5000003221_-_BI_DW_Generative_BI_Data_Analytics.pdf

Our Mission: Securing the Financial Future and Sustaining the Trust of California’s Educators

CALIFORNIA STATE TEACHERS’ RETIREMENT SYSTEM

Technology Services California Multiple Award Schedules (CMAS) Agreement

Business Intelligence & Data Warehouse Generative BI Data Analytics

REQUEST FOR OFFER # 5000003221

OFFER DUE DATE

July 15, 2025, by 2:00 P.M., PT

Elia O’Brien Information Technology Procurement Manager California State Teachers’ Retirement Systems

Procurement@CalSTRS.com

July 1, 2025 mailto:Procurement@CalSTRS.com

Request for Offer 5000003221 Technology Services

BI&DW Generative BI Data Analytics

REQUEST FOR OFFER

You are invited to review and respond to the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS), Request for Offer (RFO), entitled Business Intelligence & Data Warehouse Generative BI Data Analytics and Data Governance. Read this document carefully. In submitting your Offer, you must comply with the instructions, terms and conditions stated in this RFO and in your CMAS contract.

Offers must be submitted to CalSTRS electronically by using the below link:

https://resources.calstrs.com/CalSTRSComResourcesWebUI/Solicitation/Pages/Submission.aspx and must be received by CalSTRS no later than July 15, 2025, by 2:00 p.m., Pacific Time (PT). Offers received after the specified date and time may be rejected.

Respondents requiring clarification of the intent and content of this RFO, or on the competitive process, may request clarification only by submitting written questions to:

Elia O’Brien Technology Services Manager Procurement@CalSTRS.com

Refer to Attachment VI, Frequently Asked Questions, prior to submitting any written questions. Any additional questions must be received by July 9, 2025, by 2:00 P.M., PT. Questions received by this date will be answered in writing, without identifying the source of query.

Any attempt by a firm responding to this Offer to initiate contact with any member of the Teachers’ Retirement Board and/or CalSTRS staff, other than the CalSTRS contact listed above, regarding this RFO process may disqualify the firm from further consideration.

Please note that no verbal information given will be binding upon the California State Teachers’ Retirement System unless such information is incorporated into this RFO via an addendum.

https://resources.calstrs.com/CalSTRSComResourcesWebUI/Solicitation/Pages/Submission.aspx

BI&DW Generative BI Data Analytics

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. INTRODUCTION

B. BACKGROUND

C. QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENTS

D. OFFER REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION

E. ATTACHMENTS

I. Information and Offer Sheet II. Proposed Project Person Skill Summary Sheet III. Proposed Project Person Business Reference Sheet IV. Proposed Approach V. Cost Sheet VI. Frequently Asked Questions VII. Statement of Work

F. SAMPLE AGREEMENT

1. Agreement Terms and Conditions

2. Exhibit A – Statement of Work

3. Exhibit B – Fee Schedule

4. Exhibit C – Key Personnel

5. Exhibit D – Form 600 H – Third Party Economic Interest Disclosure

6. Exhibit E – Contractor Background Investigation Policy

7. Exhibit F – Certification of Contractor’s Employee Background Investigation Form

8. Exhibit G – Teachers’ Retirement Board Governance Manual – Third Party Economic Interest

Disclosure Policy

9. Exhibit H – Personal History Statement

10. Exhibit I – CalSTRS Information Security and Privacy Addendum

11. Exhibit J – CalSTRS Confidential, Non-Disclosure and Acceptable Use Agreement

12. Exhibit K – CalSTRS Minimum Information Security Requirements (MISR)

13. Exhibit L – CalSTRS Deliverable Expectation Document (DED)

14. Exhibit M – CalSTRS Deliverable Acceptance Document (DAD)

15. Exhibit N – Work Authorization

BI&DW Generative BI Data Analytics

GENERAL INFORMATION

A. INTRODUCTION

CalSTRS is the largest educator-only pension fund in the world. CalSTRS administers a hybrid retirement system, consisting of traditional defined benefit, cash balance and voluntary defined contribution plans.

CalSTRS also provides disability and survivor benefits. CalSTRS serves California’s public-school educators and their families from the state’s school districts, county offices of education and community college districts. For more information on CalSTRS and its various programs, please refer to the CalSTRS Website at: https://www.CalSTRS.com.

The purpose of this RFO is to select an experienced team with detailed knowledge and experience of designing and building Business Intelligence & Data Warehouse (BI&DW) architecture/platform with the capability of Generative Business Intelligence (GenBI), which is the evolution of traditional BI by combining Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) with traditional analytics tools to provide deeper insights, predictive analytics, and automated decision-making capabilities.

Furthermore, CalSTRS seeks to drastically accelerate the development and deployment of BI, AI, or GenBI use cases by adopting and integrating agentic AI capabilities into this To-Be enterprise-level GenBI / agentic AI platform. The consulting team (hereafter Contractor) will evaluate and provide actionable recommendations for CalSTRS BI&DW data governance framework and standards to manage and ensure the quality, integrity, and security of data used in GenBI systems, demonstrate the value and benefit of GenBI through identification of impactful GenBI use cases from various CalSTRS business areas, and plan for the adoption of GenBI / agentic AI capabilities to help advance CalSTRS existing BI&DW platform toward GenBI. The services required are described in Attachment VII, Statement of Work, included in this document.

CalSTRS will only accept one (1) offer per Vendor (Respondent) for this RFO. Respondents shall include in their offer one Engagement Manager and at least one GenBI Data Analytics Consultant that will satisfy all minimum requirements for this RFO and deemed appropriate to provide the services outlined in this RFO, which will be subject to negotiations with CalSTRS. In addition to the proposed project personnel (proposed team), the Respondent must also provide a project approach document including project plan and project schedule on Attachment IV, Proposed Approach Document.

