Addendum No 13 Q _A (2).pdf

(866) 832-2363

E-Mail: CustomerService@vec.virginia.gov

VRC/TDD VA Relay 711

Equal Opportunity Employer/Program

Carrie Roth

Director

6606 W. Broad Street

Richmond, VA 23230

Department of Workforce Development and Advancement

RFP BPM050921/65222 ADDENDUM No 13

Q & A

1. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (Must_Haves) VWTH-1002

Can "on behalf of an employer" be equivalent to using a separate "service account" with the same privileges as an employer persona?

Yes, as long as there is the ability to establish multiple service accounts.

2. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (Must_Haves) VWTH-1003

Please elaborate on core functions and responsibilities associated with the Client persona

Client refers to a job seeker, whether self-servicing or receiving basic/individualized job services.

3. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (Must_Haves) VWTH-1004

How are assessments performed today? Can the agent conduct the assessment offline and update the client profile with the results after the assessment, or does this refer to an online session between the agent and client/job seeker?

Please refer to the requirements, Appendix J of the RFP for guidance on the desired features and functionality.

4. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (Must_Haves) VWTH-1005

Please elaborate on "capture and publish information which may be leveraged by approved agencies for determining program eligibility". What is the source of the information, and where would it be published? Does program eligibility get determined once during registration only?

Example: A job seeker completes the program eligibility questions. The job seeker has self-identified as a veteran with a disability and is considered "low-income". This data would be published for use by authorized entities. Program eligibility is not static and may be updated when changes occur.

5. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (Must_Haves) VWTH-1005

What exactly does "managing" refer to for Eligible Training Providers?

Eligible Training Providers are managed through individual Regional Workforce Boards. The desire is to have a common platform for Regional Workforce Baords and Virginia Works to onboard and manage Eligible Training Providers. Examples of requirements are available at https://vcwnorthern.com/become-training-provider/

6. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (Must_Haves) VWTH-1007

Is "system or record" part of the future state solution, and "shared data store" already in current state?

How would the shared data stores consume the data published from the system of record? Is there a Data Warehouse (or equivalent) designated for operational and analytical use? Can the "publish" be automated on a schedule, or does it need to be completed in real time?

functionality. Suppliers should provide details on capabilities in responses.

7. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (Must_Haves) VWTH-1008

Do you prefer an automated approach for submission of this report or manual?

Both methods should be supported by the solution.

8. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (Must_Haves) VWTH-1009

Does "track all activity" refer to an audit trail for review after the fact, or real-time tracking? Are the activities already mapped to pre-defined categories?

Users should be able to view tracked activities/events in real or near-real time. Category definition and mapping will be conducted during the implementation.

9. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (Must_Haves) VWTH-1011

Is this a manual operation? Does the system need to support any other mechanism (e.g. provide recommendations) for matching candidates?

functionality.

10. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (Must_Haves) VWTH-1019

Is there a comprehensive catalog of "Supportive Service Providers" available? Is there a further (more granular) breakdown of sub-groups within Agency and/or Service Provider users?

Suppliers should assume that the universe of Supportive Service Providers will be dynamic. Direct integration with these providers is not a requirement, however the solution should provide the capability for Service Providers to access relevant data from Virginia Works and provide relevant data to Virginia Works.

11. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (Must_Haves) VWTH-1020

Is this different from "track all activity" referenced in VWTH-1009?

This refers to any data change that occurs as a result of any user activity or system process.

12. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (Must_Haves) VWTH-1022

Are the rules to determine federal eligibility available? If so, how can they be accessed? Is the same data also applicable for "Eligible Training Providers" in VWTH-1005?

Rules and eligibility criteria for Federal Workforce programs are available on the US Department of Labor website.

13. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (Must_Haves) VWTH-1023

Are the self-assessments different from (in addition to) the "career assessments" referenced in VWTH- 1004?

Self-assessments are related to individual skills measurement. Career assessments are readiness assessments developed by Virginia Works staff in conjunction with job seekers.

14. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (Must_Haves) VWTH-1024

Is/are there call centers already capturing some of this information? Please elaborate on the nature of tracking (e.g. real-time vs after-the-fact) desired, and how "one-stop center" and "community" should be registered, enabled and provisioned for such tracking.

15. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (Must_Haves) VWTH-1025

Please elaborate on the nature of tracking (e.g. real-time vs after-the-fact) desired, and how registered employers should be enabled and provisioned for such tracking.

16. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (Must_Haves) VWTH-1026

Please elaborate on the nature of tracking (e.g. real-time vs after-the-fact) desired

Users should be able to view tracked activities/events in real or near-real time.

17. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (Must_Haves) VWTH-1027

Please elaborate on the mechanism for such transmission. If this is a digital operation, then what capabilities are included (e.g. API, file export, manual etc.)?

Please refer to the requirements, Appendix J of the Virginia Works Technology Hub for guidance on the desired features and functionality. Suppliers should provide details on capabilities in responses.

18. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (Must_Haves) VWTH-1028

Does employeeID refer to registered employer personnel only? Please elaborate on the nature of tracking (e.g. real-time vs after-the-fact) desired.

This refers to Virginia Works staff. Event tracking records should be written at the time of occurrence.

19. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (Must_Haves) VWTH-1029

Does this mean case management should only be enabled for certain programs?

Case management capabilities should be available for any program. This specifically refers to the ability for Virginia Works to associate certain case management actions to specific programs.

20. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (Must_Haves) VWTH-1030

What would be impact of such classification and grouping? How and where would they be leveraged?

Use cases could include but are not limited to operations monitoring, performance measurement, and user experience development

21. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (Must_Haves) VWTH-1031

Are there distinct rules to determine eligibility for federal and other types of programs? If so, where are they applicable (e.g. clients, training providers, etc.) and how can they be accessed? Is the same eligibility data universally applicable for all these target personas?

Rules and eligibility criteria for Federal Workforce programs are available on the US Department of Labor website.

22. Appendix_J_Must_Haves_and_Requirements_Final (System_and_Data) VWTH-5001

Are clients the same as worker and job seekers? How is "client assessment and skill set data" different from "worker/job seeker assessment and skill set and assessment data" in VWTH-5002?

These are one in the same.

23. RFP and Attachment J

What does a Career Assessment for a jobseeker look like?

We encourage suppliers to create an account on The Virginia Workforce Connection (https://vawc.virginia.gov/vosnet/loginintro.aspx?plang=E) to explore the current experience. In addition, please refer to Section 4, Present Situation. Vendor's solution should be described in the response.

24. RFP and Attachment J

What information is captured during portal self-registration for Job Seekers, Employers, and Training Providers?

25. RFP and Attachment J

Does Virginia Works have a combined portal or a separate portal for Job Seekers, Employers, and Training Providers?

The objective is to have a single point of entry for and case management of Job Seekers, Employers, and Eligible Training Providers. Please refer to the requirements, Appendix J of the RFP for guidance on the desired features and functionality.

26. RFP and Attachment J

Does Virginia Works integrate with NLX? If so, how? What other external job boards does Virginia Works integrate with and how?

27. RFP and Attachment J

What shared data stores does Virginia Works integrate with and how?

Please refer to Section 4, Present Situation and Appendix J. Vendor's solution should be described in the

28. RFP and Attachment J

How does Virginia Works generate the Participant Individual Record Layout (PIRL)? Which programs does it report on? Does it generate a separate PIRL file for every program? What other DOL reports (9169, 9170, etc.) does Virginia Works currently produce from their existing systems? What reports will be needed in the new system?

Please refer to the requirements of the RFP for guidance on the desired features and functionality.

29. RFP and Attachment J

What activities are currently tracked for job seekers, employers, training providers?

Please refer to the requirements of the RFP for guidance on the desired features and functionality.

30. RFP and Attachment J

How does the candidate/skills matching currently work in the existing systems?

(https://vawc.virginia.gov/vosnet/loginintro.aspx?plang=E) to explore the current experience. Please refer to the requirements, Appendix J of the RFP.

