03AG-S2937 Final IT Scope of Work 07-30-2024.docx

RFP 03AG-S2937 Statewide Victim Notification System

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BACKGROUND

1.1. PROJECT

The Office of the Attorney General (“OAG”) (unlike other states where public safety entities are named) is responsible by law (Nevada Revised Statutes, or NRS, 228.205) to facilitate provision of a cost effective Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification Program in Nevada.

In statute, as amended in 2017, it is referred to as the “Victim Information Notification Everyday System” (VINE) as a reflection of the existing system name, however that is a registered trademark of the current vendor for the system (hosted as of the time of this RFP at https://vinelink.vineapps.com/state/NV/ENGLISH). As such, the proposed system herein will be referred to as the Victim Notification System (VNS) in this Request for Proposals (RFP).

The Nevada Constitution (Section 8a) memorializes the rights of victims of crime, along with NRS Chapter 178 in addition to NRS Chapter 228.

NRS 228.205(1) provides that the system consists of both telephone and Internet based services to allow victims of crime and members of the public to register for information and notification alerts regarding custody status changes of a given offender.

The governance of the VNS is with the Committee on Domestic Violence appointed under NRS 228.470. Participants in the system (also known as Participating Agencies) on the part of government entities is accomplished via interlocal contract between the OAG and the participating entities, including county and city jails, the OAG, the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC), the Nevada State Board of Parole Commissioners, Nevada Division of Parole & Probation, and any others involved with the roles and responsibilities set forth in NRS 228, 178, and related provisions.

Notifications via the VNS include, but are not limited to, the status of a person in the custody of a participating entity to include, but not limited to, booking, pre-conviction incarceration, post-conviction incarceration, temporary release, change of location, release, transfer, escape and apprehension, or death. In addition, this statewide system would also include, but not be limited to, notifications of probation violation, release from probation, parole hearings, parole status changes, parolee transfer to another jurisdiction and pardons board hearings.

VNS must provide offender information to victims who have registered to receive notifications. The service must automatically notify victims by telephone or email when an accused or convicted person has a change in custody status both pre and post-conviction. Additionally, the system must notify victims of status changes for offenders on probation or parole. The service must be able to generate a notification letter when a victim cannot be reached by telephone. The service must provide a toll-free number and a secure web site and smart phone application to allow victims to inquire about the status of an arrestee or offender. The service must provide live operator assistance 24-hours a day for victims speaking English or Spanish as well as for individuals with disabilities requiring access.

Participating Agencies that have electronic booking and victim management systems will enter information on the accused or convicted person and the victim(s) into their individual systems. Interoperability with existing systems, Partner Agency systems, and successful transition from pre-existing notification data requirements is required of the successful Vendor. The Vendor will be responsible for retrieving this data from all participating agencies and updating the notification service database every 15 minutes or less. All data transmissions performed by the Vendor must be highly secured, either through advanced encryption and/or by using physically secured communication lines. For those participating agencies without an electronic booking and/or victim management system, the Vendor will maintain a web-based application to allow this data to be entered into the notification service database.

Status information will be delivered to victims via telephone, text, web or phone-based application, or email using computer-generated and computer-controlled scripts/algorithms. These scripts will contain data elements including, but not limited to the name of the accused or convicted person, date and time of release, date and time of transfer, date and time of parole hearing, name of institution or agency responsible for notification, etc. with pre-recorded phrases to allow for the standardization of information delivery. Vendors are encouraged to detail any functionalities which would provide additional information to registered victims, including but not limited to inclusion of offender photograph(s) to allow for personal safety measures.

Vendor will maintain and safeguard all information received, developed, reported, or distributed under this contract in compliance with state and federal laws as well as the provisions of its contract with the state unless specifically approved in writing to release information to entities other than those already provided, whether deidentified or not. Under no circumstance may Vendor engage in the sale or licensing of data received or processed through the Victim Notification System. In the event sale or licensing of data is discovered, gross proceeds of the same must be turned over to the State of Nevada. To the extent data is ever requested of Vendor related to this contract, the Vendor shall promptly notify the State of Nevada. In the event information is requested for disclosure to a third party for legitimate research purposes, the Vendor shall seek a limited data set use agreement with the State of Nevada.

All services rendered under this contract shall be provided in compliance with the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, the American with Disabilities Act as amended, and Nevada Law. This includes screen-reader accessible reports and websites. Failure to offer accessible materials will result in remediation at Vendor’s expense at the State of Nevada direction. No person shall be unlawfully denied service on the grounds of age, race, national origin, color, sex, religious beliefs, veteran status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, genetic testing, gender expression, or gender identity. If Vendor is found to be in non-compliance, Vendor will reimburse the State for any state and/or federal funds provided under the terms of this contract.

