St. Lucie Public Schools
SUPERINTENDENT
E. Wayne Gent
Purchasing Department
4204 Okeechobee Road
Fort Pierce, Florida 34947
Voice – (772) 429-3980 Fax – (772) 429-3999
December 18, 2015
TO:
All Prospective Proposers
FROM:
Kim Albritton
Coordinator of Business Services
RE:
RFP 16-07 Contracted Services/Staffing for Exceptional Student Education
ADDENDUM 1 TO RFP 16-07
This addendum is issued as a part of the aforementioned RFP. The changes incorporated herein are an
amendment to and supersede those conditions shown in the original solicitation. The Proposer shall
acknowledge receipt of this addendum by signing this form and returning with their submittal. Failure to
do so may subject Proposer to disqualification.
CHANGES TO RFP:
Evaluation Factor 2 (page 9) – strike the following from the first paragraph:
“will include preferably the vendor maintaining a service center within St. Lucie County city limits. “
Attachment C – first line now reads:
“Please submit a list of at least three (3) references, preferably School Districts in which you are
currently providing similar services or have provided similar services within the past (3) three
years.”
Q1. In regards to the above mentioned RFP, would it be possible to provide the following information?
o Volume of hours, by certification, utilized during the last contract period?
o Vendor and rates during the last contract period?
o Will this be a single or multiple award?
A1. The services were previously provided in-house. The District anticipates awarding to multiple
firms.
Q2. I need clarification with regard to Attachment H – Reference Questionnaire found on pages 30 and 31
of RFP 16-07 Contracted Services/Staffing for Exceptional Student Education and Student Services.
Since the form must be submitted to you on or before January 13, 2016, am I to assume we need to send
these to our potential references now?
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St. Lucie Public Schools
SUPERINTENDENT
E. Wayne Gent
Purchasing Department
4204 Okeechobee Road
Fort Pierce, Florida 34947
Voice – (772) 429-3980 Fax – (772) 429-3999
Are they to go to the same 6 references we are to use to fill out Attachment C – References found on pages
23 and 24 of RFP 16-07 Contracted Services/Staffing for Exceptional Student Education and Student
Services?
A2. Attachment H should be sent to references with enough time to respond by the proposal due
date and time. The references do not have to be the same, but can be.
Q3. What is the typical caseload for therapists?
A3. Varies based on the therapy provided. All caseloads are manageable.
Q4. How many schools are typically on a therapist’s caseload?
A4. Varies by services provided. In many cases such as speech language (for example) it is one
school, for OT/PT it can be multiple schools but nothing assigned that is not manageable or that
causes a person to work beyond their regularly scheduled work day.
Q5. How many working days for therapists each school year?
A5. Follows the school calendar.
Q6. In regards to billable hours:





Are IEP meetings billable?
Are orientation sessions, professional development and other district-sponsored meetings billable?
Are we allowed to bill for paperwork and documentation?
Are we allowed to bill for mileage and travel between school sites?
How many hours are in a typical school day (i.e. how many hours are therapists allowed to be onsite and billing)


Are IEP meetings billable? Yes
Are orientation sessions, professional development and other district-sponsored meetings billable?
No. The only thing billable would be what we require you to attend. We will not allow you to
bill for professional development.
Are we allowed to bill for paperwork and documentation? We allow for 45 minutes to complete
paperwork and bill Medicaid.
Are we allowed to bill for mileage and travel between school sites? We do not allow you to bill for
mileage.
How many hours are in a typical school day (i.e. how many hours are therapists allowed to be onsite and billing) Follows the normal school day. No more than 7 hours per day.
A6.
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

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St. Lucie Public Schools
SUPERINTENDENT
E. Wayne Gent
Purchasing Department
4204 Okeechobee Road
Fort Pierce, Florida 34947
Voice – (772) 429-3980 Fax – (772) 429-3999
Q7. On what date do you anticipate making this award and notifying vendors of the award status?
A7. Within 30-60 days after receipt of proposals.
Q8. On what date do you anticipate services to begin, the 16-17 school year or is it possible for the
remainder of the 15-16 school year?
A8. Will depend on the current need. We still have positions to fill for 15-16.
Q9. Who are the current vendors for the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) services requested in this
RFP?


Please provide the current bill rate by vendor by discipline
Please provide the # of FTEs (full time equivalents) by vendor by discipline
A9. Most positions were (and are) filled by in-house staff for this RFP. A25 provides more
information on positions.
Q10. Have your current vendors been able to meet all of your current ESE services need?
A10. We still have openings in some areas. Also see A25.
Q11. How many district ESE providers are retiring this year?
A11. Beyond the scope of this RFP and Q/A.
Q12. Does the district currently have any ESE compensatory time to make-up?
A12. No.
Q13. Are therapist resumes required at the time of proposal submission or only upon award?


