B-53313 JPMC Internal Audit Software final~1.docx

Department of Innovation and Technology Request for Proposal Electronic Audit Software

24-448DOIT-ADMIN-B-53313

Section A. SCOPE OF WORK

A.1. OVERVIEW AND PURPOSE

This solicitation is issued by the Department of Innovation and Technology in cooperation and agreement with the Chief Procurement Officer for General Services. The purpose of this solicitation is to establish a contract to enable the Department of Innovation and Technology, governmental units, and qualified not-for-profit agencies to purchase supplies, or services on an as needed basis during the contract period. By submitting an offer, Vendor agrees to extend all terms and conditions, specifications, and pricing or discounts specified in the resulting contract for the items in the resulting contract to all governmental units and qualified not-for-profit agencies.

The State of Illinois is requesting proposals from highly qualified vendors with expertise in providing an Electronic Audit Software solution. The State of Illinois seeks a solution that includes:

· Ongoing maintenance and support

· Providing all on-site services and off-site services necessary to install the Electronic Audit Software.

· Providing training to State of Illinois employees for the use and operation of the software.

· The vendor shall provide software documentation and instructions to the State of Illinois Information Technology staff for use in the event of an application failure so the software can be restored.

The State of Illinois intends to use this software to prepare, finalize, and archive audit working papers. This solution will also allow audit staff to collaborate on audits in progress.

The vendor must be able to provide initial training on the use of the software, covering all user roles and functionalities supported by the system. In the event of software upgrades or updates that alter existing features, the vendor is expected to provide additional training to ensure users remain informed and proficient. Comprehensive user documentation must be supplied, along with any relevant technical training and/or documentation to support system administration and troubleshooting.

The software must support our compliance with Institute of Internal Auditors' Global Internal Audit Standards(https://www.theiia.org/en/standards/2024-standards/global-internal-audit-standards/) for review and signoff processes. It should enable easy referencing of audit files to assist audit staff in conducting engagements in alignment with established Standards, policies, and procedures. Additionally, the software must facilitate collaboration, allowing multiple auditors to work concurrently on the same project.

The supplies or services subject to the resulting contract shall be distributed or rendered directly to each governmental unit or qualified not-for-profit agency. Vendor shall bill each governmental unit or qualified not-for-profit agency separately for its actual share of the costs of the supplies or services purchased. The credit or liability of each governmental unit or qualified not-for-profit agency shall remain separate and distinct. Disputes between vendors and governmental units or qualified not-for-profit agencies shall be resolved between the affected parties.

“Governmental unit” means State of Illinois, any State agency as defined in Section1-15.100 of the Illinois Procurement Code, officers of the State of Illinois, any public authority which has the power to tax, or any other public entity created by statute. “Qualified not-for-profit agency” means any not-for-profit agency that qualifies under Section 45-35 of the Illinois Procurement Code and that either (1) acts pursuant to a board established by or controlled by a unit of local government or (2) receives grant funds from the State or from a unit of local government.

A.2. DESIRED OUTCOMES OF THIS PROJECT/ENGAGEMENT

The Electronic Audit Software solution must support the comprehensive execution and management of tasks throughout the audit engagement life cycle. This includes, but is not limited to, the following core functionalities:

· User Management and Access Control: Securely manage user roles and access rights (e.g., read-only, preparer, reviewer, administrator), ensuring appropriate permissions for each user role, such as Auditor, Supervisor, Manager, and Audit Executive (e.g., Chief).

· Audit Engagement Management: Provide functionality for risk assessment, time budgeting and management, and the preparation, sign-off, and archiving of workpapers.

· Audit Planning and Administration: Support audit planning, preliminary administration, general administration, audit programming, correspondence, setting audit objectives, managing entrance/exit conferences, meetings, and reporting of audit results and criteria.

· Data Privacy and Security: Ensure that each agency’s data is proprietary and inaccessible to users from other agencies, maintaining strict confidentiality.

· Integration with State Systems: The solution should seamlessly integrate with the State of Illinois’ Single Sign-On (SSO) platform, such as Okta, to ensure smooth user authentication and access management.

A.3. SCHEDULE & BUDGET

Please note that the schedule outlined below is approximate and subject to change without prior notice. It is intended solely for high‑level planning purposes and does not account for potential unforeseen delays.

Procurement Schedule

A.4. TERM

A.4.1. TERM OF THIS CONTRACT: The contract resulting from this procurement will have an initial term commencing upon execution by both parties and will be in effect for five (5) years. In no event will the total term of the contract, including the initial term, any renewal terms, and any extensions, exceed ten (10) years. Vendor shall not commence billable work in furtherance of the contract prior to final execution of the contract except when permitted pursuant to 30 ILCS 500/20-80.

