14008-0-2025-BP Human Resource Management Software.pdf

CITY OF MADISON

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

RFP #: 14008-0-2025-BP

Title: Human Resource Management Software

City Agency: Human Resources and Information Technology

Due Date: March 11, 2025 2:00 PM Central Time

Our Madison – Inclusive, Innovative, & Thriving

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS RFP 14008-0-2025-BP

HRM RFP.docx Page i

1 OPPORTUNITY AND WELCOME

Thank you for your interest in bidding on a City of Madison “City” contract opportunity. The City’s mission is to provide the highest quality service for the common good of our residents and visitors.

Madison is the 2nd largest metropolitan area in the state of Wisconsin with more than 270,000 City residents. In 2023, the City posted more than 300 job announcements and hired in excess of 800 full and part-time staff members. The City’s workforce consists of approximately 3000 permanent staff and more than 800 hourly/seasonal employees spread across more than 30 departments.

The City of Madison Information Technology and Human Resources Departments are seeking proposals from qualified vendors for a robust Human Resources Management (HRM) platform.

The City has prioritized acquisition of software focused on four key areas: Employee Onboarding/Offboarding, Employee Training (LMS), Performance Management, and Records Management. The City will consider acquisition of additional software modules embedded in the same HRM platform if the software solution clearly demonstrates the ability to reduce costs while providing process improvements and a potential significant increase in the overall efficiency of City operations.

Due to budget availability and staffing resources it is expected that implementation will not begin until the 3rd or 4th quarter of 2025 and deployment of software modules will occur in phases throughout the following two years.

2 IMPORTANT INFORMATION

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: March 11th, 2025 at 2:00 PM Central Time.

The City will not accept late proposals. Any changes to the deadlines will be posted as an addendum on the bid distribution websites listed below. See Section 3.1 for instructions for using these websites.

RFP NAME: Human Resource Management Software

DEADLINE FOR

QUESTIONS:

The deadline for questions is February 12, 2025 at 2:00 PM Central Time.

Questions and/or inquiries must be submitted by email.

CITY’S ANSWERS

POSTED BY:

The City’s answers to your questions will be posted as an addendum by February 21, 2025. You must check the bid distribution websites for any addendums.

DUE DATE FOR

PROPOSALS:

March 11th, 2025 2:00 PM Central Time

BID DISTRIBUTION

WEBSITES:

https://vendornet.wi.gov/Bids.aspx https://www.demandstar.com/

CONTACT

INFORMATION:

Brian Pittelli Purchasing Services 210 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Room 407 City-County Building Madison, WI 53703-3346 Phone: (608) 267-4969

Email: bpittelli@cityofmadison.com https://www.cityofmadison.com/vision-awards https://vendornet.wi.gov/Bids.aspx https://www.demandstar.com/app/agencies/wisconsin/city-of-madison-purchasing-services/procurement-opportunities/573ff565-ce2b-4c75-86ec-401cd5abf736/ mailto:bids@cityofmadison.com

HRM RFP.docx Page ii

Table of Contents

1 OPPORTUNITY AND WELCOME .................................................................................................... i 2 IMPORTANT INFORMATION ........................................................................................................... i

3 HOW TO FIND RFP DOCUMENTS AND CONTACT THE CITY OF MADISON

3.1 Official Bid Distribution Websites – IMPORTANT

3.2 Contact Information

4 OUR PURCHASING VALUES

4.1 Local Preference Purchasing Policy

4.2 Equity in Contracting

4.3 Equitable Hiring & Affirmative Action Plan

4.4 Limitations on Nuclear Weapons Producers

4.5 Sweatfree Purchasing

5 SCOPE OF WORK AND REQUIRED INFORMATION

5.1 Scope of Work

5.2 Implementation Timeline

5.3 Cost Proposal

5.4 Required Information and Content of Proposals

5.5 Basis for Selection

6 HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL

6.1 Proposal Checklist

6.2 Submit your Proposal by the Deadline

6.3 Format

6.4 Questions

6.5 Addendum (Changes or Clarifications to this RFP)

6.6 Multiple Proposals

6.7 Changing or Withdrawing your Proposal

6.8 Correcting Errors in your Proposal after the Due Date

6.9 No Exceptions from Bidders

6.10 You are Responsible for all of your Costs in Making a Proposal

6.11 Public Records and Trade Secrets

7 RULES FOR THE SELECTION PROCESS

8 LEGAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

8.1 Sample Contract

8.2 Affirmative Action Requirements for Contractors

8.3 Insurance

9 IMPORTANT LEGAL INFORMATION FOR SOFTWARE AND TECHNOLOGY CONTRACTS

(Contracts over $25,000/year)

Sample Contract Appendix A: Milestone Acceptance Procedure and Form Appendix B: Change Order Procedure and Form Appendix C: Software Acquisition Questionnaire (SAQ) – do not return with your submission Appendix D: Requirements Excel Workbook Form A: Price Proposal and Signature Affidavit Form A2: Cost Proposal Excel Form Form A3: Cost Proposal Narrative Form B: References Form C: Vendor Profile

3 HOW TO FIND RFP DOCUMENTS AND CONTACT THE CITY OF MADISON

3.1 Official Bid Distribution Websites – IMPORTANT

The City of Madison posts all requests for proposals (RFPs), addendums, updates, awards, and announcements on two websites: VendorNet and DemandStar. Both sites are free to register for City of Madison bids.

