Days+of+our+Legacy+RFP.docx

STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA

STATE INVESTMENT BOARD

ND RETIREMENT & INVESTMENT OFFICE

1600 E CENTURY AVE, STE 3

P.O. BOX 7100

BISMARCK, ND 58507

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

RFP Title: DAYS OF OUR LEGACY RFP Number: 110.7-25-084 Issued: 12.17.2025

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ATTACHMENTS

Attachment 1 - Scope of Work Attachment 2 - Cost Proposal Attachment 3 – Proposal Evaluation Worksheet Attachment 4 - Technology Contract Attachment 5 – ND State Brand Guidelines Attachment 6 – Investment holdings data sample

SECTION ONE – INSTRUCTIONS

Purpose of the RFP The state of North Dakota, acting through its Retirement and Investment Office (RIO) (the STATE) is soliciting proposals for a secure, public-facing website that consolidates key data, improves usability, reduces administrative burden, and meets statutory transparency obligations without compromising investment integrity. The website must be supported through comprehensive data management and transformation.

Definitions For the purposes of this RFP, the acronyms and defined terms are as follows:

Procurement Officer Contact Information The Procurement Officer is the point of contact for this RFP. Offerors shall direct all communications regarding this RFP to the Procurement Officer. Please do not add the Procurement Officer to any distribution list.

PROCUREMENT OFFICER: Sowmya Karumanchi EMAIL: skarumanchi@nd.gov

PHONE: 701-328-2690

TTY Users call: 7-1-1

A person or firm interested in submitting a proposal should ensure all communications related to the procurement are only with the designated point of contact. This section does not restrict communication with state officials or any member of the legislative assembly unless the state official or member of the legislative assembly is involved directly with the procurement for which the person is interested or has submitted a bid or proposal (N.D.C.C. § 54-44.4-01.1).

Engaging in unauthorized communication or seeking to obtain information about an open solicitation with any state employee or official other than the responsible Procurement Officer or designee is sufficient grounds for suspension or debarment. [N.D.A.C. § 4-12-05-04(7)] RFP Schedule

Assistance to Individuals with a Disability Contact the Procurement Officer, as soon as possible, if an individual with a disability needs assistance with the RFP including any events in the RFP schedule so reasonable accommodations can be made.

Secretary of State Registration Requirements The North Dakota Secretary of State has registration requirements for individuals and businesses transacting business in North Dakota. If the successful Offeror is determined to have a registration requirement with the North Dakota Secretary of State, they must be registered before the contract award and registration must remain active for the duration of the contract period (N.D.C.C. § 54-44.4-09.1)

· Check the Business Records database to see if a business is registered.

· Contact Secretary of State's office by email or call 701-328-2900 (choose menu item 2, then option 1).

· If you need to register, fees apply.

· Vendors may need to obtain businesses licenses. See the list of licenses required of businesses in the State of North Dakota. The link includes information on who to contact, application fees, renewal dates, and the legal reference.

Bidders List Registration Individuals or business entities desiring to be notified of bidding opportunities may apply to be placed on the Bidders List. (N.D.C.C. § 54-44.4-09) Bidders Lists are used to notify vendors when solicitations are issued on the State Procurement Office Online system (SPO Online). Placement on the Bidders List does not guarantee a vendor will receive notice of every solicitation (N.D.A.C. § 4-12-05-01). There are no fees to register as a bidder. The online application form requests contact information for the receipt of solicitation notices. The Bidders List application and SPO Online system use commodity codes to identify categories of goods, services, and information technology.

The commodity codes used for this solicitation are: 208-36; 209-37; 915-96; 920.

Visit the OMB website for instructions and the online Bidders List Application:

Bidders List Registration Website

For assistance with Bidders List Registration, contact State Procurement Help Desk at 701-328-1728 or infospo@nd.gov.

