Attachment I - Commonwealth's Response to Vendors 2nd set of Vendor Questions - RFP 758 2400000439.xlsx
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- Attached to
- Microsoft Support Services RFP REBID
- Solicitation number
- RFP 758 2400000439 4
- Issued by
- Kentucky
About this file
This document is the Commonwealth of Kentucky's response to vendors' second set of written questions regarding RFP 758 2400000439 for Microsoft Support, Solutions, and Consulting Services. The RFP seeks qualified vendors to provide support services across all state agencies utilizing Microsoft technologies, including Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and enterprise infrastructure. Vendors may respond to Category 1 (Microsoft Support Services - Hourly Rate), Category 2 (Microsoft Support Services - Enterprise Coverage), or both. The RFP allows vendors to offer one or more service types: Microsoft Support Partner, Microsoft Solutions Partner, Microsoft Consulting Partner, or Microsoft Support Services. The Commonwealth extended the proposal submission deadline to July 19th to accommodate additional review time following the June 27th response posting date. Up to five contracts will be awarded for each category. All vendor staff must be U.S.-based, and offshore resources are prohibited. The contract will utilize Kentucky Information Technology Standards (KITS) for technology approvals, and all Commonwealth data classified as sensitive or higher must be maintained within the contiguous United States with required encryption in transit and at rest.
Pricing for Category 1 includes hourly rates with specific support hour tiers, while Category 2 pricing is based on enterprise coverage of Microsoft software owned and cloud services consumed by individual using agencies, determined through statements of work. The current contract incumbents are Microsoft Corporation, Converge Acquisition LLC, and Kizan Technologies LLC, though no preference is given to incumbents. No specific budget range is disclosed as contract utilization varies across state agencies. The Commonwealth will not provide detailed information regarding G3/G5 licensing breakdown, specific Microsoft product inventory, server configurations, or historical ticket reports, citing variation across agencies. Vendors must outline any deviations from contract terms and conditions in their transmittal letter; exceptions cannot be submitted in a separate section. References are not required. All mandatory requirements must be met as outlined in Attachment F, and proposals scoring below 50% of maximum technical points (500 of 1000 points) will not be considered for award.
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Sheet1
| Q # | RFP Section / Requirement Number | Document | Document Page Number | Vendor Questions | Commonwealth Response |
| 1 | Reporting - 3.7 Reporting | Attachment A - Terms and Conditions | 9 | Can Commonwealth of Kentucky breakdown their licensing from a G3/G5 perspective? | The current contract is utilized by all state agencies therefore this information is not available and varies. |
| 2 | Licensing Section 6.8 E - Licensing and Optimization | Attachment A - Terms and Conditions | 28 | Does Commonwealth of Kentucky have a preferred reporting solution to track service requests | See Section 3.7 - Reporting. |
| 3 | Section 10.28 | Attachment A - Terms and Conditions | 37 | Would the Commonwealth be open to including a limitation of liability for Vendor/Contractor. Language for consideration: |
| Any liability of Vendor/Contractor will not include any consequential, special, incidental, indirect, punitive, or exemplary damages or loss, nor any lost profits, goodwill, savings, or business opportunity, even if Vendor/Contractor had reason to know of the possibility of such damages. Except where it is judicially determined that Vendor/Contractor performed its Services with recklessness or willful misconduct, Vendor/Contractor’s liability will not exceed the greater of 2x fees paid by the Commonwealth to Vendor/Contractor or $1 million for the portion of the work giving rise to liability. A claim for a return of such amount is the exclusive remedy for any damages. This limit of liability will apply to the full extent allowed by law, regardless of the grounds or nature of any claim asserted, including, without limitation, to claims based on principles of contract, negligence or other tort, fiduciary duty, warranty, indemnity, statute or common law. This limit of liability will also apply after this Agreement. | This is a deviation. Deviations must be outlined in the transmittal letter. Refer to Section 6.7 of Attachment A. | |||||
| 4 | Section 4.5 – Privacy, Confidentiality and Ownership of Information | Attachment A - Terms and Conditions | 11 | The Commonwealth is the designated owner of all Commonwealth data and shall approve all access to that data. The Vendor shall not have ownership of Commonwealth data at any time. The vendor shall not profit from or share Commonwealth data. The Vendor shall be in compliance with privacy policies established by governmental agencies or by state or federal law. Privacy notice statements may be developed and amended from time to time by the Commonwealth and will be appropriately displayed on the Commonwealth portal (Ky.gov). The Vendor should provide sufficient security to protect the Commonwealth and COT data in network transit, storage, and cache. All Commonwealth data, classified as sensitive or higher, as defined in Enterprise Standards, including backups and archives, must be maintained at all times within the contiguous United States. All Commonwealth data, classified as sensitive or higher, as defined in Enterprise Standards, must be encrypted in-transit from Contractor’s network and at rest while stored on Contractor’s laptops or other portable media devices. | This is a deviation. Deviations must be outlined in the transmittal letter. Refer to Section 6.7 of Attachment A. | |
