Statewide Aviation Economic Impact Survey

STATE OF ARKANSAS

Department of Commerce- Division of Aeronautics

1 Commerce Way

Little Rock, AR 72201

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

SOLICITATION DOCUMENT

SOLICITATION INFORMATION
Solicitation Number:	AERO-26-0001	Solicitation Issued:	November 6th, 2025
Description:	Statewide Aviation Economic Impact Evaluation Study
Agency:	Department of Commerce - Division of Aeronautics

RESPONSE DUE DATE
Proposal Response Due Date:	December 8th, 2025	Time:	2:00 PM, Central Time
Proposal submissions for this Request for Proposal must be delivered to the Department of Commerce on or before the submission deadline. Proposals received after the submission deadline may be rejected as untimely. See Section 1.2 for information regarding Live Bid Openings.

DELIVERY OF RESPONSE DOCUMENTS
Delivery Address and RFP Opening Location	Department of Commerce Attention: Austin McClane, Procurement Office 1 Commerce Way, Suite 501 Little Rock, AR 72201 Delivery providers, USPS, UPS, and FedEx deliver mail to the delivery street address on a schedule determined by each individual provider. These providers will deliver based solely on the street address. Prospective Contractors assume all risk for timely, properly submitted deliveries.
Proposal’s Outer Packaging	Seal outer packaging and properly mark with the following information. If outer packaging of proposal submission is not properly marked, the package may be opened for proposal identification purposes. • Solicitation number • Date and time of proposal opening • Prospective Contractor's name and return address

DEPARTMENT CONTACT INFORMATION
Department Buyer:	Austin McClane	Buyer’s Direct Phone Number:	501-537-6824
Email Address:	Austin.M.McClane@arkansas.gov	Department Main Number:	501-682-1121
Department Website:	https://commerce.arkansas.gov/
State Procurement Website	Arkansas.gov/tss/procurement/bids

SECTION 1 – GENERAL INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS

1.1 INTRODUCTION

This Request for Proposal (RFP) is issued by the Arkansas Department of Commerce for the Division of Aeronautics (henceforth referred to as the “Department”) to obtain pricing and a contract(s) for statewide aviation economic impact evaluation study.

Contract(s) will be awarded to the Prospective Contractor determined to have submitted the proposal that is the most advantageous to the State. Direct all questions, comments, or concerns regarding this solicitation to the Buyer on page one (1) of the RFP.

1.2 LIVE PROPOSAL OPENING

Use the information below to view the proposal opening online.

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1.3 TYPE OF CONTRACT

A. As a result of this RFP, the Department intends to award a contract to a single Contractor.

B. The anticipated starting date for any resulting contract is February 1, 2026, except that the actual contract start date may be adjusted unilaterally by the State for up to three (3) calendar months. By submitting a signed proposal in response to the RFP, the Prospective Contractor represents and warrants that it will honor its proposal as being held open as irrevocable for this period.

C. The initial term of a resulting contract will be for one (1) year. Upon mutual agreement by the Contractor and Department, the contract may be renewed by the Department for up to six (6) additional one-year terms or portions thereof, not to exceed a total aggregate contract term of seven (7) consecutive years.

1.4 DEFINITION OF TERMS

A. Unless otherwise defined herein, all terms defined in Arkansas Procurement Law have the same meaning herein.

B. “Study Sponsor” means the Division of Aeronautics.

C. “Prospective Contractor” means a responsible offeror who submits a proposal in response to this Solicitation.

D. The terms “Request for Proposal,” “RFP,” and “Solicitation” are used synonymously in this document.

E. “Requirement” means a term, condition, provision, deliverable, Specification, or a combination thereof, that is obligated under the Solicitation, resulting contract, or both.

F. “Responsive Proposal” means a proposal submitted in response to this Solicitation that conforms in all material respects to this RFP.

G. “Shall” and “must” mean the imperative and are used to identify Requirements.

H. “Specification” means any technical or purchase description or other description of the physical or functional characteristics, or of the nature, of a commodity or service. “Specification” may include a description of any Requirement for inspecting, testing, or preparing a commodity or service for delivery.

I. “State” means the State of Arkansas. When the term “State” is used herein to reference any obligation of the State under a contract that results from this Solicitation, that obligation is limited to the Department using such a contract.

