Worth County, Georgia

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

SOFTWARE AND IMPLEMENTATION SERVICES FOR AN

INTEGRATED FINANCIAL SYSTEM

November 21, 2017

SUBMIT PROPOSALS TO:

Angela Harrah

County Clerk

Worth County, GA

201 North Main St.

Sylvester, GA 31791

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CURRENT SYSTEM......

PART I: GENERAL INFORMATION......

1-1PURPOSE AND SYSTEM SCOPE......

1-2CURRENT COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT

1-3REQUIRED SYSTEM FUNCTIONS

1-4SELECTION PROCESS

1-5AWARD

PART II: GENERAL CONDITIONS......

2-1SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

2-2DELIVERY OF PROPOSAL

2-3PROPOSAL COSTS

2-4ACCEPTANCE

2-5INQUIRIES

2-6REJECTION

2-7INSURANCE

2-8WORKER’S COMPENSATION

2-9PROPOSAL FORMAT

2-10EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2-11COMPANY BACKGROUND

2-12PROPOSED APPLICATION SOFTWARE AND COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT

2-13THIRD-PARTY PRODUCTS/OPTIONAL SOFTWARE

2-14SYSTEM SECURITY

2-15IMPLEMENTATION AND TRAINING

2-16MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT

2-17CLIENT REFERENCES

2-18RESPONSES TO FUNCTIONAL/TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES

2-19COST QUOTATIONS

2-20ADDENDA

PART III: FUNCTIONAL/TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

PART IV: EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS......

5-1EVALUATION METHOD

5-2SELECTION CRITERIA

SignaturePage ……………………………………………………………………………..11

CURRENT SYSTEM

The County’s current financial system is ADG. The County has grown and has since developed operational needs beyond the abilities of the current system.

Highlights of limitations in the current financial system and other stand-alone systems within the County’s operations include the following: (*List items important to your organization, such as those below)

  • Lack of integration with desktop applications.
  • Inability to maintain a detailed on-line audit trail of financial data.
  • Inability to create flexible ad-hoc reports for management and user purposes.
  • Inability to query databases and have access to on-line/real-time data.

By completing a needs assessment, it was concluded that most of these problems can be overcome through currently available financial systems that usestate of the art design or best business practices as their framework. To implement a modern system in a short period of time, the County recognizes that it may have to rethink its current business practices and try to conform to the best practice designs built into leading-edge application software. The intention is to procure an integrated financial system that provides the basis for the County to be a leading-edge public sector organizationfor innovative budgeting and accounting capabilities.

Worth County has a population of approximately 21,500, over 200 employees, all fund types of governmental accounting and limited staff time in finance and accounting.

GENERAL INFORMATION

PART I

1-1PURPOSE AND SYSTEM SCOPE

Worth County, Georgia is seeking proposals for an integrated financial system including software, implementation services, ongoing training and technical support.

1)The system proposed should enable integrated real-me processing of all financial transactions for the County’s financial affairs including, but not limited to, the following:

  • General Ledger
  • Bank Reconciliation
  • Accounts Receivable
  • Accounts Payable
  • Budget Preparation
  • Fixed Assets
  • Inventory
  • Payroll
  • Human Resources
  • Purchasing
  • Utility Billing
  • Occupational Licenses
  • Permit Fees

The County is also requesting information on the following optional modules. These modules should integrate with the financial system to the fullest extent possible and include:

2)The vendor must establish and implement a training program for County users to teach the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively use the technology being proposed. The vendor will also be required to provide ongoing technical support and documentation to implement system updates as they become available. The vendor will also assist in the process of technological migration and organizational changes involved in progressively moving to a distributed computing environment in which end-users will have direct access to and control of those portions of the County’s financial information necessary for the performance of their jobs.

3)Vendors must indicate in the proposal the total cost to perform extensive data conversion services and a detailed description of the conversion services proposed including programming. It is the vendor’s responsibility to obtain the necessary information from the County to provide extensive data conversion services. The selected vendor will be responsible for the accuracy and reliability of the converted data. Mutually agreed specifications for the conversion services and testing procedures will be included in the contract.

1-2CURRENT COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT

“The County runs an IPX/SPX Novell Network over Category 6 cable. A domain network TCP/IP over Category 6 cable runs the system. Internet access is provided to County users over a City of Sylvester owned fiber optic network with a termination point into the County Court house.

As part of its implementation of the selected financial services, the County plans to implement a Windows 2012 Active Directory network. The system will have an Active Directory Controller atthe Countyoffices.