| 5 | 10.8 – Changes in Scope | Attachment A - Terms and Conditions | 35 | The Commonwealth may, at any time by written order, make changes within the general scope of this Contract. No changes in scope are to be conducted except at the approval of the Commonwealth and the Contractor. | This is a deviation. Deviations must be outlined in the transmittal letter. Refer to Section 6.7 of Attachment A. | |
| 6 | 10.12 – Contractor Cooperation in Related Efforts | Attachment A - Terms and Conditions | 36 | The Commonwealth of Kentucky may undertake or award other contracts for additional or related work, services, supplies, or commodities, and the contractor shall fully cooperate with such other contractors and Commonwealth employees. The Contractor shall take commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that Contractor will not commit or permit any act that will unreasonably interfere with the performance of work by any other contractor or by Commonwealth employees. | This is a deviation. Deviations must be outlined in the transmittal letter. Refer to Section 6.7 of Attachment A. | |
| 7 | 10.14 – Commonwealth Property | Attachment A - Terms and Conditions | 36 | The Contractor shall be responsible for the proper custody and care of any Commonwealth-owned property furnished for contractor's use in connections with the performance of this Contract while in contractor’s possession and control. The Contractor shall reimburse the Commonwealth for its loss or damage, normal wear and tear excepted. | This is a deviation. Deviations must be outlined in the transmittal letter. Refer to Section 6.7 of Attachment A. | |
| 8 | 10.15 – Confidential Information | Attachment A - Terms and Conditions | 36 | The Contractor shall comply with the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 and instruct its employees to use the same degree of care as it uses with its own data to keep confidential information concerning client data, the business of the Commonwealth, its financial affairs, its relations with its citizens and its employees, as well as any other information which may be specifically classified as confidential by the Commonwealth in writing to the Contractor. All Federal and State Regulations and Statutes related to confidentiality shall be applicable to the Contractor. The Contractor shall have an appropriate agreement with its employees, and any subcontractor employees, to that effect, provided however, that the foregoing will not apply to: |
A. Information which the Commonwealth has released in writing from being maintained in confidence;
B. Information which at the time of disclosure is in the public domain by having been printed and published and available to the public in libraries or other public places where such data is usually collected; or C. Information, which, after disclosure, becomes part of the public domain as defined above, thorough no act of the contractor.
| D. Information required to be disclosed by applicable law, rule, regulation, subpoena or summons. | This is a deviation. Deviations must be outlined in the transmittal letter. Refer to Section 6.7 of Attachment A. | |||||
| 9 | Section 3.3 Vendor Staff | Attachment A - Terms and Conditions | 6 | Is there any specific scoring formulas for elvaluating these types of skills in your process - Expertise in secure and complex network environments, as well as IT landscapes, is required and imperative. This includes, but is not limited to, knowledge of TCP/IP, routers, multiple firewall configurations, WAN technology, directory services, office environments, and business applications. This seems a high-level exercise and nothing specific (type of firewall expertis, type of network infrastructure, etc.) | See Section 7 - Proposal Evaluation | |
| 10 | Section 3.4 - in regard to the following support capabilities | Attachment A - Terms and Conditions | 7 | Given the deployment of Microsoft products in mission-critical scenarios, the Vendor should be capable of addressing emergency needs beyond normal working hours, including nights and weekends. 24x7 emergency support would only be engaged for business continuity in mission critical systems. Examples of mission critical platforms are Active Directory and Microsoft Identity Manager. How would these support capabilities be graded in the evaluation process? Also, these support capabilities are they for both the Microsoft Support Services Hourly Rate and the Microsoft Support Services Enterprise Coverage? | See Section 7 - Proposal Evaluation. The requirements are for both Category 1 and Category 2 with additional requirements listed on Attachment G for Category 2. | |
| 11 | Section 3.6 - Services | Attachment A - Terms and Conditions | 8 | How does the the Microsoft Support Services Hourly Rate and Microsoft Support Services Enterprise Coverage bids align with the Microsoft Support Partner, Microsoft Solutions Partner, Micorsoft Consulting Partner, and Microsoft Support Services - Enterprise Coverage? | The requirements are for both Category 1 and Category 2 with additional requirements listed on Attachment G for Category 2. | |
| 12 | Section 3.8 - Valued Added Services | Attachment A - Terms and Conditions | 10 | You mention the possiblity of needing "Proposals for the support and consulting of end-of-life/legacy Microsoft products and platforms is welcomed and will be considered as potential value-added services', do you have any examples of type of assistance that might be requested? | See revised Section 3.8 and Section 6.8(F). The current contract is utilized by all state agencies therefore the need will vary amongst those agencies. | |