1.5 SOLICITATION SCHEDULE

For informational purposes, the Department is providing a Solicitation Schedule; however, dates listed and noted with an asterisk (*) are anticipated dates only and are subject to change at the discretion of the State. All times are listed in Central Time.

TABLE A: TENTATIVE SOLICITATION SCHEDULE [Dates are provided for reference]

ACTIVITY	DATE
RFP Release to Prospective Contractors	November 6th, 2025
Deadline for Prospective Contractor Questions	November 15th, 2025
Answers to Questions Posted to OSP Website	November 20th, 2025
Proposal Due Date	December 8th, 2025 @ 2:00pm
Initial Proposal Evaluation*	December 12th, 2025
Interviews*	January 5th – 6th, 2025
Final Proposal Evaluation*	January 6th, 2026
Discussions Kick Off Meeting*	January 9th, 2026
Finalize Discussions*	January 16th, 2026
Post Anticipation to Award*	January 23rd, 2026
Award Contract*	February 23rd, 2026

1.6 CLARIFICATION OF SOLICITATION

A. Submit questions requesting clarification of information contained in this Solicitation via email to the Buyer by the date and time listed in Table A.

1. For each question submitted, Prospective Contractor should reference the specific Solicitation item number to which the question refers, as applicable.

2. Prospective Contractors’ written questions will be consolidated and responded to by the State as deemed appropriate. The State’s consolidated written response is anticipated to be posted to the Solicitation posting by the close of business on the date provided in Table A. If Prospective Contractor questions are unclear or non-substantive in nature, the State may request clarification of a question(s) or decline to answer.

B. The Prospective Contractor should notify the Buyer of any Requirements that precludes the Prospective Contractor from submitting a Responsive Proposal.

C. Prospective Contractors may contact the Buyer with non-substantive questions at any time prior to the proposal opening.

D. An oral statement by the Department will not be part of any contract resulting from this Solicitation and may not reasonably be relied on by any Prospective Contractor as an aid to interpretation unless it is reduced to writing and expressly adopted by the Department.

E. Only an addendum written and authorized by the State will modify the Solicitation.

1.7 RESPONSE DOCUMENTS

A. Original Technical Proposal Packet

1. Prospective Contractors shall utilize the Technical Proposal Packet to submit their responses.

2. The following items are proposal Submission Requirements and must be submitted as a hardcopy part of a Prospective Contractor’s proposal response.

a. Signed Proposal Signature Page; signature may be ink or digital.

b. One (1) original hardcopy of the Technical Proposal response to the Information for Evaluation section included in the Technical Proposal Packet, which must be in the English language.

c. One (1) original hardcopy of the completed Official Solicitation Price Sheet.

i. Pricing must be proposed in U.S. dollars and cents.

ii. Quantities stated are estimates only and are not guaranteed. Prospective Contractor must submit unit price on the estimated quantity and unit of measure specified.

• The State may order more or less than the estimated quantity on term contracts, and the Contractor shall sell to the Department quantities ordered at no more than the submitted price.

iii. If pricing documents do not allow for accurate pricing, Prospective Contractor should notify the Buyer at least seventy-two (72) hours before the proposal opening time.

iv. Prices must be firm offers and adjustments may be negotiated at the time of contract renewal.

• A request for a price increase must include supporting documentation demonstrating that the increase in contract price is based on an increased cost to the Contractor and that the proposed pricing is still competitive in the marketplace. The State has the right to approve or deny any request for a price adjustment.

v. Discount from list pricing is not acceptable unless requested elsewhere in the Solicitation.

vi. State or local sales taxes should not be included in the price. Trade discounts should be deducted from the unit price and the net price should be shown in the submitted pricing.

d. Recommended Options Form

i. The Recommended Options form included in the Technical Proposal Packet allows Prospective Contractors to identify any recommended options or optional service ideas that may benefit the State that were not included in the Requirements and the proposed solution.

e. Copy of Prospective Contractor’s Equal Opportunity Policy

i. Pursuant to Arkansas Code Annotated § 19-60-104, the State requires a Prospective Contractor bidding on a state contract to submit a copy of the Prospective Contractor’s Equal Opportunity (EO) Policy.

ii. Prospective Contractors not required by law to have an EO Policy must submit a written statement to that effect.

f. Proposed Subcontractors Form (see SRV-1 , section 14)

3. The following items, which must be submitted prior to a contract award to the Prospective Contractor, may also be included with the Prospective Contractor’s proposal:

a. EO 98-04: Contract and Grant Disclosure Form (see SRV-1 , section 11)

b. Voluntary Product Accessibility Template ( VPAT ), if applicable

4. Prospective Contractors should not include any other documents or ancillary information, such as a cover letter or promotional/marketing information.