These two websites are the only places to get the official RFP and updates to the RFP.

Updates and addendums will only be posted on these websites. It is your responsibility to check the websites for updates and “addendums.” An addendum is a document that answers questions from bidders. It could make important changes to the RFP. If the addendum requires a response, and you fail to respond to it, you could be disqualified.

State of Wisconsin VendorNet System

State of Wisconsin and local government bid network. Registration is free. Search for City of Madison in the Agency search field.

VendorNet link https://vendornet.wi.gov/Bids.aspx

DemandStar by Onvia National bid network. Free subscription is available. Sign up for the free “Basic Plan” and select Wisconsin Association for Public Procurement (WAPP) as the agency to access City of Madison RFPs.

DemandStar link https://www.demandstar.com/app/agencies/wisconsin/city-of-madison-purchasing-services/procurement-opportunities/573ff565-ce2b-4c75- 86ec-401cd5abf736/

Register on DemandStar www.demandstar.com/app/registration

3.2 Contact Information

City of Madison Purchasing Contact (Buyer)

Brian Pittelli Purchasing Services 210 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Room 407 City-County Building Madison, WI 53703-3346

PH: (608) 267-4969

bpittelli@cityofmadison.com

Questions about Affirmative Action Plans

Contract Compliance, Department of Civil Rights 210 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Room 523 City-County Building Madison, WI 53703

PH: (608) 266-4910

dcr@cityofmadison.com

Email note Some emails to the City gets lost in “spam.”

If you send the City an email and you do not hear back within 3 days, please call the Buyer at (608) 267-4969.

https://vendornet.wi.gov/Bids.aspx https://www.demandstar.com/app/agencies/wisconsin/city-of-madison-purchasing-services/procurement-opportunities/573ff565-ce2b-4c75-86ec-401cd5abf736/ https://www.demandstar.com/app/agencies/wisconsin/city-of-madison-purchasing-services/procurement-opportunities/573ff565-ce2b-4c75-86ec-401cd5abf736/ https://www.demandstar.com/app/agencies/wisconsin/city-of-madison-purchasing-services/procurement-opportunities/573ff565-ce2b-4c75-86ec-401cd5abf736/ https://www.demandstar.com/app/registration mailto:dcr@cityofmadison.com

4 OUR PURCHASING VALUES

4.1 Local Preference Purchasing Policy

The City of Madison gives preference to local vendors and suppliers. You must be registered with the City as a local vendor by the RFP due date to get preference points. Learn more and register at the City of Madison website: www.cityofmadison.com/finance/purchasing/local-businesses/register-business/

If you are a local vendor, be sure to complete the Local Vendor section on Form C.

4.2 Equity in Contracting

The mission of the City of Madison is to provide the highest quality service for the common good of our residents and visitors. The City’s values include

• Equity - fairness, justice and equal outcomes for all, and

• Shared prosperity - where all are able to achieve economic success and social mobility.

It is our goal to spend money equitably among businesses owned by women, people of color, and small businesses. Our contractors should reflect shared dedication to equity in their work and employment practices, and we invite you to become part of this mission!

4.3 Equitable Hiring & Affirmative Action Plan

Affirmative Action Plan The City of Madison values diversity in hiring and contracting. We expect our contractors to do the same. Contractors with 15 or more employees and more than $50,000 in annual contracts with the City (each calendar year) must submit an Affirmative Action Plan.

Information about the Affirmative Action Plan and how to comply is found here:

https://www.cityofmadison.com/civil-rights/contract-compliance/affirmative-action-plan/vendors-suppliers

Or call the Affirmative Action Division at (608) 266-4910.

See Section 13. B. of the Sample Contract for Affirmative Action Plan requirements.

Job Openings in Dane County You must notify the City of openings for jobs in Dane County, Wisconsin if you have 15 or more employees. You must agree to interview candidates that we refer to you through our Referrals and Interviews for Sustainable Employment (RaISE) program. Information is here:

http://www.cityofmadison.com/civil-rights/programs/referrals-and-interviews-for-sustainable-employment-raise-program

The job posting requirement is found in Section 13 A. of the Sample Contract.

4.4 Limitations on Nuclear Weapons Producers

It is the City’s policy not to make purchases from companies that produce nuclear weapons, or their subsidiaries. See Common Council Resolution 79719 for more information.

