25-RFP-002-TD (WITS) Addendum 4 - Q&A.pdf

Ron DeSantis GOVERNOR

J. Alex Kelly SECRETARY

Caldwell Building | 107 E. Madison Street Tallahassee, FL 32399

850.245.7105 | www.FloridaJobs.org | Twitter: @FLACommerce

An equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and service are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. All voice telephone numbers on this document may be reached by persons using TTY/TTD equipment via the Florida

Relay Service at 711.

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

ADDENDUM NO. 4

SOLICITATION TYPE: Request for Proposal (RFP)

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 25-RFP-002-TD

SOLICITATION TITLE: Workforce Information Technology Solution (WITS) Project

RESPONSE OPENING DATE: 8/28/2025 @ 3:00 PM

ADDENDUM NUMBER: 4

ADDENDUM PURPOSE: Questions and Answers

ADDENDUM DATE: 8/21/2025

The Department hereby amends RFP No. 25-RFP-002-TD as noted within this Addendum. For revisions, underlines represent additions and strikethroughs represent deletions. In the event of a conflict between previously released information and the information contained herein, the information herein shall control.

The information in this addendum is hereby made part of this solicitation. All other terms and conditions of the RFP remain in effect.

FAILURE TO FILE A PROTEST WITHIN THE TIME PRESCRIBED IN SECTION 120.57(3), FLORIDA

STATUTES, OR FAILURE TO POST THE BOND OR OTHER SECURITY REQUIRED BY LAW WITHIN

THE TIME ALLOWED FOR FILING A BOND SHALL CONSTITUTE A WAIVER OF PROCEEDINGS

UNDER CHAPTER 120, FLORIDA STATUTES.

Any protest concerning this agency decision or intended decision must be timely filed with the Agency Clerk.

Protests may be filed by courier, hand delivery, or U.S. mail at: Agency Clerk, Florida Department of Commerce, Office of the General Counsel, 107 East Madison Street, MSC 110, Caldwell Building, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-4128. Protests may also be filed by fax at (850) 921-3230, or by email at agency.clerk@commerce.fl.gov within the time prescribed in section 120.57(3), Florida Statutes, and Chapter 28-110, Florida Administrative Code (“F.A.C.”). It is the filing party’s responsibility to meet all filing deadlines. The Procurement Officer should be listed and copied in such filings.

The enclosed information has been provided for consideration in the preparation of your response to the above-mentioned solicitation.

This Addendum also includes the following:

Change No. 1 – B.10, Pre-recorded Vendor Webinar Change No. 2 – B.38.1, Technical Proposal Format. Tab 4 Change No. 3 – B.38.1, Technical Proposal Format, Tab 6 Change No. 4 – B.39, Past Performance References Change No. 5 – Attachment B, Cost Proposal http://www.floridajobs.org/ http://www.twitter/ mailto:agency.clerk@commerce.fl.gov

8/21/2025

Change No. 6 – Attachment I, Evaluation Criteria Change No. 7 – C.5.15, Solution Availability and Service Level Agreement

Change No. 1 B.10 Pre-recorded Vendor Webinar Non-mandatory Pre-Proposal Webinar, is hereby revised as follows:

A Pre-recorded Vendor Webinar Non-mandatory webinar will be held as per the date, time and location specified in Section B.8, Calendar of Events. All Respondents intending to submit a Proposal to this RFP are encouraged to attend this webinar.

The webinar will provide Respondents with an opportunity to ask questions to clarify any uncertainties. Questions asked and answers provided at the mandatory conference are not binding; oral answers provided at the mandatory conference are given as temporary guidance to clarify issues until a written answer is issued by Department, in writing, in the form of an RFP Addendum.

Respondents should review and become familiar with the solicitation documents and other supporting materials as listed in this RFP prior to attending the mandatory conference.

Change No. 2 B.38.1 Technical Proposal Format, Tab 4 is hereby revised as follows:

Tab 4 – Proposed Solution Duty of Continuing Disclosure of Legal Proceedings

Respondent shall provide a narrative that fully describes the proposed Solution for the WITS Project and its supporting services and how it meets the requirements of this RFP.

The Respondent shall demonstrate full commitment to the project by proactively engaging in all phases of planning, execution, and delivery, ensuring timely communication, adherence to agreed-upon timelines, and consistent delivery of high-quality work in alignment with project goals and expectations. The Respondent and the proposed Solution must adhere to and provide the requirements as outlined in Appendix A, Requirements.

If applicable, Respondent must disclose, as part of its Proposal, all prior or on-going civil or criminal litigation, investigations, arbitration or administrative proceedings (“Proceeding”) involving Respondent (and each subcontractor) in a written statement to Commerce. Thereafter, Respondent has a continuing duty to promptly disclose all Proceedings upon occurrence.

This duty of disclosure applies to Respondent’s or its subcontractor’s officers and directors when the Proceeding relates to the officer or director’s business or financial activities. Details of settlements that are prevented from being disclosed by the terms of the settlement may be annotated as such.

Respondent shall promptly notify Commerce of any Proceeding relating to or affecting the Respondent or subcontractors’ business. If the existence of such Proceeding causes Commerce concern that Respondent or subcontractors’ ability or willingness to perform the Contract is jeopardized, Respondent shall be required to provide Commerce all reasonable assurances requested by Commerce to demonstrate that:

a) Respondent will be able to perform this Contract in accordance with its terms and conditions, and

b) Respondent and/or its subcontractor(s) has/have not and will not engage in conduct in performing services for Commerce which is similar in nature to the conduct alleged in such Proceedings.