B. Additional copies

1. In addition to the original Technical Proposal Packet, the following items should be submitted:

a. Three (3) complete hardcopies (marked “COPY”) of the Technical Proposal Packet.

b. Four (4) electronic copies of the Technical Proposal Packet.

c. One (1) electronic copy of the Official Solicitation Price Sheet.

d. One (1) redacted (marked “REDACTED”) copy of the original Technical Proposal Packet if applicable (see Proprietary Information).

2. Electronic copies should be submitted on flash drives and in PDF format.

3. All additional hardcopies and electronic copies must be identical to the original hardcopy.

a. In case of discrepancy, the original hardcopy governs.

4. If the Department requests additional copies of the proposal, the copies must be delivered within the timeframe specified in the request.

C. Prospective Contractors should not alter language in Solicitation document(s) or Official Solicitation Price Sheet provided by the State.

D. Prospective Contractor’s proposals cannot be altered or amended after the proposal opening except as permitted by law or rule.

E. Prospective Contractors may submit multiple proposals.

SECTION 2 – REQUIREMENTS

2.1 OBJECTIVE AND GOALS

The Department seeks to solicit proposals from airport Consultants for a statewide public-owned airport economic impact evaluation study. The study is to measure how the aviation industry contributes to the Arkansas Economy.

The goal of an economic impact study is to demonstrate and document how direct impacts support additional indirect/induced impacts in the economy being studied. The process for this analysis must be economically sound, while at the same time being transparent and easy to understand.

The study will rely on an input-output model that will be used to estimate indirect and induced impacts. The combination of the three categories, direct, indirect, and induced, will show total economic impacts for each airport being studied.

2.2 PROSPECTIVE CONTRACTOR MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

A. The Prospective Contractor shall be required to submit a copy of their current overhead rate audit certification. This contract may be subject to but not limited to the following Federal provisions:

1. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

a. Section 520 of the Airport and Airway Improvement Act of 1982

b. DOT Regulation 49 CFR Part 18.36 (i) – Access to Records

c. DOT Regulation 49 CFR Part 26 – Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Participation

B. The Prospective Contractors shall have experience in similar airport studies.

1. Preference of 2 studies completed recently, with references provided.

C. The Prospective Contractors shall have the staffing capability to perform all aspects of the study.

D. The Prospective Contractors shall have the staffing ability to meet schedules within budget.

2.3 REQUIREMENTS

A. The Contractor shall complete a determination of Economic Impact of Public-owned airports in Arkansas.

a. This information is to be obtained using industry-wide recognized methods acceptable to the State of Arkansas.

b. The Contractor shall break down data into Direct Impacts, Indirect Impacts, and Induced Impacts.

c. Information obtained must include data gathered from Commercial, general aviation, and military airports.

d. Data must be gathered from airport management, airport businesses, and community leaders.

e. Reports must be generated using established and accepted economic modelling to quantify aviation’s role in economic development both locally and state-wide.

B. The Contractor shall investigate airport and related community records and data to determine local impact of city/county associated airport facility.

C. The Contractor shall present all data in a format that will allow inclusion into possible future statewide system plan updates.

D. The Contractor shall maintain on-going and effective communication throughout the project(s). At a minimum, this will include:

1. Regular discussions with the study sponsor.

2. Outreach and involvement of study airports in the preparation of the economic impact analysis.

E. The Contractor shall present all data in a format that will allow inclusion into possible future statewide system plan updates.

F. The Contractor shall submit all reports in a format which can be incorporated into the Department of Aeronautics website.

a. Economic Impact data and all supporting documentation will be submitted via individual airport reports in both hard copy and electronic formats.

b. A summary document will also be produced in both hard copy and electronic format.

2.4 IDENTIFICATION OF ECONOMIC IMPACTS

A. Direct impacts are the starting point for the economic impact analysis.

1. In this study, all direct impacts will be measured or counted in some way. Direct impacts will be established for the following sources of impact:

a. Airport management

b. Aviation business tenants

c. Commercial airline visitors/at applicable airports

d. General aviation visitors

e. Airport construction

2. The Contractor shall work with each study airport to secure information that adequately captures information on jobs, payroll, and spending related to each source of economic impact noted above.

