Amendment 2.docx

SAP

State of South Carolina

Request For Proposal

Amendment 2

Solicitation:

Date Issued:

Procurement Officer:

Phone:

E-Mail Address:

Mailing Address:

5400019581 08/20/2020

NATHAN DAWSON

(803) 737-9931 ndawson@mmo.sc.gov SFAA, Div. of Procurement Services 1201 Main Street, Suite 600 Columbia SC 29201

DESCRIPTION: Grants Management System

USING GOVERNMENTAL UNIT: SC Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services

SUBMIT YOUR OFFER ON-LINE AT THE FOLLOWING URL: www.procurement.sc.gov

SUBMIT OFFER BY (Opening Date/Time): 09/08/2020 11:00 am (See "Deadline For Submission Of Offer" provision)

QUESTIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY: 07/31/2020 5:00 pm email questions to ndawson@mmo.sc.gov (See "Questions From Offerors" provision)

NUMBER OF COPIES TO BE SUBMITTED: Two Online submissions, One Original and One Redacted Copy Initial here if NO redacted copy is necessary __________ See Section II A “Submitting Confidential Information” clause, and Section IV “Submitting Redacted Offers” clause.

CONFERENCE TYPE: Pre-Proposal Conference DATE & TIME: 07/31/2020 10:00 am

(As appropriate, see "Conferences - Pre-Bid/Proposal" & "Site Visit" provisions) LOCATION: Online Only

(email ndawson@mmo.sc.gov before 12:00 noon on 07/30/2020 for log-on instructions)

(See Section IIB “Conference – Pre-Bid/Proposal” clause)

You must submit a signed copy of this form with Your Offer. By signing, You agree to be bound by the terms of the Solicitation. You agree to hold Your Offer open for a minimum of 60 calendar days after the Opening Date. (See "Signing Your Offer" provision.)

NAME OF OFFEROR

(full legal name of business submitting the offer) Any award issued will be issued to, and the contract will be formed with, the entity identified as the Offeror. The entity named as the offeror must be a single and distinct legal entity. Do not use the name of a branch office or a division of a larger entity if the branch or division is not a separate legal entity, i.e., a separate corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, etc.

AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE

(Person must be authorized to submit binding offer to contract on behalf of Offeror.)

DATE SIGNED

TITLE

(business title of person signing above)

STATE VENDOR NO.

(Register to Obtain S.C. Vendor No. at www.procurement.sc.gov)

PRINTED NAME

(printed name of person signing above)

STATE OF INCORPORATION

(If you are a corporation, identify the state of incorporation.)

OFFEROR'S TYPE OF ENTITY: (Check one) (See "Signing Your Offer" provision.)

___ Sole Proprietorship ___ Partnership ___ Other_____________________________

___ Corporate entity (not tax-exempt) ___ Corporation (tax-exempt) ___ Government entity (federal, state, or local)

COVER PAGE - ON-LINE ONLY (MAR. 2015)

SAP

PAGE TWO

(Return Page Two with Your Offer) HOME OFFICE ADDRESS (Address for offeror's home office / principal place of business)

NOTICE ADDRESS (Address to which all procurement and contract related notices should be sent.) (See "Notice" clause)

Area Code - Number - Extension Facsimile

E-mail Address

PAYMENT ADDRESS (Address to which payments will be sent.) (See "Payment" clause)

____Payment Address same as Home Office Address ____Payment Address same as Notice Address (check only one) ORDER ADDRESS (Address to which purchase orders will be sent) (See "Purchase Orders and "Contract Documents" clauses)

____Order Address same as Home Office Address ____Order Address same as Notice Address (check only one)

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF AMENDMENTS

Offerors acknowledges receipt of amendments by indicating amendment number and its date of issue. (See "Amendments to Solicitation" Provision)

DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT PAYMENT

(See "Discount for Prompt Payment" clause)

PREFERENCES - A NOTICE TO VENDORS (SEP. 2009):

**PREFERENCES DO NOT APPLY TO REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS PER

SOUTH CAROLINA PROCUREMENT CODE SECTION [§11-35-1524(E)(5)(b)]**

PREFERENCES - ADDRESS AND PHONE OF IN-STATE OFFICE:

**PREFERENCES DO NOT APPLY TO REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS PER

SOUTH CAROLINA PROCUREMENT CODE SECTION [§11-35-1524(E)(5)(b)]**

____In-State Office Address same as Home Office Address ____In-State Office Address same as Notice Address (check only one)

PAGE TWO (SEP 2009)

End of PAGE TWO

AMENDMENT #2

Solicitation #5400019581

AMENDMENTS TO SOLICITATION (JAN 2004)

(a) The Solicitation may be amended at any time prior to opening. All actual and prospective Offerors should monitor the following web site for the issuance of Amendments: www.procurement.sc.gov (b) Offerors shall acknowledge receipt of any amendment to this solicitation (1) by signing and returning the amendment, (2) by identifying the amendment number and date in the space provided for this purpose on Page Two, (3) by letter, or (4) by submitting a bid that indicates in some way that the bidder received the amendment. (c) If this solicitation is amended, then all terms and conditions which are not modified remain unchanged. [02-2A005-1]

Highlighted text is added to the original provision. Stricken text is deleted.

