Vermont Department of Health
Sealed Bid
Request for Proposals
Project Title: Infant Safe Sleep
Contract Period: one year – March 1, 2017 – February 28, 2018
Date RFP Issued: December 21, 2016
Bidders Conference: Not Applicable
Date of Bid Closing: January 23, 2017
Date of Bid Opening: January 25, 2017
Location of Bid Opening: 108 Cherry St, Burlington VT 05401
Single Point of Contact: Sally Kerschner, RN
MCH Injury Prevention
Contact Address: Vermont Department of Health,
Division of Maternal Child Health
PO Box 70, 108 Cherry Street
Burlington, Vermont 05402-0070
Phone: 802 – 652-4179 Email:
1. Overview
1.1 Requests for Proposals
The Vermont Department of Health (VDH), Division of Maternal and Child Health, is seeking proposals to conduct formative research and create related marketing, communications, and public health education services in order to address the incidents of sudden infant death by reducing the risk of unintentional infant asphyxiation, and to increase the practices of infant safe sleep in Vermont. This initiative will be directed to pregnant women and families with young infants and health care providers and other professionals and care givers who work with these families. The topic of research and media is infant safe sleep environment.
Anticipated contract period will be March 1, 2017 through February 28, 2018, with an option to renew for a one year period. The option to renew will be based upon performance of contractor, achievement of deliverables, and available funding.
Bidders should demonstrate the following:
1. Knowledge of behavior change theories, marketing principles, health communication principles, and existing best practices with preference for those firms with experience in wellness promotion related to maternal, infant, and child health.
2. Knowledge and experience in conducting research using such techniques as focus groups, key informant interviews, and surveys and demonstrate the ability to use the data to create a health education campaign related to health promotion and risk reduction.
3. Experience in projects involving research and health education campaigns for the maternal and child health populations or with those who serve this population such as health care providers, child care providers, hospitals, and community organizations.
4. The MCH populations in rural New England have specific health and health education needs that reflect the geographic area in which they live. Therefore, bidders should demonstrate experience in working in Vermont or in working in rural areas similar to Vermont such as in northern New England and New York State.
5. Ability to develop, implement, and evaluate a health education campaign.
6. Ability to negotiate with Vermont media outlets for economical prices and leverage free (matched) airings and the ability to design outreach via digital engagement.
7. Ability to collect data and report on evidence of measurable campaign impact.
8. Ability to provide services consistent with a full-service agency: expertise in marketing, strategy development, advertising, public relations, marketing research/formative research, creative development and production and media planning/buying.
1.2 Background and Need Statement
Unsafe sleep environment for infants is a public health issue. Each year in Vermont, 4- 6 infants die due to unsafe sleep environments (such as unintentional suffocation by bedding, sleeping with an adult, etc.). This RFP is related to the goal of reducing sudden unexpected infant deaths which as listed in the Healthy Vermonters 2020 and Tile V MCH Block Grant planning documents. There is a need to create a clear message to parents, caregivers, and professionals who work with families of infants about how to create an ongoing safe sleep environment for an infant so as to reduce the risk of sudden death. This need for a comprehensive safe sleep messaging campaign arises from years of confusing and conflicting educational messages for both health care professionals and parents/caregivers on a national basis.
Background: Research has shown that a safe environment for infant sleep is to place the infant on his/her back, alone, in a safety approved crib, with no additional toys/bedding, etc. However, this message gets confused with several issues such as information about the increased risk from alcohol use, tobacco use, overly tired parents, etc. In addition, there are two significant issues that confound clear messaging to parents. One issue is that of breastfeeding. Many breastfeeding advisors/consultants give the mother the strong message that in order to establish successful breastfeeding, the mother must be with the baby in a co-sleeping situation to allow suckling on-demand. The other major issue is the practice of defining the cause of the infant death by officials at autopsy or during a death scene investigation. Nationally, many infant deaths that are linked to overlay or unintentional suffocation are classified by the pathologist/Medical Examiner as “SIDS” which is outdated terminology. Thus, the manner of death on the death certificate is not adequately clarified in national data sets, leading to a decades-long national confusion in the actual causes of infant death: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) or Sudden Unexplained Death in Infancy (SUID.)
