US+Tech+Solutions+Contract+Summary+095.docx

ND STATE CONTRACT INFORMATION

CONTRACT INTRODUCTION

The contract is Information Technology professional services in a variety of IT Contract Pool Categories. The State has an ongoing need for Information Technology (IT) professionals in a variety of categories for both project-based and staff-augmentation work. Multiple vendors have been awarded contracts in each of the IT Contract Pool Categories. State agencies may use a structured work order request process to obtain IT professional services through this contract. Use the links below to see the job class definitions, experience levels and required skill sets in each of the contract pool categories, vendors awarded in each category, schedule of vendor hourly rates, and vendor contact information:

VENDOR POOL GUIDELINES

Effective August 1, 2025, this Contract will be subject to Guidelines for Multiple Award Vendor Pool Contracts - Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Delivery - Multistep Competition pursuant to House Bill No. 1122 and N.D.C.C. 54-44.4. See Guidelines, Rules and Laws | Office of Management and Budget North Dakota.

State Agency/Boards/Commissions - IT Review for any category EXCEPT Project Manager - Any purchases made under this contract needs to be reviewed by NDIT. Submit an IT Review Request in the NDIT Service Portal. After logging into the portal, search “IT Review” to locate the form that needs to be completed. Once approved, continue with the ordering process in this contract summary. NDIT IT Review is not required for NDUS, K-12 or political subdivisions.

See Work Order Process below regarding the issuance of work orders to vendors. It is recommended that no work orders extend beyond the contract term listed for each vendor in the respective category.

IT Contract Pool Categories Dynamics 365 – REQUIRES NDIT APPROVAL BEFORE PROCEEDING TO WORK REQUEST

CONTRACTOR INFORMATION

Check the State contract website for the contractor and contract administrator information.

COOPERATIVE PURCHASING

This contract is a cooperative purchasing contract established pursuant to North Dakota Century Code Sections 15.1-09-34(1)(k), 54-44.4-13, and 54-59-18. Though not a party to this contract, North Dakota State Colleges and Universities, K-12 schools, city, county, and local governments, tribal agencies, transportation providers under N.D.C.C chapter 39-04.2, International Peace Garden and nonprofit organizations established on behalf of public entities are eligible to participate in this contract. Contact the contract administrator if you are not sure you are eligible to participate.

ORDERING INFORMATION

Work Order Process When an agency requires IT services, the agency will prepare a work order request describing the needed work. The work order form is available from the OMB State Contract web page, listed under contract #095.

There are several vendors within each IT Contract Pool Category, and the number of vendors an agency must solicit to submit a project proposal is determined by the estimated cost of the IT project. Vendors who are invited to submit project proposals must be priced at, or below, the rates proposed and contractually obligated.

*The Onsite rate must cover all travel related expenses other than “Short Notice” Work Order Requests. Short Notice requests are those issued to Vendors with less than 14 calendar days to project start date. In such cases, Vendors may be allowed, with the approval of the agency issuing the work order, to bill supplemental travel expenses caused by the short notice. The Vendor must provide documentation justifying the supplemental travel expense billing.

1. Projects estimated at less than $250,000:

a. Direct Assignment. An agency may issue a work order request directly to any of the awarded vendors in the appropriate pool category.

b. Competitive - An agency may elect to conduct a competitive process by requesting project proposals from two or more vendors. The agency will select the vendor project proposal that best meets the SOW requirements based upon the selection criteria stated in the work order request.

2. Projects estimated at $250,000 or more:

a. Direct Assignment - An agency may issue a work order request directly to an awarded vendor if prior approval is granted by the contract administrator.

b. Competitive - An agency must issue a work order to all of the awarded vendors in the respective category. The agency will select the vendor project proposal that best meets the SOW requirements and selection criteria stated in the work order request.

When you are ready to issue a Work Order, review the instructional document located on the OMB State Procurement website, under contract #095.

ITD Review / Approval Process Work Orders anticipated to be over $25,000 must be reviewed and approved by ITD Policy and Planning Division. Submit the Work Order to ITDProcurement@nd.gov . ITD is also available to answer questions and provide assistance to agencies in generating work orders.

