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ReEmployME Application Support, Maintenance, and Enhancement
Solicitation number
RFP - 12A - 202605090
Issued by
Kennebec County, Maine

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ReEmployME Application Support, Maintenance, and Enhancement - Vendor Questions and Answers

This document is a vendor questions and answers log for Request for Proposal (RFP) 12A 202605090 issued by the State of Maine Department of Labor for application support, maintenance, and enhancement services for the ReEmployME unemployment insurance case management system. The RFP solicits proposals for corrective, adaptive, and preventive maintenance; enhancements delivered via time and materials or fixed-price statements of work; production support and monitoring; change management; security and compliance; and disaster recovery services for a cloud-hosted application originally deployed in 2017 and currently operating in AWS. Written questions were due July 22, 2026, at 4:00 PM local time, with responses provided by the State on August 4, 2026. The proposal submission deadline was August 14, 2026. A mandatory bidders' conference was held on July 13, 2026. The initial contract period runs January 1, 2027, through December 31, 2031, with two optional five-year renewal periods extending through December 31, 2038. The contract will result in a single award.

The estimated total budget for the initial five-year term is approximately $26.5 million, with the current contract split approximately 58% fixed-price maintenance and support and 42% time and materials for enhancements and tasks. The incumbent contractor is Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. under Contract Number 20251205000000001320, expiring December 31, 2026, with a current contract value of $4,800,000 and staffing of approximately 8 full-time equivalents. Maintenance and support services will be priced as a fixed annual cost payable monthly; enhancement work will be quoted as time and materials or fixed-price statements of work. The State of Maine retains responsibility for AWS infrastructure procurement and account ownership. The ReEmployME application supports approximately 250 internal users, approximately 35,000 claimants annually, and approximately 55,000 employers, with volumes subject to significant fluctuations during economic downturns. Historical time and materials costs for 2024 through June 2026 show change request volumes ranging from 5,000 to 9,600 hours annually and task volumes from 1,000 to 9,500 hours annually. Bidders must satisfy extensive technical and security requirements including NIST 800-53 standards, IRS Publication 1075 compliance, and 19 specific MaineIT policies. Service level agreements establish a 99.9% system availability target with incident response times from 15 minutes for critical issues to 8–21 business days for low-priority items, with liquidated damages capped at 20% of monthly fees.

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Appendix G - Cost Proposal Worksheet.xlsx XLSX spreadsheet
Appendix E - EXAMPLE Technical Assessment Form.xlsx XLSX spreadsheet
Appendix I - ME IT Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).docx DOCX document
RFP 202605096 ReEmployME Case Management System_Final.docx DOCX document

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Sheet1

Doc CodeDoc DeptDoc IDUser NameAmendment NumberVendor CodeQuestion DateQuestionAnswer DateAnswer
RFP12A202605090Shikha SharmaVS00000329817/16/20261. Incumbent Contractor and Current Contract
Please identify the current ReEmployME maintenance and support contractor, current contract number, contract value, expiration date, incumbent staffing level and role composition, and the major services c8/4/26Incumbent vendor: Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.

Contract # 20251205000000001320 Expiration date: 12/31/2026 Contract Value: $4,800,000 Level of staffing: Fluctuates but ~8 FTEs; staff are by and large specialized in functional areas Benefits, Tax, Appeals, Infrastructure Support Services provided mirror the requested services outlined in the RFP: Maintenance, Support, Tasks and Enhancements

RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026The cover page and body of the RFP consistently reference "RFP# 202605090," while the file provided to Bidders is named "RFP_202605096...". Please confirm the correct, official RFP number for citation in our submission and in VSS.8/4/26Correct number is RFP# 202605090
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Is there a maximum page count or file size guidance (beyond the 15MB/file limit) for each of the four proposal files, particularly Section III (Proposed Services)?8/4/26The RFP does not limit the page count nor file size beyond the 15 MB, however, Part IV does include this language: "Bidders are not to provide additional attachments beyond those specified in the RFP for the purpose of extending their response. Additional materials not requested will not be considered part of the proposal and will not be evaluated."
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Please confirm the required file-naming convention for the four submission files beyond "[Bidder's Name] - [Section Title]" (are there any required suffixes, version numbers, or VSS upload naming rules).8/4/26All instructions regarding submission format and the naming convention for the four proposal files is described in Part II, E, 3 of the RFP.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Is there a required font, margin, or page-formatting standard for narrative proposal sections?8/4/26No. Refer to Part IV of the RFP for general instructions.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Please confirm whether this RFP is only for Maine ReEmployME or if the awarded vendor will also support other ReEmployUSA Consortium member states under this contract8/4/26The RFP applies solely to the State of Maine and its ReEmployME application.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Appendix D is referenced for Data Classification/PII Impact Levels but is listed as the Sub-Contractors Form. Please clarify where the Data Classification methodology is documented.8/4/26On P. 4 of the RFP "PII Confidentiality Impact Level" refers to Appendix D: Appendix E signed under the Non-Disclosure Technical Assessment agreement notes a Data Compliance Tab detail the "PII Confidentiality Impact Level" which allings to the Instructions on line 2 of this tab.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026For the 2027-2031 term and two optional 5-year renewals, does the State anticipate any planned technology refresh or cloud/infrastructure re-competition, beyond its reserved right in Appendix H to change cloud providers?8/4/26No immediate plans but open to bidder suggestions for improvements as they relate to modernization and increased data/system security. Refer to RFP Part II, II, 2 for State Objectives and Priorities
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Appendix H lists Defects (547), Tasks (848), and Change Requests/Enhancements (41) for CY2025, but Part II defines only Defects and Enhancements. Please define "Task" and clarify its classification, pricing, and SLA/KPI treatment.8/4/26Tasks are (typically) one time corrections to individual accounts. Sometimes these are one-offs, though in other cases they may be done as stop gaps on an ongoing basis until a permanent change request can be implemented. The State currently pays these are the set T&M rate.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026The RFP states the State has final authority to classify items as Defects or Enhancements. Is there a formal escalation or dispute-resolution process for classification disagreements, or will it be established after contract award?8/4/26To determine defect versus enhancement, the state currently holds monthly bill review meetings with the incumbent vendor. The State refers back to the original requirements documents to determine whether system functionality was due to a missed requirement or incorrect implementation of a stated requirement.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Can the State provide the historical or expected annual split of the ~$26.5M/5-year budget between (a) fixed-price Maintenance & Support and (b) Enhancement/Perfective Maintenance (T&M and SOW)?8/4/26Current contract split is ~58% fixed price and ~42% T&E. It will be up to bidders to determine what to include or not include in the proposal for the fixed cost v. T&M portion.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Can the State share historical annual Enhancement volume/hours (story points, T&M hours, or SOW dollar volume) for the past 2-3 years to help size proposed enhancement delivery capacity?8/4/26T&M Costs, split between Enhancements/Change Requests and Tasks:

2024: CR: $939,675 -~8,100 hours TASKS: $1,104,447/~9,500 hours 2025: CR: $1,116,442/~9,600 hours TASKS: $544,185/~4,700 hours 2026 through June 30: CR: $585,423/~5,000 hours TASKS: $177,045/~1,000 hours

RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Priority Focus Area #7 calls for "creating a new data model" to support emerging functions. Is this envisioned as part of base Maintenance & Support, or as a distinct, separately-scoped Enhancement/SOW effort?8/4/26These types of significant changes tend to be completed as enhancements and the Time & Materials rate. However, once implemented, existing, ongoing, new functionality would become part of ongoing Maintenance and Support
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Priority Focus Area #6 mentions designing a modern front-end for specific functions. Can the State identify the priority functions/modules for modernization, or should vendors propose them?8/4/26The State is open to bidder suggestions for improvements as they relate to modernization. Refer to RFP Part II, II, 2 for State Objectives and Priorities
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026The Future-State vision mentions a native mobile app. Is it a required deliverable under the initial contract, or an optional future enhancement subject to separate approval and funding?8/4/26A native mobile app is not currently considered a deliverable under the initial contract, but the State is open to such a proposal to increase end user experience and overall efficiency.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Is the annual Fixed Cost fee for Maintenance & Support expected to be a flat, unchanging rate across the full 5-year initial term, or should Bidders propose annual escalation in the Cost Proposal Form?8/4/26Proposed cost structure over the 5-year contract would be up to the bidder.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Will the State provide and license the IBM ELM/Jazz case management system (including the number of seats/licenses needed) for the selected Bidder's use, or is the Bidder expected to procure or cost this separately?8/4/26The State is responsible for the procurement and provision of IBM ELM/Jazz licenses to both State and Vendor staff.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Can the State share the incumbent system's trailing 12-month performance against the proposed SLA metrics (System Availability, Incident Response/Resolution, RPO/RTO, and Vulnerability Remediation) to help bidders assess target feasibility?8/4/26Maine was previously part of the ReEmployUSA Consortium and as such bound by a joint contract with several other states. As such SLAs were not as clearly defined and present or tracked in prior contracts.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026The LD table caps total monthly Liquidated Damages at 20% of monthly fees. Is there also an annual or contract-term aggregate cap on cumulative Liquidated Damages, or only the monthly cap?8/4/26The State has not established an annual cap at this time. This can be discussed and negotiated with the selected bidder during contract negotiations.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026For the Data Accuracy, Data Consistency, and ETA Report Accuracy SLAs (>=99.5%), what is the sampling methodology and audit frequency the State intends to use (e.g., Federal Data Validation process cadence) to measure and report performance?8/4/26States currently undergo Federal reviews of data validation (DV) processes approximately every three years, however, DV is an ongoing process. The State will establish the cadance for the review of performance in this area in collaboration with the selected bidder.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Are Change Request (CR) volumes, cycle times, or approval-turnaround benchmarks from the current/incumbent vendor available to help Bidders estimate change management staffing needs?8/4/26See Appendix H for volumes and rowe 13 for added detail.

Change request turn-around times are not a reliable measure of performance. Due to competing demands the agency will reprioritize enhancements as needed to complete newer, more critical priorities before lesser ones.

RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026How frequently have 24x7 emergency support activations (declared emergencies/disasters) occurred historically, and what has been the typical duration of such activations?8/4/26Aside from the recent COVID-19 Pandemic, Emergency Declarations for Maine are rare (~1-2 every 20 years). Even those do not require the selected bidder to work 24x7. Any 24x7 references in the RFP document are intended to monitor and manage system performance and initiate reporting, analysis, and remediation specifically of issues that have the potential to affect the security and availability of core functions of the system.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Emergency support is described as 8 AM-8 PM, expanding to 24x7 during emergencies. Should staffing provide full 24x7 coverage only during declared emergencies, or is ongoing after-hours/on-call coverage also required outside emergencies?8/4/26See row 24.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Please provide 24 months incident volume by severity, service requests, defects and enhancement backlog.8/4/26Appendix H provides 2025 volumes. Review rowe 13 for additional details on volumes/hours.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026How many internal users, claimants, employers and concurrent users are supported?8/4/26The ReEmployME application supports approximately 250 internal users, ~35K claimants annually, ~55K employers. Subject to significant fluctuations during economic downturns.

The state is not sharing the data on concurrent users at this time.

RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Please provide current SLA targets, historical achievement and penalty model.8/4/26Maine was previously part of the ReEmployUSA Consortium and as such bound by a joint contract with several other states. As such SLAs were not as clearly defined and present in prior contracts.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Can the State provide the current open vulnerability backlog (by severity: Critical/High/Medium/Low) as of contract start, so incoming Bidders can assess the initial remediation workload against the 15/30/90-day SLA clocks?8/4/26The State has opted not to share details on open vulnerability items. These will be shared with the selected vendor.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Is there an existing, State-approved Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) and DR test history for ReEmployME that will be provided to the selected Bidder at transition, or will the Bidder be expected to develop the baseline DRP from scratch?8/4/26There is an existing DRP, which will be provided to the successful bidder. The current contract (see row 2) has an RTO of 4 hours.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026How many federal/state audits (State Auditor, USDOL, IRS, SSA) has ReEmployME undergone in the past 3 years, and were there significant remediation efforts required as a result?8/4/26The State of Maine audit is annual. IRS and SSA are every three years. Most recent IRS audit was in 2025, SSA Audit scheduled July 2026. USDOL Audits are done by functional area and on a regular 3-year cadence, as well as ad hoc after significant events. (Example, post-Pandemic the State saw a significant increase in audits and reviews related to the CARES Act programs.).
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026To determine whose responsibility the audit findings were under, what documentation standard will be used to determine if it was as a result of a vendor or State8/4/26The State would refer back to the original requirements documents for system changes made to determine whether system functionality was due to a missed requirement or incorrect implementation of a stated requirement.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Appendix H states AWS is the current provider, but the State may transition to other providers. Is a cloud migration or multi-cloud strategy planned during the initial contract term, or is this simply to preserve future flexibility?8/4/26No immediate plans to change this.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Appendix H lists ~350 REST/SOAP interfaces and ~2,000 batch jobs, while another table shows 22 primary interfaces. Please clarify the difference and which set best represents the ongoing support and maintenance workload.8/4/26The ReEmployME application has 22 primary unique interface partners for nternal and external partners. The activities associated with these interfaces create the larger number of the REST/SOAP interface data.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Is the SwampFox IVR platform and the Kore.AI chatbot integration within the scope of this RFP's Maintenance & Support and Enhancement services, or are they managed and procured under a separate, standalone contract?8/4/26They are separate contracts procured by the State, but application integration with the ReEmployME application will be within scope for the successful bidder.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Can the State identify the current incumbent vendor(s) supporting ReEmployME, and confirm whether the incumbent is eligible to bid on this RFP?8/4/26See row 2. They are eligible to bid on the RFP.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026What is the length of the "warranty period" referenced multiple times in the Defect Responsibility table ("Outgoing Vendor if within warranty period")?8/4/26The current warranty period is 90 days from final written acceptance by the Department.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026What is the anticipated transition / knowledge-transfer period length between contract award and full operational responsibility assumption by the incoming Bidder, and will the outgoing vendor be contractually obligated to support knowledge transfer?8/4/26Period to be determined. Yes, the outgoing vendor will be contractually obligated to support a transition.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026For the Enterprise Architecture, Development, Quality Management, and Information Data Security Plans, is there a required format or expected level of detail for the Baseline Framework (Deliverable Expectations Document) due within 1 year of award?8/4/26Under Section IV (4) of this RFP submissing with key elements a-g, bidders are seeking to offer a forward looking (1-3 year) roadmap with details and should use the framework (TOGAF, Zachman or Gartner) to present as part of the submission.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Is there an existing Enterprise Architecture baseline/documentation set (current-state) that will be provided to the selected Bidder, or is baselining the current architecture itself part of the Bidder's Year 1 scope of work?8/4/26Current State Software Bill of Materials and Architectural Diagram - See Appendix E delivered under the Non-Disclosure Agreement
