State of Hawaii eMarketplace Development & Procurement ...

RFP-21-011-SW

RELEASE DATE: January 19, 2021

The State of Hawaii State Procurement Office

Request for Proposals Solicitation #RFP-21-011-SW

State of Hawaii eMarketplace Development & Procurement Automation

OFFERS ARE DUE AT12:00 P.M., HAWAII STANDARD TIME (HST) ON

March 31, 2021

(or such later date as may be established by the State of Hawaii by an Addendum to this RFP)

BY SUBMISSION TO THE STATE PROCUREMENT OFFICE

DIRECT ALL QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS RFP, QUESTIONS OR ISSUES RELATING TO THE ACCESSIBILITY OF THIS RFP (INCLUDING THE ATTACHMENTS AND EXHIBITS AND

ANY OTHER DOCUMENT RELATED TO THIS RFP) AND REQUESTS FOR ACCOMMODATIONS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN CONNECTION WITH THIS RFP, TO:

SHANNON OTA,

TELEPHONE (808)586-0563 OR EMAIL ADDRESS [email protected].

Donna Tsuruda-Kashiwabara Procurement Officer

TABLE OF CONTENTS RFP-21-011-SW

SECTION 1: GENERAL INFORMATION ................................................................................ 5

1.1 PURPOSE ........................................................................................................................ 5 1.2 VISION, GOALS & OBJECTIVES .......................................................................................... 5

1.2.1 Vision ...................................................................................................................... 5 1.2.2 Goals ...................................................................................................................... 6 1.2.3 Objectives ............................................................................................................... 7

1.3 CURRENT ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................................. 7 1.3.1 General Business Environment ............................................................................... 7 1.3.2 Procurement Practices ............................................................................................ 8 1.3.3 Technical Environment ...........................................................................................11

SECTION 2: SOLICITATION INFORMATION ........................................................................12

2.1 GOVERNING LAWS AND REGULATIONS .............................................................................12 2.2 CANCELLATION OF PROCUREMENT AND PROPOSAL REJECTION .........................................12 2.3 CONTRACT TYPE ............................................................................................................12 2.4 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE ..............................................................................................12 2.5 QUANTITIES ....................................................................................................................12 2.6 POINT OF CONTACT ........................................................................................................13 2.7 SCHEDULE AND SIGNIFICANT DATES ................................................................................13 2.8 PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE ........................................................................................14 2.9 QUESTIONS REGARDING RFP CONTENTS ........................................................................14 2.10 RFP ADDENDA .............................................................................................................15

SECTION 3: SCOPE OF WORK ............................................................................................16

3.1 INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................16 3.2 MARKETPLACE REQUIREMENTS .......................................................................................17 3.3 VENDOR COLLECTED ADMINISTRATION FEE (VCAF) REQUIREMENTS ................................18

3.3.1 VCAF Fee & Collection ..........................................................................................18 3.3.2 VCAF Accounting, Management & Oversight .........................................................18 3.3.3 Use of Surplus VCAF Fees ....................................................................................18

3.4 EPROCUREMENT REQUIREMENTS ....................................................................................19 3.4.1 Request to Check ...................................................................................................19 3.4.2 Source to Contract .................................................................................................20 3.4.3 Vendor Management ..............................................................................................20 3.4.4 Contract Management ............................................................................................21 3.4.5 Data Management & Reporting ..............................................................................22

3.5 TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS ............................................................................................22 3.5.1 User Experience .....................................................................................................22 3.5.2 Solution Access and Supported Browsers ..............................................................22 3.5.3 User Accounts and Administration..........................................................................23 3.5.5 Office Automation Integration .................................................................................24 3.5.6 Accessibility Requirements ....................................................................................24 3.5.7 Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Plan ......................................................24 3.5.8 Future Direction and Enhancements ......................................................................24 3.5.9 Source Code Escrow..............................................................................................24 3.5.10 Security Requirements .........................................................................................26

3.6 INTERFACE & INTEGRATION REQUIREMENTS .....................................................................26 3.6.1 Future Statewide Financial Solution (TBD) .............................................................26 3.6.2 Other Executive Branch Jurisdiction System Interfaces/Integrations ......................28 3.6.3 Non-Executive Branch Jurisdiction Interfaces/Integrations .....................................28 3.6.4 Solution Interoperability ..........................................................................................28

3.7 SOLUTION IMPLEMENTATION REQUIREMENTS ...................................................................28 3.7.1 Project Implementation Approach ..........................................................................28 3.7.2 Project Initiation......................................................................................................29


3.7.3 Project Staffing .......................................................................................................30 3.7.4 State Project Support .............................................................................................33 3.7.5 Training ..................................................................................................................33 3.7.6 Testing ...................................................................................................................34 3.7.7 Post-Implementation & Ongoing Support ...............................................................35

3.8 TERMINATION/TRANSITION ASSISTANCE ...........................................................................36 3.9 BUYER’S REPRESENTATIVE .............................................................................................36

SECTION 4: PROPOSAL SUBMISSION ...............................................................................37

4.1 PROPOSAL OBJECTIVES ..................................................................................................37 4.2 PROPOSAL FORMAT ........................................................................................................37

4.2.1 Transmittal Letter ...................................................................................................38 4.2.2 Technical Solution ..................................................................................................39 4.2.3 State Acceptance Criteria .......................................................................................39 4.2.4 Project Implementation Plan...................................................................................39 4.2.5 Qualifications & Experience ...................................................................................41 4.2.6 Exceptions & Assumptions .....................................................................................42 4.2.7 Cost Proposal ........................................................................................................42 4.2.8 VCAF Proposal ......................................................................................................43

4.3 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS ...........................................................................43 4.3.1 Submission of Proposals ........................................................................................43 4.3.2 Confidential, Protected or Proprietary Information ..................................................44 4.3.3 Each Offeror to Bear its Own Costs ........................................................................44

4.4 PROPOSAL DUE DATE .....................................................................................................44 4.5 FIRM PROPOSALS ...........................................................................................................44 4.6 RIGHT TO ACCEPT ALL OR PORTION OF PROPOSAL ...........................................................45

SECTION 5: EVALUATION AND AWARD ............................................................................46

5.1 EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS ...........................................................................................46 5.1.1 Phase I: Evaluation of Technical Proposals ............................................................46 5.1.2 Phase II: Cost Proposal Evaluation ........................................................................49 5.1.3 Phase III: Demonstrations & Discussions ...............................................................49 5.1.4 Best and Final Proposal .........................................................................................50 5.1.5 Clarifications & Corrections ....................................................................................51 5.1.6 Right to Waive Minor Irregularities..........................................................................51

5.2 EVALUATION CRITERIA ....................................................................................................51 5.3 AWARD OF CONTRACT ....................................................................................................53

5.3.1 Vendor Compliance - HCE .....................................................................................54 5.3.2 Vendor Compliance – Paper Documents ...............................................................54

5.4 REQUIRED REVIEW .........................................................................................................55 5.5 PROTEST PROCEDURES ..................................................................................................55 5.6 DEBRIEFING ...................................................................................................................56

SECTION 6: CONTRACT MANAGEMENT ............................................................................57

6.1 POST-AWARD COMMUNICATIONS: CONTRACT ADMINISTRATOR .........................................57 6.2 CONTRACTOR/STATE MEETINGS ......................................................................................57 6.3 DISPUTE PROCESS AND ESCALATION ...............................................................................58 6.4 QUALITY CONTROL .........................................................................................................58 6.5 POST AWARD DELIVERABLES ..........................................................................................58

SECTION 7: SPECIAL PROVISIONS ....................................................................................60

7.1 SUBCONTRACTOR PROVISIONS ........................................................................................60 7.2 ADDITIONAL WORK OR CONTRACT CHANGES....................................................................60 7.3 TAX LIABILITY AND COUNTY SURCHARGE .........................................................................60 7.4 INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS ............................................................................................61


7.5 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS ..................................................................................63 7.6 TERMINATION FOR NON-PERFORMANCE ...........................................................................63

ATTACHMENTS: ATTACHMENT A: STATE ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA ATTACHMENT B: COST PROPOSAL WORKBOOK ATTACHMENT C: OFFER FORM OF-1 ATTACHMENT D: OFFER FORM OF-2 EXHIBITS: EXHIBIT A: MARKETPLACE CATALOG OVERVIEW WORKSHEET EXHIBIT B: AG GENERAL CONDITIONS EXHIBIT C: POTENTIAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Section 1: General Information 5 RFP-21-011-SW

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS State of Hawaii eMarketplace Development &

Procurement Automation Solicitation # RFP-21-011-SW

Section 1: General Information 1.1 Purpose

The State of Hawaii, State Procurement Office (SPO) on behalf of the State of Hawaii, its departments, offices, institutions, and other agencies of the State of Hawaii, is soliciting competitive sealed, fixed price offers (Offers) from qualified firms to provide and implement a web-based software solution utilizing a Software as a Service (SaaS) model for an online catalog Marketplace (Marketplace), and to establish a pathway to the implementation of a broader Electronic Procurement (eProcurement) Solution (Solution) that supports and complies with all State statutes, regulations, policies and guidelines relevant to procurement including soliciting, awarding, processing, executing and administering contracts. The State is seeking proposals from vendors that are capable of implementing eProcurement, in the implementation strategy outlined below. Offerors will need to be prepared to be compensated through a Vendor Collected Administrative Fee (VCAF) utilizing an administrative fee model that they will implement and collect for all purchases made through the marketplace. Vendors are expected to propose a VCAF model sufficient to cover actual costs of the licensing, implementation, required integrations and ongoing support. To limit risk for Offerors, the State has provided details for estimates on the contract portfolio that have been prepared and will be ready for inclusion in a marketplace at initiation of the contract and anticipated spend to be transacted through the marketplace in Exhibit A: Marketplace Catalog Overview Worksheet of this RFP. The development of an eMarketplace and Procurement Automation is primarily for the State of Hawaii. However, other government entities may participate pursuant to HRS 103D-802 provided an agreement is entered into between the participants and subject to the laws of the participating public entity.

1.2 Vision, Goals & Objectives

The State of Hawaii is seeking to contract with the vendor whose Proposal best meets the vision, goals and objectives established in this section on a performance-based, best value perspective.

1.2.1 Vision The State of Hawaii seeks to implement a best-in-class procurement marketplace and a pathway to a broader procurement automation solution that provides the State with a fully integrated technology platform able to support the full procurement lifecycle and


align with organizational, policy and process improvements to drive a more coordinated, efficient, effective and strategically-focused procurement capacity across the State. While the State intends to implement and deploy a full eProcurement Solution to all Executive Branch Departments as a long-term goal, initial focus is on a short-term implementation of key functionality to lay the proper foundation for success through a statewide Marketplace Solution for all State public entities and others able to utilize State contracts (e.g., not-for-profit entities, etc.). As such, the State intends to deploy functionality utilizing the following implementation strategy:

The intent of the State is to implement the Marketplace as soon as is feasible to enable ALL State entities (and other external entities able to utilize State contracts) the ability to purchase off contracts in the Marketplace and drive VCAF to offset costs incurred to date by the Contracted Vendor and for approved future implementation efforts. Any implementation of the solution beyond the initial phase of the statewide online marketplace is considered optional and will be dependent on the needs of the State and availability of funds generated from the VCAF.

1.2.2 Goals The State has established the following project goals for this project:

• Expand availability and use of statewide contracts by state departments, local governments and higher education

• Increase efficiency of the procurement process through the automation and streamlining of manual, paper-based processes

• Improve compliance with procurement requirements and governance through automated workflows

PHASE 3: Executive Branch eProcurement Rollout (OPTIONAL)Plan and implement a strategy for deployment of eProcurement functionality deployed at DOTA and SPO to

all Executive Branch departments under SPO jurisdiction

PHASE 2: eProcurement Pilot (OPTIONAL)Plan and implement a pilot deployment of eProcurement functionality with the Department of

Transportation, Airports Division (DOTA) and State Procurement Office (SPO)

PHASE 1: Marketplace DeploymentPlan, implement and deploy a statewide online marketplace, for statewide strategic contracts, that is

available to all State of Hawaii governmental entities for use to shop and place orders with catalog vendors


• Reduce prices for state purchases through increased vendor competition and access to accurate spend and contract data

• Improve spend under management through the use of enhanced strategic procurement practices and accurate spend data

• Improve transparency and accountability through deployment of robust, self-service public access to a full range of meaningful procurement, contract, opportunity, and spend information services

1.2.3 Objectives The State has established the following project objectives to facilitate the design and implementation of organization, policy, process, and technology improvements:

• Provide a common, easy and intuitive purchasing experience for employees, buyers and vendors

• Consolidate and streamline procurement business processes • Provide a consistent, standardized and transparent procurement process • Incorporate automated workflow to minimize or eliminate manual approvals • Provide governance and compliance throughout the procurement process • Shorten end to end procurement cycle times • Increase purchasing power of the State • Improve utilization of statewide master contracts • Lower the average operating cost to conduct procurements • Lower the price paid for procured goods and services • Provide the means for tracking all sourcing, contracting and purchasing activities

within the procurement solution • Eliminate duplicate data entry and reduce data entry errors • Reduce manual efforts in data collection and reporting • Improve reporting capabilities and accuracy • Improve integration with internal and external systems • Increase vendor participation for State procurements • Improve interactions and efficiencies for vendors in doing business with State • Improve public transparency The eProcurement Solution must not only support the State of Hawaii in creating the pathway to achieving the vision, goals and objectives presented above but must also meet the implementation strategy outlined in Section 3.7.1 of this RFP (Project Implementation Approach).

