INVITATION FOR BID FOR
SAS/JAVA PROGRAMMING SERVICES
ISSUING OFFICE
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
BUREAU OF SAFE DRINKING WATER
IFB NUMBER
610024856
DATE OF ISSUANCE
03/12/2013
INVITATION FOR BID
FOR
SAS/JAVA PROGRAMMING SERVICES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CALENDAR OF EVENTS [3]
Part I—GENERAL INFORMATION [4]
Part II— SPECIFICATIONS [8]
APPENDIX A, IT TERMS AND CONDITIONS
APPENDIX B, COST MATRIX
APPENDIX C, SAS PERSONNEL QUALIFICATION FORM
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
The Commonwealth will make every effort to adhere to the following schedule:
Activity / Responsibility / DateDeadline to submit questions via email to with the subject line “IFB 6100024856 Question” / Bidders / 3/27/13
2:00pm
Mandatory Pre-proposal Conference
Rachel Carson State Office Building
400 Market Street 12th Floor Conference Room
Harrisburg, PA 17101. / Issuing Office/Potential Offerors / 3/20/13
2:00pm
Answers to potential bidder questions posted to the eMarketplace website (www.emarketplace.state.pa.us) no later than this date. / Issuing Office / 3/29/13
4:00pm
Please monitor the eMarketplace website for all communications regarding this IFB. / Bidders / On going
Bids must be received by the Issuing Office at:
“PASupplierPortal website (http://www.pasupplierportal.state.pa.us) no later than this date.” / Bidders / 4/3/13
2:00pm
PART I
GENERAL INFORMATION
I-1. Purpose
This Invitation for Bids (IFB) provides to those interested in submitting bids for the subject procurement (Bidders) sufficient information to enable them to prepare and submit bids for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP), Bureau of Safe Drinking Water's consideration on behalf of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ("Commonwealth") to satisfy a need for SAS/JAVA PROGRAMMING SERVICES ("Project").
I-2. Issuing Office
The PA DEP Bureau of Safe Drinking Water (BSDW), the Issuing Office, has issued this IFB on behalf of the Commonwealth. The sole point of contact in the Commonwealth for this IFB is
Jason M Minnich
Bureau of Safe Drinking Water
Rachel Carson State Office Building
400 Market Street, 10th Floor
PO Box 8467
Harrisburg, PA 17105-8467
717.787.0124
, the Issuing Officer for this IFB. Please refer all inquiries to the Issuing Officer.
I-3. Problem Statement
The work to be provided by the selected Bidder includes:
· SAS® programming services to the Issuing Office for drinking water regulations
· JAVA programming services
· SAS® programming services for web based applications
Project goals and milestones will be determined by the Issuing Office in conjunction with the selected Bidder’s Project Manager.
Additional detail is provided in Part II of this IFB.
I-4. Pre-bid Conference
The Issuing Office will hold a pre-bid conference as specified in the Calendar of Events. The purpose of this conference is to provide opportunity for clarification of the IFB. Bidders should forward all questions to the Issuing Office in accordance with Part I-5 to ensure adequate time for analysis before the Issuing Office provides an answer. Bidders may also ask questions at the conference. In view of the limited facilities available for the conference, Bidders should limit their representation to two (2) individuals per Bidder. The pre-bid conference is for information only. Any answers furnished during the conference will not be official until they have been verified, in writing, by the Issuing Office. All questions and written answers will be posted on the eMarketplace website as an addendum to, and shall become part of, this IFB. Attendance at the Pre-bid Conference is optional.
I-5. Questions and Answers
If a Bidder has any questions regarding this IFB, the Bidder must submit the questions by email (with the subject line "“IFB 6100024856 Question”) to the email address specified in the Calendar of Events. If the Bidder has questions, they must be submitted via email no later than the date and time specified in the Calendar of Events. The Bidder shall not attempt to contact the Issuing Officer by any other means. The Issuing Officer will post the answers to the eMarketplace website. A Bidder who submits a question after the deadline date for receipt of questions indicated on the Calendar of Events assumes the risk that its bid will not be responsive or competitive because the Commonwealth is not able to respond before the bid receipt date or in sufficient time for the Bidder to prepare a responsive or competitive bid. When submitted after the deadline date for receipt of questions indicated on the Calendar of Events, the Issuing Officer may respond to questions of an administrative nature by directing the questioning Bidder to specific provisions in the IFB. To the extent that the Issuing Office decides to respond to a non-administrative question after the deadline date for receipt of questions indicated on the Calendar of Events, the answer will be provided to all Bidders through an addendum.