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Please confirm the definition of "onshore" for purposes of the Employee Location requirement. Is this limited to within USA8/4/26ME OIT policy defines onshore as located within the continental United States. ME IT does have a waiver process, but those are done on a case-to-case basis and outcomes are not guaranteed.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026The RFP references establishing a "baseline sprint velocity after 180 days." Is there historical incumbent sprint velocity, team composition, or story-point data available to help Bidders propose a realistic initial team size and ramp-up plan?8/4/26The State has not gone through a vendor migration for the ReEmployME application and as such does not have data to assist with this. As to current project team size, see row 1. It is up to prospective bidders to provide size of team needed to support an application with the size and scope of the ReEmployME application
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Must the "State Suggested Key Personnel and Roles" be proposed as named, dedicated full-time resources, or may certain roles be combined/shared across a smaller core team for this single-state engagement?8/4/26Resources do not all need to be 100% dedicated to this project. The State does recommend a core number of dedicated resources to promote resources fully familiar with ME processes, laws, rules, etc.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026How many distinct labor categories/rate cards should Bidders propose in the Time & Materials rate structure, and is there a State-preferred template or maximum number of labor categories?8/4/26The state has no preference for how the bidder wants to present the T&M rate or rates. The State currently pays T&M at a blended single rate.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026The RFP cites a ~$26.5M budget for the initial 5-year term. Should pricing be based on this budget ceiling, or is it only for reference, with Bidders expected to price based on their own effort estimates?8/4/26Up to bidders to determine what to include or not include in the proposal for the fixed cost portion.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026For cost proposal scoring (lowest bid/bid 25), does "total cost" include only the Fixed Cost Maintenance & Support fee (H12, Initial Period), or also the estimated/not-to-exceed T&M Enhancement costs?8/4/26Total cost for the 5-year initial contract period. Appendix E provides an assumption of the total cost associated with the initial contract, which includes maintenance, support, tasks, and enhancements. This number is dependent on available Federal funding and economic conditions in that an economic downturn may increase funding. When scoring this element the State will consider the amount(s) proposed by the bidder as well as scope proposed.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Is there a maximum age (issued within the last 90 days) for the required Dun & Bradstreet Business Information Report Snapshot?8/4/26There is no maximum age specified in the RFP. Bidders must provide a current copy of their Dun & Bradstreet Business Information Report Snapshot.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026What are the required minimum coverage limits for General Liability, Professional Liability (E&O), and Cyber Liability insurance for this engagement?8/4/26The Maine IT Service Contract standard template includes information on liability limitations: https://www.maine.gov/dafs/bbm/procurementservices/sites/maine.gov.dafs.bbm.procurementservices/files/inline-files/IT%20Service%20Contract%20%28IT-SC%29%20Template%20%28locked%29_6.3.2026.pdf. Specific details will be discussed and negotiated with the selected bidder.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Is there a required format/template for the litigation disclosure list, or may Bidders submit this as a narrative attachment in their own format?8/4/26No. Refer to Part IV of the RFP for general instructions.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/20/2026Is there a page limit per reference project example (3 required), and is there a preferred format for describing team composition/roles used on those past projects?8/4/26No. Refer to Part IV and Appendix C of the RFP for general instructions.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/21/2026Please confirm whether the BoM should include: (1) all existing ReEmployME components the Bidder will support, (2) only new products/tools proposed, or (3) both, given the solution focuses on supporting and enhancing the existing custom-built system.8/4/26The current Software Bill of Materials lists how the system is currently supported. The State is open to changes. The State is open to bidders proposing other solutions that fulfil the same function. Migration to a different software would (by and large) be done at the set T&M rate(s). A change could be proposed by a vendor or directed by our Maine OIT department. Either way, our OIT team has to approve any proposed software changes before migration can take place.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/21/2026Several IBM ELM/Jazz components are State/Business-managed, yet Part II requires the Bidder to update IBM ELM/Jazz for every defect, task, and enhancement. Please clarify Bidder vs. State responsibilities for ELM/Jazz administration, licensing, and m8/4/26The State is responsible for the procurement and costing of miscelleneous software and system tools. The State will procure licenses and provide them to the selected bidder for IBM ELM/Jazz access to maintain and document updated to defects, tasks, enhancements etc. within this tool.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/21/2026The Data Compliance tab lists controls for PCI, PHI/HIPAA, Medicaid, FERPA/Student Data, DPPA, PII, FTI and UC data. Please confirm which data types ReEmployME processes, stores or transmits so bidders can respond accurately and mark others N/A.8/4/26Refer to Appendix E provided after bidder signed NDA. The ReEmployME specific list is part of the document.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/21/2026Does CSP2 require all proposed products, or only end-user interfaces, to natively authenticate with Microsoft AD and Okta (OIDC, OAuth 2.0, SAML 2.0), including backend services? Is ReEmployME already integrated with Okta?8/4/26Currently Microsoft Adminstrative Director and Okta is not implemented for ReEmployME, though that may change through future efforts, ultimately (potentially) through MyMaine.gov.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/21/2026Bidders must submit a separate Architecture Diagram of the proposed solution. Is a specific format (e.g., Visio, draw.io, PDF, or PowerPoint) required? Should it depict the current-state architecture or the proposed future-state architecture?8/4/26Up to the vendor how to propose/share this. If done in Visio would recommend submitting as a PDF version of the drawing.
