ATTACHMENT A



ADDENDUM 1

DATE: November 18, 2013

PROJECT: LocumTenens Services

ITB NO: 744-1406 - LocumTenens Services

OWNER: University of Texas Health Science Center

Houston, Texas

TO: Prospective Proposers

This Addendum forms part of and modifies Proposal Documents dated, October 23, 2013, with amendments and additions noted below.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS

1. Per the timeline, the due date of the HSP is Tuesday, Nov. 26th.  However, per this section, it says to submit HSP 7 days prior to the due date.  Which date does the University prefer for compliance?

It is recommended that ALL HSPs be reviewed by the HUB manager 7 DAYS prior to the HSP due date, thus allowing for correction and compliance.   Final submission is due on Tuesday, November 26, 2013.

2. Are rates for Psychiatrists a specialty we should include?  (it is not on the list).  Our agency currently has an executed contract & rates for Locum Psychiatrists which we staff at Harris County Psych Center.  Does this IFB include that specialty as well?  Or will Psychiatry/Behavioral Health remain a separate contract?

At this time, rates for Psychiatrists are not required. However once the vendor(s) is/are selected it may be requested if the scope changes.

3. Owner’s and Contractor’s Protective insurance, in our experience, is purchased for the owner of a construction project.  Does it apply to this type of service contract? 

Yes; because these are subcontractors you are responsible for.

4. Will vendors who choose Option One (to not subcontract) be considered non-responsive? No.

5. If so, as an out of state vendor, are we required to secure a TX certified HUB prior to submitting a response? No.

6. Is UTHSC-H currently responsible for the staffing of Locum Tenens physicians at all of the entities as written on Page 16, Physician Specialties? No; these services are per a local contract.

7. Are you wanting us to only “affirm” that we are not suspended, debarred, or listed in any of the websites as written in Section 6, Execution of Offer, #7 (a) – (f)?  Yes.

8. Or do you want us to include verification that we have in fact checked these websites and are not suspended, debarred, or listed on them? This is not required.

9. What is the Term on this Contract? How many years? Usually UTHSC-Houston contracts are for one year.

10. Are there Option Years after the completion of the Term, and if so, how many Option Years? Usually there are four one year renewal options.

11. If this contract is for multiple years, are we allowed to have any Pricing Increase?     During the renewal process, a Contractor can request that UTHealth consider a request.

12. Does UTHSC-H currently utilize a Vendor Manager for this Contract? No.

13. If yes, what is the Vendor Manager’s Fee? N/A

14. If not, does UTHSC-H anticipate utilizing a Vendor Manager for the Term of this Contract? A possibility may exist in the future.

15. Should UTHSC-H make the decision to utilize a Vendor Manager during the Term of this Contract, will the staffing firms be allowed to adjust their Pricing? Yes.

16. Can we add additional information / clarification on specialties to the chart of Payment of Services in Section 7 on Page 22? No; but you may include a separate chart with that information.

17. Would a rate range for each specialty be accepted? No.

18. Is UT Health the exclusive provider for Primary Care physicians for Harris County Jail? No.

19. Would this contract with UT Health supersede a current contract in place directly with Harris County Correctional for primary care staffing?  No. They are separate entities.

20. On the Radiology specialty, would it be limited to general radiology or should the rate include specialties like interventional radiology? Only general rates are required at this time. Although, you may include a separate chart with rates for other specialties available or the rates may be requested once the contract is awarded.

21. Which facilities would the Emergency Medicine and Pediatric Emergency Medicine physicians be covering? That cannot be answered at this time. Multiple departments will utilize this contract and their needs will vary.

22. Which facilities would the Neuro Critical Care Physicians be covering? That cannot be answered at this time. Multiple departments will utilize this contract and their needs will vary.

23. Would the scope of work for the Neuro Critical Care Physicians include intensivist work / rounding on the ICU? If so, which ICUs. That cannot be answered at this time. Multiple departments will utilize this contract and their needs will vary.

24. Which facilities would the CV Surgeons be covering? That cannot be answered at this time. Multiple departments will utilize this contract and their needs will vary.

25. What documentation is required or acceptable regarding our company’s financials if Dunn Broadstreet analysis is not available?   An audited set of financials from within the past 24 months is acceptable.

26. Can we provide additional information on our performance and longtime contractual history with UT Health as a cover letter or addendum? Yes.

27. Does the ITB and subsequent contract allow a staffing firm to use Residents only in the two “Physician Specialties” indicated (Neuro Critical Care with Other Residents; and Neuro Critical Care with Residents), or are Residents able to be utilized in all of the “Physician Specialties”? This cannot be answered at this time. It will depend on the preferences of each department.

28. What is the Number of Hours staffed by Staffing Firms, in the most recent twelve (12) month period for which you have these Numbers available?    We don’t track these numbers as they are maintained on a departmental basis.

29. The ITB requests Social Security Numbers of persons who own at least 25% of Respondent’s business.  Due to the need for all Respondent’s to protect their Social Security Numbers in this age of increasing Social Security Number fraud, may we omit the Number from this page, but give it to you via email or some other means? Yes.