The Vendor/Contractor must be able to perform work on-site 2 to 3 business days per week at the CalSTRS headquarters facility in West Sacramento, CA. For any variations of this on-site schedule, the vendor shall obtain written approval from CalSTRS. Work must be performed during CalSTRS business hours and shall not be permitted on California State Holidays identified on the California Department of Human Resources website, unless pre-approved in writing by CalSTRS management. All work schedules must be pre-approved in writing by CalSTRS management and must adhere to all applicable CalSTRS policies and procedures. The Vendor/Contractor is responsible for any travel costs (including travel time) that they may incur while providing the services identified in the Statement of Work.

The total services period may be up to twelve (12) months with tasks 1-3 in Attachment VII, Statement of Work expected to be completed within 6 months, with an option to extend up to twelve (12) additional months at the deliverables/hourly rates negotiated at contract execution, whichever is applicable. The Offer (i.e., proposed personnel, hourly rates, deliverables, etc.) may be subject to negotiations with CalSTRS, and the details will be incorporated into the final agreement documents/exhibits upon the execution of an agreement https://www.calstrs.com/

BI&DW Generative BI Data Analytics with the awarded Respondent. Any contract resulting from this RFO may be amended to add time or funds, at the sole discretion of CalSTRS.

The Respondent and its proposed team selected as a result of this RFO will be under the direction of the CalSTRS Technology Services Enterprise IT Solutions & Innovation Director or designee and may be assigned one or more teams/programs/projects during the services period.

B. BACKGROUND

The CalSTRS Technology Services (TS) Branch supports approximately 1,700 employees and contractors at the headquarters and seven Member Service Centers (MSC) throughout the State of California. The CalSTRS Technology Services (TS) Branch delivers technology products, services, and business solutions which support all information technology systems throughout the organization including implementation of enterprise projects. TS programs and projects utilize the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) methodology and Agile Development guidelines.

The goal of this engagement is to establish a sound foundation for advancing CalSTRS’ current Business Intelligence & Data Warehouse (BI&DW) platform having Generative BI capabilities. This work will also identify impactful GenBI use cases as well as the assessment of CalSTRS Enterprise Data Governance.

For more information about the CalSTRS organization, mission, vision, and strategic and business plans, go to www.calstrs.com.

C. QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENTS

Proposed project personnel must meet all of the following minimum qualifications to CalSTRS’ satisfaction to be given further consideration. Failure to satisfy any of the minimum qualifications upon submittal of the Offer may result in the immediate rejection of the Offer.

Minimum Administrative Qualifications for the Respondent Firm

As of the Offer Due Date:

1. The Respondent must hold a current California Multiple Award Schedule (CMAS) agreement, with the California Department of General Services and must comply with the instructions, terms and conditions stated in the Leveraged Procurement Agreement.

2. The Respondent must submit all data/information and attachments requested in the offer format described below under Section D, Subsection 2, Offer Requirements. Failure to submit any of the required Attachments for this RFO by the Offer Due Date, will be grounds for immediate rejection of the submission.

http://www.calstrs.com/

BI&DW Generative BI Data Analytics

Minimum Technical Qualifications for the Respondent’s Proposed Team

As of the Offer due date, the Respondent’s proposed personnel/team must individually or collectively1 meet the following qualifications as evidenced by Attachment II, Proposed Project Person Skill Summary Sheet and resume(s):

1. The Respondent’s team must have successfully performed in at least one (1) BI and/or DW engagement having a total project budget of $20 million or more.

2. The Respondent’s team must have at least five (5) years of experience identifying BI use cases and creating Key Performance Indicator (KPI) analyses, risk analysis, prioritization matrix, and implementation roadmaps.

3. The Respondent’s team must have at least one successful development of enterprise-wide Data Governance frameworks, policies, standards, and the implementation plans.

4. The Respondent’s team must have at least three (3) years of experience of designing & implementing AI or ML use cases.

Desirable Technical Qualifications for the Respondent’s Proposed Team

It is desirable for the proposed project personnel/team to either individually or collectively have the following listed experience, knowledge, skills, and resume(s) as evidenced by Attachment II, Proposed Project Person Skill Summary Sheet and resume(s). CalSTRS may request a copy of the degrees/certification for desirable qualifications:

1. At least five (5) years of experience providing IT consulting services in technical solution implementations to California State agencies by following a State agency’s SDLC methodologies, IT policy, standards, and guidelines, and/or California Department of Technology Statewide Information Management Manual.

2. Hold technical certifications in the areas of cloud platform/architecture and/or GenAI or GenBI. CalSTRS reserves the right to ask for copies of the certifications.

3. The Respondent’s team has successfully designed and built at least one (1) AI platform architecture having agentic AI capabilities for enabling accelerated development & deployment of BI, AI, or GenBI use cases.

4. Experience managing IT projects executions using industry standards and best practices such as Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK) and Scaled Agile Framework.

5. The proposed onsite project person will be able to adhere to the hybrid working model by working on-site 2 to 3 business days per week at CalSTRS Headquarters, West Sacramento, CA. If no, provide a short explanation. (no points)

1 It is not necessary for each proposed person to meet every Minimum Technical Qualification (MTQ), however the amount of experience required for any individual qualification must be met by a single proposed person for that qualification. Between the personnel proposed, all MTQs must be met.

BI&DW Generative BI Data Analytics

D. OFFER REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION

1. Time Schedule

CalSTRS will use its best efforts to adhere to the time schedule. However, CalSTRS reserves the right to amend the time schedule, as it deems necessary or appropriate.