4.5 Sweatfree Purchasing

It is the City’s policy not to purchase apparel (clothes made from textiles, shoes, footwear) from vendors who source their materials from sweatshops, where labor practices are inconsistent with international standards of human rights. See Madison General Ordinances Section 4.25 (https://library.municode.com/wi/madison/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COORMAWIVOICH1-- 10_CH4FI_4.25PRITAP) for more information.

https://www.cityofmadison.com/finance/purchasing/local-businesses/register-business/ https://www.cityofmadison.com/vision-awards https://www.cityofmadison.com/civil-rights/contract-compliance/affirmative-action-plan/vendors-suppliers http://www.cityofmadison.com/civil-rights/programs/referrals-and-interviews-for-sustainable-employment-raise-program http://www.cityofmadison.com/civil-rights/programs/referrals-and-interviews-for-sustainable-employment-raise-program https://madison.legistar.com/ViewReport.ashx?M=R&N=Text&GID=205&ID=5490426&GUID=A7280DE2-DFCB-40F2-8200-E9C3EA95902B&Title=Legislation+Text https://library.municode.com/wi/madison/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COORMAWIVOICH1--10_CH4FI_4.25PRITAP https://library.municode.com/wi/madison/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COORMAWIVOICH1--10_CH4FI_4.25PRITAP

5 SCOPE OF WORK AND REQUIRED INFORMATION

5.1 Scope of Work

The lack of an overall Human Resource Management platform has stretched HR and IT staffing and made the employee onboarding and training processes inefficient. The City is seeking a platform that can:

a) Streamline our employee Onboarding and Records Management processes

b) Provide a robust Learning Management system to create, distribute, track employee training content and sessions, and test employee knowledge

c) Function as a centralized employee Performance Management and skills tracking system

d) Offer user-customizable reports, dashboards, and data export options

e) Support virtual community spaces for employee groups and provide a space and process for staff recognition

f) Serve as the system of record for centralized personnel files, while integrating with the City’s payroll system, Tyler Technologies ERP

Beyond these key functions, the City is examining opportunities to modernize its HR processes and increase productivity. The City may find added value in a solution which can integrate with our existing systems or provide embedded capabilities to simplify the following tasks:

g) Potentially serve as a centralized employee recruitment platform

h) Act as an employee self-service portal, assisting employees seeking information about available time off, benefits, work rules, compensation, or other topics which may be of interest to employees

i) Provide an integrated and accessible solution for communication with both field and office employees

j) And function as a unified system for employee time management

Depending on cost, the City may choose to purchase software for all these tasks, or it may begin with the critical modules (Onboarding, Learning Management, Records Management, and Performance Management) and add additional functionality over time. Proposed platforms seeking to receive all available points should have the ability to meet all these needs immediately.

The City currently utilizes Tyler Technologies ERP (previously MUNIS) for accounting, budgeting, financial transactions, and payroll. System integration with the Tyler platform is highly desirable. The City is not interested in transitioning its Payroll System at this time. Vendors proposing solutions that require payroll to be transitioned immediately will be disqualified.

The City is interested in a Human Resources Management system which will enable significant automation of processes and workflows throughout the employee lifecyle including employee recruiting, onboarding, training, skills assessment, tracking of performance, growth and career pathways, succession planning, offboarding, and records management. The ability for users to create customized visualizations and interactive reports within the system is also highly desirable. Finally, the capability for direct employee communication within the system would be a significant added value.

The City of Madison currently uses the following applications for human resources-related activities.

Payroll Tyler Technologies ERP (previously MUNIS). This system is currently on-premises with plans to move to the cloud. The City is also using the Employee Self-Service portal for employee access to time entry, leave requests, and accessing digital documents to some extent, such as W2 statements, pay stubs, and open enrollment election.

Recruitment NeoGov Insight, OHC, and Analytics & Reporting. The City uses these portions of the NeoGov platform for recruitment and applicant tracking. The City pairs NeoGov with Biddle TestGenius for candidate OPAC testing.

IT Service Management TeamDynamix. The City uses this system for ticketing, workload and resource management, customer service portal, knowledge management, asset management, and project management. Specifically, City IT uses TeamDynamix for management of their portion of the new hire onboarding process, as well as off-boarding.

Collaboration Microsoft 365, Teams, and SharePoint Online. The City recently implemented M365 and is currently finalizing migration from SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint Online. City staff use the M365 Office suite and Teams for daily collaboration and workload management.

Time Tracking UKG (Kronos, Telestaff), Timekeeper. These systems are in addition to Tyler ERP/ESS, and are commonly used in departments with field staff, such as Police, Fire, Fleet Service, Parks, Streets, and other Public Works divisions. Data collected in the various time tracking systems is transferred into the Tyler ERP system during the bi-weekly payroll process. While moving to a single time management system could add efficiency, this is currently a lower priority goal.

Surveying SurveyMonkey. The City uses SurveyMonkey in many capacities, including employee pulse surveys, course evaluations, polling, and scheduling.

Event Management EventBrite. The City uses EventBrite for managing City events.

Video Asset Management System Mediasite. The City stores video files on the Mediasite platform. This includes recordings of public meetings, events, outreach communications, and training.

5.2 Implementation Timeline

The City project team will be seeking guidance during implementation from the selected vendor based on their experience with the implementation of the proposed platform and selected modules. The recommended implementation timeline should be clearly articulated in the proposal and vendors should clearly communicate all key assumptions when describing the details of their timeline. The City will provide a project manager to ensure that City responsibilities and milestones are met.

