Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

General Questions

What is the typical timeframe for a full day course?
The standard time for a full day course is from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm with a one hour lunch break to be taken around the noon hour.

What equipment is provided in the training room, and what is the facilitator responsible for providing?
A TV/VCR, overhead projector, paper/flip chart, markers and dry erase board are provided in each training classroom held on the Capitol Complex. Facilitators are responsible for furnishing all handouts and other desired seminar supplies and should plan to bring their own laptop and LCD projector if it is required for their presentation. An Internet connection is available upon request.

After being selected to deliver a course, will we have a point of contact on your team to learn more specifically about the participants, their objectives and competencies as they relate to organizational goals in order to develop targeted content and exercise that directly relate to the State of Iowa?
PDS will work with a selected vendor to provide any additional information they may need to help customize their seminar for the expected participants of the seminar.

Other than Des Moines, what other locations will seminars take place?
PDS offers services to agencies and organizations throughout Iowa. In the past couple years, we have taken training to Iowa locations, including but not limited to, Ames, Cedar Rapids, Sioux City, Ottumwa, Davenport, and Cherokee.

Informal Bid Questions

What is the required format for the proposal?
There is not a required format for the informal request for proposal. The proposal should be complete, including detailed information on how the vendor is able to address the service needs described in the RFP, why they are qualified to provide the service, as well as the cost for the services.

General Bid Proposal Questions

Are bids to be based on the assumption that seminars will be held in the Des Moines Metropolitan area?
Des Moines is currently the primary location for seminars. As agency needs arise, PDS may seek to schedule additional seminars outside the Des Moines area. We encourage you to include any associated fee variances and/or travel fees in the cost proposal, Section 4.2.5, for sessions that may be scheduled outside the Des Moines area. (The Des Moines area does include Ames.)

What information is required in the transmittal letter?
The transmittal letter should include all vendor contact information, including business name and primary contact, telephone number, mailing address, e-mail address, fax number (if applicable), and web address (if applicable).

If a vendor wishes to submit more than one proposal, is it acceptable to make a copy of the reference letters that appear on company letterhead?
Yes, copies of original reference letters that appear on company letterhead are acceptable.

Does a service provider have to produce an entirely separate proposal package for each RFP, or can the service provider address each RFP in one proposal document?
The service provider shall provide a seperate proposal for each RFP.

Vendor Selection Questions

Are any of the current service providers located out-of-state?
Yes. Many current service providers are based out of locations throughout the United States.

Contract Questions

What is your cancellation policy?
According to the contract resulting from an RFP, the Agency retains the right to cancel any class with at least five (5) days notice to the contractor. Reasons for cancellations with notice include but are not limited to insufficient number of course participants, inclement weather, extreme emergency, disaster, or violation of specified provisions of the contract. It is a general PDS practice to notify vendors two weeks prior to the scheduled class if the session will need to be cancelled due to insufficient number of course participants.

What are the payment terms of the cancellation policy?
The Agency shall pay only those amounts, if any, due and owing to the Contractor for services actually rendered.