If yes, does the district want resumes for every service we are proposing to provide?
Can we propose to provide only some of the services requested?
A13. Resumes shall be provided for current staff. Please include resumes for all proposed services.
If an agency does not currently have staff to fill the proposed positions, include the qualifications
the proposer will use to select qualified staff and how the proposer intends to staff the positions.
Yes, proposers can respond to as little as one service (or all).
Q14. How many ESE openings does the district anticipate filling with this RFP?
A14. The needs vary as students’ needs change.
3|Page
St. Lucie Public Schools
SUPERINTENDENT
E. Wayne Gent
Purchasing Department
4204 Okeechobee Road
Fort Pierce, Florida 34947
Voice – (772) 429-3980 Fax – (772) 429-3999
Q15. Is the district interested in ESE providers with specialized skill sets?

If yes, what specific skill sets?
A15. Positions are listed within the RFP, proposers may include any specials skills they feel are
suitable for their proposal.
Q16. Is the district interested in bilingual ESE providers?

If yes, what languages?
A16. Yes, Spanish and Haitian-Creole.
Q17. Is the district open to contracting for part-time ESE providers?
A17. It would depend on our current need. We usually prefer to have a full time person.
Q18. Who is responsible for purchasing assessment equipment and supplies in order to provide ESE
services?
A18. Services and equipment needs for students are based on IEP decisions. The district is required
to purchase what is needed for the student to access FAPE.
Q19. What is the district looking for in relation to “maintaining a service center within St. Lucie County city
limits” for Evaluation Factor 2 on page 9?
A19. See changes listed above.
Q20. Please clarify how many references the district is looking for. On page 9, Evaluation Factor 2,
subsection f asks for at least three to be provided on Attachment C yet Attachment C asks for at least six
with three being current customers and three being previous customers.
A20. See changes listed above.
Q21. How many ESE providers does the district have on staff?
A21. The question is too vague to reply. We have many different provides with different
disciplines. Also see A25 for position information.
Q22. Could I possible view the staffing contract that was awarded last for contract staffing needs?
A22. The District did not previously issue/award an RFP for these services. The services were
primarily performed by in-house staff.
4|Page
St. Lucie Public Schools
SUPERINTENDENT
E. Wayne Gent
Purchasing Department
4204 Okeechobee Road
Fort Pierce, Florida 34947
Voice – (772) 429-3980 Fax – (772) 429-3999
Q23. How many vendors do you plan to award preferred supplier status?
A23. The District does not have a preferred supplier status.
Q24. What is the current hourly pay rate and/or yearly salary for each position of Board Certified Behavior
Analyst, Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst, School Psychologist, Teacher for Adaptive Physical
Education, Social Workers, Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, and Special Education Teachers
listed on Attachment I?
A24. For the BCBA, BCABA, Teacher of Adaptive PE, Social Workers and Special Education Teachers,
these are all paid on teacher’s salary and based on years of experience. The BCBA and BCABA also
receive a supplement based on Board Certification. The BCBA receives $4,000 Supplement and the
BCABA receives $2,000 supplement. The social worker receives a supplement as well which is
calculated at 5% of base salary. For Registered Nurses and LPNs the salaries are based on years of
experience that coincide with the requirements of the job and these are listed as specialized
positions. The salary schedules are posted on our website under department and human resources
located at: http://www.stlucie.k12.fl.us/departments/human-resources/salary-schedules/
Q25. For each position of Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst,
School Psychologist, Teacher for Adaptive Physical Education, Social Workers, Registered Nurses, Licensed
Practical Nurses, and Special Education Teachers, how many Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) were utilized in
2014 to 2015 school year?
A25. We currently have 1 BCBA on staff, and 4 BCABAs and 3 Behavior Analyst. We have two
openings for BCBA or BCABAs at this time. We have approximately. We have 7 RNs on staff and 4
LPNs. The allocation for Special Education Teachers is currently 310 positions for all
teachers/positions. We have one vacancy for an adaptive PE teacher for a total of two allocated FTE.
We have 8 Social Workers and 19 School Psychologists. We have one vacant position for a school
psychologist.
Q26. In regards to supervision, what type of oversight is provided by the school system?
A26. The Executive Director of ESE/SS or Director of SS/ESE supervises all Behavioral and Nursing
Staff as well as social workers, school psychologists and adaptive PE teachers. School Principals
supervise the teachers.
Q27. What is the required per session documentation? Is there specific technology?
A27. The normal documentation of services provided and for contracted staff appropriate
recordkeeping indicating time worked and validated by school administration.
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St. Lucie Public Schools
SUPERINTENDENT
E. Wayne Gent
Purchasing Department
4204 Okeechobee Road
Fort Pierce, Florida 34947
Voice – (772) 429-3980 Fax – (772) 429-3999
Q28. How many Attachment H Reference Questionnaire’s must be submitted?
A28. A minimum of three is recommended.
**** RFP DUE DATE IS: January 13, 2016 - 3:00 P.M... ****.
___________________________________________________
_________________________________________
Name (Please Print)
Company Name
__________________________________________________________
________________________
Signature (Authorized Representative of Company)
Date
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