5.3 Cost Proposal

Software vendors vary as to how their applications are structured and sold. Some vendors may view their software as a single product which is purchased on an “all or nothing” basis, other vendors may view their software as a menu of modules which can be purchased separately on an ala carte basis. Since the City has prioritized Onboarding, Learning Management, Records Management, and Performance Management as our critical needs; we are seeking to separate the cost of these key functions from the cost of the secondary process and productivity tools we have listed above.

Vendors pricing software separately on an ala carte basis should submit two cost proposals. The first for the software to meet our critical needs (Onboarding, Learning Management, Records Management, and Performance Management); and a second for the additional tools which may add productivity and efficiency to our processes (Recruiting, Employee Self-Service, Benefits Management, Time Management, etc.).

Vendors pricing their software as a single “all or nothing” purchase may submit a single cost proposal covering all the functionality offered by the software.

Pricing information included in the cost proposal shall be valid for at least 180 calendar days following the proposal due date.

It is the intent of the IT and Human Resources Departments to contract with the awarded vendor for at least 7 years following system implementation and go live. However, due to annual funding allocations made by the City of Madison Common Council, the City will have the right to cancel the contract at any time with 180 days notice.

5.4 Required Information and Content of Proposals

In order to aid with the fair and equitable evaluation of all proposals, vendors should adhere to the format outlined below. Proposals deviating from this format may be considered non-responsive and may be disqualified. Note that Sections 1 – 5 are considered the Technical Proposal.

Vendors submitting responsive proposals will provide narrative answers to the following in this order:

# Section Summary Description 1 Cover Letter Introductory letter describing the software and services proposed relevant to the scope of work in this RFP.

2 Background Questions A brief description of the vendor’s background, staff, clients, products, and experience.

3 Proposed Software Solution

A description of the solution proposed to meet the City’s goals.

4 Software Implementation & User Training

Provide an overview of the implementation and training methodology.

5 Ongoing Maintenance & Support Services

Describe the ongoing maintenance and support services recommended for the proposed solution.

6 Software Licensing & Maintenance Agreements

Attach any software licensing, maintenance, software as a service, or 3rd party agreements that would be required for implementation and use of the proposed software solution.

7 Requirements Complete the requirements spreadsheet and return the list as an Excel file attached to your emailed proposal.

8 Pricing The City of Madison seeks a comprehensive understanding of all costs associated with the proposed solution, including implementation, training, licensing, ongoing maintenance, etc.

Complete the Pricing Excel (Form A2) and return the file as a separate Excel document when emailing your proposal. Also, complete Form A3: Cost Proposal Narrative and submit back as either a Word document or pdf. Pricing information should not be included in the text of the proposal. Pricing will be evaluated separately from the narrative proposal.

The percentage of the total score that each section is worth is listed as [x%] next to the section heading.

1- Cover Letter (Maximum 3 pages)

Provide an introductory letter summarizing your solution to meet the needs described in this RFP. What are the key features that make your software unique? What are the value-added services which distinguish your company and your software?

2- Background questions (Maximum 10 pages) [5%]

Responses must be in the same sequence and identified with the corresponding question number (Example: Question 1, Question 2, etc.).

1. Please provide an overview of your company including: the length of time the company has been in business, office locations, and the number of employees currently active at the company. Also include brief description of the company’s business philosophy, management structure, and mission. If you will be utilizing subcontractors, please list their information here as well.

2. Please list your company’s key software products, the length of time these products have been commercially available, and the number of clients using the products. Also provide the annual customer churn rate for the past three years (if the products have not been available for three years provide information for each year of availability.)

3. Key Staff – Provide key contact names, titles, email, and phone numbers, define their roles and the responsibilities associated with this project. At a minimum this should include the Primary Point of Contact and their supervisor. (Feel Free to add resumes.

Resumes will not count towards the page limit)

4. Describe your past experience implementing the proposed software solution in a public sector environment. What differences have you experienced in public sector implementations versus private corporations or organizations? What experience do you have with implementations in mid-sized cities similar to Madison? What about varying levels of technology access of employees?

5. Describe one project that did not go according to plan. What happened? How were the problem(s) solved? Are you still working with that client?

3- Proposed Software Solution (Maximum 12 pages) [8%]

The City is only considering cloud hosted or SaaS systems. The City is not seeking an on-premise system.

Responses must be in the same sequence and identified with the corresponding question number (Example: Question 1, Question 2, etc.).

1. Describe your software solution, is the software sold as a single application with all functionality available or as a series of modules which can be purchased on an ala carte basis? If the software is sold as modules:

a) Identify the modules necessary to meet the requested core functionalities (Employee Onboarding, Records Management, Learning Management including any authoring tools, and Performance Management).

b) Identify any optional modules that would add additional efficiency or significant functionality to the proposed solution.

2. Define any hardware, software, or database specifications required for the proposed solution. Are there storage limits for the proposed system?

3. What are the mobile capabilities of the proposed system, are there particular restrictions or a required mobile platform such as Android or iOS?

4. Describe the accessibility functions of the proposed system (including those for individuals with limited vision or for whom English is their second language).

5. Describe the existing APIs and services which are available to push and pull data. Are the services secured or encrypted? How can data be accessed?

6. How is data access managed and in what environment?

7. Explain how you manage protecting Personally Identifiable Information (PII) as defined in Wis. Stat. § 19.62(5) and other confidential information in your application.

