Description
This RFI is not a solicitation and does not constitute a request for quotation or proposal. EEOC is not seeking or accepting unsolicited proposals. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this solicitation or to otherwise pay for the information solicited. Although "proposal" and "offeror" may be used in this Request for Information, your response will be treated as information for planning purposes only. It shall not be used as a proposal. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Revolving Fund Division, EEOC Training Institute (hereinafter referred to as the Institute) has a requirement for a contractor to provide a full-service training facility to include lodging, meeting and exhibitor space, food and beverage service, audio/visual equipment, limited audio/visual support services, and business center support to conduct the annual EXamining Conflicts in Employment Laws (EXCEL) Training Conference (hereinafter referred to as “the conference”). This annual conference provides training to federal agencies, state and local, and private employers on the laws enforced by the EEOC. The Institute anticipates a minimum of 600 registrants with a maximum of 1,000 registrants, plus an additional 100 attendees consisting of other staff, presenters, and exhibitors who provide support for the conference. The EXCEL Training Conference will be held for four (4) days. The preferred schedule includes a Pre-Conference registration held on Sunday and Pre-Conference sessions on Monday. Full conference registration will be held on Sunday and Monday. Pre-Conference sessions will be held on Monday (Day 1) from 8:00AM – 5:00PM. The full conference will be held from Tuesday (Day 2) beginning at 8:00AM through Thursday (Day 4) at 5:00PM. The plenary sessions will be held in the mornings on Tuesday (Day 2), Wednesday (Day 3), and Thursday (Day 4). Breakout sessions will be held in the mornings on Tuesday (Day 2), Wednesday (Day 3), and Thursday (Day 4) after the plenary sessions end until 5:00PM. Food and beverage service is required for continental breakfast and for a light lunch for three (3) days, Tuesday (Day 2), Wednesday (Day 3), and Thursday (Day 4). The Institute also requires morning and afternoon breaks each day (Tuesday through Thursday), and a conference reception on one day during the conference (the exact date and time will be determined later by the Institute). The Institute may offer six (6) pre-conference and post-conference workshops for up to 300 registrants outside of the Tuesday through Thursday full conference window. REQUIREMENTS FOR LOCATION AND DATES The contract must be able to provide a facility for the entire scope of the contract. The EEOC will only accept information for the following dates and locations. The preferred dates and location for the 2025 EXCEL Training Conference are: Locations: Detroit, Michigan (1st preference) Minneapolis, Minnesota (2nd preference) Chicago, Illinois (3rd preference) Indianapolis, Indiana (4th preference) Denver, Colorado (5th preference) Atlanta, Georgia (6th preference) Phoenix, Arizona (7th preference) San Diego, California (8th preference) Date(s): June 1 – June 6, 2025 June 8 – June 13,2025 June 15 – June 20, 2025 June 22 – June 27, 2025 July 13 – July 18, 2025 July 20 – July 25, 2025 August 10 – August 14, 2025 The Pre-Conference and full conference will be held from 8:00AM – 5:00PM daily. We will require the use of the registration area for the Pre-Conference and assembling of materials one day prior to the Pre-Conference from the hours of 8:00AM – 5:00PM. Please indicate availability for each date in the technical portion of the quotation. No other dates or combination of dates will be considered by the Government. The Government contemplates the award of a Firm-Fixed Price (FFP) contract. SAMPLE OF SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES AND SERVICES CLIN 0001, Lodging - Quantity four 4 days each (See below list of lodging requirements), Unit Price $ , Total for CLIN 0001 $ CLIN 0002, Rental of Conference Meeting Space - Quantity 4 days each (see below list of conference meeting space requirements), Unit Price $ , Total for CLIN 0002 $ CLIN 0003, Business Center Services Expenses - Quantity 4 days, (See below list of business center requirements), Unit Price $ , Total for CLIN 0003 $ CLIN 0004, Food and Beverage Services - Quantity 4 days (See below list of food and beverage requirements), Unit Price $ per person per day, Total for CLIN 0004 $ CLIN 0005, Rental of Audio/Visual Equipment and technical support - Quantity 4 days each (See below list of audio/visual requirements), Unit Price $ , Total for CLIN 0005 $ Total Price for