Akron_METRO_FP_RFP_Final.docx

METRO | General Information and Instructions to Proposers

RFP – Finance & Payroll System

Intelligent Transportation Software Project Manager

METRO Regional Transit Authority

January 15, 2026

Produced By:

Burgess & Niple With Forward Momentum and Leverde

Akron METRO | Table of Contents

RFP – Finance and Payroll System ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Abbreviations

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix A: METRO Strategic Goals Summary Appendix B: Current State Report / System Architecture Overview Appendix C: Concept of Operations Appendix D: Sample Contract Agreement

METRO | Table of Contents

General Information and Instructions to Proposers Introduction and Project Background Notice is hereby given that METRO Regional Transit Authority (METRO) is requesting proposals from qualified firms to provide a modern, integrated Finance, Payroll and optional Human Resource Information (HRIS) system. METRO operates a fleet of approximately 127 fixed-route vehicles providing essential mobility services throughout Summit County, Ohio. This procurement represents a critical strategic investment to modernize the agency's operational backbone, enhance service quality for its riders and vendors, and improve efficiency for its staff.

This initiative is driven by METRO’s strategic goals to improve service quality and cost-effectiveness, implement innovative service approaches, and emerge as a recognized regional mobility provider. The agency's current technology ecosystem, which has evolved over many years, is now a significant barrier to achieving these goals. The existing systems have created operational challenges that impact staff productivity, data accuracy, and the overall customer experience.

The finance and payroll modules are hampered by a combination of outdated software architecture as well as significant performance and usability issues. The current environment is characterized by:

Manual Workarounds: A lack of seamless, automated integration between disparate software platforms (e.g., scheduling, dispatch, payroll, maintenance) necessitates extensive manual data transfers, re-keying of information, and paper-based processes, leading to operational inefficiencies and data latency.

Data Integrity Challenges: Inconsistent reporting, a lack of transparency into data calculations, and difficulty accessing underlying data have undermined the agency's trust in its own systems. This prevents METRO from leveraging its data effectively for planning, performance monitoring, and decision-making.

Poor System Performance and User Experience: Staff across multiple departments find the current system interfaces to be slow, unintuitive, and unreliable. This impacts adoption, necessitates extensive workarounds, and leads to frustration.

Functionality Gaps: The current system lacks key features considered standard in the modern transit industry, such as an employee portal for self-service and automated operator timekeeping for payroll.

Through this procurement, METRO seeks a partner to implement a state-of-the-art solution that addresses these challenges head-on. The new system will serve as a single source of truth for operational and financial data, automate critical workflows, eliminate data silos, and provide a modern, reliable, and user-friendly experience for dispatchers, operators, planners, maintenance staff, and administrative personnel. Ultimately, the successful implementation of this new finance, payroll, and potential HRIS solution will empower METRO to deliver more reliable, and more efficient service to the METRO team members.

This project is the second procurement in METRO’s technology modernization initiative and represents the core administrative system upgrade. Its primary goal is to replace the current, aging finance, payroll and potentially HRIS system with a modern, reliable, and data-rich operational hub. While this Request for Proposal (RFP) is specifically for the Finance, Payroll, and HRIS system, a core requirement is that the proposed solution be built on an open and flexible architecture, capable of seamless, modern integration with the Agency’s other critical business systems, including future CAD/AVL (procured), Asset Management, and existing Scheduling platforms.

Schedule of Events The following schedule outlines the key milestones and deadlines for this procurement process. Proposers are responsible for adhering to all specified dates and times.

METRO reserves the right to amend this schedule at its discretion. All changes and official notifications will be communicated via formal addenda posted to the procurement portal where this RFP was obtained.

Proposal Submission Requirements All proposals submitted in response to this RFP shall be prepared and submitted in strict accordance with the following instructions. Failure to adhere to these requirements may result in the proposal being deemed non-responsive and rejected at the sole discretion of METRO.

Method and Deadline for Submission Exclusive Submission Portal: Proposals, including all required components and forms, shall be submitted electronically through METRO’s official procurement portal, OpenGov. Proposals submitted by any other means (e.g., mail, email, fax, or hand-delivery) will not be accepted.

Submission Deadline: All proposals shall be fully uploaded to the procurement portal no later than the date and time specified in Section 1.2, Schedule of Events. The procurement portal will automatically close at the deadline, and late submissions will not be possible. Proposers are strongly encouraged to begin their submission process well in advance of the deadline to allow time for any unforeseen technical difficulties.