State Procurement Website – SPO Online This RFP and any related amendment and notices will be posted on the North Dakota Office of Management and Budget website - State Procurement Online system. Offerors are responsible for checking this website to obtain all information and documents related to this RFP: https://apps.nd.gov/csd/spo/services/bidder/main.htm. Select “Recent Solicitations”. Recent Solicitations are listed by close date.

Notices related to this RFP will be sent to the Bidders List for the needed commodity or service and other known potential offerors.

Offerors not having completed the Bidders List registration may request to receive notices related to this RFP by contacting the Procurement Officer in writing with the following information: RFP title, business name, contact person, mailing address, telephone number, and email address.

Deadline for Questions and Objections Offerors should carefully review the RFP including all attachments. Offerors may ask questions to obtain clarification, request additional information, or object to material in the RFP. Questions and objections must be submitted to the Procurement Officer in writing by the deadline identified in the RFP schedule. The Procurement Officer may elect to respond to questions received after the deadline. If no deadline is specified, questions or objections must be received at least seven days prior to the proposal receipt deadline – Solicitation Closing.

Questions and objections should include a reference to the applicable RFP section or subsection. Email is the preferred method of submission with the RFP number cited in the email subject line.

Responses to questions and requests for clarifications will be distributed as a solicitation amendment unless the question can be answered by referring the offeror to a specific section of the RFP.

Preproposal Conference or Site Inspection The STATE will not hold a preproposal conference or site inspection for this RFP.

Offer Held Firm Offerors must hold proposals firm for at least 180 days from the deadline for receipt of proposals (Solicitation Closing). The STATE may send a written request to all offerors to hold their offer firm for a longer period time of time.

Offeror Responsible for Costs Offeror is responsible for all costs associated with the preparation, submittal, and evaluation of any proposal including any travel and per diem associated with demonstrations and presentations.

Taxes The STATE is not responsible for and will not pay itemized local, state, or federal taxes. Purchases of tangible personal property made by a state government agency is exempt from sales tax. The state sales tax exemption number is E-2001, and certificates will be furnished upon requested by the purchasing agency. The contractor must provide a valid Vendor Tax Identification Number as a provision of the contract.

The purchasing agency will determine if services provided under this contract are 1099 reportable. The purchasing agency may require the contractor to submit a W9.

The state tax exemption number should not be used by contractors in the performance of a contract.

A contractor or service provider performing any contract, including service contracts, for the United States Government, State of North Dakota, counties, cities, school districts, park board or any other political subdivisions within North Dakota is not exempt from payment of sales or use tax on materials, tangible personal property, and supplies used or consumed in carrying out contracts. In these cases, the contractor is required to file returns and pay sales and use tax just as required for contracts with private parties. Contact the North Dakota Tax Department at 701-328-1246 or visit its website at https://www.tax.nd.gov/news/resources for more information.

A contractor performing any contract, including a service contract, within North Dakota is also subject to the corporation income tax, individual income tax, and withholding tax reporting requirements, whether the contract is performed by a corporation, partnership, or other business entity, or as an employee of the contractor. In the case of employees performing the services in the state, the contractor is required to withhold state income tax from the employees' compensation and remit to the state as required by law. Contact the North Dakota Tax Department at 701-328-1248 or visit its website for more information.

Solicitation Closing – Late Proposals Rejected An offeror is responsible for ensuring its proposal is received by the STATE prior to Solicitation Closing identified in the RFP schedule. A solicitation amendment will be issued if the proposal receipt deadline is changed. An offeror may contact the Procurement Officer to inquire whether its proposal has been received. Proposals delivered late will be rejected pursuant to N.D.A.C. § 4-12-08-13.

Amendment and Withdrawal of Proposals Offeror may amend, supplement, or withdraw proposal prior to the Solicitation closing deadline. No changes will be accepted after the Solicitation closing deadline. After the Solicitation closing deadline, Offeror may make a written request to withdraw proposal and provide evidence that a substantial mistake has been made, and the STATE may permit withdrawal.

