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ADDENDUM ISUBJECT:Request for Proposal (RFP) for Criminal Background Checks, (RFP 21-062, RFx 6100013893), Scheduledto Open: May 7, 2021; Date of Issue: April 6, 2021FROM:Denise Gómez Esquivel, C.P.M., CPPBProcurement AdministratorDATE:April 30, 2021THIS NOTICE SHALL SERVE AS ADDENDUM NO. I - TO THE ABOVE REFERENCED REQUEST FORPROPOSALSTHE ABOVE MENTIONED REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS IS HEREBY AMENDED AS FOLLOWS:1.Add: RFP Exhibit 8, Pre-submittal sign-in sheet.2.Change: Proposal Due Date is hereby changed from May 7, 2021 @ 11:00 AM CT to May 12, 2021 @ 11:00AM CTQUESTIONS SUBMITTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 007, PRE-SUBMITTAL CONFERENCE:On April 16, 2021, the City of San Antonio and the Human Resources Department hosted a Pre-Submittal Conference toprovide information and clarification for the Criminal Background Checks Request for Proposal. The following questionswere asked at the pre-submittal conference. The City’s official response to questions asked is as follows:Question 1: Once all submissions are provided, what is the process?Response: Once all responses are received the City will do a Minimum Requirements Review to ensure all of the requesteddocuments have been included in the response. From there we go through an evaluation (with interviews if determined)and a recommendation selection will be made and presented to City Council.Question 2: Would the City welcome Firms for a presentation?Response: Determination if presentation will be necessary will be made by the City in accordance with Section 012 –Evaluation of Criteria. Firms selected to make a presentation to the city will be notified.Question 3: Is it the city’s intent to collect consent forms from applicants? Is this process paper or electronic?Response: Yes, the City’s intent is to collect consent forms from applicants. The process is electronic.Question 4: Is the city open to alternatives?Response: Firms are asked to provide a response based on the scope and specifications listed in the RFP.Question 5: Is the city’s current software proprietary?Response: The software belongs to the current vendor. Therefore, it is not proprietary to the City of San Antonio.Question 6: Is there a Third Party that processes for the City?Finance Department, Purchasing DivisionPO Box 839966 San Antonio, TX 78283-3966 Tel: 210-207-5734
Response: The City of San Antonio uses a third party for criminal background checks.Question 7: Is the software oracle?Response: The software is not oracle.QUESTIONS SUBMITTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 011, RESTRICTIONS ONCOMMUNICATION:Question 8: What searches are currently included in the “Standard Check”?Response: The searches that are currently included in the standard check is a U.S. Criminal Check. A US Criminalsearch or National Criminal File Search is an expansive database search of multiple criminal record sources.Question 9: In regard to reference letters, are you requesting names and contact information or actual letters from ourreferences?Response: For reference letters, respondents are asked to provide names and contact information as well as letters.Question 10: In regard to the Driving Record Check – are you searching CDLIS or DOT employment (CFR 49)?Response: In regard to Driving Record Checks, we are searching for DOT employment (CFR 49).Question 11: Who is the incumbent?Response: Pre-employ.com.Question 12: One of the requirements is to return results back to City of San Antonio in less than 2 minutes. If a criminalrecord is conducted through a database (National Criminal Search) these then will need to be verified at the source level. Allhits discovered are confirmed by a team member to ensure accurate results which can delay the results returned to City ofSan Antonio. Also, education verification and employment verification generally take longer as we are awaitinginformation from the source OR are you only wanting us to conduct an online search such as The Work Number or NationalStudent Clearinghouse for the information?Response: For employment verifications, we are wanting online searches to be conducted such at the Work Number andother agencies that can verify. With regards to education, we are requesting a search through the National StudentClearinghouse and or agency that can verify.Question 13: What is your current average Turnaround Around Time with all searches including those searches with Hitswithin the last 12 months?Response: Unable to provide a response as any data provided would be skewed by the COVID shutdowns.Question 14: What is the current Unable to Verify rate?Response: We currently do not track the “unable to verify” rate.Question 15: What is prompting the City of San Antonio to review background screening partners?Response: The current contract for background screening services has reached contract term.Finance Department, Purchasing DivisionPO Box 839966 San Antonio, TX 78283-3966 Tel: 210-207-5734