Section I. of the solicitation is amended as follows: SA

I. SCOPE OF SOLICITATION

MAXIMUM CONTRACT PERIOD (MODIFIED)

Start date: 09/19/2020 10/16/2020. End date: 09/18/2027 10/15/2027. Dates provided are estimates only. Any resulting contract will begin on the date specified in the notice of award. See clause entitled "Term of Contract - Effective Date/Initial Contract Period".

[01-1040-1]

The initial term of the contract will be one year, and there will be six one-year options to renew. The maximum contract life is seven years.

Section II. of the solicitation is amended as follows: SA

II. INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS -- B. SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

DEMONSTRATIONS

The three highest-ranked responsive Offerors with a mathematical possibility of being the highest ranked Offeror after the Phase I evaluations may be required to give a demonstration of their proposal to clarify or verify the contents and the representations made therein. The presentation will be made either ‘in person’ at DAODAS, 1801 Main St, 4th Floor, Columbia, South Carolina 29201 (any travel expenses incurred by the Offeror are the Offeror’s sole responsibility); or the Offeror may conduct the demonstration through a web conferencing solution such as GoToMeeting or an equivalent product. If the Offeror chooses the web conferencing solution option, the Offeror understands it may impact the presentation style and will take all potential technical issues into consideration. The time allotted per individual Offeror to present and demonstrate facts shall not exceed the times as outlined in the demonstration script (see Attachment 2-Demonstration Script).

Note that the dates of 08/31/2020 – 09/03/2020 09/28/2020 – 10/01/2020 are tentatively scheduled for the demonstrations. The Office of State Procurement will notify the responsive Offerors as quickly as possible to schedule a specific date and time.

Demonstrations given by an Offeror under this section are permitted and communication by the Offeror with the Using Governmental Unit or its employees during a demonstration will not violate the restrictions applicable to Offerors.

a. The activities of the Offeror should be limited to a demonstration of the system proposed and described in the Offeror’s written proposal. Evaluators may ask questions pertaining to the Offeror’s demonstration at the conclusion. The Offeror’s answers are restricted to statements of facts. Offeror will not be allowed or permitted to introduce new information or show products/features not included in their proposal. Items that are “value added” and not part of the base proposal (including custom programming) must be included as such at every point that the product or feature is used, whether that use is directly in use or it supports the processes that the application is performing. Negotiation is not permitted at this stage in the procurement process and an Offeror may not change its proposal.

b. The Offeror may be required to document an answer if such a written clarification is determined to be in the best interest of the State.

c. The demonstration should be conducted in a straightforward manner in order to secure a clear and meaningful understanding of the Offeror’s proposed solution.

d. The demonstration is designed to satisfy the evaluation panel's need for clarification and understanding of the information that was provided in the Offeror's written proposal. Therefore, the Offeror may neither ask questions, divulge any cost information, nor receive preliminary assessments on its proposal from the members of the panel.

e. The demonstration script will be used to assist DAODAS in reviewing your response and to gauge how well your solution may meet our organizational goals and objectives. Please prepare to present the information on the items listed on the demonstration script. Additionally, if time allows, at the end of the scripted portion of the demonstration, the Offeror will have the opportunity to show any additional features or functionality offerings that were not previously covered by the demonstration script; but were a part of their response.

g. The Offeror will present their demonstration in REAL TIME. The Offeror will be required to supply all components required in order to perform the demonstration if it is onsite. DAODAS will provide and ensure internet connectivity and projection screen. If the demonstration is done remotely, it can be viewed on DAODAS PC’s.

Attendees at the live or remote demonstration session must include key members of the Offeror’s proposed account management team, key technical personnel, and key subject matter experts.

Section III. of the solicitation is amended as follows: SA

III. SCOPE OF WORK/SPECIFICATIONS

3.5 Implementation Timeline

DAODAS anticipates the GMS to be in production use on or before October 1, 2020. DAODAS requires the GMS to be implemented as soon as practicable, with an emphasis on the functionality related to the federal grant roll-out which will occur on October 1, 2020. The estimated dates and milestones are subject to review with the Contractor solely at the agency’s discretion.

DAODAS will enter into a contract before any of the above milestones occur. The anticipated deliverable from “Planning and configuration” will be a detailed implementation plan outlining resources required and milestones. After this milestone, and upon agreement of the delivery of mutually acceptable deliverables, the agency expects to enter into the contract. After this milestone a set of mutually acceptable deliverables will be established. The initial contract and subsequent renewals are subject to availability of funds.

Section VIIB. of the solicitation is amended as follows: SA

VII. TERMS AND CONDITIONS -- B. SPECIAL

CONTRACTOR’S LIABILITY INSURANCE – INFORMATION SECURITY AND PRIVACY (FEB 2015)

[ASK QUESTIONS NOW: For products providing the coverages required by this clause, the insurance market is evolving. Our research indicates that the requirements stated herein reflect commercially-available insurance products. Any offeror having concerns with any specific requirements of this clause should communicate those concerns to the procurement officer well in advance of opening.]