RFP12A202605090Mita SharmaVS00000152597/21/2026Please confirm whether the "Yes/No + Explanation" responses are pass/fail eligibility criteria or scored under the 45-point Proposed Services evaluation. If "No" is selected with a remediation plan and timeline, will it be accepted or cause disqualif8/4/26The Technical Assessment Form (Appendix E) responses is not pass/fail. The Technical Assessment response will be included in the scoring of the Proposed Services section, which also considers the Appendix F (Proposed Services Form) and Implementation Work Plan responses. As stated in Part IV of the RFP: "Failure to use the outline specified in PART IV, or failure to respond to all questions and instructions throughout the RFP, may result in the proposal being disqualified as non-responsive or receiving a reduced score. The Department, and its evaluation team, has sole discretion to determine whether a variance from the RFP specifications will result either in disqualification or reduction in scoring of a proposal."
RFP12A202605090lisbeth bellVC10000739987/22/2026What are incumbent's contractual transition obligations (duration, knowledge transfer, staff availability)?8/4/26The outgoing vendor will be contractually obligated to support a transition and provide all knowledge, tasks, and other activities to a new vendor.
RFP12A202605090lisbeth bellVC10000739987/22/2026Is there a transition/stabilization period where SLAs and liquidated damages are phased in or waived?8/4/26This can be discussed and negotiated with the selected bidder during contract negotiations.
RFP12A202605090lisbeth bellVC10000739987/22/2026Does the incumbent's contract contain non-solicitation provisions restricting us from hiring their delivery staff? Does the State have a position on staff continuity arrangements?8/4/26The current contract does not contain such a clause. The State has no position on staff continuity arrangements.
RFP12A202605090lisbeth bellVC10000739987/22/2026How current and complete is the documentation (runbooks, batch dependency docs, interface specs), and when do NDA-signed bidders get access?8/4/26NDA-signed bidders received a ReEmployME specific Appendix E. Any additional documentation would be shared with the selected bidder only.
RFP12A202605090lisbeth bellVC10000739987/22/2026Part II, III.9 Defect Responsibility Table, pp. 30-318/4/26Incomplete question
RFP12A202605090lisbeth bellVC10000739987/22/2026Part II, III.9 Defect Responsibility Table, pp. 30-31. The defect responsibility table references a warranty period from the prior contract but never defines it. What is it?8/4/26Refer to row 36.
RFP12A202605090lisbeth bellVC10000739987/22/2026How do the 922 "Critical" tickets in Appendix H map to SLA Levels 1-4? Historical counts of true Level 1 and 2 incidents?8/4/26No, they do not refer to the tickets referenced in Appendix H. VM-01-VM-04. VM refers to vulnerabilities detected as a result of security scans which are completed prior to every build activity. Since migration away from the Consortium structure on 1/1/2026 the State has had 0 level 1 or 2 incidents.
RFP12A202605090lisbeth bellVC10000739987/22/2026Part II, II.5 Sprint Velocity, p. 19. Will the 180-day sprint velocity baseline account for transition ramp?8/4/26The State anticipates it would but exact timeline to be determined.
RFP12A202605090lisbeth bellVC10000739987/22/2026Does the State intend all modernization under this contract, or might modernization be procured separately? Any anticipated modernization budget?8/4/26The State invites bidders to propose modernization efforts. In a general sense the agency relies on the Federal government for the majority of our funding and as such are reliant on the availability of that funding to complete projects. There are no current plans to procure modernization efforts separately.
RFP12A202605090lisbeth bellVC10000739987/22/2026Is Angular a firm requirement for net-new front-end work, or will alternative modern frameworks be considered?8/4/26Appendix E - Will look for bidder to support Angular while your proprosal will include any modernized approach in your suggested SBOM.
RFP12A202605090lisbeth bellVC10000739987/22/2026Does the State's GenAI Policy permit AI-assisted development and triage tools with access to source code repositories?8/4/26Conditionally - Yes. All controls will need to be in place and vetted prior to use. The bidders submission need to clarly define when and how these tools and processes will be implemented.
RFP12A202605090Shivakumar GanesanVS00000230347/22/2026Can the Bidder submit any of the required contents in our own response template (if the sections from the Appendix are covered), or are we restricted to submitting all response content within the forms provided by the Department?8/4/26As stated in Part IV of the RFP: "Bidders’ proposals must follow the outline used below, including the numbering, section, and sub-section headings. Failure to use the outline specified in PART IV, or failure to respond to all questions and instructions throughout the RFP, may result in the proposal being disqualified as non-responsive or receiving a reduced score." and; "Bidders must include any forms provided in the submission package or reproduce those forms as closely as possible."
RFP12A202605090Shivakumar GanesanVS00000230347/22/2026Would the State consider reducing the maximum SLA at-risk exposure from 20% to 12% of the monthly fee.8/4/26This can be discussed and negotiated with the selected bidder during contract negotiations.
