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505 N. Court Street
Visalia, CA 93291
Phone: 559.374.2030
Fax: 559.741.4886
Chair, Ad Hoc Committee for
Retirement Benefits
Reneé Whitson
Board of Directors
Executive Officers
President
Scott Jacobsen
1st Vice President
Reneé Whitson
2nd Vice President
David Lari Treasurer
Harroll Wiley
Corporate Secretary
Doug Bartsch
Executive Director-At-Large
Past President
Lynn Knudson
Directors
Don Goodyear
Betty Johnson Mari Kalashian
Hon. Nathan Leedy
Justin Levine Chief Robert Masterson
JD Medina
BJ Perch Joe Pinto
Greg Price
Guadalupe Solis
Chief Executive Officer
Daryn Davis
April 23, 2018
Dear Prospective Bidders,
The ProYouth Board of Directors is pleased to issue this Request for
Proposals to provide retirement benefits for our employees.
Founded in 1991, we are a well-established and growing non-profit, 501(c)(3)
corporation serving over 15,000 students in Central California with high
quality expanded learning programs. The Board of Directors believes that
adding retirement benefits to our benefits package will serve our students by
enhancing our competitiveness in seeking the highest qualified applicants and
support retention of our best employees.
Please review the attached package carefully. We have crafted this RFP and
process to ensure transparency and fairness.
Proposals are due June 8, 2018.
Thank you in advance for your interest and we look forward to partnering
with you.
Sincerely,
Reneé Whitson
Chair, Ad Hoc Committee for Retirement Benefits
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)
403(b) Retirement Plan Advisory Services
April 23, 2018
ProYouth
505 North Court Street
Visalia, CA 93291
ATTN: Reneé Whitson, First Vice President, Board of Directors, ProYouth
Proposal Deadline
One (1) original marked “Original”, three (3) copies marked “Copy”, and an emailed readable electronic
version formatted in Microsoft Word must be received on or before June 8, 2018 by 5:00pm.
Proposals received after the time and date stated above shall not be considered.
This RFP Includes
I. General Information
II. Description of Proposals Expected
III. Description of ProYouth
IV. Scope of Work
V. RFP Process and Requirements
VI. Awards
VII. Proposal Format
VIII. Evaluation Criteria
IX. Special Instructions to Offerors
X. Appendix A: Title Page
XI. Appendix B: Terms and Conditions
XII. Appendix C: Independent Price Determination, Lobbying, No Sanctions, and Drug Free
Workplace Certification
XIII. Appendix D: RFP Checklist
XIV. Appendix E: Evaluation Criteria
Section I. General Information
This document constitutes a Request for Proposal (RFP) via competitive proposals from qualified
individuals or organizations to perform the Scope of Work set forth herein. This request is an offer by
ProYouth to purchase, in accordance with the terms and conditions of this RFP, the services and products
proposed by the successful Offeror. Offerors are expected to carefully read the entire Request for
Proposal.
Proposals must be in the actual possession of ProYouth on or before the exact time and date indicated
above. Proposals received after the published time will be disqualified. Four (4) total copies of proposal,
with one marked “Original” and the other three (3) marked “Copy”, must be submitted in a sealed
envelope properly addressed to:
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ProYouth
Attn: Reneé Whitson, First Vice President, ProYouth
505 North Court Street
Visalia, CA 93291
Additionally, a readable electronic version of the proposal, formatted in Microsoft Word, must be emailed
to Melisa Prins, Regulatory Compliance Director, on behalf of Reneé Whitson, First Vice President:
Each Offeror, by submission of signed proposal, agrees to each and every term and condition set forth
within this RFP and to be bound thereby. ProYouth reserves the right to amend these requirements, accept
or reject any or all changes to the contract, and is not bound to accept the lowest total bid. The contract
will commence on the date of award. The contract will be for a term of two (2) years with the option for
two (2) additional two-year (2-year) renewal clauses. The vendor must present ProYouth with their
contract renewal terms no later than ninety (90) days prior to contract termination. If the option to renew
is not exercised, the contract will continue on a month-to-month basis until vendor is notified by
ProYouth of a new award.