| 13 | Section 6.8 | Attachment A - Terms and Conditions | 28 | You mention Long-term Direction and Licensing Optimization - both descriptions are very high-level. Do you have any specific details of where you're looking for guidance from the perspective bidders and also are there any additional synergies from other State entities' Microsoft deployment/investment that you want to factor into these scenarios? | This contract will be utilized by all state agencies therefore this will depend on the using agency's need. | |
| 14 | Section 7.2 - Technical Proposal Evaluation | Attachment A - Terms and Conditions | 29 | In the final table of the scoring criteria (Section 7.2) you have a Support Hours and Coverage (C) (1) and Support Hours and Coverage (C)(2). Is C2 for after-hours work delivered and classify as an Emergency? If not, what is the Commonwealth's definition of an emergency? Also, there is an 24X7 After Hours Emergency hourly rate (Attachment B), is this an additional hourly rate on top of the specific Microsoft service expertise/deliverable rate, or an all inclusive stanalone rate. | Section 6.8 (C) includes #1 and #2. which is (C) (1) and (C) (2). See Section 3.4 (C) - Support Hours. This contract will be utilized by all state agencies therefore the definition of an emergency will depend on the using agency's need. See revised Attachment B. | |
| 15 | Attachment G | N/A | Please provide a detailed list of all Microsoft products in use. | The current contract is utilized by all state agencies therefore this information is not available and varies. | ||
| 16 | Attachment G | N/A | If servers are in scope, please provide full list of servers running Microsoft. | The current contract is utilized by all state agencies therefore this information is not available and varies. | ||
| 17 | Attachment G | N/A | Please provide a breakdown of Microsoft licensing. | The current contract is utilized by all state agencies therefore this information is not available and varies. | ||
| 18 | Attachment G | N/A | Please provide a ticket report of the past 12 months for all cases placed with Microsoft. | The current contract is utilized by all state agencies therefore this information is not available and varies. | ||
| 19 | Business Queries | NA | Is there any incumbent? If yes, please provide the name. Will any preference be given to the incumbent Vendor, if any? | The incumbents are Microsoft Corporation (MA 758 1200000773), Converge Acquisition, LLC (MA 758 1900000784-2) and Kizan Technologies LLC (MA 758 1900000783). No preference is given to incumbents or any vendors. | ||
| 20 | Business Queries | NA | If a Vendor wants to take any ‘Exceptions’ to the Sample Terms and Conditions or/and Contract Requirements and Provisions that are provided within the RFP, can we put a separate section within our proposal response called ‘Sample Contract / Terms and Conditions Exception’, and provide our exceptions in that section, please confirm. | No. Please see Section 6.7(A)(i) - Technical Proposal Content. | ||
| 21 | Business Queries | NA | What is the approved budget or range allocated for this project by the COT? | This contract will be utilized by all state agencies therefore this information is not available and will vary based on the agency. | ||
| 22 | Business Queries | NA | We request COT to provide at least two (2) weeks from the date the Vendor questions are responded to and extend the proposal submission deadline accordingly. This will ensure that we have ample time to review and understand the responses to our questions and respond appropriately with our proposal. | Please see Section 1.1 - Estimated Schedule of RFP Activities. The Commonwealth's response will post on June 27th and the closing of the RFP is July 12th which is 15 calendar days. The Commonwealth will extend the closing to July 19th to accommodate the 4th of July holiday. See revised Section 1.1. | ||
| 23 | Business Queries | NA | We request COT to provide an opportunity to submit additional questions or seek further clarifications after receiving responses to our initial queries, provided this is done at least two days prior to the submission deadline?" | Please see Section 1.1 - Estimated Schedule of RFP Activities. Two (2) sets of questions were allowed and the closing date has been extended twice. See revised Section 1.1. | ||
| 24 | Business Queries | NA | After reviewing the RFP, we understand that it is a revised version of the previous RFP 758 2400000235. In this context, we request COT to explain the reason for canceling the previous RFP. | This RFP is a new RFP, separate from the previous RFP. The vendor must read this RFP and all attachments and comply with the requirements. | ||
| 25 | Section 6.7 | Attachment-A | 25 | Under Point A - Transmittal Letter, it is mentioned that any deviation from the provisions of the solicitation must be specifically mentioned here. Our assumption is that the vendor can list all exceptions it wishes to take from any part of the solicitation, including contract terms, proposing alternative language or terms. Is this assumption is correct, please confirm, if not, should the vendor provide all minimal exceptions in a new different section of the Technical proposal? | Proposed deviations must be outlined in the transmittal letter. Any deviation from the provisions of the solicitation must be specifically identified by the vendor in its proposal, which if successful, shall become part of the contract. Such deviations shall not be in conflict with the basic nature of this solicitation. The Commonwealth reserves the right to reject any and/or all deviations in whole or in part. | |
