Children's Health Insurance Program Solicitation No.: INS CHIP ...

Children's Health Insurance Program
Solicitation No.: INS CHIP 2008-4
Questions and Answers
Updated August 11, 2008
The Question and Answer Period has been extended until no later than 5:00
p.m. on Friday, August 8, 2008. See "CHIP RFP Addendum - DGS Website -
UPDATED 08-06-08 PM." If an Offeror has any questions regarding this RFP, the Offeror must
submit the questions by email (with the subject line "INS CHIP RFP 2008-4
Question") to the Issuing Officer named in Part I, Section I-3 of the RFP:
Chris Morrow, Pennsylvania Insurance Department, CHIP and adultBasic
Office, 333 Market Street, Lobby Level, Harrisburg, PA 17120, RA-IN-
CHIPInformation@state.pa.us. Questions must be submitted via email no
later than the date indicated on the Calendar of Events, July 23, 2008.
The Offeror shall not attempt to contact the Issuing Officer by any other
means. The Issuing Officer shall post the answers to the questions on the
DGS website by the date stated on the Calendar of Events, July 29, 2008. All questions and responses as posted on the DGS website are considered as
an addendum to, and part of, this RFP in accordance with this RFP Part I,
Section I-9. Each Offeror shall be responsible to monitor the DGS website
for new or revised RFP information. The Issuing Office shall not be bound
by any verbal information nor shall it be bound by any written information
that is not either contained within the RFP or formally issued as an
addendum by the Issuing Office. The Issuing Office does not consider
questions to be a protest of the specifications or of the solicitation.
The required protest process for Commonwealth procurements is described on
the DGS website. See Section I-29 of the RFP. ************************************************************************ Question 1: I noted the response template is in PDF. This makes it
difficult to use the tables as noted in the PDF document. Can the PID
copy the response template into a Word document that all respondents can
use? (July 3, 2008) Answer 1: For your convenience, both Appendices F and G, the RFP Response
Template and the Confirmation Certificate, have been uploaded in Word
format. Please feel free to use the Word documents if this makes your
responses easier to provide.
Question 2: Is there any email list you maintain so we can be alerted to
any changes in this RFP, or other RFP opportunities? Or do we just look
for changes on this website?
http://www.emarketplace.state.pa.us/GeneralEdit.aspx?SID=INS%20CHIP%202008-
4 (July 7, 2008)
Answer 2: One of the documents posted with RFP Number INS CHIP 2008-4 is
entitled "Questions and Answers." The Department is required to make all
questions and answers available to all potential bidders; therefore, all
submitted questions and all responses provided by the Department will be
listed in this evolving document. As updates are provided, the title will
be revised, e.g., "Questions and Answers 07/07/08." The Department will
provide answers to all questions as soon as possible after receipt to
allow for follow-on questions.
As stated in the RFP at Section I-9, each Offeror is responsible for
monitoring the website
(http://www.emarketplace.state.pa.us/GeneralEdit.aspx?SID=INS%20CHIP%202008
-4) for new or revised RFP information. Please be sure to monitor this
"Questions and Answers" document. The Department will not send out
notifications via email.
As a reminder, you may submit questions to RA-IN-
CHIPInformation@state.pa.us on or before July 23, 2008, at 5:00 p.m.
Contact through any other means is prohibited. Answers to all written
questions will be posted on the RFP Internet Website no later than 5:00
p.m. on July 29, 2008.
Finally, for those interested in potential procurement opportunities with
the CHIP and adultBasic Office, persons may contact the Office at 717-705-
4198 and request to have a name and email address added to a distribution
list used for general notifications to those who have expressed an
interest in potential procurement opportunities within the CHIP and
adultBasic Office.
Question 3: We've noticed that the RFP does not contain any mention of an
autism benefit. Does the recently passed autism mandate apply to CHIP?