Change No. 3 B.38.1 Technical Proposal Format, Tab 6 is hereby added as follows:

Tab 6 – Duty of Continuing Disclosure of Legal Proceedings

If applicable, Respondent must disclose, as part of its Proposal, all prior or on-going civil or criminal litigation, investigations, arbitration or administrative proceedings (“Proceeding”) involving Respondent (and each subcontractor) in a written statement to Commerce. Thereafter, Respondent has a continuing duty to promptly disclose all Proceedings upon occurrence.

This duty of disclosure applies to Respondent’s or its subcontractor’s officers and directors when the Proceeding relates to the officer or director’s business or financial activities. Details of settlements that are prevented from being disclosed by the terms of the settlement may be annotated as such.

Respondent shall promptly notify Commerce of any Proceeding relating to or affecting the Respondent or subcontractors’ business. If the existence of such Proceeding causes Commerce concern that Respondent or subcontractors’ ability or willingness to perform the Contract is jeopardized, Respondent shall be required to provide Commerce all reasonable assurances requested by Commerce to demonstrate that:

a) Respondent will be able to perform this Contract in accordance with its terms and conditions, and

b) Respondent and/or its subcontractor(s) has/have not and will not engage in conduct in performing services for Commerce which is similar in nature to the conduct alleged in such Proceedings.

Change No. 4 B.39.1, Reference Questionnaire (ATTACHMENT H), is hereby added as follows:

B.39.1, Reference Questionnaire (ATTACHMENT H)

The reference questionnaire provided as Attachment H must be completed by an individual representing each of the clients listed in Attachment A, Reference Form. These individuals may not be current or former officials or staff of Commerce.

All references must be provided using the form provided in Attachment H. References that are not completed as required will be considered non-responsive and will not be evaluated. The Respondent is solely responsible for obtaining the fully completed reference questionnaires and for including them within the Respondent’s sealed Technical Proposal by the submission deadline.

In order to obtain and submit the completed reference questionnaires, the Respondent must follow the process detailed below.

1. Make exact duplicates of the form for completion by references;

2. Send the reference questionnaires to each individual chosen to provide a reference along with a new standard

#10 envelope;

3. Instruct the individual to:

a. Complete the reference questionnaire on the form provided or an exact duplicate of the form;

b. Sign and date the completed reference questionnaire;

c. Seal the completed, signed, and dated reference questionnaire within the envelope provided;

d. Sign his or her name in ink across the sealing flap of the envelope; and

e. Return the sealed envelope containing the completed reference questionnaire directly to the

Respondent.

4. Do NOT open the sealed references upon receipt.

5. Enclose all sealed reference envelopes within a larger, labeled envelope for inclusion in the Technical

Proposal. Commerce will make copies for distribution for evaluation.

Commerce will not accept late references or references submitted by any means other than that which is described above, and each reference questionnaire submitted must be completed as required. Commerce will not evaluate more than the number of required references indicated above. Commerce reserves the right to contact references directly to confirm and clarify information detailed in the completed reference questionnaires and may consider clarification of replies in the evaluation and scoring of references. DEO will make a reasonable effort to contact references, if required; however, Commerce is under no obligation to directly contact references or to clarify any reference information.

Failure to provide the required information for a minimum of three (3) separate and verifiable clients in the spaces provided on Attachment B or failure to provide the required information for each reference shall result in the Respondent receiving a score of zero (0) for the Past Performance Section of the evaluation criteria.

Change No. 5 Attachment B, Cost Proposal, is hereby replaced as follows:

REVISED

ATTACHMENT B

COST PROPOSAL

Respondent shall complete all sections of the Cost Proposal (Attachment B). Failure by the Respondent to complete and submit all sections of the Cost Proposal shall result in the Proposal being deemed non-responsive, and therefore, the Proposal will be rejected. Commerce reserves the right at its sole discretion to select the option that is most advantageous to Commerce and the State.

Implementation Operations

Deliverables Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7

1 – Project Management Plan

2 – Solution Design Document

3 – Business Design Document

4 – Data Governance and Master Data Management Plan

5 – Security Plan

6 – Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan

7 – Test Plan

8 – Training Materials

9 – Conduct Testing

10 – Demonstrate Federal Reporting and Reporting Dashboards

11 – Transition Plan

12 – Solution Deployment Plan and Move to Production

13 – Project Closure Report

14 – Operations and Maintenance Plan

Yearly Operations and Maintenance

Cost

Subtotal

GRAND TOTAL ________________________________________________________

(Initial 2 year period subtotal + 4 year individual renewal operation year totals)

Respondent Name: _____________________________________

*Authorized Representative’s Signature

*Typed Name and Title of Authorized Representative

*This individual must have the authority to bind the Respondent.

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Change No. 6 Attachment I, Evaluation Criteria, is hereby replaced as follows:

REVISED

ATTACHMENT I

EVALUATION CRITERIA

EVALUATION CRITERIA Score Range (Replies for this section will be based on the following ranges)

MAXIMUM

POINTS

AVAILABLE

A. Technical Response Submittal 180

Understanding of the Project / Executive Overview as Defined in Section B.387.1 Tab 1

• How well does the Proposal demonstrate the Respondent’s overall capabilities to accomplish the services requested?

• How did the Respondent address or identify the resources and tasks required and estimate the man-hours needed to perform the services?

• How well does this section of the Proposal describe Commerce’s desired outcome and requirements to meet the state’s current and future needs.

Excellent: 18-20 Good: 14-17 Fair: 10-13 Poor: 6-9 Insufficient: 1-5 Unsatisfactory: 0

Statement of Qualifications as Defined in Section B.387.1 Tab 2 45

• How well does the Proposal demonstrate the Respondent’s overall capabilities to accomplish the services requested?