| 26 | Section 4.1 | Attachment-A | 14 | Any specific standards or tools required to be used for Project Management? | Please see Section 4.11 - Project Management Requirements which provides a link to PM standards and reporting requirements. | |
| 27 | Section 3.3 (D) | Attachment-A | 6 | Please calrify, if the resources required to be Onsite or Offsite(remote) to provide support, solution and consulting services. | This contract will be utilized by all state agencies therefore this will depend on the using agency's need. | |
| 28 | Section 6.6 | Attachment-A | 24 | Under section 6.6, it is stated that "The Cost Proposal Form is only required for Category 1 - Microsoft Support Services – Hourly Rate." In this context, we seek clarification regarding Category 2: Microsoft Support Services – Enterprise Coverage. We understand that for Category 2, a vendor is required only to provide a Technical Proposal demonstrating its capabilities for the various services mentioned in Attachment G and file per category. Subsequently, the COT will select a few vendors and issue a Statement of Work (SOW) for the specific services and at that point we will need to provide pricing. Please confirm if our understanding is correct. | See Section 6.9, "Category 2 – Microsoft Support Services – Enterprise Coverage pricing is based on customer’s enterprise coverage of Microsoft software owned and Microsoft cloud services consumed by a customer. Therefore, each using agency must obtain a quote/SOW from the awarded vendor(s) based on their own individual needs and coverage." Vendor's submitting a proposal for Category 2 must comply with the RFP requirements, Attachment G, and submit the response per Section 6.6. Up to five (5) contracts will be awarded for Category 1 and another up to five (5) contracts will be awarded for Category 2. | |
| 29 | Sectio 2.1 | Attachment-A | 5 | Under section 2.1 – Purpose, it is mentioned that "The various components of these service areas may include hardware, hardware configuration, and software-related support." In this context, we assume that there is no hardware-related work required and that only software configuration and setup are part of the scope. Please confirm. | Microsoft Support, solutions and consulting services is the scope of this RFP. | |
| 30 | Section 2.1 & Section 3.6 | Attachment-A | 5 & 8 | On page #5 of the RFP, under section 2.1 – Purpose, it is mentioned that vendors may respond to one or both categories. On page #8 of the RFP, under section 3.6 – Services, it states, "Vendors shall offer one (1) or more of the following services to be eligible for consideration." In this context, we request clarification from the COT: If a vendor responds to one category, can they choose one or more services while rejecting others? For example, if a vendor is responding to category 2, can they choose to provide only solution and consulting services? Please clarify. | Vendors may respond to Category 1, Category 2 or both. For each Category submitted, the vendor shall offer one (1) or more of the services listed in Section 3.6. Section 3.6 includes the following services: A. Microsoft Support Partner (Requirements 1-6); B. Microsoft Solutions Partner (Requirements 1-6); C. Microsoft Consulting Partner (Requirements 1-4) and D. Microsoft Support Services. | |
| 31 | Section 3.4 | Attachment-A | 7 | By reviewing Section 3.3, Point D, we understand that COT is only looking for U.S.-based resources. However, we request that COT clarify if it is possible for a vendor to provide the solution and consulting services through onshore resources, as asked in the RFP, but provide support services through an offshore team, especially for Point (A) and Point (C) of Section 3.4 - Support Hours and Point (B) - normal support for standard working hours will be provided by the onshore team. Please confirm if this would be acceptable for COT. | No. Per Section 3.3(D), Vendor Staff, "The utilization of offshore resources is prohibited." | |
| 32 | Section 3.4 | Attachment-A | 7 | By looking at Attachment F, it is mentioned that only Point B of Section 3.4 - Support Hours is a mandatory requirement, and Points A and C are non-mandatory. In this context, we request that COT confirm whether a vendor will be allowed to provide support services (3.6 A) if it only provides Point B, which is Standard Working Hour Support Services, and does not provide Points A and C under Section 3.4. please confirm. | Section 3 states, "PROPOSALS THAT DO NOT MEET MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS WILL BE DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. REFER TO ATTACHMENT F – MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS CHECKLIST. Mandatory Requirement means “a condition set out in the specifications or statement of work that must be met without exception.” Any requirement that includes "should" or "may" is non-mandatory. Any requirement that includes "shall", "will" or "must" is a mandatory requirement. Each section includes different requirements. Please read the requirements and respond accordingly. | |
| 33 | Sectio 3.4 (C) | Attachment-A | 7 | Will the vendor be disqualified or viewed negatively if it chooses not to provide 24x7 emergency support as it is not a mandatory requirement per attachment F. | Section 3 states, "PROPOSALS THAT DO NOT MEET MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS WILL BE DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. REFER TO ATTACHMENT F – MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS CHECKLIST. Mandatory Requirement means “a condition set out in the specifications or statement of work that must be met without exception.” Any requirement that includes "should" or "may" is non-mandatory. Any requirement that includes "shall", "will" or "must" is a mandatory requirement. Please read the requirements and respond accordingly. See revised Attachment B. | |
