NEW YORK STATE
OFFICE OF GENERAL SERVICES
NEW YORK STATE STRATEGIC SOURCING
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION22549 May 10, 2012
This is NOT a Solicitation
On behalf of the New York State Office of General Services, the New York State Strategic Sourcing Teamrequests information from vendors that provide medical and laboratory Chemicals and Biological Materials about their product types and business models. See “Scope of Request” for additional details.
Purpose and Objective
The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to acquire information regarding possible options and solutions available in the marketplace formedical and laboratory Chemicals and Biological Materials, hereinafter referred to as “Chemicals and Biological Materials”. New York State will use the information received from this RFI to review the available options and solutions in making a determination regarding future contracting strategies. Vendors interested in participating in any possible future opportunities are encouraged to respond to this RFI and sign up for Online Vendor Registration for Bidder Notification Service ( on the NYS OGS website under classification codes 10, 12, 41, 42, 53, 56 and 76.
It is the objective of this RFI to:
- develop a general understanding of current vendor demographics and capabilities;
- obtain vendor feedback on working with New York State and other public and private sector customers regardingpossible operating models, leading practices, pricing structures and process improvements; and
- solicit vendor perspective on the future direction for acquiringChemicals and Biological Materials.
Vendor Roundtable
The New York State Strategic Sourcing Team will host a vendor roundtable in the morning ofTuesday, June 5, 2012 in Albany, New York. Invitations are limited to those vendors that submit aresponse to the RFI. No more than two attendees from each vendor shall be permitted to attend the roundtable. Specific time, location and agenda details will be provided at a later date to vendors that submitted a response to the RFI.
Scope of Request
The scope of this request is for information about Chemicals and Biological Materials provided to New York State, including both NYS Executive Agencies and the State University of New York (SUNY).Chemical and Biological Materials include basic and specialized chemical and biological reagents and assay ingredients.The State spent approximately$35.4millionon these products and associated ancillary costs(e.g. shipping/handling, gas tank rental, etc.) during State Fiscal Year 2010-11.
Content of Response
Vendors are requested to respond to all questions included in this RFI. A response does not bind or obligate the responder or the New York State Office of General Services to any agreement of provision or procurement of products referenced. No contract can or will be awarded based on submissions.
Since this RFI is designed as a tool to collect information and will not result in a procurement contract for Chemicals and Biological Materials by a state agency, it does not fall under the requirements of State Finance Law §§139-j and 139-k (the Procurement Lobbying Law) and there is no restricted period. However, we ask that you direct your questions and responses in writing to the email address listed below.
In order to facilitate the review of the responses, please provide the information in the exact order as listed below. You may put answers within this document directly beloweach question, maintaining the original formatting of this document. Please rename this document with the following naming convention: NYS CHEMICALS AND BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS RFI_VENDOR NAME.doc (.docx format is also acceptable).
If any of the information in the vendor response is considered confidential, proprietary or a trade secret, it must be clearly indicated on the appropriate page of the vendor response. Release of such materials is governed by the NYS Freedom of Information Law, which in pertinent part requires the requester to provide specific justification as to why disclosure of particular information in the response would cause substantial injury to the competitive position of the vendor.
Please provide your responseno later than 4PM EST on May 25, 2012 to the Chemicals and Biological Materials New York State Strategic Sourcing Team:
Company Demographics
Question / Company ResponseCompany Name
Division/Location
Headquarter Location
Contact Name
Title
Email Address
Phone Number
- Are you a Small business enterprise?
- Are you a Minority-owned business enterprise?
- Are you a Woman-owned business enterprise?
- Are you certified with Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) as aMinority and/or Woman Owned Business (M/WBE)?
- In what New York State counties can your company provide Chemicals and Biological Materials products? If your company can provideChemicals and Biological Materials products statewide, list “All.”
- In how many other states does your company supply Chemicals and Biological Materialsproducts?
- Does your company have interest in acting as the primary vendor for the provision of Chemicals and Biological Materialson a statewide basis?
- When does your company’s fiscal year start and end?
- What was your company’s total revenue last fiscal year?
Question / Company Response
- Does your company provide the following Chemicals and Biological Materials? Please indicate the approximate number of unique items offered for each product group and attach any additional information (e.g. product price list for each grouping).