8. Please explain how backups of data and applications are performed and the backup policies that are in place. Please indicate your method for routinely testing your backups.

9. For either City-hosted or SaaS solutions, are there minimum internet bandwidth requirements that end-users should have for the best user experience?

10. The City requires approval on all data centers used by the platform, including 3rd party data centers. Where are your data centers located, and who owns them?

11. Describe your approach to disaster recovery and continuity of operations?

12. Please describe your method to convert data from legacy systems.

13. When the contract term ends, how is the client’s data typically made available?

14. The State of Wisconsin has a broad public records statute. Please indicate how access to data will be available to comply with Wisconsin open records laws.

4- Project Implementation (Maximum 10 pages) [8%]

Responses must be in the same sequence and identified with the corresponding question number (Example: Question 1, Question 2, etc.).

1. Provide an overview of your proposed approach to the software roll-out, including the order and timing of required modules.

2. Sample project plan including phases, tasks, and timeline. Identify City/vendor supplied resources including roles, responsibilities, and estimated time per month.

3. Explain your change management philosophy, how will you communicate and prepare City staff for successful implementation and adoption of the new HR platform?

4. Describe the data conversion strategy and tools provided for conversion.

5. Describe your approach to training, how will you ensure City staff are adequately prepared to use the proposed system. How you will address different learning styles and accommodation needs. Include a description of training materials to be used and the expected duration of training. Are there online training options available? May training sessions be recorded for use by future staff members?

6. Describe your approach to User Acceptance Testing (UAT) including methods, tools, and criteria used to confirm successful completion. Identify specific roles and responsibilities which would fall to City staff vs Vendor staff.

7. Describe your approach to custom workflow and report development.

8. Describe your approach and experience in integration with Neogov and Tyler

Technologies ERP/Munis.

9. Describe the data/file migration strategy from existing systems to the proposed system. What migration tools would be used, if any.

5- Hosting, Maintenance, Support and Service Level (Maximum 5 pages) [4%]

Responses must be in the same sequence and identified with the corresponding question number (Example: Question 1, Question 2, etc.).

1. How will maintenance and upgrades be performed, how much down time is to be expected related to maintenance or upgrades? How will the City be notified of upcoming maintenance or upgrades? Provide a typical schedule of upgrades and patches.

2. Describe how the platform will be monitored. How and when will the City be notified of system performance, security, or other issues?

3. Identify the location(s), staffing, and support hours (in US Central Time) for your customer support services. Describe your procedures for ticket prioritization and escalation. Describe your response time commitments and include your average resolution time by ticket priority level.

a) Are there vendor sponsored forums, user groups, or user conferences associated with the proposed software?

6- Software Licensing & Subscription Agreements (Unlimited Pages)

Provide sample contract documents for SaaS subscription and/or licensing, professional services, service level agreement (SLA), uptime guarantee, incident and support response, and other agreements required for implementation and activation of the proposed solution. These agreements should be included as additional pages in the proposal and should not be attached as separate files.

7- Requirements [40%]

Appendix D: Requirements should be completed separately and included with the emailed proposal as a separate Excel file.

8- Pricing [30%]

Submitting the Cost Proposal is a two-part process:

• Complete the Form A2: Cost Proposal Excel Form with the cost information from the beginning of implementation to the 10th year following Go Live.

Return the completed Cost Proposal Form as a separate Excel file included with the email containing your proposal.

• Please complete Form A3: Cost Proposal Narrative, this portion should be returned as a Microsoft Word document or as a .pdf document.

Please note that in the final selection phase, all top respondents will be required to complete and submit the City’s Software Acquisition Questionnaire and Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT;

WCAG 2.1AA compliance), which will be distributed by the evaluation panel project managers.

5.5 Basis for Selection

The selection process will begin with an administrative review by the purchasing agent. This review will assess the proposal for completeness and compliance with the requested proposal format. Vendors failing the administrative review will be contacted and offered the opportunity to cure the issues prior to March 28 at 2pm CST. Vendors will have at least five business days prior to make updates.

The proposals which pass the administrative review will be forwarded to the evaluation panel along with the Requirements File. The panel will review and score the Requirements File and the Narrative proposals submitted by each vendor. The Cost Proposal (Form A2) will be scored separately by the Finance Department. The Total Score will be based on the weighting below:

Narrative Proposal 25%

• Background Questions

• Proposed Solution

• Implementation

• Maintenance & Support

Requirements 40% Cost Proposal (Cost Proposal Narrative & Cost Proposal Form) 30% Local Vendor Preference 5% Total Vendor Score 100%

Once the Total Vendor Scores have been calculated for each proposal, the evaluation panel will rank the proposals and may invite up to four vendors for product demonstrations in front of the evaluation panel and a group of selected stakeholders.

Vendors who are invited to participate in product demonstrations will be sent a Software Acquisition Questionnaire (SAQ) to complete along with a due date for submission, the due date will be at least 10 business days following the distribution of demonstration invitations. A copy of the SAQ is available in Appendix C to this RFP and includes Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT; WCAG 2.1AA compliance). Vendors should not submit the SAQ with their submission for the RFP.