Event Date

Written Question Submittal Due Date July 9, 2025, by 2:00 P.M., PT

Offer Due Date July 15, 2025, by 2:00 P.M., PT

Estimated Start Work Date August/September 2025

2. Offer Requirements

To be eligible, an Offer must include all of the following listed attachments:

a. Attachment I, Information and Offer Sheet

b. Attachment II, Proposed Project Person Skill Summary Sheet

One (1) Proposed Project Person Skill Summary Sheet shall be completed for each proposed project person.

c. Attachment III, Proposed Project Person Business Reference Sheet

One (1) Business Reference Sheet must be completed for each proposed project person. Business references should be able to verify the proposed project person’s experiences, within the last 10 years, and to verify the other information provided regarding such person.

d. Attachment IV, Proposed Approach

The Respondent must submit an outline of their approach including an initial project plan, high-level schedule which describes how the work outlined in the Statement of Work will be completed, and the list of resources needed to complete the services for each task listed in the Statement of Work.

e. Attachment V, Cost Sheet

f. Proposed Project Personnel resumes

g. Current California Multiple Award Schedule (CMAS) Agreement

One (1) copy of the Respondent’s current, completed, and signed CMAS agreement, final rate sheet and all supplements issued by the Department of General Services.

BI&DW Generative BI Data Analytics

h. Current General Services Administration (GSA) Agreement

One (1) copy of the Respondent’s current GSA agreement and pricing pages applicable to the Respondent’s CMAS contract, which includes the personnel classifications, hourly rates, and minimum qualifications.

3. Submission of Offer

a. All offers must be submitted to CalSTRS electronically by using the following link:

https://resources.calstrs.com/CalSTRSComResourcesWebUI/Solicitation/Pages/Submission.aspx

If Respondents encounter any difficulties uploading proposals, they must promptly notify CalSTRS Procurement at Procurement@CalSTRS.com.

b. Proposals must be received no later than the proposal submission deadline. Proposals received after the specified date and time may be rejected.

c. CalSTRS will only accept ONE offer submission per Respondent. Only ONE file attachment is allowed and must be in the form of a compressed zip file (7z, RAR, zip, zipx, tar.bz2, and tar.gz). The file size cannot exceed 150MB. The file attachment must include all required documents as listed in section D.2. Offer Requirements of this RFO.

d. It is the Respondent’s responsibility to respond with all data/information requested; provide data/information that is deemed adequate for CalSTRS to determine/verify the proposed project person’s ability to perform the tasks/activities defined in Attachment VII, Statement of Work; and submit all data/information in the Offer format described in Section D, Subsection 2, Offer Requirements.

e. It is the Respondent’s responsibility to check for and review any addenda and consider such modifications when preparing its submissions.

f. By submittal of an Offer, the Respondent declares that any proposed project person is in compliance with all experience, qualification, and education requirements stipulated in the Respondent’s applicable Leveraged Procurement Agreement.

g. If a Respondent has assigned contract person to CalSTRS under an existing agreement, the Respondent should not offer the same contract person for this RFO if the current term of the existing agreement and the estimated start of these RFO services will overlap. These Offers, if received, may be rejected at CalSTRS discretion.

h. This RFO and all Offers in response to this RFO will be made a part of the resulting contract file. All documents submitted in response to this RFO will become the property of the State of California and may be subject to review by or release to the public under the California Public Records Act, Government Code section 7920.000 et seq.

i. CalSTRS encourages Respondents to submit their Offers early.

https://resources.calstrs.com/CalSTRSComResourcesWebUI/Solicitation/Pages/Submission.aspx

BI&DW Generative BI Data Analytics

j. CalSTRS accepts no responsibility for any technical difficulties associated with the electronic submission and transmission of any Offer.

k. CalSTRS will not disseminate the competitive processes and attachments hereto in any other format (i.e. Microsoft Word).

l. Costs for developing Offers and in anticipation of award of an agreement are entirely the responsibilities of the Respondents and shall not be charged to CalSTRS.

m. Respondents may modify their Offer, after its submission, by withdrawing their original Offer and resubmitting a new Offer prior to the Offer Due Date. Offer modifications submitted in any other manner, oral or written, or after the Offer Due Date will not be considered. Respondents may withdraw their own Offer by submitting a written withdrawal request to the CalSTRS Contact via email at Procurement@CalSTRS.com. Respondents may thereafter submit a new Offer prior to the Offer Due Date.

n. CalSTRS may modify the RFO prior to the Offer Due Date by issuing an addendum.

o. Respondents are cautioned to not rely on CalSTRS to discover and report to the Respondent any defects or errors in the submitted documents. Respondents, before submitting their documents, should carefully proofread for errors and ensure adherence to the RFO requirements.

p. CalSTRS reserves the right to cancel this RFO at any time and has the right to reject all Offers.

CalSTRS is not required to award an agreement.

4. Comparison Process

a. Upon receipt, Offers will be checked for the presence or absence of required content. Incomplete Offers may be rejected. No assumptions will be made by CalSTRS regarding the intentions of the Respondent in submitting the Offer.

b. Offers and any subsequent presentations should be submitted with the most favorable terms the Respondent can offer.

c. If CalSTRS is unable to execute an agreement with the most qualified and responsible Respondent(s), CalSTRS reserves the right to award the agreement to the next qualified and responsible Respondent(s).

d. Offers will be reviewed to determine best value using the following phases:

PHASES

1 SATISFACTION OF MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Pass/Fail 2 TECHNICAL QUALIFICATION REVIEW 70 points 3 COST COMPARISON 30 points

PHASE 2 + PHASE 3 SCORE 100 points

BI&DW Generative BI Data Analytics

PHASES

INTERVIEWS and TECHNICAL DEMONSTRATION OF AI

PLATFORM ARCHITECTURE / AGENTIC AI

CAPABILITIES

200 points

REFERENCE CHECKS (OPTIONAL) Pass/Fail 5 NEGOTIATIONS Pass/Fail

1) In Phase 1, the Respondent’s offer will be reviewed for compliance with the minimum qualifications, content and format requirements of the RFO. Both the minimum administrative and technical qualifications must be met as specified in Section C, Qualifications Requirements.