30. Conversely, if you need the Social Security Number in order to run a background check(s) on the Respondents, may we run the background check(s) and submit it as part of our Bid Response? N/A

31. Regarding Holiday and Overtime Pay, will the Locum Tenens be staffed on either Holidays and/or into Overtime?     Please refer to revised table in Section 7 Pricing Schedule and submit this version with your bid.

32. If yes, where do you want us to include the Salary and Bill Rates for Holiday and Overtime?   Please refer to revised table in Section 7 Pricing Schedule and submit this version with your bid.

33. If yes, what are the UTHSC-H approved Holidays?    

Holidays from September 2013 until August 2014 are:

Labor Day, September 2

Thanksgiving, November 28-29

Winter Holidays, December 24-26

New Year’s Day, January 1

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 20

Presidents’ Day, February 17

Memorial Day, May 26

Independence Day, July 4

For a complete schedule, visit

34. What are the payment terms? (ex. Net 30) The University’s payment terms are net 30 days.

35. Can we get a sample copy of the contract? Refer to the Bid Opportunities webpage where the ITB is posted.

36. Will changes be allowed to the contract language? Yes If so, is the language negotiation done during proposal or after award? Negotiations will be after proposal submission but before contract award.

37. Are the anticipated needs full time? Specific needs will vary by department.

38. Do you know how many needs you currently have? No; specific needs vary by department. If so, what specialties? N/A

39. What is the annual spend for this contract? Spend varies by department. Approximate spend for FY12 (September 2011 thru August 2012) was $425,000.

40. What facilities will fall under this contract? All University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston departments may utilize this contract.

41. Could you use Psychiatry Physicians? Yes. If so, can we add that specialty and pricing? Yes. You may include a separate chart with rates for other specialties available or the rates may be requested once the contract is awarded.

42. Could you use Nurse Practitioners (Psychiatric or Primary Care)? It is not required at this time but the scope may be altered during contract negotiations. If so, can we add that specialty and pricing? Although, you may include a separate chart with rates for other specialties available or the rates may be requested once the contract is awarded.

43. Can we remove the requirement to provide a copy of our insurance policies? No-a sample certificate must be provided with your proposal.    An insurance certificate with the amounts indicated in the contract must be presented once the award is made.

44. Does Exhibit A only have to be submitted if we are going to sub-contract? No. It is required for all submissions for the ITB.

45. Who are your current vendors? The current vendors are: Millenia Physician Placement, Physician Resources, Inc., Staff Care, Inc., and Whitaker Medical.

46. What is the pricing for your current vendors? This cannot be disclosed during the formal solicitation process.

47. Will more than one vendor be awarded? Yes

48. Will the final contract be available to vendors for review prior to submitting the formal bid? No.

49. Please define “Delivery schedule” Delivery terms will be negotiated when the actual contract is written.

50. Please verify the expectation or definition to complete the “Certifications” section under the Pricing requirements Certifications may include Board Certifications, ACLS, PALS, etc…

51. Will the “Hourly” section be inclusive to all fees/expenses associated with the Locum Tenens specialty coverage? Yes. Will there be a separate line item to allow for these additional charges? No.

52. Are both the Hourly and Salary sections required? *As Salary typically refers to Employment versus Independent contractors* Please refer to revised table in Section 7 Pricing Schedule and submit this version with your bid.

53. Will the final contract have Employee language similar to the ITB or will it be more in line with the services sought and incorporate Independent contract language? The latter- it will be more in line with the services sought and it will incorporate independent contract language.

54. Are vendors that qualify and are awarded the bid obligated to sign the final contract if it is not available for review prior to submitting their bid? *If language in the actual contract is not in line with the standards of the vendor specific to the Locum Tenens language needed to comply. The contract will be constructed and negotiated after the Bid is awarded. You should review the sample agreement which is posted with the ITB on the Bid Opportunities webpage.

55. Our locum tenens providers are not employee and are independent contractors.  We provide A++ rated occurrence professional liability insurance in the amounts of $1,000,000/$3,000,000 but do not provide workers’ comp since they are not w-2 employees and it is not required by law.  Please confirm this is acceptable.   Yes.

56. Should we list call and call back hours separately?    Call and call back hours can be noted separately in bid package.

57. Can we bill airfare, car rental, gas and hotel or apartment separately or do you want it included in the hourly rate? Travel fees should be incorporated in the hourly rate.   

58. How are we protected if our candidate accepts a permanent position with you?  Can we bill a flat rate perm fee and add that language?    This can be discussed if required; at this time it is not.

59. Is orientation required?  If yes, can we bill regular hourly rate for orientation?    Any on site hours should be chargeable.

60. What is the cancelation policy for a confirmed provider and if not listed, can we add 30 days?   We can cancel a provider at any time; it will be in the contract.

61. What protection do we have that you will not work directly with a candidate we submit or work them through another agency after we submit them?  Can we add that language so we are protected for two years?   Language can be negotiated into the Agreement for awarded vendors if required.

END OF ADDENDUM 1

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