3. Included in the business tenant category, as applicable to each individual airport, are airlines, air cargo carriers, terminal concessionaires, fixed base operators, applicable military units, corporate flight departments, aircraft related maintenance providers, and federal agencies such as TSA.

B. The Contractor shall take steps to develop estimates of commercial airline visitor spending, including but not limited to:

1. Determining the portion of each commercial airport's passengers that are visitors rather than residents of the airport's market area.

2. Developing surveys to collect information from visitors arriving by air.

3. Determining with the study sponsor the optimum approach for securing information from air visitors.

4. Implementing visitor surveys.

5. Analyzing results from visitor surveys.

C. The Contractor shall deploy a separate survey geared to collecting information from general aviation visitors.

1. The study sponsor and the contracted team shall determine the most appropriate methodology or methodologies to implement the general aviation visitor survey.

2. Reasonable estimates of general aviation visitors and associated spending are important to the validity of study results.

3. Surveys from both commercial and general aviation visitors will be used to determine total annual visitor spending for each of the study airports.

4. Spending estimates will be developed by category: lodging, food, entertainment, ground transportation, and retail.

D. Once annual visitor spending is established for each airport, the Contractor shall use an input-output econometric model to identify annual employment and payroll impacts that are supported by the spending.

E. The Contractor shall, in consultation with the study sponsor, determine the most appropriate input-output model to use to support the study's economic modeling.

1. The Department will determine the need to develop regional versus a statewide model to support the analysis.

F. Information will be collected from each airport that shows all capital spending for a designated historical timeframe.

G. In the construction category, capital investment will be averaged to support the identification of each airport's annual economic impacts.

H. Similar to annual visitor spending, average annual capital spending by airport, will be entered into the study input-output model to determine the number of jobs and associated payroll that are supported by the spending in the construction category.

2.5 TASK 1: DATA COLLECTION TO DETERMINE DIRECT IMPACTS

A. The Contractor shall develop surveys for airport management, business tenants, and visitors to collect direct impacts.

1. A mixture of on-site airport visits and phone interviews will support the data collection effort.

B. The Contractor shall review all direct economic impacts collected in this task to ensure accuracy.

C. In addition to providing information needed to estimate airport management impacts, each study airport will provide a list and contact information for each of its aviation-related business tenants.

D. Airport contacts will also provide information on historical capital investment.

E. Airport assistance will also be requested as it relates to implementing visitor, both commercial and general aviation, surveys.

F. At the conclusion of this task, the Contractor shall prepare reports on each study airport, showing estimated annual employment, payroll, and spending for each impact category:

1. airport management

2. airport business tenants

3. air visitors commercial/general aviation

4. construction

G. This information is the foundation for estimating each airport's total annual economic impacts.

2.6 TASK 2: INDIRECT/INDUCED ECONOMIC IMPACTS

A. The Contractor shall use the direct impacts estimated in Task 1 to estimate additional indirect/induced impacts.

B. Impacts in this task will be estimated using the input-output model adopted for the study.

C. The Contractor shall use the selected model to identify indirect/induced employment, payroll, and spending impacts for management, tenants, visitors, and construction.

2.7 TASK 3: TOTAL ANNUAL ECONOMIC IMPACTS

A. At the completion of Task 2, the Contractor shall prepare a report to summarize the study approach, methodology, and findings.

B. The reports must provide information on direct and indirect/induced employment, payroll, and spending impacts.

C. The report must include both airport specific and statewide results.

D. Separate sections will report on the results for each airport's airport management category, its specific aviation-related business tenants, its general aviation visitors, its commercial visitors, and its average annual capital investment.

E. The report must contain:

1. Study Summary fact Sheet -A two-page double-sided study primer or fact sheet will be prepared to summarize all study findings.

2. Executive Summary-A color executive summary, approximately 12 pages in length, will be prepared for the cumulative study results for all study airports.

3. Individual Airport Summaries-A two-page double-sided summary report will be prepared for each of the study airports. This summary will include both statewide and individual airport economic impact results.

4. Methods for Delivering Study Reports - The final scoping efforts will determine the method of delivering all reports. At a minimum, reports must be delivered as follows:

a. Word or Adobe

b. Final data sets will be delivered in Excel

c. Graphical design files will be delivered in Adobe

F. It is possible that as part of development of the final scope of services, the study sponsor may determine that delivery of hard copies of various study reports may be desirable.