• What is the level of staff expertise and capability to implement the Project?

• What is the level of project expertise and experience the Respondent has over similar projects?

• What are the level of results (if any) the Respondent has over similar projects?

Excellent: 40-45 Good: 35-39 Fair: 30-34 Poor: 25-29 Insufficient: 15-24 Unsatisfactory: 0-

Project Approach and Methodology as Defined in Section B.387.1 Tab

• How does the Respondent’s recommended project approach meet Commerce’s expectations and address all the requirements?

• How did the Respondent identify all risks associated with the Project and identify any industry standards for minimizing these risks or action required by Commerce or stakeholders?

• How did the Respondent’s timeline and project schedule meet the requirements of Commerce?

• How did the Respondent address or identify the resources and tasks required and estimate the man-hours needed to back-end systems?

Excellent: 40-45 Good 35-39 Fair: 30-34 Poor: 25-29 Insufficient: 15-24

Proposed Solution as Defined in Section B.387.1 Tab 4 70

Functional

• What is the ease of use over the proposed Solution for job seekers/employers to use and reduce the time frame for registration?

• How does the proposed Solution include all the features desired in the WITS Project

• Does the proposed Solution have the capability of adding additional programs that may be required in the future?

Technical

• How does the proposed Solution include all the data and technical capabilities desired in the WITS Project to provide an integrated data solution including business intelligence and analytics, infrastructure, data governance, identity and access management/profile, network and endpoint protection, data protection, security, and data provisioning?

• How does the proposed Solution meet all the security standards required by the state of Florida?

• Is the Respondent solution FedRAMP authorized? If yes, does it meet the required authorization level (i.e., moderate or higher)?

Did the Respondent indicate they were in the process of becoming FedRAMP authorized? If yes, what is the Respondent’s schedule for said certification?

• How does the proposed Solution easily integrate with Workforce Partner Agency Systems and other expected systems/tools, or does it involve major changes to our existing System?

Excellent: 63-70 Good: 56-62 Fair: 49-55 Poor: 42-49 Insufficient: 21-41

B. Past Performance / References as Defined in Section B.387.1 Tab 5 Excellent: 18-20 Good: 14-17 Fair: 10-13 Poor: 6-9

Insufficient: 3-5

C. Cost Proposal*- see formula below 50

D. Total Possible Points for the Response Submittal 250 Points

NOTE: The maximum available points (50 points in total) for the Cost Proposal Submittal will be awarded to the Respondent with the lowest responsive Cost Proposal. The remaining Proposals from all other Respondents will be awarded a pro rata portion of points based on the following cost formula:

(A/B = C) x M = P

A = Lowest responsive Cost Proposal B = Actual responsive Cost Proposal for each of the other Respondents C = Pro rata portion (percentage) assigned for each of the other Respondents M = Maximum Points Available for the Cost Proposal (= 50 points) P = Points Awarded to each of the other Respondents

Evaluation Team members will independently assign a numerical score, using no fractions or decimals, for responses to Attachment I – Evaluation Criteria, Section A. Technical Response Submittal and Section B.

Past Performance References.

Change No. 7

C.5.15, Solution Availability and Service Level Agreement, is hereby added as follows:

15. Solution Availability and Service Level Agreement: The Solution Availability Metric below will be used to evaluate Solution performance during the term of the Contract, including any extensions and renewals.

The Service Level Agreement (SLA) must take effect upon Commerce’s acceptance of the Contractor’s Solution, and the Solution being placed into statewide production. The Contractor may be excused from financial consequences should the “Uptime” metric not be met by Contractor because of circumstances outside the Contractor’s control.

“Circumstances outside the Contractor’s control” means acts of any governmental body, war, insurrection, sabotage, armed conflict, embargo, hurricane, flood, inability to obtain raw materials or supplies needed for a provision of this Contract, issues caused by improper or inappropriate use of the software by a User, insufficient or inadequate Customer bandwidth or technology, and force majeure. The Contractor must provide a Solution that is operational 24 hours each day and seven (7) days each week, 365 days per year. Technical support staff must be available, and service provided as outlined in this Scope of Work. Less State of Florida approved holidays, scheduled downtime for maintenance, or Commerce declared emergencies or disasters, as directed by Commerce, and/or a level one incident has been declared. The Contractor must provide support services as defined in this Scope of Work.

For the purposes of this Contract, “Uptime” shall mean that the Solution is functioning and can be accessed by Commerce, LWDBS, CareerSource Florida, Users, and Customers, and functionality defects are not causing a major problem that impedes the ability of Users and Customers to perform critical functions. The Solution will not be considered to be in “Uptime” while any Severity Level 1 Problem exists and is not closed or resolved. For purposes of this Scope of Work, each SLA area in Table 1, Solution Availability Metrics, is not mutually exclusive of one another, and the financial consequences for each SLA area will be applied concurrently with one or more SLA area’s financial consequences.

Table 1: Solution Availability Metrics

Solution Availability Metric (SLA)

SLA Area

SLA

Description

SLA Metric/Frequency of

Measurement Financial Consequence

Application

Performance

Availability SLA Metric: 99.9% Solution application Uptime, measured as a percentage of total hours in the month, exclusive of planned downtime per the SLA. This metric is calculated as the number of hours the Solution is available to all users for their use divided by the total numbers of hours in that month minus the planned downtime per the SLA multiplied by 100.

For each month the Solution availability falls below 99.9%, Commerce will consider this the threshold for imposing financial consequences.

