TO:Interested Firms That Specialize in Providing Bid Match Subscription and Client Activity

TO:Interested Firms That Specialize in Providing Bid Match Subscription and Client Activity

TO:Interested Firms that Specialize in Providing Bid Match Subscription and Client Activity Tracking System

FROM:Agency of Commerce and Community Development, Department of Economic, Housing and Community Development

DATE:March 21, 2013

SUBJECT:Request for Proposal

Request for Proposal

The Agency of Commerce & Community Development (ACCD), Department of Economic, Housing & Community Development (DEHCD) is seeking bid proposals from firms competent to provide Bid Match Subscription and client activity tracking system for the State. The State of Vermont recognizes the important contribution and vital impact that small businesses have on the State’s economy. In this regard the Department subscribes to a free and open bidding process that affords all businesses equal access and opportunity to compete for State contracts for goods and services. Bidder should consider the provisions of Attachment A, and the required attachments that must accompany the proposal.

Documents that (MUST) be submitted: Attachment B; Acknowledgement of Attachment C: Standard State Provisions for Contracts and Grants; and Attachment D.

Base Contract Terms (two year base term)

Submission due date By: April 05, 2013 4:30 PM EST

Proposal and all required attachments must be submitted only via post to:

Robin Miller

Agency of Commerce & Community Development

Vermont Procurement Technical Assistance Center

1 National Life Drive

Deane C. Davis Building, 6th Floor

Montpelier, Vermont 05620

Proposal submission – to be labeled “Request for Proposal-Bid Match Subscription and Client Activity Tracking System”

All Questions: Call Robin Miller, (802) 828-5240

Contents of this bid include:

Request for Proposal Bid Cover Memo

Attachment A – Work to be Performed

Attachment B – Bid Submission Form

Acknowledgement of Attachment C

Attachment D – Tax Certification Form

Attachment A: Work to be Performed

State Background and Objectives: The State of Vermont Agency of Commerce & Community Development (ACCD), Department of Economic, Housing & Community Development (DEHCD)—specifically the DEHCD programs which directly work on business support objectives—require a subscription Internet access bid match and Client Activity Tracking System (CATS). The particular programs that utilize this service on a daily basis include Business Retention and Expansion,, Business Recruitment, Vermont Global Trade Partners, Vermont Economic Progress Council, Vermont Training Program, Financial Services (Captive Industry) and the Vermont Procurement Technical Assistance Center (VT PTAC). A major focus for these programs is to lead a coordinated statewide effort to foster the growth of high quality jobs to support a stronger diversified economy. To accomplish this goal, the staff requires access to the most effective, efficient, and synchronized tools available in order to conduct their in-route work. Having both a bid match and client activity tracking system tool that can be accessed in-route allows the ability to minimize the staff’s expenditure of time and effort, while maximizing its ability to track client activities, coupled with providing the ability to meet the federal reporting requirements for its PTAC program through a single source synchronized consolidated client tracking mechanism.