Failure to satisfy any part of prequalification may result in the immediate disqualification of the offer and/or applicable proposed project personnel.

2) Offers meeting the minimum qualifications will move to Phase 2, Technical Qualification Review.

The Respondent’s Proposed Project Personnel/Team’s expertise, experience, and education will be reviewed and scored based on the information provided in their Attachment II, Proposed Project Personnel Skill Summary Sheet (which also includes desirable qualifications), and resume.

Additionally, Attachment IV, Proposed Approach will also be reviewed and scored.

3) In Phase 3, Cost Comparison, the total deliverable cost for all deliverables and the blended hourly rate for Unanticipated Tasks provided in the Respondent’s Attachment V, Cost Sheet, will be reviewed using the cost formulas indicated below. The Offer with the lowest Total Fixed Deliverable Cost and Blended Hourly Rate will receive the full allotment of points. All other Respondents will be scored as follows:

Lowest Proposed Cost x Maximum Number Points

(25) = Respondent’s Score Respondent’s Total Cost

Lowest Blended Hourly Rate x Maximum Number Points

(5) = Respondent’s Score Respondent’s Blended Hourly Rate

4) In Phase 4, highest scoring Respondent Firm(s) and their proposed team after Phase 2, Technical

Qualification Review and Phase 3, Cost Comparison may be invited for one or more rounds of interviews. Reference checks may be conducted.

5) If interviews are conducted, CalSTRS will negotiate cost in Phase 5 with the Respondent/Proposed Team who scored the highest points from Phase 4, subject to passing reference checks at the option of CalSTRS. If interviews are not conducted, CalSTRS will negotiate rates in Phase 5 with the Respondent/Proposed Team who received the highest total points from Phase 2 and Phase 3, subject to passing reference checks at the option of CalSTRS.

5. Award

a. If CalSTRS enters into an agreement, it will be with the highest scoring responsible and responsive

Respondent and the evaluated proposed project personnel/team, as detailed above, subject to optional reference checks including passing the cost negotiation phase and satisfying all the requirements for this RFO. Respondents should review the attached Purchasing Authority Purchase Order Agreement for a sample of the agreement that will be awarded.

b. If CalSTRS is unable to execute an agreement with the highest scoring Respondent/proposed team, CalSTRS reserves the right to award to the next highest scoring responsive Respondent/proposed team in line.

c. The Respondent, if awarded an agreement, must register in the CalSTRS integrated financial system, the Supplier Self-Service (SUS) Portal. This portal provides direct access to administering product and service delivery with CalSTRS. Click on the hyperlink to register:

https://www.calstrs.com/supplier-self-service-portal.

d. If at any time during or at the conclusion of this RFO process CalSTRS determines that, in its opinion, the results of this process are unsatisfactory, CalSTRS reserves the right to cancel this RFO, discontinue this process and decline to award an agreement.

e. In the event of a tie, (i.e., two Respondent’s with the same highest score), the award shall be determined by a coin toss.

6. Payment Structure

The payment structure for activities performed under Attachment VII, Statement of Work, is deliverables based.

The billing per deliverable shall be calculated by multiplying the proposed hourly rate(s) for services within Attachment V, Cost Sheet with the hours utilized to generate deliverables. Each deliverable cost will be capped in the column titled “Task Total” shown in the Cost Sheet.

Invoices shall be submitted in triplicate not more frequently than monthly in arrears.

Invoice(s) must include: 1) Agreement Number, 2) Contractor’s name, address, and telephone number, 3) total amount of invoice, 4) a copy of the deliverable acceptance document(s) approved/signed by the CalSTRS Contract Manager or designee associated with the invoice.

7. Services or Procurement Resulting from Agreement

No person, firm, or subsidiary thereof awarded an agreement resulting from this RFO may submit a bid for, nor be awarded a contract for, the provision of services, procurement of goods or supplies, or any other related action which is required, suggested, or otherwise deemed appropriate in the end product of an agreement resulting from this RFO. (Public Contract Code §10365.5).

8. Workers’ Compensation/Employer’s Liability Insurance

Contractor shall maintain statutory workers’ compensation and employer’s liability coverage for all its employees who will be engaged in the performance of the agreement, including special coverage extensions where applicable.

https://www.calstrs.com/supplier-self-service-portal

9. Security

Contractor shall perform a background investigation on all of Contractor’s employees, subcontractors and agents assigned to perform the services, or any part of the services, pursuant to the agreement (the “Contractor Personnel”), per the provisions of the attached Sample Purchasing Authority Purchase Order Agreement, Section G - Affirmative Covenants, Item 10 – Security, and must demonstrate compliance with Exhibit F, CalSTRS Contractor Background Investigation Policy. CalSTRS reserves the right to conduct a background investigation on the Contractor’s personnel, at its sole discretion.