CLINs 0001 through 0005: $ . CONFERENCE GENERAL REQUIREMENTS The contractor shall be a high quality “full-service” provider with a past performance history that includes a minimum of 3 years of experience as a primary contractor with a professional staff to execute the requirements specified in this Statement of Work (SOW). All staff provided by the contractor shall be either direct employees of the contractor or employees of an approved subcontractor. The primary contractor shall have full responsibility for the contractor and subcontractor staff and shall make direct contact with the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) to ensure that all arrangements are mutually understood concerning any logistical and/or financial arrangements that may impact the EEOC. The contractor shall provide meeting space, food and beverage, and lodging to serve 600 to 1,000 registrants and provide business services. The contractor shall provide professional staff to organize, coordinate, and handle any last- minute requests, as well as execute all logistical requirements as specified in this SOW. The contractor shall make direct contact with the host to ensure that all arrangements are mutually understood concerning arrival times, accommodations, official functions, financial arrangements, and any other special information that may impact this event. The contractor or their approved subcontractors shall coordinate and implement all logistical arrangements for this event. Logistical support may include, but is not limited to, coordination of meeting accommodations, customer service or front desk information service, conference rooms, meal arrangement/catering, dedicated internet, and audio/visual equipment. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Requirements All facilities, including restrooms, recreational areas, dining space, registration area, meeting space, hotel rooms, exhibitor space, office space, and audio/visual equipment must meet ADA requirements for accessibility. Accommodations for individuals with disabilities may include, but are not limited to accessible hotel rooms, parking spaces, elevators, and sound systems, wide aisles, and wheelchair ramps. The EEOC will perform site visits prior to the award of the contract. The site visit will include an ADA assessment of the property by the Disability Business and Technical Assistance Centers (DBTAC) prior to award of the contract. CLIN 0001 – Lodging Requirements The contractor shall provide a minimum of 400 hotel room nights for speakers and EEOC staff working the event. Space must be available Friday prior to the conference through Friday after the conference. The contractor shall provide hotel rooms at or below the Federal government’s per diem rate for lodging. The contractor will be paid for a minimum of 400 hotel room nights for speakers and EEOC staff directly under this contract. The contractor shall provide a room block for up to1,700 hotel room nights for registrants and exhibitors. The contractor shall provide hotel rooms at or below the Federal government’s per diem rate for lodging. These individuals will be responsible for direct payment to the contractor. The Institute will manage the hotel room block and will turn back any unused rooms to the contractor, without penalty, by a cutoff date to be determined upon award of the contract. The Institute will provide the contractor with a list of registrants, exhibitors, speakers and EEOC staff. CLIN 0002 – Conference Meeting, Exhibitor and Office Space Requirements All meeting space must be set up in classroom style with 6' tables, a maximum of 2 people per table, mints, one (1) pitcher of water and two (2) glasses per table, or set up using classroom/ theatre style. A podium and two (2) tables located in the front of the classroom are required for the presenters. Rooms must have additional space to accommodate audio/visual equipment. Plenary Room: A plenary room that can accommodate a minimum of 600 registrants up to 1,000 registrants and 100 presenters/staff in classroom style seating or can accommodate up to 1,000 registrants and 100 presenters/staff using round tables that seat 10 people and 2 to 4 comfortable chairs for the EEOC’s Chair and Keynote Speakers (large/high back chairs) are required on Tuesday (Day 2) from 8:00AM to 12:00PM, on Wednesday (Day 3), and on Thursday (Day 4) from 8:00AM to 10:00AM. The plenary room must have additional space to accommodate a raised platform that is ADA accessible. This includes a platform which is no more than 24” high and is wheelchair accessible on at least one side. If a wheelchair ramp is used, the ramp must have railings on both sides and the rise