Proposal Opening A public opening will not be held.

This is a formal sealed Request for Proposal (RFP) process. Proposals will be secured and held unopened until the Solicitation Closing deadline. Per N.D.A.C § 4-12-08-04, the openings may be made public at the discretion of the purchasing agency. If a public opening is held, only the names of Offerors that submitted proposals can be revealed at the opening, and each proposal will be opened in a manner to avoid disclosure of the contents to the competing Offerors.

Proposals Subject to North Dakota Open Record Law All proposals and other material submitted become the property of the STATE and may be returned only at the STATE's option. All proposals and related information, including detailed cost information, are exempt records and will be held in confidence until an award is made, in accordance with N.D.C.C. § 54-44.4-10(2).

Offerors may make a written request that trade secrets and other proprietary data contained in proposals be held confidential. Material considered confidential by the offeror must be clearly identified, and the offeror must include a brief statement that sets out the reasons for confidentiality. See the North Dakota Office of the Attorney General website for additional information.

After award, proposals will be subject to the North Dakota open records law. Records are closed or confidential only if specifically stated in law. If a request for public information is received, the Procurement Officer, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, will determine whether the information is an exception to the North Dakota open records law, and the information will be processed appropriately.

News Releases Offerors shall not make any news releases related to this RFP without prior approval of the STATE.

Conflict of Interest Under state laws and rules, a state employee or official shall not participate directly or indirectly in a procurement when the state employee or officials knows of a conflict of interest. Potential conflicts of interest include state employees or their immediate family members employed by the firm, seeking employment with the firm, or with a financial interest in the firm. Potential conflicts of interest will be addressed in accordance with N.D.A.C. § 4-12-04-04., N.D.C.C. § 12.1-13-03.

Persons employed by the State of North Dakota, or within one year thereafter, may be prohibited from acquiring a pecuniary interest in a public contract or transaction. Offerors should review N.D.C.C. § 12.1-13-02 to ensure compliance and avoid such conflict(s) of interest.

Attempt to Influence Prohibited Offerors must not give or offer to give anything to a state employee or official anything that might influence or appear to influence procurement decisions. Suspected attempt to influence will be handled in accordance with N.D.A.C. § 4-12-04-05.

Collusion Prohibited Offerors must prepare proposals independently, without collusion. Suspected collusion will be handled in accordance with N.D.A.C § 4-12-04-06.

Protest and Appeal An interested party may protest a solicitation pursuant to N.D.C.C. § 54-44.4-12 and N.D.A.C. § 4-12-14-01. When a solicitation contains a deadline for submission of questions and objections, protests of the solicitation will not be allowed if these faults have not been brought to the attention of the Procurement Officer before the specified deadline.

An offeror that has submitted a response to a solicitation and is aggrieved may protest an award or notice of intent to award pursuant to N.D.C.C. § 54-44.4-12 and N.D.A.C. § 4-12-14-02. The protest must be submitted in writing to the Procurement Officer during the protest period, which is seven calendar days beginning the day after the notice of intent to award is issued.

The protestor may appeal the decision of the Procurement Officer to the Director of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) within seven calendar days after receiving notice of the decision pursuant to N.D.C.C. § 54-44.4-12 and N.D.A.C. §4-12-14-03.

specifications prepared by non-state personnel When a purchasing agency has specifications prepared by someone other than a state employee or official on behalf of the state, that person or business entity must be excluded from submitting bids or proposals in accordance with N.D.A.C. § 4-12-06-06.

Supplier Registration (Payee) The successful Offeror will be required to complete Supplier Registration, if not already registered as a Supplier. Any individual or business who will be receiving payment from a state agency or higher education institution must complete a registration process to collect important financial and taxpayer information. Payments are generally made by check or automatic clearing house (ACH), and taxpayer information must be collected in compliance with IRS requirements. The State and North Dakota University System (NDUS) have separate financial systems and vendor registration processes.