The product demonstrations will consist of a day-long presentation (maximum 7 hours). The presentations will be conducted in person at a City of Madison facility. Vendors will be provided a scripted list of scenarios/actions which the panel will be evaluating. The script will be provided to the selected vendors at least two weeks before the scheduled demonstrations.

The evaluation panel may ask questions during the demonstrations. Additional stakeholders may take notes but will not ask vendors direct questions.

Following the demonstrations, the City reserves the right to ask for additional sessions, likely virtual, to help answer questions and further the evaluation process.

6 HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL

6.1 Proposal Checklist

6.2 Submit your Proposal by the Deadline

Submit your proposal by email to City of Madison Purchasing Services by March 11, 2025 at 2:00 PM Central Time.

• Make sure your proposal is complete (see checklist above) and readable.

• Include RFP 14008-0-2025-BP in the email subject line.

• Email proposals to: bids@cityofmadison.com

• Do not send your proposal to any other City email or agency

If you cannot send your proposal by email, please contact the Buyer at (608)267-4969

You must include RFP 14008-0-2025-BP on your proposal and all other communication to the City. For email, include RFP 14008-0-2025-BP in the subject line.

Required Documents to Submit:

Answer to Questions in Section 5.4

Pricing Forms A2 & A3

Appendix D: Requirement

Required Forms to Submit:

Form A: Price Proposal and Signature Affidavit

Form B: References

Form C: Vendor Profile

RFP ADDENDUM

Check the bid websites for any addendum. See Section 3.1.

• You can use the area below to track addendums.

• An addendum might require you to submit additional documents. Make sure to read it carefully and send any additional documents.

Addendum # (if any) Have you read it?

Have you submitted any documents required by the addendum?

Addendum # _______

Addendum # _______

For example, an email subject line could read: RFP 14008-0-2025-BP Human Resources Management Software Questions.

6.3 Format

• Electronic – proposals are submitted electronically. Exceptions can be made for paper submittals but you must contact the Buyer ahead of time to make those arrangements.

• Legible and readable – if not the City might reject it.

• Simple – not necessary to include elaborate/ high tech/ expensive graphics or similar features.

• Complete – your proposal must include all required sections and forms. See checklist.

6.4 Questions

You can ask questions about the RFP until the deadline for questions of February 12, 2025 at 2:00 PM Central Time.

Email questions to Brian Pittelli at bpittelli@cityofmadison.com. Remember to include RFP 14008-0- 2025-BP in the subject line.

We post answers to bidder questions as an addendum on the bid websites. Check the websites regularly.

6.5 Addendum (Changes or Clarifications to this RFP)

RFP addendums make clarifications, answer bidder questions, make changes to RFP timeline, and provide other important information. Addendums are posted on the bid websites listed in Section 3.1.

IMPORTANT: It is your responsibility to check for addendums. An addendum might require you to submit additional information. Your proposal could be disqualified if you do not:

• Check the bid websites regularly during the posting period

• Read all addendum

• Follow the instructions in the addendum

6.6 Multiple Proposals

You may submit more than one proposal if you are proposing more than one way to fulfill the scope requested by this RFP. If so, each proposal must meet the requirements of the RFP. Clearly label each proposal by number (Proposal #1, Proposal #2) and submit each separately.

6.7 Changing or Withdrawing your Proposal

You may make changes to your proposal before the due date of March 11, 2025 at 2:00 PM Central Time.

You may withdraw your proposal before the due date. After the due date, no proposals may be withdrawn for 180 days or as otherwise provided by law.

6.8 Correcting Errors in your Proposal after the Due Date

The City will notify you if we believe you made an error in your proposal and may allow you to correct the error. The City will decide if correcting the error is in the City’s best interest, is fair to the other bidders, and preserves competition. The City will decide whether an error can be corrected and will notify you.

6.9 No Exceptions from Bidders

Exceptions to this RFP are not permitted. The City of Madison reserves the right to reject bids that take exceptions or don’t follow the requirements of this RFP. If you ask to change the requirements, specifications, sample contract, or legal terms, that is considered an “exception.” A statement that you will not or cannot comply with any part of this RFP or the sample contract will also be considered an “exception.” (If this RFP allows substitutions or alternate solutions, the Scope of Services (Section 5) will make this clear, and that is not considered an “exception.”)

6.10 You are Responsible for all of your Costs in Making a Proposal

You participate in this RFP at your own expense. You may be asked to attend virtual or in-person meetings, make presentations, give demonstrations, inspect City locations, or make your facilities available for a site inspection. The City will not pay any costs incurred in your preparation of bids, even if this RFP is changed or cancelled.

6.11 Public Records and Trade Secrets

Your response to this RFP is a public record. Wisconsin and other public records laws may require the City to share your proposal or the resulting contract if someone makes a public records request. If a public records request is made, the City’s Records Custodian applies the law to decide whether the record must be disclosed, or if any part of the record can be redacted or not disclosed. There are very few exceptions to disclosure under Wisconsin law. One exception is for “trade secrets” as defined by sec.