1-3REQUIRED SYSTEM FUNCTIONS

The County has defined its general computing requirements as well as its short-term and long-term County information services directions. Our core requirements are:

  • A robust and fully relational system that can directly support financial, human resources, and purchasing functions for the County.
  • System must be scalable and can support current demands as well as accommodate future growth.
  • Ensure the efficient and accurate capture of data
  • The proposed system will incorporate an integrated database(s) of financial, budgetary and personnel data that will eliminate the need to enter the same data more than once, thereby minimizing cost, duplication of effort, and potential for error. With the new system, information should be easy to enter, access, and reuse and should be automatically linked to all related fields.
  • Provide convenient access to information and services
  • The proposed system will use the Intranet, Internet and web-based technologies to allow customers (both internal and external) to submit information and requests and track their status, including historical research, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and at a time and location convenient to the customer.
  • Integrate with the County’s technological infrastructure
  • The proposed system will have the ability to integrate the County’s e-mail services into the business processes of the affected departments. This will enhance communication of information to all users of the system and improve resource management.

1-4SELECTION PROCESS

At its discretion, the County may require any vendor to make an oral presentation of their proposal, provide demonstrations and/or submit further written literature. These presentations provide an opportunity for the vendor to clarify the proposal for the County. The County will schedule any such presentations or requests for information.

1-5AWARD

Once the proposals are opened each will be evaluated by County staff, taking into consideration the criteria stipulated in this RFP. The County, sole judge in evaluation considerations, may make an award to the vendor(s) who submits the proposal judged by the County to be most advantageous. The County anticipates awarding one contract only. A recommendation will be presented to the CountyCommissioners that will be in the best interest of the County. The County reserves the right to award on an all-or-none basis. The award will only be to responsible vendor(s) licensed and qualified by experience to perform the services specified herein. All proposals submitted shall be valid for a period of ninety (90) calendar days from the date of proposal opening.

Listed below are projected dates and times of actions related to this Request for Proposal (RFP). Notification issued for changes in the estimated dates and times will be made if necessary.

ACTION / TIMEFRAME
RFP Issuance / 11/21/2017
Deadline for Questions / 12/04/2017
Vendor Proposals Due / 12/08/2017
Award Date / 12/21/2017
Anticipated Implementation / 02/19/2018

GENERAL CONDITIONS

PART II

2-1SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The original proposal, three (3) copies and one electronic copy(disk) of the proposal and response to the Technical Requirementsshall be submitted to the County Clerk. The original shall be clearly marked “original”. The original and copies of the proposal shall be clearly marked “Proposal for Financial Software”.

2-2DELIVERY OF PROPOSAL

Proposals must be received no later than 2:00 p.m. EST, December 8, 2017. Late proposals will not be considered. Proposals will be opened at 2:01 p.m., December 8, 2017.

Mailing Address:Worth County, Georgia

County Clerk

201 N. Main Street

Worth County, Georgia 31791

2-3PROPOSAL COSTS

Those vendors submitting proposals do so entirely at their expense. There is no expressed or implied obligation by the County to reimburse any individual or firm for any costs incurred in preparing or submitting proposals, providing additional information when requested by the County, or for participating in any selection interviews.

2-4ACCEPTANCE

Submission of any proposal indicates acceptance of the conditions contained in the RFP unless clearly and specifically noted otherwise in the proposal.

2-5INQUIRIES

Interested vendors may contact the Barbara Francis, Finance Director @ 229-776-8200 ext. 2 regthe Finance harding questions about the proposal. The Finance Director will also receive written requests for clarification concerning the meaning or interpretations of this RFP until five (5) business days prior to the submittal date.

2-6REJECTION

The County reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, in whole or in part, to waive any and all informalities, and to disregard all non-conforming, non-responsive or conditional proposals.

2-7INSURANCE

The vendor, if awarded a contract, shall maintain insurance coverage reflecting the minimum amounts and conditions specified by the County. In the event the vendor is a government entity or a self-insured organization, different insurance requirements may apply.

2-8WORKER’S COMPENSATION

The vendor shall procure and maintain for the life of the Contract/Agreement Worker’s Compensation Insurance covering all employees with limits meeting all applicable state and federal laws. This coverage shall include Employer’s Liability with limits meeting all applicable state and federal laws. This coverage shall extend to any subcontractor that does not have their own Worker’s Compensation and Employer’s Liability Insurance.

