BORIM RFR QA Document 2.docx

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Public Health Board of Registration in Medicine (BORIM)

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS #2

regarding the

Request for Responses for the Physician Online License Management System

Document Number: 19CBBORIMLICENSERFR

COMMBUYS Bid Number: BD-19-1039-EHS01-EHS01-39914

Q & A Issue Date: June 26, 2019

This document contains responses to questions received regarding the Request for Responses for the Physician Online License Management System issued by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) on behalf of BORIM on May 17, 2019. Answers have been provided to those questions which are of general interest and relevant to the preparation of a response to the RFR.

System Information and Requirements Q1. Attachment 1 has reporting and template requirements for Acupuncture but does not include the initial application or other requirements. Can BORIM please provide system requirements for Acupuncture?

A1. Acupuncture licensing is of extremely low volume and low number of licensees, and is not a part of this initial implementation. Further to Section 1.1 of the amended RFR, it is contemplated that Acupuncture, as well as Temporary and Volunteer licenses, would be subsequent task orders, when and if appropriate. There is Acupuncture license data, as well as Temporary and Volunteer Licensee data to be migrated from CLARIS legacy system, which would support the reporting requirements in Attachment 1, and existing report formats will be available to the selected bidder after the contract award Q2. For reports, has the agency have any preference of reports. (Crystal Reports / JasperSoft / Power BI) A2. BORIM has no preference and is asking that the bidders provide the best solution to the requirements. If you have multiple reporting solutions that all meet our requirements, please detail all solutions in your proposal.

Q3. Section 3.2 states: Preference will also be given to solutions that can be supported by many vendors. Is BORIM expecting a COTS solution vendor to have a separate vendor to support, maintain, and make changes to their proprietary product?

A3. As stated in Section 3.2 of the RFR, BORIM does not require there to be a separate vendor, but the preference is expressed to allow BORIM the flexibility regarding vendor support. BORIM does not want install a solution that can only be supported by one vendor.

Q4. Section 3.2.5 states: “BORIM shall produce audit and log records pursuant to legal process such as discovery, Public Record requests, Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests, or subpoenas. The Selected Bidder shall fully cooperate with such requests and provide all relevant material...”. Public records requests are varied in complexity and volume. Some are complicated and require management support and a programming effort to retrieve the requested data. Is support of public records requests included in the Support and Maintenance fixed cost? If so, how can vendors estimate the effort for this without knowing the volume and complexity?

A4. BORIM expects the solution to be constructed in a way that getting this information is not an arduous task and it anticipates that BORIM staff should be able to respond to the majority of all requests. However to the extent that BORIM needs assistance from the vendor, it would be included as part of support and maintenance services.

Q5. Do the training facilities need to enter test results online?

A5. No, the Training Facility does not enter the results of any examinations or evaluations occurring in the Training Facility as a part of licensure. Applicants will enter their national-level License Examination scores (USMLE, COMLEX, etc.) as indicated in Section 2.4.8 of Attachment 1. The Training Facility functions are described in the Training Facility Console requirements as indicated in Section 3.3 of Attachment 1.

Q6. Should any of the users be restricted in what they can see in the solution? If so, what should the restriction(s) be?

A6. Any user restriction requirements are set forth in Section 3 of Attachment 1 to the RFR.

Q7. Will internal access be via Desktop or Mobile or both? Will external access be via Desktop or Mobile or both?

A7. The application should be mobile-friendly for all users.

Q8. What processes are currently in place to terminate/grant external users’ access to systems? Will these same processes be re-used with the new system?

A8. BORIM personnel control internal access for BORIM personnel and Training Facility staff. External applicants shall be able to self-register. Public users (complainants and profile viewers) will not register to gain access to complaints and profiles. It is anticipated that these processes will continue with the new system.

Q9. Will the system be required to support single-sign-on via the Virtual Gateway?

A9. No, BORIM does not expect to host the solution on the Virtual Gateway.

Q10. Will certificate and wallet card creation be done outside the solution? If so, will it need to be integrated with the solution?

A10. BORIM anticipates that certificate and wallet card creation will be a part of the solution as it is a current feature within the CLARIS legacy system. BORIM has wallet card printing hardware and the CLARIS legacy system creates the data file.

Q11. Where are license numbers mastered? Is it within another system? Will there need to be an integration?

A11. There is no external master list of license numbers. License numbers are mastered in the CLARIS legacy system and any bidder solution should include a similar functionality.