Frequency of Measurement:

Reporting on this measurement will be done monthly, based on the previous month’s performance.

Should the Contractor fail to meet the Uptime metric, Contractor will credit

Commerce with $500.00 for every hour of downtime, exclusive of planned data outages per the SLA.

Application

Performance

Response Time SLA Metric: Daily average response time for document uploads and other Solution transactions cannot exceed the response time metric, as set forth in Table 3, Response Time for Transactions, on any day.

This metric is calculated by totaling all the response times

Should the Contractor fail to meet the Response time metric, Contractor will credit

Commerce with $1,000 per day for any day that Contractor exceeds the response time metric. This consequence is capped at $15,000 per month.

for each day and dividing that by the total number of transactions for the day. This will give you the average response time for the day.

Frequency of Measurement:

Reporting on this measurement will be done monthly, based on the previous month’s performance

Application

Stability

Stability SLA Metric: No more than one

(1) unplanned outage, measured per month, exclusive of acceptable outages per the SLA.

Frequency of Measurement:

Reporting on this measurement will be done monthly, based on the previous month’s performance.

Should the Contractor fail to meet the Stability metric, Contractor will credit

Commerce with an additional

$500.00 for every hour of outage beyond the one (1) unplanned, exclusive of planned data outages per the

SLA.

Disaster

Recovery

Recovery Time

Objective

(RTO)

SLA Metric: Downtime may not exceed four (4) hours over a 24-hour period, exclusive of planned downtime per the SLA.

Frequency of Measurement:

Reporting on this measurement will be done monthly, based on the previous month’s performance.

Should the Contractor fail to meet the RTO metric, Contractor will credit

Commerce with an additional

$500.00 for every hour of unplanned downtime beyond the four (4) hours over a 24 hour period, exclusive of planned data outages per the

SLA.

Disaster

Recovery

Recovery Point

Objective

(RPO)

SLA Metric: Data may not be unavailable for more than 30 minutes over a 24-hour period, exclusive of planned downtime per the SLA.

Frequency of Measurement:

Reporting on this measurement will be done monthly, based on

Should the Contractor fail to meet the RPO metric, Contractor will credit

Commerce with an additional

$500.00 for every hour of unplanned downtime, exclusive of planned data outages per the SLA.

the previous month’s performance.

Timeliness Data Backup SLA Metric: The Solution must be able to collect, backup, and store 100% of data for up to 14 calendar days, exclusive of planned data outages per the

SLA.

Frequency of Measurement:

Reporting on this measurement will be done monthly, based on the previous month’s performance.

Should the Contractor fail to meet the Data Backup metric, Contractor will credit

Commerce with an additional

$500.00 for every hour of unplanned downtime, exclusive of planned data outages per the SLA.

Timeliness Data Restore SLA Metric: 100% of data must be restored within four (4) hours, exclusive of planned data outages per the SLA.

Frequency of Measurement:

Reporting on this measurement will be done monthly, based on the previous month’s performance.

Should the Contractor fail to meet the Data Restore metric, Contractor will credit

Commerce with an additional

$500.00 for every hour of unplanned downtime, exclusive of planned data outages per the SLA.

Security

Severity 1

Security

Incident

Response

SLA Metric: No less than 95% of

Severity 1 security incidents related to the Solution must be responded to by Contractor within 30 minutes after receiving the escalated call to

Contractor from Commerce.

This metric is calculated as

[(Number of Severity 1 Security

Incidents responded to within

30 minutes) / (Total number of

Severity 1 Incidents)] multiplied by 100.

Frequency of Measurement:

Reporting on this measurement

Should the Contractor fail to meet the Severity 1 Security

Incident Response metric, Contractor will credit

Commerce with an additional

$500.00 for every hour of no response.

will be done monthly, based on the previous month’s performance.

Security Severity 1

Security

Incident

Containment

SLA Metric: Contractor must contain no less than 95% of security incidents within two (2) hours of receiving the incident response from Commerce. This metric is calculated as [(Number of Severity 1 Security Incidents contained within 2 hours) /

(Total number of Severity 1

Incidents)] multiplied by 100.

The time includes Contractor analysis of the incident and development of proposed solution. The solution will be implemented only after

Contractor receives agreement from Commerce to proceed with containment.

Frequency of Measurement:

Reporting on this measurement will be done monthly, based on the previous month’s performance.

Should the Contractor fail to meet the Severity 1 Security

Incident Containment metric, Contractor will credit

Commerce with an additional

$500.00 for every hour of no containment.

Security Severity 2

Security

Incident

Response

SLA Metric: No less than 95% of

Severity 2 security incidents must be responded to by

Contractor within one (1) hour after receiving escalated call to

Contractor from Commerce.

This metric is calculated as

[(Number of Severity 2 Security

Incidents responded to within 1 hour) / (Total number of

Severity 2 Incidents)] multiplied by 100.

Should the Contractor fail to meet the Severity 2 Security

Incident Response metric, Contractor will credit

Commerce with an additional

Frequency of Measurement:

Reporting on this measurement will be done monthly, based on the previous month’s performance.

Security Severity 2

Security

Incident

Containment

SLA Metric: Contractor must contain no less than 95% of security incidents within eight

(8) hours of receiving the incident response from

Commerce. This metric is calculated as [(Number of

Severity 2 Security Incidents contained within 8 hours) /

(Total number of Severity 2

Incidents)] multiplied by 100.

The time includes Contractor analysis of the incident and development of proposed solution. The solution will be implemented only after

Contractor receives agreement from Commerce to proceed with containment.