(a) Without limiting any other obligations or liabilities of Contractor, Contractor shall procure from a company or companies lawfully authorized to do business in South Carolina and with a current A.M. Best rating of no less than A: VII, and maintain for the duration of the contract, a policy or policies of insurance against claims which may arise from or in connection with the performance of the work and the results of that work by the contractor, his agents, representatives, employees, subcontractors or any other entity for which the contractor is legally responsible.

(b) Coverage must include claims for:

(i) information security risks, including without limitation, failure to prevent unauthorized access to, tampering with or unauthorized use of a computer system; introduction of malicious codes, computer viruses, worms, logic bombs, etc., into data or systems; or theft, damage, unauthorized disclosure, destruction, or corruption of information in whatever form;

(ii) privacy risks, including (A) failure to properly handle, manage, store, dispose of, destroy, or otherwise control non-public personally identifiable information in any format; (B) loss of, unauthorized access to, or disclosure of confidential information; and (C) any form of invasion, infringement or interference with rights of privacy, including breach of security/privacy laws or regulations;

(iii) contractual liability for the contractor’s obligations described in the clauses titled “Indemnification - Third Party Claims – Disclosure Of Information” and “Information Use And Disclosure;” and

(iv) errors, omissions, or negligent acts in the performance, by the contractor or by any entity for which the contractor is legally responsible, of professional services included in the work.

(c) If the work includes content for internet web sites or any publications or media advertisements, coverage must also include claims for actual or alleged infringement of intellectual property rights, invasion of privacy, as well as advertising, media and content offenses.

(d) If the work includes software, coverage must also include claims for intellectual property infringement arising out of software and/or content (with the exception of patent infringement and misappropriation of trade secrets)

(e) Coverage shall have limits no less than five million ($5,000,000.00) one million ($1,000000) dollars per occurrence and ten million ($10,000,000.00) five million ($5,000,000) dollars aggregate.

(f) If the insurance required by this clause is procured on a form affording “claims-made” coverage, then (i) all limits stated above as “per occurrence” shall be understood to mean “per claim” or “per occurrence,” as is consistent with the terms of the “claims-made” policy; and (ii) such claims-made insurance shall provide for a retroactive date no later than the date the contract is awarded.

(g) All terms of this clause shall survive termination of the contract and shall continue until thirty (30) days past the final completion of the work, including the performance of any warranty work. In addition, contractor shall maintain in force and effect any “claims-made” coverage for a minimum of two (2) years after final completion of all work or services to be provided hereunder. Contractor shall purchase an extended reporting period, or “tail coverage,” if necessary to comply with the latter requirement.

(h) Every applicable Using Governmental Unit, and the officers, officials, employees and volunteers of any of them, must be covered as additional insureds on the policy or policies of insurance required by this clause.

(i) For any claims related to this contract, the insurance coverage required by this clause shall be primary insurance as respects the State, every applicable Using Governmental Unit, and the officers, officials, employees and volunteers of any of them. Any insurance or self-insurance maintained by the State, every applicable Using Governmental Unit, or the officers, officials, employees and volunteers of any of them, shall be excess of the Contractor’s insurance and shall not contribute with it.

(j) Prior to commencement of the work, the Contractor shall furnish the State with original certificates of insurance for every applicable policy effecting the coverage required by this clause. All certificates are to be received and approved by the Procurement Officer before work commences. However, failure to obtain the required documents prior to the work beginning shall not waive the Contractor’s obligation to provide them. The State reserves the right to require complete, certified copies of all required insurance policies, including policy declarations and any endorsements required by this section, at any time.

(k) Should any of the above described policies be cancelled before the expiration date thereof, notice will be delivered in accordance with the policy provisions. In addition, the Contractor shall notify the State immediately upon receiving any information that any of the coverages required by this clause are or will be changed, cancelled, or replaced.

(l) Contractor hereby grants to the State and every applicable Using Governmental Unit a waiver of any right to subrogation which any insurer of said Contractor may acquire against the State or applicable Using Governmental Unit by virtue of the payment of any loss under such insurance as is required by this clause. Contractor agrees to obtain any endorsement that may be necessary to effect this waiver of subrogation, but this provision applies regardless of whether or not the State or Using Governmental Unit has received a waiver of subrogation endorsement from the insurer.

(m) Any deductibles or self-insured retentions must be declared to and approved by the State. The State may require the Contractor to purchase coverage with a lower deductible or retention or provide proof of ability to pay losses and related investigations, claim administration, and defense expenses within the retention. [07-7B058-1]

Section IX. of the solicitation is amended as follows: SA

IX. ATTACHMENTS TO SOLICITATION

ATTACHMENTS LIST [09-9002-1]

The following documents are attached to this solicitation:

· Attachment 1 – Requirements

· Attachment 2 – Demonstration Script

· Attachment 3 – Service Provider Security Assessment Questionnaire

· Attachment 4 – Expenditure Codes

· Attachment 5 – Revenue Codes

· Attachment 6 – Cost Center Codes

· Attachment 7 – County Authority Budget by Cost Center

· Attachment 8 – County Authority Budget sample by Expenditure Code

· Attachment 9 – County Authority Revenue and Expenditure Reports

· Attachment 10 – Non-county Proposal Budget

· Attachment 11 – Non-county Payment Request

ATTACHMENT 7

County Authority Budget by Cost Center

(available online only)