ATTACHMENT I

Information and Offer Sheet

Respondent Firm Name Firm Address

Street Address City, State, Zip Code

CMAS & Small Business / DVBE Certification

CMAS Number CMAS Term Dates Certified Small Business Enterprise (Yes or No) If Yes, provide DGS certification number

Certified Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (Yes or No) If Yes, provide DGS certification number

Administrative Contact

Name and Title Office Telephone # (Include area code) Cell Telephone # (Include area code) Email Address

Authorized Signer

Name and Title Office Telephone # (Include area code) Cell Telephone # (Include area code) Email Address

Proposed Project Personnel and Rates

The Respondent Firm must provide proposed project personnel below to complete the tasks identified in Attachment VII, Statement of Work. Respondents must propose at least one (1) project personnel who is the Engagement Manager and one (1) GenBI Data Analytics Consultant. All proposed project personnel must be available for the project in the event the resulting contract is awarded to the Respondent Firm.

Proposed Project Person #1 (mandatory) Name of Proposed Project Person Role or Title Engagement Manager CMAS Classification (Must be a Job Title listed in the Available Products and/or Services)

CMAS Hourly Rate Discount Hourly Rate Offered (rate used for calculation on Attachment V, Cost Sheet)

Proposed Project Person #2 (mandatory) Name of Proposed Project Person Role or Title GenBI Data Analytics Consultant

Proposed Project Person #3 (optional)

Role or Title

Proposed Project Person #4 (optional)

Role or Title

ATTACHMENT II

Proposed Project Person Skill Summary Sheet

This sheet must be completed by each Proposed Project Person.

Proposed Project Person Name

As of the Offer Due Date, the Respondent’s proposed personnel/team must individually or collectively meet the following qualifications to CalSTRS’ satisfaction to be given further consideration. Failure to satisfy any of the minimum qualifications may result in the immediate rejection of the offer.

Attachment II must be completed in the prescribed format below. Attachment II will be reviewed for expertise, experience, and education. The responses provided will be used in Phase 2, Technical Qualification Review of the Offer Comparison and scoring process. The work experiences, skills and abilities listed in each description must be verifiable by proposed personnel references and resumes. A statement such as, Refer to Resume, is not acceptable; all fields must be completed.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

1. The Respondent’s team must have successfully performed in at least one (1) BI and/or DW engagement having a total project budget of $20 million or more.

YES/

NO

TOTAL

NO. OF

YEARS

Do you meet the above minimum qualification?

Provide a detailed description of specific work experience that meets the minimum qualification.

Description

Employer and Work Location(s) Date Range(s) No. of Years From (MM/YYYY) To (MM/YYYY)

2. The Respondent’s team must have at least five (5) years of experience identifying BI use cases and creating Key Performance Indicator (KPI) analyses, risk analysis, prioritization matrix, and implementation roadmaps.

YES/

NO

TOTAL

NO. OF

YEARS

Do you meet the above minimum qualification?

3. The Respondent’s team must have at least one successful development of enterprise-wide Data Governance frameworks, policies, standards, and the implementation plans.

YES/

NO

TOTAL

NO. OF

YEARS

Do you meet the above minimum qualification?

4. The Respondent’s team must have at least three (3) years of experience of designing

& implementing AI or ML use cases.

YES/

NO

TOTAL

NO. OF

YEARS

Do you meet the above minimum qualification?

For each DESIRABLE QUALIFICATION, give a brief description of specific work experience that meets/exceeds the criteria and demonstrates the number of YEARS entered, as applicable. Desirable qualifications will be scored collectively if multiple personnel are proposed.

Follow the format prescribed below. The work experiences, skills and abilities listed in each description must be verifiable by proposed personnel references and resumes. A statement such as, Refer to Resume, is not acceptable.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

1. At least five (5) years of experience providing IT consulting services in technical solution implementations to California State agencies by following a State agency’s SDLC methodologies, IT policy, standards, and guidelines, and/or California Department of Technology Statewide Information Management Manual.

NO. OF

YEARS

2. Hold technical certifications in the areas of cloud platform architecture and/or, GenAI, or

GenBI. CalSTRS reserves the right to ask for copies of the certifications.

YES/NO

3. The Respondent’s team has successfully designed and built at least one (1) AI platform architecture with agentic AI capabilities for enabling accelerated development & deployment of BI, AI, or GenBI use cases.

NO. OF

4. Experience managing IT projects executions using industry standards and best practices such as Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK) and Scaled Agile Framework.

NO. OF

5. The proposed onsite project person will be able to adhere to the hybrid working model by working on-site 2 to 3 business days per week at CalSTRS Headquarters, West Sacramento, CA. If no, provide a short explanation. (no points)

YES/NO

ATTACHMENT III

Proposed Project Person Business Reference Sheet

One sheet must be completed for each Proposed Project Person.

Proposed Project Person Name

REFERENCE 1

Name of Company/Agency Company Address City, State Contact Person (Name and Title) Contact Telephone # (Include area code) Contact Email Address Dates of Service (Include years and months)

REFERENCE 2

Company Address City, State Contact Person (Name and Title) Contact Telephone # (Include area code)

REFERENCE 3

Company Address City, State Contact Person (Name and Title) Contact Telephone # (Include area code)

ATTACHMENT IV

Proposed Approach

The Respondent must submit an outline of their approach, including an initial project plan, high-level schedule which describes how the work outlined in Attachment VII, Statement of Work will be completed, and a list of resources that will be needed to complete the services. Tasks 1-3 are expected to be completed within 6 months.

ATTACHMENT V

Cost Sheet

Respondents must submit their cost in the format prescribed below. All columns must be completed. The proposed cost (in US dollars) including any applicable taxes for taxable items shall include all costs and expenses (i.e., completion of Deliverable Documents, assessments, status reports and meetings), necessary to provide the services to CalSTRS as described in Attachment VII, Statement of Work. Costs shall not exceed two (2) decimal places. The hourly rates, subject to negotiations, as submitted shall be for the term of the agreement including any extensions. The selected Respondent/contract personnel are responsible for any travel costs. Only the Roles and Discounted Hourly Rates proposed in Attachment I, Information and Offer Sheet, may be used in this Cost Sheet.