Frequency of Measurement:

Reporting on this measurement will be done monthly, based on the previous month’s performance.

Should the Contractor fail to meet the Severity 2 Security

Incident Containment metric, Contractor will credit

Commerce with an additional

$500.00 for every hour of no containment.

Security Threat

Notifications

SLA Metric: No less than 95% of critical suspected threats related to the Solution from Contractor managed Sentinel must be communicated to Commerce within 30 minutes, calculated as

[(Number of critical threats communicated within 30 minutes)/(Total number of

Should the Contractor fail to meet the Threat Notifications metrics, Contractor will credit

Commerce with an additional notice.

critical threats)] multiplied by

100.

No less than 95% of high suspected threats must be communicated within one (1) hour, calculated as [(Number of high suspected threats communicated within 1 hour)/(Total number of high suspected threats)] multiplied by100.

Frequency of Measurement:

Reporting on this measurement will be done monthly, based on the previous month’s performance.

Problem

Management

Severity 1

Problem

Resolution

SLA Metric: No less than 95% of

Severity 1 problems must be resolved within four (4) hours of reporting the issue, calculated as [(Number of Severity 1 issues resolved within 4 hours)/(Total number of Severity 1 issues)] multiplied by100.

Frequency of Measurement:

Report on this measurement will be done monthly, based on the previous month’s performance.

Should the Contractor fail to meet the Severity 1 Problem

Resolution metric, Contractor will credit Commerce with an additional $500.00 for every hour of no resolution.

Problem

Management

Severity 2

Problem

Resolution

SLA Metrics: No less than 95% of

Severity 2 problems must be resolved within three (3) business days of reporting the issue calculated as [(Number of

Severity 2 issues resolved within

3 business days)/(Total number of Severity 2 issues)] multiplied by 100.

Should the Contractor fail to meet the Severity 2 Problem

Resolution metric, Contractor will credit Commerce with an additional $500.00 for every 4 hours of no resolution.

Frequency of Measurement:

Report on this measurement will be done monthly, based on the previous month’s performance.

Problem

Management

Severity 3

Problem

Resolution

SLA Metric: No less than 95% of

Severity 3 problems must be resolved within five (5) business days of reporting the issue calculated as [(Number of

Severity 3 issues resolved within

5 business days)/(Total number of Severity 3 issues)] multiplied by100.

Frequency of Measurement:

Report on this measurement will be done monthly, based on the previous month’s performance.

Should the Contractor fail to meet the Severity 3 Problem

Resolution metric, Contractor will credit Commerce with an additional $500.00 for every 8 hours of no resolution.

Problem

Management

Severity 4

Problem

Resolution

SLA Metric: No less than 95% of

Severity 4 problems must be resolved within ten (10) business days of reporting the issue calculated as [(Number of

Severity 4 issues resolved within

10 business days)/(Total number of Severity 4 issues)] multiplied by 100.

Frequency of Measurement:

Report on this measurement will be done monthly, based on the previous month’s performance.

Should the Contractor fail to meet the Severity 4 Problem

Resolution metric, Contractor will credit Commerce with an additional $500.00 for every 12 hours of no resolution.

15.1 Problem Management: For the Problem Severity Levels described in Table 2, Problem Severity Levels, financial consequences will be applied as described in Section C.5.15.2 below. Contractor is responsible for meeting the SLAs for the Solution. All incidents/issues reported at a Level 1 Severity must be reported immediately via telephone. Commerce shall use the definitions outlined in Table 2, Problem Severity Levels, to determine Problem Severity Levels. The Severity Levels require all conditions for that Level (Workaround, Work Outage, Number of Users or Customers Affected, Business and Financial Exposure) to be met to define Severity.

Table 2: Problem Severity Levels

Condition Severity 1 (Critical)

Severity 2 (High) Severity 3 (Medium)

Severity 4 (Low) Severity 5 (Inconsequential)

Workaround There is no acceptable workaround to the problem, i.e., there is no other way to perform these services.

There may or may not be an acceptable workaround to the problem.

There is likely an acceptable workaround to the problem.

There is an acceptable workaround to the problem, i.e., there is another way to perform the service.

The Solution is functioning properly, but changes are requested that are not based on functional impediment to the Solution.

Problem Severity Level Definitions

The Solution is not functioning or cannot be accessed by Commerce and/or Customers or Users, or the Solution is causing a major problem that impedes the ability to perform critical business functions because major functionality is not working or is defective, and there is no workaround that is acceptable to Commerce.

The Solution is causing a major problem that impedes the ability of Workforce Partner Agency business processes to perform mission-critical business functions because major functionality is not working or is defective. A temporary workaround that is acceptable to Commerce is available.

The Solution is not able to accomplish all functions. Minor Solution functions are not working or are defective, causing non-critical Workforce Partner Agency work to back up.

The Solution is causing a minor disruption in the way Workforce Partner Agency tasks are performed but does not stop workflow. The Solution is able to accomplish all functions, but not as efficiently as normal. This may include cosmetic issues, especially in customer-facing applications.

Work Outage

The problem prevents Users or Customers from accessing the Solution or using some

The problem prevents Users or Customers from using some significant

The problem prevents Users or Customers from accessing some small portion of the

The problem prevents Users or Customers from accessing a small portion of the Solution, but they

The problem has no impact on Users or Customers completing tasks in the Solution.

Condition Severity 1 (Critical)

Severity 2 (High) Severity 3 (Medium)

Severity 4 (Low) Severity 5 (Inconsequential) significant portion of the Solution.

portion of the Solution.

Solution, but they can still complete most other tasks.

can still complete all other tasks.