All questions and responses as posted on the eMarketplace website are considered as an addendum to, and part of, this FB. Each Bidder shall be responsible to monitor the eMarketplace website for new or revised IFB information. The Issuing Office shall not be bound by any verbal information nor shall it be bound by any written information that is not either contained within the IFB or formally issued as an addendum by the Issuing Office. The Issuing Office does not consider questions to be a protest of the specifications or of the solicitation.
I-6. Addenda to IFB
If the Issuing Office deems it necessary to revise any part of this IFB before the due date, the Issuing Office will post an addendum to the eMarketplace website. Answers to the questions asked during the questions and answer period will also be posted to the eMarketplace website as an addendum to the IFB.
I-7. Electronic Version of IFB
This IFB is being made available by electronic means. The Bidder acknowledges and accepts full responsibility to insure that no changes are made to the IFB. In the event of a conflict between a version of the IFB in the Bidder's possession and the Issuing Office's version of the IFB, the Issuing Office's version shall govern.
I-8. Response Date
A bidder’s electronic bid must be submitted via the PASupplierPortal website on or before the due date specified in the Calendar of Events. Any bid submitted to the Issuing Office in hardcopy format will be rejected.
I-9. Incurring Costs
The Issuing Office is not liable for any costs the Bidder incurs in preparation and submission of its bid, in participating in the IFB process or in anticipation of award of a purchase order.
I-10. Restriction of Contact
From the issue date of this IFB until the Issuing Office selects a bid for award, the Issuing Officer is the sole point of contact concerning this IFB. Any violation of this condition may be cause for the Issuing Office to reject the offending bidders bid. If the Issuing Office later discovers that the bidder has engaged in any violations of this condition, the Issuing Office may reject the offending bidders bid or rescind its contract award. Bidders must agree not to distribute any part of their bids beyond the Issuing Office. Any bidder who shares information contained in its bid with other Commonwealth personnel and/or competing bidder personnel may be disqualified.
I-11. Prime Contractor Responsibilities
The Contractor will be required to assume responsibility for all services offered in its bid whether it produces them itself or by subcontract. The Issuing Office and Project Manager will consider the Contractor to be the sole point of contact with regard to contractual and purchase order matters.
I-12. Resources
The selected Bidder shall provide all services, supplies, facilities, and other support necessary to complete the identified work, except as otherwise provided in this Part I-12.
The selected Bidder will work with Staff in the Pennsylvania Drinking Water Information System (PADWIS) Section, staff include: two Program Analyst 2s, two Water Program Specialists, a Descriptive Statistician 2 and a Section Chief. The Section staff manages the data received in the various data systems, provides training to system users, provides help desk assistance to system users, manages/maintains some data system programs, and works with contractors to determine programmatic changes and then works through those changes with the contractors. The Section has clerical support available as needed.
The PADWIS applications development and support team is responsible for all migrations/updates to SAS® on the Linux Redhat and Windows operating system environments; new development and maintenance in both SAS® and Java web application; support for enhancements maintenance and support of production applications, including the migration and development of new portal systems within the Issuing Office; and future applications once deployed.
BSDW will provide office space for the two full time SAS® programmers and, if needed, will provide office space for the half time JAVA programmer. The selected Bidder is responsible for providing computer hardware and software that shall conform to the policies and standards in the Commonwealth's Information Technology Bulletins, shall be capable of joining the CWOPA domain, and shall be accessible to routine software updates through the Systems Management server/System Center Configuration Manager. The Issuing Office will provide CWOPA and Linux User Accounts and any required access to the data systems. Remote access to CWOPA and the data systems may be provided if it is deemed necessary by the Issuing Office.
I-13. Discussions for Clarification
Bidders may be required to make an oral or written clarification of their bid to the Issuing Office to ensure thorough mutual understanding and bidder responsiveness to the solicitation requirements. The Issuing Office will initiate requests for clarification. Clarifications may occur at any stage of the evaluation and selection process prior to issuance of a purchase order.