RFP12A202605090Shivakumar GanesanVS00000230347/22/2026The selected Bidder will proactively analyze, detect, and prevent threats to the system utilizing State approved tools. Please confirm whether Bidder scope includes 24x7 SOC (Security Operation Center) monitoring.8/4/26Any 24x7 references in the RFP document are intended to monitor and manage system availability, performance and initiate reporting, analysis, and remediation specifically of issues that have the potential to affect the security and availability of core functions of the system.
RFP12A202605090Shivakumar GanesanVS00000230347/22/2026Will Bidder personnel receive the necessary access to State-approved tools, including monitoring and penetration testing tools?
If the State already has these tools, please share details of the same.8/4/26The State is not sharing this data at this time. Will be shared with selected bidder.
RFP12A202605090Shivakumar GanesanVS00000230347/22/2026Please confirm whether major version upgrades required to maintain a supported, secure, N-1 compliant software are included in the fixed annual Maintenance and Support fee, or whether such major upgrades will be separately authorized under T&M8/4/26See row 69.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg. 17. What has been the State's experience with Agile Development Practices? Please share as much detail as possible with respect to State staff's familiarity with Agile, process maturity?8/4/26The State as a whole through ME OIT has significant experience and familiarity with and prefer Agile Development Practices. The business team that supports the ReEmployME application has worked on projects using these practices, but would not consider them experts in this area.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 34. Please identify the KPIs and SLAs provided that are part of the current ReEmployME contract for Maine8/4/26Refer to question 1 for current contract details. Section III. V. 4 lists current SLA(s).
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg. 35. Please provide all baseline-performance metrics used to set KPIs as well as the past 12 months of performance relative to the KPIs suggested in the RFP.8/4/26The State is not sharing this data at this time. Will be shared with selected bidder.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 35. If the current baseline doesn't meet these targets: A) What is the process by which the new Vendor will be required to transition the system to the new metrics, and how will the new Vendor be compensated?8/4/26This can be discussed and negotiated with the selected bidder during contract negotiations.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 35. B) Would the State of Maine be amenable to negotiating alternative KPI/SLAs and associated penalties for such metrics that can't be met?8/4/26This can be discussed and negotiated with the selected bidder during contract negotiations.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 35. Will the State please convert the "penalties" for non-conformance with KPIs/SLAs to "service credits"?8/4/26This can be discussed and negotiated with the selected bidder during contract negotiations.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 35. Can the State please update this SLA to provide a calculation that removes downtime not attributable to the Vendor from the System Uptime requirement as the Vendor is not managing the infrastructure.8/4/26The State is responsible for the procurement and holds the keys to the AWS account. The State understands the vendor is not the Cloud Service Provider and therefore cannot be held accountable for any downtime as a result of an event on the part of the CSP if not attributable to any action on the part of the vendor. This can be clarified in the contract with the selected bidder.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 35. Can the State please update this SLA to provide a calculation that removes downtime not attributable to the Vendor from the System Uptime requirement as the Vendor is not managing the infrastructure.8/4/26See row 84.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 36. Can the State please share the current Performance Monitoring metrics and what automated alerting in place as requested in SLA-ID-PM018/4/26The State is not sharing this data at this time. Will be shared with selected bidder.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 36. Can the State please share the a sample of current regular performance reports (monthly) summarizing system health, trends, incidents, and corrective actions in place as requested in SLA-ID-PM018/4/26The State is not sharing this data at this time. Will be shared with selected bidder.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg NA. Can the State please provide clarity on state date 01/01/2027. Is this the steady state of assumptions of operations and the takeover transition is completed by this time. If so, when should all bidders assume the start date for transition?8/4/26This is to be determined. Factors that may affect this include number of bids, process to score bids and award the contract, etc. Will be discussed with incumbent and selected bidder and a reasonable timeline established.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 32. What FedRAMP level is required?8/4/26As part of this RFP, for this application and the listed Data Compliance items, Current Software Bill of Materials outlined in Appendix E Technical Assessment under the Non-Disclosure Agreement, the state is open for bidders to present FedRamp products for enhancements with clearly defined vendor responsibilities to support this bidders solution.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 34. Is State responsible for SOC 2 type II audit?8/4/26The selected bidder will be responsible for a SOC 2 Type II audit.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg NA. Are there any GRC tools MDOL uses or prefers for managing regulatory and compliance activities?8/4/26The State is not sharing this data at this time. Will be shared with selected bidder.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 4. Can you please provide the build of materials or reference architecture of your current infrastructure that would include all AWS components?8/4/26NDA-signed bidders received a ReEmployME specific Appendix E. Any additional documentation would be shared with the selected bidder only.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 26. What is the requirement for RTO and RPO for the DR environment to be designed and implemented?8/4/26Appendix E signed under the Non-Disclosure agreement notes the Remote Hosting Policy with reference to 4.2.3.11 on RTO-RPO and 4.2.6.2 defines Distater Recovery details.