Number of Users or Customers Affected

More than 50% of Users or Customers.

More than 25% of Users or Customers.

Less than 25% of Users or Customers.

Less than 10% of Users or Customers.

Less than 1% of Users or Customers.

Business and Financial Exposure

The problem creates a severe business, legal, or financial exposure.

The problem creates a serious business, legal, or financial exposure.

The problem creates a moderate business, legal, or financial exposure.

The problem creates a minimal business, legal, or financial exposure.

The problem has no impact on business, legal, or financial exposure.

Support Response Time

Less than 15 minutes.

(Commerce must report issue via telephone to ensure immediate response.)

Less than 30 minutes during support hours.

Less than eight

(8) hours.

Less than two (2) business days.

Less than one (1) business week.

Support Resolution Time

Within four (4) hours of reporting the issue.

(Commerce must report issue via telephone to ensure immediate response.)

Within three (3) business days of reported issue.

Within five (5) business days of reported issue.

Within 10 business days of reported issue.

Within 30 business days of reported issue or as workload permits.

Resolution Upload to Production

Immediately. Daily (overnight), and within 24 hours after identifying resolution.

Resolution upload dictated by prearranged monthly scheduling (once per month).

Resolution upload dictated by prearranged monthly scheduling (once per month).

Resolution upload dictated by prearranged monthly scheduling (once per month).

15.2 SLA Financial Consequences: The Solution Availability Metrics specified in Table 1, Solution Availability Metrics, shall commence when the Contractor or Commerce has verified the problem is actually occurring in the Solution rather than being a result of user error after Commerce contacts Contractor’s Maintenance and Operations team via the means established by the Contractor. Commerce will hold the Contractor responsible and assign financial consequences arising from missing the SLA metric. This includes the financial consequences outlined in Table 1, Solution Availability Metrics, above.

15.3 Response Time for Transactions: The Solution must deliver acceptable response times for transactions. Commerce reserves the right to add any additional Key Customer Transactions in its sole discretion, which will be executed through a Contract amendment. Acceptable response times are as follows:

Table 3: Response Time for Transactions

Key Customer Transaction Response Time

Document uploads Two (2) seconds (for page load time)

Other Solution transactions Two (2) seconds

The Contractor must track the above Response Time metrics and make such data available to Commerce. The Contractor will be assessed financial consequences in accordance with Table 1, Solution Availability Metrics, if the Solution does not meet the Response Time metrics set forth in this section.

15.4 Solution Availability Service Report: The Contractor will provide a Solution Availability Service Report to Commerce monthly as supporting documentation with monthly invoices as identified in Section C.13, Method of Payment/Invoice. The report shall include information regarding the availability of services pursuant to the terms of the Service Level Agreement.

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Question Number

Respondent’s Name

RFP Page Number, Section Number, Subsection Reference

Question

Answers

1.

Could the Department please identify the current WITS platform(s), including technology stack, vendor, and version information currently in use for Labor Exchange, Case

Management, OSST, and Reporting?

Please see Geographic

Solutions Inc.

Purchase Order Title:

C3893 FY24/25-

Geographic Solutions Inc. -

Maintenance & Support Services (EmployFlorida), which is available here:

https://facts.fldfs.com/Sea rch/ContractDetail.aspx?A gencyId=400000&Contract

Id=C3893

2.

Please confirm the list of external systems the new WITS solution must integrate with (e.g., Reconnect, CareerSource

Salesforce, FL WINS, DCF, DOE, DOR, State College of Florida) and specify the data exchange methods or protocols in use.

A non-exhaustive list is outlined in Appendix A of the RFP

3.

Please provide approximate data volumes (in GB or TB) and any known data quality issues for

Case Management, Labor Exchange, Labor Market

Information, OSST data, and related documents that will require migration.

Approximately 500 GB for OSST. Additional data not available at this time.

4.

Does the Department have a preference for on-premise, private cloud, or public cloud

If hosted in an environment managed by Commerce, the solution will be hosted in the Azure hosting for the new WITS solution?

Commercial or Government Cloud.

Otherwise, no immediate preference, assuming the platform meets requirements outlined in the RFP.

5.

How many concurrent users (internal and external) are anticipated to access the new

The following information is for current users to provide a basis of estimate.

July 20 – July 26, 2025 Employ Florida

New Users = 34,041 Returning Users = 19,320

Views = 1.5M Sessions = 97.2K

Sessions per user = 2.1 Average Session Duration

= 00:18:11

June 2025 Total Log Ins

Individual = 34,194 Employer = 2,914

Provider = 289 Staff = 1,716

New Registrations Individual = 14,126

Employer = 737 Provider = 40

Staff = 21 Resumes

Active = 189,166 Newly Created = 24,056

Job Orders Created in EF = 5,231 Online in EF = 5,159

Total Positions in EF = 26,138

Referrals to Jobs in EF = 15,145

Candidates Viewed= 3,999

Services Distinct Employers Served

= 7,706 Employer WP = 29,715

Distinct Individuals Served = 41,469

Individual WP Services Provided = 175,344

Individual WIOA Services Provided 3,125

Individual Generic Services Provided = 517

Individual NFJP Services Provided = 102

These numbers are subject to change.

6.

Please confirm whether phased implementation is acceptable or if all solution components must go live simultaneously.

The approach will be based on the awarded Proposal as agreed to by the Department.

7.

Section D, Vendor

Core Contract

May we know how much is the allotted budget for the resulting contract?

Please reference RFP No.

25-RFP-002-TD Addendum

No. 1 Change No.2.

8.