over run cannot be more than 8.3%. The audio/visual requirements will be discussed below. Dining Space (Ballroom): A dining space area within a separate ballroom or event space that can accommodate speakers as well as a minimum of 600 registrants up to 1,000 registrants and 100 presenters/staff. Exhibitor floor room are not acceptable unless approved. The ballroom will be set up in banquet rounds of ten (10) with an appropriately sized riser to hold a podium with podium microphone. This space is required on Tuesday (Day 2) - Thursday (Day 4) from 12:00PM to 1:30PM. Please see the internet and audio/visual sections for additional specific requirements. The Plenary Room and Dining Space (Ballroom) functions cannot be held in the same room. Breakout Session Rooms: The breakout session rooms are required for Monday (Day 1), Pre- Conference from 8:00AM - 5:00PM is six (6) breakout rooms to accommodate up to 50 registrants. On Tuesday (Day 2) from 1:30PM - 5:00PM, on Wednesday (Day 3), and on Thursday (Day 4) from 10:30AM - 5:00PM, the following breakout rooms for the full conference are required: two (2) rooms to accommodate up to 300 registrants; two (2) rooms to accommodate up to 100 registrants, and five (5) rooms to accommodate up to 200 registrants, and one (1) room to accommodate 75 registrants. The Plenary Room can also serve as a breakout session room if space is configured with air walls and the necessary audio/visual equipment is functional to accommodate the full agenda. Speaker-Ready Room The Speaker Ready room will be used by Institute speakers to prepare for their respective presentations from 8:00AM-5:00PM on Monday – Thursday. The room should be equipped with 2 small tables with chairs, lounge chairs, and comfortable seating. The area should be stocked with coffee, tea, and water pitchers with glasses. In addition, the Speaker Ready Room should have a small refrigerator and microwave for use by the speakers. Exhibitor Space Exhibitors will be at the EXCEL Training Conference. Exhibitor Space for up to 20 exhibitors is required for Monday – Thursday in a foyer area near the plenary session, registration area or dining space (ballroom) that can accommodate the AM/PM break services. Ten (10) Exhibitor spaces shall be equipped with two (2) 6’ tables, two (2) chairs, and ten (10) Exhibitor spaces shall be equipped with one (1) 6’ table, two (2) chairs. The contractor will furnish tablecloth and drape for the front of the tables and a wastebasket per exhibitor. The exhibitors will be responsible for all additional equipment and booth requirements and will work directly with the hotel. Pre-Function Room The Pre-Function room will be used to assemble up to ten (10) pallets of conference materials and supplies. This room needs to be available from 8:00AM on the Friday before the start of the conference through Friday at 5:00PM the day after the conference ends. The room needs to be equipped with carts to transport completed conference materials to the registration areas for the conference. The contractor also needs to provide a secured office that can be used to store laptops, audio/visual equipment, and conference materials during the same time. Only EEOC staff should have access to the secured office. The Pre-Function room and secured office shall be adjoining and shall have at least eight (8) tables, twenty (20) chairs, wastebaskets, and water pitchers with glasses. Registration and Office Areas The contractor needs to provide two (2) registration areas. One registration area must be available from Sunday afternoon 3:00PM – 7:00PM to accommodate Pre-Conference Registration and from Monday 7:30AM – Thursday 6:00PM to accommodate registrants, and the other registration area is needed from Tuesday – Thursday 7:30AM – 6:00PM to register staff, presenters and exhibitors. Each area shall have six (6) tables with four (4) chairs per table. Directional signage will be provided by the contractor to the registration area. CLIN 0003 – Business Center Requirements The contractor must be able to handle mailing, copying, and faxing limited course materials on- site. The Institute typically receives four (4) pallets of course materials, 25 to 30 packages and audio/visual equipment, and sends out 50 packages at the completion of the conference. Contractor must provide a list of all business center charges to include labor charges. CLIN 0004 – Food and Beverage Requirements The contractor shall provide a copy of the final price list as submitted in response to the solicitation for food and beverages for the conference as follows: continental breakfast, light lunch, breaks (AM and PM) on multiple days, and one (1) evening reception. Pricing