Proposal Format and Content To facilitate a fair and thorough evaluation, proposals shall be submitted in two separate and distinct electronic files as detailed below.

File 1: Technical Proposal The Technical Proposal shall contain the Proposer's complete response to all requirements and questions outlined in Parts 2, 3, and 4 of this RFP.

The proposal shall be organized in a manner that directly corresponds to the structure of this RFP. Proposers should use section headings that mirror those in the RFP (e.g., Section 2.3, Section 3.2) to ensure all requirements are clearly addressed.

Page Limitation: The narrative portion of the Technical Proposal, responding to Parts 2, 3, and 4, shall not exceed 200 pages. Excluded from this page limit are the table of contents, section dividers, and all required forms and certifications from Part 5.

File Format: The Technical Proposal shall be submitted as a single, searchable Portable Document Format (PDF) file.

File 2: Price Proposal The Price Proposal SHALL be a completely separate file from the Technical Proposal.

This file shall contain only the fully completed Price Proposal Form (provided in Part 5 of this RFP) and any supplementary narrative or tables required to explain the proposed pricing.

IMPORTANT: No pricing information of any kind, including but not limited to unit costs, total costs, labor rates, or licensing fees, shall be included in the Technical Proposal. The inclusion of any pricing details within the Technical Proposal may be grounds for disqualification.

Required Forms and Certifications All forms and certifications listed in Part 5 of this RFP shall be fully completed, signed by an authorized representative of the Proposer, and included with the Technical Proposal submission.

Proprietary and Confidential Information All material submitted in response to this RFP will become public record in accordance with the Ohio Public Records Act. If a Proposer considers any portion of its proposal to be a trade secret or otherwise exempt from public disclosure, the Proposer shall:

Clearly mark each individual page containing such information with the word "CONFIDENTIAL" or "PROPRIETARY" in the header or footer. If every page is marked as proprietary, the Proposer will be disqualified.

Provide a brief justification for the claim of confidentiality for the marked information.

A blanket statement of confidentiality at the beginning of the proposal is not sufficient. METRO will make a good faith effort to protect information that is clearly marked and properly justified as confidential. However, METRO will not be held liable for any disclosure of such information. In the event of a public records request, the Proposer will be responsible for defending its claim of confidentiality.

Evaluation Process and Criteria Evaluation Process METRO will utilize a comprehensive, multi-step process to evaluate proposals and select the Proposer that offers the best overall value to the agency. An Evaluation Committee, composed of METRO staff and its designated representatives, will conduct the evaluation.

The evaluation will be conducted in the following stages:

Administrative Review: Upon receipt, all proposals will be reviewed for compliance with the submission requirements outlined in Section 1.3. Proposals that are late, incomplete, or do not adhere to the required format (e.g., inclusion of pricing in the technical proposal) may be deemed non-responsive and eliminated from further consideration.

Technical Proposal Evaluation: The Evaluation Committee will thoroughly review and score the Technical Proposals of all responsive Proposers. This evaluation will be based solely on the criteria listed in sub-section 1.4.2 below. Price Proposals will remain sealed and will not be reviewed during this stage.

Price Proposal Evaluation: After evaluation of the RFP responses, the Price Proposals will be checked for completeness and scored according to the methodology described below.

Shortlisting and Demonstrations: Based on the scores from the Technical and Price Proposal evaluations, METRO will establish a shortlist of the most highly qualified Proposers (the "competitive range"). Shortlisted Proposers will be invited to an oral presentation and a comprehensive system demonstration to validate the claims made in their proposals and allow the Evaluation Committee to assess the system’s functionality and user interface in a live environment. The team performing the demonstration shall include a technical specialist that knows the system's capabilities. Sales team members are of course welcome, but we intend to ask technical questions and want a technical person present. Information gathered during these presentations will be used to inform and finalize the scores for the technical criteria.

Final Selection: The Evaluation Committee will tabulate the final scores by combining the scores from the Technical Proposal and the Price Proposal. The contract will be awarded to the responsive and responsible Proposer whose proposal is determined to be the most advantageous to METRO, considering all evaluation factors.

Evaluation Criteria Proposals will be evaluated and scored against the following criteria, with a maximum of 100 points available.

Price Proposal Scoring The Price criterion will be scored based on a formula that awards the maximum points to the Proposer with the lowest total price, with other Proposers receiving a proportionally lower score. The formula is as follows:

Score = (Lowest Total Price Proposed / Proposer's Total Price) x 20 The lowest price will be determined based on the cost to implement the finance and payroll system. The optional HRIS system will not be considered in the lowest price.