A.4.2. RENEWAL: Subject to the maximum total term identified above, the State has the option to renew for five (5) years in any of the following term(s):

· Renewal #1: Individual one-year renewals up to and including the entire renewal allowance; or

· Renewal #2: Any combination of full or partial year renewals up to and including the entire renewal allowance.

A.4.2.1. Pricing for the renewal term(s), or the formula for determining price, is in the Pricing section of this solicitation.

A.4.2.2. Any renewal of the resulting contract is subject to the same terms and conditions that apply to the initial term of the contract unless otherwise provided. The State may renew the contract for any or all the option periods specified, may exercise any of the renewal options early, and may exercise more than one option at a time based on continuing need and favorable market conditions, when in the best interest of the State. The contract may neither renew automatically nor renew solely at the Vendor’s option.

Section B. CURRENT CONDITIONS

B.1. OVERVIEW & BACKGROUND

The State of Illinois currently utilizes TeamMate AM as its electronic audit software for managing audit workpapers and supporting internal audit operations across various state agencies. While this system has provided foundational functionality, it no longer fully supports the State’s evolving needs in terms of scalability, data integration, user experience, and modern audit practices under the current version utilized by the State.

Given these limitations, the State is seeking to transition to a more modern, comprehensive electronic audit software solution. This transition is critical to improving the efficiency, effectiveness, and consistency of audit processes across agencies. The new solution must not only accommodate approximately 150 users with scalable licensing but also enable seamless migration of legacy audit data from TeamMate AM.

The need for modernization is driven by increasing demands for transparency, improved internal controls, and enhanced reporting capabilities as outlined in the Fiscal Control and Internal Auditing Act (30 ILCS 10). A modern system will help ensure that internal audit functions can continue to support the missions of state agencies and universities, and that the State of Illinois can deliver high-quality services to its citizens.

B.2. VOLUMES & QUANTITIES

Files in the State of Illinois’ Electronic Audit Software solution currently occupy approximately 250 gigabytes of storage space on State servers. Common file types include, but are not limited to, Microsoft Office (e.g., .xlsx, .docx, etc.), Adobe Acrobat (.pdf), and various image-based files (e.g., .jpeg, .png, etc.). Based on current usage patterns across approximately 150 users, storage requirements are expected to grow at an estimated rate of 20% annually, driven by increasing audit activity, document retention, and the adoption of richer file formats. The solution should therefore be scalable to accommodate projected growth to at least 600 gigabytes over the next five years, with flexibility to support additional capacity if user needs or retention policies expand.

B.3. AREAS OF CONCERN/CHALLENGES

Illinois statutes and administrative rules require the retention of State records according to established schedules. In practice, internal audit staff frequently rely on access to prior audit records to inform current audit assignments and ensure continuity of oversight. The challenge in transferring records from the State’s current solution to the proposed new system is not a limitation of any specific vendor or product, but rather a process issue that arises from the need to preserve the integrity, accessibility, and compliance of historical data throughout the migration. The Electronic Audit Solution must therefore support a structured, secure, and verifiable data migration process that ensures no loss or corruption of critical audit records, as these archives are essential for meeting statutory requirements and maintaining audit effectiveness.

B.4. STRENGTHS

The State of Illinois’ current Electronic Audit Software solution is an excellent repository for our workpapers. The solution accurately tracks and displays workpaper review and signoff activities. The software provides several options for organizing the logical flow of projects.

The current workflow demonstrates strong performance in several key areas, including maintaining a comprehensive signoff history, effectively serving as a centralized repository for workpapers, and supporting efficient user management. Additionally, the solution excels in project organization, ensuring streamlined workflows and improved oversight throughout the audit process.

Section C. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS Only Electronic Submissions through BidBuy of Offers will be Accepted

C.1. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS TO COMPLETE AND SUBMIT

The Offeror shall submit the listed documents in BidBuy under the Attachments tab in the appropriate “Required Attachments” spaces.

· Vendor Disclosure or IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure

· Technical response

· Information and Technology Request for Proposal Offer to the State of Illinois

· Commitment to Diversity Blank documents may be found on the Chief Procurement Officer for General Service’s website at https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/solicitation-and-contract-templates.html and on the BidBuy posting under “File 10 Attachments:”. Business Enterprise Program/Veterans Small Business Program Utilization Plan may be downloaded from the Commission on Equity and Inclusion’s website athttps://cei.illinois.gov/purchasing-entity-resources/compliance.html.

Failure to submit Vendor Disclosure or IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure, as applicable, and the Utilization Plan(s), as applicable, with the Offer submitted in BidBuy shall render the Offer non-responsive.