for food and beverage shall include the price for the item, plus the gratuity (service charge), and a statement from the contractor indicating whether, and under what conditions, the U.S. Government is exempt from state tax. Tuesday Evening Kick-Off Reception: The food at the reception will consist of hors d’oeuvres, carving stations, and finger foods. The space designated for the reception must accommodate approximately 1,000 registrants with social seating available throughout the area and the duration of the reception will be approximately 1 hour, from 5:30PM - 6:30PM. A cash bar will be available for all drinks. Continental Breakfast is served for 1 hour from 7:00AM - 8:00AM Tuesday through Thursday. The contractor must provide table rounds to accommodate up to 1,000 registrants on Tuesday (Day 2), Wednesday (Day 3), and Thursday (Day 4). A typical Continental Breakfast shall consist of juice, fruit, yogurt, assorted breakfast pastries, protein, bagels, or croissants, regular and decaffeinated coffee, tea bags and hot water for tea, iced tea, and large containers of water. Lunch is served for 1½ hours from 12:00PM – 1:30PM. The contractor must provide table rounds for ten (10) and accommodate 1,000 people. The Dining Space can be used for breakout room and/or meeting space. A light lunch is provided on Tuesday (Day 2), Wednesday (Day 3) and Thursday (Day 4). This can be plated, buffet or salad bar type lunch which provides a protein-based entrée, a fruit or vegetable, dessert, and iced tea. The entrée must not include pork, beef, or shellfish. 30-minute AM and PM Breaks is required for a maximum of 1,000 registrants. The AM break menu shall consist of the following beverages (regular and decaf coffee, hot and iced tea, and pitchers of water with glasses). The PM break menu shall consist of the following beverages and pitchers of water with glasses) and a light snack (cookies, pretzels, protein, etc.). The AM and PM Breaks are scheduled for 30 minutes each, Tuesday (Day 2) through Thursday (Day 4). The Institute will pay the contractor for meals, breaks, and reception based on the actual number of meals served. CLIN 0005 – Audio/Visual (A/V) Requirements (Rental) A/V for plenary sessions: The contractor shall provide the following items to support the plenary session: LCD projectors, projection screens, scan converters, video cameras, A/V mixers, A/V drops, VCR -1, VGADA and VOA splitter, cables to run two projectors and laptops provided by the Institute, projection carts, pipe and drape, stage wash, lighting, podium with wired microphones, wired table microphones w/stands, wireless floor microphones w/stands. The Institute requires internet access in plenary sessions and all breakout sessions. The contractor must provide internet service in the plenary room. The contractor must setup, breakdown, and provide technical support of the A/V equipment during the plenary sessions. A/V for breakout rooms: The Institute will provide all laptops and in-focus projectors used in the breakout rooms. The contractor must provide the following equipment: microphones (wireless and wired), flip chart/ paper and markers, gender adapters, electronic signage or tripods outside breakout sessions, and projection cart with A/V connection. The Institute requires internet access throughout the entire breakout rooms. The contractor must provide projected cost for the internet service in the breakout rooms. Registration area: The Institute requires an internet connection which will be used with a hub throughout the conference to include registration, A/V connection, and phone for local calls within the conference space. In addition, the Institute requires a multifunction printer to be used throughout the conference to include registration. Common Registration area: The Institute requires an internet connection near registration to be used with a hub for the completion of conference evaluations. This will be set up to support at least (6) to (8) laptops which will be provided by the Institute. Reporting Requirements Pre-Conference Reporting: The contractor will provide the Institute’s Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) with an electronic list of all hotel confirmation numbers for all participants, staff and presenters on a weekly basis starting eight (8) weeks prior to the conference. The Institute COR will manage the conference room block up to 15 calendar days prior to the conference. From fourteen (14) calendar days before the conference through the duration of the conference, the contractor will manage the conference room block. During the Conference Requirements A Pre-Conference meeting will be conducted with the contractor