Question 16: Who is the City of San Antonio’s partner in background screening partner?Response: Please see answer to Question 11.Question 17: What challenges, if any, are you currently facing with background screenings?Response: The only challenges are COVID related delays.Question 18: What are the top 5 priorities/ qualities that the City of San Antonio looks for in a background screeningpartner?Response: The City desires a vendor to provide pre-employment background screening services outlined in the scope ofservice indicated in the RPF. The vendor should provide a broad knowledge and experience in performing pre-employmentbackground screening services through a web-based interface.Question 19: Is the City of San Antonio open to looking at a background screening partner to support your Drug and HealthScreening program to create a complete streamline process for background screenings?Response: Please see answer to Question 4.Question 20: On page 3 – 3rd paragraph of the RFP references “stringent criminal background checks” for CIJIS, TSA andTCOLE. Can you please expand on how these types of screenings will be more stringent than others?Response: These types of screenings are more stringent than others because for CJIS and TCLOE, the submission is a tenprint fingerprint card to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) by the San Antonio Police Department for positions thatrequire logical or physical Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) access. For Transportation Security Administration(TSA), the submission is also a ten-print fingerprint card based criminal history records check (CHRC) to the Federal Bureauof Investigation (FBI) for those Airport employees who need access to restricted areas, as required by federal regulations.Question 21: Domestic Screenings:a) For the Criminal Record Check, can you please provide how you would like the proposed pricing? Adhere to setprices and not averages.i. Does the City of San Antonio run all aliases for their criminal screenings?ii. Should we provide pricing bundled with all counties (most thorough, most common and can helpwhen in reviewing budgets) or should it be single county pricing/ pay per county?iii. Similar to counties, should we price the federal districts with bundled pricing of all federal districtsor just single federal districts?b) Education Verification – can you confirm that the City of San Antonio is looking for highest degree obtained, or alldegrees obtained.c) Employment Verification – is there a maximum number of employers that the City of San Antonio is looking toverify?Response: a. (i)The city runs all aliases involved. (ii) Pricing should be single county pricing/pay per county. (iii) Federaldistricts should be single priced by federal districts. b. The city is looking to verify the highest level obtained. c. Thenumber of employers and years to be verified is based on what we are requesting.Question 22: In the packages the City of San Antonio, one of the searches is “US Criminal” – so as to not to make falseassumptions, can you please provide additional information on this.Response: The search that is currently included in the standard check is a U.S. Criminal Check. A US Criminal search orNational Criminal File Search is an expansive database search of multiple criminal record sources.Question 23: For International Check, please share with us what searches you are looking to run:a. Criminal Screenings (all aliases?) All aliases involved with the applicant being requested.b. Employment verifications – How many employers are to be verified? How many years verification? 7years? The number of employers and years to be verified is based on what we are requesting.c. Education verification – Highest degree obtained, or all degrees obtained? Highest degree obtained.Finance Department, Purchasing DivisionPO Box 839966 San Antonio, TX 78283-3966 Tel: 210-207-5734
d. Are there any additional screenings the City of San Antonio is looking to include, i.e., Identity, References,Adverse Media, etc. No, additional screenings than what is being requested as part of the RFP.*Fees vary from country to country, and we cover over 195 countries. Will an average price with a range providebe acceptable? Are you ok with my phrasing on this? We are adhering to set prices.Response: For 23.a, and 23 b. please see answer to Question 21 above. For 23 c. We are looking for highest degreeobtained. for 23 d. There are no additional screenings being requested as part of this RFP. Please note regarding the lastquestion regarding fees, we should adhere to set prices and not averages.Question 24: Are there any specific parameters or standards around the Criminal Checks and Verification the City of SanAntonio follows or do you simply follow Fed and EEOC guidelines?Response: The City of San Antonio follows and adheres to Federal and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission(EEOC ) guidelines.Question 25: Does the City of San Antonio plan to continue the collection of the consent and authorization release formsinternally or is the intent to have the background screening partner perform this step to ensure compliance?Response: The City of San Antonio currently plans to continue the collection of the consent and authorization releaseforms but it open to options of what can be provided through this RFP process.Question 26: Where is the sign in sheet to reflect our attendance in the pre-program call?Response: Sign-in sheet is provided as Exhibit 8 to the RFP.Question 27: Will you please describe the City's current process for conducting "standard checks" and obtaining resultswithin 2 minutes? Is this a national database product? How does the city process database searches that require hits to beconfirmed at the county level to ensure accuracy of the search and maintain compliance with the FCRA and other applicablelaws?Response: The City’s current process for conducting “standard checks” is being handled through a third-party