2.8 OPTIONAL STUDY TASKS

To supplement the core study, there are a number of optional tasks that can be considered. These tasks are supplemental or complementary to the tasks that are part of the core analysis. The costs of these tasks will not be used in the low-cost determination but may be considered by the State after award.

A. Communication Tasks

1. Study PowerPoint Summary

a. To report on study results and findings, a PowerPoint presentation can be developed. The study PowerPoint can have a script. In addition, the PowerPoint presentation can be developed so that it can be "personalized" to present individual airport results, along with statewide findings.

2. Study Summary Video

a. To help with the report on study findings, a summary video can be prepared. This video can be focused on statewide results but can include results from the animated statewide flight map and various case studies, should these options be selected for inclusion in the study.

B. Supplemental Reports and Reporting

1. Impacts by State and House Congressional District

a. Elected officials are a primary audience for the results from an economic impact study. Elected officials are often interested in airport related economic impacts that are realized or that are associated with their individual district. Additional analysis can be completed to assign the identified economic impacts to each district, as applicable. These results can be published as separate, additional reports, or they can be incorporated into the individual reports that will be prepared for each airport as part of the core study.

2. Airport and Statewide Flight Maps

a. Data available from the FAA, and other sources such as ADS-B, can be used to develop flight maps for each airport. Such maps help the community served by each airport better understand, by providing a visual presentation, how each airport helps to connect the community to other markets across the U.S. Most individuals in the community do not have a full appreciation of how their local airport is a key connector supporting commerce and economic development. Flight maps can be developed to graphically depict airport activity; these maps can be incorporated into the individual airport reports that are part of the core analysis. A statewide compilation of flight activity can also be developed and animated to be used in slides shows or a study video, if those options are selected.

C. Supplemental Analysis and Deliverables

1. Case Studies

a. By reporting on how selected businesses use aviation to support their operations and to expand their market areas, it helps the audience for an economic impact study better understand how the state benefits from daily activities supported by study airports. Businesses that operate their own corporate aircraft can be isolated to investigate how they benefit from using aviation/study airports. Case studies can be included in the study's Technical Report, a study video, and/or a PowerPoint presentation.

2. Online Economic Impact Calculator

a. Airports and aviation are by their very nature very dynamic. As result, the economic impacts estimated as part of the statewide study will inevitably change. The addition or the loss of a major aviation-related business tenant, a commercial air carrier, or a major capital improvement study can change economic impacts estimated in the state study. An online calculator can be developed that provides each airport or the State with the ability to update economic impacts as conditions change. The calculator can enable the airport/state to estimate potential economic impacts that could come from an anticipated capital improvement study, the attraction of additional commercial airline flights, or the attraction of a major aviation-related business tenant. The development of the calculator is an optional deliverable. Access to the calculator can be limited to the state or it can be made available to each of the study airports.

3. Jobs Gaining Efficiency

a. Throughout the state, there are many jobs that depend on aviation. Contractors, salespeople, hospitals, doctors, and employees in many other sectors depend on aviation to help them carry out their jobs. These jobs are not located at the study airports, but they are located elsewhere in the state. An optional analysis can be undertaken to report on these additional jobs, further highlighting how aviation and airports support the state's economy. These jobs are in addition to those identified in the core study analysis. This reporting can be statewide in nature, and results can be included in various deliverables such as the Technical Report, the Executive Summary, the fact Sheet, a PowerPoint, and a summary video.

4. Economic Impact from Aerial Applicators

a. The agricultural industry in Arkansas relies on aerial applicators. Additional analysis, supported by additional survey efforts, can be undertaken to isolate and estimate the economic impact of aerial applicators who help to improve efficiency and output within this important sector of the state's economy. A separate survey effort would be required to support this additional analysis. The results of this analysis would be statewide and can be presented as part of the Technical Report, the Executive Summary, and other add-on deliverable that may be selected for study inclusion.

5. Economic Impacts from Aerospace/Defense

a. There are an estimated 4,600 employees in the 31 business in the state engaged in the aerospace/defense sector of the state's economy. Most all of these businesses are located off-airport. To support this effort, phone interviews are anticipated. The results of this analysis would be statewide and can be presented as part of the Technical Report, the Executive Summary, and other study-related deliverables.