Offerors are required to submit their response to the State’s solicitation through BidBuy. Any information sent to the State outside of BidBuy, for example by US Mail, FedEx, UPS, e-mail, or hand delivery, will neither be accepted nor considered. Offeror submissions will only be considered if they are received through BidBuy and on or before the time and date indicated as the “Bid Opening Date” on the BidBuy posting. Any required attachments must be submitted via BidBuy.

Price entries on the Items tab will be locked automatically upon submission of the quote. Entering cost, pricing or discount information in the Alternate Description may result in disqualification. If the agency requires pricing to be submitted in an attachment, Offeror shall upload pricing under the “Required Documents” section on the Attachments tab and check the box “Does the attachment contain any pricing, cost or discount information?”. Failure to check this box allows your pricing to be viewed when bids are opened and will result in disqualification of your offer. NOTE: Do not check “Does the attachment contain any pricing, cost or discount information” if the attachment does NOT include pricing, cost, or discount information.

Documents shall be submitted in an electronic format that is accessible and readable using Microsoft Office suite software or Adobe Reader. Corrupted files shall not be considered. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to check that files are accessible and legible after uploading.

The Offeror is solely responsible for ensuring timely submission of their electronic solicitation response. Failure to allow adequate time prior to the Bid Opening Date to complete and submit a response to a solicitation, particularly in the event technical support assistance from the State is required, places the Offeror and their offer or response at risk of not being accepted.

The State encourages the Offeror to ensure that their BidBuy account is up to date. It is recommended that you access your BidBuy account prior to the solicitation due date and time to make sure that your company’s information is up-to-date, and your password is current. Files may be uploaded at any time prior to submission.

File size may impact the uploading and downloading speed and may lead to browser time-outs, resulting in failed upload/download attempts. Please consider this dependency when attaching very large documents.

OFFEROR INSTRUCTIONS TO SUBMIT IN BIDBUY

Create Quote:

Note: any pricing entered in the Unit Cost of the Items Tab will be locked until after Technical Evaluations take place. Do not enter cost, pricing, or any discount information in the Alternate Description field. Entering cost, pricing or discount information in the Alternate Description may result in disqualification.

Note: If taking any exceptions to Standard Terms and Conditions an offeror must submit a redline version of the Standard Terms and Conditions with their proposal.

: “Upload” (next to each required attachment) : “Choose File” Note: If a pricing document is required, mark the box next to the question, “Does this attachment contain any pricing, cost, or discount information?”

Failure to mark this box when attaching a pricing document will result in disqualification.

Check this box ONLY if a separate pricing document is required.

Do NOT check this box for any other required quote attachment such as the Technical Proposal, Vendor Disclosure / IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure, or Utilization Plan(s), or Offer.

Offerors may also view the “Request for Proposal (RFP) Vendor Submission Instructions Video found at https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/vendor-resources.html

C.2. DUE DATE AND TIME FOR SUBMISSION OF OFFERS

Each solicitation contains the Offer due date and time, appearing as the “Bid Opening Date:” on the BidBuy posting. Offeror shall submit Offers in BidBuy, and the State shall open Offers electronically in BidBuy on the “Bid Opening Date”. The Offer must remain firm for 180 days from opening.

C.3. CONFLICT BETWEEN INFORMATION IN ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS AND ON BIDBUY

If the State provides information in electronic documents (i.e., the RFP and other attachments) that is different or in conflict with the information the State provides on BidBuy, then the information in electronic documents is presumed to represent the State’s intent. If the Offeror provides information in electronic documents that is different or in conflict with the information the Offeror provides in BidBuy through their Seller Account, then the information in electronic documents shall represent the Offeror’s intended submission.

C.4. PUBLISHED PROCUREMENT INFORMATION

The State publishes procurement information, including solicitations, awards, and amendments, on the Chief Procurement Officer for General Services’ Illinois Procurement Bulletin, known as the Bulletin or BidBuy (https://www.bidbuy.illinois.gov/bso/). Procurement information may not be available in any other form or location. Offeror is responsible for monitoring BidBuy. The State will not be held responsible if Offeror fails to receive the optional e-mail notice of future amendments to the solicitation.

C.5. INFORMATION CONTACT

The individual listed in the “Info Contact:” field on the BidBuy posting shall be the single point of contact for this solicitation. Unless otherwise directed, Offeror should only communicate with the Information Contact. The State/Agency shall not be held responsible for information provided by or to any other person.

Suspected errors should be immediately reported to the Information Contact. Do not discuss, directly or indirectly, the solicitation or any Offer with any State officer or employee other than the Information Contact.

C.6. OFFEROR QUESTIONS AND AGENCY RESPONSE

All questions, other than questions raised at the Pre-Submission Conference, pertaining to this solicitation must be submitted in writing to the Information Contact no later than 2 weeks after publication of the solicitation. Questions received and Agency responses may be posted as a Bid Amendment to the original solicitation on BidBuy; only these posted answers to questions shall be binding on the State. Offeror is responsible for monitoring BidBuy and BidBuy email notifications.