1.3 Current Environment

1.3.1 General Business Environment The State of Hawaii is currently executing procurement tasks through a combination of manual, paper-based processes and disparate automated solutions. The procurement automation that does exist is limited to supporting State public posting requirements and receipt of bids and proposals from vendors. Most processes are completed utilizing paper-based processes and utilization of standard office suite applications. This has led to a lack of ability for the State to report and use data to drive decision making and


strategic procurement activities. The State recently conducted an assessment of the state’s procurement function that lead to the development and implementation of the State Procurement Wizard, the official guide to the Executive Branch and other jurisdictions on the procurement process for goods, services, and construction. In addition, an assessment was performed at Division of Transportation, Airport Division (DOTA) to determine the Division’s readiness for procurement automation. The goal of the Division is to implement key procurement automation readiness projects by the time this RFP is evaluated and awarded in an effort to have optimized and documented all current policies, processes and procedures impacting implementation of the eProcurement Solution pilot being sought through this RFP. The State intends to promote additional assessments for Executive Branch departments in support of long-term deployment strategies.

1.3.2 Procurement Practices Procurement practices in Hawaii are governed under the authority of the Procurement Policy Board and 21 independent, statutorily delegated Chief Procurement Officers (CPO) jurisdictions. The graphic below provides an organizational overview of the procurement organization for the State.


The seven-member Procurement Policy Board (PPB) adopts, amends, or repeals, administrative rules to carry out and effectuate the purpose and provisions of HRS chapter 103D governing the procurement, management, control, and disposal of any and all goods, services, construction, and HRS Chapter 103F, for the purchase of health and human services. The PPB considers and decides on matters of policy, including those referred to the PPB by a chief procurement officer and audits and monitors the implementation of PPB rules and the requirements of its statutes. The SPO Administrator, also the CPO for nineteen (19) departments within the Executive Branch, implements and ensures compliance with the Hawaii Public Procurement Code (HRS chapter 103D) and Purchases of Health and Human Services (HRS chapter 103F). SPO directs high-level procurement policy and guidance, and also manages state inventory and surplus programs. While Hawaii public entities follow these statutes, each independent CPO has the authority to direct practices and processes to implement policy for their jurisdiction. In accordance with this authority, the following documents establish the general policy and minimum standards for soliciting, awarding, processing, executing/overseeing contracts, and managing contract compliance for Executive Branch departments:

• HRS Chapter 103D – The Hawaii Public Procurement Code o https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol02_Ch0046-

0115/HRS0103D/ • HRS Chapter 103F – Purchases of Health and Human Services

o https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol02_Ch0046-0115/HRS0103F/

• State of Hawaii Procurement Wizard o https://spo.hawaii.gov/procurement-wizard/

The SPO is established by statute to purchase all goods, services, construction and health and human services for Executive Branch departments. Departments are provided delegated authority by SPO to procure, complying with all state policy and processes developed by the PPB and SPO. A list of state Executive Brach departments is contained in Exhibit A: Marketplace Catalog Overview Worksheet. Key stakeholders involved in the procurement process include:

• Governor’s Office – Entity that in certain procurement processes provides review and funding approval.

• Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) – Entity responsible for reviewing and approving fund encumbrance and expenditures and issues payments to vendors.

• Budget & Finance Department – Entity that provides review and funding approval for procurements.

• PPB – Entity responsible for developing and issuing rules and procedures related to the procurement activities for the State.

• SPO – Entity attached to the Department of Accounting and General Services authorized to establish rules and procedures for procurement activities for the State and with direct jurisdiction over Executive Branch Agency procurements.

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol02_Ch0046-0115/HRS0103D/

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol02_Ch0046-0115/HRS0103D/

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol02_Ch0046-0115/HRS0103F/

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol02_Ch0046-0115/HRS0103F/

https://spo.hawaii.gov/procurement-wizard/


• Executive Branch Departments – Entities delegated procurement authority. Department Attorney Generals also review solicitations and contracts for legal compliance.

• Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) – Entity responsible for reviewing and approving fund encumbrance and expenditures and issues payments to vendors.

1.3.3 Technical Environment The following provides an overview of the State technical environment supporting the procurement function:

• State of Hawaii eProcurement System (HIePRO) – System for issuing solicitations, receiving responses, and issuing notices of award. HIePRO is hosted by the Hawaii Information Consortium, LLC, dba NIC Hawaii

o https://spo.hawaii.gov/hiepro-2/ • Hawaii Awards & Notices Data System (HANDS) – System that gathers

information on solicitations and awards notices from multiple state and county procurement platforms and displays it all in one place. HANDS is hosted by the Hawaii Information Consortium LLC dba NIC Hawaii

o http://hands.ehawaii.gov/ • Hawaii Electronic Procurement System (HEPS) – Legacy eProcurement

system replaced by HIePRO but still utilized by four (4) CPO entities (Department of Education, University of Hawaii, Hawaii Health Systems Corporation and Honolulu Board of Water Supply.

o https://basec.sicomm.net/login/ • Hawaii Compliance Express (HCE) – System that consolidates requirements to

verify compliance of vendors in order to receive an award/payment from the State of Hawaii.

o http://vendors.ehawaii.gov/ • Financial Accounting Management and Information System (FAMIS) –

Legacy financial system for processing of financial transactions and supplier payments. The State is currently soliciting to replace this system with a modern ERP tool with an emphasis on financials and complementary capabilities for requisition management. The state will determine integration needs through alternative review. (For more information on the State’s replacement solution please reference solicitation RFP-ERP-2020).

The intent of the State is to continue to utilize these systems until such time as Solution functionality is deployed to enable decisions on retirement of redundant capabilities.

https://spo.hawaii.gov/hiepro-2/

http://hands.ehawaii.gov/

https://basec.sicomm.net/login/

http://vendors.ehawaii.gov/

https://hiepro.ehawaii.gov/public-display-solicitation.html?rfid=21000796&resetCookie

Section 2: Solicitation Information 12 RFP-21-011-SW

Section 2: Solicitation Information 2.1 Governing Laws and Regulations

This RFP is issued under the provisions of the State of Hawaii, HRS 103D, and related Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR). All prospective Offerors are charged with presumptive knowledge of all requirements of the cited authorities. Submission of a valid executed proposal by any Offeror shall constitute admission of such knowledge on the part of the Offeror. Information about governing laws is available at 44Thttp://spo.hawaii.gov/. This procurement shall be governed by the regulations and laws of the State of Hawaii. Venue for any administrative or judicial action relating to this procurement, evaluation, and award shall be in the State of Hawaii.

2.2 Cancellation of Procurement and Proposal Rejection

The State reserves the right to cancel this RFP and to reject any and all proposals in whole or in part, and waive any defects, when it is determined to be in the best interest of the State, pursuant to HAR §3-122-96 thru HAR §3-122-97.

2.3 Contract Type

It is the intent of the State to award a firm-fixed price contract to a single qualified Vendor from this RFP based on the response that provides best value to the State. The State reserves the right to award some, none or all of the products and/or services outlined in this RFP.

2.4 Period of Performance

This contract shall be for a period of six (6) year(s) beginning on the date specified on the Notice to Proceed. Unless terminated, the contract may be extended without re-solicitation, upon mutual agreement in writing between the State and the Contractor, prior to the expiration date, for not more than two (2) additional 24-month periods, or parts thereof, for a total possible contract term of ten (10) years beginning from date of award. Upon mutual agreement, the contract may be extended or amended.

2.5 Quantities

The State of Hawaii does not guarantee a specific volume to be purchased throughout the term of the Contract. No minimum compensation to the Vendor is guaranteed. Quantities indicated in the RFP are estimates only and are based upon previous usage. The usage numbers shall not be construed as a minimum or a maximum quantity that Customers may order.


2.6 Point of Contact

The State Procurement Office is the issuing office for this document and all subsequent addenda relating to it. The reference number for the transaction is Solicitation # RFP-21-011-SW. This number must be referred to on all proposals, correspondence, and documentation relating to the RFP. The person identified below is the single point of contact (POC) during this procurement process. Offerors and interested persons shall direct to the POC all questions concerning the procurement process, technical requirements of this RFP, contractual requirements, changes, clarifications, and protests, the award process, and any other questions that may arise related to this solicitation and the resulting contract. The POC designated by the State of Hawaii, State Procurement Office is:

Shannon Ota Purchasing Specialist State Procurement Office 1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 416 Honolulu, HI 96813 EMAIL: [email protected] PHONE: (808)586-0563

Vendors shall direct all inquiries and communications concerning this RFP to the POC. Upon issuance of this RFP, employees and representatives of the State of Hawaii other than the POC identified will not discuss the contents of this RFP with any Vendor or their representatives. This restriction does not preclude discussions between affected parties for the purpose of conducting business unrelated to this procurement. Failure of a Vendor or any of its representatives to observe this restriction may result in disqualification of the Vendor’s Proposal.

2.7 Schedule and Significant Dates

The table below contains the State’s current estimate of the schedule and significant dates. All times are Hawaii Standard Time (HST). If a component of this schedule, such as "Proposals Due Date and Time" is delayed, the rest of the schedule may likely be shifted by the same number of days. Any change to the RFP Schedule and Significant Dates prior to the proposal due date shall be issued by addendum.


Event Date Solicitation Release January 19, 2021 Pre-Proposal Conference February 2, 2021, 10:00 A.M. Question Submittal Deadline February 9, 2021, 4:00 P.M. Answers to Questions Provided February 23, 2021, 4:00 P.M. Offers Due March 31, 2021, 12:00 P.M. Estimated Completion of Phase I &Phase II Evaluations

April 23, 2021

Estimated Date for Phase III Demonstrations/Discussions

April 26 – May 7, 2021

Estimated Due Date for BAFO, if necessary

May 21, 2021

Anticipated Award Date June 30, 2021

2.8 Pre-Proposal Conference

A pre-proposal conference will be hosted online at the date and time stated above in Section 2.7. The link to attend is: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NmY4OTEwMTEtZTZlZS00MjI2LThjNGItNTVmZGI4YmYzZTJi%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%223847dec6-63b2-43f9-a6d0-58a40aaa1a10%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%222b26e50e-86fb-4911-81d8-de9efdec0db1%22%2c%22IsBroadcastMeeting%22%3atrue%7d. Attendance at the conference is optional. During the conference Vendors shall have the opportunity to ask questions and the State will make a reasonable attempt to answer all questions. Oral answers will not be binding. Vendors must follow the instructions provided in Section 2.9 of this RFP to submit and receive formal, binding answers to any questions related to this RFP.

2.9 Questions Regarding RFP Contents

If a Prospective Offeror believes that any provision of the RFP is unclear or would prevent from providing a meaningful Proposal, the Offeror shall submit questions to the State Point of Contact outlined in Section 2.6 requesting clarification on or before the deadline for doing so in Section 2.7 Schedule and Significant Dates. Each question shall identify the page, section, number, paragraph, and line or sentence of such provision(s) of the RFP which the question applies. The State will answer the questions in a Question and Answer Document posted as an addendum to this RFP. Only answers provided in writing by the State shall be considered official. Information in any form other than the materials constituting this RFP, the Question and Answer Document, and any RFP Addendum, shall not be binding on the State. Offerors are cautioned about including context in questions that may reveal the source of questions. The identity of potential Offerors will not be published with the answers, but the text of questions will be restated, to the extent possible, to exclude information identifying potential Offerors. The State may refuse to answer any questions received after the Question deadline.

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NmY4OTEwMTEtZTZlZS00MjI2LThjNGItNTVmZGI4YmYzZTJi%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%223847dec6-63b2-43f9-a6d0-58a40aaa1a10%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%222b26e50e-86fb-4911-81d8-de9efdec0db1%22%2c%22IsBroadcastMeeting%22%3atrue%7d






2.10 RFP Addenda

Changes to this RFP including but not limited to contractual terms and procurement requirements shall only be changed via formal written addenda issued by the State. Offeror’s providing the State Point of Contact with an email stating their intent to submit an Offer (non-binding) will be provided with ongoing communications of updates and/or revisions to the solicitation. Without a letter of intent, the State accepts no responsibility for a prospective Offeror not receiving solicitation documents and/or revisions to the solicitation. It is the responsibility of the prospective Offeror to monitor HANDS (https://hands.ehawaii.gov/hands/) to obtain RFP addenda or other information relating to the RFP.

https://hands.ehawaii.gov/hands/

Section 3: Scope of Work 16 RFP-21-011-SW

Section 3: Scope of Work 3.1 Introduction

The State of Hawaii is interested in obtaining proposals from qualified firms to provide and implement a web-based software solution utilizing a Software as a Service (SaaS) model, for an online catalog Marketplace meeting the requirements outlined in this RFP. The State of Hawaii seeks to implement a best-in-class procurement marketplace and a pathway to a broader procurement automation solution that provides the State with a fully integrated technology platform able to support the full procurement lifecycle and align with organizational, policy and process improvements to drive a more coordinated, efficient, effective and strategically-focused procurement capacity across the State. While the State intends to implement and deploy a full eProcurement Solution to all Executive Branch Departments as a long-term goal, initial focus is on a short-term implementation of key functionality to lay the proper foundation for success through a statewide Marketplace Solution for all State public entities and others able to utilize State contracts (e.g., not-for-profit entities, etc.). As such, the State intends to deploy functionality utilizing the implementation strategy detailed in Section 1.2.1 of this RFP. The intent of the State is to implement the Marketplace as soon as is feasible to enable ALL State entities (and other external entities able to utilize State contracts) the ability to purchase off contracts in the Marketplace and drive VCAF to offset costs incurred to date by the Contracted Vendor and for approved future implementation efforts. Any implementation of the solution beyond the initial phase of the statewide online marketplace is considered optional and will be dependent on the needs of the State and availability of funds generated from the VCAF. Additional requirements have also been provided for a broader eProcurement Solution that supports and complies with all State statutes, regulations, policies and guidelines relevant to procurement including soliciting, awarding, processing, executing and administering contracts. The implementation of the Solution is expected to be a predominantly "center-led" strategy for procurement. This approach balances enterprise procurement needs with the specific procurement needs of individual Agencies while also providing centralized oversight/control when appropriate. The State also requires that implementation planning and decisions take into consideration that the State’s long-term goal is to offer access to all functionality of the Solution by other CPO jurisdictions, in a manner that establishes segregation of data, transactions and processes from the State and each other as required.