Bidder Questions:
Any questions related to this Request for Proposal shall be directed in the following manner:
Melisa Prins, Regulatory Compliance Director, on behalf of Reneé Whitson, First Vice President:
All questions must be received by May 7, 2018. Official answers to all written questions will be provided
via amendment to this RFP to all potential bidders by May 11, 2018.
RFP Schedule:
• RFP Available to the public April 23, 2018
• Questions Deadline May 7, 2018
• Summary of Questions sent to Bidders May 11, 2018
• Proposals due June 8, 2018
• Proposals reviewed for completeness June 11, 2018
• Short list established June 15, 2018
• Bidders notified June 18, 2018
• Interviews/Presentations with short-listed Bidders scheduled To be determined
• Award of Contract To be determined
• Contract begins To be determined
Definitions:
For the purposes of this RFP, the following terms have the meanings indicated:
1. “Agency” means ProYouth
2. “Board of Directors”, “Board”, and “Trustees” means the ProYouth Board of Directors.
3. “Ad Hoc Committee” and “Committee” means the ProYouth Board of Directors Ad Hoc
Committee for Retirement Benefits.
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4. “Offeror”, “Bidder”, “Vendor”, “Contractor”, “Entity”, “Firm”, and “Organization” are used
interchangeably through this Request for Proposal to mean the person, corporation, or other entity
submitting a Proposal in response to the Request for Proposal.
5. “Proposal” and “Bid” are used interchangeably to mean an individual’s or entity’s offer to
perform the work described in this Request for Proposal.
6. “RFP” means Request for Proposal. The contract will be awarded to the responsible bidder whose
Proposal is most advantageous to the agency, with price and other factors considered.
7. “ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
8. “FINRA” means the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
Section II. Brief Description of Proposals Expected
This document constitutes a Request for Proposal (RFP), from qualified individuals and organizations to
perform the Scope of Work as set forth herein. This request is an offer by ProYouth to purchase, in
accordance with the terms and conditions of this RFP, the services and products proposed by the
successful Offeror.
1. The Offeror shall provide a proposal, in accordance with all terms and conditions of the RFP, to
offer expert advisory and consulting services supporting the efficient administration of
ProYouth’s employee benefit IRS qualified retirement profit sharing and 403(b) plan.
2. The offer to acquire and award a contract is contingent on receiving final approval of the award
from ProYouth’s Board of Directors.
Section III. Brief Description of ProYouth
ProYouth, a California 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, delivers out-of-school expanded learning
programs at fifty sites throughout Central California. ProYouth’s programs include the HEART program,
serving grades kindergarten through fifth; EGDE, serving grades six through eight; and XL, serving
grades nine through twelve. ProYouth also provides Agricultural Science and Robotics/Engineering
programs at twenty-five elementary schools on a contract basis and partners with law enforcement to
provide Insight, its signature gang prevention/intervention program, at fourteen middle schools. All
combined, ProYouth serves over 15,000 students annually. Additionally, ProYouth is a meal provider
under the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP/USDA) and the Summer Food Service Program
(SFSP/USDA) and serves over 650,000 meals per year.
ProYouth performs these services through approximately sixty full-time staff, four hundred part-time
staff, and fifty educational contractors/specialists. ProYouth is an equal opportunity provider. ProYouth’s
Expanded Learning Programs and Super Snack Meal Program are funded in part through state and federal
grant awards. As such, ProYouth, and the vendors with whom it contracts, must certify compliance with
state and federal legislation and regulations as detailed within this RFP.
Section IV. Scope of Work
4.1 The Contractor shall understand and agree that no quantity of service is guaranteed under the
contract and that ProYouth does not guarantee that the contractor’s services will be utilized to any
degree.
4.2 Contractor will act as fiduciary for the plan following ERISA requirements under such capacity
and will provide advice and assistance reviewing ProYouth’s 403(b) program on a continuing
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basis to ensure that those plans are in compliance with state and federal requirements and their
adequacy of benefits with respect to other plans.
4.3 Contractor shall provide, in addition to those listed below, administrative services including:
annual discrimination testing; paying agent services; quarterly employee holdings statements
preparation and issuance; investment fund review, recommendation, and/or replacement;
monitoring of state, ERISA, and IRS regulations for adherence to qualification status; initiate and
submit required ERISA updates to the plan document; host annual meeting with ProYouth plan
participants informing them of updates and/or changes to investments; and host semi-annual
meetings with ProYouth’s Trustees.
