METADATA
last updated: 2026-03-06 by BA
file_name: 2021-02-01_School Testing_San Francisco Unified School District - COVID Testing Implementation and Coordination.md
file_date: 2021-02-01
title: San Francisco Unified School District - COVID Testing Implementation and Coordination (Feb 2021)
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subcategory: external-programs-reports
tags: school testing, san francisco
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summary_short: San Francisco Unified School District’s February 2021 RFP seeks an end-to-end vendor to run a 12–18 month asymptomatic COVID-19 testing program for students and staff, including registration/scheduling/results, staffing and site operations, lab testing, reporting, and billing. It specifies high-volume capacity (up to 1,000–5,000 tests/day initially, with targets up to 10,000–15,000 weekly), 24–48 hour turnaround goals, multilingual access, data integration with district systems, and compliance with HIPAA/FERPA and California reporting standards. The document also lays out the procurement timeline, minimum qualifications checklist, and proposal evaluation criteria for selecting one or more contractors.


CONTENT

San Francisco Unified School District RFP SFC 2021

***INTERNAL TITLE:*** END-TO-END COVID-19 STUDENT & STAFF ASYMPTOMATIC TESTING SERVICES

### Background
The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) seeks to provide student and staff COVID-19 asymptomatic testing for the next 12-18 months to mitigate the spread of the disease and protect the health and safety of the SFUSD community.

To this end, SFUSD seeks a firm to integrate, assemble, and manage end-to-end testing of SFUSD students and staff. The asymptomatic testing program should have the operational flexibility to adapt to multiple testing contexts, populations, and advancements in science and technology. Critical COVID-19 end-to-end testing services include, but are not limited to, the following Scope of Work:
A. Project management, data management, and reporting
B. Registration, Scheduling, Resulting, Reporting
C. Staffing & On-Site Management of test sites
D. Other On-Site Logistics and Supplies
E. Lab Testing
F. Billing

### Anticipated Contract Term
The anticipated contract term for the contract resulting from this RFP is one (1) year, with the option to extend the contract for two (2) additional years. The actual contract term may vary but in no case would last longer than three (3) years. The contract term will depend upon service and project needs and will be at SFUSD's sole discretion. Contractor must be available to commence work on or before March 15, 2021.

### Anticipated Daily COVID-19 Testing Volume
On or before March 15, 2021, the selected end-to-end testing team should be capable of processing up to 1,000-5,000 COVID-19 tests per day, six days per week, at SFUSD sites and mobile units as needed.

Interested parties should follow the link to view and download the bid package:
https://www.sfusd.edu/partnering-sfusd/current-rfps-rfqs-rfos-rfis

Please look for the "RFP for End-to-End Covid-19 Aysmptomatic Testing Services" under "Current RFPs, RFQs, RFOs & RFIs". All related documents for this RFP will be posted here. Responses to the RFP must be received by the District's Purchasing Department, on or before the due date and time specified herein. Proposals received after the due date and time will be rejected.
- Proposals must be submitted electronically as attachments to the District's Director of Procurement at UdomA@sfusd.edu. The RFP number and the name must be included in the subject line of the email. Proposals submitted by any means other than as stipulated here will not be considered.
- Proposers are required to respond according to the instructions indicated in the RFP. Proposers shall respond utilizing the format, forms and other criteria indicated in the RFP. Proposals that do not comply with the format, forms and other instructions indicated, may be rejected.
- The District reserves the right to refuse any and all proposals, and to waive any irregularities or informalities in any proposal. To preserve the integrity of this RFP, the proposers are prohibited from contacting any individual associated with the District, including but not limited to employees and Board members, other than the individual listed herein. The District reserves the right to amend this RFP as necessary.
- All materials submitted to the District in response to this RFP shall remain the property of the District.
- The District shall not be responsible for the costs of preparing any proposal in response to the RFP.

| Schedule* | |
|-------|------|
| RFP Issued | 2.1.2021 |
| Deadline for RFP Questions | 2-8-2021 (1pm PT) |
| RFP Answers available online | 2-10-2021 (5pm PT) |
| Deadline for Email for Intent to Respond | 2-15-2021 (3pm PT) |
| **Deadline for RFP Proposals** | 2.22.2021 (5pm PT) |
| Notice of Intent to Award a Contract | **3.05.2021** |
| Asymptomatic Surveillance testing begins | 03.15.2021 |
||

### Terms and abbreviations used throughout this RFP include:
a. **Asymptomatic Testing** - Testing of individuals who are not exhibiting COVID 19-like symptoms. Asymptomatic testing can be used for surveillance or screening (described below).

b. **Asymptomatic Screening Testing** - Screening testing is indicated for situations associated with higher risk (higher community transmission, individuals at higher risk of transmission (e.g., adults and high school and usually occurs a cadence of every 2 weeks or less frequently, to understand whether schools have higher or lower rates of COVID19 rates than the community, to guide decisions about safety for schools and school administrators, and to inform LHDs about district level in-school rates.

c. **Asymptomatic Surveillance Testing** - Surveillance testing may include frequent regular testing of all staff and students at a regular cadence or periodic testing in a sample of staff or students, as guided by the California Department of Public Health, the San Francisco Department of Public Health, or other state or federal public health authority.

d. **CARES Act** – The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020.

e. **COVID-19** – The disease caused by the new coronavirus that is called SARS-CoV-2, or sometimes "novel coronavirus."

f. **FERPA** - The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

g. **Firm** – Any business entity including, but not limited to, companies, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and individuals.

h. **HCP** – licensed/certified and trained health care provider.

i. **HIPAA** – The Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information (Privacy Rule) establishes a set of national standards for the protection of certain health information. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued the Privacy Rule to implement the requirement of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).

j. **Patients** - SFUSD staff and students

k. **PPE** – Personal protective equipment (PPE) refers to protective clothing, helmets, gloves, face shields, goggles, facemasks, and/or respirators or other equipment designed to protect the wearer from injury or the spread of infection or illness.

l. **Proposal** – A Proposer's written response submitted in response to this Request for Proposals. Also called a Response.

m. **Proposer** – Any entity and its subcontracted partners that submits a proposal to this Request for Proposals

n. **RFP** – This request for proposals

o. **San Francisco Unified School District or SFUSD** - The San Francisco Unified School District and its departments and divisions. Also called the District.

p. **State** – The State of California

q. **Vendor** – The Proposer(s) and its subconsultants awarded the contract for services under this RFP. Also called a Contractor.