| 34 | Section 3.4 (a) | Attachment-A | 7 | We request the COT to clarify the following point: "Timely response to problems or inquiries via phone should be within a duration of two (2) hours or less." In this context, if a vendor does not comply with this requirement, can the vendor still provide support services as this is not a mandatory requirement under attachement F? please confirm | Section 3 states, "PROPOSALS THAT DO NOT MEET MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS WILL BE DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. REFER TO ATTACHMENT F – MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS CHECKLIST. Mandatory Requirement means “a condition set out in the specifications or statement of work that must be met without exception.” Any requirement that includes "should" or "may" is non-mandatory. Any requirement that includes "shall", "will" or "must" is a mandatory requirement. Please read the requirements and respond accordingly. | |
| 35 | Section 3.6 | Attachment-A | 8 | After reviewing Section 3.6 - Services, under parts A, B, and C, we noticed a common point in all three parts that is: "adhere to the Support Hours outlined in Section 3.4." and then after referring to Section 3.4, we find three points (A, B, and C). In this context, we request COT to please confirm when you say "adhere to the support hours outlined in Section 3.4" do you mean it for all three points? Please confirm, as this clarification would help us understand the requirements more comprehensively. | Section 3 states, "PROPOSALS THAT DO NOT MEET MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS WILL BE DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. REFER TO ATTACHMENT F – MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS CHECKLIST. Mandatory Requirement means “a condition set out in the specifications or statement of work that must be met without exception.” Any requirement that includes "should" or "may" is non-mandatory. Any requirement that includes "shall", "will" or "must" is a mandatory requirement. Each section includes different requirements. Please read the requirements and respond accordingly. The vendor is responsible for complying with the requirements listed for the particular service area in which they are responding to. | |
| 36 | Section 3.4 | Attachment A | 8 | We request the COT to clarify the following - If we do not apply for the Microsoft Support Partner category, what does the statement on page 9 of Attachment A, “Solutions Partners should adhere to the Support Hours outlined in Section 3.4,” refer to? Our understanding is that the vendor selected for the Microsoft Support Category will be responsible for providing the required support. Please confirm if this interpretation is correct. | The vendor is responsible for complying with the requirements listed for the particular service area in which they are responding to. "Solutions Partners should adhere to the Support Hours outlined in Section 3.4" is under B. Microsoft Solutions Partner. Section 3.6 includes the following services: A. Microsoft Support Partner (Requirements 1-6); B. Microsoft Solutions Partner (Requirements 1-6); C. Microsoft Consulting Partner (Requirements 1-4) and D. Microsoft Support Services. | |
| 37 | Section 3.6 (B) | Attachment A | 9 | On page 10 of the RFP, under section 3.6 (B), point 1 states that "The vendor shall provide solutioning services for the Microsoft technologies listed in Section 3.5(a)." and Point 2 of 3.6 (B) includes several other technologies. In this context, should we assume that point 1, which refers to 3.5(a), means only those services mentioned under 3.5(a), such as Microsoft cloud services (Azure, Microsoft 365, and Dynamics 365), and does not include any other technologies (referring point 2 of 3.6 (B))? Could you please clarify? | Section 3 states, "PROPOSALS THAT DO NOT MEET MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS WILL BE DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. REFER TO ATTACHMENT F – MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS CHECKLIST. Mandatory Requirement means “a condition set out in the specifications or statement of work that must be met without exception.” Any requirement that includes "should" or "may" is non-mandatory. Any requirement that includes "shall", "will" or "must" is a mandatory requirement. Each section includes different requirements. Please read the requirements and respond accordingly. | |
| 38 | Section 3.6 | Attachment-A | 9 | On page 9 of the RFP, under section 3.6 (B) - point 4, it is mentioned that "Solutions Partners should adhere to the Support Hours outlined in Section 3.4." In this context, we would like to inform the COT that we will be providing Solution Services. However, we request clarification on whether it is mandatory for solution partner vendors to comply with this requirement, as we are unable to adhere to these support hours. Could you please confirm if an exception can be made in this case? | Section 3 states, "PROPOSALS THAT DO NOT MEET MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS WILL BE DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. REFER TO ATTACHMENT F – MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS CHECKLIST. Mandatory Requirement means “a condition set out in the specifications or statement of work that must be met without exception.” Any requirement that includes "should" or "may" is non-mandatory. Any requirement that includes "shall", "will" or "must" is a mandatory requirement. Each section includes different requirements. Please read the requirements and respond accordingly. The vendor is responsible for complying with the requirements listed for the particular service area in which they are responding to. | |