4.4 Contractor will recommend alternative benefit designs or delivery systems as dictated by
emerging plan costs or benefit practices.
4.5 The firm should specialize in, or have a separate division that specializes in, retirement plans.
4.6 Contractor should be a registered investment advisor who can provide written acceptance of co-
fiduciary status under ERISA.
4.7 Contractor’s investment materials have been reviewed by FINRA. A copy of FINRA’s opinion
letter should be available for review.
4.8 Contractor should be able to provide investment materials that have been reviewed by outside
legal counsel for compliance with ERISA.
4.9 Contractor will provide a secure, online self-service portal where employees will have access to
their own confidential information; host an interactive, intuitive, and participant-friendly website
including the ability to monitor, track, obtain reports, and transfer funds daily; and maintain a
secure, online portal for the organization to access, update, and monitor necessary participant
information.
4.10 Contractor will prepare and distribute the Summary Plan Description, prepare the trust document
and file plan updates with the IRS for acceptance. Contractor will issue proper fee disclosure
information as required to both employer and participants.
4.11 Contractor will work with the organization to develop or make ERISA/IRS compliant changes to
the plan design as needed.
4.12 Contractor will prepare the annual audit, receive the annual census, and prepare and file the
annual IRS 5500 tax return.
4.13 Contractor will monitor eligibility and terminations, and administer asset rollovers, pay outs, and
any other distribution needs.
4.14 Contractor will provide a written retainer agreement or service contract detailing the services they
provide.
4.15 Host and maintain an active toll-free hotline for participant inquiries.
4.16 Provide online or manual enrollment kits for new employees.
4.17 Provide a vehicle for accepting biweekly deposits of participant and agency plan asset funds.
4.18 Provide annual prospectuses on funds available for investment.
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4.19 Maintain adequate levels of fiduciary insurance coverage.
Section V. RFP Processes and Requirements
5.1 ProYouth is committed to selecting the most competitive offer for contract award but does not
base its evaluation solely on price. ProYouth reserves the right to award a contract to an Offeror
who may not necessarily be the lowest bidder based upon cost comparison. The contract will be
awarded to the Offeror whose Proposal is responsive to this RFP and is most advantageous to the
organization, price and other factors considered. Any or all bids may be rejected when it is in the
interest of ProYouth to do so.
5.2 No extensions to the response deadline will be granted on an individual basis. If ProYouth
determines that the response time it has provided is inadequate for the preparation of complete
proposals, or if amendments issued have materially changed the proposal requirements, it may, at
its option, extend the opening date by amendment to all Offerors.
5.3 Any proposals received after the exact time specified for receipt will not be considered unless it is
received before the award is made and it was sent by registered or certified mail, no later than the
fifth calendar day prior to the date specified for the receipt of proposals (e.g., a proposal
submitted in response to this RFP requiring receipt of proposals by the 20th of the month must
have been mailed by the 15th of the month or earlier). The only acceptable evidence to establish
the date of mailing of a late proposal sent either by registered or certified mail is the postmark. If
the postmark is illegible, the proposal shall be deemed to have been mailed late.
5.4 All Offerors agree that their proposals are a firm offer to sell the proposed services to ProYouth.
Once submitted, all offers must remain valid for 90 days. No offer may be withdrawn after the
due date for a period of 90 days.
5.5 Prior to due date, Offerors may withdraw their proposals by notifying Reneé Whitson in writing
of their intent to do so.
Section VI. Awards
6.1 The Offeror shall have the capability and the requisite experience and expertise to provide
services for ProYouth in accordance with the provisions and requirements set forth herein. The
Offeror shall understand and agree that no quantity of service is guaranteed under the contract.
6.2 In the performance of the services set forth herein, the Offeror shall expressly understand and
agree that a contract exists between the Offeror and ProYouth upon approval and acceptance of a
proposal. In addition, the Offeror understands and agrees that the contract shall be performed on
behalf of ProYouth who will be responsible for the administration of the contract and which has
designated the Trustees of the Retirement Plan as its agent in such matters. Therefore, the
contractor shall permit the Trustees to review all records and activities performed by the
contractor as would otherwise be normally provided to ProYouth under the terms of the contract.