6. Airport Information Dashboard

a. Airports and airport systems manage extensive information, which is often dispersed across various sources, locations, and formats, both digital and analog. This dispersion can make it challenging to comprehensively analyze all data collectively. A GIS-based Dashboard provides a solution by centralizing this information into a visual, interactive, and adaptable database. This tool allows users to efficiently query, filter, and update the data. Sources of information may include data from the Arkansas Division of Aeronautics, economic impact studies, the state aviation system plan, and FAA datasets such as ADIP.

2.9 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

A. State law requires that qualifying contracts for services include Performance Standards for measuring the overall quality of services that a Contractor shall provide.

B. The State may be open to negotiations of Performance Standards prior to contract award, prior to the commencement of services, or at times throughout the contract duration.

C. Performance Standards shall not be amended unless they are agreed to in writing and signed by the parties.

D. Failure to meet the minimum Performance Standards as specified will result in the assessment of damages.

E. In the event a Performance Standard is not met, the Contractor will have the opportunity to defend or respond to the insufficiency. The State has the right to waive damages if it determines there were extenuating factors beyond the control of the Contractor that hindered the performance of services. In these instances, the State has final determination of the performance acceptability.

F. Should any compensation be owed to the Department due to the assessment of damages, Contractor shall follow the direction of the Department regarding the required compensation process.

SECTION 3 – SELECTION

3.1 SELECTION PROCESS

A. The Buyer will review each Technical Proposal Packet to verify Submission Requirements have been met. Technical Proposal Packets that do not meet Submission Requirements will be rejected and will not be evaluated.

1. The State may conduct cost checks based on the cost submitted by each Prospective Contractor on the completed pricing response.

a. Prospective Contractors submitting Responsive Proposals with a proposed cost that falls twenty-five percent (25%) or more from the average submitted cost may be asked to justify their submitted cost.

b. Should the Buyer request clarification and/or additional information regarding cost, Prospective Contractors shall provide clarification and/or additional information as specified by the request.

B. A Department-appointed Evaluation Committee will evaluate and score qualifying Technical Proposals. Evaluation will be based on Prospective Contractor’s response to the Information for Evaluation section included in the Technical Proposal Packet and the pricing submitted by the Prospective Contractor.

1. Cost information will be provided to the members of the Evaluation Committee (Evaluators) to allow them to determine which proposal(s) is the most advantageous to the State.

2. Evaluators will individually review and evaluate proposals and complete an Individual Score Worksheet for each proposal. Individual scoring for each Evaluation Criteria will be based on the scoring description in Table B: Scoring Table.

TABLE B: SCORING TABLE

SCORE	DESCRIPTION
10	The response provides metrics clearly establishing that the Prospective Contractor is reliable and capable of fully performing the required services.
5	The response provides metrics suggesting that the Prospective Contractor’s level of performance may be acceptable, but it does not clearly establish that the Prospective Contractor is reliable and capable of fully performing the required services.
0	The response provides metrics clearly establishing that the Prospective Contractor is unreliable and incapable of fully performing the required services.

3. After initial individual evaluations are complete, the Evaluators will meet to discuss their individual scores. At the initial consensus meeting, each Evaluator will be afforded an opportunity to discuss his or her score for each evaluation criteria.

4. After Evaluators have had an opportunity to discuss their individual scores with the committee, the Evaluators will be given the opportunity to change their initial individual scores, if they feel that is appropriate.

5. The final individual scores of the Evaluators will be recorded on the Consensus Scoresheets and averaged to determine the group or consensus score and rank for each proposal.

6. Other agencies, consultants, and experts may also examine documents at the discretion of the Department.

C. Prospective Contractors submitting Responsive Proposals will be contacted by the Buyer to schedule an interview.

1. Prospective Contractors shall attend the interview as scheduled by the Buyer.

2. Evaluators will complete an Individual Score Worksheet for each interview. Evaluation will be based on Prospective Contractor’s responses to questions presented during the interview Individual scoring for each interview will be based on the Scoring Descriptions in Table B.

3. During a final consensus meeting, after all interviews are complete, Evaluators will have the opportunity to discuss the interviews and change their individual interview scores on the Consensus Scoresheet, if they feel that is appropriate.

a. The final individual scores of the Evaluators will be recorded on the Consensus Scoresheets and averaged to determine the group or consensus score and rank for each proposal.