2-9PROPOSAL FORMAT

In order to facilitate the analysis of responses to this RFP, vendors are required to prepare their proposals in accordance with the instructions outlined in this section.

Proposals should be prepared as simply as possible and provide a straightforward, concise description of the vendor’s capabilities to satisfy the requirements of the RFP. Expensive bindings, color displays, promotional material, etc., are neither necessary nor desired. Emphasis should be concentrated on accuracy, completeness and clarity of content. All pages should be numbered and clearly labeled. The proposal should be organized into the following major sections:

Section / Title
Title Page
Table of Contents
1.0 / Executive Summary
2.0 / Company Background
3.0 / Proposed Application Software and Computing Environment
4.0 / Optional/Third Party Software
5.0 / System Security
6.0 / Implementation and Training
7.0 / Maintenance and Support
8.0 / Client References
9.0 / Responses to Functional/Technical Requirements
10.0 / Cost Quotations

Instructions relative to each part of the response to this RFP are defined in the remainder of this section.

2-10EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

(Section 1.0). The Executive Summary portion of the response to the RFP should be limited to a brief narrative highlighting the vendor’s proposal. The summary should contain as little technical jargon as possible and should be oriented toward non-technical personnel. The Executive Summary should not include cost quotations.

2-11COMPANY BACKGROUND

(Section 2.0). Vendors must provide the following information about their company so that the County can evaluate the vendor’s stability and ability to support the commitments set forth in response to the RFP.

The vendor should outline the company’s background, including:

  • How long the company has been in business.
  • The location of the nearest support center.
  • A brief description of the company size and organization.

2-12PROPOSED APPLICATION SOFTWARE AND COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT

(Section 3.0). The vendor must present, in detail, features and capabilities of the proposed application software.

In addition, the following information should be included:

Hardware Environment: Describe the hardware environment required to utilize the proposed software. In the event there is more than one suitable hardware platform, list all options indicating the relative strengths and drawbacks (if any) of each. The County prefers a thin client computing environment which will enable high application performance regardless of bandwidth as well as greater data security. Also preferred is a solution with access to the application from any location with Internet connectivity.

Operating System: The County requires a true, Windows-based system. Identify the operating system required by the proposed applications software in the hardware environment recommended above. In the event there is more than one suitable operating system, list all options indicating the relative strengths and drawbacks (if any) of each.

List the operating system software support products required to support the recommended computing environment. List any additional vendor software products required to support your proposed application software. Also, if your solution includes a managed back-up solution, please include pertinent information.

2-13THIRD-PARTY PRODUCTS/OPTIONAL SOFTWARE

(Section 4.0). The vendor should explicitly state the name of any third-party products that are part of the proposed solution to the County’s list of requirements. For each third-party product, there should be a statement about whether vendor’s contract would encompass the third-party product and/or whether the County would have to contract on its own for the product. (Note: please provide time recording devices that are compatible with the proposed system.)

Include a description of any products, features or other value added components available for use with the proposed financial system that have not been specifically requested in this RFP.

2-14SYSTEM SECURITY

(Section 5.0). The vendor should include a detailed description of the proposed system’s security features.

2-15IMPLEMENTATIONAND TRAINING

(Section 6.0). The vendor must provide a detailed plan for implementing the proposed system. This information must include:

  • Project organization chart
  • Detailed implementation methodology
  • Detailed conversion methodology for providing the necessary levels of data conversion of as much data as possible from the current applications to the new system.
  • Identify any conversion experience(s) of ADG software.
  • Conversion support and methodology should include conversion of the following data:

­Bank Reconciliation Master File (Includes: Outstanding checks)

­Ledger Master File (Includes: Accounts, budgets, and balance forward)

­Ledger History File (Includes: Account activity history for current fiscal year and four (4) prior fiscal years)

­Payroll Master File (Includes: Employee demographics with current deductions, current leave with balances, current salary account and distribution, and current direct deposit)

­Payroll History File (Includes: Check detail with deduction history (if available) for current calendar year and four (4) prior calendar year)

­Vendor Master File (Includes: Vendor information with 1099 balance if available no transactions)

­Accounts Payable Check History File (Includes: Accounts Payable check history for current fiscal year and one prior fiscal year)

­Utility billing – current plus five (5) years (this conversion applies only to the County’s garbage service and billing)