ATTACHMENT 8

County Authority Budget sample by Expenditure Code

ATTACHMENT 9

County Authority Revenue and Expenditure Reports

ATTACHMENT 10

Non-county Proposal Budget

ATTACHMENT 11

Non-county Payment Request

QUESTIONS FROM OFFERORS - AMENDMENT (JUN 2017)

THE SOLICITATION IS AMENDED AS PROVIDED HEREIN. INFORMATION OR CHANGES RESULTING FROM QUESTIONS WILL BE SHOWN IN A QUESTION-AND-ANSWER FORMAT. ALL QUESTIONS RECEIVED HAVE BEEN REPRINTED BELOW. THE “STATE’S RESPONSE” SHOULD BE READ WITHOUT REFERENCE TO THE QUESTIONS. THE QUESTIONS ARE INCLUDED SOLELY TO PROVIDE A CROSS-REFERENCE TO THE POTENTIAL OFFEROR THAT SUBMITTED THE QUESTION. QUESTIONS DO NOT FORM A PART OF THE CONTRACT; THE “STATE’S RESPONSE” DOES. ANY RESTATEMENT OF PART OR ALL OF AN EXISTING PROVISION OF THE SOLICITATION IN AN ANSWER DOES NOT MODIFY THE ORIGINAL PROVISION EXCEPT AS FOLLOWS: UNDERLINED TEXT IS ADDED TO THE ORIGINAL PROVISON. STRICKEN TEXT IS DELETED. [02-2A097-1]

The following questions were received pursuant to the original date and time specified on the front of the solicitation:

1. Question: We are working through Attachments 4, 5 and 6. We understand the sources of revenue, but we need confirmation on the (a) Cost Centers and (b) Expense Codes. Will you please define how each of these are used for budgeting, billing, and reporting to federal funders (DHHS)?

State’s Response: Cost center codes and line items codes to compile data for annual budget load and monthly expenditure and revenue reporting. DAODAS uses these codes to roll-up the report for the state SCEIS system to report to federal funders.

2. Question: : How are the Cost Centers and Expenses Codes used now to set up and track grantee/subrecipient budgets, expenses and requests for reimbursements or drawdowns?

State’s Response: Based on the current process the cost centers, expense codes, and revenue codes are only set-up for the local county authorities to upload financial data from their accounting software (Quick Books-majority) into a local, on-premise database that is then submitted to DAODAS. DAODAS can run queries on various timeframes and programs. Drawdowns are captured in a separate process.

Other vendors currently submitted paper copies for reimbursement.

DAODAS’ goal is to have a system where all funded entities (local county authorities and other organizations) can upload all data into a GMS system using the codes provided for reimbursement.

3. Question: Will DAODAS provide an invoice example from grantees/subrecipients and a budget example?

State’s Response: Yes. See Attachments 7-11 at http://webprod.cio.sc.gov/SCSolicitationWeb/contractSearch.do?solicitnumber=5400019581

4. Question: RFP Context: Page 18: Operational Manuals: what is meant by “contractor shall provide one operational manual for each item acquired?” Can the manuals be provided electronically or in a central repository for the State to update and augment when needed for external users?

State’s Response: Yes. Electronic manuals are acceptable. A permanent link to downloadable manual is acceptable as well. The State may also have a repository, accessible by permission

5. Question: RFP Context: Page 58: Important Tax Notice – Nonresidents Only. Does this provision apply to nonresident contractor employees who are temporarily in South Carolina to train Department employees on the GMS?

State’s Response: DAODAS does not administer and has no authority over tax issues. Please see the “Nonresident Taxpayer Registration Affidavit Income Tax Withholding” Form (Form No.: I-312) located at https://dor.sc.gov/forms-site/Forms/I312.pdf

6. Question: Regarding the Price Proposal. The State is asking the vendor to provide pricing for Microsoft licenses (or similar system licenses). Since the vendor is not privy to the State’s contract pricing for these licenses, and is unable to directly sell the licenses to the State, can the vendor instead identify the required license types and numbers and let the State check their own contract pricing? This would help to ensure the vendor’s cost proposal is not overstated. Alternatively, will the State coordinate with the contract holder and permit the vendor to call the license contract holder to secure pricing?

State’s Response: If an Offeror’s solution requires Microsoft licenses, that Offeror should identify, in detail, the exact Microsoft license types and quantities needed. The contract page for the statewide Microsoft Software contract can be found at: https://procurement.sc.gov/files/contracts/Microsoft%20Software%20Contract%20Page%20%2806-22-2020%29.pdf If your solution requires DAODAS to purchase software from this contract, indicate that in your Price Proposal and detail how much the necessary software will cost using this source.

7. Question: RFP Context: Attachment 1, Finance (3.5.1) - Requires compatibility with QuickBooks file format to interface into agency's reporting system (FREDD system).

a. Please confirm the name and version of the DASODAS financial system?

b. Is the financial system online (Cloud-based) or managed on premise?

c. What is the purpose of the QuickBooks file format; who originates the file and exactly what expense information is being transferred?

State’s Response: a. DAODAS uses FREDD-REBA system of internally developed applications to receive budget/income/expense related information from the county providers. The FREDD application allows county providers to import QuickBooks format files and communicate the information to DAODAS. DAODAS uses REBA application to extract reports of this information received from the county providers and uses them to report to/reconcile with the State accounting system.

b. Managed on premise

c. Exchange information with county providers in a file format compatible with system used by most county providers.

