The Association of Public Health Laboratories, Inc. (APHL or the Association), in collaboration with the Training and Workforce Development Branch, Division of Laboratory Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is seeking a Packaging and Shipping: Division 6.2 Materials (P&S) Training Provider (Provider). The Provider will develop and deliver training in accordance with Department of Transportation (DOT), International Air Transport Association (IATA) and United States Postal Service (USPS) regulations. The target audience for the training is public health and clinical laboratory professionals. All training offered will be coordinated by APHL for its members, public health laboratory partners and clinical laboratory stakeholders.

Through this Request for Proposals (RFP), APHL seeks to identify a company or individual who can fulfill requirements for in-person and/or distance based P&S training to satisfy certification requirement for:

  • Category A Infectious Substances (UN2900 and UN2814)
  • Category B Infectious Substances (UN3373)
  • Exempt Human and Animal Substances
  • Dry Ice (Class 9, UN1845)

Eligibility

Interested parties must submit a proposal to APHL that provides all of the information specified in the Scope and Approach section below. In order to be considered for funding, an applicant must ensure APHL has received a complete proposal by no later than the Proposal Due Date specified in the Anticipated RFP Schedule section below. Applicants will find proposal submission information in the Response Submittal section below.

RFP Schedule

Applications are due to the individual(s) specified in the Final Response section of this RFP by 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) on August 6, 2020. APHL anticipates the following schedule for the entire competitive bidding process:

July 6, 2020 - APHL issues RFP

July 16, 2020  - Letter of Intent due to APHL by 5:00 pm EST 

July 23, 2020 - Last day to submit questions (exceptions may be granted at APHL's sole discretion)

August 6, 2020  - Complete RFP responses due to APHL by 5:00 pm EST

August 13, 2020 - APHL completes the evaluation process and contacts winning/selected applicant

August 17, 2020 - APHL publicly announces the names of the selected applicants on its procurement website, www.aphl.org\rfp

August 24, 2020 - Contract finalized

September 1, 2020 - Anticipated start date of the P&S Provider work


APHL will post any changes to the RFP schedule to the APHL procurement website.

Response Submittal 

Confirmation of Intent to Respond

APHL requests that prospective applicants submit a brief email statement indicating intent to submit a proposal by no later than 5:00 PM EST on July 16, 2020. The letter of intent should be emailed to josh.rowland@aphl.org. A letter of intent is required for consideration of application. While the letter of intent is not binding and does not enter into the review of the RFP, the information contained in the letter of intent allows APHL's evaluation team to plan the contract development and review process. Potential applicants must include the name of the organization or individual that will submit the proposal in their email.

Final Response

APHL must receive a complete proposal by no later than 5:00 PM EST on August 6, 2020.  Applicants may send proposals by the following methods:

Via email to josh.rowland@aphl.org; or

Via certified, registered or express mail through the postal service or via trackable mail delivery services provided by DHL, FedEx, and UPS, addressed to:

c/o Josh Rowland

The Association of Public Health Laboratories, Inc.

8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 700

Silver Spring, MD 20910

APHL will send an email acknowledging the receipt of your application. If you do not receive an acknowledgement within 48 hours, please email the points of contact below to confirm receipt.

Regardless of the delivery method, APHL must receive all responses by 5:00 PM EST. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the proposal is received at APHL by this deadline.

APHL may terminate or modify the RFP process at any time during the response period.

Materials

The Packaging and Shipping: Division 6.2 Materials Training Provider PDF will provide detailed information in regards to this request, please read it in its entirety.

Questions

Please direct all questions regarding this RFP or its application requirements via email to Josh Rowland at josh.rowland@aphl.org, with a copy to Catherine Johnson at catherine.johnson@aphl.org.

A member of APHL's Training and Workforce Development (TWD) staff will respond directly to the questions on an individual basis as questions are received. While APHL will endeavour to answer questions within one business day of receipt, additional time may be needed depending on the issue raised.

APHL should receive all questions by 5:00 pm EST on July 23, 2020. APHL is unlikely to answer any question received after this deadline, but it will have discretion to do so if APHL's TWD staff reasonably feel that the question raises a substantial issue that could affect multiple applicants, and may be answered without impacting the application submission and review process. Should APHL opt to answer any late questions, APHL will post the question and answer to APHL's procurement website and will not respond directly to the sender.

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