I-14. Term
The contract or purchase order resulting from this IFB will commence on the effective date, as defined in Appendix A – Terms and Conditions, and will end in one year with four (4) optional, one (1) year renewals, which may be exercised at the Commonwealth’s sole discretion in single or multiple year increments. No work may begin or be reimbursed prior to issuance of the purchase order. Final payment will not be made until all work has been successfully completed.
I-15. Terms and Conditions
The requirements and terms and conditions of Appendix A – Terms and Conditions shall govern the purchase order issued as a result of this IFB.
I-16. Information Technology Bulletins
This IFB is subject to the Information Technology Bulletins (ITB’s) issued by the Office of Administration, Office for Information Technology (OA-OIT). ITB’s may be found at http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=416&PageID=210791&mode=2
All bids must be submitted on the basis that all ITBs are applicable to this procurement. It is the responsibility of the Bidder to read and be familiar with the ITBs. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Bidder believes that any ITB is not applicable to this procurement, it must list all such ITBs in its bid, and explain why it believes the ITB is not applicable. The Issuing Office may, in its sole discretion, accept or reject any request that an ITB not be considered to be applicable to the procurement. The Bidder’s failure to list an ITB will result in its waiving its right to do so later, unless the Issuing Office, in its sole discretion, determines that it would be in the best interest of the Commonwealth to waive the pertinent ITB.
I-17. Bidding Reference Material
Bidding Process Reference Guide
Supplier Response to a Solicitation - Brochure
Attaching Follow-On Documents to your Bid
Bidding Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
PART II
SPECIFICATIONS
II-1. Objectives.
A. General. The BSDW, Division of Operations and Monitoring, is seeking programming services for assistance with SAS® programming and JAVA (currently Version 1.4 but will be upgrading to 6 in the near future) programming. BSDW requires two (2) Full-time SAS developers and one (1) Part-time Java developer.
B. Specific. BSDW requires support and expertise for:
1. Enhancement, modification and maintenance of PADWIS; and
2. Maintenance, enhancement and modification of the web-based Drinking Water Electronic Laboratory Reporting (DWELR) System
3. Maintenance, enhancement and modification of the Drinking Water Reporting System (DWRS) and Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) websites
At a minimum the selected Bidder must support a SAS® development environment. The required services fall into four general areas:
1. Programming for modifying and enhancing the PADWIS;
2. SAS programming for web based applications and websites;
3. Java programming for web based applications; and
4. Project management
II-2. Nature and Scope of the Project.
The BSDW oversees the implementation of the Pennsylvania Safe Drinking Water Act (“Act”) (35 P.S.721.1 et seq.), including:
A. Developing regulations, policies, guidance and standards;
B. Directing and overseeing surveillance activities;
C. Overseeing permitting activities;
D. Determining compliance with regulations;
E. Overseeing enforcement actions;
F. Conducting data management activities and providing public information;
G. Administering the development and implementation of Pennsylvania’s Source Water and Wellhead Protection Programs;
H. Administering contract funds and receiving federal grants to support these efforts;
I. Conducting filter plant performance evaluations at filtered public drinking water systems with surface water sources and participating in the Partnership for Safe Water at those systems;
J. Responding to reports of, verifying reports of, and recommending corrective measures for all drinking water systems allegedly contaminated with Giardia or Cryptosporidium in the finished drinking water;
K. Administering the development of Pennsylvanian’s groundwater protection program;
L. Administering the Pennsylvania Plumbing System Lead Ban and Notification Act (35 P.S.723.1 et seq.); and
M. Conducting emergency response activities at drinking water systems during emergencies such as floods, droughts, spills and tornadoes.
BSDW uses a customized on-line data management system, the PADWIS, to maintain detailed information about all public water systems regulated by PA DEP, to determine compliance with the PA Safe Drinking Water Regulations, and to meet the federal reporting requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This application is currently operated in SAS® version 9.3. Because EPA continues to implement new or amended drinking water regulations, and DEP lacks the technical skills required to execute these amendments, BSDW is seeking a Bidder to provide the services described in this IFB.