ABCC Scanning RFQ 2014 - Questions and Answers.pdf

ABCC Digitizing or License Records RFQ 2014

Bidder’s Questions and Answers

8.26.2014

1. How prevalent are the documents that are date stamped? Are they small date stamps?

How important is that?

Answer: For legal reasons we believe we need to capture that information for the scan. New date stamp on the front. If the date stamp is there it is probably important.

2. If the work is on-site is it restricted to business hours or can it be done after hours? What about access?

Answer: Not sure, that is a management question. We will get back to you.

3. Are the licenses filed numerically?

Answer: They are filed by town, then corporate name.

4. Do you need the different owners of the licenses separated?

Answer: Currently in the same file under the license number. Would like them filed like this:

LICENSE #

Licensee Name

Transaction Type

Transaction Type

Licensee Name

Transaction Type

Etc.

5. How do you want the CSV file broken down?

Answer: We will give a set number.

6. Do you want to have twenty different fields or one record for each?

Answer: We would like vendor to tell us.

7. Any idea of the average number of names on documents?

Answer: Not sure.

8. Everything black and white if no photographs?

Answer: Yes.

9. Do you need color or grey image?

Answer: Please provide a separate quote for color images (i.e. for photos).

10. Need to define what documents need color.

Answer: Yes, we will.

11. Would it be alright to scan documents and send securely?

Answer: For the most part that should be fine.

12. How far back do these records go?

Answer: ABCC formed in 1933.

13. Could you tell us which ones have databases associated with them and column headings and highlight what we need to pull?

Answer: Yes, we can go back to a certain date. We can use the database to either cross reference or pull into the new system, thus reducing the need for tagging all meta data after the start of the database. The data bases mentioned in the Bidder’s conference will not be of any value.

14. Could I put a scanner here and have the information sent back to my office?

Answer: That shouldn’t be a problem. Management would prefer to have scanning done here.

15. What kind of timeline are we looking at?

Answer: ASAP. We don’t want this to drag on for a year, but also understand it isn’t a three week project.

16. How do documents need to be placed back in the folder?

Answer: The documents do not need to be re-stapled. Documents need to be put back in the folder in the same sequence.

17. Will the Content Management System be purchased before this contract is awarded?

Answer: Not sure, however ABCC will specify structure before vendor starts project.

18. Question 4 on pg. 7 of the RFR states: Record any missing information from the licenses to be scanned and provide this information to ABCC for further directions. What does this mean?

Answer: ABCC is looking for some type of flag if something is missing from the required information. ABCC will provide business rules (i.e. if there is a value in this field then there must be a value in this other field… if there isn’t, let us know).

19. What is the best delivery method of documents? Secure FTP? Hard drive?

Answer: FTP is fine.

20. 100% indexing accuracy not possible.

Answer: We would like the vendor to tell us how they are going to ensure accuracy.

21. If scanning done off-site is the vendor boxing documents or ABCC staff?

Answer: Not sure.

22. When we see something with “see attachment” are we going to leave that for ABCC?

Answer: Yes, as long as vendor tags and indexes attachment so that ABCC can find it.

Additional Questions

23. Does the 4 million images include both front and backs of the pages?

Answer: Older forms were double sided. There are some date stamps that need to be captured. (see question # 1)

24. Are the blue prints rolled, flat or folded? Are they included in the file folders are separate?

Answer: Blue prints are rare, but occasionally included in the files. They will be folded.

25. Indexing - For the forms that need data extracted, is the information typed or handwritten

Answer: Both.

26. For the Retail License Applications, the key values are License #, Licensee name, action being taken. Where do we find the actions being taken? Can you give examples? How many of the Licensee names will have multiple names on the License Application?

Answer: There will not be multiple Licensee names on one transaction, but there might be multiple owners. There are multiple licensees within the file (file by license

#, could have many different owners over the years). The action being taken is the description to the right of the “checked box” on the form 43.

27. Are you looking for page to image verification to assure all documents are scanned?

28. By reassembly, do you mean documents re-stapled or just put back in the file folder?

Answer: Just back in the folders is fine.

29. Page 8 – timelines. What are your expectations? When would you like the project to be completed?

Answer: See Question # 15.

30. Page 7 – Record missing information – How will we know? What type of information?

Answer: See Question # 18.

