1. Procurement

2. Request for Proposal (RFP) Solicitation Process
A RFP is the formal solicitation process ADHS uses to solicit Proposals from interested vendors for goods or services under the guidance of the Arizona Revised Statutes and Arizona Administrative Code
A RFP is the process Offerors follow to submit a detailed Proposal that meets the requirements for the goods and services ADHS needs

3. RFP Solicitation Process
Solicitation Components
State’s Uniform Instructions
ADHS Special Instructions
State’s Uniform Terms and Conditions
ADHS Special Terms and Conditions
Scope of Work
Price Sheet – now in Items Tab in ProcureAZ
Attachments
Exhibits
Offer and Acceptance

4. RFP Solicitation Process
The Pre-offer conference date is established ~ a minimum of 7 days before the due date
The due date is established ~ a minimum of 14 days “on the street”
Legal ad is placed in the newspaper
Solicitation is posted on ProcureAZ and a link from the ADHS Procurement web page

5. RFP Solicitation Process
Once the RFP is finalized and approved, it is posted to ProcureAZ
Vendors MUST be registered on ProcureAZ to ensure notification of upcoming solicitations
Not just for ADHS, but any state agency
Registration is based on the National Government Institute of Purchasing (NIGP) Codes selected
NIGP Class: 948 = Health Related Services; NIGP Class Item: 72 = Pharmaceutical Services

6. RFP Solicitation Process
ProcureAZ website address:
To view online tutorials and quick reference guides about using ProcureAZ, please access
A handout will be provided at the end of the session of the Registration Quick Reference Guide and FAQs

7. RFP Solicitation Process
A Pre-Offer Conference is held a minimum of 7 days before the close of the Solicitation
It is not required that Offerors attend the Pre-Offer Conference, but it is strongly encouraged
The Pre-Offer Conference is to make sure the intent of the RFP is clearly understood

8. RFP Solicitation Process
The Procurement Officer:
Will request each Vendor sign in prior to the meeting
This is a public record of everyone who attended and a copy may be requested by other Vendors so did not attend
If a Conference call is schedule to increase attendees, each Vendor must notify the Procurement Officer in advance of their intent to participate and state their name and organization at the start of the meeting
Discuss the intent of the Uniform Instructions and the Uniform Terms and Conditions
Discuss the intent of the Special Instructions and Special Terms and Conditions
ENCOURAGE all Vendors to read and understand the entire document. Signing the Offer and Acceptance is binding and an awarded Contractor will be held to those conditions

9. RFP Solicitation Process
A Subject Matter Expert(s) will attend from the ADHS program to answer questions related to the Scope of Work, Attachments and Exhibits
No minutes are taken or distributed from the Pre-Offer Conference
Only to discuss the ADHS’ intent, and to determine whether the requirements are clearly understood
Nothing that is said should be considered a revision to the written RFP that is posted
ANY changes as a result of the Pre-Offer Meeting will be provided by a Solicitation Amendment

10. RFP Solicitation Process
The Proposal is due by the due date and time on the Solicitation cover page
The standard time is 3:00 P.M. local Arizona time
Late Offers will not be accepted; ProcureAZ will close the Solicitation and you will not be able to continue
Be sure to begin the process as early as possible on the date due; preferably the day before
Do not wait until 2:00 p.m. or later as this is a statewide web-based system and timing will be dependent on your server, your internet service provider capabilities and the number of other vendors in the system at that time responding to Solicitations
A handout will be provided at the end of the session of the Responding to a Solicitation Quick Reference Guide

11. RFP Solicitation Process
Questions are permitted until the date stated in the Solicitation
Questions must be submitted in writing in ProcureAZ
The Procurement Officer will respond and all Vendors will be able to view all questions submitted and ADHS’ response
Any question that revises the RFP will be addressed in a Solicitation Amendment

12. RFP Solicitation Process
After the close of the Solicitation on the due date the Evaluation Process begins
An Evaluation Team reviews the submitted Proposals and scores them using a pre-determined evaluation tool and the evaluation criteria stated in the Special Instructions

13. RFP Solicitation Process
The Evaluation Process consists of:
Initial review and scoring
Clarifications
Negotiations
Final Proposal Revision
Final review and scoring
Recommendation for award

14. RFP Solicitation Process
After the initial Consensus meeting an Offeror may be asked to respond to Clarifications
After the initial Consensus meeting Offerors reasonably susceptible for award may be asked to participate in negotiations
After negotiations the Offeror will submit a Final Proposal Revision
The FPR is reviewed, discussed and scored using the same tool and criteria

15. RFP Solicitation Process
Upon final Consensus scoring a recommendation for award is made by the Evaluators to the Chief Procurement Officer
If the CPO is in agreement the awarded Contractor(s) and all bidders will be notified of the award
After award the Solicitation file is available for review by interested parties via ProcureAZ

16. Request for Grant Application (RFGA) Process
The RFGA process matches the RFP process but under different Statute
The submission is called an Application
The vendor submitting is called an Applicant
RFGAs advertise for a minimum of 6 weeks versus 14 days for a RFP
The evaluation scoring in by color versus points: green, blue, orange, yellow, purple and red

17. Questions?