DAODAS’ goal is to have a system where all funded entities (local county authorities and other organizations) can upload all data into a GMS system using the codes provided for reimbursement. We desire to eliminate the current systems.

8. Question: RFP Context: Attachment 1: Integrations 8.4.1 – Will the State accept Microsoft Bing Maps in lieu of Google Maps?

State’s Response: Yes, as long as maps are up to date.

9. Question: RFP Context: Attachment 1: Other – 14.3.1: If companies use source code owned by Microsoft, how can it be put into Escrow?

State’s Response: As a vendor, the vendor company adds value to Microsoft source code. In that case, how do you propose the State protect its interests in the event the vendor company ceases to exist?

The State’s interests include continuity of operations, modifications based on changes to state and federal regulations, grants and processes. If the proposed solution is built on Microsoft source code, the Contractor can escrow all instructions for building and deploying the solution in a new environment. What we are after is not just the source code, but also the continuity of operations, which requires access to the platform the vendor has chosen to build its solution on.

10. Question: RFP Context: Section 3.1, Scope of Work Overview: Requirements state that the Contractor must be able to provide grant consulting services in the areas of: 1) Strategic Planning; 2) Grant Life-Cycle Management; 3) Monitoring and Evaluation, and 4) Grant Project Management. How does DOADAS envision these services supporting the system specification and utilization process? Specifically:

a. What is the anticipated nature of consulting requests (hours, anticipated scope or deliverables, etc.)?

b. Please define the evaluation role that would be helpful to the State in utilizing the data provided through this system.

c. Where in the proposal response should qualifications and approach be described for these services?

d. How many regions or sub-recipients will be using the system, and how many of those may want more focused support in these consulting areas?

State’s Response: a. These are all to be determined based on knowledge, expertise, and resource availability gaps uncovered at the time of implementation and use.

b. Evaluating: assist in setting up KPIs/metrics/goals and similar evaluation criteria that can assist in evaluating sub-grantee’s performance for a specific program, grant, and grade overall per period specified.

c. Please refer to Part IV Information for Offerors to Submit, Instructions for Technical Proposal, Section 2 – Technical Solution, 2.1.

d. Sub-recipients – Page 18 Section 3.4: 250-300 external users and 15 internal users

11. Question: RFP Context: Attachment 1, Tab 2. Prevention, 2.3.1: To what extent are prepopulated data identified and already available from DAODAS vs. what will the successful contractor be expected to identify and integrate (e.g. CTC, YRBS, data from SC state agencies)?

State’s Response: Pre-populated data are available from DAODAS. DAODAS will want to be able to import the data into the GMS system. No integration necessary for this.

12. Question: RFP Context: Attachment 1, Tab 2. Prevention, 2.4.1: Have sub-recipients already conducted needs assessment and planning processes? Do they have strategic plans, measurement plans, logic models in place? If no, is this a desired activity for the contractor to work with them on?

State’s Response: DAODAS sub-recipient should have the ability to define the strategic plan using the GMS, attach any additional information such as logic models as PDF files.

13. Question: RFP Context: Attachment 1, Tab 2. Prevention, 2.6.1: To what extent is TA external to data system use desired (for example, TA on utilizing data for evaluation purposes; conducting different types of evaluation activities, etc.)?

State’s Response: The GMS should provide the ability for the sub-recipients to be able to report technical assistance provided to community partners for the implementation of prevention programs and services-such as staff hours, volunteer hours, and venue. DAODAS will provide the technical assistance to the sub-recipients on how to use the data collected in the GMS system for evaluation purposes.

14. Question: RFP Context: Attachment 1, Tab 2. Prevention, 2.8.1: Is a narrative SABG report desired to highlight progress towards goals and objectives across strategy types (external to standardized reports available through the system)?

State’s Response: Yes.

15. Question: RFP Context: Attachment 1, Tab 2. Prevention, 2.9.1 - Are evaluation measures already specified? Are desired dashboard metrics identified or would the Contractor be expected to facilitate this process?

State’s Response: There are some evaluation measures specified, however there may be a need for the Contractor to facilitate a process to identify additional metrics.

16. Question: RFP Context: Attachment 1, Tab 8. Integration, 8.1.1: Ability to integrate with Office 365 (e.g. Outlook, SharePoint, Excel): What type of integration does DOADAS need and can we get some more examples of what business needs you are trying to solve?

State’s Response: Ability to export to, import from Office 365 applications, Access, SQL; communications with sub-grantees (including email). Provide a single sign-on experience to access any Office 365 or Dynamics app using the same system user identities and credentials in an Active Directory based network.

17. Question: RFP Context: Attachment 1, Tab 8. Integration, 8.3.1: Verify/Validate data entered by Subrecipients with 3rd party software: What level of integration is needed for the 3rd-party software? Examples of use cases would be helpful. Additionally, details on what these systems are like from a technology standpoint, upon what stack they were built on, etc. would also be helpful.

State’s Response: Require the ability to import data from CSV files.

18. Question: RFP Context: Attachment 1, Tab 8. Integration, 8.5.1: Integrates with agency website: What level of integration is needed with the agency website?