## 1.2 Background of the San Francisco Unified School District
**What is the SFUSD?**
San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) is the seventh largest school district in California, educating over 57,000 students every year who speak more than 44 languages across 132 schools in San Francisco. We aim for every student who attends SFUSD schools to discover his or her spark, along with a strong sense of self and purpose, and that all students graduate from high school ready for college and career, and equipped with the skills, capacities and dispositions outlined in SFUSD's Graduate Profile. San Francisco is both a city and a county; therefore, SFUSD administers both the school district and the San Francisco County Office of Education (COE). This makes SFUSD a "single district county."

## 1.3 Statement of Need and Intent
**What Does SFUSD Seek?**
On January 14, 2021, the California Department of Public Health released its guidance on school testing titled [COVID-19 K-12 School Testing Considerations Information 1-14-21](https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/PageNotFoundError.aspx?requestUrl=https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/COVID-19/K12_School_Testing_Considerations_Information.pdf). This release mandates School Districts to adopt a scalable COVID-19 testing program as part of their plans to return to in-person learning. Through this RFP, the District seeks to ensure the availability of accessible student and staff asymptomatic testing for two purposes 1) surveillance COVID-19 testing and 2) screening testing to mitigate the spread of the disease and to protect the health and safety of the SFUSD community. To this end, the District would like obtain one or more contracts with with a firm to integrate, assemble, staff and manage end-to-end testing for its testing program with the operational flexibility to adapt to multiple testing contexts, populations, changing technology, and fluctuating demand during this pandemic based on the Tier the county is in.

The Vendor shall manage all aspects of a comprehensive student and staff asymptomatic testing program for COVID-19, ensure that the solutions across all Work Threads are operationally-integrated, provide testing turnaround times that are between 24-48 hours, manage reporting needs and requests, and be the District's single point of contact for all testing issues under the scope of work. The Vendor must be able to handle high volumes of appointments across multiple collection site types (e.g., walk-through and/or drive-through stationary sites, mobile units). Daily collection volumes will vary by collection site and could range from 2,000-3,000 daily samples across all sites for a total of 10,000 to 15,000 weekly. The volume may decrease as CDPH and SFDPH guidance changes.

The Asymptomatic testing will begin March 15, 2021 and operate for 12-18 months from the start date. The vendor will work with the District to create an Asymptomatic testing calendar and scheduling that will be posted to SFUSD's website for staff to access. The volume of testing will vary based on the County Tier per the [California Department of Public Health](https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/COVID-19/Consolidated_Schools_Guidance.pdf) Consolidate Schools Framework:

- **Red and Purple Tier**: Every 2 weeks asymptomatic screening testing for 5,000 staff and 10,000 students. Bi-Weekly asymptomatic testing assumes the use of a PCR test. If antigen testing is used, testing should be at a twice weekly cadence.
- **Orange & Yellow Tier**: Asymptomatic screening testing per [SFPH school guidelines](https://www.sfdph.org/dph/alerts/covid-guidance/2020-33-Guidance-TK12-Schools.pdf): A sampling of students and staff, frequency to be determined by SFDPH.

Proposers may be a single firm or a partnership of the primary firm and its subcontractor(s) who are able to deliver a complete testing program comprising the Scope of Work described in Section 2.

## 2. Scope of Work
This scope of work is a general guide of the work the District expects to be performed and is not a complete listing of all services that may be required or desired.

### A. Project management, data management, and reporting
The District is seeking a complete, end-to-end, flexible solution for student and staff asymptomatic testing that can meet current and evolving City, State, and Federal guidelines and requirements. Specimen collection testing sites (sites) will vary by testing need and span across various SFUSD facility types and locations. To that end, all proposals must provide the following items which will ensure a cohesive and effective testing experience for the patient.

#### Project Management
1. Planning: project schedules, dependencies and project critical path, implementation plans, and development and management of a project plan with roles, dates, deliverables, milestones, and tasks clearly documented.
2. Project Teams and Subconsultant Management: data integration management, data flow diagrams, resources, technical/information system project components, and project manager coordination; clear roles and responsibilities for Vendor staff and District staff (where necessary); meeting facilitation; agenda development
3. Issue/Risk Management: identification and classification by impact and risk, status and resolution tracking, mitigation, and contingency plans for risks
4. Budget Management: status reports, risk identification, and mitigation
5. Communication: regular status reports detailing metrics and status of Key Performance Indicators as defined by the District.
6. Training and Change Management: development/provision of training resources for staff and families in the SFUSD identified languages, including written and video content; stakeholder engagement and change management strategies to prepare the SFUSD community of staff, families, and students for asymptomatic testing.

#### Data Management
The Vendor shall be required to cooperate, plan, implement, and update key testing data requirements, reporting, and transmission methods as determined by the District to ensure confidential integrated results and reporting within the end-to-end testing and notification process. The District is looking for a Vendor who can provide flexibility in defining and implementing custom data schemes and formats such as extensible mark-up language (XML), eLR standards, Ed-Fi standards, flat file formats, and Excel, as well as various data exchange methodologies with configurable frequency and content to include bi-directional secure file-transfer protocol (FTP), secure web services, APIs, and website data export.