If so, please describe the benefits which should be provided and included
in the rate submitted. Stated differently, is the Pennsylvania Insurance
Department mandating any autism related benefits as part of the 2008 CHIP
RFP? If so, can the PID be extremely specific as to what types of
benefits and maximums would be associated with this. (July 8, 2008) Answer 3: The autism mandate in HB 1150, as passed by the General
Assembly on July 3, 2008, "applies to any contract executed on or after
July 1, 2009," and therefore is not in effect at this time. Prior to that
implementation date (and continuing thereafter), contractors will be
expected to determine eligibility for autism services through the Medical
Assistance program. This is consistent with the requirement in Part IV-3,
A.5 of the RFP that "Each successful Offeror must have protocols in place
to identify persons who may be eligible for Medicaid categories of
coverage for which federal funds are available (e.g., pregnant women,
persons with temporary or permanent disabilities, patients that may
require transplants, etc.). Protocols must include actions at time of
application and renewal as well as periodic reviews of utilization data
throughout the enrollment cycle. Each Offeror is required to describe its
process for identifying persons who may be eligible for Medicaid
categories of coverage for which federal funds are available in the RFP
Response Template at Appendix F, Part IV-3, A.5." Additional autism
benefits required by the mandate for enrollees not eligible for autism
services through the Medical Assistance program will be incorporated into
the contractors' duties and rates, as appropriate, in subsequent contract
years.
Question 4: Please describe how detailed the information should be when
responding to items A and B under Tab 4. These appear to be somewhat
redundant. Please provide a list of all key executive and professional
personnel you expect to see in the response. For which positions in item
A would you want a resume for item B? Also, how is the information in this section any different from what is
expected in IV-4 Requirements? (July 8, 2008) Answer 4: The questions above pertain to pages 3 and 15 of Appendix F,
the RFP Response Template. Tab 4, Personnel, questions a and b, are
reiterated below for ease in understanding the Department's response: a. Provide a list of executive and professional personnel who will be
engaged in the work and show where they will be physically
located. Attach a job description for each position.
b. Identify key personnel such as project manager and Offeror's
administrator. Provide a resume or similar document with
education and experience in operations and delivery of children's
health insurance. Indicate the responsibilities each individual
will have in this project and how long they have been with the
company. The responses should be detailed enough to provide the Department with a
full understanding of the personnel with responsibilities for the day-to-
day operations (i.e., "engaged in the work") and the management oversight
of the Children's Health Insurance Program if the Offeror would receive a
contract under this RFP. In item a, the Department would expect a more
comprehensive list of the executive and professional personnel along with
job descriptions for each. It is not possible for the Department to list
specific job titles expected in the response as these vary from company to
company. Examples could include but are not limited to the administrator
for CHIP, the marketing and outreach coordinator, the manager of the
company's information technology department, the head of the company's
government affairs office, the supervisor for the company's consumer
hotline or call center, etc. For item b, the Offeror should identify the person(s) who will be the main
administrator(s) or project manager(s) for CHIP. This individual(s)
should already be listed among the executive and professional personnel
mentioned in item a, but will be specifically identified in item b as the
administrator(s) or project manager(s) for CHIP. The Department has
requested this specific clarification because the variation in job titles
among companies does not always make it clear to the Department who is
being identified as the CHIP project manager. A resume must be attached
for the position(s) identified by the Offeror in item b, in addition to
the other requirements listed. Examples include but are not limited to
positions identified as senior director, manager, CHIP program
coordinator, manager of operations, etc. On page 15, IV-4 Requirements, a table is provided which asks Offerors to
list specific management functions including the individuals' name, title,
and location. This differs from the question on page 3 in that it asks
for information about individuals who may or may not be directly engaged
in the work for CHIP, e.g., the administrator who has clear authority over
the entire operation of the insurer, chief financial officer, etc., and it
requires a response for subcontracted activities. The Department
recognizes that some questions will be redundant, e.g., the