SECTION I: INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Work to be performed: Interested firms that specialize in a combined Bid Match Subscription and CATS for the length of this proposals resulting contract duration (2 years). The detailed description of work to be performed is stated in Attachment A.
  1. Bidder Submission: Bidders must demonstrate in writing that they have successfully provided these services for more than five years. Narrative must address deliverable and how they will meet the requirements stated in Attachment A.
  1. Bidder will submit a written narrative, including:
  1. “General Background and Experience” – The General background of your company. No more than one page.
  2. “Narrative Overview” – A short management summary level description of what the Contractor intends to accomplish and the vendor’s approach to ensuring a successful implementation during the life of the contract’s services to be performed. No more than two pages.
  3. “Pervious Application (Website and Database) Experience” – Explain, in detail, no more than 2 pages, your experience providing this type of application, website, database, etc.
  4. “Key Staffing and Resumes” – include resumes for staff that will conduct work under contract services.
  5. “References” – Please provide at least three (3) references where the Contractor has provided similar processes for Application Support Services. References must include a description of the work performed. All references must include the name, title, phone number, and email address of the person who can speak to the Contractor’s work performance.
  1. “Architecture and Tools” – Please outline (if possible on one page) the requirements for the environment needed to perform the work defined in this bid; and tools, software, hardware needed. Note, Contractor must not include cost in this section.
  2. Narrative detailing all services, stated on the Price Quote Form (Attachment B) and classifications. The narrative will include details on base subscriptions and other services breakdowns listed on the Price Quote Form.
  1. Bidder will complete the Tax Certification form Attachment D.
  1. Price Quote : Bidder must submit the Price Quote Form for the bid match/client database service per one-year price structure. Quote form; see Attachment B, Price Quote Form.
  1. Additional line items that are not part of the base subscription quote should be identified separately on the Price Quote sheet and should include a thorough description of what these services will provide.
  1. Qualified Bidder Requirements: Bidders will submit all attachments as stated in this document, and submissions must include the following:
  1. Strong managed support performance service skills.
  2. Strong application support knowledge and meticulous organizational skills.
  3. Detailed experience with similar engagements with at least five-years of experience.
  4. Expertise in online software configuration skills and educational background.
  5. Effective and efficient training structures including site support.
  6. A security and disaster relief plan.
  7. Contractor will be expected to maintain continual upgrade, configurations and security certifications as part of their base price.
  1. Other requirements:
  1. The State expects that work will be performed from the Contractor’s physical business location. Work related to training will be determined by the State as agreed upon by Contractor depending on prevailing circumstances.
  2. Cost is a significant factor in selecting successful bidders, but it is not necessarily the determining factor. A bidder’s comparative superior experience and knowledge may result in a bid selection other than the lowest bid submitted.
  1. Evaluation Criteria: The selection committee will consider the following criteria in evaluating submissions in response to this Simplified Bid which will be based on all the required criteria classifications stated in this document. Criteria evaluations will be broken into subcategories from Attachment A.
  1. A selection committee consisting of members of the commission will independently evaluate each proposal on the stated criteria. Each criterion is evaluated as either “doesn’t meet requirements”, “meets requirements” or “exceeds requirements. Criteria evaluated as “doesn’t meet requirements” are assigned a score of zero points; “meets requirements” are assigned a score of one point; “exceeds requirements” are assigned a score of three points. Each bidder’s criteria score is totaled and evaluated for vendor selection. All submissions will be equally evaluated for overall cost effectiveness.
  1. Payment Provisions: Services rendered for this contract will be paid on a fixed cost annual schedule for specified deliverables, net 30 days. Other deliverables such as any training needed, will be paid upon completion of work conducted.
  1. Confidentiality: the bidder must agree to protect confidential information related to the State and all related agencies and businesses. The bidder agrees not to publish, reproduce or otherwise divulge such information in whole or in part, in any manner or form, or authorize or permit others to do so unless authorized in writing by the State. Bidder will take reasonable measures as are necessary to restrict access to information in bidder’s possession to those employees on his/her staff who must have the information to perform their job, and agrees to immediately notify, in writing, the State authorized representative in the event bidder determines, or suspects, confidential information has been inappropriately disseminated.
  1. Additional Provisions:
  1. Statement of Rights: The State of Vermont reserves the right to obtain clarification and/or additional information necessary to properly evaluate a bid or bidder. Additionally, the State retains the right to narrow the selection of individuals and/or firms and negotiate for the best and final offer until a contract agreement can be reached with the individual and/or firm which represents the best interests of the State of Vermont.
  1. Non-Collusion: The State of Vermont is conscious of and concerned about collusion. It must therefore be understood by all that in signing bid and contract documents they agree that the prices quoted have been arrived at without collusion and that no prior information concerning these prices has been received from or given to a competitive company. If there is sufficient evidence to warrant investigation of the bid/contract process by the Office of the Attorney General, all bidders must understand that this paragraph may be used as a basis for litigation.
  1. Public Record: Upon execution of all contracts resulting from this bid process, all proposals and associated materials received by the State shall become public records, unless exempt pursuant to Vermont’s access to public records law or similar provision of law. If a bid includes material that is considered by the bidder to be proprietary and confidential under law, the bidder shall clearly designate the material as such, and provide a detailed explanation why such material should be considered confidential, identifying specific statutory authority for exemption from disclosure and describing prospective harm to the bidder if the identified material were disclosed. The State will determine if such designated information meets statutory requirements pertaining to materials exempted from Vermont’s public records law. Under no circumstances can entire bid or price information be marked confidential. Bids so marked may not be considered.