The Vendor shall provide the District with a secure, automated format based on district requirements to extract any and all data fields identified by the District and establish the integration with District systems, in real-time or at a minimum on a nightly or daily scheduled basis. Priority District systems include:

- Return to School data management system powered by Smartsheets
- SFUSD dashboards hosted in Drupal and Tableau at sfusd.edu
- SFUSD operational data store

The Vendor shall provide, at the District's request and on an as-needed basis, secure direct access to and/or downloads of electronic data, documentation, and reporting in a usable format to integrate with District's Return to School data management system with Smartsheets; and will work with the District to ensure accurate data integration

The Vendor shall provide the District with its data structure.
- The data structure must include unique identifiers that can be associated with an individual student, such as Student ID and/or student email. Unique identifiers will be determined by SFUSD in consultation with the vendor.
- The structure must allow for district central staff to access data across testing site locations through a common entry point/portal; and be flexible so that specific, identified data elements can be shared across testing locations for ease of use, scheduling and registration.

All District data shall be stored on secure servers located within the continental United States.

#### Reporting functionality
Robust reporting functionality that encompasses and integrates data from all work streams described in Scope of Work and can be modified on an as-needed basis and integrated SFUSD's Return to School data management system powered by Smartsheets and accessible on SFUSD's district dashboards, when appropriate, hosted at sfusd.edu, a Drupal-based content management system.
1. Daily report on the number of SFUSD staff and students (patients) who did and did not complete their appointments by testing event (specimen collection site and/or population type)
2. Daily summary report of results and patient name and demographics by site location including individual line listed data set of students and staff tested with results, demographics, school, age, grade etc. will be provided to the SFDPH
3. Daily report of patients residing outside of San Francisco who completed appointments
4. Dashboard of testing statistics in aggregate by each location, updated no less than daily
5. Other ad-hoc reports as needed

### B. Registration, Scheduling, Resulting, Reporting
Vendor will create/enable an online patient registration, appointment scheduling, and results notification using a HIPAA-compliant and flexible framework, while adhering to applicable and evolving City, State, and Federal guidelines and requirements. The proposed solution should be user-friendly, have a consistent look and feel, preferably aligned with the District's websites, adhere to the District's [accessibility standards](https://www.sfgov.org/web-accessibility-standards-and-guidelines), be supported on a wide variety of operating systems (e.g., Android, iOS, Windows) and browsers (Chrome, Safari), and be mobile-friendly. Data collected will need to integrate between all Work Threads. Key specifications include but are not limited to the following:
1. **Registration**: This module shall allow for flexible updating of data captured as City, State, and Federal requirements may evolve. Initial data elements for the registration module must include all data fields required by the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange ([CalREDIE](https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/CalREDIE-ELR.aspx)) system and other state and federal reporting agencies and/or as deemed appropriate by the District, including but not limited to the patient' name, address, email, phone number, birthdate/age, sex, race/ethnicity, insurance coverage (if applicable), occupation, primary contacts' information, travel history, presenting symptoms, pre-existing conditions, healthcare provider/service facility, test results, etc. In addition, the registration module must also capture mandated reporting requirements per the CARES Act and State requirements as modified. Additional registration functionality may include but is not limited to the following:
   a. Registration of minors and incorporation of parental approvals
   b. Tracking of patients who are non-San Francisco residents and their county/city of residence
   c. Inclusion of patients' primary contacts' information to assist in timely contact tracing for patients with a positive test result
   d. Distinguishing between patient types (e.g., a District staff member versus a District student)
   e. Minimal barriers to registration and user steps (such that patients without email addresses could register)
   f. Data elements required for billing and claims management
   g. Language translation into Arabic, Chinese, Samoan, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese
   h. Data elements determined by SFUSD including SFUSD ID, SFUSD email, and other school-related demographics

2. **Scheduling**: This module must be able to schedule for multiple stationary sites and mobile unit locations on a daily basis. Additional scheduling functionality may include but is not limited to the following:
   a. Automatic scheduling and push notification to students and staff to schedule their required asymptomatic test appointment every two weeks.
   b. Status of appointment to ensure students and staff complete their required testing
   c. Ability to schedule a test at any of the sites at district facilities.
   d. Language translation into Arabic, Chinese, Samoan, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese

3. **Resulting**: This module must comply with Federal/FERPA, State and HIPAA clinical reporting requirements regarding the routing of lab test results by phone and by secure patient portal access. The solution shall support email and text notifications to the patient that results are available in HIPAA-compliant location (e.g., via patient portal, phone). The methods by which results are returned to the patient may change over time and may need to offer some flexibility depending on the population type and level of access to technology.
   a. Both negative and positive results shall be accessible to the patient in their preferred language in a downloadable written record.
   b. The District may also request the downloading and exporting of results to other assigned City entities as needed (e.g., City Department of Public Health (DPH) Contact Tracers, specimen collection sites, other DPH teams).

4. **Staffing of Call Center**: Registration functionality must include a patient help line and a fully staffed call center to support patient registration, scheduling, and resulting.
   a. The call center shall be available during business hours of 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, seven days a week, including holidays.
   b. The call center shall have the ability to register and schedule patients for tests.
   c. The call center shall provide support to patients experiencing issues with using the Registration/Scheduling/Resulting module(s) and/or needing language assistance.
   d. Language translation into Arabic, Chinese, Samoan, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese

### C. Staffing & On-Site Management of test sites:
- The Vendor shall provide appropriate licensed/certified and trained health care providers (HCPs) and will oversee staff coordination to perform clinical services associated with safe sample collection and cultural sensitivity. Specific health care services and on-site management may include but are not limited to the following:
- Specimen collection and oversight of self-collection methods, including specimen collection as appropriate for students at all ages, grade levels and abilities.
- Setup of stationary, mobile, outdoor, walk-through, and/or drive-through specimen collection sites. Rapidly-deployed sites would need to be set up within a maximum of seven days.
- Greeters to maximize patient flow and to separate out symptomatic patients to create a separate flow for them.
- On-site management, including the development and implementation of safety and security plans to enable the safe execution of specimen collection services and minimize risk exposure.
- Requisition and labeling of sample collection
- Language translation into Arabic, Chinese, Samoan, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese
- Registration Verification and Support: The Vendor shall verify completed appointment registration upon arrival and may need to provide registration assistance to walk-in patients who may not yet have an appointment. Vendor staff shall verify that all patient registration demographic data required by federal guidelines (e.g., patient age, sex, race, ethnicity, zip code) is successfully entered into the Registration module while maintaining HIPAA compliance. The Vendor will need to supply tablets/laptop stations and Wi-Fi to support onsite registration as needed. The Vendor shall ensure that the patient is successfully registered prior to specimen collection.
- Collection Methods: The Vendor may need to support various specimen collection methods by an appropriate HCP, such as performing nasal swabbing or overseeing patient self-swabbing. Collection methods may vary by testing site and change with evolving technology, and the City may request the Vendor to flexibly support multiple methods.
- Specimen Pick-Up: The Vendor shall ensure that completed specimens are handled, stored, and transferred to the desired lab locations in accordance with lab protocols and requirements.
- Patient Encounter Recording: The Vendor shall record patient encounters so that the District can develop rosters and reports of scheduled versus completed specimen collection of patients to identify staff and students who are not participating in asymptomatic testing schemes. The Vendor may be required to cooperate, plan, and implement key testing data requirements, reporting, and transmission methods as determined by the District to ensure integrated resulting and reporting as specified in Section 2.A - Data management.

### D. Other On-Site Logistics and Supplies:
The Vendor shall provide the following, as needed:

a. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for all staff and patients
 - For staff: face coverings, face shields, disposable gloves
 - For patients: Access to disposable face masks

b. Disinfectant and hand sanitizer
c. Site equipment, including, where needed, secure Wi-Fi, laptops/tablets, power generators (as needed), tents, cones, signage, traffic flow support, etc. (in multiple languages as needed)
 - Contractor will be responsible for obtaining permits for gas-powered generators through the San Francisco Fire Department

d. Handwashing station(s)
e. Portable toilets for staff and patients
f. Janitorial services to provide ongoing cleaning and proper waste disposal at the site(s)
g. secure Wi-Fi for online systems

### E. Lab Testing
The objective of Lab Testing Scope of Work is to test and result patient specimen samples retrieved from specimen collection sites in a laboratory setting. The Vendor and/or its subconsultant(s) shall be CLIA-certified and licensed in California and shall follow CLIA regulations regarding collection, transportation, testing, and reporting. The Vendor shall provide the appropriate lab staffing, tools, materials, equipment, travel, and reporting to support efficient and effective testing while adhering to State and Federal guidelines and requirements.

COVID-19 test types, order volumes, and needed result turnaround times may vary by testing projects, by collection site, and/or as the testing technology evolves. SFUSD reserves the right to require new types of FDA-authorized confirmatory COVID-19 tests, after selection of the Vendor. Key lab testing services include but are not limited to the following:
1. **Test Kits and Transport to Lab**: The Vendor shall supply specimen collection kits (including suitable transport media) for specimen collection and courier specimen samples from collection sites to their lab on the same day of collection.
2. **Testing Volumes/Turnaround Times**: The Vendor shall have a proven ability to handle high volumes of tests across multiple concurrent orders with efficient turnaround times. Within one month after contract award, the selected end-to-end testing team should be capable of processing up to 5,000 COVID-19 tests per day, six days per week. Daily volumes may range from a few hundred to up to a several thousand tests by testing project and site. The Vendor shall support testing result turnaround times within ideally 24-48 hours, but no longer than four days for most sites, to support effective contact tracing and minimize COVID-19 spread.
3. **Lab Testing & Quality Assurance**: The Vendor shall, at the minimum, provide molecular, antigen, and/or genomic COVID-19 testing and shall statistically validate assays as needed for any changes to various collection methods (e.g., nasal swab, oral swab, saliva, for supervised or self-collection) and transport media. Certain testing projects and sites may require pooled testing or screening for populations with anticipated lower COVID-19 prevalence. Labs should retest "indeterminant" tests before asking for recollection.

   Prior to awarding the contract, the winning proposer will be required to provide 20 test samples to the San Francisco Department of Public Health lab for results verification. Should DPH not deem validation appropriate, the Proposer may be rejected.

4. **Resulting & Reporting**: The Vendor shall comply with CLIA, State, Federal, HIPAA, and [eLR](https://www.cdc.gov/elr/about.html) clinical reporting requirements and send results to the ordering provider and the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange ([CalREDIE](https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/CalREDIE-ELR.aspx)) system in a timely fashion. Results shall align with [SNOMED](https://confluence.ihtsdotools.org/display/snomed/SNOMED%2BCT%2BCOVID-19%2BRelated%2BContent) coding for ease of interpretation by DPH Epidemiology and Surveillance and other DPH staff. The District may request the i) routing of results to other assigned entities (e.g., stationary testing sites, congregate living facilities, DPH teams, or other counties) as allowable under HIPAA and health orders; and/or ii) the establishment of direct access to the results database for more real-time reporting. The Vendor may be required to cooperate, plan, and implement key testing data requirements, reporting, and transmission methods as determined by the District to ensure integrated resulting and reporting as specified in Section 2.I.B. Data management.