Q12. Will documents be stored exclusively within Hyland OnBase through a Salesforce interface?

A12. Currently, there are batch upload processes for index files (list of current licensees) and renewals (.tiff image of the printed renewal document) to OnBase. We are not committed to any vendor for the future solution. However, as previously stated, should bidders propose a document management capability to support their active license processing, any proposal would need to provide information regarding the migration of the data to the new enterprise content management system.

Q13. Is there an integration middleware in place today that will be leveraged for this implementation?

A13. It is anticipated that the new system will be able to leverage the EHS-managed Gateway for the License Verification Web Service, which is expected to be in production before contract award.

Q14. Does BORIM require real-time or batch-driven interfacing with Trial Court systems?

A14. Batch update via BORIM’s SFTP service.

Q15. Are there and reporting solutions in place today (i.e. Tableau)?

A15. Currently, all reports are custom-developed.

Q16. Does BORIM currently license/use a specific ALM tool or will the vendor be required to provide this?

A16. BORIM does not have a preferred Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) tool, and the Bidder may propose a preferred toolset.

Q17. Will BORIM provide access to approved ADA and 508 compliance tools or will this responsibility fall on the vendor?

A17. BORIM does not have a preferred compliance tool and it would prefer that bidders propose a preferred toolset as part of their response.

Q18. Please describe any additional language requirements for the solution other than English.

A18. English is the only language required.

Q19. What are the approximate geographical locations of the end users?

A19. BORIM end users will be concentrated in Wakefield, MA and in each Training Facility across the state. Public users of profiles and complaints would be consistent with population across the state.

System Data and Migration Q20. Is there any data that needs to be migrated? If so, what is the volume of it?

A20. CLARIS is a single database system and its entirely would need to be migrated from the legacy licensing system and BORIM expects that all historical data will be migrated or made available via the new solution. The CLARIS database is just over 9GB, consisting of 268 tables, and an average row count of 143,000.

Q21. What is the % of data expected for publicly - releasable and non-releasable data?

A21. The publicly-releasable data is a small percentage of the overall data within the system and is generally the information that appears on the physician profile. We estimate this to be less than 20% of the overall data within the system. The remainder of the information contained in the system is information provided by applicants in connection with the licensing process, which is non-releasable data.

Q22. Does all data to be migrated currently exist in a digital format? What % is digitized vs not? For data not currently digitized, please describe the nature and format of the data.

A22. All data to be migrated will be digital.

Q23. Are there attachments that need to be migrated? (e.g., PDFs, word documents).

A23. CLARIS itself does not retain documents, but we expect that the documents will be archived in our existing document management system. Should the bidder desire to input those documents into their solution, this should be discussed in their proposal.

Q24. Will the system be required to consume data from partner systems or simply accept data? What format is this data sent in?

A24. The only data from an external source in the current solution comes from the Trial Court Interface, and this is a batch update of tabular data via Secure File Transfer Protocol.

Q25. Is a data archival system currently used or that will be required as part of this project?

A25. The bidder shall propose their plan for data backup, recovery, and retention as indicated in the RFR Section 3.2 Maintenance and Support.

Q26. How long does physician data and supporting documentation need to be stored? What is the average file size for these attachments?

A26. There are currently no retention requirements specified in BORIM policies or in Massachusetts regulations, and it should be assumed that records will be stored indefinitely.

Project Planning Q27. Is the schedule fixed for 9 months only? Is it due to any external dependency like law change, or old system to be inactivated?

A27. The schedule is driven to realize process improvement and cycle time reduction for issuing initial licenses. The bidder may propose a schedule that delivers this capability before nine months.

Q28. Will EOHHS be leading the change management and communications activities for this initiative?

A28. BORIM will be leading these activities and involving other state entities as appropriate.

Q29. Will BORIM provide training facilities and related equipment, or will this responsibility fall upon the vendor?

A29. BORIM has facilities to conduct classroom training for groups of up to 50 people, however does not have dedicated training facilities with computer workstations.

Q30. Can you describe the type and nature of the ongoing support you are looking for post-implementation?

A30. The bidder shall propose their plan for maintenance and support, as indicated in the RFR Section 3.2 Maintenance and Support.

Q31. What other vendors or internal departments will be involved in the project (EOHHS IT or third-party contractors)?

A31. BORIM will coordinate the involvement of Commonwealth entities or third-party resources should involvement be necessary.