6.3 ProYouth reserves the right to select and award a contract based upon the whole proposal, by line
item, or by part. ProYouth may reject any or all portions of any proposal or reject all proposals
and reissue the RFP.
6.4 Those portions of an Offeror’s proposal which are separable, will be treated as separable. No
exclusivity must exist in the proposal. The Offeror will not make any portion of its proposal
7
contingent on the acceptance of any other separable part, the whole of the proposal, or the
acceptance of its chosen subcontractors.
6.5 Timeline of Review
• RFP Available to the public April 23, 2018
• Questions Deadline May 7, 2018
• Summary of Questions sent to Bidders May 11, 2018
• Proposals due June 8, 2018
• Proposals reviewed for completeness June 11, 2018
• Short list established June 15, 2018
• Offerors notified June 18, 2018
• Interviews/Presentations with sort-listed Offerors scheduled To be determined
• Award of Contract To be determined
• Contract begins To be determined
Section VII. Proposal Content and Format Requirements
The following are the proposal requirements. A screening committee will review the completeness of the
response to the RFP. Those proposals deemed complete will be evaluated by the ProYouth Board of
Directors Ad Hoc Committee for Retirement Benefits.
7.1 One signed original and three (3) copies of the proposal shall be submitted. Additionally, one
readable electronic version formatted in Microsoft Word shall be submitted.
7.2 The original copy of the proposal shall be clearly labeled “Original.” The copies of the proposal
shall be labeled “Copy.”
7.3 If your organization is subject to the Single Audit requirement set forth in the Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR), Title 2, Part 200, Subpart F, a copy of the organization’s most recent Single
Audit must be submitted.
7.4 The material shall be complete, organized, easy to follow, and related to the RFP.
7.5 ProYouth will not provide any reimbursement for the cost of developing or presenting materials
in response to this RFP.
7.6 Failure to include the following information may have a negative impact on the evaluation of the
Offeror’s proposal. The proposal shall include at least the following information:
• Firm name, address, telephone number, fax number, and email address.
• Firm Representative or other person to contact for clarification of any item contained in
the proposal. Include the telephone number, fax number, and email address if different
from above.
• Federal Tax ID Number
• A list of two (2) minimum verifiable client references of similar scope and industry. This
list may include current and former clients (with reason for cancellation if applicable), all
of whom are able to comment on the Offeror’s related experience. Include the following:
o Reference Name (Company/Organization and Contact Name and Title)
o Reference Contact Information (phone number, fax number, and email address)
o Description of Services Provided
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• The Offeror shall list all subcontractors that will be used in the delivery of services
pursuant to this contract.
• The Offeror will include a cost proposal specifically reflecting the method of determining
charges for work performed. The Offeror may use fee-for-service or time and materials
approaches relevant to the scope of work in their cost bid. Costs may include a set
monthly billing estimated on the services to be delivered as per above.
7.7 Proposals must include the following documents and must adhere to the following page limits.
• Title Page— 1-page limit (Appendix A)
• Terms and Conditions— 1-page (Appendix B)
• Independent Price Determination, Lobbying, No Sanctions, and Drug Free Workplace
Certification— 3-pages (Appendix C)
• Table of Contents/RFP Checklist— 1-page (Appendix D)
• Executive Summary— 1-page limit
• Firm Description and Qualifications— 15-page limit
o Historical record and experience
o Evidence of organization’s ability to successfully perform the scope of work
o Key personnel and Qualifications
o Tulare County-based Contact Person
o Services and web-based projects offered
o Plan of Action
• Cost Proposal— no page limit
• List of Subcontractors— no page limit
• Client References— no page limit
• Optional Pages—2-pages
o A maximum of two (2) pages of information not included, nor requested in this
RFP may be submitted, if you feel it may be useful and applicable to this request.