### F. Billing
The objective of the Billing Scope of Work is to have a billing agency/entity that can manage the medical claims processing, billing, follow-up, collection, etc. with commercial insurance and government payors (e.g., Medi-Cal/Medicaid/Medicare) for COVID-19 testing services provided through this RFP. These services may be performed directly by the Vendor and or its subconsultant(s) who rendered the reimbursable testing services. The Vendor and/or its subconsultant(s) shall manage claims for maximum collections in compliance with all commercial and government regulatory billing requirements, using a HIPAA-compliant framework, while adhering to applicable and evolving state and federal guidelines for reimbursement.
1. **Claims Processing**: The Vendor shall integrate appropriate patient and insurance data from the Registration module (See Work Thread #1 – Registration, Scheduling, and Resulting) to extract the required data elements for processing a "1500 Health Insurance Claim Form" (1500 Claim Form) and/or a 837P Electronic Claims file, as per the National Uniform Claim Committee (NUCC) guidelines. The Vendor shall perform the following claims management tasks:
   a. Enrollment in Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) services to obtain a trading partner ID and to transmit and receive 837/835 files with payors
   b. Electronic billing, including producing the 1500 Claim Form and "e-837-P File Form" and receipt of the Claim Acknowledgement (277 File)
   c. Support of paper claim forms, as needed
   d. Receipt of payment determinations or ingesting the "835 Payment File" which provides the claim adjudication (e.g., paid, denied)
   e. Follow-up collection actions such as appeals to conventional insurance companies, Claim Information Forms (CIFs) to Medi-Cal/Medicaid payors and Medicare Claim Adjudication through the Medicare Direct Data Entry (DDE) system
   f. Sending appeals and requested information, as applicable, to appeal non-payments, underpayments, and denials
   g. Rebilling of claims upon discovery of insurance
   h. Identification and tracking of payment by payor, including collecting proof of payment
2. **National Provider Index (NPI)**: The Vendor and/or its subconsultant(s) could maintain its own NPI as an independent agency.
3. **Payors**: The Vendor shall be knowledgeable in government and commercial medical claims processing, guidelines, and regulations for COVID-19 testing and otherwise, and may have significant experience with major commercial insurance providers in California (e.g., Anthem Blue Cross, United Healthcare, Aetna, Cigna, Kaiser), and government payors such as Medi-Cal, Medicaid, and Medicare.
4. **Current and Future Reimbursement Opportunities**: The Vendor shall be knowledgeable on all funding sources and claims procedures for COVID-19 testing available to providers and be able to submit claims for all COVID-19 testing reimbursement programs under:
   a. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) Relief Fund
   b. The Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund
   c. The Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act
   d. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act; and
   e. Any other Federal, State, or local program providing reimbursement to providers for COVID-19 testing
5. **Reporting**: The Vendor shall submit regular reports on the progress of their billing claims management as requested and defined by the District.

## 3. District-Proposer Communications
There will not be a Pre-Proposal Conference for this RFP. Proposers are specifically directed NOT to contact any employees or officials of the District other than those specifically designated in this RFP and its Attachments. Unauthorized contact may be cause for rejection of Proposals at the District's sole and absolute discretion.

### 3.1 Deadline for RFP Questions
Please email any questions to Albie Udom, Procurement Director at UdomA@sfusd.edu. No oral questions will be accepted. Questions, in accordance with the below schedule, must be in writing and received before the Deadline for RFP Questions. No questions will be accepted after this time except for those concerning District vendor compliance. All questions and inquiries should include the number and title of the RFP in the subject line of the email. Substantive replies will be memorialized in written addenda to be made part of this RFP. This RFP will only be governed by information provided through written addenda.

### 3.2 Summary of Information Requested and Presented
A summary of all addenda, questions, and answers pertaining to this RFP will be posted on the District's website indicated on the first page. It is the Proposers' responsibility to check this website for any updates. The District recommends that Proposers check the website for updates on a daily basis at a minimum.

### 3.3 Letter of Intent via Email Submission
Please email a Letter of Intent to Albie Udom, Procurement Director at UdomA@sfusd.edu. Letter of Intent must be in writing and received before the Deadline for Email for Intent to Respond, and should include the number and title of this RFP and Proposer's name.

### 3.4 District Communication Following Receipt of Proposals
The District may contact the Proposers for clarification or correction of minor errors or deficiencies in their Proposals prior to deeming a Proposal as non-responsive. Clarifications are "limited exchanges" between the District and a Proposer for the purpose of clarifying certain aspects of the Proposals and do not give a Proposer the opportunity to revise or modify its Proposal. Minor errors or deficiencies are defined as those that do not materially impact the District's evaluation of the Proposal. For information regarding the District's Evaluation Process, see RFP Section 5 – Evaluation Criteria.

## 4. Proposal Submission Requirements
### 4.1 Time and Place for Submission of Proposals
Late submissions will not be considered. Proposals and all related materials, including all CMD forms, must be received by Deadline for RFP Proposals. Proposals must be submitted electronically Via email to UdomA@sfusd.edu

### 4.2 Proposal Checklist
Complete, but concise Proposals, are recommended for ease of review by the Evaluation Team. Proposals should provide a straightforward, concise description of the Proposer's capabilities to satisfy the requirements of the RFP. Marketing and sales type information should be excluded. All parts, pages, figures, and tables should be numbered and clearly labeled.

For word processing documents, the department prefers that text be unjustified (i.e., with a ragged-right margin) and use a clear font (e.g., Arial), that pages have margins of at least 1" on all sides (excluding headers and footers) and that pages be numbered. Please include a Table of Contents.

Please note that there is a page limit of 20 pages including Letter of Introduction, Minimum Qualifications Checklist and Budget Template. If your firm submits more than 20 pages, only the first 20 pages will be evaluated.

### 4.3 Content
Firms interested in responding to this RFP must submit the following information:

1. Introductory Letter
2. Minimum Qualifications Checklist
3. Scope of Work Narrative Section. Click [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xg-jue64zYQ_9_sIo4b6DCHvc2DPUSEQ6_GmbXHRC0M/copy) to make a copy and download the SOW Narrative
4. Cost Proposal. Click [here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17KgkbH1SIbO-vWv4m8XKQfUsbDljbKuFO8mOxhS1m5g/copy) to make a copy and download the COST proposal excel sheet

Proposals received under this RFP that fail to address each of the requested items in sufficient and complete detail to evidence that the Proposer meets the District's minimum qualifications will be deemed non-responsive and will not be evaluated. Note that Proposals stating, "to be provided upon request" or "to be determined" or the like, or that do not otherwise provide the information requested (left blank) are not acceptable and shall be deemed non-responsive.

### 4.4 Public Records
The California Public Records Act (California Government Code Section §6250 et. Seq) provides that public records shall be disclosed upon written request and that any citizen has a right to inspect any public record unless the document is exempted from disclosure. Said section defines a public record as any writing containing information relating to the conduct of the public business.