Q32. Does BORIM require proposed M&O resources to be physically on-site or will BORIM accept remote support?

A32. BORIM accepts remote support of the application. In specific circumstances, On-site support may be required and agreed to by both parties. All maintenance and support must follow EOHHS application guidelines as set out in Attachment 5, EOHHS Technology Office Secretariat Application Reference Manual, to the RFR.

Q33. What training standards, technologies, methods, or Learning Management Systems are currently being used to develop content and deliver training to internal and external audiences that you would like us to use?

A33. BORIM does not have an existing Learning Management System for the current BORIM application.

RFR Clarifications and Related Information Q34. BORIM's RFR submission requirements requests bidders provide responses and an approach to each required element in Attachment 1 - Requirements for the Online Initial License Application. Will BORIM accept subject-level responses to each set of functional requirements?

A34. Yes, however, it is incumbent upon the bidder to ensure that their description is sufficient for evaluation against the required elements in Attachment 1 of the RFR.

Q35. The RFR submission requests a Certificate of Insurance be provided. Are there specific limits which the bidder must meet or certificate holder requirements?

A35. Further to Section 10.6 of Attachment 2 to the RFR, bidders are required to provide all insurance required by law for their employees, including worker’s compensation and unemployment compensation and public liability and property damage insurance and any other insurance to cover its performance of the services. The bidder should provide information regarding their specific coverage types and limits.

Q36. Should the cost of replacing the elements of the BORIM Application Portfolio other than the Online Licensing Application be added to Tab A of the Cost Response Worksheet?

A36. Yes, all implementation costs associated with the Section 4.3.2.4 Programmatic/Technical Services shall be included in Tab A, in the proper Contract Year.

Q37. Tab C of the Cost Response Worksheet has columns for annual costs of as needed additional services to be provided on a time and materials basis. Without knowing the scope of these as needed services, how will bidders estimate the number of hours needed? Should only hourly rates be included in the worksheet?

A37. Submissions should include only hourly rates in each contract year.

Q38. Is the Total Ownership Cost in Cost Response Worksheet intended to be a rollup of the other worksheets?

A38. Yes. BORIM has posted a corrected Attachment 3, Cost Response Worksheet, on COMMBUYS to properly add costs from Tabs A and B, and allow for inclusion of other costs. All Bidders should complete and submit the updated version of the Cost Response Worksheet with their RFR Responses.

Q39. What is the anticipated term for any SOW that may result from this RFR?

A39. As outlined in Section 1.5 of the RFR the anticipated term for any SOW that may result from this RFR is five (5) years, and may be extended for an additional five (5) years, in any time increment, at the discretion of BORIM .

Supplier Diversity Program Q40. Is it compulsory that bidders have at least one SDP (e.g., MBE) partner on their team to be awarded the contract, even if they do not intend to subcontract? If so, what is the desired percentage of sales to be allocated to the SDP partner under this contract?

A40. As stated in Section 4.3.1.1.8 of the RFR, all bidders are required to make a significant financial commitment to partner with certified M/WBEs, M/WNPOs, VBEs and/or SDVOBEs certified or verified by the Supplier Diversity Office (SDO). As part of their response, bidders must identify a commitment in the form of a specific percentage of sales made under the resulting contract that will be spent with an SDP Partner(s) (or anticipated SDP Partner) on a Massachusetts fiscal year basis, using SDP Plan Form #1 – SDP Plan Commitment; it is up to the bidder to determine the specific percentage spent with an SDP Partner(s). Within 30 days of contract execution, bidders are required to file SDP Plan Form #2 – Declaration of SDP Partners. To learn more about how to participate in the Supplier Diversity Program, please visit https://www.mass.gov/info-details/learn-about-the-supplier-diversity-program-sdp.

Q41. If a bidder is registered with the US Small Business Administration as a woman owned small business and has been awarded a federal contract under that status, would BORIM accept a statement indicating that the Bidder will pursue SDO certification after contract award?

A41. As stated in Section 4.3.1.1.8 of the RFR, all bidders are required to make a significant financial commitment to partner with certified M/WBEs, M/WNPOs, VBEs and/or SDVOBEs certified or verified by the Supplier Diversity Office (SDO). This requirement extends to all bidders regardless of their certification status, and no bidder will be awarded a Contract unless and until the above requirement is met. Bidders may not list themselves or affiliates as SDP Partners.