Standard Terms and Conditions Disclaimer: The following terms and conditions are provided as a template for the purposes of this RFP. The final contract executed between METRO and the selected Proposer will be subject to review and approval by METRO’s legal counsel and may include additional or revised terms.

By submitting a proposal, the Proposer agrees to be bound by the following standard terms and conditions.

General Provisions

1. RFP Interpretation and Addenda: Any questions or requests for clarification regarding this RFP shall be submitted in writing through the procurement portal by the deadline specified in Section 1.2. METRO will not be bound by any oral interpretations or clarifications. All official responses will be issued as formal addenda. It is the Proposer's responsibility to ensure they have received all addenda prior to submitting their proposal.

Cost of Proposal Preparation: All costs incurred by the Proposer in the preparation and submission of its proposal, including any costs associated with oral presentations or system demonstrations, shall be the sole responsibility of the Proposer.

Proposal as an Offer: A submitted proposal shall constitute a firm and binding offer to METRO. Proposals shall remain firm and irrevocable for a period of at least 180 days following the proposal submission deadline. Pricing at the time of contract award shall be binding.

Rights of METRO: METRO reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to:

a. Reject any or all proposals received.

b. Waive any minor irregularities or informalities in any proposal.

c. Cancel this RFP at any time.

d. Request additional information or clarification from any Proposer.

e. Award a contract based on the initial proposals received without discussions, presentations, or a request for a best and final offer.

f. Negotiate with the selected Proposer to arrive at a final contract that is in the best interest of METRO.

Contractual Requirements

1. Contract Documents: The final contract will consist of, in order of precedence: (1) the formal executed contract agreement; (2) any negotiated terms and conditions; (3) this RFP and all of its addenda; and (4) the selected Proposer's proposal. The Proposer's proposal shall not contradict or supersede any requirements of this RFP unless explicitly agreed upon in writing by METRO.

Governing Law: The contract shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Ohio.

Invoicing and Payment: The selected Proposer (Contractor) shall submit itemized invoices based on progress payments (e.g., monthly based on hourly progress or upon completion of milestones). All invoices shall reference the applicable contract and purchase order numbers. METRO will make payment within thirty (30) of receipt of an accurate and undisputed invoice.

Change Order Process: No changes to the scope of work, schedule, or compensation will be valid unless authorized by a formal, written modification executed by an authorized representative of METRO CFO or designee.

Risk Management and Compliance

1. Insurance Requirements: The Contractor shall, at its own expense, procure and maintain insurance coverage acceptable to METRO throughout the term of the contract. At a minimum, this will include Commercial General Liability, Automobile Liability, Workers' Compensation, Professional Liability (Errors & Omissions), and Cyber Liability insurance with limits to be specified in the final contract. METRO shall be named as an additional insured on the General Liability and Automobile Liability policies.

Indemnification: The Contractor shall agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless METRO, its officers, agents, and employees from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses arising out of the performance of the contract, caused by the negligent acts or omissions of the Contractor, its employees, or its subcontractors.

Data Ownership and Security: All data created, collected, processed, or stored as a result of this contract shall be the sole and exclusive property of METRO. The Contractor shall implement and maintain robust security measures to protect METRO data from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

Federal, State, and Local Compliance: The Contractor shall comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and ordinances, including all applicable Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requirements and circulars, which will be incorporated into the final contract.

Personnel

1. Key Personnel: The key personnel identified in the Proposer's proposal are considered essential to the work being performed. The Contractor may not substitute any key personnel without the prior written approval of METRO.

Subcontractors: Any subcontractors proposed for use on this project shall be identified in the proposal. The Contractor shall be fully responsible for the performance of its subcontractors.

Contract Termination

1. Termination for Cause: METRO may terminate the contract for cause if the Contractor fails to perform in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract.

Termination for Convenience: METRO may, at its sole discretion, terminate the contract in whole or in part at any time for its convenience by providing written notice to the Contractor.

Project Objectives and Concept of Operations Strategic Goals of the Project This procurement is more than a replacement of aging software; it is a foundational step in METRO’s strategic transformation into a more efficient, data-driven, and rider-focused agency. The current landscape of fragmented systems, pervasive manual workarounds, and unreliable data presents significant barriers to operational excellence and limits the agency’s ability to proactively manage its services and resources.