31. RFP and Attachment J

How do job postings and Onet codes work currently?

Please refer to the requirements, Appendix J of the RFP.

32. RFP and Attachment J

What is meant by Career Inventory and how is it currently captured for job seekers?

The term, "Career Inventory” refers to all accomplishments, credentials, interest, and experience related to a job seeker. Please refer to the requirements, Appendix J.

33. RFP and Attachment J

Are Employer users able to be enrolled in programs and services?

Please refer to the requirements, Appendix J of the RFP.

34. RFP and Attachment J

How do Agency and Supportive Service Providers get access to the system? Are these users internal to the agency or external? What programs and services are provided to these users? What preferences and activities are captured for these users?

Please refer to the requirements, Appendix J and Section 4 Present Situation.

35. RFP and Attachment J

Are you able to share some example business rules to determine eligibility for WIOA Adult and Youth programs?

An example of information regarding WIOA programs and eligibility is available at https://vcwnorthern.com/wioa/

36. RFP and Attachment J

How do you currently transmit client data as a referral to agencies, employers, and supportive service providers?

Please refer to the requirements, Appendix J.

37. RFP and Attachment J

What external systems do you currently integrate with?

38. RFP and Attachment J

How are claims currently managed? How are grants currently managed?

39. RFP and Attachment J

What are the different ways that job seekers are matched with jobs?

40. RFP and Attachment J

Can the state clarify what assessment tools are currently used?

41. Section D - Supplier Experience Level and Customer References, PP. 18-19

May we recreate the customer reference table? The format of the ones provided in the solicitation are not aligned cleanly and the Project Description cell is much too small.

Yes.

42. General

We would like to request an extension to the current due date of 6/7/2024 to allow for answers to questions and the impact those may have on how we address requirements outlined in the RFP.

After careful consideration the Commonwealth is not able to grant any length of extension to the due date.

43. Section D - Project Team, PP. 20-21

The following items are repeated twice within the Project Team requirement within the supplier profile.

Requirement 2 and Requirement 7 are the same; Requirement 3 and Requirement 8 are the same;

Requirement 4 and Requirement 9 (falls under 8) are the same. Can the government please modify this section to reflect one of each requirement?

See addendum No 14

44. “Appendix_J_Addendum_No_10_Must_Haves_and_Requirements” – Under “Program Management” tab, Requirement # VWTH-4011 – Does your solution provide a directory of supportive services for use by Agency workers?

Can the agency confirm if they would provide the directory of supportive services, so that we can integrate that with our new system?

Suppliers should assume that the universe of Supportive Service Providers will be dynamic. Direct integration with these providers is not a requirement, however the solution should provide the capability for Service Providers to access relevant data from Virginia Works and provide relevant data to Virginia Works.

45. Appendix_J_Addendum_No_10_Must_Haves_and_Requirements – Under “System and Data” tab, Requirement # VWTH-5016 - Does your solution provide e-signature capabilities for users?

Can the agency confirm if they have their existing e-signature solution license so that vendor can integrate their solution with that? Does the agency have any preferred Digital signature solution like DocuSign or Adobe Sign to be integrated with the product?

Virginia Works does not currently have a stand-alone digital signature solution. Box Sign is approved for Commonwealth-wide use by VITA, but this does not preclude the use of a different solution pending review and approval by VITA.

46. Appendix_J_Addendum_No_10_Must_Haves_and_Requirements - "Must_Have" tab

"Vendor/Supplier Answer” column is removed under “Must_Haves” tab. Can we just mark “Yes” or “No” as a response to these questions under Column E without providing any writeup or can the vendor add additional column and provide explanation to all these requirements?

Correct, Supplier should complete column E. No write ups are needed.

47. General

Would the State consider allowing offshore resources to do work on the project provided that they only have access to development and testing environments with no access to production systems or production State data?

SEC530 requires all data to remain in the US, so no we don't allow offshore. Further, all resources working on a cloud solution must be US citizens or HB1 visa holders.

48. General

Considering the comprehensive requirements and multiple addendums, can the agency extend the response due date by 2 weeks, instead of 07th Jun’24, can it be revised to 21st Jun’24?