Proposers should be aware that all information submitted in response to this RFP is itself a public record except to the extent permissible by law, a Proposer's financial information. Additionally, any contract awarded under this RFP is a public record in its entirety.

Submission of any materials in response to this RFP, other than financial information clearly marked "CONFIDENTIAL" constitutes a waiver by the submitting party of any claim that the information is protected from disclosure. By submitting materials, (1) the submitting party is consenting to the release of such materials by the SFUSD if requested under the California Public Records Act without further notice to the submitting party (2) the submitting party agrees to indemnify and hold SFUSD harmless for release of such information.

## 5. Evaluation Criteria
This section describes the guidelines used for analyzing and evaluating the Proposals. Any Proposer(s) selected from this RFP are not guaranteed a contract. This RFP does not in any way limit the District's right to solicit contracts for similar or identical services if, in the District's sole and absolute discretion, it determines the RFP does not meet its needs. As in all contracts, the District reserves the right to accept other than the lowest price offer and reject all proposals that are not responsive to this request.

There are two phases to the evaluation process. District staff first performs an Initial Screening as described in Section 5.1. Proposals that pass the Initial Screening process (5.1) including Minimum Qualifications (5.2) will proceed to the Evaluation of Firms (that met Minimum Qualifications) described in Section 5.3.

District representatives will serve as the Evaluation Team responsible for evaluating the proposals, and the District reserves the right to include subject-matter experts from other public entities and institutions. Specifically, the team will be responsible for the evaluation and scoring of the Proposals, and for interviews, if desired by the District.

### 5.1 Initial Screening
The District will review each Proposal for initial determination on responsiveness and acceptability in an Initial Screening process. Elements reviewed during the Initial Screening include, without limitation: compliance with format requirements, Proposal completeness, compliance with Minimum Qualification requirements (Section 5.2), and inclusion of verifiable Past Project References (Section 5.3.1.C).

Proposals are not scored during the Initial Screening process. Initial Screening is a pass/fail determination as to whether a Proposal meets the threshold requirements described above. Any Proposal that does not demonstrate that Proposer meets requirements in Section 5.1 will not be eligible for consideration in the Evaluation of Firms (that met Minimum Qualifications) described below in Section 5.3. The District reserves the right to request clarification from the Proposer prior to rejecting a Proposal for failure to meet the Initial Screening requirements. Clarifications are "limited exchanges" between the District and a Proposer for the purpose of clarifying certain aspects of the Proposal and will not give a Proposer the opportunity to revise or modify its Proposal.

### 5.2 Minimum Qualifications Checklist
Proposer must check each below requirement either as "Yes" or "No." An answer of "No" will result in failure to meet the Minimum Qualifications. To download a copy of the Minimum Qualifications Document click [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lWb-eQ3lt3eCIWh6YNJ9mKjFmkC4flhrcqu_CGzbFLQ/copy)

| Minimum Qualifications | Yes | No |
|------------------------|-----|-----|
| **Project Management, Data Management, and Reporting** |||
| Will the Proposer provide an end-to-end, flexible solution for student and staff surveillance testing that can meet current and evolving City, State, and Federal guidelines and requirements. | □ | □ |
| Will the Proposer's data structure include unique identifiers that can be associated with an individual student, such as Student ID and/or student email. Unique identifiers will be determined by SFUSD in consultation with the vendor ? | □ | □ |
| Will the Proposer's data structure allow for district central staff to access data across testing site locations through a common entry point/portal; and be flexible so that specific, identified data elements can be shared across testing locations for ease of use, scheduling and registration? | □ | □ |
| Will the Proposer's reporting functionality encompasses and integrates data from all work streams described in Scope of Work which can be modified on an as-needed basis and integrated SFUSD's Return to School data management system powered by Smartsheets and accessible on SFUSD's district dashboards, when appropriate, hosted at sfusd.edu, a Drupal-based content management system? | □ | □ |
| **Registration, Scheduling, Resulting, Reporting** |||
| Will the Proposer and its team possess the licenses, certifications, and/or permits necessary to perform the services specified registration, scheduling, resulting and reporting as required by the laws of the United States and the State of California by the start of the contract? | □ | □ |
| **Staffing & On-Site Management of test sites** |||
| Will the Proposer have the staffing and resources to provide multilingual services for on site management of test sites? | □ | □ |
| **Other On-Site Logistics and Supplies** |||
| Will the proposer have the resources to stand up test sites including provide secure internet and staffing resources for set up and storing as needed? | □ | □ |
| **Lab Testing** |||
| Will the Proposer or all proposed subcontractors lab(s) be CLIA-certified by the proposal due date? Please provide the license/certification ID number or a copy of the certificate/license if already certified. If this certification is in progress, please so indicate and provide evidence that the certification will be obtained by the proposal due date. | □ | □ |
| If the Proposer or any proposed subcontractors is an out-of-state lab, will it be licensed by the California Laboratory Field Services (CA LFS) by the proposal due date? Please provide the license/certification ID number or a copy of the certificate/license if already licensed. If this license is in progress, please so indicate and provide evidence that license will be obtained by the proposal due date. | □ | □ |
| Can the Proposer or its subcontracted lab(s) provide molecular, antigen and/or genomic COVID-19 testing that is FDA approved for asymptomatic screening and surveillance? | □ | □ |
| **Billing** |||
| Will the Proposer's solution support billing and claims management so that employees do not have to pay out of pocket? | □ | □ |
||

### 5.3 Proposal Evaluation Criteria (100 points)
#### Evaluation Team
District representatives, along with potential subject matter experts from other public entities and institutions, will serve as the Evaluation Team responsible for evaluating Proposers. Specifically, the team will be responsible for the evaluation and rating of the Proposals, conducting reference checks, and conducting interviews, if desired by the District.

Each RFP Proposal that meets the Minimum Qualifications will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria below.