Providers include in general professionals who serve pregnant women and families with infants: physicians, nurses, social workers, early childhood service providers, childbirth educators, breastfeeding support specialists, etc.
The main health education message for providers and parents: Place your infant to sleep in a safe sleep environment. The existing descriptions of a safe sleep environment are on the VDH “Ten Tips” parent handout that is presently in use.
http://healthvermont.gov/family/SUDI/documents/safe_sleep_tips.pdf. This description is taken from the AAP statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
http://www.aappublications.org/news/2016/10/24/SIDS102416. The Division of MCH intends that this RFP will produce research and a media campaign that would replicate or modify the existing information based on data from Vermont-based parent focus groups and key informant interviews with Vermont providers. The VDH Division of MCH would like this message delivered to parents and providers using themes as determined from formative research such as focus groups, key informant interviews, surveys and also national sources as appropriate for Vermont’s population.
2. Scope of Work and Contractor Deliverables
The contractor will be responsible for researching, creating, and executing, and evaluating effective health education and social marketing campaigns on infant safe sleep that are based on formative research and national best practice.
Project Description:
· Conduct literature review related to infant safe sleep messaging and submit a summary of findings with a reference list.
· Conduct research so as to create and test messaging for a health education campaign about infant safe sleep. Examples of research activities are as follows: 1) Conduct at least two focus groups with pregnant women and new parents of infants to gather information to create health education messages about infant safe sleep practices. 2) Conduct key informant interviews or focus groups with a variety of providers who work with pregnant women and families with infants. Examples of providers are physicians, nurses, social workers, child care workers, childbirth educators. An infant is considered to be a child aged birth to 12 month of age.
· Develop a multi-faceted health education campaign for reaching parents and providers with a comprehensive message that reflects infant safe sleep practices and is based on parents/providers’ knowledge, perceptions and attitudes. Products may be basic messaging, education materials for parents, discussion paper for providers, slide set for provider and parent audiences, creation/placement of messaging on VDH website, 211, and other social media.
· Development of an evaluation component for assessing effectiveness of outreach and education strategies.
All bidders on this project must be prequalified for marketing contracts in order to submit an eligible proposal and be considered for this work. Registering with the Vermont Business Registry and Bid System does not prequalify you. Vendors who wish to become prequalified for marketing contracts may submit an application to the Chief Marketing Officer at any time. The Prequalification application process should be started at a minimum of fifteen business days (15) prior to a scheduled RFP closing date. All complete prequalification applications must be submitted at least ten (10) business days prior to a scheduled RFP closing date for which a vendor wishes to submit a bid. For more information or to submit a prequalification application visit: http://cmo.vermont.gov/contracting-state-government/process”
2.1 Payment Provisions
The total contract will not exceed $100,000 for the project period. Contractor shall submit invoicing either quarterly or when specific deliverables are met - specifics will be negotiated for the final contract document. Payment terms will be Net 30 days. Contractor will be paid based on documentation and itemization of work performed and include in invoicing. Invoicing must contain a detail of services including dates and hours of work performed and rates of pay, as mutually agreed upon. Invoicing must also contain a detail of items and cost for any allowable reimbursable expenses (parts, materials, travel, etc.) as mutually agreed upon.
3. General Provisions
3.1 Contract Terms
The selected contractor will sign a contract with the VDH to carry out the specifications and provide the activities detailed in the proposal. Terms and conditions from this RFP and contractor’s response will become part of the contract. This contract will be subject to review throughout its entire term. The VDH will consider cancellation upon discovery that a contractor is in violation of any portion of the agreement, including an inability by the contractor to provide the products, support and/or service offered in their response.
3.2 Contract Award
The VDH may award one or more contracts and reserves the right to make additional awards to the same vendor or other vendors who submitted proposals at any time during the first year of the contract if such award is deemed to be in the best interest of the VDH.