31. What is the Enterprise Content Management System the images will be exported to?

Answer: Currently unknown. Will likely know prior to scanning.

31. Can you provide the file format you will need the for the ECM export?

Answer: Yes. CSV.

32. On Form 43, is Type of Transaction a field that requires data capture?

Answer: Yes. The box will be checked next to the type of transaction. See Business

Rules.

33. On the Application there is a field circled for Date of Birth and SSN but on the

Attachment A, you only list “All Names”

All SS# and DOB were removed on the new applications. The DOB and SS# WILL need to be captured on the older versions of the application, but not the newer ones.

34. Should we include Date of Birth and SSN for data capture.

35. Would you consider Off Shore indexing if there is significant cost savings?

Answer: Please provide quotes for both. We would entertain the parsing of de-identified data to be sent overseas. We would not support the sending of the entire image.

36. Since we need to capture the back sides of the documents (could be a stamp), should we deliver both sides even if it is blank. We can set a threshold and manually remove the blank side but there could be a chance of deletion. Let us know how to proceed with this.

Answer: No. We don’t want blank pages. We will determine the threshold upon signed contract.

37. Since this is vacation time for many people, can we extend the due date of the questions and response?

Answer:

a. Moving the Question submission deadline to 8/22/14

b. Moving the Question answer deadline to 8/26/14

c. Moving the RFQ submission deadline to 9/8/14

38. In the RFP, next day access to the documents out for scanning is required. Is digital access sufficient, such that the document, if already scanned, could be downloaded from an ftp site, or another secure access manner? Or, is physical access always needed?

Answer: We would accept secure access to vendor’s site to view a folder that is being processed. If a requested folder at the vendor’s site has not been scanned, we would assume scanning of the folder would be done ASAP and made available to

ABCC. A sequential view of the folder’s pages would be sufficient.

39. Will OFF27 statewide contract holders be allowed to propose using other organization to perform some of the SOW functions?

Answer: Yes. If the whole images are sent to a sub-contractor, we would insist on similar security measures asked of the OFF27 vendor.

40. If the answer is yes, and we wanted to use another organization to sub-contract with us to perform the indexing function, an on-shore option and an off-shore option, could we choose the most economical/highest quality option, or do you only want on-shore organizations to perform for this RFP?

Answer: Using a sub-contract if acceptable, providing the data is kept secure. For example, using technologies that parse individual fields, snippets of data within a multiple word field, or several de-identified fields would be considered. Sending documents off-shore in their entirety is unacceptable.

41. The RFP stipulates 100% accuracy for the following: How the vendor intends to achieve

100% error free indexing for all scanned images. Because some of this scanned image information is hand-written, it might be possible that the wrong judgment is made and verified (in the eyes of a subsequent user). Will there be a provision in the resulting contract with the RFP winning bidder for penalties for incorrect indexing?

Answer: We are not considering penalties. The vendor needs to demonstrate how they will attain maximum accuracy. We recognize that 100% is not attainable.

The vendor should consider accuracy in their proposal. For example, data entry with no verification provides a certain degree of accuracy; double blind data entry provides another.

42. On Form 43 under Field Lengths, please confirm that for Address - W25 that this means you are estimating 25 characters (not words)

Answer: Yes, W25 refers to characters, not words.

43. Please confirm that you will be able to give us a database with License number and name. How many years can you provide? I know you said during the bidders meeting that you would not be able to provide this for the older years.

The database will not be available for this process, but may be used for reference/cross check post scanning.

44. During the meeting you said you were not sure we would scan 25E Cases and did not give us the meta data required. Should be assume we will not scan these files?

Answer: 25E cases will not have any meta data pulled, but will need to be scanned/filed by the two parties involved (plaintiff and defendant) as well as the date of the initial complaint/filing.

45. On Form 43 the meta data to be captured was not listed on Attachment A for Transaction

Type. You only have the block with other (w). Is that the only time we capture what is listed in the other field?

Answer: The TRANSACTION TYPE is the description to the right of the checked boxes, for example “New License” or “Pledge of License”. We will determine the wording that appears on the meta data. There are only a few words that would appear in the “OTHER” field which we will provide. Whenever anything is listed in the OTHER box, it should be captured as WYSIWYG.