The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) seeks to solicit proposals for consultation services by experts in the fields of public health and workplace safety to develop a plan for protecting CPB employees against the risk of exposure to the coronavirus. The goal of the work outlined in this RFP is to allow CPB’s management and staff to make a safe and effective return to work in its offices. The primary areas of this plan are office sanitization and air-flow safety measures, PPE and social distancing requirements, office traffic flow, employee entrance protocols and privacy rights, and common-space utilization and limitation, along with the other components listed in this RFP. The RFP presented by each respondent will be evaluated on their business overview, project process, past projects, references, and competitive advantages, and cost.
Are you planning to receive visitors during this interim stage?
No.
Are the operating costs capped on an annual basis and what is the base year?
Yes. Base year is 2019.
Under the terms of your current lease, can you please provide your current cleaning protocols and what is provided by the landlord?
Please see Information from Boston Properties that is included as Exhibit B in the RFP.
What is your phasing for occupancy and how do you think you will come back?
We have developed a 3-phase approach that can be found in the Return to Work document shared with the RFP. The earliest we will consider beginning Phase-1 entry is September 8.
Can you please provide space types within the plans other than offices and workstations?
Space types include private offices, workstations, conference rooms, pantries, and an employee break room. This information can be found in Exhibit A as well as the furniture plans that soon will be made available online.
Is it possible to receive your furniture plans for both floors in either PDF or CAD?
Yes, we will make our furniture plans available online in the next few business days. Most of our staff currently assigned to open workstations can be accommodated in vacant offices or by continuing to telework. The few staff members who would remain in open workstations would be appropriately distanced from other staff and common areas.
Please advise on (virtual) tour options. Many of our clients are limiting visitor access at this time but if possible it would be great to share a couple of photos of open work areas and key access control points.
Tours, either virtual or in-person, will be provided to the selected applicant.
For open work areas we assume you have workstations, can you tell us the manufacturer of the stations and also indicate if CPB has a preferred furniture dealer who would likely assist with any furniture adjustments/modifications if needed?
There are 42 open workstations which are nearly identical and manufactured by Steelcase.
Signage templates are mentioned in the RFP - does CPB already have a preferred signage vendor who offers COVID specific signage?
No.
We assume the 17k RSF reduction resulted in the 43 RSF, can you please confirm.
That is correct.
Does CPB have an internal task force for COVID workplace re-entry? If so, can you please share who the key players are (titles are fine if names cannot be shared)?
Current team includes our CFO & Treasurer, VP Human Resources and Director, Office Services, which we will expand to include a cross-section of staff.
Does CPB have legal counsel to consult with on liabilities and responsibilities within and beyond the CPB office?
We have a General Counsel but have not retained any outside counsel to address these types of issues.
Would you mind sharing the names of the other respondents?
It is against our policies to reveal this information.
Have there been any staff furloughs or layoffs as a result of the changes required by COVID-19? If so, will any of the impacted staff be returning to the office?
No.
Have employees been asked about their comfort level in returning to the office?
Yes, there have been extensive interviews with managers regarding their staff’s concerns.
Have any employees been tested positive for COVID-19?
To our knowledge, none.
What CPB processes have been most impaired by work from home?
Departmental collaboration has been the difficulty most reported by managers
What percentage of CPB operations have been performed effectively as work from home?
99%
Can you share with vendors any draft Return to Work plan(s) that has been created?
Yes. A draft of our Return to Work plan will be uploaded for all respondents.
Are any employees currently working in the office or regularly visiting the locations?
Yes. One individual three days per week as needed and one IT staff on an as needed basis.
Some of our large clients in this area are reluctant to be references, by policy; will references for related projects or descriptions of Back to Work Plans with redacted client names suffice?
If this is the case, please explain the circumstances and provide alternate references.
How many CPB locations in total are in scope and what is the headcount at each location?
One location, 90 staff currently.
Do you have a business continuity plan? If so, when was it last updated and exercised?
We do not have a business continuity plan. However, based on our operating protocols and technology, we had all staff working remotely essentially overnight.
Does CBP have a price or budget range that you could provide us for the consulting services being procured under the RFP?
Since this is a competitive solicitation, we will not disclose the funds budgeted for the project.