Do you have a specific time planned for the Vendor Webinar, scheduled for July 11th?

Please reference RFP No.

25-RFP-002-TD Addendum No. 1 Change No. 1.

9.

Would you consider increasing the page count from the current

75-page maximum, given the complexity and scope of this

No.

10.

Would you also consider extending the submission deadline to the end of August, to allow for additional time to prepare a thorough response?

Yes, see RFP No. 25-RFP- 002-TD Addendum No. 3.

11.

Section C – Scope

Is the purpose of this solicitation to modernize and continue the existing system currently in use, or is the Department of Commerce seeking to replace the existing system with a completely new platform or

Please reference Section B.5.

12.

Was the prior solution developed and maintained by the incumbent vendor, and is this RFP intended to fully transition away from that vendor or platform?

13.

Is the Department of Commerce looking specifically for Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS), SaaS-based platforms, or are custom-built, cloud-native, or open-source-based solutions acceptable and encouraged?

Please reference Section B.5 and the definition of Solution in section B.6, Definitions.

14.

Can vendors propose a phased transition away from the current system, even if it uses a different architectural model (e.g., non-SaaS), to

Yes.

ensure business continuity and minimal risk?

15.

Will proposals that do not leverage existing COTS platforms be evaluated equally and fairly, provided they meet or exceed the functional and performance requirements?

Please reference Section B.5 and the definition of Solution in section B.6, Definitions.

16.

Does the Department of

Commerce have a preferred cloud hosting provider (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP)?

Yes. See question 4. Above.

17.

Are there any specific mobile functionality requirements (e.g., responsive design, offline access, mobile apps) for end users?

Yes. Refer to RFP requirements and Appendix A.

18.

Can the Department of

Commerce provide a list of the systems that need to be integrated and the currently used protocols?

A non-exhaustive list is outlined in Appendix A of the

RFP.

19.

Will vendors be granted direct

API access to CareerSource Florida’s Salesforce CRM, or will integration be indirect via the Department of Commerce or intermediaries?

CareerSource Florida will retire their CRM solution.

Access will be directly to WITS Project solution.

20.

Can the Department of

Commerce provide more details on the architecture or integration method expected with FL WINS? Will data be pushed or pulled?

Collaboration with in-scope systems and assessments are still ongoing. Integrations will be facilitated through APIs or other mutually agreed technical approaches.

21.

Approximately how much legacy data must be migrated (e.g., record count, data size, or time range)? Can you break this down by system?

OSST 500 GB. Additional system data not available at this time.

22.

Has the Department of

Commerce already selected or implemented any part of the future solution?

23.

Section B.38.1, Page

Is there a preference for reporting platforms or tools?

Tableau is the primary Business Intelligence Tool used at Commerce

24.

Is there an existing single sign-on or identity provider in place?

25.

Section B.38.1, Tab 2 –

Qualifications and Relevant Experience, Will the past performances from commercial sector contracts be considered and evaluated under

Qualifications and Relevant Experience?

26.

Will the selected vendor be responsible for Tier 1 or Tier 2 helpdesk support post-implementation, or only knowledge transfer to internal teams?

The Operations &

Maintenance Plan and Ongoing Supporting Services will define the Roles and Responsibilities post implementation.

27.

Commerce expect remote, on-site, or hybrid training delivery?

Will a train-the-trainer model be sufficient?

Training must be delivered through a combination of instructor-led sessions, hands-on workshops, and virtual modules, tailored to the specific needs and roles of each user group.

28.

Section B.39, Page 22

For Attachment H (Reference

Questionnaire), should vendors fill out the top portion of the form (e.g., Respondent’s Name, Reference Name, Person

Interviewed, Interviewed By, Date of Interview) and include the completed questionnaire in our submission package, or will the Florida Department of Commerce send Attachment H directly to our client references for them to complete, sign, and return? Please clarify the expected process.

Please reference RFP No. 25- RFP-002-TD Addendum No. 4

Change No. 4.

29.

Section B.40, Page 23

Will the Department of

Commerce evaluate commercial client references the same way as federal or state government clients?

30.

Section B.40, Evaluation Criteria, Can we submit commercial client references in support of our proposal?

31.

Section B.40, Will additional weight be given to references from public sector clients over private sector engagements?

32.

Section B.40, Page 23

Could the Department of

Commerce elaborate on how the “Proposed Solution” section

(worth 70 points) will be evaluated, and what factors drive high scoring?

Please see RFP No. 25-RFP-

002-TD Addendum No. 4 Change No. 6.

33.

Section B.49, Page 26

Will the Department of Commerce consider AI-enhanced tools, low-code platforms, or other innovative technologies as part of the value-added solution?

34.

Can the work required under this contract be performed remotely?

All work under this contract must be performed in the continental United States.

35.

General

Is there an incumbent for this contract? If so, please provide the incumbent’s name, current contract number, duration, historical level of effort, and total contract value.

Geographic Solutions Inc.

Purchase Order Title: C3893

FY24/25- Geographic Solutions Inc. -Maintenance &

Support Services (EmployFlorida)

36.

Will the incumbent vendor be eligible to bid on this solicitation?

37.

What are the current technologies used for the current system?

Please see Geographic Solutions Inc.

Purchase Order Title: C3893 FY24/25- Geographic

Solutions Inc. -Maintenance & Support Services

(EmployFlorida), which is available here:

https://facts.fldfs.com/Search /ContractDetail.aspx?AgencyI d=400000&ContractId=C3893

38.

What is the current database platform and version?

Please see Geographic Solutions Inc.