State’s Response: DAODAS desires to post links to funding announcements, notification of award, and other such information on the agency website.

19. Question: RFP Context: Attachment 1, Tab 1, Workflows: Does the State intend for provider drawdowns on funds to be managed through an invoicing process (e.g., drawdown 1/12 or some variation each month) or on a fee for service basis?

State’s Response: DAODAS intends for provider drawdowns to be managed through invoicing for some sub-recipients and for some sub-recipients/services to be based on fee for service reimbursements.

20. Question: RFP Context: Attachment 1, Tab 1, Workflows: Does the State intend to have Prevention providers follow the same process for treatment providers when it comes to budget submission (prior to award) as well as draw down? If not, how does the treatment of budgets and funding differ between treatment providers and prevention service providers?

State’s Response: Both prevention and treatment providers submit a budget prior to the award of funds.

21. Question: RFP Context: Contents of Offer: The RFP states that the response consists of two parts--the technical proposal and the business proposal. Can the State confirm that the business proposal is the same as the Pricing Proposal?

State’s Response: Yes, the phrases Business Proposal, Price Proposal, and Pricing Proposal refer to the same thing.

22. Question: RFP Context: Technical Solution 2.2: Does the State want responses to this section to be made within the body of the proposal or within the Excel spreadsheet as a separate attachment?

State’s Response: Offerors may choose whichever approach is easier for them. However, whichever format is selected, please ensure you label your documents clearly.

23. Question: RFP Context: Technical Solution 4.2: This section mandates bios and tenure of the key employees. Are the number of key employees and their titles left to the discretion of the Offeror? Does the State consider the project team to be separate from the key employees?

State’s Response: The number of key employees and their titles are left up to the discretion of the Offeror. The State would like to know about both the project team members and the key employees.

24. Question: RFP Context: Specifications 3.2: The section states in pertinent part that the system must “Be built on top of business cloud Microsoft Dynamics 365, or a substantially similar system, that works seamlessly with the Microsoft products that the agency already uses and scales with the Microsoft cloud, using a common data model that allows a single view of processes, relationships, and data.”:

a. “Substantially similar system”: Can the State please clarify what qualifies as a “substantially similar system” as Microsoft Dynamics? Microsoft Dynamics is a proprietary platform. Does an application built on a Microsoft technology stack that is deployed/deployable in Azure meet this requirement?

b. “products that the agency already uses”: Please list the products that the agency uses and with which the system needs to integrate.

c. “works seamlessly”: Please clarify. Can a product that integrates through APIs and other standards-based methods meet this requirement?

State’s Response: A. A “substantially similar system” is one that has the ability to perform the minimum/essential criteria outlined in the solicitation in a manner comparable to that of a system built on Microsoft Dynamics 365. It is up to the Offeror to determine whether their proposed solution meets this requirement, and to support their position in their Proposal.

B. The agency currently uses Office 365 applications, including Exchange email, calendar, contacts, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Microsoft SQL 2017 and later, Windows Server 2019 and later, Active Directory. Agency is likely to use any new/upgraded Microsoft 365 applications.

C. Yes. The product must have proven integration installations and references.

25. Question: RFP Context: Specifications 3.2: The RFP specifies onsite training for internal users. While we are certainly capable of fulfilling providing onsite training, due to Covid-19, should we be prepared to transition to virtual training?

State’s Response: Yes, due to Covid-19, contractors should be prepared to provide virtual training as well as on-site training in the future.

26. Question: RFP Context: Specifications 3.2: Can the State provide a number of anticipated number of end users (prevention, treatment, state) that they expect will need to be trained?

State’s Response: Page 18 Section 3.4: 250-300 external users and 15 internal users

27. Question: Can you provide more specificity regarding the grant consulting services highlighted on pages 4 and 17 of the RFP (i.e., Strategic Planning; Grant Life-Cycle Management; Monitoring and Evaluating; Grant Project Management)?

a. What are your expectations for these services, and what specific deliverables do you envision the offeror providing in support of them?

b. Do you see these as additional services, over and above the GMS technology solution?

c. Also, over what timeframe do you expect to see these services provided, vis-à-vis the implementation milestones provided?

State’s Response: a: The Contractor is expected to have staff with the knowledge and experience with Grants Management Lifecycle to provide best practices based on the Contractor’s experience with other clients. The Contractor should be able to provide consulting services that may be required to re-engineer current processes and procedures to gain efficiency.

b. These services may be part of the implementation of GMS and may be required in future phases as the State and sub-grantees see potential to use features of the system that are not currently available.

c. All milestones and beyond.

28. Question: RFP Context: Specifications 3.2: Can you provide additional information regarding your expectations for “contract management”? How do you define “contract management” in the context of GMS?

State’s Response: Contract management is the process of managing contract creation, execution, and analysis to maximize operational and financial performance at an organization, all while reducing financial risk. For the purpose of the RFP, contract management is inclusive of the life of the requested service or product that entails the application process, receiving proposals, legal agreement, established deliverables and monitoring, and set up payment schedule. Lastly final report and delivery of service requested. Details in solicitation.