C.7. PRE-SUBMISSION CONFERENCE

The Agency may conduct a Non-Mandatory Pre-Submission Conference, listed in the “Pre-Bid Conference:” field of the BidBuy posting. Please refer to BidBuy for this information.

DATE: 7/21/2026

TIME: 11AM CST

Join from the meeting link https://illinois.webex.com/illinois/j.php?MTID=ma9dd5f695707f766df3b53d3ae365623

Join by meeting number Meeting number (access code): 2867 491 9815 Meeting password: uAYJXP5wG28

Tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only) +1-312-535-8110,,28674919815## United States Toll (Chicago) +1-415-655-0002,,28674919815## US Toll

Join by phone +1-312-535-8110 United States Toll (Chicago) +1-415-655-0002 US Toll Global call-in numbers

Join from a video system or application Dial 28674919815@illinois.webex.com You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number.

C.8. SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE

In the Bulletin posting, if “Yes” is shown to the question “Is this a Small Business Set-Aside Procurement?”, then Offeror must be registered by the Illinois Small Business Set-Aside Program at the time Offers are due for the Offer to be evaluated. For requirements on qualifying Offeror’s business in the Small Business Set-Aside Program, please go to the Chief Procurement Office for General Service’s website at https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/sell-2-illinois.html .

C.9. SECURITY

Bid/Performance Bond: N/A. If a bond is required, Offeror must submit the Bid Bond with your offer or Performance Bond to the Information Contact within ten (10) days after contract execution. The bond must be from a surety licensed to do business in Illinois. An irrevocable letter of credit is an acceptable substitute. The form of security must be acceptable to the State.

C.10. TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Information and Technology Standard Terms and Conditions will become a part of any resulting contract. To view the Information and Technology Standard Terms and Conditions, please go to https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/solicitation-and-contract-templates.html.

Section D. EVALUATION PROCEDURES

D.1. EVALUATION PROCESS

The State assesses each Offer for Responsibility (E.10) and Responsiveness. The State considers the information provided and the quality of that information when assessing Offers. If the State finds a failure or deficiency, the State may reject the Offer or reflect the failure or deficiency in the assessment.

There are three scored parts to each proposal – technical, commitment to diversity, and pricing. Each part of the proposal is evaluated and ranked independently of the other parts of the proposal. The results of the evaluation of all three parts shall be used in ranking the proposals.

The State may award to the most responsive and responsible offeror whose offer best meets the specified criteria.

D.2. RESPONSIVENESS

A responsive offeror is one who submits an offer that conforms in all material respects to the Request for Proposal and includes all required forms.

D.2.1. The State will determine whether the Offeror complied with the instructions for submitting offers. Except for late submissions, and other requirements that by law must be part of the submission, the State may require that an Offeror correct deficiencies as a condition of further evaluation.

D.2.2. Subcontractor Disclosure: If the Offer includes any subcontractors, then Offeror shall complete the Subcontractor Disclosure section of the Information and Technology Request for Proposal Offer to the State of Illinois.

D.2.3. If completing IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure, then responsiveness may include and may not be limited to:

· Active Illinois Procurement Gateway registration # with expiration date

· Certifications timely to this solicitation

· Disclosure of lobbyists for Offeror and parent entity(ies)

· Disclosure of pending and current contracts

D.2.4. If completing Vendor Disclosure, required parts may include and may not be limited to:

D.2.5. The State will determine whether the Offer meets the stated Technical Requirements. Minor differences or deviations that have negligible impact on the price or suitability of the supply or service to meet the State’s needs may be accepted or corrections allowed. If no offeror meets a particular Technical Requirement, the State may waive that requirement.

D.2.6. When the specification calls for “Brand Name or Equal,” the brand name product is acceptable. Other products will be considered with proof that the other product meets stated specifications and is equivalent to the brand product in terms of quality, performance, and desired characteristics.

D.3. EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

The Technical Requirements are described in Sections F.1., F.2., F.3, and F.5. The State evaluates the Technical Requirements without consideration of price.

D.3.1. Total Number of Points Available for Technical Requirements is: 1000.

D.3.2. Offeror shall complete and return Sections F.1, F.2., F.3.

D.3.3. Relative Weight in Point Format

D.4. COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY ELEMENTS

Sections 20-15 and 35-30 of the Illinois Procurement Code (30 ILCS 500/) require offerors to be evaluated on their commitment to diversity. The points available for Commitment to Diversity are described in Section F.4. and are equivalent to 20% of the Technical Requirements points. The State evaluates Commitment to Diversity without consideration of price.

