Website at www.costars.state.pa.us, where it may register by completing the

online registration form and receiving DGS confirmation of its registration. To view a list

of currently-registered COSTARS member entities, please visit the COSTARS website.

2. Direct all questions concerning the COSTARS Program to:

Department of General Services

COSTARS Program

555 Walnut Street, 6th Floor

Harrisburg, PA 17101

Telephone: 1-866-768-7827

E-mail GS[email protected]

i. COSTARS Program Election to Participate. If the Contractor is willing to sell the awarded

items/services at the same prices and/or discounts, and in accordance with the contractual

terms and conditions, to COSTARS members, the Contractor should complete and return the

COSTARS Program Election to Participate form which is an attachment to this ITQ. If the

Contractor is asserting that it is a Department of General Services Certified Small Business,

the Contractor must submit its active certification.

E. COSTARS Reporting Requirements. If you checked “Yes” in Step 6 when developing your

qualification bid for the ITQ contract, you agreed to participate in the Commonwealth’s COSTARS

program, and you are bound by the COSTARS Purchasers Provision contained within this Statement

of Work. The requirement to report COSTARS sales to DGS’ COSTARS Program Office is

STATEMENT OF WORK

CONFERENCE AND EVENT PLANNING

INVITATION TO QUALIFY (ITQ) CONTRACT

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contained in Section E of the COSTARS Purchasers Provision. By agreeing to participate in the

COSTARS program, you are required to report COSTARS sales to DGS on a quarterly basis. Even if

you had no COSTARS sales, you must file a report.

COSTARS sales for the ITQ contract can now be reported through the automated COSTARS sales

reporting system located on the COSTARS website. Information required will be your vendor

number, contract number, date of sale, customer name and the amount of the sale. It is also

recommended that you record the COSTARS Member ID number. Detailed instructions appear

below.

The deadline for submitting sales information is the 15th day of the month following the end of the

quarter. Failure to report COSTARS sales is in breach of contract, and may result in DGS suspending

your participation in the COSTARS program.

Note: This system is to be used to record sales to COSTARS members ONLY! ZERO sales for a

particular quarter must also be reported.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COSTARS SALES REPORTING FOR STATEWIDE CONTRACT

CONTRACTORS

• Go to www.dgs.state.pa.us/costars. ‘Click’ on the Contractors button.

• ‘Click’ on the COSTARS Contractors’ Gateway link on the right. Click on the State Contract

link.

• Enter your Vendor Number to gain access to the system. When your Vendor Number is found,

you will be taken to the Sales Reporting Authorization screen.

• Enter your first and last name. ‘Click’ Continue.

• You will be taken to the Sales Reporting Screen. Select from the Contract Number dropdown

the Contract Number you want to report sales for and then ‘click’ the Continue button located

next to it.

• To enter a new Sale or to report “No Sales this Quarter”, ‘click’ on the Insert button at the top

left.

• Enter the Customer Name or part of the Customer Name into the Customer Search field. If

you are reporting “NO SALES THIS QUARTER”, type NO SALES into the search field.

‘Click’ the Search button.

• Select the Customer Name from the dropdown list, or select NO SALES THIS QUARTER.

To proceed, you will need to ‘click’ on the Continue button to the right of the list. The system

will locate the Customer Name in the Members database and will pre-fill the Address and

County fields for you.

• You will then enter a Sales Date and Sales Amount.

• ‘Click’ on the Save button. The data is saved and immediately accessible by COSTARS

Program staff. For your convenience, there is also a Sales Reporting Manual – for Statewide

Contracts in the Resource Center on this site. For additional assistance or questions, please

call 1-866-768-7827.

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F. New Equipment. Unless otherwise specified in this ITQ, all products offered by Contractors must be

new or remanufactured. A 'new' product is one that will be used first by the Commonwealth after it is

manufactured or produced. A 'remanufactured' product is one which: 1) has been rebuilt, using new

or used parts, to a condition which meets the original manufacturer's most recent specifications for

the item; 2) does not, in the opinion of the Issuing Office, differ in appearance from a new item; and

3) has the same warranty as a new item. Unless otherwise specified in this invitation for bids, used or

reconditioned products are not acceptable. This clause shall not be construed to prohibit Contractors

from offering products with recycled content, provided the product is new or remanufactured.

G. Post-Submission Descriptive Literature. The Commonwealth may, during its evaluation of the

bids, require any Contractor to submit cuts, illustrations, drawings, prints, test data sheets,

specification sheets and brochures which detail construction features, design, components, materials

used, applicable dimensions and any other pertinent information which the Issuing Office may

require in order to evaluate the product(s) offered. The required information must be submitted within

two (2) business days after notification from the Issuing Office. Failure to submit the required

information prior to the expiration of the second business day after notification shall result in the

rejection of the bid as non-responsive.

H. Tie Bids/Quotes. All tie bids/quotes will be broken by the Issuing Office.

I. Prompt Payment Discounts. Prompt payment discounts will not be considered in making an award.

If prompt payment discounts are offered by any Contractor, however, the Issuing Office will take

advantage of such offer.

REQUEST FOR QUOTES (RFQ) PROCEDURES: Commonwealth Agencies will issue an RFQ to qualified

Contractors, through the Commonwealth’s Custom Portal, powered by the JAGGAER system. Contractors will

respond to the RFQ in the system. The requesting Agencies may require the qualified Contractors to furnish,

upon request, additional documentation in the RFQ. The qualified Contractors selected for the RFQ process will

receive a Purchase Order (PO) and will supply the service to meet the specific requirements as indicated in the

RFQ.

Agencies will exercise a scoring method based upon the criteria set forth in the RFQ. The Scoring Methods are

defined as follows:

• Best Value o Refers to the process of selecting the quote which provides the greatest value to the

agency based on evaluating and comparing all pertinent criteria, including cost, so that the Contractor

whose overall proposal best suits the agency’s needs is selected for each individual project; and

• Low Cost o Refers to the lowest cost quoted from all proposals received that are deemed both

responsive and responsible for the project.