SECTION II: WORK TO BE PERFORMED

  1. To provide services and deliverables for the “Bid Match/CATS” that bidder will provide to the State.
  1. Expectation: The bidder understands that during the term of this contract the State may or may not request from the Contractor some or all of the services described in Section II.
  1. Bid match subscription services must include:
  1. Operating structure of a bid match subscription service must have the ability to perform searches, on a daily basis, on major electronic government contract and subcontract bid boards in the United States, including;

-Blue Tops Sub-Contracts

-FedBidOpps

-DLA Small Purchases

-EDI opportunities

-Foreign Trade Opportunities

-Federal Small Purchases

-USABID State and local bids

  1. Provide the State with an auxiliary function that allows the State and prospective clients of the PTAC program to request counseling services, register for training events, complete satisfaction surveys and report contract awards over the internet. This information is then integrated into the bidder’s database.
  2. Service structure will give the State the ability to create user-defined client activity forms to build customized information for each program or service area with full reporting capability. Module will give the State unlimited number of forms and pages enabling customized information for areas including, but not limited to, the PTAC, the Vermont Economic Progress Council, the Vermont Global Trade Partnership and other departments and divisions within the Agency of Commerce. Customized reports can be created specific to each activity.
  3. The storage capacity of the password protected site with regard to each client includes client/company, contact information, information on counseling sessions, contact information regarding non-clients, and contract award information will be enough to allow ample storage.
  1. Site platform Operating Structure: Host secure, central database that allows the State to track center’s client activity, operating structure must have;
  1. The ability to set up, search and store accounts for at least 750 different client accounts.
  2. A set up search criteria for each client, which must have at least 750 select statements in a single search profile, must be able to store client information, and must be able to automatically forward, on a daily basis, up to five (5) email addresses supplied by each client.
  3. A database that will store data with regard to each client which will include; client/company, contact information, information on counseling sessions, contact information regarding non-clients, and contract award information, and other as determined at the timeclient tracking is setup in the system.
  4. The ability to generate reports from the database, particularly reports that meet the federal Defense Logistics Agency requirements for reports for Procurement Technical Assistance Programs, specifically the federal standard form 1806 report.
  5. User passwords enabled access for at least ten (10) users, and give at least three (3) users administrator rights to make adjustments to the database, such as account setup, permissions assignment, database configuration, and auditing.
  6. Other services must be clearly defined in bidder’s submission that are not part of their base price, which must include a written detail of service, benefit to the state for such service, and hourly rate or cost for such services.
  1. Technical and support details - Contractor’s services will include the following:
  1. Operating site platform is Web secure. That it is, fully accessible to password enabled users who have access to a MS Internet Explorer browser and internet service provider.
  2. Secure Site certificate and use of an SSL (Secure Socket Layer), at no additional cost to the State.
  3. Technical support, at no additional charge, during the business hours of 6:00 A.M. – 5:00 P. M. Pacific Time (9:00 A.M. – 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time) Monday through Friday excluding holidays. Bidder will work with the State to set up a protocol for assistance support. The protocols will include “normal service level” response time within 2 business hours, “critical service level” response time within 6 business hours and “high critical level” with response time within 8 business hours.
  4. Off-site backup tapes. Bidder will store daily backup tapes off-site in case the Bidder’s officers were to experience a fire or some other type of damaging event. At no cost to the State, if in the even the Bidder’s hosted center goes down, Bidder will bring State’s network back up within a reasonable amount of time, and restore State’s database as quickly as possible, loss of data will not exceed one day’s worth of data. Also, bidder, at no cost to the State, will provide an alternate T-1 line in the event that something happens to Bidder’s Internet connectivity, bidder will have a completely redundant system that will take over. For recovery as the result of the State’s actions data recovery will be restored at additional charges.