The Scope of Work is organized into the following sections:

1. Marketplace Requirements that address the initial implementation needs of the State

2. VCAF Requirements that address the expectations of the State related to the collection and administration of the VCAF

3. eProcurement Requirements that address business needs of the State for optional, future implementation of a broader eProcurement Solution

4. Technical Requirements that address technical needs and standards 5. Integration Requirements that address technical needs for integration and

interface between the solution and associated state systems 6. Solution Implementation Requirements that address the management, staff,

services, support, and deliverables required for initial implementation and on-going maintenance, help desk, and support

3.2 Marketplace Requirements

The Marketplace must provide the functionality to establish and maintain contract catalogs in an online shopping platform available for use by all State entities. Catalog content can be a combination of hosted within the system or made available by 'punching out' to a Vendor’s State-contract shopping website. Key components include, but are not limited to:

• State catalog creation and management • Vendor catalog creation and management • Punchout catalog integration • Intelligent workflow routing to apply Division, Department and Statewide business

rules with online approvals • Order generation and electronic transmittal to Vendor upon execution • Ability of user to download and print generated orders • Support for State PCard use • Support for varying methods of payment by State and external entities • Search, sort and filter capability across all Marketplace contracts • Catalog prioritization based on Hawaii-specific special programs • VCAF administration and management

The initial contracts to be included in the Marketplace will be statewide contracts that are available for use by all State entities, including local government entities and institutions of higher education (further detail on anticipated contracts are available in Appendix A). In the future the Marketplace may include limited use contracts and therefore must have the capability to segregate view and use of these contracts to authorized entities/users. In addition to the general requirements outlined here, detailed solution functionality has been provided for Offeror response in Attachment A – State Acceptance Criteria (Marketplace Tab). The Offeror shall review and complete Attachment A in accordance with the instructions provided in the Instructions Tab of the workbook. (See Section 4.2.3 of this RFP for details)


3.3 Vendor Collected Administration Fee (VCAF) Requirements

The contracted Vendor will need to be prepared to be compensated through a Vendor Collected Administrative Fee (VCAF) utilizing an administrative fee model that they will implement and collect for all transactions against approved contracts in the Marketplace.

3.3.1 VCAF Fee & Collection The Offeror must address the following related to the collection of the VCAF:

• Offerors must propose a VCAF fee model that would be sufficient to cover annual project costs (costs of the licensing, implementation, required integrations and ongoing support). The State has provided details for estimates on the contract portfolio that will be ready for inclusion in the Marketplace at initiation of the contract and anticipated spend to be transacted through the Marketplace in Exhibit A of this RFP.

• VCAF must be presented as a percent of total sales. • Offeror must provide any proposed caps/maximum fees to be charged per

transaction. VCAF may be scaled based on the value of transactions as determined most effective by the Offeror. If the VCAF is intended to be scaled, the Offeror must provide details of the planned scale of fees.

• Offeror must detail how they intend to present the fee to Marketplace vendors and Marketplace users (e.g., include in pricing or separate line item)

• Offerors must propose their preferred best practice method of collecting the fee. Contracted Vendor will be expected to collect the VCAF fee on behalf of the State and hold collected fees in a separate account on behalf of the State.

Offerors should note that the actual initial VCAF fee will be determined in coordination with the State at execution of the contract resulting from this RFP.

3.3.2 VCAF Accounting, Management & Oversight The Offeror must address the following related to the accounting, management and oversight of the VCAF:

• Contracted Vendor must maintain an accounting of the VCAF collected to be reported to the State on a monthly basis.

• The SPO Administrator, in consultation with others as may be required, will be responsible for management and oversight of the VCAF during the life of the contract.

• The SPO Administrator will review the accounting for VCAF collected fees and will make determinations, as necessary, on the amount and use of the VCAF fee.

• Contracted Vendor will provide an audited financial report to the State of all VCAF collected and all annual project costs reimbursed from VCAF.

3.3.3 Use of Surplus VCAF Fees • The SPO Administrator will make all decisions related to future optimization of

the Marketplace or optional implementation of eProcurement functionality. • Contracted Vendor will be required to provide a firm-fixed annual cost for

approved optimizations and/or implementations (based on their initial cost


proposal) that will be approved by the SPO Administrator and added to current ongoing annual project costs.

• No project costs will be approved or committed that exceed the estimated VCAF to be collected during the period of the project costs unless agreed to by both parties.

• Offeror shall provide recommendations for addressing shortfalls in the VCAF should fees collected not meet the anticipated levels to compensate the Offeror for proposed annual project costs.

• The State reserves the right to transition the VCAF to a state managed Administrative Fee at any point in the future.

3.4 eProcurement Requirements

The eProcurement solution must demonstrate that its functionality will enable full purchasing, sourcing, contracting and related processes with integration and interfacing to the Marketplace, supporting State systems and the Future State Financial System at designated strategic points necessary to meet State requirements. The Solution will provide Portal functionalities to both the vendor and department/buyer users as the single point of entry to access all relevant components of the Solution. That State reserves the right to implement some, none or all of this functionality at any time during the ten-year contract or individually at any time to any one or more of the Executive Branch departments based on decisions made by the VCAF Governance Committee. Additional line items may be approved and added to the contract for solution implementation for non-Executive Branch CPO jurisdictions. The State’s functional requirements for the Solution are organized and presented below by the following procurement workstreams:

• Request to Check • Source to Contract • Vendor Management • Contract Management • Data Management

3.4.1 Request to Check The Request to Check workstream of the Solution must provide functionality to automate the ordering process from the end-user purchase request through authorizing payment for the resulting order. Key components include, but are not limited to:

• Purchase request development and management • Intelligent workflow routing to apply Agency, Department and Statewide business

rules with approvals (online/mobile/email) • Forward flow of relevant data from previous process steps to future steps • Purchase Order creation and management (including change orders) • Electronic and manual options for transmission of Purchase Order to Vendor • Support for State PCard use • Receiving/Acceptance of goods and services


• Electronic receipt and processing of Vendor invoices • Payment authorization and request generation • Integration of all relevant financial information to State financial system of record

In addition to the general requirements outlined here, detailed solution functionality has been provided for Offeror response in Attachment A – State Acceptance Criteria (Request to Check Tab). The Offeror shall review and complete Attachment A in accordance with the instructions provided in the Instructions Tab of the workbook. (See Section 4.2.3 of this RFP for details)

3.4.2 Source to Contract The Source to Contract workstream of the Solution must provide functionality to automate the process of building, posting, managing and receiving responses to State business opportunities for the State and Vendors. Key components include, but are not limited to:

• Sourcing opportunity development utilizing customizable, standard templates and content libraries

• Intelligent workflow routing to apply Agency, Department and Statewide business rules with approvals (online/mobile/email)

• Forward flow of relevant data from previous process steps to future steps • Posting of sourcing opportunities, solicitations, and other required procurement

postings to a public website – posting data to flow from purchase order • Automated notification of opportunities to prospective vendors • Online management of sourcing opportunities (e.g., addenda, attachments, etc.) • Electronic receipt of vendor responses • Online evaluation of vendor responses • Award of opportunity and online notification of award • Protest submission and management

In addition to the general requirements outlined here, detailed solution functionality has been provided for Offeror response in Attachment A – State Acceptance Criteria (Source to Contract Tab). The Offeror shall review and complete Attachment A in accordance with the instructions provided in the Instructions Tab of the workbook. (See Section 4.2.3 of this RFP for details)

3.4.3 Vendor Management The Vendor Management component of the Solution must provide an integrated Portal that is a single point of entry to do business with the State and provides access to vendor-facing components of the Solution. Key components include, but are not limited to:

• Ability for vendor to create and manage a prospective vendor account • Provide fields for vendor to define who they are and what they sell or what

services they provide • Support transition of vendor from a prospective vendor to a payable vendor able

to be paid by the State


• Ability to access to State business opportunities (e.g., Bids, Proposals, Quotes, etc.)

• Ability to respond to State business opportunities (e.g., Bids, Proposals, Quotes, etc.)

• Electronic receipt of Purchase Orders • Electronic receipt and execution of contracts • Electronic submission of invoices • Ability to track invoice and payment status • Ability to attach files to account (e.g., Certificate of Insurance, Licenses, Sales

Reports, etc.) • Ability to identify vendors in special programs (e.g., MBE/WBE, Small Business,

Hawaii Business, etc.) • Ability for State staff to update/manage vendor accounts

In addition to the general requirements outlined here, detailed solution functionality has been provided for Offeror response in Attachment A – State Acceptance Criteria (Vendor Management Tab). The Offeror shall review and complete Attachment A in accordance with the instructions provided in the Instructions Tab of the workbook. (See Section 4.2.3 of this RFP for details)

3.4.4 Contract Management The Contract Management component of the Solution must provide the ability for the State to develop, execute and manage contracts. Key components include, but are not limited to:

• Contract development utilizing customizable, standard templates and content libraries

• Intelligent workflow routing to apply Agency, Department and Statewide business rules with approvals (online/mobile/email)

• Forward flow of relevant data from previous process steps to future steps • Contract execution utilizing electronic signature capability • Electronic transmission of fully executed contract • Capture key contract dates, milestones, deliverables and performance indicators • Establish push notifications based on key contract dates, milestones,

deliverables and performance indicators • Create modifications to a contract and allow for version control • Ability to track and manage vendor sales reports • Ability to track and manage vendor performance

In addition to the general requirements outlined here, detailed solution functionality has been provided for Offeror response in Attachment A – State Acceptance Criteria (Contract Management Tab). The Offeror shall review and complete Attachment A in accordance with the instructions provided in the Instructions Tab of the workbook. (See Section 4.2.3 of this RFP for details)


3.4.5 Data Management & Reporting The Data Management and Reporting component of the Solution must provide robust data analytics and reporting to allow the State to strategically assess operations and spend for more effective sourcing and contracting. Key components include, but are not limited to:

• Robust standard reporting • Ability to create Ad Hoc reports • Ability to establish dashboards from reports • Ability to drill into detailed data underlying report • Ability to integrate and transfer data to a central data repository for cross-

functional analysis • Ability to download or save reports in common file formats (e.g., xls, pdf, csv,

etc.) In addition to the general requirements outlined here, detailed solution functionality has been provided for Offeror response in Attachment A – State Acceptance Criteria (Data Management and Reporting Tab). The Offeror shall review and complete Attachment A in accordance with the instructions provided in the Instructions Tab of the workbook. (See Section 4.2.3 of this RFP for details)

3.5 Technical Requirements

3.5.1 User Experience The Solution must provide a user experience that is simple, intuitive and effective. It is expected that the user experience will, at minimum, allow for the ability for user configuration of commonly used screens to enable the efficient and effective processing of work tasks and intuitive Solution navigation that limits the number of clicks required to accomplish work tasks.

3.5.2 Solution Access and Supported Browsers The Solution must only require internet browser software for user to access the Solution. All State of Hawaii Websites and software will be developed using technology that is compatible with all popular, modern Web browsers. No site or application will be created using proprietary features available to the visitor only when using a certain brand of Web browser.

• Any browser that is ranked as more than 10% of the Web traffic must be supported

• New Web designs must be tested for multiple browsers, operating systems, and versions (including backward compatibility) based on intended audience. The solution must, at a minimum, be compatible with computers that utilize the latest Microsoft Windows and Macintosh Operating Systems.

• If a page will be rendered inoperable on an older browser the page must contain a notice to that effect that is viewable in non-compliant browsers.


3.5.3 User Accounts and Administration The State envisions the Solution would provide a variety of user account types from full access for system administrators to a tiered structure of limited access depending on the user’s role. It is anticipated that the Offeror will provide licensing bundles for modules that enable implementation of required account types. The State is requesting that Offerors separate licensing into two major user groups for the purpose of providing a cost proposal as detailed following:

1. Super User – A user that is given authority within the Solution to administer, manage, change, edit, configure or create solution components able to be accessed by State personnel. Examples of these users would include stateside system administrators, Purchasing Division Staff, and procurement professionals at departments.

2. Standard User – A user who accesses the system for the purpose of using tools and templates within the solution but who does not have the ability to administer, manage, change, edit, configure or create solution components. Examples of these users would include program staff requesting goods and services, receivers, accounts payable staff, approvers, and evaluators.

3. Marketplace User – A user who accesses the Marketplace only to initiate purchases from authorized Marketplace catalogs. Examples of these users include all State and County entity users and external users authorized to utilize Statewide contracts (e.g., not-for-profit entities). It is the expectation of the State that all Marketplace Users will have access to the Marketplace to generate orders from catalogs but that each entity’s transactions and data will be properly secured from other users.