The anticipated contract term will begin upon Nevada Board of Examiners Approval for any transition activity which may be needed with a go-live system for a four-year initial contract term and two one-year renewal options.

AGENCY

The OAG is the top law enforcement office for the State of Nevada and serves as a resource for Nevadans. The office has over 400 dedicated employees working to investigate and prosecute crimes, combat fraud and corruption, help consumers, and represent state agencies and programs.

The Nevada Office of the Attorney General has offices statewide, including Reno, Carson City, Elko, Ely, and Las Vegas.

Pursuant to the statutory authority, the Office of the Attorney General will designate staff to coordinate with the selected VNS vendor.

CONCURRENT IMPACTS/PROJECTS

The OAG has an existing VNS system and partnerships statewide. Existing data involving notifications and offenders needs to be successfully transitioned, including communication with Participating Agencies and members of the public regarding available resources and future registration requirements as may be applicable.

CURRENT COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT

The current computing environment involves state and local entities with varied technological capabilities and systems. The OAG currently operates under the Office 365 platform.

PROJECT SOFTWARE

All software used for project management shall be approved by the State. Current desktop tools utilized include:

Microsoft Office 365

DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE

All proposed software used in design, development, testing and implementation of deliverables outlined in this solicitation shall be approved by the State. This includes any customization of an existing software solution.

If the application software is not public domain, the awarded vendor shall provide a licensing strategy, understanding that there are specific state laws which may limit licensing terms, or otherwise require negotiation of standard licensing terms usually demanded by the Vendor. Any licensing requirements or challenges should be disclosed in the RFP response.

The awarded vendor shall provide a robust system which includes a detailed budget whether through a per license fee or a system wide pricing approach. The annual rate for this service is $246,406.00.

STATE RESOURCES

The following paragraphs describe the resources the State has committed to this project.

The Committee on Domestic Violence provides governance for the VNS. The OAG designated staff will provide resources and successful vendor in marshalling definition of overall policy, responsive top-level decision making, ensuring availability of key resources, and effecting key communication/relationships with Participating Agencies. Additional roles of the OAG designated staff may include:

Review of proposed plans and timetables Provide problem resolution if issues cannot be resolved at the project team level Provide departmental policy as it relates to the project Set priorities Propose alternative solutions to problems encountered Obtain Legislative and Administrative backing Provide information and involve external parties in project progress, accomplishments, and challenges

Project Sponsor. The OAG is the Project Sponsor. All project activities shall be conducted under the authority of the OAG. Where this RFP refers to the Project Manager in provisions, the OAG designated staff is the designee for the OAG.

State Project Staff

The awarded vendor shall be expected to work closely with the State project staff assigned to this project.

State project staff shall be available to attend meetings, interviews and assist assigned staff in reviewing functions with the awarded vendor.

State project staff shall be assigned to the project on an as-needed basis, as determined by project and technical management to represent the various functional and technical areas.

State project staff shall coordinate with the Project Manager who shall act as a conduit to the awarded vendor.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

VENDOR RESPONSE TO SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Vendor shall explain in sufficient detail how Vendor shall satisfy project requirements described below. If subcontractors shall be used for any tasks, vendors shall indicate what tasks and the percentage of time subcontractor(s) shall spend on those tasks.

COMPUTING PLATFORM

The VNS solution shall be usable from multiple avenues, including, but not limited to, web-based portals, phone applications, SMS text, and telephone services to accomplish project goals of data transition, registration, data updates, and notifications as needed in a timely manner, including system backups and recovery options.

The VNS solution must, for internal and external users as well as government employees and partners, comply with various policies and guides such as the Center for Internet Security Controls (CIS), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

TECHNICAL, FUNCTIONAL, AND SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

The OAG prefers a VNS solution to minimize required customization and the burden of future system upgrades and ongoing maintenance. The OAG seeks a high-quality, proven system that the Vendor has successfully implemented for projects of similar functionality, scale, and complexity.

The solution must be made on modern technologies, including the ability to interface with disparate partner systems (as the proposed solution will have been deployed in other government settings with common functionalities supporting project goals) while ensuring compliance with security standards and ease of use for community members and law enforcement partners alike.