134.90(1)(c) of the Wisconsin Statutes. It is your responsibility to research trade secrets as defined by Wisconsin law if you think any part of your proposal might be a “trade secret.” The City cannot give private legal advice to you. Most things will NOT meet this exception.

You may label items you believe meet this definition as a “trade secret” and submit them separately from the rest of your proposal, but the City cannot guarantee that information will be treated as a trade secret or confidential.

Things that are not considered confidential: your proposal or bid in its entirety, price proposal, pricing information, references, or the resulting contract. This is not a complete list.

Preserving competition: To the extent permitted by law, the City intends to withhold proposals under this RFP from public view until competitive or bargaining reasons no longer require it, in the City’s opinion. At that time, all proposals will be available for review in accordance with public records laws.

The City will not provide advance notice to bidders prior to releasing any requested public record.

7 RULES FOR THE SELECTION PROCESS

This RFP does not commit the City to award a contract. The City can cancel this RFP at any time. There is no guarantee that the City will award any contract as a result of this RFP. While the City considers this procurement important to City operations, the circumstances could change.

The City might make a partial award. By submitting a proposal you are willing to accept an order for all or part of the items/services. Note in your proposal if you do not agree to accept a partial award.

The City reserves the right to make changes to this RFP. Any changes will be made with an Addendum. Changes could impact due dates or specifications, or could require additional information from all bidders.

The City reserves the right to reject any proposal. We can reject all or part of a proposal without explaining the reason. Proposals could be rejected if they are missing information (non-responsive) or fail to demonstrate that the bidder is responsible and capable of doing the work (not responsible.)

The City may negotiate with finalists or the selected vendor. One or more bidders may need to submit additional technical proposals, best and final price proposals, or other changes to their bids.

Federal or State Laws may apply to this RFP (such as federal regulations or procurement policies that apply to grant funding). Those laws will apply over any conflicting procedure in this RFP.

Responsible and Responsive Bidders You should read the Scope of Work (Section 5) carefully to determine your ability to perform and complete the work required. This contract will only be awarded to a bidder who is “responsible” and “responsive” and whose bid is most advantageous to the City, with price and other factors considered. This RFP is designed to help the City select responsive and responsible bidders.

“Responsive” means that your proposal responds to all parts of this RFP – it is complete, not missing any information, and addresses all of the required work. Failure to provide all of the information requested in this RFP could result in being considered “not responsive.”

A “Responsible” bidder has demonstrated the ability to perform successfully under the terms of the proposed contract. This includes having adequate financial resources or the ability to obtain them; can perform and deliver on time, delivery taking into account other business commitments; has a satisfactory performance record; has a satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics; and has the necessary organization, experience and technical skills. A bidder that cannot demonstrate these things may be considered “not responsible.”

Contractors with past problems with the City The City reserves the right to refuse to accept any bid from any person, firm or corporation who

• owes the City money

• is in default to the City

• has been debarred through an official process such as through the Department of Civil Rights

• has had performance or other problems on past contracts with the City

Such bidders may be deemed “not responsible.”

8 LEGAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

8.1 Sample Contract

You must review the Sample Contract(s) attached to the end of this RFP. This contract* will be used for the work resulting from this RFP.

By submitting a proposal, you are willing to enter into a contract with the terms found in the Sample Contract. Exceptions to the legal terms are not allowed and may result in your proposal being rejected. The City does not negotiate legal terms prior to award.

*While the City strives to provide the most appropriate sample contracts, the City reserves the right to modify the form for any contract resulting from this RFP.

8.2 Affirmative Action Requirements for Contractors

City contractors must show they hire and promote employees equitably and make their best efforts to have a diverse workforce.

Affirmative Action Plan: Bidders with 15 or more employees that will earn $50,000 or more in total contracts with the City in the calendar year must file an Affirmative Action Plan (AA plan) with the City.

Submit your AA plan online using the form provided by the City. See the sample AA plan for “vendors and suppliers” at: https://www.cityofmadison.com/civil-rights/contract-compliance/affirmative-action-plan/vendors-suppliers

Exemptions: Bidders who have fewer than 15 employees or will earn less than $50,000 in total contracts with the City in the calendar year will be exempt from filing a full AA plan. You will need to fill out a request for exemption form. If you have 15 or more employees, you must complete an exemption form, provide some workforce statistics, and participate in the “RaISE” program.

Release of Payment: The City cannot make any payments under a contract until the Affirmative Action plan or request for exemption form are completed.

Referrals and Interviews for Sustainable Employment (RaISE) Program: The RaISE program is designed to match qualified people to employment. If you have 15 or more employees and are awarded the contract, you must let the City know about all external job openings in Dane County, Wisconsin. You must also agree to interview candidates the City refers to you. See this link for information and instructions: https://www.cityofmadison.com/civil-rights/programs/referrals-and-interviews-for-sustainable-employment-raise-program

The City has a Small Business Enterprise program described here:

https://www.cityofmadison.com/civil-rights/contract-compliance/targeted-business-enterprise-programs.

You will be encouraged to provide opportunities for small business enterprises (SBE) to compete for any subcontracts allowed in the contract.

See the Sample Contract, section 13, for all requirements for the City’s Affirmative Action program for contractors. Call the Contract Compliance Specialist at (608) 266-4910 with questions.