7.8 Submitted proposals must adhere to the following formatting requirements:
• Page size: 8.5” x 11”
• Font size: 12-point
• Margins: One (1) inch
• Pages: Single-sided, numbered sequentially
Section VIII. Evaluation Criteria
The following criteria will be used to evaluate all proposals:
8.1 Fee structure proposed including fund asset fees to be charged to the plan or participants.
Describe your fee structure in detail.
8.2 Historical record with regard to return on investment and selection of asset group.
8.3 Depth of personnel with requisite skill and experience to deliver proposed services.
8.4 Depth of staff providing support and back-up.
8.5 Services and web-based projects offered as resources for ProYouth.
8.6 A demonstrated plan of action for service providers to expediently gain solutions to our service
needs in issues which may be beyond their relevant experience level or authority.
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See Appendix E for additional information regarding the Evaluation Criteria.
Section IX. Special Instructions to Offerors
9.1 The Offeror shall notify ProYouth of any use of subcontractors to provide the requested services
for ProYouth. The Offeror agrees and understands that no subcontract which the Offeror enters
into, with respect to performance under this contract shall, in any way, relieve the Offeror of any
responsibility for performance of his duties.
9.2 All Offerors agree that they shall defend, indemnify, and hold ProYouth, its officers, employees,
and agents harmless from and against all claims which arise out of the Offeror’s performance,
negligence, or actions if its officers, employees, and agents in the performance of this contract.
9.3 ProYouth will settle all bills within thirty (30) days of receipt.
9.4 ProYouth will not pay for any goods or services that it has not received at the time of billing.
9.5 All documents required to execute the proposal and contracts must be signed by an authorized
officer of both ProYouth and the Offeror.
9.6 ProYouth reserves the right to terminate the contract at any time for the convenience of ProYouth
without penalty or recourse, by giving written notice to the successful Offeror at least thirty (30)
days prior to the effective date of termination. The Offeror will be entitled to receive just and
equitable compensation for that work completed prior to the effective date of termination.
9.7 The Offeror shall comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-226)
which prohibits discrimination on the basis of physical or mental disabilities in delivery contract
services or in the employment of qualified individuals.
9.8 The Offeror will provide ProYouth with the names of personnel who will be assigned to fulfill the
contract together with an organization chart showing their relative positions in the company and
brief resumes of each individual.
9.9 The terms and conditions of this contract will be interpreted in accordance with the common and
statutory laws of the State of California and applicable sections of the Uniform Commercial
Code.
9.10 Any change in the contract including the Scope of Work described herein, whether by
modification or supplementation, must be accomplished by a formal contract amendment signed
and approved by and between the duly authorized representatives of the Offeror and ProYouth.
Any such amendment shall specify an effective date, any increases or decreases in the amount of
the Offeror’s compensation, if applicable, and entitled as “Amendment” and signed by the parties
identified in the preceding sentence. The Offeror expressly and explicitly understands and agrees
that no other method and/or no other document, including correspondence, acts, and oral
communications by or from any person shall be used or construed as an amendment,
modification, or supplementation to the contract.
9.11 ProYouth reserves the right to immediately cancel, terminate, or reject the whole or any part of
the contract due to failure of the Offeror to carry out any term, promise, or condition of the
contract.
10
9.12 ProYouth will issue a written notice of cancellation to the Offeror for acting for failing to act in
any of the following.
• The Offeror fails to adequately perform the services required in the contract.
• The Offeror provides personnel that do not meet the requirements of the contract.
• The Offeror attempts to impose on ProYouth personnel that are of an unacceptable
quality.
• The Offeror fails to furnish the required product within the time stipulated in the contract.
• The Offeror fails to make progress in the performance of the requirements of the contract
and/or give ProYouth a positive indication that the Offeror cannot or will not perform the
requirements of the contract.
• If ProYouth cancels the contract pursuant to this clause, ProYouth reserves all rights and
claims to damage for breach of contract.
9.13 All payroll taxes, liability, and worker’s compensation insurance, and benefits required of the
Offeror are the sole responsibility of the Offeror. The Offeror understands that an
employer/employee relationship does not exist under this contract. Prior to commencing services
under this contract, the contractor must furnish ProYouth certification from insurer(s) for
coverage in the minimum amounts as stated below. The coverage shall be maintained in full force
and effect during the term of this contract and shall not serve to limit any liabilities or any other
contractor obligations.