Upon completion of deliverables to the satisfaction of CalSTRS, services shall be billed at the total task costs proposed in this Cost Sheet. In no case will compensation exceed the total cost proposed for completion of each deliverable. There must be a signed/approved Exhibit K, CalSTRS Deliverables Acceptance Document, from each deliverable before invoices can be submitted for payment. A 10% holdback will be retained from each task except the final task. For each task, the 10% holdback will be released after the final task is successfully completed and a signed/approved Exhibit K, CalSTRS Deliverables Acceptance Document, has been received.

EXAMPLE of completed table Proposed Project Role on Project/ Proposed Discounted Proposed Deliverable Cost

Person Name* Classification* Hourly Rate* Number of Hours (Rate x Hours) Personnel #1 Engagement Manager $90.00 40 $3,600.00

Personnel #2 GenBI Data Analytics Consultant $85.00 20 $1,700.00

Personnel #3 Additional Project Person $85.00 20 $1,700.00 *As submitted in Attachment I Task 1 Total $7,000.00

A. FIXED PRICE DELIVERABLES

TASK 1 - IDENTIFYING IMPACTFUL GENBI USE CASES

DELIVERABLE 1.1 – Working Plan, RACI Matrix, Status Reports, Final Summary Reports

Person Name Classification Hourly Rate Number of (Rate x Hours) (As submitted in (As submitted in (As submitted in Hours Attachment I) Attachment I) Attachment I)

(add rows as needed) $ $

Deliverable 1.1 Total $

DELIVERABLE 1.2 – Comprehensive Set of GenBI Use Case Document

Person Name Classification Hourly Rate Number of (Rate x Hours)

(As submitted in (As submitted in (As submitted in Hours Attachment I) Attachment I) Attachment I)

(add rows as needed) $ $

Deliverable 1.2 Total $

Task 1 Total (Deliverable 1.1+1.2) $

TASK 2 – ARCHITECTURE/DESIGN TO EXPAND CURRENT BI&DW PLATFORM WITH GENBI /

AGENTIC AI CAPABILITIES

DELIVERABLE 2.1 – Working Plan, RACI Matrix, Status Reports, Final Summary Reports

Person Name Classification Hourly Rate Number of (Rate x Hours) (As submitted in (As submitted in (As submitted in Hours Attachment I) Attachment I) Attachment I)

Deliverable 2.1 Total $

DELIVERABLE 2.2 – Detailed Architecture/Design Documentation of the Proposed GenBI / Agentic AI Platform

Proposed Project Role on Project/ Proposed Discounted Proposed Deliverable Cost Person Name Classification Hourly Rate Number of (Rate x Hours)

(As submitted in (As submitted in (As submitted in Hours Attachment I) Attachment I) Attachment I)

Deliverable 2.2 Total $

DELIVERABLE 2.3 – Assessment Documents

Person Name Classification Hourly Rate Number of (Rate x Hours)

(As submitted in (As submitted in (As submitted in Hours Attachment I) Attachment I) Attachment I)

Deliverable 2.3 Total $

DELIVERABLE 2.4 – Implementation of the Proposed GenBI / Agentic AI Platform

Person Name Classification Hourly Rate Number of (Rate x Hours)

(As submitted in (As submitted in (As submitted in Hours Attachment I) Attachment 1) Attachment 1)

(add rows as needed) $ $

Deliverable 2.4 Total $

Task 2 Total (Deliverable 2.1+2.2+2.3+2.4) $

TASK 3 - ASSESS THE CURRENT BI&DW DATA GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK AND

STANDARDS

DELIVERABLE 3.1 – Working Plan, RACI Matrix, Status Reports, Final Summary Reports

Person Name Classification Hourly Rate Number of (Rate x Hours) (As submitted in (As submitted in (As submitted in Hours Attachment I) Attachment I) Attachment I)

Deliverable 3.1 Total $

DELIVERABLE 3.2 – Documents with Comprehensive Recommendations

Person Name Classification Hourly Rate Number of (Rate x Hours)

(As submitted in (As submitted in (As submitted in Hours Attachment I) Attachment I) Attachment I)

(add rows as needed) $ $

Deliverable 3.2 Total $

Task 3 Total (Deliverable 3.1+3.2) $

TASK 4 – IMPLEMENTATION OF ONE GENBI USE CASE (OPTIONAL)

Please identify all anticipated resources for completing this task and associated rates in the tables below. Rates should be consistent (for similar resources) for each deliverable throughout this Attachment V, Cost Sheet.

Any additional resources required, who are not identified below, may only be billed at the blended rate provided in section B, Unanticipated Task’s Rate Card.

DELIVERABLE 4.1 Working Plan, RACI Matrix, Status Reports, Final Summary Reports Proposed Project Role on Project/ Proposed Discounted

Person Name Classification Hourly Rate (As submitted in (As submitted in (As submitted in

Attachment I) Attachment 1) Attachment 1) (add rows as needed) $

DELIVERABLE 4.2 One Production-Quality GenBI Use Case Implementation

Person Name Classification Hourly Rate (As submitted in (As submitted in (As submitted in

Attachment I) Attachment 1) Attachment 1)

TOTAL FIXED TASK COST (Tasks 1 + 2 + 3) $

DELIVERABLE 4.3 Additional Production-Quality GenBI Use Case(s) Implementation (Optional)

Person Name Classification Hourly Rate

(As submitted in Attachment 1)

(As submitted in (As submitted in Attachment I) Attachment 1)

B. UNANTICIPATED TASKS RATE CARD

Respondents shall provide an hourly rate card for unanticipated tasks not included in the SOW. Additional services will be performed with a Work Authorization and must be pre-approved by CalSTRS in writing and signed by both parties before beginning work as more fully explained in section J, Unanticipated Tasks, of the Sample Agreement. If other roles and rates are not provided but are deemed necessary to accomplish the work in the Unanticipated Tasks Work Authorization, then the Blended Hourly Rate shall be the maximum hourly rate used for any additional roles. Rates for unanticipated tasks may be renegotiated at time of Work Authorization and may not exceed the proposed Unanticipated/Blended Hourly Rates below.