and key Institute staff within five (5) business days prior to the conference. Daily Event meeting will be conducted with the contractor and key Institute staff daily at or around 5:00PM Signature Authority: All on-site charges must be approved and signed only by the Institute’s COR and/or the EEOC Contracting Officer. Daily Reconciliation: The contractor shall provide a daily reconciliation list to the Institute COR by 9:00AM the following business day after the charges are incurred. These charges include lodging paid by EEOC, food and beverage, A/V equipment and labor, and Business Center. Post-Conference: The contractor shall submit a final invoice of all charges within five (5) business days after the completion of the conference. A detailed report should be submitted with the invoice and should consist of a detailed banquet/event order (BEO) form. The BEO must provide the following information: room usage by date; detailed lodging charges for all registrants, staff and presenters for the conference; detailed breakdown, by day, for all food and beverage charges; a detailed breakdown by day and room number, for all A/V equipment rental charges and A/V support charges; all business center cost; and all miscellaneous costs to include but not limited to internet connections, re-keying charges, electrical hook-ups, etc. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS Transportation: The contractor shall provide a price list of all local transportation options to and from the airport and rail station, if applicable. The contractor shall indicate in its quotation whether it provides free or low-cost shuttle services. The contractor shall list all facility parking discounts and cost options. The contractor shall provide a list of all local restaurants located within a ten (10) minute walk from the contractor’s facility. Security: The contractor should identify if they have paid security within the facility and provide a list of additional security measures taken by the contractor to provide for the safety of conference registrants, staff, presenters and equipment. LIST OF DELIVERABLES Logistical Support Plan: Within seven (7) business days of the contract award, the contractor shall comprise a Detailed Logistical Support Plan for provision of all required support. The plan will include a proposed budget and detailed schedule as applicable. The EEOC shall review the Logistical Support Plan and provide acceptance and/or comments to the contractor. The contractor shall be available to EEOC for weekly status reports to facilitate the coordination of evolving operational and logistical issues regarding the tasks outlined in the SOW. Account Reconciliation: EEOC requests that the hotel bill be prepared in a logical and chronological sequence and that backup data accompany the bill. The vendor shall complete its accounting of the conference within five (5) days of the conclusion of the conference. Invoicing: The contractor shall invoice the EEOC at the agreed upon rates for lodging, conference space, rental of audio/visual equipment and technical support, food and beverage service, and business center services. Charges for food and beverage service shall be reflected on the invoice as the cost incurred per person. The contractor shall submit a final invoice of all charges within five (5) business days after completion of the conference to the COR and the COR shall be provided at least five business days to review the invoice charges and services provided for acceptance. Method of Payment Pursuant to FAR Clause 52.232-33 entitled, “Payment by Electronic Funds transfer (EFT) – System for Award Management (OCT 2018)”, the Government intends to make a payment via Electronic Funds Transfer using information provided in the System for Award Management (SAM) database. Cancellation Should EEOC elect to cancel this contract, EEOC will provide a written notification to the contractor no later than sixty (60) calendar days prior to the scheduled event. By receipt of this cancellation notice, the contractor agrees to release EEOC from any cancellation penalties or charges. If there is a cancellation within sixty (60) calendar days of the scheduled event date, Paragraph (l) Termination for the Government’s Convenience or (m) Termination for Cause of FAR Clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Items will govern. SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENTS If any hotel submitting a quotation has any supplemental agreements, those agreements must be submitted with their quotation. If the hotel requires signature of a supplemental agreement that was not submitted with the quotation, the quotation will be rejected.