Purchase Order Title: C3893 FY24/25- Geographic

Solutions Inc. -Maintenance & Support Services

(EmployFlorida), which is available here:

https://facts.fldfs.com/Search /ContractDetail.aspx?AgencyI

39.

Is there a preferred technology stack for this modernization effort?

40.

What are the testing platforms and tools currently in use?

Please see Geographic Solutions Inc.

Purchase Order Title: C3893 FY24/25- Geographic

Solutions Inc. -Maintenance & Support Services

(EmployFlorida), which is available here:

https://facts.fldfs.com/Search /ContractDetail.aspx?AgencyI

41.

What is the SDLC methodology currently used and expected to be used for this effort?

The Department is looking for the Respondents to provide methodologies with a proven track record within their

42.

Page 8, Section B.10, Subsection Reference Non-mandatory Pre-

Proposal Webinar

How do vendors register for the webinar? I am unable to find registration information in the

RFP for it.

RFP-002-TD Addendum No. 2

Change No. 1.

43.

Page 8, Section B.10, Subsection Reference Non-mandatory Pre-

Proposal Webinar

The second and third paragraphs note a “mandatory conference” whereby oral answers will be provided to questions. Is this a separate conference from the webinar? If so, how do vendors register?

44.

When is the vendor webinar for the WITS Project?

45.

The Proposed Solution is mentioned throughout the RFP.

In what section or tab should this information be included?

Change No. 2.

46.

Should Appendix AA be answered line by line in addition to a proposed solution, or does that meet the requirement to provide the expected information for proposed

The proposed solution must meet all requirements in

Appendix A.

47.

B.8 Calendar of Events

Would the state extend the

Proposal Due Date?

Yes, see RFP No. 25-RFP-002- TD Addendum No. 3.

48.

P. 52, Attachment H, Reference Questionnaire

Please confirm that

Attachment H is intended to be completed by Commerce as part of an interview process (using contacts provided in Attachment A) and that Respondents do not need to complete Attachment H as part of the submission. Attachment L

(Proposal Checklist) indicates that this form is not required, however Tab 5 (Attachments) indicates that it must be included.

49.

P.21, B.38.1, Technical Proposal Format, Tab 4; P. 53, Attachment I, Evaluation Criteria

According to solicitation section B.38.1, Tab 4 includes responses to the Duty of Continuing Disclosure of Legal

Proceeding. However, Attachment I (Evaluation Criteria) states that Tab 4 should instead include a description of the proposed solution. Please confirm that

Tab 4 should include the proposed solution description. Please also confirm that Respondents can submit their responses to the Duty of Continuing

Disclosure of Legal Proceeding as an attachment within Tab 5.

Change Nos. 2 and 3.

50.

P. 19, B.38.1, Technical Proposal

Respondents are required to include names and resumes of key personnel as part of

Tab 1. Given that the information contained in this tab cannot exceed 5 pages, will Commerce allow Respondents to include the multiple key personnel resumes in an appendix to this tab?

51.

P. 18, B.38.1, We intend to include a table of contents and tab/section cover pages to facilitate Commerce’s review of our print and electronic proposal submission. Please confirm that this table of contents, and other content designed

Table of Contents is included in the 75 page count.

to support proposal organization and ease of review, will not count toward the 75-page limit.

52.

64, Appendix A, Business Operations -

Can Commerce describe some of the manual and paper-based processes they wish to automate in detail? For what use cases specifically are manual and paper- based processes most relied?

Commerce will share the information with the awarded

Vendor.

53.

67, Appendix A, Environment - 09

Is the vendor required or expected to provide a Business Continuity Plan with the proposal submission or at a later date?

Later date.

54.

67, Appendix A, Environment - 09

Is the vendor required or expected to provide a Disaster Recovery Plan with the proposal submission or at a later date?

55.

69, Appendix A, Integration

- 04

Are vendors required or expected to provide integration architecture documentation with the proposal submission or at a later date?

56.

30, Appendix A, C.3.

Deliverable #2

Can Commerce elaborate on what is required for a “Solution Design Document”? Can

Commerce provide a sample?

Please reference Section C.5.2.

57.

66, Appendix A, Business Operations

How many workflows does

Commerce wish to automate?

How many operational workarounds does Commerce wish to track and automate in one system? What use cases are these workflows and operational workarounds problematic?

The awarded Vendor will be expected to work with Commerce, the Local

Workforce Development Boards, and CareerSource FL to gather this information.

58.

45, Attachment B, Cost

Proposal

What is Commerce’s anticipated timeline for implementation?

Attachment B implies a two-year period for implementation services, is this accurate?

The go-live date for the solution is May 2027.

59.

45, Attachment B, Cost

Proposal

What is Commerce’s desired Go-

Live date for this solution?

May 2027.

60.

10, Appendix A, B.38.1

Does Commerce intend the vendor solution to mimic the current solution user experience and interface?

61.

60, Appendix A, Has Commerce seen demonstrations from vendors prior to RFP release? If so which vendors?

See 24-RFI-003-VW.

62.

65, Appendix A, Business Operations -

Is Commerce requesting a mobile-friendly interface or a system-specific iOS/Android

App?

Please see RFP requirements and information provided in

63.

Draft Contract, P.21, W4

Can Commerce confirm whether office space will be provided for the project, or will the vendor need to provide their own?

The vendor will need to provide their own office space.

64.

Pg. 27, C.1

Can FL Commerce provide any metrics on the number of records or sizes of existing databases to include files?

Yes. See question 3. Above.

65.

Pg 27, C.1

What types of documents will be stored in the system? How many and what size are the documents and how long do they need to be stored for?

Pleas…