| 39 | Section 3.6 {C} | Attachment-A | 9 | On page 10 of the RFP, under section 3.6 (C), point 1 states that "The vendor shall provide consulting services for the Microsoft technologies listed in Section 3.5(a)." In this context, should we assume that point 1, which refers to 3.5(a), means only those services mentioned in it, such as Microsoft cloud services (Azure, Microsoft 365, and Dynamics 365), and does not include any other technologies? please confirm. | Section 3 states, "PROPOSALS THAT DO NOT MEET MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS WILL BE DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. REFER TO ATTACHMENT F – MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS CHECKLIST. Mandatory Requirement means “a condition set out in the specifications or statement of work that must be met without exception.” Any requirement that includes "should" or "may" is non-mandatory. Any requirement that includes "shall", "will" or "must" is a mandatory requirement. Each section includes different requirements. Please read the requirements and respond accordingly. | |
| 40 | Section 3.6{C} | Attachment-A | 9 | On page 9 of the RFP, under section 3.6 (C) - point 4, it is mentioned that "Solutions Partners should adhere to the Support Hours outlined in Section 3.4." In this context, we would like to inform the COT that we will be providing Consulting services. However, we request the COT to confirm if it is mandatory for vendors to comply with this requirement, as we are unable to adhere to these support hours. Could you please confirm if an exception to this requirement is possible? | Section 3.6 (C) (4) does not state what the vendor has referenced. This section states, "Specific tasks to be provided will be negotiated by the agency and Vendor prior to work beginning on each project. However, services provided shall be performed in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract and the Vendor reimbursement rates shall be equal to or less than the contract rates established via this RFP." Section 3 states, "PROPOSALS THAT DO NOT MEET MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS WILL BE DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. REFER TO ATTACHMENT F – MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS CHECKLIST. Mandatory Requirement means “a condition set out in the specifications or statement of work that must be met without exception.” Any requirement that includes "should" or "may" is non-mandatory. Any requirement that includes "shall", "will" or "must" is a mandatory requirement. Please read the requirements and respond accordingly. | |
| 41 | Section 3.6 | Attachment-A | 8 | We request that COT confirm that, based on the mandatory qualifications under Section 3.6 B and C, adhering to the support hours outlined in Section 3.4 is not mandatory. Therefore, if a vendor provides support and consulting services without adhering to the support hours outlined in Section 3.4, would this be acceptable? Please confirm. | Section 3 states, "PROPOSALS THAT DO NOT MEET MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS WILL BE DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. REFER TO ATTACHMENT F – MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS CHECKLIST. Mandatory Requirement means “a condition set out in the specifications or statement of work that must be met without exception.” Any requirement that includes "should" or "may" is non-mandatory. Any requirement that includes "shall", "will" or "must" is a mandatory requirement. Please read the requirements and respond accordingly. | |
| 42 | Section 3.6 | Attachment A | 9 | We request the COT to please confirm our assumption that for Category 1, the services provided are A, B, and C as outlined under Section 3.6, and for Category 2, the service provided is D as outlined in Attachment G. Please confirm if our assumption is correct. | Correct however both Category 1 and Category 2 must also comply with Sections 3.1 through 3.5. | |
| 43 | Section 3.8 | Attachment A | 9 | We request the COT to please clarify what are you clearly expecting as value added services under section 3.8. please confirm. | See revised Section 3.8 and Section 6.8(F). | |
| 44 | Attachment-C | Annual Affidavit and Other Affidavits consists of three different forms. Does the vendor need to fulfill all three forms, or is the vendor required to fill out specific forms,Ex- one for Campaign Finance, another for Income Taxes, and the last one for NGOs? | The Annual Affidavit is required prior to award. The vendor would complete the other affidavits if applicable. | |||
| 45 | Attachment G | We request COT to please further elaborate the scope of Category 2 in terms of what exactly you are seeking from the vendor to provide. | See Sections 3.1 through 3.5 and Attachment G for Category 2 requirements. See Section 6.6 through 6.9 for proposal submission requirements. | |||
| 46 | Section 5.7 | Attachment A | 21 | Under Section 5.7, it is mentioned that the vendor should declare proprietary information in the Transmittal Letter (6.7 A). However, upon reviewing Section 6.7 A - Transmittal Letter, we noticed that there are 10 points listed, but none related to proprietary information. Therefore, we request COT to confirm if we can include 11th point to highlight proprietary information. Please confirm. | The vendor should declare in the Transmittal Letter the inclusion of proprietary information and shall noticeably label as proprietary each file containing such information. Refer to Section 6.6 Format of Response 1. c. | |