49. General

Have you seen demonstrations of any similar systems prior to issuing this Solicitation? If so, will you share which systems?

No demonstrations have been conducted.

50. General

Is there an incumbent already engaged at VA Works?

Please refer to current state section 4 of the RFP for information on existing infrastructure.

51. General

Please clarify if the agency has a preferred public cloud vendor like AWS or Azure for hosting the solution.

Vendor's solution should specify the proposed cloud vendor.

52. General

Do you prefer we use your existing advanced reporting/analytics software, and if so, can you please provide the software name? Or do you prefer that the vendor bring their own embedded software within the solution?

There are no stated requirements for advanced analytical functionality.

53. General

Does the solution require a virus scanning tool for documents that are uploaded electronically?

Please refer to the VITA requirements tab on Appendix J for requirements related to virus scanning.

54. General

Do you have any records retention specification? How long should the records be maintained?

Data should be retained within the system for four years

55. RFP Section 6, part D. Supplier Profile

The Supplier is teaming with a software solutions vendor that they have partnered with in a solution that will be used as one of the Customer References. The teaming partner has additional references that similar in type and scope to that required by Virginia Works, however, the supplier was not involved in these solutions. Can the supplier include one of those references from its teaming partner within the "Supplier Experience Level and Customer References" section?

Sub-Contractor reference can be provided in addition to the Offerors references.

56. Doc Name: Virginia_Works_Technology_Hub_RFP_Final Section: R. Timetable Page # 10

To allocate enough time to create a compelling bid, would VDWDA consider extending the due date for the proposal submission deadline?

57. Doc Name: Virginia_Works_Technology_Hub_RFP_Final Section: N Page #8

The pre proposal conference was non mandatory correct? However, would you be able to share the recording or slides? Thank you.

There was no slide deck or recording of the Pre-Proposal conference.

58. Doc Name: Virginia_Works_Technology_Hub_RFP_Final Section: 3 Proposal Format Page #11

Can VDWDA provide a updated check list with all the document they would like submitted for the bid to be considered responsive?

Reference Section 3 Proposal Format and add all addendums requiring signature.

59. Doc Name: Virginia_Works_Technology_Hub_RFP_Final Section: O Evaluation Process Page #9

Does VDWDA have a budget? If so, please identify the budget allocation and any budgetary constraints?

Reference Addendum No 2

60. Appendix D Pricing; Pay Schedule

Row 3 of the Pricing Spreadsheet instructions indicate that the Pay Schedule worksheet should only include Solution costs applicable to Virginia Works as part of the data migration, initial configuration, initial implementation, and training related to the launch of the Solution. This seems to conflict with later instructions on Row 7, which indicate the Pay Schedule should only include costs applicable for configurations, customizations and interfaces - and that pricing for initial implementation, phased implementation, and other workforce processes after implementation will be on the Total Cost worksheet. Another potential conflict on Row 7 indicates that payments for annual maintenance and support should be included on the Pay Schedule Worksheet, and there is an example deliverable for an annual support milestone on the Pay Schedule worksheet.

Solution costs applicable to Virginia Works as part of the data migration, initial configuration, initial implementation, and training related to the launch of the Solution should be included in both Total Costs and Pay Schedule tabs

61. Appendix D Pricing; Pay Schedule

Can Virginia Works please clarify if the Pay Schedule worksheet should be limited to just those project / initial migration, configuration, implementation, and training costs to implement and launch the Solution, and that those costs should align to Rows 5 through 8 of the Total Costs worksheet (i.e., Implementation Costs, Interface/Integration Costs, Data Conversion Costs, and Training Costs)?

The Pay Schedule worksheet lists only examples. The Supplier is encouraged to review the example line items in the rows and make changes as necessary

62. Appendix D Pricing; Total Cost - Phased Implementations

Additionally, can Virginia Works clarify how it would like holdbacks reflected on the Total Costs worksheet, and when Supplier should show the payment of holdbacks on the Total Costs worksheet (e.g., at the end of Initial Implementation, at the end of each Contract Term, etc.)?