vendor andis consistent with industry best practices and applicable laws.Question 28: (General Question) When sharing certain information about our company, it is our policy to request a mutualnon-disclosure agreement. Can the City please review, sign and return an attached MNDA?Response: It is not the City of San Antonio’s practice to provide MNDAs.Question 29: What prompted the City to issue this RFP?Response: Please see answer to Question 15.Question 30: (Section 004. #10) Can the City please clarify what conditions would determine whether or not a subjectwould require additional screening as identified in this Scope of Service requirement?Response: The City of San Antonio would advise on what type of check is being requested for a specific candidate and ifadditional checks are needed beyond the standard checks.Question 31 (Section 004. #12) Can the City please clarify if the required turnaround time is two minutes or two days? Ifthe former, precisely what must the selected vendor accomplish within the two-minute timeframe?Response: The vendor must receive and return the request for a check electronically on-line within two (2) minutes,provided that for multi-state checks and for international checks, the time for response may be extended for a reasonabletime. In situations where a particular background check will need a reasonable extension, the vendor is still expected tocommunicate any delay in writing and provide a response time estimate.Question 32: (Attachment B: Pricing Schedule – Section A) Is the City seeking AKA-inclusive pricing for applicableFinance Department, Purchasing DivisionPO Box 839966 San Antonio, TX 78283-3966 Tel: 210-207-5734
services?Response: Pricing must be submitted for all items listed in the RFP Attachment B, Pricing Schedule.”Question 33: (Attachment B: Pricing Schedule – Section A) What does the asterisk indicate in the line item “StandardCheck * (U.S. Criminal)? Can the City please also confirm what services are included in a “Standard Check”?Response: We can adjust the RFP to reflect our definition of the asterisk, if needed.Question 34: (Attachment B: Pricing Schedule – Section A) Are we correct in assuming that “International Check” reflectsan international criminal history search?Response: An International check reflects an international criminal history search.Question 35: (Attachment B: Pricing Schedule – Section B) Is the City seeking a single bundled price to conduct both astate and federal criminal search on a single subject?Response: The city is seeking a bundled price for both state and federal criminal search in Attachment B, Pricing Schedule– Section B.Question 36: Who is your current provider for criminal background check services? Please provide their current pricing,if possible.Response: Please see answer to Question 11.Question 37: What do you like about your current vendor relationship and services?Response: No issues.Question 38: Are there any pain points with your current provider?Response: No issues.Question 39: Why are you evaluating new providers for criminal background check services?Response: Please see answer to Question 15.Question 40: What is your anticipated start date?Response: A contract resulting from this solicitation would start January 1, 2022.Question 41: What is your estimated budget for this project?Response: Respondents are asked to submit a price schedule for their proposal.Question 42: Will you please describe the City's current process for conducting "standard checks" and obtaining resultswithin 2 minutes? Is this a national database product? How does the city process database searches that require hits to beconfirmed at the county level to ensure accuracy of the search and maintain compliance with the FCRA and other applicablelaws?Response: Please see answer to Question 27.Question 43: In the Scope of Service section, number 7 states, “City desires capability of completing release form and selfentry by a candidate, volunteer or designated department representative on-line to initiate the background check, but notdisplay results or any confidential information.” Please clarify what you mean by “not display results or any confidentialinformation.” (Please note: Once a background investigation is completed, our system allows applicants to access anelectronic PDF copy of their certified report.)Finance Department, Purchasing DivisionPO Box 839966 San Antonio, TX 78283-3966 Tel: 210-207-5734
Response: Results should only be viewable by designated HR staff. There will be staff outside of HR with access to runbackground checks. Any staff with access to run background checks outside of HR should not have access to view results.Question 44: In the Price Schedule, the City is asking for bundled package pricing options. To confirm, do you want thevendor to give a total price for 600 monthly checks to include both the standard (database) and nationwide federal criminalsearch? And this price wouldn't be different if the City did 400 versus 600 checks?Response: Please see answer to Question 35.Finance Department, Purchasing DivisionPO Box 839966 San Antonio, TX 78283-3966 Tel: 210-207-5734
1. Add: RFP Exhibit 8, Pre-submittal sign-in sheet. 2. Change: Proposal Due Date is hereby changed from May 7, 2021 @ 11:00 AM CT to May 12, 2021 @ 11:00 AM CT . QUESTIONS SUBMITTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 007, PRE-SUBMITTAL CONFERENCE: On April 16, 2021, the City of San Antonio and the Human Resources Department hosted a Pre-Submittal .