  • Implementation and training plan, including estimated time-frame and deliverables for each stage of the project
  • Expected number of County employees required at different stages/modules of the implementation process and for ongoing support
  • Level of expertise (e.g., novice, proficient or advanced) required of County staff for conversion and implementation, report writer, database and other system component maintenance, and for implementation and maintenance of hardware and software
  • Overview of proposed training, including options for on-site or training center services, end users and data processing personnel
  • Sample training manual or class outlines
  • Describe your company’s training methodology and primary concepts used
  • Describe training assessment and evaluation procedures

2-16MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT

(Section 7.0). Specify the nature of any post-implementation support provided by the vendor including:

  • Telephone support: include toll-free support hotline; hours of operation; availability of 24 x 7 hotline, etc.
  • Special plans defining “levels” of customer support (e.g., gold, silver, etc.)
  • Delivery method of future upgrades and product enhancements including historical frequency of upgrades by module
  • Availability of user groups
  • Problem reporting and resolution procedures
  • Documentation included with purchase; also include sample documentation for general ledger module
  • Other support (e.g., on-site, remote dial-in, Website access to patches, fixes and knowledge base)

2-17CLIENT REFERENCES

(Section 8.0). Vendors should provide at least five (5) client referencesthat are similar in size or complexity to Worth County, and have utilized the proposed system in a comparable computing environment. Please note if any of these references were former users of the County’s current software, ADG. Submit references for fully completed installations to the extent possible. Information should include at the minimum: name of client reference, name of agency’s project manager, address, telephone, and e-mail.

2-18RESPONSES TO FUNCTIONAL/TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES

(Section 9.0). Responses to the requirements listed in Part IV of this RFP must be provided in this section of the vendor’s proposal. Vendors should use the format provided and add explanatory details as necessary. The answers for functional / technical capabilities shall be yes or no with comments as appropriate.

2-19COST QUOTATIONS

(Section 10.0). The vendor’s cost quotations should assume 6 total users and 4concurrent users. Cost quotations shall be reflective of each module separately and as a whole. See attached Exhibit A – Vendor Cost Proposal.

2-20ADDENDA

If revisions become necessary, the County will provide written addenda to all vendors who have received the RFP by facsimile or by mail. All addenda issued by the County must be so noted on any proposals that are submitted to the County. Vendors shall contact the County to ascertain whether any addenda have been issued. Failure to do so could result in an unresponsive proposal.

PART III: FUNCTIONAL/TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

Functional/Technical Capabilities
Please answer yes or no with appropriate comment if necessary.
Capability # / User & System Capabilities for Review / Vendor Response / Vendor Comments
1 / Operate in a Microsoft Windows based environment.
2 / Operate on a SQL platform.
3 / Capable of exporting any report to common Microsoft Windows file formats (.doc, .txt, .xls, .pdf, etc.)
4 / Support ad-hoc query and reporting of various application information by authorized personnel. The application reporting capabilities should be flexible, allowing user-defined selection and sorting criteria. The integrated ad-hoc reporting tool should use the security defined in the application for user access to information.
5 / Provide the ability to maintain security restrictions at the fund level.
6 / Provide the real-time integration of data among all modules.
7 / All proposed modules of the system should be integrated to eliminate duplicate data entry for one module to another.
8 / Provide the ability for the software to be upgraded without loss of data or user defined fields.
9 / Provide multiple levels of security from the Server level down to the menu level.
10 / Ability to establish and assign common user profiles
11 / Ability to maintain back-end referential integrity.
12 / Ability to perform data locking.
13 / Have audit trail capabilities.
14 / Have a security administrators access "console".
16 / Provide a customizable roles template.
18 / Provide the ability to open two windows from the same or different module and view both windows at once.
19 / The system should provide an online help file with screenshots and adjoining instructions for each process within the software.
21 / The user should be able to attach notes or memos to any transaction.
22 / Note fields should be expandable to accommodate unlimited text.
23 / Reports reflecting activity from transactions within the software should be capable of including notes logged at the time of transaction.
24 / Ability to preview all reports on screen before printing.
25 / Provide complete user documentation in the form of online help, available through the application and/or printable hard copy.
26 / Allow multiple users to be in the same module at the same time, without running multiple sessions of the application.
28 / Allow for unlimited transaction history.
29 / Provide an Application Delivery System that allows for access to the application from any location with Internet.
30 / Provide automated off-site data backup and restoration system.
31 / Vendor should provide notification of system upgrades, patches and code fixes in a timely manner.
32 / Upgrades/enhancement installs should be initiated by the user upon notification that they are available.

EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS