1-RFQ031565 Availability Study RFP Data Collection Analysis.10.30.25.docx

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS SOLICITATION NUMBER: RFQ031565

https://columbus.bonfirehub.com/projects/208252/details Published 10/31/2025 Three weeks after Publication @5:00 PM EST

The City of Columbus, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, requests proposals for:

Availability Study: Data Collection & Analysis

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Summary and Background

1.1 Purpose

The City of Columbus (City), Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), is seeking proposals in response to this Request for Proposals (RFP) from an Offeror qualified and experienced in conducting vendor Availability Studies. The results of such a study will be used to inform program refinements by determining which businesses are ready, willing, and able to perform work on City of Columbus contracts and procurements.

Summary of Scope:

1. Collect and Analyze Data: Gather and examine internal procurement, financial, contract, and bidder data.

2. Compile Vendor Lists: Identify external sources and databases. Integrate internal vendor records with external sources and databases. Create a mechanism for self-identification.

3. Analyze Market Availability: Using relevant data sources, assess the availability and capabilities of businesses in the state of Ohio. Determine proven and potential capacity by identifying businesses with relevant past government experience, interests in government contracts, and the extent to which they meet the minimum capacity thresholds for contract size.

4. Gather Insights: Leverage databases such as commercial businesses and periodicals.

5. Address Data Gaps: Perform early assessments, engage stakeholders, and validate data to ensure comprehensive findings. Cross-reference multiple databases to ensure accuracy.

6. Engage Stakeholders: Create a dedicated webpage, host forums, webinars, provide a contact for inquiries.

7. Provide Progress Updates: Deliver monthly reports on project status, challenges, findings, and draft chapters for review. Conduct regular meetings and provide interim findings.

8. Deliver Final Report: Submit a comprehensive final report with analyses, recommendations, and an action plan. Provide digital and hard copies of all materials and conduct oral presentations to city leadership.

9. Champion Implementation: Guide the integration of study findings into policy and programs through training, workshops, and resource development.

10. Offer Post-Study Support: Extend ongoing consultation, implementation support, and, if necessary, evaluation.

If a suitable proposal is offered in response to this request for proposals (RFP), the City will enter into a contract (Contract) to have the selected Offeror (Contractor) provide all or part of the desired solution and services (Work). This RFP provides details on what is required to submit a proposal for the Work, how the City will evaluate the proposals, and what will be required of the Offeror in performing the Work.

This RFP also gives the estimated dates for the various events in the submission process, selection process, and performance of the Work. While these dates are subject to change, prospective Offerors should be prepared to meet them as stated.

Once awarded, the Contract will entail a commitment of up to one year and is subject to City legislative approval and funding.

1.2 City of Columbus

Columbus is home to six Fortune 500 companies, Ohio’s state capital, and the 14th largest city in the U.S. Columbus has a population of over 900,000 within a greater Columbus metro region of 2.5 million. The city manages a large array of services and assets on a budget of $1.8 billion with over 9,000 employees.

The City operates and is governed by its charter and is subject to the general laws of Ohio that are applicable to all municipalities. The Columbus City Charter provides for a mayor-council form of government. The Mayor is the chief executive officer and City Council is the legislative body. Other elected officials include the City Auditor, City Attorney, Clerk of Municipal Court, and Municipal Court Judges.

Additional information about the City of Columbus, including detailed information about missions and operational budgets, is available at https://www.columbus.gov/.

1.3 The Office of Diversity and Inclusion

ODI Mission:

Creating equitable and inclusive opportunities and experiences for the residents, businesses, and employees of the City of Columbus.

About ODI:

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion was established in 2016 as one of Mayor Andrew J. Ginther’s first acts as the newly-elected Mayor of Columbus. Headed by the Chief Diversity Officer, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion supports the Mayor and his cabinet by advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts through collaboration with city departments, external partners, and community members.

Promoting the City of Columbus as “America’s Equal Opportunity City,” ODI is focused on three primary areas of inclusion management: employee engagement and impact, supplier development, and accessibility in alignment with the strategic priorities. Through partnerships, policy, outreach, and technology, ODI uses these channels to generate transformational outcomes for businesses, employees, and residents.

ODI Inclusion advances the Mayor’s strategic priority agenda by developing and fostering strategic and data-driven programs. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion creates added value to the city’s sourcing and procurement processes through interdepartmental collaboration, integrating supplier development best practices, timely market research, and business engagement strategies.

ODI provides certification management, business supportive services, outreach and engagement, and supplier development data utilization reporting and compliance as part of the services provided to diverse businesses.

Additional information about ODI is available at https://www.columbus.gov/diversity

City of Columbus Availability Study Update RFP

2 Scope of Work This section gives a summary of the scope of Work for this project. Section 7 – Specifications and Requirements and the Offeror Response Workbook attachment provide additional detail and coverage of proposal response requirements of scope.

Offerors are encouraged to offer improvements to the proposed project approach if they believe changes will better meet the City’s objectives. Please clearly mark any recommended improvements as such.

2.1 Key Objective

The primary objective of this availability study is to identify vendors who meet the City of Columbus contract and procurement needs, ensure vendors possess the skills, expertise, and resources required to deliver services or products, confirm vendors’ capacity to accommodate the scale and volume of the City’s needs, optimize costs, and ensure compliance.

2.2 Services and Deliverables

2.2.1 General Requirements

The Study will determine whether there is a significant statistical disparity between the availability of qualified, capable, willing businesses in construction, professional services, and goods and services, and the utilization of such businesses by the city or by the city’s prime contractors. This may be categorized by various classifications.

2.2.2 Data Review and Collection

The Study will consider five-years (2019 – 2023) for each contracting area which will be indicated. Data reviews will include data sources for contracts with and without subcontracting goals. Data should include disaggregation by the following certifications or designations but not limited to: SBE/DBE/SRBE/RBE/EBE/LGBTE/MBE/WBE/VBE.

The review will encompass the following key data sources:

· Vendor Data:

· Business name, addresses, phone numbers.

· Business ownership status and certifications.

· Business lines of work and business size.

· Data from other sources (e.g. local agency vendor data, certification lists, United States Small Business Administration certification and ownership lists, Dun & Bradstreet business listings)

· Other additional sources.

To ensure comprehensive data collection and overcome potential gaps, the following strategies will be employed:

· Early Assessment and Stakeholder Engagement:

· Collaborate with community engagement vendor to conduct pre-data assessment meetings with stakeholders to identify data gaps and challenges early in the process.

· Discuss data needs and expectations, ensuring alignment and establishing a clear strategy for addressing gaps.

· Conduct a custom, self-reporting census survey.

· Comprehensive Data Collection Strategies:

· Use external sources to supplement missing data.

· Cross-Referencing Data Sources:

· Combine data from certifications, public agency records, commercial databases, and supplemental private directories to fill gaps and enhance data completeness.

· Data Cleaning and Validation:

· Utilize tools for data cleaning, validation, and cross-checking to ensure accuracy and consistency.

· Address inconsistencies or duplicates through systematic data validation processes.

2.2.3 Analysis of Availability in the State of Ohio

The Study will assess the number of qualified, capable, willing, and able businesses available to participate in the City’s supplier programs across the following contracting areas: construction, professional services, and goods and services. This assessment will categorize the business by industry, city-identified procurement category, NAICS code, UNSPSC codes, and major small regional and veterans for each contracting area.

The Study will estimate the availability of businesses in each contracting area. It will also include an analysis of "capacity" as part of determining whether a business is “able” to perform the required work.

The availability analysis will provide a detailed explanation of how availability is measured and the methodology used for calculating it. Businesses that are considered "ready, willing, and able" are those capable of providing the required work or goods and are available when solicited.

The analysis will identify the data sources and methods used to estimate the percentage availability of qualified businesses, categorized by industry, NAICS code, and UNSPC code. This will include a review of relevant directories of certified firms, bidder lists, and any other pertinent data to assess availability.

The Study will categorize the availability statistics by contracting area, breaking down the data into several different categories.

Additionally, the Availability Analysis will estimate the availability and capacity of firms. The analysis could include:

· Production Capacity

· Resource Assessment

· Financial Capacity

· Performance Metrics

· Flexibility and Adaptability

· Risk Mitigation

All methodologies used in the Availability Analysis must be well-researched, thoroughly reviewed, and documented to ensure they can withstand legal challenges.

2.2.4 Progress Update

1. Regular Progress Reports

· Submit monthly status reports that cover:

· Project progress and milestones reached.

· Challenges faced and strategies for mitigation.

· Preliminary findings, including updates on disparity, availability, and utilization data.

2. Interim Findings and Analyses

· Provide updates on key project phases, such as:

· Availability analysis.

· Disparity calculations.

· Stakeholder engagement insights.

· Highlight key data trends and emerging insights as they arise.

3. Draft Chapters

· Submit finalized chapters for city review as they are completed.

· Ensure each chapter includes methodology, data sources, availability, and utilization analyses, allowing for iterative feedback.

2.2.5 Program Recommendations

The Offeror will be required to:

· Review and Recommend Improvements: Review the City’s current and proposed policies and procedures. Based on this review and provide recommendations to improve the effectiveness and precision of current programs, with an emphasis on enhancing compliance.

· Provide Recommendations Compliance: Offer detailed recommendations to ensure the City’s programs comply with all relevant legal requirements. This includes, but is not limited to, the annual goal-setting process, specific project goal setting, the certification process, and other regulatory compliance aspects.

· Ensure Legal Viability of Current Programs: Provide a detailed description of the methods used to ensure that any proposed changes to programming can withstand legal challenges.

· Develop Recommendations for any Distinct Findings: Based on study findings, propose measures to address any diverse findings based on size, location, additional certifications, etc., that are supported by the data from the study.

2.2.6 Final Report

The Study’s final report must include the following minimum components:

· Study Preparedness Recommendations: Recommend actions the City can take to replicate the study to reduce future study costs.

· Author Information: Include the names and signatures of the individuals responsible for preparing the analysis and the report. Describe their credentials and qualifications supporting their expertise in conducting the Availability Analysis.

· Executive Summary: Provide a summary of the findings and conclusions of the study.

· Review of Policies and Procedures: Analyze and assess the City’s contracting policies.

· Background Section: Offer detailed descriptions of the methodologies, results, discussions, conclusions, and recommendations used throughout the study.

· Incorporate Anecdotal Evidence Analysis: Include an analysis of anecdotal evidence collected from personal interviews, surveys, and public hearings.

· Legal Analysis: Describe any of the legal frameworks used, including relevant federal and state matters, along with any applicable court decisions.

· Assumptions Section: Discuss all assumptions that influenced the analysis. This should cover:

· The approach(es) used and the rationale behind them.

· Documentation describing the data, e.g., data set descriptions, schema for data elements, data dictionaries, entity relationship diagrams, data formats, etc.

· Contracts or data included or excluded in the availability analysis, and the reasons for their inclusion/exclusion.

· Limitations on the use of any data or proxies.

· How terms like "qualified," "willing," and "capable" were measured, considering overall business growth in the study area, especially in construction, professional design, and goods and services.

· Presentation of Final Report

· The final report must be presented in the following formats: Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, PowerPoint, and Power BI or Tableau (if applicable).

· Presentation to ODI: Present the results of the final report to the Chief Diversity Officer.

· Presentation to City Officials: Present to key City department personnel, the Mayor’s Office, and City Council, as requested by ODI.

· Community Stakeholders: Present the results to community stakeholders, as requested by ODI.

· Legal Staff: Present the results to Legal Staff, as requested by ODI.

· Public Hearings and Meetings: Participate in any required public hearings, committee meetings, or City Council meetings with ODI, as requested.

2.2.7 Post-Study Support

The Offeror shall provide ongoing support following the completion of the availability study in the following key areas:

1. Training and Capacity Building:

· Workshops and Training: Conduct sessions to educate staff on implementing study findings, as well as program-specific workshops to align stakeholders with any new initiatives.

2. Legal Support:

· Legal and Statistical Expertise: Offer guidance for any related legal or statistical proceedings.

3. Ongoing Consultation and Evaluation:

· Regular Consultations: Provide ongoing advice and refinement of programs based on feedback and emerging needs.

· Follow-up Assessments: Conduct evaluations to measure program effectiveness and promote continuous improvement.

4. Data Management and Archiving:

· Data Archiving: Ensure all data, methodologies, and findings are shared with ODI and archived for future reference, facilitating future studies and program evaluations. Data handling or regulated data must comply with all City Code, State, and Federal laws.

· Data Accessibility: Ensure that archived data is well-documented, shared with ODI, easily accessible, and usable for reporting and compliance purposes.

2.3 Roles & Responsibilities

It is acceptable that actual staff titles may differ from the names of roles described in this section.

2.3.1 Project Management Requirements

The Offeror will be required to work closely with the Assistant Chief Diversity Officer, ODI Fiscal Manager, and City of Columbus team members as necessary.

The selected Offeror must, at a minimum:

2.3.1.1 Identify key managers/stakeholders.

2.3.1.2 Determine data requirements.

2.3.1.3 Schedule and facilitate required meetings.

2.3.1.4 Generate status reports.

2.3.1.5 Identify, schedule, survey, and interview outside resources.

2.3.1.6 Assist with public hearings.

2.3.1.7 Schedule a regular meeting cadence with department/division leaders.

2.3.1.8 Provide a detailed timeline.

2.3.2 Contractor Roles & Responsibilities

The Offeror will provide leadership and propose a project team that will successfully deliver an innovative solution as per City requirements while minimizing risk. The Offeror is to list proposed project team members within the Offeror Response Workbook, Sheet 6 (see section 7 and 8.2).

Project Manager: Provides project management oversight from planning through acceptance of the solution, as defined within the RFP. Proposed Project Managers should have demonstrable project management expertise and should have recognized Project Management credentials. Responsibilities include at a minimum:

a. Communicate proactively and cooperate flexibly with City staff.

b. Create and manage a detailed project plan and schedule.

c. Communicate progress or lack.

d. Collaborate with other contractors and City project staff.

e. Serve as liaison between City and Contractor resources.

f. Serve as liaison with City departments.

g. Initiate quality assurance processes to monitor the project.

h. Identify and manage issues and risks.

i. Serve as a point of escalation for project issues.

j. Manage the deliverables acceptance process.

k. Provide routine communications with the City project coordinator.

Legal Expert:

· In-depth knowledge of federal, state, and local laws governing affirmative action, equal opportunity, and procurement practices.

· Proven track record of providing legal guidance on the methodology, findings, and implementation of availability studies.

Data Analyst/Statistician

· Conduct statistical analyses to assess disparities in contracting and marketplace conditions.

· Develop methodologies to define the availability of firms along with any certifications or designations and ensure data integrity and identify gaps or limitations in datasets.

Economist/Market Analyst

· Examine economic conditions affecting businesses, including barriers to entry and participation.

· Analyze marketplace dynamics to support findings and recommendations and assess regional economic trends and their impact on contracting opportunities.

Policy Analyst

· Develop recommendations to address any identified distinct findings, aligned with study findings and legal requirements.

Research Specialist

· Conduct literature reviews, case studies, and identify best practices from other jurisdictions and programs to inform the study.

· Compile supporting documentation for the final report and ensure technical and legal concepts are clearly presented for diverse audiences.

Training Specialist (Post-Study Implementation)

· Develop training materials to help city staff and stakeholders implement study recommendations.

· Conduct workshops or training sessions to explain findings and new procedures.

The Offeror will propose the remainder of its project leadership team it deems appropriate to provide for the needs of the project, such as:

The Contractor will assist the City with coordinating assignments for any City staff involved in the work. The Contractor will provide all administrative support for its staff and activities throughout the effort. Throughout the effort, the Contractor will ensure a comprehensive, detailed project plan is developed, executed, monitored, reported on, and maintained Contractor may propose project management tools that are accessible via the City’s network.

2.4 Project Approach and Planning

The Contractor will lead, with the City assisting. Questions regarding project approach and planning are in the Offeror Response Workbook (see section 7 and 8.2). Identification of known or perceived challenges is important and should be included in the response. Include an approach that stresses strong collaboration, problem-solving, and the relationship between the City and the Contractor. The Offeror should include their proposed optimal architecture to meet the deliverables of the RFP.

The proposal will propose a timeline schedule and explanation of the phases proposed to meet RFP requirements, in addition to any other value-added approaches not specifically identified in the RFP.

The City is targeting to start of the new offering in Q4 of 2025, and anticipates completion within 6 months. Please propose a timeline that meets or is prior to this targeted date. The City will consider alternate dates with reasonable rationale.

3 General RFP Instructions The following sub-sections provide details on how to get more information about the project, this RFP, and how to submit a proposal for consideration. All responses must be complete and in the prescribed format utilizing the Offeror Response Workbook (see sections 7 and 8.2).

3.1 Organization

A summary of the sections in this RFP are as follows:

Section 1 – Summary and Background (purpose, background, objectives, current environment) Section 2 – Objectives (high-level description of existing and new functionality desired, data migration, etc.) Section 3 – Scope of Work (definition of the work for this project, roles, responsibilities, expectations, etc.) Section 4 – General RFP Instructions (definitions, schedule, communication, processes) Section 5 – Evaluation of Proposals (City review of proposals, processes) Section 6 – Award of Contract (award process, contract components) Section 7 – Requirements for Proposals (Workbook requirement, additional documentation, etc.) Section 8 – Specifications & Requirements, Response Workbook, Supplements (all attachments) Section 9 – General Terms and Conditions Section 10 – Proposal Cost (Instructions for submission of initial project pricing, and recurring costs)

3.2 Schedule

The schedule is given in the table below. The City may change this schedule at any time. If the City changes the schedule for events prior to and including proposals due, it will do so through an announcement on the City’s procurement portal on the record for this specific RFP (https://columbus.bonfirehub.com/opportunities/)The announcement will accompany an amendment to the RFP, also available through the portal. Note that the City may make changes in the project schedule after the Contract award.

Only proposals received via the City procurement portal, prior to the due date and time, will be reviewed and considered for Contract award. Proposals submitted to the portal after the due date and time will be rejected by the City. Proposals sent or delivered to the City using any other method will not be reviewed.

It is each prospective Offeror’s responsibility to check the portal for current information regarding this RFP and its calendar of events through award of the Contract.

Key dates pertaining to this RFP are as follows:

Firm Dates

There are references in this RFP to the proposal event dates. Unless it is clearly provided to the contrary in this RFP, any such reference means the date and time that the Proposals are due and not just the date as recorded by the City procurement portal in Columbus, Ohio local time, which is in the Eastern U.S. Time Zone.

3.3 City Procurement Portal

All general and updated information regarding this RFP can be found on the City procurement portal at https://columbus.bonfirehub.com/opportunities/. The portal is the primary vehicle for communication back and forth between the City and all Offerors until proposals are due.

3.4 Contact and Communication

During the RFP evaluation and negotiation process, Offerors are strictly prohibited from communicating with any City employees or officers regarding this solicitation except through the procurement portal. Any communication from the Offeror to the City after the question-and-answer period should be limited to strictly administrative matters and, even then, only to what is necessary.

Necessary communications by the City will be communicated clearly to Offerors via the procurement portal. All other questions regarding the RFP must come via the procurement portal.

If a City employee attempts to communicate with an Offeror contrary to this provision, the Offeror shall report the incident to the City. A violation of this section on the part of the Offeror may lead to disqualification of the Offeror.

3.5 Amendments to the RFP

All amendments and changes to this RFP will be published at the City procurement portal. Offerors are responsible for keeping up with all amendments, changes, and communications via the portal.

3.6 Inquiries

All questions regarding this RFP must be submitted on the City procurement portal no later than the “Written Questions Due by” date (section 4.3).

3.7 Proposal Submittal

Submit proposals per instructions on the City procurement portal. Attachments to this RFP (see section 8) are provided for Offerors to utilize for their responses. All proposals, including all workbooks, forms, and attachments must be submitted via the portal no later than the “Proposals Due” date (see section 4.3).

By submitting a proposal, the Offeror acknowledges that it has read this RFP, understands it, and agrees to follow its requirements. The Offeror also acknowledges understanding of potential risk of lower evaluation scores associated with substantial exceptions to the terms and conditions of this RFP, or statements, assumptions, or conditions that do not align well with City needs.

The City’s retention period for proposals is three years.

3.8 Confidentiality

All confidential information within proposals must be clearly marked as confidential at a detailed level. Confidential markings must be reasonable, limited, and not encompassing. Any proposal with the entirety of the agreement marked as confidential will be rejected. The City will protect confidential content from disclosure as is permissible by law. In the event the City is compelled to disclose confidential information, it will notify the Offeror in advance such that the Offeror has opportunity to seek a stay or court order to preclude release. In general, all proposals are a matter of public record at the conclusion of the selection process pursuant to O.R.C. 149.43, the Public Records Act.

3.9 Waiver of Defects

The City may waive defects in any proposal or in the submission process followed by an Offeror. The City will only do so if it believes that it is in the City's interests and will not cause any material unfairness to other Offerors.

3.10 Multiple or Alternate Proposals

Offerors may submit only one solution proposal, designed to meet the City’s designated requirements.

The City has asked Offerors to elaborate on other potential features/functionality that the City may be interested in in the future. Such content may be submitted with the proposal but must be designated as “optional” and separated from proposed solution elements and proposed solution pricing.

3.11 Changes to Proposal

The City will allow modifications or withdrawals of proposals only if the City receives them before the proposal due date. No modifications or withdrawals will be permitted after the due date, except as authorized by this RFP or amendments to it.

3.12 Proposal Response Instructions

Proposal response instructions are covered in Section 7 of this RFP.

The City is not liable for any costs an Offeror incurs in responding to this RFP or from participating in the evaluation process, regardless of whether the City awards the Contract through this process.

4 Evaluation of Proposals All processes and procedures relative to the RFP process, including evaluation, are governed by City Code of Ordinances Section 329.28, ‘Awarding professional service contracts through requests for proposal.’ (link to full text of code).

An evaluation committee will evaluate proposals and may select two or more of the highest qualified Offerors for further discussions. Discussions may include presentations to the committee to elaborate upon their qualifications, proposals, and other pertinent information. The City will ask highest qualified Offerors to provide proposal overviews or system demonstrations during this phase of the evaluation process for this RFP. The committee may permit revisions of proposals so long as all Offerors who are selected for additional discussions are given equal opportunity to revise their proposals.

After discussions, the committee will rank the remaining Offerors, and submit said ranking, along with a written explanation of the basis for the ranking, to the Chief Diversity Officer. The department may select an Offeror with which to enter into Contract negotiations or may not select any Offeror and cancel the RFP. The department may enter into Contract negotiations with the selected Offeror to determine the terms and conditions of the Contract, including compensation to be paid by the City.

If negotiations fail, the City department may enter into Contract negotiations with the second highest ranked Offeror or may cancel the RFP. This process may continue until a Contract is successfully negotiated or the RFP is cancelled.

4.1 Disclosure of Proposal Contents

The City will keep the contents of all proposals confidential until a contract is executed or the RFP is cancelled. All proposals are public record at the conclusion of the process, except those portions marked confidential consistent with Section 4.9 Confidentiality.

From the opening of the proposals to the award of the Contract, everyone evaluating proposals will limit access to information contained in the proposals solely to those people with a need to know the information. The City will keep proposal content information from other Offerors, and the City will not tell one Offeror about the contents of another Offeror's proposal.

4.2 Evaluation of Proposals

The evaluation process may consist of up to six distinct phases:

1. Initial review for material defects

2. Functional and technical evaluation

3. Requests for more information

4. Discussions and demonstrations

5. Invitation to revise proposals

6. Evaluation of costs, and

7. Contract negotiations.

If The City believes it will improve evaluation without compromising fairness and competition, the City may decide whether any phases are necessary, may add phases, and may rearrange the order in which it proceeds with the phases.

4.3 Initial Review for Material Defects

The City will review all Proposals for mandatory requirements. The City may waive any defects, allow an Offeror to submit a correction, or determine a proposal is non-responsive and disqualify it if the City believes doing so would not result in an unfair advantage for the Offeror and it is in the City’s interest. After the initial review, the City will proceed with detailed evaluation by an evaluation committee, which the chair of the committee will lead.

4.4 Functional and Technical Evaluation

The City will evaluate each proposal that it has determined is timely, complete, and complies with mandatory requirements. The evaluation will be scored according to how well the proposal addresses the requirements and criteria identified in this RFP, including the requirements referenced in sections 7 and 8. Other attachments to this RFP may further refine these requirements, and the City has a right to break these requirements into components and weigh any components of a requirement according to their perceived importance.

The City may have proposals or portions of them reviewed and evaluated by City personnel with experience or subject matter expertise that relates to the Work or a criterion in the evaluation process. Any recommendations it receives from such reviews and evaluations are only advisory to the evaluation committee. Such personnel will not provide scores during the evaluation committee scoring process.

During the functional and technical evaluation, the committee will calculate a point total for each proposal that it evaluates. The committee may reject any proposal receiving a significant number of zeros for sections in the technical portions of the evaluation. The committee may select those Offerors submitting the highest rated proposals for the next phase or may select none and cancel the RFP. The number of proposals that advance to the next phase will be within the committee’s discretion. Regardless of the number of proposals selected, they will be the highest rated proposals from this phase.

At any time during this phase, the committee may ask an Offeror to correct, revise, or clarify any portions of its proposal so long as doing so would not result in unfairness.

The City will document the evaluation results for each Proposal considered.

4.5 Requests for More Information

At any time during the evaluation process, at the City’s sole discretion, it may request clarifications from any Offeror under active consideration and may give any Offeror the opportunity to correct its proposal if the City believes doing so would not result in an unfair advantage for the Offeror, and it is in the City’s interest. The City may reject any correction that is non-responsive or broader in scope than the correction the City requested. If the

City does so, or if the Offeror fails to respond to the request for correction, the City then may request a correction or consider the Offeror’s proposal without the correction.

4.6 Discussions and Demonstrations

The City may request the highest-ranked Offerors to interview, make a presentation about their proposal, and demonstrate their solutions. Such discussions provide an Offeror with an opportunity to do one or more of the following:

· Explain its proposal and ensure a mutual understanding of the proposal’s content;

· Show the features and functions of its proposed solution; and,

· Demonstrate its professionalism, qualifications, skills, and work knowledge.

The City will schedule the presentations, demonstrations, and discussions at its convenience and discretion. The City will determine the scope and format of any such presentations, demonstrations, and interviews and may record them.

If the City conducts interviews, demonstrations, or presentations, the City may use the information it gathers during this process to evaluate remaining proposals under consideration.

4.7 Invitation to Revise Proposals

Based upon discussions and demonstrations, the City may invite Offerors remaining under evaluation to submit best and final proposals for consideration. Offerors may elect to submit a revised proposal or not. The evaluation committee may use the information it gathers from any revised proposal in evaluating the remaining proposals under consideration.

4.8 Evaluation of Costs

Once the merits of proposals, corrections, discussions, and revisions are evaluated, the City may evaluate the costs of one or more of the highest-ranking proposals.

4.9 Contract Negotiations

The final phase of the evaluation process may be Contract negotiations with the highest-ranked Offeror. It is entirely within the discretion of the City whether to proceed with negotiations. The City may limit negotiations to particular aspects of a proposal or the RFP, or to dispense with negotiations entirely. If negotiations are held, they will be scheduled at the convenience of the City, and the selected Offeror must negotiate in good faith.

If negotiations are unsuccessful with the top-ranked Offeror, the City then may go down the line of remaining Offerors, according to rank, and negotiate with the next highest-ranking Offeror or the City may cancel the RFP.

4.10 Failure to Negotiate

If an Offeror fails to provide the necessary information for negotiations in a timely manner, the Offeror fails to negotiate in good faith, or if the Offeror and City are unable to agree upon terms, the City may terminate negotiations with that Offeror and remove the Offeror’s Proposal from further consideration.

4.11 Evaluation Criteria

The City evaluation committee will evaluate and score all RFP proposal responses based upon the following criteria:

(points)

Total

5 Award of the Contract The City plans to award the Contract based on the schedule provided in the RFP, if the City decides the Work is in its best interest. The Contract Award date is estimated and subject to change.

Contract award is governed by the City’s standard terms and conditions for services. Offerors are asked to submit any example contract language (e.g. licensing agreements, SLAs, etc.) that they would expect to be considered.

The Contractor will begin Work within 15 business Days after the City issues a purchase order, or on a mutually agreed upon start date, under the Contract. If the City awards a Contract pursuant to this RFP, and the Contractor is unable or unwilling to perform the Work, the City may cancel the Contract, effective immediately on notice to the Contractor. The City then may return to the evaluation process under this RFP and resume the process without giving further consideration to the originally selected Proposal. Additionally, the City may seek such other remedies as may be available to the City in law or in equity for the selected Offeror’s failure to perform under the Contract.

6 Requirements for Proposals Proposals need to include sufficient data to allow the City to assess proposals, and determine which proposals best meet the City’s evaluation criteria. Consistent, well-organized responses will assist the evaluation committee complete the evaluation process more consistently, efficiently, and accurately. Offerors are asked to complete and submit proposals using the Offeror Response Workbook (Excel) and follow instructions described below, in section 8.2, and within the Offeror Response Workbook. The City may reject Offeror Proposals that do not comply with the mandatory requirements for responses as prescribed.

The Offeror may include any additional information it believes is relevant within responses. While the Offeror’s proposal submission will be submitted using the attached Microsoft Excel version of the Offeror Response Workbook, in some circumstances longer explanations, possibly with diagrams or other figures may be needed with responses. While answers to direct questions, and the majority of response content will be completed within the Excel workbook, Offerors may include a separate document to be utilized only for areas requiring more lengthy or depictive responses. Please sequentially number all pages within said document. Please include reference points (section and sub-section numbering, etc.) within the separate document so the additional content can be referenced from the Offeror Response Workbook. Below is an example of helpful cross-referencing between the Offeror Response Workbook and an Offeror additional response detail document.

Offeror Response Workbook Excerpt – last three columns point to location within Offeror addendum file

Example Offeror response detail addendum excerpt – addendum item references Workbook item

To ensure that each Proposal addresses the required scope of work and required sections of the proposal response content, please fill in all light green shaded cells on every tab within the Offer Response Workbook.

Tab 4 within the workbook prompts for indication that the Offeror has read, understands, and agrees to the City’s Terms and Conditions contained in Section 7 or has proposed exceptions. Please be sure to complete these responses.

Each Proposal must respond to each request for information, whether the request requires a simple “Yes” or “No” or requires a detailed explanation.

Note that the Offeror Response Workbook (Excel) is a very substantial component of the Offeror response. Efficient, effective use of the workbook will be a factor for evaluation scoring (Response Clarity and Efficiency). Summary information for the Offeror Response Workbook is in section 8.2.

7 Specifications & Requirements, Response Workbook, Supplements This section lists all additional files, beyond this RFP document, that are included and part of this RFP document package.

7.1 Pages in Response

Please limit response not including Offeror Response Workbook or attachments to 25 pages.

7.2 Registration with State of Ohio and City of Columbus

Please ensure that you are registered to do business within the State of Ohio and with the City of Columbus.

7.3 Specifications & Requirements

All specifications and requirements are listed within the 9 – Specs. & Reqs. tab within the Offeror Response Workbook (see Section 8.2).

7.4 Offeror Response Workbook

The City requires the Offeror Response Workbook (file name “RFQxxxxx – Offeror Response Workbook.xlsx”) to be used for all proposal responses. General instructions for completing this workbook are in section 7. Additional instructions are on Tab 1 within the workbook itself.

Below is a list of the sheets/tabs within the Offeror Response Workbook:

1. Instructions

2. Offeror Info – General information about the Offeror

3. Subcontractors – List of subcontractors (if any working with or for the Offeror)

4. Terms & Cond. – City terms and conditions acceptance, concerns documentation, etc.

5. Core Competency – Questions, descriptions relating to Offeror competencies

6. Proj. Team – A list of proposed Offeror project team members

7. Refer., Prior City – Prior City engagements list, customer references list

8. Proj. Approach – General questions about Offeror approach to project

9. Specs. & Reqs. – Detailed requirements and specification questions

10. Cost – Questions regarding pricing models, licensing, etc.

11. Solution Pricing – Details and calculated summary of pricing for the proposed solution

8 Terms and Conditions

8.1 Contract Components, Order of Precedence

If this RFP results in a Contract award, the Contract will consist of the documents in the list below. The list establishes the order of precedence for resolution of any conflict, contradiction, or ambiguity between said documents:

1. City Standard Contract for Services (see section 9.2),

2. This RFP document (including published amendments/changes),

3. Offeror Contract documents,

4. Offeror proposal Terms and conditions may not be added to ordering documents.

8.2 City Standard Terms and Conditions for Services

Contract award for this RFP is governed by the City Standard Contract for Services Over $50,000 (see Appendix A of this RFP).

8.3 BWC + COI Requirements

Please include copies of your Bureau of Worker’s Compensation and Certificate of Insurance documents.

9 Proposal Cost

9.1 Proposal Cost Instructions

Costs associated with Offeror proposals should be included on Tab 11 – Solution Pricing within the Offeror Response Workbook for each proposed solution.

Proposal costs may be detailed, breaking down all elements of the proposal, or summarized. Products and hardware should be separated from services and categorized as specified within the workbook. Products and hardware should be broken down to reasonably visible components. Please utilize the categories defined within the Offeror Response Workbook, Tab 11, and Column B.

Proposal cost must separate and show the initial implementation costs separate from recurring annual costs (utilize appropriate categories). Recurring annual cost must be broken down for each year one through five (specify line item quantities for each year).

Federal and/or State Taxes are not to be included in prices quoted. The successful Offeror will be furnished an exemption certificate if needed.

Please be sure to include fixed pricing for all features, functionality, modules, etc., that are or could be considered optional, marked as such (see instructions in the Offeror Response Workbook, Tab 11). Note that the City reserves the right to purchase all, some, or none of the optional features, functionality, modules, etc., proposed.

Please be sure to include a professional services rate table or card with fixed rates for the proposed term.

Appendix A (City Standard Contract for Services Over $50,000)

CONTRACT

FOR SERVICES OVER $50,000

*ANY ALTERATIONS OF CONTRACT LANGUAGE WILL RESULT IN REVOCATION OF CITY ATTORNEY APPROVAL.*

WITNESSETH

WHEREAS, the City has a need for ; and

WHEREAS, the Contractor has the necessary experience and expertise to provide said service; and

WHEREAS, this Contract is authorized by Ordinance No. , passed by Columbus City Council on ; and NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises as hereinafter set forth, the parties agree as follows:

This Contract sets forth the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof. Understandings, agreements, representations, or warranties not contained in this Contract, or as written amendment hereto, shall not be binding on either party. Except as provided herein, no alteration of any terms, conditions, delivery, price, quality, or specifications of this Contract shall be binding on either party without the written consent of both parties. This Contract is subject to the Ohio Public Records Act.

1. Contract Term The term of this Contract shall be from to . This Contract shall not automatically renew.

2. Maximum Obligation The maximum amount to be paid under any purchase order associated with this Contract shall not exceed unless additional funds are appropriated and authorized.

3. Pricing and Scope of Services The Contractor agrees to perform and invoice the Scope of Services as set forth ON ATTACHED EXHIBIT A* and as contained in the bid specifications, which are expressly incorporated herein.

*Contract is NOT valid if the Scope of Services is NOT attached.

No other costs, rates, or fees shall be payable to the Contractor for services performed hereunder. The terms and conditions specified in this Contract constitute the entire contract governing the purchase of services by the City from the Contractor, and shall supersede any terms and conditions that may accompany Contractor’s invoice/bid/estimate.