For some processes, an approval hierarchy of assigned users (or alternate approver should an approver not be available) would need to be included based on the user initializing the process and the process itself (e.g., requisition to initiate a bid for a commodity requirement: an Agency or Department may have several assigned personnel that approves the request before it is processed further). User accounts, based on set permissions, should have the ability to share documents (e.g., technical proposal for review) with another user and also to an approved state employee that does not have a user account. User accounts must be associated to a specific organization (e.g. Agency, Department, Non-State Entities) and have the capability to be authorized to buy on-behalf of multiple other organizations within their organization’s hierarchy. Administration of the Solution, including user setup/maintenance, must have delegation assignment to allow the State the option to distribute some administration responsibilities. This delegation capability must allow definition of the specific functions and organization(s) (e.g. Agencies, Departments, Non-State Entities) that the delegated Administrator will have access to manage.


3.5.5 Office Automation Integration The State has standardized on Microsoft Office suite products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and Adobe/Adobe Sign. The Solution must be compatible with these products to support, at a minimum, documents as attachments, automated generation of documents (e.g. purchase orders, solicitations, contracts), import/export of transaction data (e.g. requisition line items, solicitation line items, bid tabulations, evaluation scores, contract line items), and cut/paste of text into Solution text fields.

3.5.6 Accessibility Requirements All user interfaces of the proposed solutions must meet accessibility requirements as described in the WCAG 2.0 Standard (https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/ ).

3.5.7 Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Plan The Contractor will have a Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Plan for the Solution. The Plan will document the sequence of events to follow in the circumstance that an internal or external interruption impacts services provided to the Solution user community that may arise as a result of failure of one of more Solution components that comprise the Solution infrastructure, hardware, software, interfaces, networks, Contractor’s data center facility, or power. The Plan will be developed in consultation with the State and in adherence with the State IT policies. The Contractor will provide validation reports of Disaster Recovery tests successes or failures on an annual basis. The activities of the Plan are intended to reduce or minimize downtime of critical equipment, interruption of employee work schedules, and financial exposures for the State and Contractor. The Plan will also document a sequence of communication events to follow during an internal or external infrastructure failure or natural disaster (act of nature).

3.5.8 Future Direction and Enhancements The State is looking for a partner in providing a world class procurement solution. While it is important to meet current requirements for procurement, it is also important to know the direction and future plans for the solution. Proposed Solutions should provide an overview of plans for enhancements to functionality, new functionality, or new technology as examples. Plans should include anticipated dates and benefits of the proposed enhancements.

3.5.9 Source Code Escrow To protect its investment in the Solution chosen, the State will request that the source code and supporting technical documentation sufficient to utilize the source code be held in escrow, the cost of which must be included in the Cost Proposal. The State will be named as a beneficiary under an escrow agreement (Escrow Agreement) that shall be entered into between the Contractor and an escrow agent (Escrow Agent) within 30 days of the date of contract execution pursuant to which

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Contractor shall deliver a Source Code Escrow Package to Escrow Agent. The Contractor shall promptly provide a copy of the fully-executed Escrow Agreement to the State. The term “Source Code Escrow Package” means:

• a complete copy in machine-readable form of the source code and executable code of the Software licensed to the State under the Contract;

• a complete copy of any existing design documentation and user documentation; • complete instructions for compiling and linking every part of the source code into

executable code for purposes of enabling verification of the completeness of the source code as provided below; and

• any other materials that constitute System Source Materials as defined in the RFP.

The Escrow Agreement shall govern the maintenance and release of the Source Code Escrow Package, and Contractor agrees to update, enhance, or otherwise modify such Source Code Escrow Package promptly upon each implementation of a new version of any component thereof. Contractor shall pay all fees and expenses charged by Escrow Agent, including, but not limited to, fees and expenses related to the State being a named beneficiary under the Escrow Agreement. The State shall treat the Source Code Escrow Package as Contractor’s confidential information. Under all circumstances, the Source Code Escrow Package shall remain the property of Contractor. The State shall only use the Source Code Escrow Package as contemplated in the Contract (including, but not limited to confidentiality provisions and usage restrictions). The Escrow Agent shall maintain the Source Code Escrow Package in a repository located in the United States. In addition to the rights and obligations contained in the Escrow Agreement, the State shall have the Software Escrow Package released by the Escrow Agent to the State’s possession immediately upon:

• any voluntary or involuntary filing of bankruptcy or any other insolvency proceeding, including but not limited to a general assignment for the benefit of including but not limited to a general assignment for the benefit of creditors;

• the appointment of a receiver for business or assets; • Contractor’s dissolution or liquidation, voluntary or otherwise; • the State has compelling reasons to believe that such events will cause

Contractor to fail to meet its obligations in the foreseeable future; or, • Contractor’s discontinuance of support or failure to support in accordance with

this Contract any Software system or if the Contractor is otherwise unable or unwilling to provide the Source Code Escrow Package.

This condition will also be considered met if after repeated e-mail and phone requests by the State for service, the State makes a request for service in writing to the Contractor's last known address served by certified signed receipt required mail delivery by U.S. Post Office or by a nationally recognized (in the United States) overnight carrier, and the Contractor remains unresponsive, meaning that the Contractor is unable to acknowledge message receipt, unwilling or otherwise unable to satisfy the request for a


period longer than 15 days from attempt to deliver the written request.

3.5.10 Security Requirements The Solution must support single sign-on capability with the ability to integrate with various directory services, such as Active Directory, from all the Branches (Executive, Education, Judicial, Legislative, University of Hawaii) and should support two-factor authentication with biometric, phone and simple messaging service (SMS). The Solution must provide the ability to encrypt data identified as sensitive. The Solution must provide the ability to define user security and authentication including, but not limited to controlling access by multiple levels (e.g. field, organization group, user roles, and chart of account attribute) and immediate suspension of user access. The Solution shall provide the ability to produce an audit trail for all system transactions (e.g. add, change, delete) including, but not limited to source, content, user-ID, date and time stamp. The Solution shall provide timely security patches.

3.6 Interface & Integration Requirements

Proposed Solutions must adhere to modern interoperability standards and enable integration with current and future applications from both State and external parties. The system shall provide the ability to exchange information and support services with external SaaS solutions. The system shall provide the ability to set up appropriate approval, audit trail, and reconciliation procedures for all inbound and outbound interfaces.

3.6.1 Future Statewide Financial Solution (TBD) Proposed Solutions must support both interface and integration capabilities to modern Electronic Resource Planning (ERP) systems in both batch and real-time. The State will consult with Contractor to ultimately determine which method to employ considering costs, needs and other factors. Proposals must provide complete technical details on these capabilities including, at a minimum, standards supported, restrictions, and requirements of State systems. Proposed Solutions must provide interface/integration with the Future State Enterprise Financial Solution (EFS) that is actively being solicited (see RFP-ERP-2020), to facilitate financial management, budget and encumbrance management and payment processes. This functionality must provide, at a minimum, the following capabilities and features for the new EFS:

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1. Vendor Account Data: The State anticipates that there will be two Vendor types and associated systems of record, as follow:

a. Prospective Vendors – Vendors seeking enter into business opportunities with the State. The eProcurement Solution will be the system of record for this vendor type and will be responsible for providing Vendor self-service registration and account maintenance for these vendors as outlined in the requirements.

b. Payable Vendors – Vendors with established business relationships with the State where payment is required. The EFS will be the system of record for this vendor type.

The Contractor must support efforts to integrate and coordinate the activities of these two vendor types between their Solution and the EFS. It is acceptable to describe multiple approaches that the Solution is capable of utilizing.

2. Transaction Processing: Individual transactions must be interfaced/integrated to EFS to meet all financial needs including, but not limited to: • Verification of accounting codes • Budget/funds checking • Inventory checking • Pre-encumbering/encumbering of funds • Requisition at final approval. Data must be sent to create a requisition

document in EFS. Requisition will go final in Solution based on ‘approval’ or authorization to proceed received from EFS.

• Purchase Order at final approval. Data must be sent to create a requisition document in EFS. Requisition will go final in Solution based on ‘approval’ or authorization to proceed received from EFS.

• Contracts at final approval. Data must be sent to create a requisition document in EFS. Requisition will go final in Solution based on ‘approval’ or authorization to proceed received from EFS.

• Invoice/voucher processing Each event will pass all transaction data necessary for EFS to process the transaction. Transactions will not be processed further in the Solution until EFS returns an ‘approval’ or authorization to proceed. Interface/integration must also support EFS return of a ‘disapproval’ or ‘deny’ concept with specific details including, but not limited to, transmittal errors, error messages, an explanation of the ‘disapproval’ situation and instructions to the user. These specific details will be made available to the user with an approach that is intuitive and easy to find/understand. The Solution will capture full details of the events as an audit or history record on the transaction. The Solution will also provide individual email notifications to the user for both ‘approval’ and ‘disapproval’ occurrences that include at a minimum email subject text that identifies the transaction and ‘approval’/’disapproval’ and email content that again identifies the transaction and ‘approval’/’disapproval’ and includes the error message returned by EFS.


3.6.2 Other Executive Branch Jurisdiction System Interfaces/Integrations The State anticipates that there may be other systems in use by the State, Agencies or Departments that will require either interfaces or integrations with the Solution. The development and implementation of these interfaces/integrations would be managed as a Task Order under the contract for the Solution and costs for this work would be established based on the Rate Card (submitted in Cost Proposal) established within the contract.

3.6.3 Non-Executive Branch Jurisdiction Interfaces/Integrations The State anticipates that some Non-Executive Branch jurisdictions may need to have interfaces or integrations established to their systems. The development and implementation of these interfaces/integrations would be managed as agreements separate from the contract for the Solution, however, the costs for this work would be established based on the Rate Card (submitted in Cost Proposal) established within the contract.

3.6.4 Solution Interoperability Proposed Solutions must adhere to modern interoperability standards and enable integration with current and future applications from both State and external parties. The system shall provide the ability to exchange information and support services with external SaaS solutions. The system shall provide the ability to set up appropriate approval, audit trail, and reconciliation procedures for all inbound and outbound interfaces.

3.7 Solution Implementation Requirements

3.7.1 Project Implementation Approach While the State intends to implement and deploy a full eProcurement Solution to all State entities as a long-term goal, initial focus is on a short-term implementation of key functionality to lay the proper foundation for success through a statewide Marketplace Solution. As such, the State intends to deploy functionality utilizing the implementation strategy detailed in Section 1.2.1 of this RFP. The intent of the State is to implement the Marketplace as soon as is feasible to enable ALL State entities (and other external entities able to utilize State contracts) the ability to purchase off contracts in the Marketplace and drive VCAF to offset costs incurred to date by the Contracted Vendor and for approved future implementation efforts. Any implementation of the solution beyond the initial phase of the statewide online marketplace is considered optional and will be dependent on the needs of the State and availability of funds generated from the VCAF. The SPO Administrator, in consultation with others as may be required, will work with the contracted vendor to plan and authorize all optional work prior to execution. As the State transitions to implementation of the broader eProcurement Solution it is anticipated that functionality will be implemented incrementally, focusing on functionality that provides quick wins for the State early and builds upon those wins over time until the entire solution has been implemented in accordance with solution requirements.


The State will require the functionality, once ready for implementation, to be rolled out to an initial pilot with DOTA and SPO to ensure proper functionality prior to rollout to additional Executive Branch entities. The recommended length of the initial pilot and the future rollout schedule for functionality will be left to Offerors to detail in their Implementation Plan (subject to mutual agreement with the SPO). The State anticipates the Solution to be implemented in accordance with best practices in implementation, data migration, project management, change management, training, and support. The State is also seeking to minimize the disruption to daily work performed by procurement professionals during the implementation by limiting the need for duplication of entry and/or use of multiple systems to accomplish procurement tasks. The State understands there is no ability to eliminate this but is seeking a proposed implementation approach that both minimizes the disruption and appropriately manages change throughout the implementation to minimize the impact on those performing procurement functions. The State intends to implement the Solution as configured to meet State process requirements, limiting any customization of the Solution to those items that must be customized to meet State statutory requirements only. Where possible, the State will be flexible to adopt Solution processes and practices to simplify implementation efforts. The State has left the implementation schedule flexible to enable Offerors to leverage their experience to provide the most effective and efficient implementation schedule for their proposed Solution. Offerors should note an assessment of the procurement function was performed and as such an initial discovery period should not need to be as extensive. Offerors must provide details of their implementation approach in their Project Implementation Plan (See Section 4.2.4 of this RFP for details). All proposal responses should be based on this implementation approach, including the Project Implementation Plan and the Cost Proposal. The Project Implementation Plan will require State approval before beginning any implementation work.

3.7.2 Project Initiation The Contractor must plan for a Project Initiation phase that allows for project planning, assessment and preparation activities prior to implementation of the Solution. This work will include, but not be limited to:

• Comprehensive review of the State’s Contract Administration Plan generated from this solicitation, including, but not limited to overall project scope, contract requirements and the responsibilities of both the State and the Contractor to ensure common understanding.

• Develop detailed implementation strategies and recommendations for approval by the State.

• Define an overall Solution architecture model that encompasses all interfaced and/or integrated State systems.


• Establish the initial Implementation Plan for the deployment and support of the Solution as architected in the previous Project Implementation tasks.

3.7.3 Project Staffing The following table identifies key Contractor roles and responsibilities that are deemed critical to the success of the project and are required to be dedicated to this project. The Proposal must indicate the percentage of time the personnel will be allocated to the project during each phase of the project.