• General liability, including: comprehensive form, premises operations, contractual and
personal injury.
• Limits of liability minimum for each occurrence:
o Bodily Injury: per person $1,000,000, per occurrence $2,000,000
o Property Damage: $1,000,000
o Bodily Injury and Property Damage, combined: $1,000,000
The above limits must be in place for the duration of the contract.
11
ProYouth
403(b) Retirement Plan Advisory Services
Request for Proposal
Appendix A: Title Page
Name of Firm/Organization
Address of Firm/Organization
Firm/Organization Website
Name and Title of Contact Person
Phone and Fax number of Contact
Person
Email address of Local Contact
Person
Federal Tax ID Number
Tulare County Office Address
The Authorized Representative of the above-named firm certifies to the best of their knowledge and belief
that the information provided to ProYouth in the submitted proposal is true and accurate. If awarded the
contract, the firm agrees to adhere to the offer of services included in the proposal, and the Scope of
Work, and Terms and Conditions of the RFP.
Signature of Authorized Representative
Typed Name and Title
Date
12
ProYouth
403(b) Retirement Plan Advisory Services
Request for Proposal
Appendix B: Terms and Conditions
I, the Authorized Representative, recognize that the we must meet all required Terms and Conditions as
stated below. If we are unable, this proposal will be considered null and automatically rejected. The
Terms and Conditions are:
1. I am authorized by my Board of Directors, Trustees, other legally qualified officer, or
as the owner, of this organization, firm, or business, to submit this proposal.
2. We are not currently on any Federal, State of California, or local Debarment Lists.
3. We will provide records to show that we are fiscally solvent, as requested.
4. We have, or will have, all of the fiscal control and accounting procedures needed to
ensure that ProYouth funds will be used as required by law and contract.
5. We have additional funding sources and will not be dependent on ProYouth funds
alone.
6. We will meet all applicable Federal, State and local compliance requirements. These
include, but are not limited to:
• Records accurately reflect actual performance
• Maintaining record confidentiality, as required
• Reporting financial, participant, and performance data, as required
• Complying with Federal and State non-discrimination and civil rights provisions
• Meeting all applicable labor laws
• Meeting all applicable state and federal laws and regulations
We hereby assure that we will comply with all of the above statements in this agreement.
Signature of Authorized Representative
Typed Name and Title
Date
13
ProYouth
403(b) Retirement Plan Advisory Services
Request for Proposal
Appendix C: Independent Price Determination, Lobbying,
No Sanctions, and Drug Free Workplace Certification
By submission of this proposal, the bidder certifies and in the case of a joint proposal, each party thereto
certifies as to its own organizations, that in connection with this procurement:
INDEPENDENT PRICE DETERMINATION
1. The prices in this bid have been arrived at independently, without consultation, communication, or
agreement, for the purpose of restricting competition, as to any matter relating to such prices with
any other bidder or with any competitor.
2. Unless otherwise required by law, the prices that have been quoted in this proposal have not been
knowingly disclosed by the bidder and will not knowingly be disclosed by the bidder prior to bid
submittal, directly or indirectly to any other bidder or to any competitor.
3. No attempt has been made or will be made by the bidder to induce any person or firm to submit or
not to submit a proposal for the purpose of restricting competition.
LOBBYING
As required by Section 1352, Title 31 of the U. S. Code, and implemented at 34 CFR Part 82, for a
person entering into a grant or cooperative agreement over $100,000, as defined at 34 CFR Part 82,
Sections 82.105 and 82.110, the applicant certifies that:
1. No federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid, by or on behalf of the undersigned,
to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a
member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a member of
Congress in connection with the making of any federal grant, the entering into of any cooperative
agreement, and the extension, continuation, renewal, amendment, or modification of any federal
grant or cooperative agreement;
2. If any funds other than federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for
influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of
Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in
connection with this federal grant or cooperative agreement, the undersigned shall complete and
submit Standard Form - LLL, “Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying,” in accordance with these
instructions; and
3. The undersigned shall require that the language of this certification be included in the award
documents for all subawards at all tiers (including subgrants, contracts under grants and
cooperative agreements, and subcontracts) and that all subrecipients shall certify and disclose
accordingly.