3.3 Ownership of Work Product and Intellectual Capital
Except for proprietary or commercial software, the VDH will have all ownership rights to the documentation designed, developed, and/or utilized for this contract. All data, technical information, materials gathered, originated, developed, prepared, used or obtained in the performance of the contract, including, but not limited to, all reports, surveys, plans, charts, literature, brochures, mailings, recordings (video and/or audio), pictures, drawings, analyses, graphic representations, notes and memoranda, and, written procedures and documents, regardless of the state of completion, which are custom developed and/or are the result of the services required under this contract, shall be and remain the property of the VDH and shall be delivered to the VDH upon 30 days notice by the VDH. A vendor shall not sell a work product or deliverable produced under a contract awarded as a result of bids without explicit permission from the VDH.
3.4 Penalties and/or Retainage
Vendor will be paid upon receipt of an itemized invoice and after contract deliverables are competed, reviewed, and approved by the Infant Safe Sleep program manager.
3.5 Subcontractors
Any subcontractors hired by the primary contractor must adhere to the same standards and contract provisions applicable to the primary contractor. The primary contractor retains overall responsibility for contract performance. The primary contractor must advise the VDH of intent to hire a subcontractor and provide the name of company, name of president/owner and location of company. The VDH reserves the right to reject the hiring of subcontractor during the term of contract.
3.6 Invoicing
All invoices are to be submitted by the Contractor on the Contractor's standard invoice. The invoice must include the following: a signed signature, name and address for remittance of payment by the state, the contract number, date of performance and a brief description of the service or product provided.
3.7 Contractor Performance Guidance
All bidders will be held to specific performance review criteria over the life of the contract to ensure that project deliverables as outlined in the RFP and attested to in the Scope of Work are being met. Review of project deliverables will occur at intervals agreed upon by both the State and the Contractor and designated in the contract.
Desired Outcomes / Activities, Tasks, Services / Performance Measures / Monitoring VerificationSafe Sleep education campaign is well informed by previous research / National literature review of relevant academic research and media campaigns / Summary of research findings / State’s receipt of research summary
Education campaign messages are informed by Vermont target population / Research of focus groups and key informant interviews with pregnant women, parents of infants, and providers / Summary of research themes / State’s receipt of a summary of Vermont based research themes
Infant safe sleep health education campaign is developed and implemented. / Planning, development, implementation of health education campaign.
/ Development of campaign materials,
Implementation of campaign with agreed upon media and website metrics / State approval of campaign education materials and media/website metrics
Infant safe sleep health
education campaign is effective in informing the target audience of pregnant women, parents of infants, and providers / Development of evaluation strategies and assessment of results. / Delivery of evaluation and tracking plan. Summary report of evaluation data. / Receipt and approval by State of evaluation plan. Receipt by State of summary evaluation report.
3.8 Contractor Staffing
Key staff member(s) must be assigned to this contract for the full duration proposed. None of the key staff member(s) may be reassigned or otherwise removed early from this project without explicit written permission of the VDH.
The Contractor must identify staff member(s) who will remain on this project until completion, unless indicated otherwise in the Contractor’s proposal. The Contractor may propose other staff members as “key” if desired. The Contractor will make every reasonable effort to ensure that the early removal of a key staff member has no adverse impact on the successful completion of this project.
3.9 Key Contractor Responsibilities
The selected Contractor must assume primary responsibility for the implementation of the contract specifications and activities.
3.9.1 The Contractor will successfully implement the plan to accomplish the
tasks described and defined in the Scope of Work.
3.9.2 The Contractor must abide by all State policies, standards and protocols as provided, and defined in this contract. Before commencing work on this Agreement the Party must provide certificates of insurance to show that the following minimum coverage is in effect. It is the responsibility of the Party to maintain current certificates of insurance on file with the state through the term of the Agreement. No warranty is made that the coverage and limits listed herein are adequate to cover and protect the interests of the Party for the Party’s operations. These are solely minimums that have been established to protect the interests of the State.