Contractor Project Team

Role

Project Team Role Description and Responsibilities

Minimum Qualifications

Project Manager

• Senior employee within Contractor’s organization, with the knowledge, authority and resources available to properly execute the work required by this RFP

• Serves as primary point of contact and the single-point of accountability and responsibility for all project-related questions and issues and the provision of Services by Contractor

• Responsible for daily management of project and all Contractor resources to ensure project goals are being met and overall State customer satisfaction, including, but not limited to documenting requirements, developing and updating project plans, assigning staff, scheduling meetings, developing and publishing status reports, addressing project issues, risks, and change orders, and preparing presentations for the State

• Be located at State facilities or such other appropriate location as Contractor and the State may mutually agree, based upon an agreed project schedule and agreed upon weekly work schedule

• Coordinates with State Project Manager, Contract Administrator and Project Executive Team as required on overall project health including coordination of bi-weekly project status meetings

• Provides a bi-weekly Project Status Report detailing topics discussed and decisions made in the meetings, utilizing a form and format agreed to between Contractor and State Project Manager

• Provides a Monthly Project Status Report utilizing a form and format agreed to between Contractor and State Project Manager

• Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field of study (preferred)

• Current Project Management professional (PMP) Certification from the Project Management Institute (preferred)

• 4 years of relevant experience implementing projects of the size and scope detailed in this RFP

• Project Manager on a minimum of 2 implementations of the Solution presented



Role



• Submits deliverable acceptance and invoice authorization documentation upon submission of project deliverables

• Manages efforts to document, and mitigate or resolve identified project issues and risks

Business Lead(s)

• Serves as a subject matter expert for Solution functionality

• Leads the Contractor’s efforts in all functional areas of the Solution and Solution implementation

• Coordinates with State Project Manager and State and Agency subject matter experts to review Solution functionality and drive business decisions regarding Solution configuration and implementation

• Communicates business decisions to Contractor Technical Lead(s) to configure and implement a technical Solution to meet business needs

• Coordinates integration and interface tasks necessary to implement Solution with Contractor and/or State Technical Leads

• Coordinates Solution functionality testing, and verifies traceability to the RTM

• Coordinates Solution integration testing, and verifies integration accuracy

• Manages the overall quality and timeliness of all business and functional related project tasks

• Manages business and functional team resources supporting the project


• Certification in project management, business analysis or other relevant area (preferred)


• Business Lead on a minimum of 2 implementations of the Solution presented

Technical Lead(s)

• Serves as a subject matter expert for Solution technical

• Leads the Contractor’s efforts in all technical areas of the Solution and Solution implementation

• Works with Contractor Business Lead(s) to translate business needs into technical implementation tasks

• Manages execution of technical implementation tasks necessary to configure and implement the Solution to meet business needs

• Manages the overall quality and timeliness of technical related project tasks


• Certification in project management or other relevant technical area (preferred)

• 2 years of relevant experience



Role



• Manages technical team resources supporting the project

implementing projects of the size and scope detailed in this RFP

• Technical Lead on a minimum of 2 implementations of the Solution presented

Organizational Change Management (OCM) & Training Lead

• Works with State Project Manager and State OCM Liaison to develop, execute and manage an Organizational Change Management Plan

• Works with State Project Manager, key leaders and project teams to integrate OCM activities into the overall Project Implementation Plan

• Coordinates identification of stakeholders and impacted groups including but not limited to State Agencies, Departments, Employees, and Vendors.

• Coordinates development of OCM communication to communicate the vision and anticipated benefits of the change initiative to stakeholders and impacted groups and identify resistance points

• Coordinate and conduct readiness assessments as needed throughout the project

• Coordinates development of business and OCM readiness activities designed to help the State prepare for Solution implementation

• Works with State Project Manager and appropriate State training team members to develop and implement a Training Plan

• Coordinated develops of training materials and delivers training as detailed in Section 3.7.5 of this RFP

• Works with State training staff to develop training modules to be used to train State staff not in scope for this project (See Section 3.7.5)

• Conduct presentations and participate in meetings, as appropriate

• Document, and resolve or escalate issues or risks identified by OCM and training teams


• Certification in change management, training or other relevant area (preferred)


• OCM on a minimum of 2 implementations of the Solution presented



Role



• Manages Contractor OCM and training team resources supporting the project

Offerors must provide details of the identified key project staff in their Project Staffing Plan (See Section 4.2.4 of this RFP).

3.7.4 State Project Support The State is committed to the success of this project and will provide staffing resources as appropriate. To help the State better plan to have the right resources available in the right quantities at the right time, the Offeror must provide a State Project Support Plan (See Section 4.2.4 of this RFP) in their response. The State understands that its participation is critical to ensure the goals of the project are accomplished; therefore, advanced notice of the expected State resource support required is beneficial.

3.7.5 Training The Offeror OCM & Training Lead(s) shall be responsible for providing adequate training to ensure the State’s approach is met and all users identified are properly trained to utilize the implemented Solution. Due to travel limitations, both because of location and current pandemic travel guidelines it is the expectation of the State that training be in the form of online webinars and pre-recorded videos. It is expected that the Offeror shall provide personnel to develop and deliver training to the following groups at an appropriate time during implementation: REQUIRED

• Marketplace Training: The Offeror must at a minimum provide instructor lead, hands-on solution functionality training to key users of the Marketplace leading up to implementation. It is anticipated that this group will include a minimum of 125 State end users.

OPTIONAL, AS APPLICABLE

• eProcurement Training – Pilot Rollout: The Offeror must at a minimum provide instructor lead, hands-on solution functionality training to key users of the eProcurement Solution leading up to implementation. Training will be provided to end users of DOTA and SPO in lead up to the roll-out of functionality for the pilot. It is anticipated that this group will include no more than 40 State end users.

• eProcurement Training – Department Rollout: The Offeror must at a minimum provide instructor lead, hands-on solution functionality training to key users of the eProcurement Solution leading up to implementation. It is anticipated that this group will include approximately 10 State end users per Department (minimum of 200).

• Key Technical Resources: The Offeror must at a minimum provide instructor lead, hands-on training to identified technical resources sufficient to provide local technical administration of the Solution as required of the State by the Offeror. It is anticipated that this group will include no more than ten (10) State end users.


• Help Desk and Administration: The Offeror must at a minimum provide instructor lead, hands-on training to identified resources sufficient to provide help desk support and perform local administration/configuration of the Solution as required of the State by the Offeror. It is anticipated that this group will include no more than 20 State end users.

• Vendor End Users: The Offeror must at a minimum provide web-based on-demand training tutorials for Vendors to reference for registering in the Solution and utilizing Solution functionality.

It is expected that the Offeror will provide the State a recommended training program, including all rights to training courses, training materials and documentation sufficient for the State to implement the recommended program, approach and methods for ongoing training. Offeror must include the provision of user documentation or user manuals, which may be provided internal to the Solution or in a web-based method (website or document link).

The Offeror must provide a Training Plan (See Section 4.2.4 of this RFP) in their response that at minimum, identifies the approach and method of training recommended for the various users of the Solution, both leading up to implementation of functionality and for ongoing training by the State following final Solution implementation.

3.7.6 Testing Testing activities will check all aspects of the Solution including but not limited to its functionality, performance, integration, and the conversion/migration of relevant data. Since the Solution is expected to be deployed iteratively, and potentially different sets of functionalities will become available at different times, it is important to note all functionality deployed to date will need to be regression tested to ensure the integrity of the entire Solution. The Contractor is responsible for all unit, Solution, performance and regression testing of the Solution and Solution-related changes. Such changes must not be introduced into a Production environment until they have been through the complete test cycle described above and approved by the State after a successful User Acceptance Testing (UAT). Test conditions and test scenarios to be included in the Solution Testing will be mutually agreed upon by the Contractor and the State. These scenarios will be based on an analysis of the acceptance criteria, business requirements, functionality changes, and application enhancements that are approved for implementation. The State is responsible for UAT execution while including the development of all test scenario and script preparation, and management and tracking of UAT activities. UAT verifies the usability of the new processes and ensures that the Solution meets the requirements and the needs of the organization and the end user. UAT leverages Solution Test Scripts and is executed by State resources. The Contractor must provide all support necessary for the State to successfully conduct UAT. A key objective of UAT is to facilitate an understanding of the technology and the business change being implemented while identifying and mitigating and potential risk.


The Contractor must also provide all support necessary for the State to conduct Security Testing of each functional release which may include activities such as negative manual testing of the Solution and loading of maliciously formatted inbound interface files. The Contractor must remedy all bugs/defects discovered during testing in a timely manner and maintain a bug/fix tracking report that clearly identifies each bug detected in testing, the status of the resolution, and the projected fix/resolution date. The Contractor must also provide additional testing steps if needed as part of the bug fix/resolution. The Contractor will publish release notes and gain release promotion approval from the State at least 72 business hours prior to scheduling the promotion for both stage and production environments. The Contractor will demonstrate enhancement design understanding to the State as related to the business process prior to undertaking development activities to ensure alignment of the technical and business processes. The Contractor must implement measures to avoid recurrence of incidents, by performing root cause analysis and event correlation for items discovered during testing/validation activities. The contractor will test defect repairs and enhancements fully in the development environment prior to promoting any changes to the stage and production environments. The State and Contractor will work together to develop an, interactive, real-time testing tracking tool to monitor and report the progress of each test phase. The status report will contain at a minimum, sections for condition creation, script creation, script execution, issue identification, assignment and resolution, and defect identification and resolution.

3.7.7 Post-Implementation & Ongoing Support Offerors must provide details for any and all services provided and included in their Cost Proposal following implementation of the Solution, including Service Level Agreements for all services provided. Offerors should provide details of any of the following they provide and have included in their Cost Proposal:

• Post-implementation support to ensure the solution is implemented and running in a stable manner without major flaws following implementation

• Help desk support • Application support • Solution upgrade/update support • Training services • Marketplace/Catalog Support


3.8 Termination/Transition Assistance

Upon nearing the end of the final term of this Contract, and without respect to either the cause or time of such termination, the Contractor shall take all reasonable and prudent measures to facilitate transition to the State or a successor provider. Contractor will provide a full copy of the State’s data and provide a copy of the Contractor’s data dictionary prior to such termination. The State will provide a Secure File Transfer location to the Contractor to deliver the required files. Contractor will provide a full accounting of the VCAF fees collected and the State will consult with the Contractor to ultimately determine the most efficient approach for transfer of the appropriate funds to the State.

3.9 Buyer’s Representative

The State intends to appoint a Buyer's Representative to manage, or assist the State in managing, the contract and/or other Stateside required activities related to the contract (e.g., Project Management, Change Management, Independent Verification and Validation, etc.) on behalf of the State to be paid for with a portion of the VCAF fees. The Buyer's Representative will be appointed in writing, and the appointment document will specify the extent of the Buyer's Representative authority and responsibilities. If a Buyer's Representative is appointed, the Contractor will be provided a copy of the appointment document, and is expected to cooperate accordingly with the Buyer's Representative. The Buyer's Representative has no authority to bind the State to a contract, amendment, addendum, or other change or addition to the contract.

Section 4: Proposal Submission 37 RFP-21-011-SW

Section 4: Proposal Submission 4.1 Proposal Objectives

One of the objectives of this RFP is to make proposals preparation easy and efficient, while giving Offeror ample opportunity to highlight their proposals. The evaluation process must also be manageable and effective. When an Offeror submits a proposal, it shall be considered a complete plan for accomplishing the tasks described in this RFP and any supplemental tasks the Offeror has identified as necessary to successfully complete the obligations outlined in this RFP. The Offeror’s plan shall demonstrate an understanding of and the ability to meet and perform all contractual requirements listed in this request, including all contractual services. This section describes the contents and format designed to ensure completeness in the Offeror's proposal. The intent of the packet is to standardize the proposals to enable equitable evaluation and award to the responsible Offeror with a proposal that is the most advantageous to the State. This is not an attempt to limit the contents of any proposal and the Offeror may include any additional data and information which is deemed pertinent to the proposal for this RFP. The proposal shall describe in detail the Offeror’s ability and availability of services to meet the goals and objectives of this RFP. The State encourages Offerors to provide concise proposals that directly address required elements provided below.

4.2 Proposal Format

All proposals shall be structured in a set of documents as described in the table below and further described in the sections following. A Cover Sheet and a Table of Contents must be included with each proposal. All major parts of the proposal shall be identified by referencing page numbers.


Document Name Section Format

Tab 1: Transmittal Letter 4.2.1 Narrative Response (Adobe Acrobat .pdf) & Attachment C: Offer Form OF-1 (Adobe Acrobat .pdf)

Tab 2: Technical Solution 4.2.2 Narrative Response (Adobe Acrobat .pdf)

Tab 3: State Acceptance Criteria 4.2.3 Attachment A: State Acceptance Criteria (Microsoft Excel .xls)

Tab 4: Project Implementation Plan 4.2.4 Narrative Response (Adobe Acrobat .pdf)

Tab 5: Qualifications & Experience 4.2.5 Narrative Response (Adobe Acrobat .pdf)

Tab 6: Exceptions & Assumptions 4.2.6 Narrative Response (Adobe Acrobat .pdf) & Attachment D: Offer Form OF-2 (Adobe Acrobat .pdf)

TO BE SUBMITTED SEPARATELY FROM ABOVE SUBMISSION Tab 7: Cost Proposal 4.2.8 Attachment B: Mandatory Pricing

Form (Microsoft Excel .xls)

Tab 8: VCAF Proposal 4.2.9 Narrative Response (Adobe Acrobat .pdf)

4.2.1 Transmittal Letter The letter of transmittal must be limited to two (2) pages, and must contain:

1. Offeror’s name and any assumed names 2. Physical and mailing address 3. The names, titles, addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers of the

primary contact and other individuals authorized to make representations on behalf of the Offeror

4. A statement that the person signing the transmittal letter is authorized to legally bind the Offeror

5. A statement that the Proposal will remain in effect until a contract has been finalized.

6. A brief statement of the Offeror’s understanding of the work to be done and a summary of its Proposal.

7. Signature of person(s) authorized to legally bind the Offeror If subcontractor(s) will be used, append a statement to the transmittal letter from each subcontractor, signed by an individual authorized to legally bind the subcontractor and stating:

1. The general scope of work to be performed by the subcontractor; 2. The subcontractor’s willingness to perform for the indicated.