4. Should the State receive only one (1) Responsive Proposal, the State may forgo the interview portion of the evaluation if the proposal has received the Maximum Weighted Score Possible for the Experience, Solution, and Risk subsections.

a. In this scenario, the proposal would automatically receive the maximum weighted score possible for the interview subsection.

D. Should the State request clarification and/or additional information Prospective Contractors’ responses, Prospective Contractors shall provide clarification and/or additional information as specified by the State.

E. The Buyer will submit responses and pricing received from the interviewed Perspective Contractors, along with the Evaluation Committee’s recommendation to the Department for review and approval to move into Discussions.

3.2 TECHNICAL PROPOSAL SCORE

A. The Information for Evaluation section has been divided into subsections.

1. Each subsection has been assigned a maximum point value of ten (10) points. The total point value for each subsection is reflected in the table below as the Maximum Raw Points Possible.

2. The Department has assigned Weighted Percentages to each subsection according to its significance.

INFORMATION FOR EVALUATION SUBSECTIONS	MAXIMUM RAW POINTS POSSIBLE		SUBSECTION’S WEIGHTED PERCENTAGE	* MAXIMUM WEIGHTED SCORE POSSIBLE
Experience	10		25%	175
Solution	10		25%	175
Risk	10		10%	70
Interview	10		40%	280
Total Technical Score	40		100%	700

*Subsection’s Percentage Weight x Total Technical Maximum Weighted Score = Maximum Weighted Score Possible for the subsection.

B. The proposal’s weighted score for each subsection will be determined using the following formula:

(A/B)*C =D

A = Actual Raw Points received for subsection in evaluation B = Maximum Raw Points possible for subsection C = Maximum Weighted Score possible for subsection D = Weighted Score received for subsection

C. The proposal’s weighted scores for subsections will be added to determine the Total Technical Score for the proposal.

3.3 COST SCORE

A. When scores are applied to pricing, the maximum amount of cost points will be given to the proposal with the lowest Total Projected Cost as shown in Table One (1) on the completed Official Solicitation Price Sheet. (See Grand Total Score for maximum points possible for cost score.)

B. The State reserves the right to determine that received costs from any vendor are unreasonable (too high for the requirements of the Solicitation) or unrealistic (too low to reflect the ability of the offeror to meet the requirements of the Solicitation). When it is determined by the State that pricing is potentially unrealistic or unreasonable, the State may request an offeror to clarify elements of pricing, and the offeror may be removed from consideration for a Solicitation, at the sole discretion of the State.

C. The amount of cost points given to the remaining proposals will be allocated by using the following formula:

(A/B)*C =D

A = Lowest estimated cost B = Second (third, fourth, etc.) lowest estimated cost C = Maximum Points for lowest estimated cost D = Total price points received

3.4 GRAND TOTAL SCORE

A. The Technical Score and Cost Score will be added together to determine the Grand Total Score for the proposal.

B. The State may move forward to Discussions with the Prospective Contractor determined reasonably susceptible of being selected for award.

	MAXIMUM POINTS POSSIBLE
Technical Proposal	700
Cost	300
Maximum Possible Grand Total Score	1,000

3.5 EXPLANATION OF THE SUBSECTIONS OF THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

A. Experience

1. The Experience subsection included in the Technical Proposal Packet allows Prospective Contractors to differentiate themselves based on their experience, technical capability, and understanding of the State’s specific needs.

2. Prospective Contractors should identify expertise in the form of a claim and provide relevant experience to support each claim.

3. Prospective Contractors should use verifiable metrics (number of accounts, size of accounts, years of experience, customer satisfaction ratings) to support each claim.

4. Prospective Contractors should include resumes for all staff they project to be involved in their Solution. The resumes will not count against the 2-page submission limit.

B. Solution

1. The Solution subsection included in the Technical Proposal Packet allows Prospective Contractors to differentiate themselves based on their proposed solution and/or approach to solve the State’s specific needs.

2. Prospective Contractors should provide a high-level overview of the Prospective Contractor’s proposed solution and/or approach to services using the Requirements outlined in the RFP.

3. Proposed solutions should be non-technical and include the Prospective Contractor’s recommendations for meeting the objectives and Requirements of the RFP.

4. Additional service options and recommendations above and beyond those included in proposed solution should be included in the Recommended Options Form.

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