The Finance, Payroll, and HRIS systems provide the foundation for key administrative functions. With additional third-party tools, they enable critical business processes such as paying employees accurately and on time, managing the agency’s budget, paying for goods and services, and handling all aspects of the employee lifecycle.

The current environment supporting these functions reflects a high degree of decentralization and reliance on manual processes. Key activities are distributed across several systems with limited integration, including Avail’s Fleet-Net, NeoGov, TimeTrak, as well as supplemental Excel workbooks and paper-based workflows. As a result, staff must navigate multiple platforms to complete routine tasks, which can increase administrative effort, elevate the potential for data inconsistencies, and limit timely access to consolidated financial information. The implementation of a new Finance, Payroll, and Human Resource Information System (FPHRIS) is a cornerstone of METRO’s strategic initiative to modernize its core operational and administrative technology. This project is a transformative effort designed to shift from a patchwork of disparate systems to a cohesive, integrated digital ecosystem.

The successful Proposer will deliver a solution and establish a long-term partnership that enables METRO to achieve the following core strategic goals:

The fundamental strategic goals of the FPHRIS modernization effort are to:

1) Enhance Data Integrity: Establish a single source of truth for financial and HR data that is accurate, reliable, consistent, and transparent.

2) Unify and Automate Core Processes: Eliminate data silos and automate highly manual workflows, particularly in complex payroll calculations, financial reporting, and the procurement lifecycle.

3) Improve the Employee Experience: Provide staff with modern, intuitive, and responsive tools, including a self-service portal for payroll and HR information, reducing administrative burden and frustration for employees and supervisors.

4) Streamline Workflows for Greater Efficiency: Simplify complex administrative processes, such as budgeting, procurement, and grant management, to allow staff to focus on high-value activities.

5) Implement a Future-Ready and Integrated Technology Platform: The new system shall be built on a flexible, scalable, and open architecture that breaks down existing silos and allows for seamless integration between the core functions of CAD/AVL, Finance/Payroll, and Asset Management. The goal is to create a cohesive technology ecosystem that can adapt to METRO’s future needs, accommodate new technologies, and serve as a stable platform for growth and innovation.

Current State Overview Presently, the key administrative functions of METRO’s administrative operation is supported by its current Finance, Payroll and HRIS systems. While these systems form the administrative foundation for the agency, the current system is hampered by aging technology built on unsupported platforms, performance and data integrity issues, and lack of integration with other critical agency systems.

Proposers should understand that the challenges described below are not isolated issues but are deeply interconnected. This overview provides the essential context for the future-state vision and requirements outlined in this RFP.

· System Performance and User Experience: The user experience with the current Finance/Payroll and separate HRIS systems is a primary source of staff frustration. The system's recent cloud migration is not a complete cloud-native solution but a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connection to hosted servers. This architecture introduces significant latency and complexity, requiring multiple logins and creating persistent issues with file management and password synchronization.

· Data Integrity and Reporting Deficiencies: There is a fundamental lack of trust in the data produced by the current system. Staff across multiple departments report issues with inaccurate and unreliable data for key metrics.

· Inconsistent Reporting: Reports generated for the same metric often yield different results, and the current vendor has provided little to no transparency into its data calculation methodologies or database schemas, making independent validation nearly impossible.

· Manual Data Extraction: The unreliability of system-generated reports forces staff to perform manual data extraction and extensive cleanup in external tools like Microsoft Excel to produce actionable information.

· Lack of Critical Integrations and Automation: The current system operates in a silo with very limited automated integration, forcing a heavy reliance on manual processes to connect it to other systems.

· Payroll: There is no direct, automated flow of actual logged operator time from the MDT to the current and future payroll system. Payroll is processed based on scheduled times, and all exceptions (e.g., overtime) are handled through manual data entry by dispatch staff, creating a risk of inaccurate payroll. The operator payroll process is highly manual. Actual operator time is reconciled using run assignments, paper exception slips, a 150+ page report, and a master Excel spreadsheet. This reliance on manual reconciliation creates a high risk of data inconsistencies and operational inefficiencies.

· HRIS: There is no integration between the exiting HRIS system (NeoGov) and the Finance/Payroll system resulting in the need to make multiple entries of employee data in multiple systems.

· Maintenance: The maintenance team makes purchases and stocks parts and consumables (e.g., fuel, oil, grease). There is no seamless integration with the finance system to track these purchases or the use of stocked parts and materials.

· Point of Sale (POS): METRO leverages a point of sale system, however, sales are reported manually as there is no integration with the POS system.