D.4.1. The total number of points for Commitment to Diversity is 200 points.

D.4.2. Offeror shall complete and return Section F.4 Commitment to Diversity

D.4.3. Commitment to Diversity Categories: The percentages at the end of each section reflect the weighted distribution of points available identified in D.4.1.

Commitment to Diversity Categories

Category 1 – BEP Compliance - Whether or how well the Offeror meets this solicitation’s goal of contracting or subcontracting with businesses owned by women, minorities, or persons with disabilities. 5%

Category 2 – Subcontracting/Contracting with any WMD businesses (not limited to BEP vendors) - Whether the Offeror assisted businesses owned by women, minorities, or persons with disabilities. 10%

Category 3 – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Spend – Offeror’s percentage of business, education and/or community spend from prior calendar year gross revenue that involves businesses owned by women, minorities and/or persons with disabilities. The assisted businesses are not required to be certified in the Illinois Business Enterprise Program. 20%

Category 4 – DEI Time - Offeror’s hours spent in the prior calendar year on promoting DEI in the workplace, the community, education institutes, or supporting businesses owned by women, minorities, or persons with disabilities. The assisted business is not required to be certified in the Illinois Business Enterprise Program. The success or failure of each event does not impact the points achieved. The event may be voluntary or paid time. 20%

Category 5 – DEI Policies - Entity has provided a written copy of, or link to, their current written workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion policy. Policies must be actionable plans, not overarching concepts around DEI. 10%

Category 6 – Diversity in Staffing - % of individuals on governing board and/ or Senior executives out of all staff who identify as women, minorities, or person with disabilities. 10% % of individuals in management /supervisor positions out of all staff who identify as women, minorities, or person with disabilities. 13% % of total staff who identify as women, minorities, or person with disabilities. 12%

D.5. MINIMUM REQUIRED POINTS

Requests for Proposal may specify that offerors must receive a minimum number of points in their Technical and Commitment to Diversity proposals combined to be considered for price evaluation and award.

The State determines how well offers meet the Technical and Commitment to Diversity requirements and rank the offers from best to least qualified using a point ranking system (unless otherwise specified) as an aid in conducting the evaluation. Offerors who receive fewer than the minimum required points will not be considered for price evaluation and award.

a. The total number of available points for Written Technical Proposals and Commitment to Diversity is 1,000.

b. The top three (3) scoring proposals in total points (Written Technical and Commitment to Diversity) who have scored a minimum of 70% (700 points) of the total points available (1,000) will be eligible for demonstrations.

c. All vendors proceeding to demonstrations will be eligible for price evaluation and award consideration.

D.6. PRICE

The State opens Price proposals after evaluating all Technical and Commitment to Diversity proposals.

If the State does not consider the price to be fair and reasonable and negotiations fail to meet an acceptable price, the State reserves the right to cancel the award and take appropriate action to meet the needs of the State. The State determines whether the price is fair and reasonable by considering the offer, including the offeror's qualifications, the offeror's reputation, all price proposals submitted, other known prices, the project budget, and other relevant factors.

D.6.1. The total number of points for Price is 240.

D.6.2. The State will determine Price points using the following formula:

Maximum Price Points X (Lowest Price/Offeror’s Price) = Total Price Points

D.7. MAXIMUM AVAILABLE POINTS

The maximum number of points is 800 (Technical) + 200 (Demonstrations) + 200 (Commitment to Diversity) + 240 (Price) = 1,440 maximum available points.

Section E. ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS

E.1. GOVERNING LAW AND FORUM

Illinois law and rules govern this solicitation and any resulting contract. Offeror must bring any action relating to this solicitation or any resulting contract in the appropriate court in Illinois. This document contains statutory references designated with “ILCS”. To view the full text, go to http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs.asp . The Illinois Procurement Code (30 ILCS 500) and the Standard Procurement Rules (44 ILL. ADM. CODE PART 1) are applicable to this solicitation. To view them respectively, go to http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs5.asp?ActID=532&ChapterID=7) and https://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/044/044parts.html

E.2. PUBLIC RECORDS AND REQUESTS FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT

Offers become the property of the State. All offers will be open to the public under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 ILCS 140) and other applicable laws and rules, unless Offeror requests in its Offer that the State treat certain information as confidential. A request for confidential treatment will not supersede the State’s legal obligations under FOIA. The State will not honor requests to keep entire Offers confidential. Offerors must show the specific grounds in FOIA or other law or rule that support confidential treatment. Regardless, the State will disclose the successful Offeror’s name, the substance of the Offer, and the price.