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 27. Can you please provide the detailed network architecture to include macro and micro segmentation and NCL policies as well network firewall platform components.8/4/26Appendix E signed under the Non-Disclosure agreement notes ReEmployME specific products used in the application. Any additional documentation would be shared with the selected bidder only.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Continued: This will include the various global DNS or global load balancing solution. If you have any type of CDN framework or architecture please provide that information as well.8/4/26Appendix E signed under the Non-Disclosure agreement notes a Current Software Bill of Materials and Architectural Diagram with some limitations, shows the environments for the ReEmployME specific products used in the application. Any additional documentation would be shared with the selected bidder only.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 27. Can you please provide your AWS account and AWS sub account architecture and share accounts that may be utilized for centralized monitoring and observability implementation?8/4/26Appendix E signed under the Non-Disclosure agreement notes a Current Software Bill of Materials and Architectural Diagram with some limitations, shows the environments for the ReEmployME specific products used in the application. Any additional documentation would be shared with the selected bidder only.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 27. Is your current AWS IAM implementation integrated with a centralized or federated IdP such as Active Directory or Entra ID?8/4/26See row 56.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 28. What is your current portfolio of AWS or "other" observability platform integrated with your current AWS implementation?8/4/26Appendix E signed under the Non-Disclosure agreement notes a Current Software Bill of Materials and Architectural Diagram for ReEmployME specific products used in the application. Any additional documentation would be shared with the selected bidder only.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg NA. What is your current ITSM platform integrated for services requests and incident management?8/4/26Appendix E signed under the Non-Disclosure agreement notes a Current Software Bill of Materials and Architectural Diagram for ReEmployME specific products used in the application. Any additional documentation would be shared with the selected bidder only.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 22. What is the current patching/update cadence and will the selected Bidder inherit responsibility for maintaining the version going forward?8/4/26The State currently averages 4-6 builds a year, so approximately every 2-3 months. Critical patches may be completed as needed off schedule. Build frequency will be discussed with the selected bidder.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 4. Can the State provide which specific open-source products are currently deemed non-compliant with State of Maine / MaineIT Security policies?8/4/26The State is not sharing this data at this time. Will be shared with selected bidder. By reference, Appendix E signed under the Non-Disclosure agreement notes in CSP 15 Configuration Management Policy with reference to 8.10.4 details on Open-Source Software Risk Management.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 27. Can the State provide which specific open-source products are currently deemed non-compliant with State of Maine / MaineIT Security policies?8/4/26The State is not sharing this data at this time. Will be shared with selected bidder. By reference, Appendix E signed under the Non-Disclosure agreement notes in CSP 15 Configuration Management Policy with reference to 8.10.4 details on Open-Source Software Risk Management.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Continued: If so, please provide the product name, version status ?8/4/26See row 106.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 15. For the "Interface and Authentication Modernization" objective, what are the current authentication mechanisms and legacy backend connectivity that the State wants to reduce reliance on?8/4/26The State is looking to move away from batch-driven processes. See response to row 193.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 25. Does the State have an established AI governance framework or policy that the selected Bidder must comply with when proposing or implementing AI solutions?8/4/26Maine OIT has an existing GenAI policy: https://www.maine.gov/oit/sites/maine.gov.oit/files/inline-files/GenAIPolicy.pdf. All proposed AI solutions have to be vetted and approved by ME-OIT prior to implementation.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 25. Does the State require a formal AI risk assessment before any AI solution (including machine learning models, or generative AI) can be implemented?8/4/26ME-OIT fully vets products being proposed and has to approve any and all AI-solutions prior to implementation
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg NA. For any generative AI or LLMs proposed, does the State have guidance on data residency, model training restrictions, or vendor approval?
Are there specific AI use cases the State has pre-approved or prioritized for ReEmployME modernization?8/4/26Appendix E signed under the Non-Disclosure agreement notes one AI product defined in Current Software Bill of Materials and Architectural Diagram with some limitations and the environments for the ReEmployME specific products used in the application. Any additional documentation would be shared with the selected bidder only.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 25. What monitoring/observability tooling is in, and which licenses are State-owned vs. incumbent-owned?8/4/26No proprietary vendor products are being used. Appendix E signed under the Non-Disclosure agreement notes a Current Software Bill of Materials and Architectural Diagram for ReEmployME specific products used in the application. Any additional documentation would be shared with the selected bidder only.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 32. What is the release cadence, change failure rate, and emergency change volume? Is CI/CD in place, or is deployment manual?8/4/26State of Maine is currently average 4-6 builds a year, so approximately every 2-3 months. Critical patches may be completed as needed off schedule. Build frequency will be discussed with the selected bidder. Our current deployment methodology is manual but we are open to bids proposing CI/CD.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 26. What is the existing disaster recovery posture - RTO/RPO targets, last successful DR test date and results?8/4/26State of Maine is not sharing this DR data at this time. Will be shared with selected bidder. By reference, Appendix E signed under the Non-Disclosure agreement notes in CSP 6 Remote Hosting Policy with reference to 4.2.3.11 details.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg 31. What modernization initiatives are in-flight or planned, and is the takeover vendor expected to sustain, continue, or lead them?8/4/26In anticipation of this RFP being released the State has not started any significant long-term projects that are anticipated to go beyond the end date of our existing contract.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg NA. What are monthly ticket volumes by priority (P1-P4)?8/4/26Appendix H provides ticket volumes for Calendar Year 2025.