· Bank Connection: There is no connection from bank accounts, credit card(s) or financial institutions.

· Lack of Benefit System Connection: The system does not integrate with Navigator, METRO’s benefit system.

· Lack of Self-Service & Mobile Access: Employees lack direct, 24/7 access to their personal payroll and benefits information, requiring them to constantly ask supervisors or HR for paystubs, PTO balances, and other key details. Additionally, there is no mobile access for operators that rarely access a computer terminal and are on the move.

· Core Functionality Gaps: The current system lacks critical features expected of a modern Finance and Payroll system. Most notably, it lacks the following:

· unified platform

· modern web-based access

· single sign-on

· direct bank integration

· automatic time capture

· complex rule calculation

· digital paystubs / W-2s

· proactive budget controls

· digital auditing

· digital requisition workflow

· electronic invoice processing

· Automated notices AR collections.

In summary, the current Finance and Payroll systems are inefficient and unsustainable platforms that impede METRO’s ability to operate as a modern, data-driven transit agency. This RFP seeks a comprehensive solution that will replace this fragmented and outdated environment with a cohesive, reliable, and fully integrated platform that either provides a new HRIS system/module or integrates well with the new system. Ultimately, HRIS is highly influenced by the Finance & Payroll system and vendors are asked to price the HRIS system if they offer it.

Future State Vision: An Objective Based Approach This procurement is intended to be a transformative project for METRO. The goal is not simply to replace the existing Finance, Payroll and possibly HRIS system on a one-for-one basis, but to implement a modern, reliable, and deeply integrated Finance, Payroll, and HRIS platform that resolves the foundational issues outlined in the Current State Overview.

METRO is pursuing objective-based procurement. Rather than prescribing exclusively rigid and exhaustive list of technical specifications, we are presenting our future-state vision through a series of core objectives. Proposers will be evaluated on the quality and completeness of their narrative describing how their proposed solution, project plan, and partnership approach will achieve these objectives for METRO.

The following objectives represent the pillars of our future-state vision for the Finance, Payroll and HRIS ecosystem and its role within our agency:

Objective A: Establish a Highly Integrated Finance, Payroll and HRIS Ecosystem The new system shall be integrated with other systems and establish a unified platform for core finance and administrative functions.

· Establish a Unified Platform for Core Business Functions. METRO’s primary objective is to eliminate the current fragmented system landscape. The agency needs a single, cohesive system that manages Payroll, Time & Attendance, Core Finance (GL, AP, AR), and Procurement functions natively. The goal is to stop relying on a patchwork of disconnected software (i.e., Fleet-Net, TimeTrak), spreadsheets, and paper, and instead operate from one central, authoritative platform.

· Achieve Seamless, Bidirectional Integration with Key Systems. METRO’s objective is to create a fully connected digital ecosystem. The new financial platform must integrate seamlessly with the new CAD/AVL system to receive automated operator timekeeping data and with the existing NeoGov HRIS to synchronize employee master data. This integration must be achieved through modern, robust APIs to ensure data flows automatically and accurately, eliminating all manual import/export and duplicate data entry processes.

Objective B: Implement a Trusted, Complete and Accessible Payroll System The new system shall fully automate payroll processing, provide self-service, manage the end-to-end digital time and attendance workflow.

· Fully Automate Complex Payroll Calculations. METRO’s objective is to achieve 100% automated and accurate payroll calculations that respect all of METRO’s unique and complex contract rules. The system must be configurable to automatically handle all variations of overtime (daily, weekly), shift differentials, guaranteed hours, holiday pay, and trainer premiums without requiring manual adjustments or offline calculations in Excel.

· Provide a Comprehensive Employee Self-Service Portal. METRO’s objective is to empower its employees with direct, 24/7 access to their personal payroll and benefits information. The goal is to provide every employee with a secure, mobile-friendly portal where they can view and print paystubs and W-2s for all years the employee was employed by METRO, check real-time PTO balances, submit leave requests, and update personal information like W-4s and direct deposit details, thereby eliminating the need to ask supervisors or HR for this information. It is our goal to work with the vendor to upload W-2 information for years prior to the “Go-Live” of the new Finance and Payroll system so the W-2s are in the employees record.

· Create an End-to-End Digital Time and Attendance Workflow. METRO’s objective is to move from a multi-part, paper-based timekeeping process to a fully digital workflow. From an operator logging in on the bus, to a mechanic clocking into a work order, to an administrative staff member submitting a digital timesheet, all work hours must be captured electronically and flow directly into the payroll module for approval and processing, making the current system of paper timesheets and .CSV file transfers obsolete.