DEBARMENT AND SUSPENSION
Entities are subject to the non-procurement debarment and suspension regulations implementing
Executive Orders 12549 and 12689, 2 CFR part 180. These regulations restrict awards, sub-awards, and
contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for
participation in Federal assistance programs or activities.
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The prospective Contractor certifies to the best of its knowledge and belief, that it and its principals:
1. Are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or
voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any Federal department or agency;
2. Have not within a three-year period preceding this proposal been convicted of or had a civil
judgment rendered against them for commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with
obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public (Federal, State or local) transaction or
contract under a public transaction; violation of Federal or State antitrust statutes or commission
of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false
statements, or receiving stolen property;
3. Are not presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity
(Federal, State or local) with commission of any of the offenses enumerated in the above
paragraph of this certification; and
4. Have not within a three-year period preceding this application/proposal had one or more public
transactions (Federal, State or local) terminated for cause or default.
5. Where the prospective vendor is unable to certify to any of the statements in this certification,
such prospective vendor shall attach an explanation to this proposal.
DRUG FREE WORKPLACE
The bidder certifies that it will continue to provide a drug-free workplace as required by the State Drug-
Free Workplace Act of 1990 (Government Code Section 8350 et. Seq.) and the Federal Drug-Free
Workplace Act of 1988, and implemented at Title 34, Code of Federal Regulations (34 CFR), Part 85,
Subpart F, for grantees, as defined at 34 CFR, Part 85, sections 85.605 and 85.610.
THE PERSON SIGNING THE PROPOSAL DOCUMENTS CERTIFIES:
The bidder is the person in the bidder's organization responsible within that organization for the decision as
to the prices being offered herein or that the bidder has been authorized in writing to act as agent for the
persons responsible for such decisions in certifying that such persons have not participated and will not
participate, in any action contrary to the above Independent Price Determination sections (1) through (3).
The bidder has not participated, and will not participate, in any action contrary to (1) through (3) above
Independent Price Determination sections (1) through (3).
AND, AS THEIR AGENT, DOES HEREBY CERTIFY:
Signature of Authorized Representative
Typed Name and Title
____________________
Date
15
ProYouth
403(b) Retirement Plan Advisory Services
Request for Proposal
Appendix D: RFP Checklist/Table of Contents
It is the bidder’s responsibility to ensure all required elements and forms are included in the submitted
proposal.
One (1) original labeled “Original” and three (3) copies labeled “Copy” must be submitted. One
readable electronic version formatted in Microsoft Word must also be submitted.
Pages must be single-sided and numbered.
One copy of the organization’s most recent audited financial statements must be submitted, if
applicable.
The following lists the order of documents that must be included in the proposal package. This may also
be used as a checklist to help ensure submission of a complete RFP.
1. Title Page
2. Terms and Conditions
3. Independent Price Determination, Lobbying, No Sanctions, and Drug Free Workplace
Certification
4. Table of Contents/RFP Checklist
5. Executive Summary
6. Firm Description and Qualifications
a. Historical record and experience
b. Evidence of organization’s ability to successfully perform the scope of work
c. Key personnel and staff
d. Services and web-based projects
e. Plan of Action
7. Cost Proposal
8. List of Subcontractors
9. Client References
10. Optional Two (2) Pages
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ProYouth
403(b) Retirement Plan Advisory Services
Request for Proposal
Appendix E: Evaluation Criteria
Submitted proposals will be reviewed for completeness as they are received. Those proposals deemed to
be complete will then be carefully reviewed and analyzed by the ProYouth Board of Directors Ad Hoc
Committee for Retirement Benefits. The capabilities and solutions proposed by each vendor will be
evaluated utilizing the Evaluation Matrix, below, to ensure a comprehensive comparison of the vendors’
offerings.
Once proposals are reviewed and compared, three to four finalists will be selected from among the
candidate pool. The finalists will represent the proposals that best address the RFP’s unique objectives
and overall circumstances.
Finalists will then be given another opportunity to present the highlights of their offering in person at a
designated time and location.
The analysis phase will conclude with the selection of the plan’s vendor.
