Presentation by ET Marchak Consulting November 30, :45 pm – 3:00 pm

 Purpose of the Session  Background  The Procurement Process  Questions Page 2

Page 3  Provide an overview of the Government of Alberta’s procurement process so that you understand: ◦ The process you will need to follow ◦ The content you will need to provide  Provide some tips for preparing your responses to the PQR’s and ultimately the RFP’s  Answer questions you may have

What is the Government of Alberta proposing? Page 4

 Human Services has provided Contracted Service Providers with information about the proposed Pre- Qualified Request (PQR) process that will be introduced in 2016  Human Services intends to implement four new PQRs for the 2016/17 fiscal year for the following service categories: ◦ services to individuals with disabilities ◦ child and family services ◦ transportation services ◦ specialized assessments and consultation with health professionals Page 5

 Information sessions are currently being conducted across the province to provide more information about the proposed PQR process  Preliminary feedback from the sessions is that there is still confusion (and concern) around how the new process will contribute to a better quality of life for people with developmental disabilities Page 6

How will it work and what will it include? Page 7

 Step 1 – A PQR process to establish a PQR list  Step 2 – An RFP process to select the most qualified service provider to deliver specific services Page 8

Q Q Page 9 Identify Need Identify Need Determine Requirements Determine Requirements PQR Human Services Alberta Purchasing Connection Service Providers APC Review Responses Prepare PQR List Prepare PQR List End PQR List Document Qualifications Submit Response PQR Start

Page 10 Start Determine Requirements Review PQR List Human Services Alberta Purchasing Connection Pre-qualified Service Providers Document Qualifications Submit Response Review Responses Select Service Provider End PQR List Multiple Qualified Service Providers? No Prepare RFP Yes RFP

 Four PQR’s will be issued: ◦ Specialized Assessments and Consultation with Health Professionals ◦ Transportation Services ◦ Disability Services ◦ Child and Family Services  Each PQR will have multiple services to which you may be asked to respond  You will need to demonstrate that you meet a set of “minimum requirements” for each service you want to be pre-qualified for  You must decide whether your will respond to one or more PQR’s, and/or one or more services within each PQR Page 11 TIP #1 – Start thinking now about which services within each PQR you will be qualified to perform, and focus on building your credentials for these as soon as possible.

 Each PQR will likely have the following elements: ◦ Issue date, closing date, closing time – VERY important ◦ Definitions (i.e., terminology used throughout the PQR) ◦ Introduction (to describe the purpose of the PQR) ◦ Specific Requirements (for each of the services covered by the PQR); this section MAY include:  Mandatory Requirements – skills or credentials that MUST be met to qualify  Desirable Requirements – skills or credentials that SHOULD exist, the absence of which will not preclude you from being on the PQR list ◦ Response Guidelines – specific instructions about how to submit your response – pay careful attention to these ◦ Response Evaluation – how the responses are evaluated ◦ PQR Administration Terms and Conditions (e.g., Questions, Confidentiality) Page 12 TIP #2 – Search for and highlight the words MANDATORY, MUST, WILL, SHALL in the PQR as soon as you download it.

 The PQR process is about getting on the PQR list  First and foremost, make absolutely sure you meet all mandatory requirements ◦ Response delivered in the appropriate format before the closing time on the closing date ◦ The response signed by an authorized person from your organization (the PQR may have a pre-defined “cover sheet”; if it does, use it) ◦ If you claim that you have certain experience, back it up with specific examples and/or references ◦ Pay attention to the “Response Guidelines” (if included). If the response is to be completed a certain way, follow the instructions to the letter. If it is unclear, ASK for clarification. Page 13 TIP #3 – You can’t respond to an RFP if you are not on the PQR list. Job 1 is to get on the list.

 Assuming you make it to the PQR List, you are eligible to receive RFP’s for specific services.  However, you should confirm that ALL service providers who pre-qualify for a particular service will receive an RFP  RFP’s will likely require more detailed information including: ◦ Cost and/or work effort involved in delivery of services ◦ Skills and credentials of individuals who will be performing the work ◦ References (both organizational and personal)  More information will be required, so more time will need to be spent preparing a response to an RFP Page 14 TIP #4 – Consider partnering with other service providers to demonstrate greater capacity and capability to deliver services

 Assuming the PQR process proceeds as planned, there are a few things to remember: ◦ You can’t help your clients if you are not “selected” to deliver the services for them ◦ You can’t be “selected” if you aren’t “pre-qualified” ◦ You can’t be “pre-qualified” if you don’t respond to the PQR Page 15 TIP #5 – Until the PQR process is changed or no longer used, do everything you can to put your best foot forward.

Questions Page 16

Contact Information: Ed Marchak at ET Marchak Consulting Page 17