Integration with existing and future applications, interfaces, and integration technologies is crucial to a successful VNS solution. This includes transition planning for accessing existing notification requirements and data, ability to receive and store updated information and information requests, as well as audit trail and reconciliation procedures for inbound and outbound interfaces.

A Business Continuity Plan shall be included in the Vendor’s proposal to address recovery of operations whether disaster related or due to other service disruption circumstances which includes, at a minimum the following provisions:

Personnel staffing, utilities, and facilities;

Recovery of information;

Vendor-provided telecommunications services and equipment;

Information systems - hardware and software;

Equipment required to provide VNS solution services;

Documented policies and procedures for all business functions, including emergency procurement of services and equipment;

Contact list with assignment of responsibilities for items in recovery plan;

Testing schedules related to business continuity; and Schedule and time frames for restoring operations.

The VNS solution must be hosted by the Vendor and receive, create, process, validate, store, retrieve, and distribute information and notifications. This includes data storage, archiving, and conversion.

A detailed description of the provided managed hosting solution shall cover all environments for system interaction including hardware, operating systems, network, communications, connectivity, backup, failover, disaster recovery components, software and hardware installation, updating, patch application, monitoring, tuning, disaster recovery and backup support, emergency and planned network/system/application maintenance.

Service level agreements, business continuity, disaster recovery, support and system capacity and performance planning must be in place and adequately communicated in order to back up systems and engage in timely system recovery, utilize dynamic management to adjust to meet service level demands, set expectations of system performance and monitoring of adherence to requirements, as well as support of capacity and system tracking and reporting.

The VNS solution response shall include processes related to data architecture such as data formats, flows, extraction, and validation. Design documentation shall be provided reflecting applicable:

Functional design Data design Report design

The VNS solution shall meet or exceed all applicable Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS), Nevada Administrative Code (NAC), State Information Security Program Policy, and State and Department Security Standards.

RECORDS AND REPORTING CAPABILITIES

The Vendor shall at a minimum have the capability to generate, at no additional cost, reports and shall detail in their proposal the functionalities and data fields included in that reporting. Some data fields which are of interest to the OAG (once per month through reporting to the OAG as well as on demand/request) include, but are not limited to or required to include, the following:

Number of participating agencies;

Number of offenders or cases in the automated database for each participating entity and statewide;

Call volumes against those offenders or cases for each participating entity and statewide;

Number of individuals registered for automated notification against offenders or cases in each participating entity and statewide;

Number of times automated notification is activated by a change of status statewide and in participating entities;

Number of outgoing calls made for automated notification, the success rate in reaching victims, and the nature of failures to achieve automated notification in each participating entity and statewide;

Number of transaction types:

Inbound calls through phone and TTY/TDD;

Outbound calls, emails, push notifications, SMS texts, faxes, etc.; and Operator assistance calls, including average wait time, dropped calls, abandonment rates, etc.;

Daily report on failed notifications sorted by registering agency;

Web site usage sorted by county and/or registering agency;

Number of web hits to the inquiry site;

Number of successful notifications by transaction type;

Number of unsuccessful notifications by transaction type;

Inbound and outbound calling activity by telephone number, by offender number or by participating entity;

Summary of confirmed and unconfirmed call notifications;

Number of notification attempts;

Average number of attempts prior to a successful notification;

Number of failed notifications sorted by registering agency;

Number of callers requesting assistance in a language other than English or through TTY;

Customer satisfaction with the service, based on a telephone-based and online survey;

Number of calls busy;

Number of calls placed on hold;

Number of notification calls not meeting the required timeframe; and Number of application downloads in a period of time.

The VNS solution shall provide Participating Agencies and the OAG (at no additional cost) monthly as well as on demand:

Number of incoming calls or inquires regarding the automated notification system; and Daily report on failures to achieve notification in twenty-four (24) hours of trying, so that manual notification can be used if deemed necessary.

The Vendor shall provide monthly call traffic volume reports including, at a minimum, the following fields:

Number of calls made to the toll-free number for the VNS solution.

Number of calls abandoned before they were answered by the Vendor.

Number of calls answered by the Vendor.

Number of callers who seek operator assistance and the reason.

Number of phone inquiries made by the public.

Average time callers waited before speaking with a member of Vendor’s staff; and Average talk time.

The Vendor shall provide information regarding data fields for quarterly performance reports to the OAG and at least 5 business days prior to quarterly performance meetings, to summarize the performance of the VNS solution including, but not limited to, information regarding:

Accomplishments under the approved work plan;

Accuracy and timeliness of the notification process;

Availability and accessibility of the Vendor’s information systems and adherence to scheduled hours of operation;

Violations, breaches, and incidents relating to physical and information security;

Any issues relating to the functionality of the Vendor’s information systems and applications;

Any issues relating to the Vendor’s processes and procedures;

Timeliness and quality of Call Center services provided to registrants; and Reporting related to any service level agreement or quality assurance metric.