#### 5.3.1 Proposer Team Structure and Qualifications – 10 points
**Proposer Team Structure and Qualifications**
- Describe how the Proposer's qualifications can successfully fulfill the objectives and services in the Scope of Work.
- Describe the Proposer's team structure and partnerships with any proposed subconsultant(s). Please describe the project management structure and resourcing.
- Describe no more than two of the Proposer's past projects, experience, and success applicable to the Scope of Work. Discuss how the past project(s) are relevant (e.g., in scale, breadth of scope, subject matter) to this RFP. Provide a reference for each past project discussed.

#### 5.3.2 Approach - 70 points
**Project Management, Data Management, and Reporting - 10 points**
- Describe the Proposer's services and deliverables that meet and/or exceed the Scope of Work. Explain any special resources, procedures, and/or approaches that make your services particularly advantageous for the District.
- How will the Proposer ensure that the solutions and data across the tasks in the Scope of Work are operationally integrated, and testing turnaround times are as efficient as possible?
- How would the Proposer secure, make accessible and/or integrate data across the Scope of Work areas? What standards and APIs does the Proposer employ?
- Describe the Proposer's reporting capabilities and ability to flexibly support updates based on changing needs (e.g., changing logic, new data fields).
- Briefly describe the Proposer's plan and timeline for the implementation of services.

**Registration, Scheduling, Resulting and Reporting - 10 points**
- Describe the Proposer's services and deliverables that meet and/or exceed the Scope of Work for this RFP.
- How would the Proposer support a call center, language translation, and other culturally-sensitive services?
- What is the Proposer's approach to user design/experience?
- How would the Proposer collaborate and/or partner with community based organizations that may partner with SFUSD to support Asymptomatic testing services.

**Staffing & On-Site Management of test sites - 10 points**
- Describe the Proposer's ability to manage and execute specimen collection testing sites that may vary in size, population, and/or context (e.g., stationary, mobile, drive-through, walk-through).
- Describe the Proposer's testing site process details and team staffing for a site collection project and how that may vary by testing context.
- Describe the Proposer's experience and/or approach to testing students of all ages and abilities from pre-K to high school
- Describe the Proposer's capacity to flexibly implement rapidly-deployed mobile units and other stationary sites.
- Describe the Proposer's ability to support various types of sample collection (e.g., nasal swabbing or patient self-swabbing) and evolving technology. Please indicate the type(s) the Proposer currently supports.
- Describe how the Proposer's staff can support language translation and other culturally-sensitive services.

**Other On-Site Logistics and Supplies - 10 points**
- Describe the Proposer's ability to stand up test sites including provide secure internet and staffing resources for set up and storing as needed?

**Lab Testing - 15 points**
- Where is the Proposer's testing lab located? Describe the proposed handling process for specimens collected in San Francisco from collection to testing and resulting.
- Identify which type(s) of COVID-19 testing the Proposer conducts (e.g., molecular, antigen, antibody).
- Describe the Proposer's ability to adapt to new COVID-19 testing methods.
- Please specify whether the Proposer can support pooled testing and/or screening.
- Identify the Proposer's daily lab capacity/throughput after one month after contract award (at a fuller capacity).
- Identify the Proposer's typical result turnaround times range and any guarantees.
- Describe the assays the Proposer is running and their sensitivity. Please provide the Proposer's standard operating procedures for your COVID-19 assays.
- Describe how the Proposer will transport specimens collected at SFUSD sites.
- For the proposer and any subcontractor(s), provide the CLIA-certified license/certification ID number or a copy of the certificate/license if already certified. If this certification is in progress, please so indicate and provide evidence that the certification will be obtained by the proposal due date.
- For the proposer and any subcontractor(s) who are out of State, provide the California Laboratory Field Services (CA LFS) license/certification ID number or a copy of the certificate/license if already certified. If this certification is in progress, please so indicate and provide evidence that the certification will be obtained by the proposal due date.

**Billing - 15 points**
- Indicate the Proposer's level of experience performing medical billing, accounts receivable management, and collection services.
- Describe the Proposer's approach to perform and/or support billing and claims management?
- What is the Proposer's approach with Electronic Data Interchange EDI processes, and does the Proposer have these processes in place?
- Describe how the Proposer would flexibly adhere to evolving federal and state COVID-19 guidelines for claims management.
- Describe how the Proposer would ensure sufficient information is collected from patients being tested to maximize successful insurance billing while maintaining an open testing site for the uninsured.

**Completeness of Proposal Submitted- 5 points**
- Proposal conforms with RFP requirements and concisely but comprehensively addresses RFP requirements within the page limits.
- Proposal is professionally presented and contains organized content and format.

#### 5.3.3 Cost – 15 points
For the purposes of this RFP, develop TOTAL cost proposal combining Part 1A and 1B below:

Part 1A: all-inclusive cost per COVID-19 test for:
- One (1) or more stationary specimen collection District-directed testing sites with walk-through and drive-through capacity and a combined average daily volume of 2,500 tests; and
- One (1) mobile specimen collection unit with walk-through capacity with an average daily volume of 250 tests

For this portion of the cost proposal, costs for use of District directed sites (e.g., leases and permitting) will be covered by the District and should not be included here. Include total start-up costs for the services and supplies outlined in the Scope of Work in RFP as well as monthly cost. The monthly cost should be based on testing operations that would run for one year, six days a week, 6 hours per day. This will be considered the "Base Cost Proposal – Part 1A."

Part 1B: Billing and anticipated billing reimbursements.
Provide a Billing cost structure and proposal that addresses the costs for services included in Scope of Work. Please identify your billing costs, whether you would propose an offset to the per COVID-19 test cost in Part 1A with the reimbursement to the Proposer or reimbursement directly back to the District, and your assumed rate of return (e.g., % of claims accepted within a certain amount of months).

For the purposes of preparing this proposal, Proposers should factor in that approximately 75% of staff surveillance tests administered are for patients with medical insurance and 50% of student surveillance tests are for patients with medical insurance. When considering claim acceptance rates, proposers should project that current federal and state regulations regarding COVID-19 testing remain in place for the duration of the contract.

Part 1A and Part 1B costs will be combined to develop one final cumulative total Total Cost Proposal."