Role CMAS Classification

Unanticipated Task Hourly

Rate Engagement Manager $ GenBI Data Analytics Consultant $ (list the roles submitted in Attachment I) $

BLENDED HOURLY RATE (The average of all Unanticipated Task Hourly Rates) $

ATTACHMENT VI

Frequently Asked Questions

The following are frequently asked questions as it pertains to this RFO. Respondents are responsible for reviewing these questions and responses. If this RFO accepts clarifications/questions, see instructions located on page 2 for how to submit written questions and the deadline to ensure a response.

Q.1. Are these new services?

A.1. Yes.

Q.2. If there is an incumbent, are they eligible to be considered for these services?

A.2. N/A.

Q.3. Will phone/webcam interviews be an option if interviews are conducted?

A.3. Yes, CalSTRS may consider interviews using online collaboration platforms. CalSTRS will determine the appropriate platform to use.

Q.4. What is the anticipated award and start dates for the contract?

A.4. See RFO Section D.1., Time Schedule.

Q.5. Is there a “remote working” option?

A.5. See RFO Section A., Introduction.

Q.6. Is the RFO available in a Word document format?

A.6. In order to maintain the format prescribed, CalSTRS will not disseminate the RFO in Microsoft Word or any other format. It is the Respondent’s responsibility to develop and format a response, which may include the use of Microsoft Word, Adobe or other software and functions (i.e. prepare, convert, etc.), to provide all the required information and documents listed in the RFO.

Q.7. Is a CMAS required to respond to this RFO?

A.7. Yes.

Q.8. How do we become a CMAS vendor?

A.8. Business Entities interested in becoming a CMAS contractor may view the Department of General

Services site for additional information.

https://www.dgs.ca.gov/PD

Q.9. Which classification do I list on Attachment I if it does not match the CalSTRS position title?

A.9. Respondents may submit a classification that has similar skills/experience and that is an available service listed on their CMAS as long as all Minimum Qualifications of this RFO are met.

Q.10. What if a proposed project person that was submitted is no longer available at time of contract award, can a new proposed project person be submitted?

A.10. Award is based on Proposed Project Personnel scores. If any Proposed Project Personnel are no longer available at time of contract award, then CalSTRS reserves the right to award the next highest scoring Respondent/Proposed Project Personnel/Team in line.

Q.11. What is the estimated budget for this RFO?

A.11. In an effort to obtain competitive pricing, CalSTRS will not disclose this information.

Q.12. How to become a business partner with CalSTRS?

A.12. Business Entities may become a business partner with CalSTRS by registering in CalSTRS integration on-line financial system, the Supplier Self-Service (SUS) Portal. For more information about the portal and additional registration requirements please visit the link https://www.calstrs.com/supplier-self-service-portal.

Q.13. How do I update my business information (i.e., address, tax ID, entity name) with CalSTRS?

A.13. Business Entities will need to complete a Business Partner Form. To request the form please email

Partners@CalSTRS.com.

Q.14. Does CalSTRS Headquarters have onsite parking for independent contractors?

A.14. Monthly parking privileges at CalSTRS Headquarters are available for CalSTRS employees only.

Independent contractors are responsible for seeking alternative parking locations. One option may be the Ziggurat parking at Department of General Services garage at 601 Third Street, West Sacramento.

The current fee for Ziggurat parking is $120/month. For other parking options, please visit West Sacramento Parking Services Website.

https://www.cityofwestsacramento.org/government/departments/city-manager-s-office/parking https://www.cityofwestsacramento.org/government/departments/city-manager-s-office/parking

ATTACHMENT VII

STATEMENT OF WORK

This Statement of Work will be updated with the specific approach based on the selected Contractor’s approach and responses to this RFO. The Contractor’s approach must also align with the Contractor’s Cost Sheet.

Under the direction of the CalSTRS Enterprise IT Solutions & Innovation Director, or designee, the Contractor shall perform all the following tasks and complete the associated deliverables. The description of each task identifies the deliverables that must, at a minimum, be provided to CalSTRS.

The Statement of Work (SOW) outlines the objectives, scope, and deliverables for establishing a sound foundation for advancing CalSTRS’ current Business Intelligence & Data Warehouse (BI&DW) architecture/platform to be capable of Generative BI (GenBI), which is the latest evolution of traditional BI by combining Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning (AI/ML), and also Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) with traditional analytics tools to provide deeper insights, predictive analytics, and automated decision-making capabilities. GenBI helps make analytics data more useful and accessible for business users, data analysts, and technical developers alike. Furthermore, CalSTRS seeks to drastically accelerate the development and deployment of BI, AI, or GenBI use cases by adopting and integrating agentic AI workflow capabilities into this To-Be enterprise-level GenBI / agentic AI platform.