Objective C: Create a Frictionless and Automated Financial Management Process The new system shall enable real-time budget management, digitize the purchase requisition and approval process, streamline reporting and auditing, and achieve full integration with banking systems.

· Enable Proactive, Real-Time Budget Management. METRO’s objective is to manage its finances proactively rather than reactively. The system must accommodate both the operating and capital budgets simultaneously and provide real-time visibility into departmental budget-to-actual performance. The goal is to have system-level controls that can automatically flag or prevent requisitions that would exceed a line-item’s available budget, transforming the budget from a static spreadsheet into a dynamic management tool.

· Digitize the Entire Purchase Requisition and Approval Process. METRO’s objective is to eliminate the inefficient and insecure paper-based purchase requisition workflow. The agency needs an end-to-end electronic process where requisitions are created, checked against the budget, and routed for digital approval based on configurable, value-based thresholds. This will create a transparent and fully auditable procurement trail from request to payment.

· Streamline Financial Reporting and Auditing. METRO’s objective is to simplify the creation of financial reports and make audits more efficient. The system must provide flexible, user-friendly tools that allow Finance staff to easily generate statements and reports without manual data consolidation in Excel. For audits, the goal is to provide auditors with direct, read-only access to a system where all transactions are digitally linked to their supporting documentation (e.g. PO, invoice, approval record).

· Achieve Full Integration with Banking Systems. METRO’s objective is to automate its banking and reconciliation processes to enhance security, accuracy, and efficiency. The system must directly integrate with METRO’s financial institutions to streamline the entire payment workflow. This includes the ability to prepare electronic payment batches (e.g. ACH, direct deposit) for final review and approval by authorized staff within the system. Following this explicit staff member approval, the system will then automatically and securely transmit the payment instructions to the financial institution for processing. Furthermore, the system must import bank transaction data to perform automated matching for account reconciliation, clearly flagging any exceptions for staff review and resolution. The current limitation of processing only one ACH batch per day must be eliminated, allowing for multiple, approved payment runs as needed.

Scope of Work and Technical Requirements This Part details the specific functional and technical requirements for the new administrative solution. While Part 2 outlined the project's strategic objectives, this Part establishes the mandatory technical foundation upon which the proposed solution shall be built. The Proposer's response to this Part shall detail how their system meets each requirement.

The following sections outline the technical requirements for the new Finance, Payroll, and Human Resources Information System (HRIS) system. These requirements are derived from the operational objectives defined in the previous section. They are intended to be comprehensive and testable, forming the technical basis for the procurement and implementation of the system.

The base scope of this RFP is to procure a new, modern, Finance and Payroll system. All proposals must include a solution that integrates seamlessly with METRO’s existing HRIS, NeoGov. As an optional component, proposers may also provide a proposal for an integrated HRIS module that could serve as a replacement for NeoGov.

Instructions to Proposers: For each requirement listed, please reference the subsection and page in your proposal where we can find support for the requirement being met in the column marked “Reference”. Also, please note that it is acceptable to markup (red-line) requirements as needed where your system will not meet the requirement as written, though the extent of red-lining will be considered in the proposal scoring.

General System Requirements These requirements apply to the entire proposed solution and establish the minimum acceptable standards for system architecture, performance, security, and data governance.

Turnkey System Responsibility

System Architecture and Platform

System Performance and Availability

System Security

Data Ownership, Access, and Documentation

General Hardware and Software Requirements

Test and Development Environment

Testing of all software patches, bug fixes, and new version releases prior to their deployment in the production environment.

Training of METRO personnel in a safe, non-operational environment.

Developing and testing new system configurations, reports, and workflows.

Troubleshooting issues without impacting live operations.

Core Finance, Payroll & HRIS Functionality The proposed Finance, Payroll & optional HRIS solution shall serve as the central administrative system for METRO’s operations. The system shall be modern, reliable, and intuitive, designed to automate manual processes, improve data integrity, and enhance service management. The following sections detail the mandatory core functionalities.

Payroll, Time and Attendance Requirements

Payroll Calculation Engine

The system must support pay rules and differentials that are tied to the specific shift or route being worked, rather than an employee’s default profile. For example, if an employee covers a shift that carries a specific differential or premium, the system must apply that higher rate to the employee for that specific duration, regardless of their standard pay classification.

Time and Attendance Management