29. Question: RFP Context: Implementation Timeline 3.5: Can you clarify the anticipated timeline for the project, given an anticipated start date of September 19th, a desired production date on or before October 1st, and the milestones / estimated days of effort?

State’s Response: The anticipated timeline for the project is that we have a platform ready to be used in a phased-in approach beginning on October 1, 2020. The State will adjust the timeline based on the final dates published in the amended solicitation.

30. Question: RFP Context: Implementation Timeline 3.5: The RFP indicates that the agency expects to enter into the contract with the offeror after the completion of the “Planning and configuration” milestone, and upon agreement of the detailed implementation plan resulting from that effort. Does this mean the agency is assuming that the “Demonstrations with stakeholders” and “Planning and configuration” activities are outside the scope of the project?

State’s Response: All of the milestones are after the contract has been awarded. Please see the changes made to this section in this Amendment. The Demonstrations with stakeholders and Planning and Configuration activities are within the scope of the project and after the contract has been awarded.

31. Question: RFP Context: Technical Support – Included, page 19: Is any additional detail available regarding the scope of the ongoing technical and user support that the agency expects?

State’s Response: The ongoing technical support should be provided throughout the duration of the contract. See Attachment 1 to the Solicitation, Tab 7 Training Support.

32. Question: Will any additional detail be provided (e.g., specific use cases / scenarios) in support of the Demonstration Script provided in Attachment 2 on page 52 of the RFP?

State’s Response: No additional detail will be provided. The State expects invited Offerors to expound on the topics included in the Demonstration Script.

33. Question: Can the RFP submission deadline be extended by at least 1 – 2 weeks to provide more time for the offerors to provide the highest quality response possible?

State’s Response: The RFP submission deadline has been extended based on procurement regulations. Please see the new deadline on the Cover Page of this Amendment.

34. Question: Will you still expect onsite training? Should this be priced out separately as an option based on the situation at that time?

State’s Response: The State does expect the option of onsite training to be available. All training should be a part of the cost proposal.

35. Question: How many of the 15 end users are involved with the grantee processes?

State’s Response: All 15 end users will be involved.

36. Question: How many of the 15 end users are involved with the grantor processes?

State’s Response: All 15 end users will be involved.

37. Question: Does this 15 include anyone involved with workflows, notifications and evaluation of applicants? If not how many additional people are involved in these?

State’s Response: Yes.

38. Question: What is your current ERP/Accounting software?

State’s Response: South Carolina Enterprise Information System (SCEIS) is the current Accounting software for the agency. The State also uses FREDD-REBA system internally developed applications to receive budget/income/expense related information from the county providers. The FREDD application allows county providers to import QuickBooks format files and communicate the information to DAODAS. DAODAS uses REBA application to extract reports of this information received from the county providers and uses them to report to/reconcile with the State system.

39. Question: Are you looking to push expense data from your ERP/Accounting software to the Grant system, push from the grant system to the ERP/Accounting software or bi-directional?

State’s Response: No, data extracted from the grants management system can be utilized to complete SCEIS reporting and transactions. Data from SCEIS can also be used to verify information entered into the grant management system.

40. Question: For Oct. 1 go live, is there a preference of Grantee vs. Grantor functionality – if one to be set up before the other?

State’s Response: Grantor functionality needs to be set-up first. The State desires to have the system ready to use for the next funding cycle of grants.

41. Question: Does the agency have program solicitations that need to be available for applicants to apply to come Oct 1?

State’s Response: Yes.

42. Question: Can you provide details on what you mean by roll up reporting?

a. Is this roll up on the grantee or grantor side?

b. Are you looking for roll up from awardees into a master report on the grantor side?

c. Is this financial or programmatic reporting?

d. Do you have reports you can provide as an example?

State’s Response: a. Both

b. Yes

c. Both

D SAMSHA Web-B-GAS reports would be an example

43. Question: Is there any integrations needed/expected outside of the ERP/Accounting software?

State’s Response: No- the State expects the ability to import data . Refer back to response for question 17.

44. Question: Grants Management Full Life Cycle: Is there any room for customizations since a lot of organizations have a tailored Grants Life Cycle and there are no clear definitions when it gets to the minor details of it?

State’s Response: Yes.

45. Question: RFP Context: 3.2 Specifications, 3: This requirement talks about 80% or greater of required functionality to be out of box functionality – does that mean the remaining can be custom developed? This ties back to the above question and what can be included in that 20% customization. A broader definition might help.

State’s Response: Yes.

46. Question: Our product is an in-house custom-built product and has nothing to do with Microsoft Dynamic. We are serving more than 300+ customers and want to make sure this RFP does not anticipate that the vendor is using MS Dynamic as the product 'base' platform. Is this assumption correct?

State’s Response: Refer to response for question 24.

47. Question: Can you please provide average annual grant revenue for South Carolina DAODAS?

State’s Response: Estimated average annual grant revenue is $54 million.

48. Question: Has a budget been approved for this project?

State’s Response: The budget for this project is confidential information and not required to submit a proposal.

49. Question: Is it a mandatory requirement or a preferred requirement the grant management solution be built on Microsoft dynamics?

State’s Response: Refer to response for question 24.

50. Question: Has DAODAS reviewed any prior demonstrations prior to releasing the RFP?

State’s Response: Yes.