Critical Reporting shall include weekly complaint logs from the Vendor to the OAG, immediate notification of service disruptions, and immediate security breach (including unauthorized use, removal, or copying of information) notification.

The Vendor shall cooperate with subpoenas and data requests from the OAG, Partner Agencies, and other government or political subdivisions of the state or law enforcement agencies and report such interactions or requests timely to the OAG and at no additional cost to the State.

SCOPE OF WORK

The VNS solution must dynamically maintain, receive, and access data related to offenders and victims from multiple law enforcement-based sources as well as members of the public at all stages of custody (booking, pre-conviction incarceration, post-conviction incarceration, temporary release, change of location, release, transfer, escape and apprehension, or death) and probation & parole (hearings, status changes, transfers, and pardons board matters) in accordance with state law.

The VNS solution must have a means for advocates or criminal justice professionals to assist victims in utilizing the system, including provisions for creation of secure credentials for future access. This includes providing any existing registration terms and conditions or terms of service for review with the Vendor response and the ability to exclude terms or conditions which would discourage registration (such as mandatory arbitration provisions).

Notification capability (fully incorporated telecommunications costs are the responsibility of the vendor) of the VNS solution includes providing offender information to victims who have registered to receive notifications, including confirming actual contact for registered victims. The service must automatically notify victims by telephone, e-mail, SMS, or app push notification as elected by the victim when an accused or convicted person has a change in custody status both pre and post-conviction. The solution must automatically notify victims of status changes for offenders on probation or parole, including generation of notification letters when a victim cannot be reached by telephone.

The Vendor shall detail frameworks for notification in the event of tiered circumstances both inherent/defaulted to the data field in question (ranging from highly urgent notifications (such as offender release or escape) to less urgent notifications such as a hearing several weeks away) as well as mechanisms for victims to select their own priority forms of notification. This includes a breakdown of timing and frequency of notice attempts in pursuit of actual contact with a consideration for adjustment for all time zones.

For verification of actual contact, the OAG welcomes the Vendor’s evidence-based approaches for measures such as registered personal identification numbers to confirm successful notification to pass phrases or two factor authentication.

The VNS solution must furnish a toll-free number, secure web site/portal, smart phone application, SMS text capabilities, and written notification capabilities to allow victims to inquire about the status of an arrestee or offender. The service must provide live operator assistance 24-hours a day for victims speaking English or Spanish as well as for individuals with disabilities requiring access, including plain language approaches. Vendors should detail other language functionalities or scalability for other language functionality as well as any related pricing options.

The Vendor shall include in its proposal all quality control and reporting measures related to interactions with victims and Participating Agencies for customer service escalation purposes and a service level agreement measure(s) to address ongoing quality of interactions, including, but not limited to, responsiveness upon call-ins (number of rings), time spent on hold, and return calls necessitated by unresolved inquiries.

Quality control and reporting measures should also include mechanisms to identify unsuccessful notification and causes, including measures to encourage maintenance of current information with the VNS solution on the part of registrants.

The VNS solution must have the capability to deliver status information using computer-generated and computer-controlled scripts/algorithms. These scripts will contain data elements including, but not limited to the name of the accused or convicted person, date and time of release, date and time of transfer, date and time of parole hearing, name of institution or agency responsible for notification, etc. with pre-recorded phrases to allow for the standardization of information delivery in a trauma informed manner. Vendors should detail additional functionalities, including inclusion of photos or printout options for information sheets.

Data for the VNS solution is acquired through existing database information as well as interfaces with law enforcement partners across Nevada.

Participating Agencies that have electronic booking and victim management systems engage in data entry through their entrance of information regarding the accused or convicted person and the victim(s) into their individual systems. Interoperability with existing systems, Partner Agency systems, and successful transition from pre-existing notification data requirements is required of the VNS solution. The Vendor will be responsible for retrieving data from all participating agencies and updating the notification service database every 15 minutes or less. All data transmissions performed must be highly secured, either through advanced encryption and/or by using physically secured communication lines. For those participating agencies without an electronic booking and/or victim management system, the Vendor will maintain a web-based application and mobile application to allow this data to be entered into the notification service database.

Vendor shall provide all needed training for the OAG, victim service professionals, court personnel, requested personnel, and Partner Agencies, including use of remote training, in person training, training videos, brochures, guides, and other training resources.

Trainings shall include post-training surveys and reporting of curriculum updates as necessary related to feedback as well as user experience quality control data/reports and program monitoring of Participating Agency participation.

Vendor shall reflect within their proposal and preliminary project plan their recommended approach to scheduling and accomplishing all tasks and activities identified within this solicitation. Proposals must include details of system upgrade and modification schedules including potential production and financial impacts. The OAG shall be provided with the option to decline or accept significant system changes prior to implementation.

VENDOR RESPONSE TO SCOPE OF WORK

Within the proposal, Vendor shall provide information regarding their approach to meeting requirements described herein, including applicable quality, safety, and service level agreement measures associated with each as applicable.

If subcontractors shall be used for any tasks, Vendor shall indicate what tasks and the percentage of time subcontractor(s) shall spend on those tasks and identify known subcontractors for vetting purposes.

DELIVERABLE SUBMISSION AND REVIEW PROCESS

Once the detailed project plan is approved by the State, the following subsections detail the process for submission and review of deliverables during the life of the project/contract.

General

The contractor shall provide digital copies of each written deliverable to the appropriate State Project Manager as identified in the contract.

The electronic copy shall be provided in software currently utilized by the agency or provided by the contractor.

Deliverables shall be evaluated by the State utilizing mutually agreed upon acceptance/exit criteria.

Deliverable Submission

Prior to development and submission of each contract deliverable, a summary document containing a description of the format and content of each deliverable shall be delivered to the State Project Manager for review and approval. The summary document shall contain, at a minimum, the following:

Cover letter Table of Contents with a brief description of the content of each section Anticipated number of pages Identification of appendices/exhibits The summary document shall contain an approval/rejection section that can be completed by the State. The summary document shall be returned to the contractor within a mutually agreed upon time frame.

Deliverables shall be developed by the contractor according to the approved format and content of the summary document for each specific deliverable.

On or before the time of delivery to the State, the contractor shall provide a walkthrough of each deliverable.

Deliverables shall be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. PST, per the approved contract deliverable schedule and shall be accompanied by a deliverable sign-off form with the appropriate sections completed by the contractor.

Deliverable Review

General

The State’s review time begins on the next working day following receipt of the deliverable.

The State’s review time shall be determined by the approved and accepted detailed project plan and the approved contract.

The State has up to five (5) working days to determine if a deliverable is complete and ready for review. Unless otherwise negotiated, this is part of the State’s review time.

Any subsequent deliverable is dependent upon the State’s acceptance of a prior deliverable shall not be accepted for review until all issues related to the previous deliverable have been resolved.

Deliverables determined to be incomplete and/or unacceptable for review shall be rejected, not considered delivered and returned to the contractor.

After review of a deliverable, the State shall return to the contractor the project deliverable sign-off form with the deliverable submission and review history section completed.

Accepted

If the deliverable is accepted, the original deliverable sign-off form signed by the appropriate State representatives shall be returned to the contractor.

Once the contractor receives the original deliverable sign-off form, the State can then be invoiced for the deliverable.

Comments/Revisions Requested by the State. If the State has comments and/or revisions to a deliverable, the following shall be provided to the contractor:

The original deliverable sign-off form with an updated entry to the deliverable submission and review history section.

Attached to the deliverable sign-off form shall be a detailed explanation of the revisions to be made and/or a marked-up copy of the deliverable.

The State’s first review and return with comments shall be completed within the times specified in the contract.

The contractor shall have five (5) working days, unless otherwise mutually agreed to, for review, acceptance and/or rejection of the State’s comments.

A meeting to resolve outstanding issues shall be completed within three (3) working days after completion of the contractor’s review or a mutually agreed upon time frame.

Agreements made during meetings to resolve issues shall be documented separately.

Once an agreement is reached regarding changes, the contractor shall incorporate them into the deliverable for resubmission to the State.

All changes shall be easily identifiable by the State.

Resubmission of the deliverable shall occur within five (5) working days or a mutually agreed upon time frame of the resolution of any outstanding issues.

The resubmitted deliverable shall be accompanied by the original deliverable sign-off form.

This review process continues until all issues have been resolved within a mutually agreed upon time frame.

During the re-review process, the State may only comment on the original exceptions noted.

All other items not originally commented on are considered accepted by the State.

Once all revisions have been accepted, the original deliverable sign-off form signed by the appropriate State representatives shall be returned to the contractor.

The contractor shall provide one (1) updated and complete master copy of each deliverable after approval and acceptance by the State.

Once the contractor receives the original deliverable sign-off form, the State can then be invoiced for the deliverable.

Rejected, Not Considered Delivered. If the State considers a deliverable not ready for review, the following shall be returned to the contractor:

The original deliverable sign-off form with an updated entry to the deliverable submission and review history section.

The original deliverable and all copies with a written explanation as to why the deliverable is being rejected, not considered delivered.

The contractor shall have five (5) working days, unless otherwise mutually agreed to, for review, acceptance and/or rejection of the State’s comments.

A meeting to discuss the State’s position regarding the rejection of the deliverable shall be completed within three (3) working days after completion of the contractor’s review or a mutually agreed upon time frame.

Resubmission of the deliverable shall occur within a mutually agreed upon time frame.

The resubmitted deliverable shall be accompanied by the original deliverable sign-off form.

Upon resubmission of the completed deliverable, the State shall follow the steps outlined herein.

PROJECT KICKOFF MEETING. A project kickoff meeting shall be held with representatives from the State and the contractor after contract approval and prior to work performed. Items to be covered in the kickoff meeting shall include, but not be limited to:

A. Deliverable review process B. Determining format and protocol for project status meetings C. Determining format for project status reports D. Setting the schedule for meetings between representatives from the State and the contractor to develop the detailed project plan E. Defining lines of communication and reporting relationships F. Reviewing the project mission G. Pinpointing high-risk or problem areas H. Issue resolution process

PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION

Objective. The objective of this task is to ensure that adequate planning and project management are dedicated to this project.

Activities. The awarded vendor shall:

Work with the State to provide a detailed project plan with fixed deadlines to include, but not be limited to:

Project schedule including tasks, activities, activity duration, sequencing and dependencies Project work plan for each deliverable, including a work breakdown structure Completion date of each task Project milestones Entrance and exit criteria for specific project milestones Project organization including a resource plan defining roles and responsibilities for the awarded vendor, subcontractors (if applicable) and State

Attend and participate in all project related meetings requested by the State at a location to be determined by the State. Attendance may be in person or remote, as mutually agreed to by the project team. These meetings shall follow an agenda mutually developed by the awarded vendor and the State. The awarded vendor shall prepare materials or briefings for these meetings as requested by the State. Minutes shall be taken and distributed by State staff within five (5) working days after the meeting. Minutes may be distributed electronically. The agenda may include, but not be limited to:

Review and approval of previous meeting minutes Contractor project status State project status Contract status and issues, including resolutions Quality Assurance status New action items Outstanding action items, including resolutions Setting of next meeting date Other

Provide written semi-monthly project status reports delivered to State project management by the third (3rd) working day following the end of each reporting period. The format shall be approved by the State prior to issuance of the first semi-monthly project status report. The first semi-monthly report covers the reporting period from the 1st through the 15th of each month; and the second semi-monthly report covers the reporting period from the 16th through the end of the month. The status reports shall include, but not be limited to the following:

Overall completion status of the project in terms of the State approved project work plan and deliverable schedule Accomplishments during the period, including State staff/stakeholders interviewed, meetings held, Joint Application Development (JAD) sessions and conclusions/decisions determined Problems encountered and proposed/actual resolutions What is to be accomplished during the next reporting period Issues that need to be addressed, including contractual Quality Assurance status Updated MS Project timeline showing percentage completed, tasks assigned, completed, and remaining Identification of schedule slippage and strategy for resolution Contractor staff assigned and their location/schedule State resources required for activities during the next period Resource allocation percentages including planned versus actual by project milestone

Develop a comprehensive approach for handling communications with both internal and external audiences. Effective communication is critical to the development of productive relationships with concerned stakeholders. The communication plan shall include, but not be limited to, a plan for generation, documentation, storage, transmission and disposal of all project information.

Develop a risk management plan to ensure that risks are identified, planned for, analyzed, communicated and acted upon effectively.

Develop a quality assurance plan including, but not limited to, the methodology for maintaining quality of the code, workmanship, project schedules and subcontractor(s) activities.

Develop a Change Management Plan and Control Procedures and present it to the State for acceptance. This plan shall be used by the vendor and the State in the design, specification, construction, implementation, and support of the system.

Develop a Knowledge Transfer Plan, present the plan to the State, execute the plan and obtain State acceptance before and after the plan is executed. The plan shall include sufficient time and resources to accomplish a full transfer of knowledge to assure that the State can operate the system independently and obtain timely and effective support from the vendor.

The State shall perform a Post Implementation Evaluation Review (PIER) approximately six (6) months after full implementation and State acceptance of all deliverables. The awarded vendor's Project Manager shall be required to participate on site for a period of not to exceed three (3) days.

VENDOR DOCUMENTATION

PRELIMINARY PROJECT PLAN

Vendor shall submit a preliminary project plan as part of the proposal, including, but not limited to:

Gantt charts that show all proposed project activities Planning methodologies Milestones Task conflicts and/or interdependencies Estimated time frame for each task identified in Scope of Work Overall estimated time frame from project start to completion for both Vendor and State activities, including strategies to avoid schedule slippage

Vendors shall provide a written plan addressing the roles and responsibilities and method of communication between the contractor and any subcontractor(s).

RFP documentation submitted by the selected vendor may be incorporated into the contract, with the exception of materials clearly identified as proprietary.

The first project deliverable is the finalized detailed project plan that shall include fixed deliverable due dates for all subsequent project tasks as defined in Scope of Work. The contract shall be amended to include the State approved detailed project plan.

Vendors shall identify all potential risks associated with the project, their proposed plan to mitigate the potential risks and include recommended strategies for managing those risks.

Vendors shall provide information on the staff that shall be located onsite in Carson City, if any. If staff shall be located at remote locations, vendors shall include specific information on plans to accommodate the exchange of information and transfer of technical and procedural knowledge. The State encourages alternate methods of communication other than in person meetings, such as transmission of documents via email and remotely, as appropriate.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT. Vendors shall describe the project management methodology and processes utilized for:

Project integration to ensure that the various elements of the project are properly coordinated.

Project scope to ensure that the project includes all the work required and only the work required to complete the project successfully.

Time management to ensure timely completion of the project. Include defining activities, estimating activity duration, developing and controlling the project schedule.

Management of contractor and/or subcontractor issues and resolution process.

Responding to and covering requested changes in the project time frames.

Responding to State generated issues.

Cost management to ensure that the project is completed within the approved budget. Include resource planning, cost estimating, cost budgeting and cost control.

Resource management to ensure the most effective use of people involved in the project including subcontractors.

Communications management to ensure effective information generation, documentation, storage, transmission, and disposal of project information.

Risk management to ensure that risks are identified, planned for, analyzed, communicated, and acted upon effectively.

QUALITY ASSURANCE. Vendors shall describe the quality assurance methodology and processes utilized to ensure that the project shall satisfy State requirements as outlined in Scope of Work.

METRICS MANAGEMENT. Vendors shall describe the metrics management methodology and processes utilized to satisfy State requirements as outlined in Scope of Work. The methodology shall include the metrics captured and how they are tracked and measured.

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES. Vendors shall describe the methodology, processes and tools utilized for:

Analyzing potential solutions, including identifying alternatives for evaluation in addition to those suggested by the State.

Developing a detailed operational concept of the interaction of the system, the user and the environment that satisfies the operational need.

Identifying the key design issues that shall be resolved to support successful development of the system.

Integrating the disciplines that are essential to system functional requirements definition.

CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT. Vendors shall describe the methodology, processes and tools utilized for:

Control of changes to requirements, design, and code

Control of interface changes

Traceability of requirements, design, and code

Tools to help control versions, and builds

Parameters established for regression testing

Baselines established for tools, change log and modules

Documentation of the change request process including check in/out, review, and regular testing

Documentation of the change control board and change proposal process Change log that tracks open/closed change requests.

PEER REVIEW MANAGEMENT. Vendors shall describe the methodology, processes and tools utilized for:

Peer reviews conducted for design, code, and test cases

Number of types of people normally involved in peer reviews

Types of procedures and checklists utilized

Types of statistics compiled on the type, severity, and location of errors

How errors are tracked to closure

PROJECT SOFTWARE TOOLS

Vendors shall describe any software tools and equipment resources to be utilized during project including minimum hardware requirements and compatibility with existing computing resources.

Costs and training associated with project software tools identified shall be included in the Cost Schedule.

CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS

BACKGROUND CHECKS

All contractor personnel assigned to the contract shall have a background check from the Federal Bureau of Investigation pursuant to NRS 239B.010. All fingerprints shall be forwarded to the Nevada State Police Records, Communications, Compliance Division for submission to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Any employee of the selected vendor, who shall require any type of system access, shall have a State Background Check before system access shall be granted. The vendor or its employees may be denied access to the premises if they have not been security cleared.