The Offeror shall all submit with the Transmittal Letter a completed and signed version of Attachment C: Offer Form OF-1

4.2.2 Technical Solution The Offeror shall submit a narrative response detailing how its Proposal meets or exceeds Solution requirements outlined in Section 3 of this RFP. Offerors should use this Proposal element to speak to their overall technical Proposal and to provide detailed responses to requirements not specifically covered in other Proposal response elements following. It is the expectation of the State that all requirements outlined in Section 3 will be addressed directly with a detailed response. Those not requiring a detailed response must at minimum include a statement of compliance or acknowledgement from the Offeror. Additionally, Offeror shall provide any special features or services the Offeror is proposing in response to the requirements that are included within the pricing provided (e.g. value-added features and/or services).

4.2.3 State Acceptance Criteria The Offeror shall review and complete Attachment A: State Acceptance Criteria (SAC) in accordance with the instructions provided in the Instructions Tab of the Excel workbook. The Acceptance Criteria has been provided to Offerors in a Microsoft Excel Workbook as a separate package with the RFP posting to facilitate completion of the form electronically. Offeror must submit a copy of their response using this Workbook in Microsoft Excel format. Offerors should note that it is the intent of the State to utilize this response to direct user acceptance testing and final acceptance of implemented solution functionality. Therefore, it is critical that Offerors complete this form truthfully and accurately to avoid any potential future issues.

4.2.4 Project Implementation Plan In response to Section 3.7 of this RFP, the Offeror must provide a detailed Project Implementation Plan. Offeror should provide two (2) distinct plans: an initial Project Implementation Plan for the implementation of the eMarketplace; and, a second Project Implementation Plan detailing their recommended implementation, pilot and rollout of broader eProcurement functionality that takes into consideration reasonable assumptions of VCAF funding to be collected by the Offeror through the eMarketplace. The Plan must include, at minimum, the following content:

1. Project Implementation Plan detailing the project plan and timelines to be used by the Offeror to implement the proposed solution. Offeror must fully describe its current capacity, approach, methods, services and specific work steps, to include the deliverables for each phase, for completing the project, meeting all requirements as detailed in this RFP. The State encourages responses that demonstrate a thorough understanding of the nature of the project and what the Offeror must do to complete the project satisfactorily. The Project Implementation Plan will be used to create a consistent, coherent management


plan of action that will be used to guide the project. Offerors should consider current restrictions/limitations due to COVID-19 pandemic in the implementation plans.

The Plan should include detail sufficient to give the State an understanding of the Offeror’s knowledge and approach, including Gantt charts documenting the phases, tasks and timelines required for successful completion of all of the deliverables to complete the project. The plan must at minimum meet the requirements for implementation detailed in Section 3.7 of this RFP.

2. Project Staffing Plan detailing at minimum personnel being proposed to meet Key

Roles identified in Section 3.7.3 of this RFP. The State is seeking a staffing plan that describes all key personnel being proposed to perform the project and their responsibilities on the project and clearly matches the proposed project personnel and qualifications to the activities and tasks that will be completed on the project. The Plan must, at a minimum, include the following:

• An organizational chart that specifies key roles, key personnel with level of

commitment to project, project leadership and reporting responsibilities; and how the team will interface with State project management and team personnel, including any subcontractors and key management and administrative personnel assigned to this project.

• A contingency plan that shows the ability to add more staff if needed to ensure the Offeror is able to meet project due dates in the Project Implementation Plan.

• The anticipated number of people onsite at State location(s), by project phase, at any given time to allow the State to plan for the appropriate workspace.

• A statement indicating to what extent, if any, key personnel may work on other projects or assignments that are not related to the State during the term of the Contract.

• A brief (no more than 1 page) bio for each key personnel presented that details their role and relevant experience.

• Resumes for all key personnel proposed in the Project Staffing Plan. The State will consider the resumes as a key indicator of the Offeror’s understanding of the skill mixes required to carry out the requirements of the RFP in addition to assessing the experience of specific individuals. Note that resumes should be provided as a separate file as detailed in Table 1 above.

3. State Project Support Plan detailing the support it expects from the State to

ensure successful execution of the Project Implementation Plan. Specifically, the Offeror must address the following, at minimum:

• Nature and extent of State support required in terms of staff roles, percentage of time available, etc.

• Experience and qualification levels required to meet identified staff roles to


successfully accomplish project goals • Other support considerations and/or requirements

4. Training Plan detailing the proposed plan for meeting requirements detailed in

Section 3.7.5 of this RFP. The plan should be sure to address Offeror’s training approach and methods for delivering training in the build up to Solution implementation and recommended approaches and methods for State training for each type of user going forward post-implementation.

4.2.5 Qualifications & Experience The Offeror must provide information to indicate that it has the experience and qualifications necessary to provide the products and/or services requested in the RFP. Specifically, the Offeror is to provide:

1. Company Overview providing an overview and brief history of the firm, and a description of what uniquely qualifies the firm for this project.

2. Client Profiles providing a description of products and/or services the organization has provided clients in the past five (5) years, that clearly demonstrates the firm’s capability to provide the products and services detailed in this RFP. Include the nature of the services provided, scope of activities, the organization for which the service was provided, proposed personnel who worked on the project and the role they played on the project. Where possible, focus should be placed on relevant experience with public sector customers of like size and scope to the Council.

3. Legal Considerations: A summary listing of judgments or pending lawsuits or actions against; adverse contract actions, including termination(s), suspension, imposition of penalties, or other actions relating to failure to perform or deficiencies in fulfilling contractual obligations against your firm. If applicable, include an explanation(s). If none, so state.

4. References: Offerors shall complete Section 1 of Offer Form OF-2: Client Reference Form with the names and contact information of customer references for at least three (3) client references from government agencies that receive similar goods and services and shall submit this section of the Form with their Proposal. Offerors shall then complete Section 2 of the Client Reference Form and e-mail the completed Section 2 and blank Section 3 to each client reference contact. Instructions for the reference to complete Section 3 are provided in the Form. The reference will submit completed Sections 2 and 3 directly to the State Point of Contact. Respondents are encouraged to follow up with reference and ensure timely submission. The State reserves the right to conduct reference checks beyond those provided by references. The results of the reference checks will be reflected in the evaluation score for this criterion. Full points will not be awarded without receipt of Section 2 and 3 from at least three (3) listed clients.


The State will evaluate the Offeror’s demonstrated record of contract performance in supplying services that meet users’ needs, including price and schedule. The recency and relevancy of the information, the source of the information, the context of the data and general trends in the Contractor’s performance will be considered. More recent and more relevant performance usually has a greater impact on the confidence assessment than less recent and less relevant performance. The State will perform an independent determination of relevancy of the data provided or obtained. A relevancy determination will be made in addition to the reference responses received.

4.2.6 Exceptions & Assumptions 1. Exceptions: The Offeror shall clearly identify any exceptions it takes to Exhibit B,

General Provisions & AG General Conditions or Section 7 (Special Provisions) of this RFP. If there are no exceptions, the Offeror shall explicitly state that the Offeror takes no exception to any part of this RFP. Proposal must be in compliance with stated terms and conditions unless the State accepts identified exceptions of the Offeror. The State reserves the right to reject any exceptions without discussion and will consider them in the total risk evaluation for best value.

Exceptions not explicitly provided in this table will not be considered for discussions by the State. Therefore, Proposers are encouraged to include any and all exceptions at the time of proposal submission.

The Proposer shall identify exceptions using the following format Section Section Title Exception Proposed Language

2. Assumptions: The Offeror shall clearly state any assumptions, including cost

assumptions, made in its Offer, noting the specific RFP section number where relevant. The Offeror should detail the assumption made and provide details referencing any considerations or impact the assumption has on the Offer overall. In order to be binding, all assumptions must be in this section.

The Proposer shall identify assumptions using the following format. Section Section Title Assumption Proposed Language

4.2.7 Cost Proposal The Offeror shall complete and submit, as a separate Proposal submission, Attachment B: Cost Proposal Workbook in accordance with the instructions provided in the Instructions Tab of the Excel workbook. The Cost Proposal Workbook has been provided to Offerors in a Microsoft Excel Workbook as a separate package with the RFP posting to facilitate completion of the form electronically. Offeror must submit a copy of their Proposal using this Workbook in Microsoft Excel format. All five workbook tabs


should be completed for submittal.

4.2.8 VCAF Proposal A critical component of the overall Cost Proposal is the detailing of the Offeror’s approach to calculation and collection of the Vendor Collected Administrative Fee (VCAF) to cover costs associated with the implementation and maintenance of the online Marketplace and optional future eProcurement functionality. To this end, the Offeror shall provide a proposed model addressing all requirements identified in Section 3.3 of this RFP.

4.3 Proposal Submission Instructions

4.3.1 Submission of Proposals The submission of proposal shall constitute an incontroveritble representation by the Offeror of compliance with every requirement of the RFP, and the the RFP documents are sufficient in scope and detail to indicate and convery reasonable understanding of all terms and conditions of performance of the work. Before submitting a proposal, each Offeror must:

1. Examine the solicitation documents thoroughly. Solcitation documents include this RFP, any attachments, plans referred to herein, and any other relevant documents;

2. Become familiar with State, local, and federal laws, statutes, ordinances, rules, and regulations that many in any manner affect cost, progress, or performance of work.

Offeror must submit the following in response to this RFP:

1. Technical Proposal (Tabs 1-6) – One (1) hard copy marked “Original” and One (1) USB Drive with proposal contents; and,

2. Cost Proposal (Tabs 7 & 8) – One (1) hard copy marked “Original” and One (1) USB Drive with proposal contents

The Technical Proposal and Cost Proposal submissions must be labeled and packaged seperately. Offers shall be received at the SPO Office, no later than the date and time stated in Section 2.7 of this RFP. Timely receipt of offers shall be evidenced by the date and time registered by the SPO time stamp clock. Offerors received after the deadline shall be returned unopened. Offeror shall mark the outside of shipping package as follows: Name of Company Point of Contact for Company and Phone Number RFP #21-011-SW


Address for delivery: State Procurement Office Attn: Shannon Ota Kalanimoku Building 1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 416 Honolulu, HI 96813

If the Offeror chooses to deliver its offer by United States Postal Service (USPS), please be aware that the USPS does not deliver directly to SPO (Room 416), but to a central DAGS mailroom. This may cause a delay in receipt by the SPO and the offer may reach SPO after the deadline, resulting in automatic rejection. NOTE: Due to COVID, submission must be delivered by USPS or other courier service.

4.3.2 Confidential, Protected or Proprietary Information All confidential, protected or proprietary information must be included as a separate USB submission with their Offer. Do not incorporate protected information throughout the Proposal. Rather, provide a reference in Offer directing the State to the specific area of this protected Information section. If Offeror believes that any portion of its proposal, proposal, specification, protest, or correspondence contains information that should be withheld as confidential, then the Procurement Officer should be so advised in writing and shall be furnished with justification for confidential status. Price is not considered confidential and shall not be withheld. Information included in the Confidential, Protected or Proprietary Information section of an Offeror’s proposal is not automatically accepted as protected. All information identified in the section will be subject to review by the State in accordance with the procedures prescribed by the State’s open records statute, freedom of information act, or similar law.

4.3.3 Each Offeror to Bear its Own Costs Each Offeror shall be responsible for all costs incurred by it prior to the Notice of Award, including, without limitation, its costs of preparing and submitting its Proposal, responding to notices or requests, making Priority-Listed Offeror presentations, demonstrations and discussions, and otherwise participating in the RFP Process whether any award results from this RFP. The State shall not reimburse such costs. All proposals shall become property of the State of Hawaii.

4.4 Proposal Due Date

Proposals must be received by the posted closing date and time as described in Section 2.7 Schedule and Significant Dates of this RFP.

4.5 Firm Proposals

Responses to this RFP, including proposed costs and/or fees will be considered firm for 180 days or until award of contract, whichever is shorter.


4.6 Right to Accept All or Portion of Proposal

Unless otherwise specified in the solicitation, the State may accept any item or combination of items as specified in the solicitation or of any proposal unless the Offeror expressly restricts an item or combination of items in its Proposal and conditions its response on receiving all items for which it provided a proposal. If the Offeror so restricts its Proposal, the State may consider the Offeror’s restriction and evaluate whether the award on such basis will result in the best value to the State. The State may otherwise determine at its sole discretion that such restriction is non-responsive and renders the Offeror ineligible for further evaluation.

Section 5: Evaluation and Award 46 RFP-21-011-SW

Section 5: Evaluation and Award 5.1 Evaluation of Proposals

The Procurement Officer or an evaluation committee of at least three (3) qualified State employees selected by the State Procurement Office, shall evaluate proposals for the contract. The evaluation will be based solely on Section 5.2 Evaluation Criteria and the process described in this section. The evaluation process consists of the following steps. To maintain fairness in the evaluation process, all information sought by Purchasing will be obtained in a manner such that no Offeror is provided an unfair competitive advantage.