If Offeror requests confidential treatment, Offeror must submit additional copy/copies (see Instructions for Submission of Offers in Section C.) of the Offer with proposed confidential information redacted. This redacted copy must tell the general nature of the material removed and shall retain as much of the Offer as possible. In a separate attachment, Offeror shall supply a listing of the provisions identified by section number for which it seeks confidential treatment and identify the statutory basis or bases under Illinois law, including a detailed justification for exempting the information from public disclosure.

Offeror will hold harmless and indemnify the State for all costs or damages associated with the State defending Offeror’s request for confidential treatment. Offeror agrees that the State may copy the Offer to facilitate evaluation, or to respond to requests for public records. Offeror warrants that such copying will not violate the rights of any third party.

E.3. MINORITY CONTRACTOR INITIATIVE

The State requires a fee of $15 to cover expenses related to the administration of the Minority Contractor Opportunity Initiative. Any offeror awarded a contract of $1,000 or more under Section 20-10, 20-15, 20-25 or 20-30 of the Illinois Procurement Code (30 ILCS 500) is required to pay a fee of $15. The Comptroller shall deduct the fee from the first check issued to the Vendor under the contract and deposit the fee in the Comptroller’s Administrative Fund. 15 ILCS 405/23.9.

E.4. FEDERAL FUNDS

The resulting contract may be partially or totally funded with Federal funds. Upon notice of intent to award, the percentage of supplies and/or services involved that are Federally funded and the dollar amount of such Federal funds will be disclosed.

E.5. EMPLOYMENT TAX CREDIT

Offerors who hire qualified veterans and certain ex-offenders may be eligible for tax credits. 30 ILCS 500/45-67 and 45-70. Please contact the Illinois Department of Revenue (217-524-4772) for information about tax credits [35 ILCS 5/216, 5/217].

E.6. RESERVATIONS

Offeror must read and understand the solicitation and tailor the Offer and all activities to ensure compliance. The State reserves the right to amend the solicitation, reject any or all offers, award by item/services, group of items/services, or grand total, and waive minor defects. The State may request a clarification, inspect Offeror’s premises, interview staff, request a presentation, or otherwise verify the contents of the Offer, including information about subcontractors and suppliers. The State may request Best & Final Offers when appropriate. The State will make all decisions on compliance, evaluation, and terms and conditions, and shall make decisions in the best interests of the State and in accordance with the Illinois Procurement Code, rules and other applicable State and Federal statutes and regulations. This competitive process may require that Offeror provide additional information and otherwise cooperate with the State. If an offeror does not comply with requests for information and cooperate, the State may reject the offer as non-responsive to the solicitation. Submitting an offer does not entitle Offeror to an award or a contract. Posting a vendor’s name in a Bulletin notice does not entitle the vendor to a contract. The State is not responsible for and will not pay any costs associated with the preparation and submission of any offer.

Awarded Offeror(s) shall not commence and will not be paid for any billable work undertaken prior to the date all parties execute the contract, unless approved in writing in advance by the State Purchasing Officer or the Chief Procurement Officer (or designee).

E.7. AWARD

The State is not obligated to award a contract pursuant to this solicitation. If the State issues an award, the award will be made to the responsive and responsible offeror whose offer best meets the specified criteria unless otherwise permitted by the Illinois Procurement Code and Illinois Administrative Code. However, if the State does not consider the price to be fair and reasonable and negotiations fail to meet an acceptable price, then the State reserves the right to cancel the award and take appropriate action to meet the needs of the State. The State will determine whether the price is fair and reasonable by considering the offer, including the offeror's qualifications, the offeror's reputation, all prices submitted, other known prices, the project budget, and other relevant factors. The State will post a notice to the Bulletin identifying the apparent most responsive and responsible offeror.

E.8. INVOICING ADDRESS

The awarded Vendor shall invoice at the completion of the contract unless invoicing is tied in the contract to milestones, deliverables, or other invoicing requirements agreed to in the contract. The Bulletin posting contains the “Bill-to Address:” where invoices should be sent.

Vendor shall not bill for any taxes unless accompanied by proof that the State is subject to the tax. If necessary, Vendor may request the applicable Agency’s Illinois tax exemption number and Federal tax exemption information.