Chemicals – Basic (e.g. Methanol, Acetone, NH4OH)
Chemicals – Specialized (e.g. N N-Dimethylformamide Anhydrous, Manganese Phthalocyanine)
Biologicals – Basic (e.g. Crystal violet, Safranin, Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate)
Biologicals – Specialized (e.g. Antibodies, DNA, Enzymes) / Response
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No / Count
- Does your company provide any of the following? Please indicate the approximate number of unique items offered for each product group and attach any additional information (e.g. product price list for each grouping).
Equipment –Basic (e.g. Centrifuge, Fridge/Freezer, Balance)
Equipment – Advanced (e.g. HPLC, GC, Mass Spec)
Supplies – Basic (e.g. Gloves, Syringes, Pipette Tips)
Supplies– Advanced (e.g. Coated Microplates, Capsule Filters) / Response
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No / Count
- Are there any additional products your company provides?
- Are you the original manufacturer of the Chemicals and Biological Materialsproducts you sell? If so, please indicate the percentage of total sales that falls into this category.
Operating Model
New York State (Executive Agencies and SUNY) currently operates numerous contract vehicles with multiple contractors through OGS and other agencies. The acquisition mechanism and buying function is decentralized with each agency responsible for individual interaction with contractors. The following questions pertain only to medical and laboratory Chemicals and Biological Materials.
1.New York State is evaluating the potential to pursue new pricing and contract models. Please describe in detail the pricing and contract models your company would recommend for Chemicals and Biological Materialsand why your company recommends this model for New York State (e.g. core list vs. full catalog, market basket, multiple vendors vs. single vendor, vendor managed services, etc.). Include any recommendations and pros and cons of the recommended model and how Chemicals and Biological Materialscould be delivered through each model.
RESPONSE:
2.Please use examples to describe your company’s experience with states and/or private entities who successfully implemented the model(s) your company is recommending and why the attributes of the entity are similar to New York State.
RESPONSE:
3.What are cost-effective best practices that your company has used or seen used in this industry to deliver Chemicals and Biological Materials?
RESPONSE:
Total Cost of Ownership
New York State is evaluating various pricing mechanisms for each product grouping of Chemicals and Biological Materials. Please respond to the following questions for each product grouping (chemicals-basic/specialized and biological materials-basic/specialized).
4.A Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) model includes all relevant items that drive the total cost of a good or service beyond the base product price (e.g. shipping/handling, tank rentals, etc.). Please provide any information your company believes is important for New York State to include in the TCO model for Chemicals and Biological Materials.
RESPONSE:
5.Please recommend best in class pricing mechanisms for Chemicals and Biological Materialsto assist New York State in its efforts to increase efficiency and control cost.
a)If your company recommends New York State should segment the Chemicals and Biological Materials categories further , please include a description of the segmentation your company recommends and why.
b)Include best in class pricing mechanisms associated with each recommended Chemicals and Biological Materialsproduct segment. If you have a sample, please attach in your company’s response.
RESPONSE:
6.What factors contribute to price volatility and adjustments across the chemicals and biological material products and/or services your company provides (e.g. feedstock price volatility, energy price volatility, liability associated with hazardous material delivery, etc.)?
RESPONSE:
7.Is your company able to bid a fixed price for a given chemical or biological material for a one year period? A two year period? If your company cannot bid a fixed price for either a one or two year term, what is the longest fixed price list term to which your company is willing to commit and why? Please list the Chemicals and Biological Materialsto be provided for any period for which your company can bid a fixed price.
RESPONSE:
8.Please provide the length of term your company recommendsNYS use for a contract for Chemicals and Biological Materials?
RESPONSE:
Please explain why your company recommended the proposed length of term.
RESPONSE:
9.What information would your company like to see in a potential solicitation that would help your company price Chemicals and Biological Materialsproducts and associated ancillary costs? (If your company does not have interest in providing these products to the State, please explain why.)
RESPONSE:
New York State Procurement Process
10.Please describe any current challengesyour company has experienced with New York State procurement processes. Please include any suggestions for improvement.
RESPONSE:
Vendor Roundtable
11.Does your company wish to attend the vendor roundtable?
RESPONSE:
12.If yes, please provide the requested information forthe two authorized representatives from your company:
Attendee 1 / Attendee 2Name
Phone Number
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