1. Submit draft work order for review prior to issuing to vendor(s).

1. Submit final work order with vendor proposal for approval prior to executing the agreement.

Project Management and Change Control A change order process will be used to manage issues and changes during the life of a work order project. A change request must be in writing using a Change Order form to document the potential change. The change will be reviewed and, if acceptable to the agency, the vendor will submit an estimate of the charges and the anticipated changes in the delivery schedule that will result from the proposed change in the scope of work. A Change Order must be approved and signed by both parties prior to implementation of the change. A sample Change Order form is available from the Contract 095 web page.

Customer Satisfaction Surveys Upon completion of each work order, the requesting agency may complete a customer satisfaction survey rating the agency’s satisfaction with quality of work, cost and schedule adherence, and contract compliance. Contractors will be provided copies of the surveys completed for work they have performed under the contract.

The customer satisfaction surveys will be submitted to the Contract Administrator to be used in evaluating performance under this contract. Dissatisfaction with vendor performance indicated on agency customer satisfaction surveys may be used by the State in making a determination to terminate or restrict a vendor’s contract. The Customer Satisfaction Survey form is available as an attachment on the Contract 095 web page.

Frequently Asked Questions A list of frequently asked questions and answers is available from the Contract 095 web page.

Professional Services Contract Pool Categories

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Category -THIS CATEGORY REQUIRES NDIT APPROVAL BEFORE PROCEEDING TO A WORK REQUEST – CONTACT NDIT PROCUREMENT *Reminder – work orders estimated at $250,000 or greater must be sent to all vendors listed in the category.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 The following four skillsets are expected for any Microsoft Dynamics 365 position as they are important for any vendor to perform work required by STATE:

· Determines the customer’s information requirements

· Studies the customer’s requirements and determines if the business processes for gathering, cleansing, and ensuring the quality of data are adequate

· Provide technical and architectural guidance to projects and cross-functional teams, ensuring that new initiatives enable effective data reporting. Collaborate with dashboard/report designers and data scientists to define the necessary data sources, data elements, transformations, and structures

· Prepares an analysis document with the recommended solution

· Works with State architects as well as other technical and management personnel to develop the best solution

Design, Build and Test Solutions and Reports:

· Creates design documents for solutions based on business analysis document

· Workflow, custom application/solution, plugin and development

· Works closely/collaborates with State on configuration and customization

· Presents design documents to State architects as well as other technical and management resources to provide assurance the best solution is proposed

· Presents design documents to customer for approval

· Prototypes the solution as designed and presents prototype to the customer for approval,

· Prepares processes for production

· Educates and conducts continuous communication with end users throughout the project

Project Coordination:

· Manage projects using project management best practices

· Coordinates with project managers responsible for specific projects to ensure that interdependencies between projects are understood and that activities and direction are consistent with the related architecture and standard

· Identifies organizational change management issues and incorporates tasks in project plans to address

General skill sets:

· Interpersonal skill set includes strong analytical, problem solving and project management skills, be able to work well with people and possess strong communication skills as needed to mentor others; communicate highly technical information to non-technical and technical users; written and verbal English language proficiency

Scrum Master Category *Reminder – work orders estimated at $250,000 or greater must be sent to all vendors listed in the category

Scrum Master

· Provide workload direction and guidance to team members

· Lead and coach team members on how to use Agile/Scrum practices

· Ensure team members are practicing the core agile principles of collaboration, prioritization, accountability and transparency/visibility

· Communicate with all stakeholders, including executive management, architects, developers, product owners, etc. on product deliverables and issues

· Organize and facilitate daily Scrum meetings, Sprint Planning, Sprint Reviews and Retrospectives, and other scrum related meetings

· Build and maintain relationships with team members and stakeholders Scrum Master Experience

· Experience in public sector assignments is preferred

· CSM credential is preferred

· Experience using an Agile delivery tool (e.g. Azure DevOps) is preferred Scrum Master Skill Set

· Understanding of Agile/Scrum practices

· Guiding through Agile/Scrum practices

· Identifying and removing impediments to team success

· Coaching team members on Agile and Scrum

· Providing feedback on project team performance with a special focus on Agile competencies

· Proficient in the use of Agile delivery tools such as Azure DevOps

· Serving as a liaison between technical and non-technical departments image1.png