51. Question: Did DAODAS have any assistance in preparing this RFP?

State’s Response: Yes. As mandated by state regulations, DAODAS received assistance from state procurement.

52. Question: How does the Demo with stakeholders differ from this in the milestones?

State’s Response: The Demo with stakeholders will be provided to show them the system capabilities of the selected vendor.

53. Question: What are the expectations of configuration?

a. Is this general system, a specific program, and application, etc.?

State’s Response: A GMS may have general building blocks or objects, some of which may need to be configured to the State’s applicability. This may apply to system, program, or application. Looking at the various worksheets in Attachment 1 to the solicitation Offerors should be able to identity which elements will need to be configured specific to South Carolina’s implementation. E.g. providers, dates, programs, codes, goals/targets, etc.

54. Question: Does DAODAS have business process documented to assist with the tight implementation timeline?

State’s Response: We will make resources available to assist with the implementation.

55. Question: The date to go into production is specified as 10/1/2020 and the start date is 9/19/2020. Is this correct that the implementation is to be completed in 8 business days?

State’s Response: Refer to response for questions 29 and 40.

56. Question: Do you have an Office 365 tenant in the Microsoft cloud established? If so, is it in the Microsoft Government Community Cloud?

State’s Response: The State has an Office 365 tenant at G3 level.

57. Question: Do you have an Enterprise Agreement with Microsoft for purchase of licenses and subscriptions? If so, what company holds this agreement?

State’s Response: We have both a select plus agreement for our agency and access to the State’s enterprise agreement. The contract page for the statewide Microsoft Software contract can be found here: https://procurement.sc.gov/files/contracts/Microsoft%20Software%20Contract%20Page%20%2806-22-2020%29.pdf

58. Question: Assuming you have an Office 365 tenant, when will you have the required Dynamics 365 subscriptions provisioned?

State’s Response: Once the contract is awarded, the State will proceed with the Dynamics 365 subscription.

59. Question: How does DAODAS plan to fund this project? Is it part of the operating budget or capital budget?

State’s Response: The budget for this project is confidential information and not required to submit a proposal.

60. Question: Does DAODAS have an approved budget for this new Grants Management System?

a. If yes, can you provide that budget information to guide vendor bidding decision-making? If the budget is too low, it does not support bid preparation.

State’s Response: Refer to response for question 59.

61. Question: Has DAODAS previously entertained any system demonstrations and/or presentations from vendors? If so, which systems were seen and when?

State’s Response: DAODAS does not feel this information is required to submit a proposal and, as such, will not be disclosed.

62. Question: Did DAODAS utilize any vendor / SME consultants in defining the sought-after functionality and/or scope of work enumerated in the RFP? If yes, please provide the name of the vendor/consultant.

State’s Response: No.

63. Question: Given the requirement to manage Federal funds, does DAODAS require vendors who have experience deploying Grants Management Systems at the Federal level?

State’s Response: Strongly preferred.

64. Question: Can you provide the annual dollar amount of grant funding you receive for the current fiscal year?

State’s Response: Refer to response for question 47.

65. Question: What dollar volume of these grants are pass-through grants to sub recipients?

State’s Response: Almost 90-95% of federal funding goes to sub-recipients.

66. Question: How many separate grant programs does DAODAS manage? Please provide a list if possible.

a. Do the business processes (application, pre-award, award, etc.) and associated forms vary with each type of program or are all processes and forms standardized?

b. When do each of the programs’ application periods begin in a given fiscal year?

State’s Response: This is confidential information, and DAODAS does not feel it is required to submit a proposal. This information will be disclosed to the awarded Contractor during the planning phase of the project.

67. Question: How does DAODAS manage its grants today? If vendor-provided solution is deployed, which vendor provided it to DAODAS?

State’s Response: DAODAS does not have a current grants management system. The agency currently uses internal applications, documents to manage grants.

68. Question: Please map the future state of each of the systems listed as part of the RFP. Which of these systems will be replaced by the new grants management system?

State’s Response: Internal applications such as FREDD/REBA and possibly data management and storage systems such as BOX Enterprise and Mosaix IMPACT.

69. Question: What version of your financial management system is currently being used?

a. Please provide the current modules that are implemented within the financial management system.

b. Also, can you provide the expectation for the type of integration required, e.g., web services, file-based, one-way or bi-directional data flow?

State’s Response: State of SC Enterprise Information System (SCEIS).

a) Accounting, grant management, budgeting, and HR modules.

b) No integration is required at this time.

70. Question: Given the priority of securing public data and assets, does DAODAS require any cloud-based, SaaS solutions to be provisioned on a FedRAMP-certified infrastructure?

State’s Response: Not required but preferred.

71. Question: Please provide the following breakdown:

a. How many DAODAS staff will access/log into the grants management system?

b. How many Grantee/Recipient users will need access to the grants management system?

State’s Response: Refer to response for question 26.

72. Question: Should the system be capable of integrating with third-party systems out of the box?

State’s Response: No integration is required at this time.

73. Question: RFP Context: 3.2 Specifications, 1: The RFP requests “Microsoft Dynamics 365, or a substantially similar system.” What specific systems (e.g., Salesforce) do DAODAS consider comparable to Microsoft Dynamics 365?

State’s Response: Refer to response for question 24.

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