| 47 | Section 6.8 (A) | Attachement-A | 27 | Under Section 6.8, Point A - Company and Staffing Profile, its second point refers to the staffing profile. In this context, we request COT to clarify your expectations. For example, do you want the vendor to simply mention the resources/staffing categories that will be working on the project, or are you expecting the vendor to provide the resumes of individuals in each category? | See revised Section 6.8(A) | |
| 48 | Section 6.8 © | Attachment-A | 28 | Under Section 6.8, Point C - Support Hours and Coverage, we request COT to confirm whether a vendor needs to respond to this point if they are only bidding for Solution Partner and Consulting Partner services. As per our understanding, this point is not relevant in case if we are not bidding for Support Services. Please clarify. | Section 3 states, "PROPOSALS THAT DO NOT MEET MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS WILL BE DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. REFER TO ATTACHMENT F – MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS CHECKLIST. Mandatory Requirement means “a condition set out in the specifications or statement of work that must be met without exception.” Any requirement that includes "should" or "may" is non-mandatory. Any requirement that includes "shall", "will" or "must" is a mandatory requirement. Each section includes different requirements. Please read the requirements and respond accordingly. The vendor is responsible for complying with the requirements listed for the particular service area in which they are responding to. | |
| 49 | Attachment-A | Could you please confirm if you require any previous client references, as we do not find a section for this? If client references are required, does the vendor need to provide separate references for Support, Solution, and Consulting services, or would a single reference be acceptable? Please confirm. | References are not required. Please respond per Section 6.8. | |||
| 50 | Section 6.8 | Attachment-A | 26 | If references are required, can we include them in the Proposed Solution Content under Section 6.8? Please confirm | References are not required. Please respond per Section 6.8. | |
| 51 | Section 7.2 | Attachment-A | 30 | Under Section 7.2 - Technical Proposal Evaluation, we noticed that there are 1000 points allocated for Category 1. However, we request clarification from COT regarding whether a vendor bidding solely for Category 1 will be evaluated out of 1000 points or 850 points. This is because the 1000 points include 150 points for Support Hours and Coverage (C)(2), which may not be relevant for vendors not bidding for Category 2. We seek confirmation on whether vendors bidding only for Category 1 will be viewed negatively, or if 150 marks will be automatically deducted, or if there will be no impact on Category 1 vendors, it will have equal chance to win. Please confirm. | Section 7.2 states, "Technical Proposal Evaluation (same criteria will be used for both Category 1 and Category 2 responses)." This means that the Technical Proposal Evaluation table that lists the criteria and points is for both Category 1 and Category 2. | |
| 52 | Section 7.2 | Attachment-A | 30 | Under section 7.2 - Technical Proposal Evaluation, it is mentiond "Proposals with a combined technical score less than fifty percent (50%) of the maximum technical points possible will not be considered for award" so in this context, are you referring to 1000 Points of Technical proposal evaluation or combined points of 1600. please confirm | Per Section 7.2, "A proposal’s combined technical score is the combined total points of all scored criteria in the technical proposal portion of an evaluation." The maximum score for the technical proposal is 1000. | |
| 53 | Section 3.5 | Attachment-A | 7 | Under section 3.5, Point A – Microsoft Cloud services, in this context please clarify Are you using Azure IAAS, SAAS or PAAS. Please share more details about the environment. | The current contract is utilized by all state agencies therefore this information is unknown and varies. | |
| 54 | Secion 3.5 | Attachment-A | 7 | Under section 3.5, Point A, we request to please confirm, what all M365 workloads are currently configured by COT. And we also request to please clarify which are the workloads you are expecting a vendor to provide support and consulting services. | The current contract is utilized by all state agencies therefore this information is unknown and varies. | |
| 55 | Section 3.5 | Attachment-A | 7 | Under section 3.5, point P, which refers to “Custom software or application development on Microsoft platforms”. Please elaborate more on custom software or application which COT have, with examples. | The current contract is utilized by all state agencies therefore this information is unknown and varies. | |
| 56 | Section 3.5 | Attachment-A | 7 | Under section 3.5, Point S, we are assuming that the requirement is related to SharePoint On-Premises Configured in a clustered and/or multiplatform environment. | See revised Section 3.5 (s). | |
| 57 | Section 3.5 | Attachement-A | 8 | Under section 3.5, in point U,V, W,X, and Y. Are these licensing requirements related to M365 only or Complete Microsoft products. Please confirm. | See revised Section 3.5 (u)(v)(w)(x) and (y). | |
| 58 | Section 3.5 | Attachment -A | 8 | Under section 3.5, point (aa) which refers to “Strategic planning and consultation services” so could you please confirm, is it related to Microsoft 365 services or Complete Microsoft products. | See revised Section 3.5 (aa). | |
| 59 | Technical Questions | NA | Could you provide more details on the incident response services mentioned in Category 2? Specifically, what is the expected response time for immediate assistance in troubleshooting and resolving issues with deployed Microsoft solutions? | See Section 3.4-Support Hours | ||
