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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAddenda - RFP - 8665 MEDICAL & RETAIL MARIJUANA LICENSING AUTHORITYAddendum 1 Page 1 of 3 ADDENDUM NO. 1 SPECIFICATIONS AND CONTRACT DOCUMENTS Description of RFP 8665: Medical & Retal Marijuana Licensing Authority OPENING DATE: 3:00 PM (Our Clock) January 31, 2018 To all prospective bidders under the specifications and contract documents described above, the following changes/additions are hereby made and detailed in the following sections of this addendum: Exhibit 1 – Questions & Answers Please contact Beth Diven, Buyer, at (970) 221-6216 or bdiven@fcgov.com.with any questions regarding this addendum. RECEIPT OF THIS ADDENDUM MUST BE ACKNOWLEDGED BY A WRITTEN STATEMENT ENCLOSED WITH THE BID/QUOTE STATING THAT THIS ADDENDUM HAS BEEN RECEIVED. Financial Services Purchasing Division 215 N. Mason St. 2nd Floor PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.221.6775 970.221.6707 fcgov.com/purchasing Addendum 1 Page 2 of 3 EXHIBIT 1 – QUESTIONS & ANSWERS 1. Who is the point of contact for the Authority leadership? The Authority will work with the Licensing Coordinator in the City Clerk’s Office. 2. What will be the working relationship with the City Manager? The City Attorney? The City Council? Fort Collins Police? Other key players? There will be no relationship with the City Manager or City Council. There will be minimal relationship with Police Services and the City Attorney’s Office, which provides legal advice to staff. 3. Are any actions of the Authority specified in the ordinance, including hiring, subject to approval by any other officials or entities? The City Manager hires the Authority based on recommendations from the RFP review team. No actions of the Authority are subject to review (unless done so cooperatively), other than by the District Court which might hear an appeal of a decision by the Authority. 4. Have marijuana taxes been set for the City? If so, what is the tax structure? There are no special taxes in Fort Collins. 5. Will Fort Collins delay the submittal due date for this RFP based on the release date or responses to questions to the RFP? We do not intend to extend the due date at this time. 6. What are the volumes of licensees they are expecting? If this is unknown, what volumes should respondents plan for? There are 44 existing licenses, all of which need annual renewal and which may submit a variety of applications (modification of premises, change of location, etc.). We are unable to predict the number of new applications that may be received. 7. With the city consider utilizing the states background investigation and approval process for new licensees and changes of ownership’s? The City has different (tougher) criminal criteria, so we will continue to do our own background investigations. 8. Does the City have an existing tracking system for application and licenses that it plans to provide to the winning bidder? Tracking is currently done on an Excel spreadsheet. We typically do not share this with the Authority. 9. Is the winning bidder expected to provide its own tracking data system for applications, licenses and investigation? The winning bidder will be expected to develop and maintain its own system for managing applications. Addendum 1 Page 3 of 3 10. The municipal code references the duties of the City Manager with respect to medical and retail marijuana management. It appears from the RFP that these duties will actually be performed by the Authority. Is that correct? Are there any exceptions? The duties of the City Manager and the Authority do not overlap. Duties of the City Manager are generally delegated to staff. The City Manager does promulgate rules (proposed by staff) relating to the application process. 11. The municipal code references fees for licensing both under the medical and retail marijuana ordinances. Will the amount of those fees fall under the rule-making responsibilities of the Authority? Will the Authority collect, deploy and account for the fees? The City Manager sets the fees. The City Clerk’s Office collects the fees and advises the Authority that they have been collected for each application. 12. Is there currently a moratorium regarding medical and/or retail marijuana growing, sales, etc. in effect for Fort Collins? If so, when does that moratorium expire? There is no moratorium. However, there is a voter-approved cap on the number of medical marijuana centers. Only licensed medical marijuana centers can hold retail marijuana store licenses. 13. Will the authority be administering penalties and conducting hearings for violations? The Authority will be presented with alleged violations and asked to order a show cause hearing. The licensee and City Attorney may then engage in negotiation of a stipulated agreement. If they reach agreement, the Authority will be asked to hold a telephone conference with all parties to understand the agreement and then (hopefully) approve it. If agreement is not reached, staff will proceed with the show cause hearing before the Authority. The Authority is expected to be present in Fort Collins for that hearing. 14. We have noted that at times there is reference to a person, at other times an “authority,” and still further a firm. Assuming that a firm may serve as the “authority,” does the language about the City Manager appointing a person create any ambiguity? The Authority is expected to be an individual person. Even if the winning bidder is an attorney associated with a firm, the expectation is that the individual attorney, not the firm, is the Authority. In other words, the same person, all the time, with no substitutions.