5.1.1 Phase I: Evaluation of Technical Proposals For Phase I evaluations, the State shall appoint an evaluation committee to subjectively evaluate the merits of Proposals received. The evaluation committee will evaluate and numerically score each Proposal that the POC has determined to be responsive to the requirements of the RFP. For this phase of the evaluation the committee will review and score the following response elements detailed in Section 4.2 of this RFP:

• Tab 2 – Technical Solution • Tab 3 – State Acceptance Criteria • Tab 4 – Project Implementation Plan • Tab 5 – Qualifications & Experience

For Tabs 2 through 4, the evaluation committee will utilize a 5-Point Scale to score these response elements. The following is the scale and description for each rating:


Score Description 0 The Proposal fails to address the criterion or cannot be assessed due to missing

or incomplete information. Offeror has not demonstrated sufficient knowledge of the subject matter or has grossly failed to explain how the requirement(s) is met.

1 Poor. The criterion is inadequately addressed, Offeror demonstrates only a slight ability to comply, or there are serious inherent weaknesses.

2 Fair. The Proposal broadly addresses the criterion, but there are significant weaknesses. May have one or more deficiencies, or Offeror has not adequately explained how its services fit the requirement.

3 Good. The Proposal addresses the criterion well; meets the requirement. Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the subject matter, with no deficiencies noted regarding technical approach.

4 Very Good. The Proposal addresses the criterion very well, highly comprehensive. Proposal occasionally goes above and beyond the minimum requirements indicates a high degree of ability to meet the needs of the State. No deficiencies noted.

5 Excellent. The Proposal successfully addresses all relevant aspects of the criterion. Excellent reply that goes beyond the requirements listed in the RFP to provide added value. The response may cover areas not originally addressed within the RFP and/or include additional information and recommendations that would prove both valuable and beneficial to the department. The response includes a full, clear, detailed explanation of how the requirement(s) are met. No errors in technical writing.

For Tab 5, the State will evaluate the Offeror’s demonstrated record of contract performance in supplying services that meet State needs. The recency and relevancy of the information, the source of the information, the context of the data and general trends in the Contractor’s performance will be considered. More recent and more relevant performance usually has a greater impact on the confidence assessment than less recent and less relevant performance. The State will perform an independent determination of relevancy of the data provided or obtained. A relevancy determination will be made in addition to the reference responses received. The State is not bound by the Offeror’s opinion of relevancy. The following relevancy criteria apply and will be assigned to each effort identified in the Offeror’s proposal on past performance.


Score Definition 5 Very Relevant. Present/past performance effort involved

essentially the same scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this solicitation requires.

3 Relevant. Present/past performance effort involved similar scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this solicitation requires

1 Somewhat Relevant. Present/past performance effort involved some of the scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this solicitation requires.

0 Not Relevant. Present/past performance effort involved little or none of the scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this solicitation requires.

For purposes of this evaluation, recency is defined as active or completed efforts performed within the past five (5) years from the closing date of this solicitation. The more recent the effort the higher recency score it will receive, as follows: Score Definition 5 Very Recent. Completion of or active engagement in a similar

project within the last year 3 Recent. Completion of or active engagement in a similar project

within the last two (2) to three (3) years 1 Somewhat Recent. Completion of or active engagement in a similar

project within the last four (4) to five (5) years. 0 Not Recent. Completion of or active engagement in a similar project

more than five (5) years ago. Scores will be assigned Offeror for each evaluation criteria utilizing the following formula: Score Received ------------------------------------------ X Points Possible for Criteria = CRITERIA SCORE Total Score Possible Each CRITERIA SCORE received will added together to determine a TOTAL TECHNICAL SCORE. The committee may also have the Proposals or portions of them reviewed and evaluated by independent third parties or various State personnel with technical or professional experience that relates to the work or to a criterion in the evaluation process. The committee may also seek reviews of end users of the work or the advice or evaluations of various State committees that have subject matter expertise or an interest in the work. In seeking such reviews, evaluations, and advice, the committee will first decide how to incorporate the results in the scoring of the Proposals. The committee may adopt or reject any recommendations it receives from such reviews and evaluations.


5.1.2 Phase II: Cost Proposal Evaluation For Phase II evaluation, after all Phase I evaluation and scoring has been completed the State will open and score cost proposals. For this phase of the evaluation the committee will review and score the following response elements detailed in Section 4.2 of this RFP:

• Tab 7 – Cost Proposal • Tab 8 – VCAF Proposal

For Tab 7 (Cost Proposal), each Offeror will be evaluated in comparison with the other cost proposals received. A 10-year Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Cost will be calculated from the cost proposals received and used to calculate the COST SCORE for each Offeror using the following formula: LOWEST 10-YEAR TCO ------------------------------------------ X Points Possible for Criteria = COST SCORE EVALUATED 10-YEAR TCO For Tab 8, the evaluation committee will utilize the 5-Point Scale detailed in Section 5.1.2 of this RFP to score the response element. Scores will be assigned Offeror utilizing the following formula: Score Received ------------------------------------------ X Points Possible for Criteria = VCAF SCORE Total Score Possible The VCAF SCORE will be added together with the COST SCORE to determine a TOTAL COST SCORE. The TOTAL COST SCORE will be added to the TOTAL TECHNICAL SCORE for a TOTAL OFFEROR SCORE. The State reserves the right at this point to conduct a down-select process to designate Offerors as “Priority Listed Offerors” based on TOTAL OFFEROR SCORE. Each of the Priority Listed Offerors shall continue to participate in the RFP Process unless its Offer is withdrawn by its Offeror. If an Offeror withdraws its Offer, the Offeror shall be dismissed from the RFP Process. The Procurement Officer will document all major decisions in writing and make these a part of the Procurement file along with the evaluation results for each Offer considered.

5.1.3 Phase III: Demonstrations & Discussions The evaluation committee will require all Priority-Listed Offerors to provide demonstration of their proposed Solution and will score the demonstrations for inclusion in the overall evaluation process following demonstrations in accordance with criteria detailed in Section 5.2 of this RFP. Sessions are limited to only the Priority Listed Offerors to promote the understanding of the State’s requirements and Priority Listed Offerors’ Proposals and to arrive at a contract that meets the needs of the State.


Prior to demonstration sessions, all Priority Listed Offerors will be provided with process scenarios and will be expected to provide a detailed demonstration for each scenario provided. Demonstrations will provide the State the opportunity to have the Offeror show specific functionality of their proposed Solution and will also allow the evaluation committee an opportunity to test or probe the professionalism, qualifications, skills, and work knowledge of the proposed project team. Demonstration sessions will also provide an Offeror with an opportunity to clarify its Proposal and to ensure a mutual understanding of the Proposal’s content. The demonstrations will be scheduled at the discretion of the evaluation committee. In conducting discussion/demonstrations, there shall be no disclosure of any information derived from proposals submitted by competing Offerors. Examples of the issues that may be addressed by, and matters to be covered with, Priority Listed Offerors during demonstration sessions include, but are not limited to, the following:

a. Offeror demonstrations based on scenarios provided by the State; b. Clarification of the Offer; c. Interviews with Key Personnel of the Priority-Listed Offeror and/or its

Subcontractor(s); d. Clarification and resolution of issues identified during the State’s evaluation of

Offers including explanation of Offeror Exceptions and/or Assumptions; and The evaluation committee will utilize the 5-Point Scale detailed in Section 5.1.2 of this RFP to score the demonstrations. Scores will be assigned Offeror utilizing the following formula: Score Received ------------------------------------------ X Points Possible for Criteria = DEMO SCORE Total Score Possible Evaluation Committee member DEMO SCORE will be added to the Priority Listed Offeror’s TOTAL OFFEROR SCORE to compute a TOTAL FINAL SCORE for each Priority Listed Offeror. The Procurement Officer will document all major decisions in writing and make these a part of the Procurement file along with the evaluation results for each Proposal considered. The State reserves the right to convene multiple rounds of discussions with Priority Listed Offerors, as may be required.

5.1.4 Best and Final Proposal During the evaluation process, the State may request best and final proposals from Priority Listed Offerors, following demonstrations. If best and final proposals (BAFOs), are required, they may be one or multiple rounds based on the best interest of the State. Offeror’s BAFOs shall be requested via Addendum and shall be submitted to the State on or before the deadline called for. If an Offeror fails to do so, its last submitted Proposal shall be deemed its BAFO.


5.1.5 Clarifications & Corrections During the evaluation process, the State may request clarifications from any Offeror under active consideration and may give any Offeror the opportunity to correct defects in its Proposal if the State believes doing so does not result in an unfair advantage for the Offeror and it is in the State’s best interests. Any clarification response that is broader in scope than what the State has requested may result in the Offeror’s proposal being disqualified.

5.1.6 Right to Waive Minor Irregularities The State in its sole discretion reserves the right to waive minor irregularities in the Proposal, which include but are not limited to corrections of deficiencies or clarification of ambiguities that in the judgment of the State do not require a comprehensive proposal rewrite.

5.2 Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation criteria and the associated points are listed below. The award will be made to the responsible Offeror whose proposal is determined to be the most advantageous to the State based on the evaluation criteria listed in this section. The following table provides the evaluation criteria to be used in performing the evaluation for this solicitation. The table identifies the criteria factors, the proposal section(s) to be considered for that criteria factor (as outlined above), a brief description of the evaluation of that criteria factor, and the weight of the criteria factor.


Evaluation Criteria Criteria Factors Proposal

Section Description Points

Technical Solution Tab 2 Points will be awarded for required components of response for the sections identified.

150

State Acceptance Criteria

Tab 3 Points will be awarded for required components of response for the sections identified.

100

Project Implementation Plan


250

Qualifications & Experience


250

Cost Proposal Tabs 7 & 8 Points will be awarded on the basis of lowest price.

250

Demonstrations 5.1.4 Points will be awarded for each demonstration scenario requested.

500

Total Possible Points 1,500


Evaluation Criteria Details Evaluation Category Evaluation Subcategory Maximum Points

Possible Technical Solution NA 150

State Acceptance Criteria

NA 100

Project Implementation Plan

Project Implementation Plan 100

Project Staffing Plan 50

State Project Support Plan 50

Training Plan 50

Subtotal 250

Qualifications & Experience

Qualifications 50

Prior Experience 80

References 120

Subtotal 250

Cost Proposal Cost Proposal Workbook 150

VCAF Fee Proposal 100

Subtotal 250

Demonstrations Demonstration Scenarios 500

Total Possible Points 1,500

5.3 Award of Contract

Award, if any, shall be made to the responsible Offeror whose proposal is determined the most advantageous to the State of Hawaii, taking into consideration price and the other evaluation factors set forth in this RFP. Vendors shall meet all compliancy and insurance requirements as set forth in this RFP in order to be considered for award. Upon award, proposal files are public records and available for review by submitting Request to Access Government Record. Information of the Office of Information Practices and forms may be found at: https://oip.hawaii.gov/forms/.


In order to be awarded a contract under this solicitation, the Offeror will be required, to be compliant with all laws governing entities doing business in the State including the following chapters and pursuant to Hawaii Revised Statutes HRS §103D-310(c):

1. Chapter 237, General Excise Tax Law; 2. Chapter 383, Hawaii Employment Security Law; 3. Chapter 386, Worker’s Compensation Law; 4. Chapter 392, Temporary Disability Insurance; 5. Chapter 393, Prepaid Health Care Act; and 6. §103D-310(c), Certificate of Good Standing (COGS) for entities doing business

in the State. No work is to be undertaken by the Contracted Vendor prior to the commencement specified on the Notice to Proceed. The State of Hawaii is not liable for any work, contract, costs, expenses, loss of profits, or any damages whatsoever incurred by the Contracted Vendor prior to the official starting date.

5.3.1 Vendor Compliance - HCE Offerors may use the HCE, which is an electronic system that allows vendors doing business with the State to quickly and easily demonstrate compliance with applicable laws. It is an online system that replaces the necessity of obtaining paper compliance certificates from the Department of Taxation, Federal Internal Revenue Service; Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, and Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. Offerors intending to use HCE to demonstrate compliance are advised to register on HCE as soon as possible at 44Thttps://vendors.ehawaii.gov44T. The annual registration fee is $12.00 and the ‘Certificate of Vendor Compliance’ is accepted for the execution of a contract and final payment. If an Offeror is not compliant on HCE at the time of award, the Offeror will not receive the award. The Contracted Vendor shall maintain their compliance throughout the term of the contract. Prior to awarding this contract, the State shall verify compliance of the Offeror.

5.3.2 Vendor Compliance – Paper Documents Vendors not utilizing HCE to demonstrate compliance shall provide the paper certificates to the SPO as detailed following. All certificates must be valid on the date it is received by the SPO. Timely applications for applicable clearances are the responsiblity of the Offeror.

1. Offeror shall be required to submit a tax clearance certificate issued by the Hawaii State Department of Taxation (DOTAX) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The certificate shall have an original green certified copy stamp and shall be valid for six (6) months from the most recent approval stamp date on the certificate. The Tax Clearance Application, Form A-6, and its completion and filing instructions, are available on the DOTAX website: http://tax.hawaii.gov/forms/;

2. Offeror shall be required to submit a certificate of compliance issued by the Hawaii State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR). The certificate

https://vendors.ehawaii.gov/

https://vendors.ehawaii.gov/

http://tax.hawaii.gov/forms/


is valid for six (6) months from the date of issuance. A photocopy of the certificate is acceptable for te SPO. The DLIR Form LIR#27 Application for Certificate of Compliance with Section 3-122-112, HAR, and its filing instructions are available on the DLIR website: http://labor.hawaii.gov/forms/

3. Offeror shall be required to submit a Certificate of Good Standing (COGS) issued by the State of Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) – Business Registration Division (BREG). The Certificate is valid for six (6) months from date of issue. A photocopy of the certificate is acceptable to the SPO. To obtain the Certificate, the Offeror must be registrered with the BREG. A sole proprietorship is not required to reister with the BREG and is therefor not required to submit the certificate. For more information regarding linline business regisrtation and the COGS is available at https://cca.hawaii.gov/breg/.