The Vendor/Contractor must be able to perform work on-site 2 to 3 business days a week at the CalSTRS headquarters facility in West Sacramento, CA. At CalSTRS’ discretion, a different approach (i.e., fully in-office, fully remote or different work hours) may be utilized based on CalSTRS business need and/or directive. Work must be performed during CalSTRS business hours and shall not be permitted on California State Holidays identified on the California Department of Human Resources website, unless pre-approved in writing by CalSTRS management. All work schedules must be pre-approved in writing by CalSTRS management and must adhere to all applicable CalSTRS policies and procedures. The Vendor/Contractor is responsible for any travel costs (including travel time) that they may incur while providing the services identified in the Statement of Work.

Key capabilities and benefits of GenBI that CalSTRS seeks to attain, include but are not limited to the following:

• Self-service Analytics for Democratized Data Access

• Enable users to ask the GenBI tools, in plain language, to conduct advanced analytics and build reports without the need to learn special programming languages specific to a traditional data analytics tool.

• Empower users at all levels within CalSTRS to access and interpret data, without the need to rely on technical developers to transform data and build charts from scratch.

• Automation for Improved Efficiency

• Automate repetitive tasks to reduce the need for manual data analysis and interpretation, allowing business stakeholders to focus on essential/ strategic work, instead of cleansing/transforming data.

• Auto-generate insights and recommendations, revealing meaningful patterns or insights leading to faster decision-making.

• Advanced Analytics for Predictive Capabilities

• Leverage machine learning and artificial intelligence to generate predictive insights to anticipate future trends and opportunities.

• Process larger volumes of complex data, enabling analysis of previously inaccessible insights.

• Data Decoupling for Increased Data Security

• Decouple data from public-facing AI solutions like ChatGPT to protect privacy and mitigate data security concerns with sharing sensitive/confidential data with a public Large Language Model

(LLM).

• Avoid challenges associated with uploading large amounts of organizational data to a public LLM.

CalSTRS envisions this engagement to have five tracks (or logical groupings) of efforts. CalSTRS is open to suggestions about the best timing of performing these five tracks, e.g., serially, concurrently, or with some overlapping among one or more tracks.

1. A set of high-impact GenBI use cases.

2. A detailed architecture/design of an enterprise-level GenBI / agentic AI platform.

3. A gap analysis of CalSTRS existing BI platform (As-Is) and a GenBI / agentic AI platform (To-Be).

4. A data governance framework for Enterprise Data Analytics that can support and sustain a GenBI / agentic AI platform.

5. Implementation(s) of one or more high-impact and architecturally significant GenBI use case within the proposed GenBI /agentic AI platform.

The work must adhere to CalSTRS AI policies, frameworks, strategies, and standards.

A. Description of Services

a. To advance CalSTRS existing BI&DW platform toward GenBI

b. To evaluate and provide actionable recommendations for CalSTRS data governance framework and standards that align and support GenBI

c. To identify, document, and prioritize impactful GenBI use cases from various CalSTRS business areas

d. To demonstrate the value and benefit of GenBI through implementations of high-impact GenBI use cases

e. To reduce the time and/or cost of CalSTRS BI and GenBI efforts through adoption of GenBI / agentic

AI capabilities

Task 1 (Fixed Price): Identifying Impactful GenBI Use Cases

a. Engagement manager will be responsible for managing vendor’s resources, creating working plan, providing weekly status reports, and ensuring high-quality deliverables.

b. Review and assess the existing inventory of BI use cases (47 use cases) to identify select use cases that can potentially be high impact and/or architecturally significant GenBI use cases.

i. In addition, review the existing inventory of CalSTRS AI ideas/business requests to cross reference and/or reconcile with BI use cases to reach a set of candidate GenBI use cases for prioritization.

c. Develop Return on Investment (ROI) calculations, incorporating cost-benefit analysis, as well as other additional and pertinent criteria for prioritizing GenBI use cases.

d. Conduct meetings, workshops and interviews with key business stakeholders and operational teams to finalize and document detailed requirements for 5 impactful GenBI use cases.

i. Create detailed requirement documents of each GenBI use case, including goals, required data inputs, expected outcomes, and the acceptance criteria.

e. Complete risk assessments by collaborating with Enterprise IT Governance, Information Security

Office, Legal, and Compliance teams to identify data privacy, regulatory, and technical risks.

f. Host prioritization workshops with cross-functional teams to rank use cases based on impact, feasibility, and risk factors.

Deliverable (fixed price):

1.1 The working plan, RACI matrix of resources, weekly status reports to CalSTRS leadership, risk & issue logs, and the final summary reports from the engagement manager.

1.2 Comprehensive set of GenBI use case document including five high impact use cases, ROI analyses, risk analysis, prioritization matrix, and a prioritized implementation roadmap.

Task 2 (Fixed Price): Architecture/Design to Expand Current BI&DW Platform with GenBI / Agentic AI capabilities

a. Engagement manager will be responsible for managing vendor’s resources, creating working plan, providing weekly status reports, and ensuring high-quality deliverables.

b. Propose a GenBI / agentic AI platform architecture/design that has GenBI / agentic AI capabilities

(To-Be), features and benefits as mentioned in the Introduction section.

c. Review and assess all aspects of the current BI&DW platform architecture (As-Is) including but not limited to tools, data sources/models/pipelines, integration points/interfaces, BI workflows and processes, etc.

d. Perform a gap analysis between the As-Is and To-Be, as well as providing an actionable roadmap on how to advance CalSTRS BI platform from As-Is to To-Be.

e. Demonstrate the viability of a proposed GenBI / agentic AI platform.

f. Implement the proposed GenBI / agentic AI architecture & platform.

2.1 The working plan, RACI matrix of resources, weekly status reports to CalSTRS leadership, risk & issue logs, and the final summary reports from the…