E.9. PROTEST REVIEW OFFICE

Offeror may submit a written protest to the Protest Review Office following the requirements of the Standard Procurement Rules. 44 ILL. ADM. CODE 1.5550. For protests related to specifications, the Protest Review Office must physically receive the protest no later than fourteen (14) days after the solicitation or related addendum was posted to the Bulletin. For protests related to rejection of individual proposals or awards, the protest must be received by close of business no later than fourteen (14) days after the protesting party knows or should have known of the facts giving rise to the protest. The Protest Review Office’s information is as follows:

Chief Procurement Office Attn: Protest Review Office Email: cpogs.pro@illinois.gov

E.10. RESPONSIBILITY

A responsible Offeror is one who has the capability in all respects to perform fully the contract requirements and who has the integrity and reliability that will assure good faith performance. The State determines whether the Offeror is a “responsible” offeror; an offeror with whom the State can or should do business. For example, the State may consider the following:

E.10.1. A “prohibited bidder” includes any person assisting an employee of the State of Illinois by reviewing, drafting, directing, or preparing any invitation for bids, a request for proposal, or request of information, or providing similar assistance unless such assistance was part of a publicly issued opportunity to review drafts of all or part of these documents. For purposes of this section, an employee of the State of Illinois means one who, by the nature of his or her duties, has the authority to participate personally and substantially in the decision to award a State contract. No person or business shall submit specifications to a State agency unless requested to do so by an employee of the State. No person or business that contracts with a State agency to write specifications for a particular procurement need shall submit a bid or proposal or receive a contract for that procurement need.

Nothing herein is intended to prohibit a vendor from bidding or offering to supply developing technology, supplies, or services after providing the State with a demonstration of the developing technology, supplies, or services; provided the subject of the demonstration to the State represents industry trends and innovation and is not specifically designed to meet the State's needs. Nothing herein is intended to prohibit a person or business from submitting a bid or offer or entering into a contract if the person or business: (i) initiates a communication with an employee to provide general information about products, services, or industry best practices and, if applicable, that communication is documented in accordance with Section 50-39 of the Illinois Procurement Code or (ii) responds to a communication initiated by an employee of the State for the purposes of providing information to evaluate new products, trends, services, or technologies.

E.10.2. Other factors that the State may use to evaluate to determine responsibility include, but are not limited to: political contributions, certifications, conflict of interest, financial disclosures, taxpayer identification number, past performance in business or industry, references (including those found outside the Offer), compliance with applicable laws, financial responsibility, insurability, effective equal opportunity compliance, payment of prevailing wages if required by law, capacity to produce or sources of supply, and the ability to provide required maintenance service or other matters relating to the offeror’s ability to deliver in the quality and quantity within the time and price as specified in this solicitation.

E.10.3. Awarded offerors must always have financial resources sufficient, in the opinion of the State, to ensure performance of the contract and must provide proof upon request. The State may require a performance bond if, in the opinion of the State, it ensures performance of the contract. The State may terminate the contract, consistent with the termination for cause provision of the contract, if the vendor lacks the financial resources to perform under the contract.

E.10.4. The State may require that an offeror correct any deficiencies as a condition of further evaluation.

E.11. BidBuy Terminology and Guidance: BidBuy is an online e-procurement system. There may be some difference between the procurement terminology used in this solicitation and the terms used in BidBuy. Please learn more about BidBuy by accessing the online resources found here:

https://www2.illinois.gov/cpo/PathwayToProcurement/Pages/Guides-and-Manuals.aspx

Section F. PROPOSAL FORMS Offeror must complete and return:

· The following three (3) tables include: Contract Requirements (Section F.1), and Technical Requirements: Mandatory Requirements with Evidence (Section F.2), and Proposed Technical Solution (Section F.3)

· Commitment to Diversity (Section F.4)

· Information and Technology Request for Proposal Offer to the State of Illinois.

Please read and follow each instruction carefully.

Offerors should format their proposals to match the structure, organization, and presentation style below. The purpose of this is to ensure clarity, consistency, and ease of evaluation.

To comply, Offerors should follow these guidelines:

1. Follow the same section order and headings shown in the sample.

· Each response must be labeled with the corresponding RFP requirement number (e.g., “F.2.1 Government Hosting Experience”).

· Maintain the same hierarchy of headings, subheadings, and topic areas.

2. Provide both bullet‑point summaries and supporting narrative paragraphs for each requirement, as depicted in the sample.

· Bullet points should summarize key qualifications or capabilities.

· A narrative should follow to explain or expand upon those bullets.

3. Use clear, concise, and direct language.

4. Ensure that each mandatory requirement is explicitly addressed.

· Responses must align with the order and numbering used in the RFP.

· Do not combine or reorder requirements.

5. Include designated contact information in the format shown in the sample proposal, including:

· Primary and secondary points of contact

· Email addresses

· Phone numbers

6. Maintain consistent formatting conventions, including:

· Section titles in bold

· Bullet lists for key points

· Paragraph summaries after bullet lists

· Structured lists for timelines or phased work plans

F.1. CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

Please read each contract requirement carefully in F.1. These contract requirements shall be included in any contract resulting from this solicitation.

The proposed solution shall be a Commercial‑Off‑The‑Shelf (COTS) Software‑as‑a‑Service (SaaS) internal audit system hosted entirely within an Offeror‑managed cloud environment located in the contiguous United States. The solution shall not require or utilize any Agency‑hosted or on‑premises servers for operation, storage, or maintenance.