The above certificates should be applied for and submitted to the State as soon as possible. If a valid certificate is not submitted jon a timely basis for award of a contract, an Offeror, otherwise responsive, may not recive an award. Upon receipt of compliance documents (A-6, LIR#27, COGS), the SPO reserve the right to verify their validit with the respective issuing agency. The Contracted Vendor shall maintain their compliance throughout the term of the contract.

5.4 Required Review

Before submitting a proposal, each Offeror must thoroughly and carefully examine this RFP, any attachment, addendum, and any other relevant document, to ensure Offeror understands the requirements of the RFP. The Offeror must also become familiar with State, local and Federal laws, statutes, ordinances, rules, and regulations that may in any manner affect cost, progress, or performance of the work required. Should the Offeror find defects and questionable or objectionable items in the RFP, the Offeror shall notify the State in writing prior to the deadline for written questions as stated in the Section 2.7 Schedule and Significant Dates, as amended. This will allow the issuance of any necessary corrections and/or amendments to the RFP by addendum and mitigate reliance on a defective solicitation and exposure of proposal(s) upon which award could not be made.

5.5 Protest Procedures

Pursuant to HRS §103D-701 and HAR §3-126-3, an actual or prospective Offeror who is aggrieved in connection with the solicitation or award of a contract may submit a protest. Any protest shall be submitted in writing to the Procurement Officer at:

Mrs. Donna Tsuruda-Kashiwabara Procurement Officer State Procurement Office 1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 416 Honolulu, HI 96813

http://labor.hawaii.gov/forms/

https://cca.hawaii.gov/breg/


A protest shall be submitted in writing within five (5) working days after the aggrieved person knows or should have known the facts giving rise thereto; provided that a protest based upon the content of the solicitation shall be submitted in writing prior to the date set for the receipt of offers. Further provided that a protest of an award or proposed award shall be submitted within five (5) working days after the posting of award or if requested, within five (5) working days after the Procurement Officer’s debriefing was completed. The Notice of Award, if any, resulting from this solicitation shall be posted on the State’s HANDS (Awards and Notices) site.

5.6 Debriefing

Pursuant to HAR §3-122-60, a non-selected Offeror may request a debriefing to understand the source selection decision and contract award. A written request for debriefing shall be made within three (3) working days after the posting of the award of the contract. The Procurement Officer or designee shall hold the debriefing within seven (7) working days to the extent practicable from the receipt date of the written request. A protest by the requestor following a debriefing shall be filed wihtin five (5) working days, as specified in HRS 103D-303(h). See Section 5.5 Protest Procedures for submitting a protest.

Section 6: Contract Management 57 RFP-21-011-SW

Section 6: Contract Management Contract management refers to post-award type activities, such as contract implementation, contract administration, measurement of work completion and payment computation based on deliverables. Moreover, it involves the monitoring of a contract, making important changes and modifications to the contract and dealing with related problems. Focused attention to contract management considerations facilitates a positive working relationship between the government customer, procurement staff, and the contractor for the successful implementation of the contract award.

6.1 Post-Award Communications: Contract Administrator

The Contract Administrator identified below is the single point of contact (POC) post-award. The contractor shall direct to the Contract Administrator all questions concerning the post-award process and any other questions that may arise related to the resulting contract. The Contract Administrator designated by the State of Hawaii, State Procurement Office is:

Shannon Ota Purchasing Specialist State Procurement Office 1153 Punchbowl Street, Room 416 Honolulu, HI 93813 [email protected] Phone: (808) 586-0563

6.2 Contractor/State Meetings

The contractor shall participate in initial meetings with the State to discuss the contract, including but not limited to:

• Comprehensive review of the State’s Contract Administration Plan generated from this solicitation, including, but not limited to overall project scope, contract requirements and the responsibilities of both the State and the Contractor to ensure common understanding.

• Develop detailed implementation strategies and recommendations for approval by the State.

• Define an overall Solution architecture model that encompasses all interfaced and/or integrated State systems.

• Establish the initial Implementation Plan for the deployment and support of the Solution as architected in the previous Project Implementation tasks.


6.3 Dispute Process and Escalation

Refer to Exhibit B, Attorney General (AG) General Conditions. Disputes shall be resolved in accordance with section 103D-703, HRS, and Chapter 3-126, HAR.

6.4 Quality Control

The Contractor shall provide quality services/products and management oversight of all processes. The Contractor shall use key performance indicators that are acceptable within the specific market industry to manage and monitor quality performance. The Contractor shall provide accurate data/reports and meet deliverables, with emphasis on the overall success and positive impact on the project. The Contractor shall provide management, support, and qualified personnel to accomplish the objectives of this contract. Upon award, the State shall work with the Contractor to identify and document identified performance measures detailed in their Offer that will be tracked and reported by the Contractor to the State on a monthly basis. Examples of potential performance measures that may be used by the State have been provided as Exhibit C: Potential Performance Measures, to this RFP.

6.5 Post Award Deliverables

The contractor shall provide the following items to the State in accordance with the requirements of this RFP:

RFP Reference Deliverable Due Date Section 3.3.2 VCAF Accounting, Management & Oversight

VCAF Collection Reports Contractor shall provide monthly

Section 3.3.2 VCAF Accounting, Management & Oversight

VCAF Audited Statements Contractor shall provide annually

Section 3.3.2 VCAF Accounting, Management & Oversight

Final VCAF Accounting Report At termination/ completion of Contract, or as requested by the State

Section 3.5.7 Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Plans

Disaster Recovery Plan

Prior to the start of the contract. Contractor shall provide any updates during the life of the contract.

Section 3.5.7 Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Plans

Disaster Recovery Test Reports Contractor shall provide annually, upon testing completion.


RFP Reference Deliverable Due Date Section 3.5.7 Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Plans

Business Continuity Plan

Prior to the start of the contract. Contractor shall provide any updates during the life of the contract.

Section 3.5.9 Source Code Escrow

Fully-Executed Escrow Agreement Contractor shall provide within thirty (30) days of Notice to Proceed

Section 3.8 Termination/Transition Assistance

Full Copy of State’s Data & Associated Data Dictionary

At termination/ completion of Contract, or as requested in transition to a new contractor

Section 4.2.4 Project Implementation Plan

Final Marketplace Project Implementation Plan

Contractor shall provide within ten (10) business days of Notice to Proceed

Section 5.3.1/5.3.2 Vendor Compliance

Vendor Compliance Certificate Contractor shall provide upon notification of Award, and shall maintain during the life of the contract.

Section 7.4 Insurance Requirements

Certificate of Insurance Prior to the start of the contract. Contractor shall maintain during the life of the contract.

Additional deliverable items will be added to this list upon contract execution and initiation.

Section 7: Special Provisions 60 RFP-21-011-SW

Section 7: Special Provisions 7.1 Subcontractor Provisions

The Subcontractors providing services shall meet the same service requirements and provide the same quality of service required of the Contractor and in a timely manner. No subcontract shall relieve the Contractor of its responsibilities for the Services it provides. The Contractor shall manage the quality and performance, project management and schedules and timely start and completion of services performed by each of its Subcontractors. The Contractor shall be solely responsible and accountable for the completion of all Services it has subcontracted. In addition to any rights the State has under Law, the State shall have the right to require the removal of a Subcontractor or any of its personnel providing or supporting services for good cause. In such case, the State shall specify the deadline for such removal after consultation with the applicable Contractor. A Subcontractor proposed by the Contractor to replace the removed Subcontractor shall be subject to the approval of the State. The State shall have the right to directly retain any Subcontractor after the expiration, termination or suspension of the Contract under which it is retained, including any Subcontractor providing services subject to any part of a Contract that is terminated or suspended.

7.2 Additional Work or Contract Changes

During the course of the contract, Contractor may be required to perform additional work. That work will be within the general scope of the initial contract. When additional work is required, the Contract Administrator will provide the Contractor a written description of the additional work and request the Contractor to submit a firm time schedule for accomplishing the additional work and a firm price for the additional work. Contractor will not commence additional work until the Contract Administrator has secured the required State approvals necessary for the amendment and an executed written contract amendment has been issued.

7.3 Tax Liability and County Surcharge

Work to be performed under this solicitation is a business activity taxable under HRS Chapter 237, and if applicable, taxable under HRS Chapter 238. Offerors are advised that they are liable for the Hawaii GET at the current 4.0% rate for transactions made on Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, Molokai, and Lanai or the applicable Use tax. If, however an Offeror is a person exempt by the HRS from paying the GET and therefor notliable for the taxes on this solicitation, the Offeror shall state its tax-exempt status and cite the HRS chapter or section allowing the exemption.


County surcharges on state general excise (GE) tax or Use tax may be visibly passed on but are not required. For more information on county surcharges and the max pass-on tax rate, please visit the Department of Taxation’s website at http://tax.hawaii.gov/geninfo/countysurcharge.

7.4 Insurance Requirements

The Contractor shall maintain in full force and effect during the life of this contract, liability and property damage insurance to protect the Contractor and his Subcontractors, if any, from claims for damages for personal injury, accidental death and property damage which may arise from operations under this contract, whether such operations be by the Contractor or by Subcontractor or anyone directly or indirectly employed by either of them. If any Subcontractor is involved, the insurance policy or policies shall name the Subcontractor as additional insured. As an alternative to the Contractor providing insurance to cover operations performed by a Subcontractor and naming the Subcontractor as additional insured, the Contractor may require the Subcontractor to provide its own insurance, which meets the requirements herein. It is understood that a Subcontractor’s insurance policy or policies are in addition to the Contractor's own policy or policies. The following minimum insurance coverage(s) and limit(s) shall be provided by the Contractor, including its Subcontractor(s) where appropriate. Coverage Limits Commercial General Liability $1,000,000 per occurrence

$2,000,000 aggregate Professional Liability (Technology and Professional Liability or Errors and Omissions)

$5,000,000 per occurrence $10,000,000 aggregate Such coverage shall include financial losses arising from the Services or services performed and/or Deliverables and/or Work Product provided by Contractor in connection with the Contract as well as all costs associated with security breaches and data losses and/or breaches of, or losses of, personal data regardless of cause (including Contractor negligence). The provisions of this paragraph shall survive the expiration or termination of the Contract.

Crime Coverage $1,000,000 per occurrence $2,000,000 aggregate Shall at a minimum cover occurrences falling in the following categories: Computer and Funds Transfer Fraud; Forgery; Money and Securities; and Employee Dishonesty.

http://tax.hawaii.gov/geninfo/countysurcharge


Coverage Limits Cyber-Security Insurance $5,000,000 per occurrence

$10,000,000aggregate Includes but is not limited to coverage for first-party costs and third-party claims from: (i) failure to protect data, including unauthorized disclosure, use or access, (ii) security failure or privacy breach, (iii) failure to disclose such breaches as required by law, regulation or contract, (iv) notifications, public relations, credit monitoring, postage, advertising, and other services to assist in managing and mitigating a cyberincident, (v) interruptions of business operations, (vi) network security failure, (vii) cyberextortion, (viii) cyber-terrorism, (ix) communications and media liability (e.g., infringement of copyright, title, slogan, trademark, trade name, trade dress, service mark or service name in the policyholder's covered material), (x) EFT, computer, and electronic transmissions fraud and theft, and (xi) other cyber-liability and cyber-crime expenses.

Each insurance policy required by this contract (with the exception of the Professional Liability policy), including a Subcontractor’s policy, shall contain the following clauses:

a. "The State of Hawaii is added as an additional insured as respects to operations performed for the State of Hawaii."

b. "It is agreed that any insurance maintained by the State of Hawaii will apply in excess of, and not contribute with, insurance provided by this policy."

A Waiver of Subrogation shall apply to the General Liability, Automobile Liability and Worker’s Compensation insurance policies and shall be in favor of the State of Hawaii. Prior to award, the Contractor agrees to deposit with the State of Hawaii certificate(s) of insurance necessary to satisfy the State that the insurance provisions of this RFP have been complied with and to keep such insurance in effect and the certificate(s) therefore on deposit with the State during the entire term of the price list and price list extensions, if any, including those of its Subcontractor(s), where appropriate. Upon request by the State, Contractor shall be responsible for furnishing a copy of the policy or policies. Failure of the Contractor to provide and keep in force such insurance shall be regarded as material default, entitling the State to exercise any or all of the remedies provided in the contract and this RFP for default by the Contractor.


The procuring of such required insurance shall not be construed to limit the Contractor's liability hereunder nor to fulfill the indemnification provisions and requirements of this RFP. Notwithstanding said policy or policies of insurance, the Contractor shall be obliged for the full and total amount of any damage, injury, or loss caused by negligence or neglect connected with this price list.

7.5 Intellectual Property Rights

The State reserves the right to unlimited, irrevocable, worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive licenses to use, modify, reproduce, perform, release, display, create derivative works from, and disclose the work product, and to transfer the intellectual property to third parties for State purposes.

7.6 Termination for Non-Performance

The State reserves the right to terminate for non-performance. Please refer to Section 13 of Exhibit B, AG General Conditions.

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