| 60 | Technical Questions | NA | For the proactive services mentioned, what parameters would the COT use to measure the improvement done to IT infrastructure and operations. | This contract will be utilized by all state agencies therefore this information will vary. | ||
| 61 | Technical Questions | NA | Regarding the Security services outlined, are there any specific security frameworks or standards that need to be followed? | This contract will be utilized by all state agencies therefore this information will vary. | ||
| 62 | Technical Questions | NA | For the Development Support Assistance, could you provide more information on the types of applications that typically integrate Microsoft technologies on the Microsoft platform within your organization? | This contract will be utilized by all state agencies therefore this information will vary. | ||
| 63 | Technical Questions | NA | In the Planning services section, when conducting assessments of infrastructure, data, application, and security environments, what specific tools or methodologies does the Commonwealth of Kentucky prefer to be used for these evaluations? | This contract will be utilized by all state agencies therefore this information will vary. | ||
| 64 | Technical Questions | NA | For the Implementation services, can you provide details on the typical timelines or project milestones expected when accelerating the design, deployment, migration, upgrade, and implementation of Microsoft technology solutions within your organization? | This contract will be utilized by all state agencies therefore this information will vary. | ||
| 65 | Technical Questions | NA | In the Solutions Architect/Engineering services section, what level of involvement does the Commonwealth of Kentucky expect from the vendor in terms of strategic advice and guidance to accelerate innovation and drive efficiency throughout system lifecycles? | This contract will be utilized by all state agencies therefore this information will vary. | ||
| 66 | Technical Questions | NA | For the Cybersecurity Incident Response services, are there specific protocols or frameworks that the Commonwealth of Kentucky follows in evaluating cyber-attack scope, containment, and restorative actions for critical systems? | This contract will be utilized by all state agencies therefore this information will vary. | ||
| 67 | Technical Questions | NA | The RFP references the Kentucky Information Technology Standards (KITS). Could you elaborate on how these standards impact the technology choices and solutions required for this project? | KITS reflects approved software and hardware products in the Enterprise. If the proposed solution is not KITS approved, the Commonwealth Office of Technology must vet and approve the solution and add to KITS prior to using the solution. | ||
| 68 | Technical Questions | NA | The RFP requests information on the approach, ability, and experience in providing Microsoft Services. Could you provide examples of specific challenges or pain points the Commonwealth is currently facing that the proposed solution should address? | This contract will be utilized by all state agencies therefore this information will vary and is unknown. | ||
| 69 | Technical Questions | NA | The RFP outlines the evaluation criteria, including technical approach and methodology. Could you elaborate on the specific technical aspects or methodologies that are of particular importance to the Commonwealth in evaluating proposals? | Please submit your response per Section 6 and Section 7. | ||
| 70 | Technical Questions | NA | The RFP requires vendors to have experience in providing Microsoft Support, Solutioning, and/or Consulting Services in large enterprise organizations with over 30,000 staff. Could you provide specific examples of the scale and complexity of projects that would demonstrate the level of experience expected from vendors? | Please see Section 2.2 and Section 3.2. Please comply with the RFP requirement. | ||
| 71 | Technical Questions | NA | The RFP requires vendors to describe their approach, ability, and experience in providing Microsoft Services. Could you provide more details on the specific methodologies, tools, or best practices that the Commonwealth values in service delivery for Microsoft environments? | The vendor must propose its best solution per the RFP requirements. | ||
| 72 | Technical Questions | NA | The RFP mentions long-term direction strategies for maintaining compliance with technological advancements. Could you provide insights into the Commonwealth's roadmap for technology upgrades, cloud computing adoption, and other IT advancements that the vendor's services should align with? | This contract will be utilized by all state agencies therefore this information will vary and is unknown. | ||
| 73 | Technical Questions | NA | The RFP highlights the importance of security solutions based on Microsoft technologies. Could you provide insights into the specific security challenges or compliance requirements that the Solutions Partner should address when designing and implementing security solutions for the Commonwealth's IT environment? | This contract will be utilized by all state agencies therefore this information will vary and is unknown. | ||
| 74 | Technical Questions | NA | The RFP mentions disaster recovery and business continuity strategies as part of the Solutions Partner services. Could you provide details on the Commonwealth's expectations regarding the resilience and recovery capabilities that the vendor should help implement to ensure business continuity for state agencies? | This contract will be utilized by all state agencies therefore this information will vary and is unknown. |
Attachment I - Commonwealth's Response to 2nd set of Vendors' Written Questions RFP 758 2400000439
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