The Supplier should reflect the holdbacks in the Total Cost worksheet and any assumptions as to when payment is required should be identified in the Pricing Assumptions tab. The Supplier is encouraged to review the example line items in the rows and make changes as necessary.

63. Appendix D Pricing; Total Cost - Phased Implementations

The instructions on Row 3 of the pricing worksheet indicate that initial implementation must include launching the new Solution, presumably to production end users. Can Virginia Works please confirm or clarify if each "implementation" (i.e., Initial and Phases) must include a production release to end users so that Supplier can accurately indicate whether our implementation approach is Phased?

Each implementation to production will be evaluated based on solution readiness for end users. The initial implementation and launching of the new Solution is expected to be in a production environment with end users. Depending on the Suppliers proposed solution, additional deployments to production may or may not be phased in depending on the functionality introduced and solution readiness.

64. Appendix D Pricing; Total Cost - Phased Implementations

Can Virginia Works also clarify when it needs and/or desires "Initial Implementation" to be launched and live in production when considering the need to apply final branding, coordinate with other entities, and implement integrations, customizations, configurations, and data migration in alignment with Virginia Works’ Solution requirements?

The calendar of events will be proposed by the Supplier and discussed with Virginia Works during the negotiation phase. The Supplier is encouraged to provide details on what features they propose to implement during each event.

65. Section 9 of the RFP (page 26) states, “In the event that Supplier is a software reseller, Virginia Works, will consider the software publisher’s license agreement language if the software publisher requires an End User License Agreement (“EULA”). In such case, Suppliers are advised that Virginia Works may require Supplier to obtain the software publisher’s agreement to Virginia Works License Agreement Addendum to the EULA in order to address terms and conditions in that EULA to which Virginia Works, as a government entity, by law or by policy, cannot agree.”

Can Virginia Works clarify if the License Agreement Addendum should be completed and submitted with the response, and if so, where this document is linked?

The vendor is not required to return the License Agreement Addendum with the response. See section 3 Proposal Format.

66. Virginia_Works_Technology_HUB_RFP. Virginia Works Overview, Page 4 of 28

Section C notes that Phase 2 & 3: Virginia Works Standup & Discovery (July 2023-July 2024, nearly complete) is underway. Are any of the Virginia Works discovery materials publicly available for reference?

Publicly available materials are located on https://virginiaworks.gov and https://www.labor.virginia.gov/workforce-transition/

67. Virginia_Works_Technology_HUB_RFP. Present Situation, Page 14 of 28

Page 14 describes the background of the Virgina Workforce Connection (VaWC) system, is it the intention of Virginia Works to solely have an exchange of information between VaWC and the new Technology Hub?

The requirements in the RFP include but are not limited to all functionality provided by current solutions.

68. Implementation

If the proposed solution leverages more than one vendor, do you have a preference between the below two options? 1. Solution A built on Vendor A and meets 75% of core requirements during the first phase but has a higher cost (about 80%) in implementation and licensing. 2. Solution B built on Vendor B and meets 60% of the core requirements during the first phase and has a lower cost.

See Appendix J for must haves and requirements. The weights will be posted before the closing date and time.

69. Implementation

Do you have existing relationships with any vendors that would entitle you to any discounted services?

No.

70. Re: VWTH-3013

Can you describe in more detail an example or two of “workflow prioritization based on follow-up notifications to agency case workers”?

We would like the ability to adjust the workflow to improve outcomes.

71. Re: VWTH-3013

Does this essentially mean the ability to add a sortable priority to follow-up notifications either manually or based on some criteria?

72. Implementation

What role(s) will be involved in actively managing the project during implementation from the Virginia Works team?

Product/Business Owners, Project Managers, Business Systems Analysts, Systems Analysts, Developers, Quality Assurance Testers, Deployment Leads, Trainers, and others deemed necessary.

73. General

What are the metrics or key indicators of success for this project from your team (i.e. the 200 staff and/or their leadership)?

This will be defined as part of contract development.