The proposed COTS solution shall be a fully web‑based application that provides authorized users secure access to information twenty‑four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week, excluding scheduled system‑wide maintenance or upgrades. The State shall receive a minimum of forty‑eight (48) hours advance notice prior to any routine maintenance.

The proposed solution shall log and retain user activity to support auditability and accountability. At minimum, logged information shall include:

A. Workflow actions B. Identification of the user who logged in C. Date and time of each login D. Documents viewed by each user E. All changes, updates, modifications, additions, and removals made within the audit

Additionally, the Offeror shall provide the ordering entity a complete copy of all data, in an agreed‑upon format, prior to contract termination.

The Solution shall support multiple W3C-compliant browsers, including the latest versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, and Microsoft Edge.

Any Service‑Oriented Architecture (SOA) components associated with the solution shall be implemented using Java or .NET technologies.

All Solution communications shall be protected by at least 256-bit encryption.

The Solution shall support public key/private key encryption Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificates.

The Solution shall maintain a life cycle view/dashboard of each Audit and able to track and report on the status of each through the lifecycle of the Audit.

The Solution shall have the capacity to handle at least 3.5 TB data. The Solution shall also be scalable for future expansions of this capacity.

Cloud-based Hosting platform(s) shall provide a non-shared hosting space for the State of Illinois and include an environment for development, user acceptance testing (UAT), and production in the cloud.

The Solution shall accommodate diverse populations of users including those with disabilities and limited English proficiency as defined in section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and as defined by the Illinois Information Technology Accessibility Act (P.A. 95-307, eff. 8-20-07). As a web-based Solution, annual compliance reviews shall be completed annually.

The Vendor shall ensure that all data associated with this contract is stored separately in the cloud, utilizing either a segregated environment or a government-designated cloud. The data must be logically and physically separated from any other customer data to prevent unauthorized access, commingling, or cross-contamination.

The Solution shall be registered with Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) program.

The proposed solution shall be an established Commercial‑Off‑The‑Shelf (COTS) internal audit software product. The solution must have been in active production and deployed to external customers for no fewer than three (3) years. Only minor configuration to meet the State’s needs is allowable; fully custom‑built or primarily customized solutions are not acceptable.

Solution shall have ability to auto-save documents (templates/forms/checklists/reports) no less than every 10 minutes.

The vendor shall provide software documentation and instructions to the State of Illinois Department of Information and Technology staff for use in the event of an application failure so the software can be restored.

The vendor must be able to provide initial training on the use of the software, covering all user roles and functionalities supported by the system. In the event of software upgrades or updates that alter existing features, the vendor is expected to provide additional training to ensure users remain informed and proficient. Comprehensive user documentation must be supplied, along with any relevant technical training and/or documentation to support system administration and troubleshooting.

The Vendor must maintain all minimum Service Level Agreements (SLAs) defined in Attachment B throughout the life of the contract.

• SLA compliance will be measured and reported according to the formulas and reporting periods specified in Attachment B.

• All monetary penalties for SLA non-compliance shall be applied as service credits and deducted from the following month’s invoice without exception.

• The Vendor must provide monthly SLA reports within five (5) business days after month-end and submit a root-cause analysis and corrective action plan for any SLA breach within five (5) business days of notification.

• Chronic SLA failures (three or more breaches of the same SLA within a rolling three-month period) may result in escalation and termination for cause.

• The State reserves audit rights to validate SLA measurements, including access to dashboards and raw data.

The State of Illinois has specific security requirements for information and systems. Vendor must ensure these requirements are fully understood and allocate sufficient project time and resources to address the security requirements. The Security Requirements in Attachment C will become part of the resulting contract.

For any Implementations under the resulting contract for DoIT or their client agencies, Vendor’s assigned Project Manager MUST onboard and actively manage the project using the State of Illinois’ official project management tool, ServiceNow – Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM). SPM serves as the authoritative system of record (Source of Truth) for tracking project scope, timelines, budget, Change Requests, risks, and issues.

Offeror Solution shall be capable of interfacing with the State of Illinois’ identity and access management solution, Okta, via the Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) or OpenID Connect (OIDC) open standards.

For any Implementations under the resulting contract for DoIT or their client agencies, The Vendor’s assigned Project Manager must have experience with or be opened to being trained in the use of the State’s ServiceNow – Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) system and ensure consistent and timely updates of all project-related data within the tool. Enterprise Project Management Offices (EPMO) will provide SPM training.

For further details on the SPM platform, refer to the State of Illinois DoIT EPMO Strategic Portfolio Management site: https://ilgov.sharepoint.com/sites/DoIT-EPMO

Service Now is only available to onboarded State of Illinois users.

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