The firm with the lowest pricing across Part 1A and Part 1B will receive all 15 points. Points will be assigned to all other proposals by dividing the lowest "Base Cost Proposal" (for Part 1A and Part 1B) by the other proposal(s) cost and multiplying by 15 points.

Oral Interviews (Optional)
As noted earlier, the District at its sole discretion may decide to conduct interviews as part of this RFP process. If the District decides to conduct oral interviews, the Proposers that met the Minimum Qualifications will be invited to attend the interview before the Evaluation Team. The interview will consist of an oral presentation by the proposer followed by questions and answers. The maximum points possible for the oral interview is 100.

Final Score and Ranking
At the conclusion of the interview (if held), the points awarded for interviews will be combined with the points awarded at the Proposal Evaluation phase to reach a final score for each Proposer. The scores are then ranked from the highest to the lowest.

Reference Checks
Reference checks, including but not limited to prior clients as indicated in SOW Narrative– Prior Project References, may be used to determine the applicability of Proposer experience to the services the District is requesting, the quality of services and staffing provided to prior clients, adherence to schedules/budgets and Proposer's problem-solving, project management and communication abilities, performance on deliverables and outcomes, and effectiveness in meeting or exceeding project objectives. If reference checks deem that information included in a Prior Project References or elsewhere in the Proposal is untruthful, then the District will reject the Proposal.

Release and Waiver Agreement
To effectuate the candid completion of the reference check above, Proposer is required to sign the RFP Attachment I, Section 14, Release of Liability.

### 5.4 Other Terms and Conditions
The selection of any prequalified Proposer for contract negotiations shall not imply acceptance by the District of all terms of the Proposal, which may be subject to further negotiation and approvals before the District may be legally bound thereby.

The District will select the most qualified and responsive Proposer with whom District staff will commence contract negotiations. If a satisfactory contract cannot be negotiated in a reasonable time with the selected Proposer, then the District, in its sole discretion, may terminate negotiations and begin contract negotiations with the next highest scoring Proposer it deems qualified.

The District, in its sole discretion, has the right to approve or disapprove any staff person assigned to a firm's projects before and throughout the contract term. The District reserves the right at any time to approve, disapprove or modify proposed project plans, timelines and deliverables. Such approvals will not be unreasonably withheld.

## 6. Protest Procedures
### 6.1 Protest of RFP Terms
Should a proposer object on any ground to any provision or legal requirement set forth in this RFP, the proposer must, not less than 72 hours prior to the RFP deadline, provide written notice to the District via email to UdomA@sfusd.edu setting forth with specificity the grounds for the objection. The failure of a proposer to object in the manner set forth in this paragraph shall constitute a complete and irrevocable waiver of any such objection.

### 6.2 Protest of Non-Responsiveness Determination
Within five working days of the District's issuance of a notice of non-responsiveness, any firm that has submitted a proposal and believes that the District has incorrectly determined that its proposal is non-responsive may submit a written notice of protest. Such notice of protest must be received by the District on or before the fifth working day following the District's issuance of the notice of non-responsiveness. The notice of protest must include a written statement specifying in detail each and every one of the grounds asserted for the protest. The protest must be signed by an individual authorized to represent the proposer, and must cite the law, rule, local ordinance, procedure or RFP provision on which the protest is based. In addition, the protestor must specify facts and evidence sufficient for the District to determine the validity of the protest.

### 6.3 Protest of Contract Award
Within five working days of the District's issuance of a notice of intent to award the contract, any firm that has submitted a responsive proposal and believes that the District has incorrectly selected another proposer for award may submit a written notice of protest. Such notice of protest must be received by the District on or before the fifth working day after the District's issuance of the notice of intent to award. The notice of protest must include a written statement specifying in detail each and every one of the grounds asserted for the protest. The protest must be signed by an individual authorized to represent the proposer, and must cite the law, rule, local ordinance, procedure or RFP provision on which the protest is based. In addition, the protestor must specify facts and evidence sufficient for the District to determine the validity of the protest.

### 6.4 Delivery of Protests
All protests must be received by the specified dates and time deadlines specified in Section 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3. Protests or notice of protests made orally (e.g., by telephone) or by fax will not be considered.

Protests must be delivered via:
Email: UdomA@sfusd.edu

### 6.5 Protest Review
The District's Purchasing Department will confirm receipt of notice of protest by Proposer which must be submitted in accordance to Section 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, and 6.4.

If a Proposer submits a complete and timely protest, the Purchasing Department will review notice of protest soon after receipt of the protest to determine validity of notice, including but not limited to: i) receipt by due date; ii) inclusion of a written statement specifying in detail each and every one of the grounds asserted for the protest; iii) signed by an individual authorized to represent the Proposer; iv) citation of the law, rule, local ordinance, procedure, or RFP provision on which the protest is based; and v) specification of facts and evidence sufficient for the District to determine the validity of the protest.

A Proposer may not rely on a Protest submitted by another Proposer but must timely pursue its own Protest.

The District, at its discretion, may make a determination regarding a protest without requesting further documents or information from the Proposer who submitted the protest. Accordingly, the initial protest must include all grounds of protest and all supporting documentation or evidence reasonably available to the prospective Proposer at the time the protest is submitted. If the Proposer later raises new grounds or evidence that were not included in the initial protest, but which could have been raised at that time, then the District may not consider such new grounds or new evidence.

If the notice of protest is determined to be valid, the Purchasing Department shall review facts and evidence to determine the outcome of the protest, citing any applicable laws, rules, ordinances, procedures, and/or provisions. The review shall be an informal process conducted by the Purchasing Department or its designee, and will be based upon the information submitted by the Proposer in its protest letter. The Purchasing Department may seek input from the District's Legal Office, and/or other District departments as needed or appropriate. The Controller's Office will notify the Proposer in writing of its decision at the conclusion of the review. The Purchasing Department or its designee shall make the final determination regarding the outcome of the protest. The decision of the Purchasing Department is final.