RFP12A202605090Dan FilibertoVC10000371477/22/2026Pg NA. Are there any incumbent-proprietary tools, frameworks, or accelerators embedded in operations that will not transfer at contract end?8/4/26No.
RFP12A202605090Jen BertrandVS00000327887/22/2026Part I, Sections 2(g) and 2(h): What existing user research is available to inform UX improvements?8/4/26The State has conducted end user surveys on changing or changed functionality with both employers and claimants in the past, which is a process we would expect to use again going forward. Further details to be discussed with selected bidder. The State is open to bidder proposals to inform UX improvements.
RFP12A202605090Jen BertrandVS00000327887/22/2026Appendix H, Part I: What is the current backlog of open tickets, and does the State have an estimate of technical debt?8/4/26The State currently has a volume of just under 600 tickets. This is a combination of defect, tasks, and change request tickets. Though the State regularly audits tickets through business leads for validity (especially change request/enhancement tickets) it would anticipate that a volume of these tickets will be closed without additional action.
RFP12A202605090Jen BertrandVS00000327887/22/2026Appendix H, Part E and Part III, Section 2(d): What are the State's current plans or expectations for incorporating generative AI into the ReEmployME platform?8/4/26See row 110. There are no current plans to incorporate generative AI into the ReEmployME platform but the State is open to such proposals.
RFP12A202605090Jen BertrandVS00000327887/22/2026Part III, Section 6: In addition to the required Disaster Recovery Plan, is the State interested in disaster recovery playbooks and tabletop exercises to validate recovery procedures?8/4/26The State is open to proposals by bidders.
RFP12A202605090Molly PlaistedVC00002611577/22/2026General - Why are you looking for a vendor other than the vendor that developed the system? Are you happy with your current vendor and support model?8/4/26As per State of Maine Procurement guidelines, public entities issue Requests for Proposals (RFPs) on a periodic basis to ensure good stewardship of public dollars, fair competition, obtain the best value for taxpayers, and comply with procurement laws and regulations. Even when an incumbent vendor is performing satisfactorily, governments generally cannot continue awarding contracts indefinitely without providing other qualified vendors an opportunity to compete.
RFP12A202605090Jen BertrandVS00000327887/22/2026Appendix H, Part G: How are schema changes to the shared data store managed and coordinated across applications that depend on it?8/4/26As presented in the RFP on Section IV. 2 c. Future State Planning, Strategic Modernization Pillars, Intergrated Partner Collaboratio. State of Maine has realtime data exchanges today. All bidders are encouraged to propose modern approaches to a coordinated effort to assure secure data-sharing protocals are folllowed.
RFP12A202605090Molly PlaistedVC00002611577/22/2026General - Has the State already completed a technical debt, architecture and security assessment that will be shared for the RFP, or will this be an activity we need to plan for in Discovery?8/4/26Appendix E signed under the Non-Disclosure agreement notes a Current Software Bill of Materials and Architectural Diagram for ReEmployME specific products used in the application. Any additional documentation would be shared with the selected bidder only through Discovery.
RFP12A202605090Molly PlaistedVC00002611577/22/2026General - Does the State have a finalized target-state architecture diagram/document beyond the Strategic Modernization Pillars described in the RFP, or is defining that architecture part of the Bidder's Year-1 Enterprise Architecture Plan deliverabl8/4/26The State has not created a future target-state finalized architecture diagram or specified a timeline, but is open to proposals by bidders.
RFP12A202605090Jen BertrandVS00000327887/22/2026Part III, Section 2(b): Can the State clarify the intended CI/CD and deployment model, including pipeline ownership, deployment frequency, and whether microservices are independently deployable?8/4/26Appendix E signed under the Non-Disclosure agreement notes a Current Software Bill of Materials and Architectural Diagram for ReEmployME specific products used in the application. Bidders are encouraged to include evidence and artifacts as requested in Part III, Section 2(b) Perfective Maintenance (Enhancements). Any additional documentation from the State of Maine would be shared with the selected bidder only.
RFP12A202605090Molly PlaistedVC00002611577/22/2026General - Is there any existing disaster recovery and business continuity plan for the application? If so, please articulate the gaps and/or challenges identified with that plan.8/4/26There is an existing DRP, which will be provided to the successful bidder.
RFP12A202605090Molly PlaistedVC00002611577/22/2026General - What is the level and completeness of documentation available for the current application? Will that documentation be available to the incoming vendor on day 1? For example: an existing modernization roadmap, prior assessment, or consultant8/4/26Documentation for the current application exists and will be provided to the successful bidder.
RFP12A202605090Molly PlaistedVC00002611577/22/2026General - Does the state require wholly separate teams/resources for the Support & Maintenance work from the Enhancements & Modernization work or is it permissible for some resources to be shared?8/4/26See row 44.

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