All costs associated with this shall be at the contractor’s expense.

The contractor shall provide to the contracting agency’s Human Resource Department or designee the following documents:

A State Background Check for the state the individual claims as their permanent residency. The contractor shall use the following site of the Nevada Office of the Attorney General. Once the contractor has a copy of their personal background check from their state of record, they shall forward those results to the designated State representative who shall then forward it to the contracting agency’s Human Resource Department or designee to obtain approval for interim system access A Fingerprint Background Waiver Form, signed by the contractor(s) A Prior Arrests and Criminal Conviction Disclosure Form, signed by the contractor(s)

If out-of-state, contractor shall provide one (1) completed fingerprint card from a local sheriff’s office (or other law enforcement agency).

In lieu of the above background check and subject to acceptance by the contracting agency’s Human Resource Department or designee, contractor may submit a current active federal authority security clearance (FBI, DoD, NSA) indicating a fingerprint-based background check has been completed with no positive findings.

Contractor(s) may not begin work until such time as they have been cleared by the contracting agency’s Human Resource Department or designee.

Positive findings from a background check are reviewed by the contracting agency’s Human Resource Department or designee, in consultation with the State Chief Information Security Officer, and may result in the removal of vendor staff from the project.

PERIODIC PROJECT REVIEWS

On a periodic basis, the State reserves the right to review the approved project plan and associated deliverables to assess the direction of the project and determine if changes are required.

Changes to the approved project plan and/or associated deliverables may result in a contract amendment.

In the event changes do not include cost, scope or significant schedule modifications, mutually agreed to changes may be documented in memo form and signed by all parties to the contract.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Should requirements be identified during system validation, development and/or implementation that change the required work to complete the project and upon receipt of a change order request by the contractor, a written, detailed proposal shall be submitted as outlined in this section. As most vendors have existing protocols for change orders, the provisions herein are a baseline, and vendors are welcome to present more effective or efficient approaches that meet or exceed these requirements.

Within 15 working days of receipt of a requested change order, the contractor shall submit an amended project plan to include:

The scope of work Impacts to the schedule for remaining work for implementing the identified change Impacts of not approving the change Estimated cost of change Alternative analysis of all identified solutions to include, but not limited to:

A system impact report Resource requirements for both the State and the contractor A work plan Estimated hours to complete the work The estimated cost of each solution A plan for testing the change

The amended project plan shall be prepared at no cost to the State and shall detail all impacts to the project. The contractor shall present the project plan to the OAG designated staff prior to final acceptance and approval.

The OAG designated staff shall either accept the proposal or withdraw the request within 15 working days after receiving the proposal and work in concert with the fiscal/contracts unit within the OAG to communicate with vendor representatives about any necessary contract amendment(s) or documentation regarding the same.

ISSUE RESOLUTION

During the term of the contract, issue resolution shall be a critical component. The following process shall be adhered to for all issues.

Presentation of Issues

Issues shall be presented in writing to the Project Manager for the vendor and the OAG designated staff for the OAG.

A uniform issues processing form shall be developed by the State to record all issues, responses, tracking and dispositions.

A project issues log shall be kept by the State.

Issues raised by either party shall be accepted, rejected and/or responded to in writing within three (3) working days of presentation or by a mutually agreed upon due date.

Failure to accept, reject and/or respond within the specified time frame shall result in deeming the issue presented as accepted and the party presenting the issue may proceed to act as if the issue were accepted.

Escalation Process

If no resolution is obtainable by the respective Project Manager/OAG designated staff, the issue shall be escalated to the:

Agency head or designee; and Designated representative for the contractor.

A meeting between the parties shall take place within three (3) working days or a mutually agreed upon time frame.

Final resolution of issues shall be provided in writing within two (2) working days of the meeting or a mutually agreed upon time frame.

All parties agree to exercise good faith in dispute/issue resolution.

If no resolution is obtainable after the above review, the issue shall be escalated to the OAG designated staff for the OAG and the designated representative for the contractor.

A meeting between the parties shall take place within three (3) working days of the meeting or a mutually agreed upon time frame.

Final resolution of issues shall be provided in writing within two (2) working days of the meeting or a mutually agreed upon time frame.

Proceed with Duties. The State and the contractor agree that during the time the parties are attempting to resolve any dispute in accordance with the provisions of the contract, all parties to the contract shall diligently perform their duties thereunder.

Schedule, Cost and/or Scope Changes. If any issue resolution results in schedule, cost and/or scope changes, a State BOE approved contract amendment shall be required.

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