  5. Backup and recovery: Bidder will follow a prescribed schedule for backups. Data will be retained over a 14-day cycle with full back-ups occurring weekly and differential backups running on a daily basis. Any data that exists between backups is vulnerable. This would typically be a maximum of 24 hours since backups take place daily. The State will contact Contractor as soon as possible should it wish to restore data. Upon notification, bidder will restore data within one (1) business day of request. All data backups shall be stored in a facility that is removed and secured in a primary distribution site. Contractor shall make all reasonable efforts to provide an environment that assures that the systems will be available and that business continuity shall be maintained.
  6. Schedule Maintenance: Scheduled maintenance means any maintenance activities performed at the Contractor point of presence to which state’s database is connected provided that State shall be given at least three (3) business days advance notice of such maintenance activities. Such activities are typically performed during off hours and holidays. Unscheduled maintenance means any maintenance activities performed at the bidder’s point of presence to which state’s database is connected as a result of an emergency. In the event of an emergency (defined as unplanned critical repairs, acts of vandalism and/or nature that has caused or could cause a degradation or interruption of service) bidder will provide State with notice and an estimated time to repair. State may provide bidder with a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the contract which shall become an attachment.
  7. Third Party Products: Third Party Products shall mean any software product not branded by Bidder. Bidder is responsible for any revision or engineering changes in any Third Party Products that Bidder has integrated into its application and installed as a completed package for the State. Bidder agrees that any third party software will be compatible with the State environment. MS Access (current version) is not a supported application in the State environment and is the sole responsibility of the Bidder to maintain, Bidder agrees not to infringe on any third party property rights in the work associated with this Agreement. Except as agreed to in writing between State and Bidder Third Party Products and Services shall be exclusively subject to terms and conditions between the third party and the State.
  1. Training and User Guides: If needed, bidder will provide one to three days of on- site training, and one to three days of off-site training, including training manuals.
  1. On-site training, Bidder will provide the State with up to three eight hour on-site day training sessions. On-site location is the State of Vermont Agency of Commerce & Community Development’s physical location in Montpelier, Vermont. Bidder will provide a per-day on-site rate which will include all associated costs and expenses required to provide effective and comprehensive training sessions at the Montpelier, Vermont site. Bidder will provide an off-site training price as part of its bid, which will be carried out through remote access as an alternative to on-site training, but only with written agreement in advance by the State.
  2. Cost for off-site training will be for up to three eight-hour sessions, additional days will be negotiated and only as approved by the State.
  3. Bidder will provide the State with online user guides accessible to all users at no cost to the State. These online guides will be integrated directly into the operating interface, at no cost to the State.
  4. If training is needed, training dates, times and avenue (off or on site) will be determined during the course of this contract in writing (Training Agreement), and signed off by both parties.
  1. Private mailbox: Bidder will issue the State a private mailbox account and confidential password on the Bidder’s Net-work. The State will be responsible for all electronic transactions sent to and from this mailbox until Bidder is notified in writing of cancellation of services. The State is responsible to retrieve electronic transactions on a regular basis. Bidder is prohibited from removing any files without written authorization from the State. The size of the mailbox storage shall be a minimum of 2 GB.
  1. Restriction on use: Bidder agrees not to copy any data owned by the State in any form and sell or distribute to third party(ies). Contractor can make exceptions to this Article upon written request.
  1. Research Restrictions: the Bid Match program used by the PTAC relies on client Bid Match profiles that include search criteria that a business uses to define their products or services in the search for government bid opportunities. A limit of 750 select statements is allowed in a single search profile. Should this level be exceeded then the client would simply take up another of the available profiles within the current tier level.

(End of Attachment A)

Top View