EVALUATION MATRIX CRITERIA
The following Matrix has been developed to evaluate each Request for Proposal to the specific objectives
of the plan. This evaluation criteria includes vendor experience, service team and model, service
commitments, administrative capabilities, investment platform and capability to perform all the services
required by the plan, among others.
ERISA imposes a fiduciary duty on plan sponsors to prudently select and monitor the plan’s vendor and
ensure that the fees charged to the plan relating to the vendor’s services are reasonable. Conducting a
vendor search every three to five years helps the plan sponsor satisfy these responsibilities. While the
vendor search process may initially seem burdensome, following a few best practices can mitigate the
inconveniences, and the benefits quickly overwhelm the burdens.
MATRIX TOOL EXPLAINED
Legend:
Column 1: Category
Column 2: Importance Weight
Column 3: Provider Value
Column 4: Total (Column 2 x Column 3) = Column 4
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COLUMN 3: PROVIDER VALUE
A value will be assigned to each provider’s response to each category of information requested by our
RFP. The ProYouth Board of Directors Ad Hoc Committee for Retirement Benefits will assign a provider
value from 0 to 5 for that provider’s response for a category. A 0 is the lowest rating that can be given and
a 5 is the highest.
• For example, ProYouth may judge that the information the provider XYZ supplies about
their firm’s organization and history is extremely complete and useful to ProYouth and
that it carries a value of 4.
On the other hand, ProYouth may determine that the information XYZ provides about
Client Service and Quality Assurance is vague and leaves many questions unanswered,
earning a value of 2 from ProYouth.
While the provider’s response may be technically complete, the information it supplies may be of little
value to ProYouth’s organization or plan. In that case, the Provider Value assigned would be toward the
lower end of the spectrum. The entire 0–5 scale will be utilized as needed.
The ProYouth Board of Director’s Ad Hoc Committee will thoroughly review a provider’s RFP response
and ensure a Provider Value is assigned in Column 3 for each Category. This process will continue for all
providers who have responded to the RFP.
COLUMN 4: TOTAL
In Column 4, the Ad Hoc Committee will determine a provider’s “score” for each category of information
requested in the RFP. A total score for the provider’s entire proposal will then be calculated.
As noted above, the Total in Column 4 will be calculated by multiplying the Importance Weight (Column
2) assigned to the Category (Column 1) by the Provider Value assigned upon review of the RFP (Column
3). This process will be used to calculate the total score for each category.
• Example: for Customer Service and Quality Assurance, if ProYouth entered 15 in
Column 2 and 2 in Column 3, the value in Column 4 would be 30 (15 x 2 = 30).
Once the total score has been calculated for each category, all the values in Column 4 will be added
together for that provider’s final Proposal Score. This process will continue until the Proposal Scores
have been determined for all providers who responded to the RFP. All RFP responses will be reviewed in
their entirety before a short list of finalists are selected and notified.
A perfect score on the Evaluation is 500.
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Request for Proposal
Evaluation Matrix
CATEGORY
IMPORTANCE
WEIGHT
(MUST ADD UP TO 100)
PROVIDER
VALUE
(0-5)
TOTAL
Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4
Organization and History 5
Customer Service and Quality
Assurance 15
Recordkeeping/Administration 5
Company Stock/Investments 10
Regulatory Services 5
Skilled Personnel 5
Reporting 5
Participant Access (web, mobile,
VRS, call center, etc.) 10
Communications and
Education 10
Implementation 10
Systems Capabilities and Hardware 10
References 5
Expenses 5
TOTAL 100
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CHOOSING THE FINALISTS
As noted above, perfect score on the Evaluation Matrix would be 500. Once each provider’s total
Proposal Score has been calculated, the three or four providers with the highest scores will be selected as
the finalists.
NOTIFYING THE RESPONDENTS
ProYouth acknowledges that developing responses to RFPs takes a considerable amount of time and
effort. As a courtesy, each respondent will be notified as to whether:
• The minimum standards were met in their response
• They were selected as a finalist
If a provider is selected as a finalist, a discussion as to next steps and the timing of those next steps will
be part of the conversation. Next steps may include such activities as site visits, follow up questions and
responses, a formal presentation, contractual discussions, refinement of investment, and service
recommendations, etc.