8.3 Insurance

All City contractors must provide a Certificate of Insurance. You must carry the insurance policies required by section 27 of the Sample Contract. This includes general liability, automobile liability, workers compensation, professional/technology errors & omissions, and cyber liability insurance. Please see the instructions and section 27 of the Sample Contract for the actual insurance requirements.

https://www.cityofmadison.com/civil-rights/contract-compliance/affirmative-action-plan/vendors-suppliers https://www.cityofmadison.com/civil-rights/contract-compliance/affirmative-action-plan/vendors-suppliers https://www.cityofmadison.com/civil-rights/programs/referrals-and-interviews-for-sustainable-employment-raise-program https://www.cityofmadison.com/civil-rights/programs/referrals-and-interviews-for-sustainable-employment-raise-program https://www.cityofmadison.com/civil-rights/contract-compliance/targeted-business-enterprise-programs

9 IMPORTANT LEGAL INFORMATION FOR SOFTWARE AND TECHNOLOGY

CONTRACTS (Contracts over $25,000/year)

The City’s Contract for Purchase of Services (Software/Technology) must be used as the primary contract when purchasing professional IT services, training, data conversion, implementation, subscriptions, support and maintenance, hosting, and software that is delivered as SaaS. This contract template must be completed and customized for each project. It provides the legal “boilerplate” and mandatory requirements unique to the City of Madison, such as nondiscrimination, affirmative action, public records compliance, and network security.

Software or SaaS Licensing Terms – the contract must include, as attachments, additional legal terms covering the City’s use and access to any proprietary software, SaaS, cloud hosting services, and both parties’ intellectual property rights.

Vendor Contract Documents and Legal Terms: Madison does not have a standard software license or SaaS subscription agreement. The selected contractor is expected to provide legal terms specific to their software solution. This could include an end user license agreement (EULA), SaaS subscription agreement, Service Level Agreements (SLA) for up time and response times, support and maintenance services, confidentiality language (if any), data security and privacy, sample hosting agreements, and any other contract forms appropriate for the proposed solution. The City may use your contract together with our Contract for Purchase of Services, after review and negotiation by the City Attorney. The City reserves the right to negotiate all contract documents.

The City does not sign vendor contracts or agree that your contract will be the “top” paper, but will negotiate a contract that contains agreed language to protect both parties, using the City’s form as the basis for the contract.

Scope of Work (SOW): For projects with implementation or other professional services, the vendor must provide a comprehensive Scope of Work/Scope of Services describing every stage of the project in detail, and may also include a project schedule or methodology for creating the project schedule. The parties will work together to prepare the final SOW to be an attached the contract. If change control procedures are needed, use the attached Change Control Procedure and Form.

Milestone Payment Schedule: The City will pay for implementation or other professional services occurring over a period of time according to a negotiated schedule, with payments conditioned on the City’s written acceptance of each milestone, using the attached Payment Milestone Acceptance Procedure and form. Acceptance criteria for each milestone must be included in the SOW.

Hosting, Data Ownership, Security: If your proposal involves SaaS or other cloud hosted services or infrastructure where customer data will be stored, hosted, reviewed or analyzed by the vendor, please be aware that the City of Madison has specific requirements for its data as a unit of government under State of Wisconsin public records laws. In the resulting contract, you will be required to:

• agree to data handling, retrieval and destruction protocols (See Section 28 in sample POS.)

• cooperate with any public records requests under Wisconsin law, and indemnify and defend the

City of Madison against third party claims resulting from your failure to produce our records to us.

• make the City’s data available in a format acceptable to the City for at least ninety (90) days after contract expiration or termination.

• propose data security, back-up and disaster recovery protocols

• The City must approve all data centers and their geographic location, which must be within the

U.S. This includes third party data centers such as AWS or Azure.

• Unless otherwise agreed, ownership and all intellectual property rights to the City’s data remains with the City of Madison and the City does not license its data for sale or use by any other party.

• Service Level Agreement (SLA) for uptime, response times, and remedies for failing to meet it.

https://www.cityofmadison.com/attorney/documents/posSoftwareTech.docx

Service Level Agreements (SLA). For any hosted solution, vendors should propose a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with guaranteed uptime, response times, back-up recovery, RTO, RPO. The SLA should also provide remedies for failing to meet those targets, including a system for credits or refunds.

No Indemnification or Liability Caps: The City of Madison does not agree to indemnify, defend or hold harmless any other party including our contracted vendors or other third parties. The City does not agree to limit a contractor’s liability to the City for general or direct damages, this includes dollar limits or caps on the contractor’s monetary liability. The City does expect our vendor to indemnify us for general claims as well as intellectual property infringement claims against the City resulting from your software/licensed products/services. Our standard indemnification clause is in Section 26 of the POS contract. The vendor must propose an infringement indemnification clause and process.

No fees for early cancelation or termination of services. The City of Madison does not agree to fees or penalties for early termination or cancelation of any portion of the contract. Likewise the City does not agree to pay for future contracted annual services if a multi-year contract must be terminated early. See section 25.B. of the Contract for Purchase of Services.