SECTION TWO – BACKGROUND

Background Information The North Dakota Retirement and Investment Office (RIO) was established in 1989 to coordinate the activities of the State Investment Board (SIB) and the Teachers' Fund for Retirement (TFFR) as stated in N.D.C.C. § 54-52.5-01. The mission of RIO is to provide prudent and transparent investment services for our client funds and support North Dakota public school educators with responsible benefit administration.

The SIB is established in N.D.C.C. § 21-10 and has statutory responsibility for the administration of the investment program of several funds totaling over $26 billion, including the Teachers' Fund for Retirement, the Public Employees Retirement System, the Workforce Safety & Insurance Fund, and the Legacy Fund. The SIB also maintains contractual relationships for investment management with certain political subdivisions. Overall, the SIB invests on behalf of 29 state and local government funds and is the oversight board for RIO.

North Dakota's Legacy Fund was created by a constitutional amendment that was initiated by the state legislature and approved by voters (defined in Article X , Section 26 of the North Dakota Constitution). The Legacy Fund is a sovereign wealth fund established in 2010 to secure long-term financial benefits for North Dakotans. The Legacy Fund receives 30% of state oil and gas tax revenues and has a value of $13 billion, generating $687 million in earnings for the 2025-27 biennium. At the end of each biennium, the fund earnings (as defined by N.D.C.C. § 54-27-32) are transferred to the state's general fund where they are used to support legislative appropriations, economic diversification, infrastructure, and reserves. The SIB is responsible for administration of the fund. The Legacy and Budget Stabilization Fund Advisory Board serves as the client board and determines the asset allocation.

During the 2025 legislative session, a new section, 06.3, was added to N.D.C.C. § 21-10 requiring a Legacy Fund disclosure website:

21-10-06.3. Legacy fund disclosure website.

1. The state investment board shall maintain a publicly accessible website containing information regarding all legacy fund investments.

2. The website must list all companies, funds, and other financial mechanisms in which the legacy fund is invested in accordance with state and federal laws.

3. Within the limits of legislative appropriations, the state retirement and investment office may spend moneys necessary for the development and maintenance of the website.

While RIO currently provides significant Legacy Fund information on its website, much of it is embedded in lengthy, technical documents that are difficult for the public to interpret, resulting in high volumes of information requests.

The statute now requires a dedicated Legacy Fund website to improve public access, transparency, and understanding of investments and legislative spending of earnings, while ensuring compliance with state and federal laws and protecting proprietary investment information.

An RFP is needed to procure a secure, public-facing website that consolidates key data, improves usability, reduces administrative burden, and meets statutory transparency obligations without compromising investment integrity.

Additional information about RIO can be found here:

https://www.rio.nd.gov/

Additional information about SIB can be found here:

https://www.rio.nd.gov/state-investment-board-sib

2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report:

https://www.rio.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/PDFs/RIO/Reports/annualreport2024.pdf Budget The funds for payment of this contract are already appropriated and identified.

Technical Architecture Overview North Dakota State Government Technical Environment In overview North Dakota's technical environment consists of Windows based desktops and a variety of server platforms connected via an IP based network. Desktop support is provided by the individual state agencies with the Information Technology Department (ITD) providing the statewide network and support for most of the server platforms.

Desktop Environment The desktop standard is an Intel platform running Windows 10 or higher. End User support is provided through a central help desk; this service is available 24x7x365.

Network Services As specified in ND Century Code Chapter 54-59-02, ITD is directed to provide network access to government, K12, higher education, and political subdivisions. The statewide network is known as the North Dakota Statewide Technology Access for Government and Education network (STAGEnet). Within state government, ITD provides full network services to the desktop. Entities located in larger cities are served with dark fiber metro networks, while other sites are connected with either provider Ethernet Transport Services (ETS) or broadband with VPN, with speeds varying from 50 megabit to 10 gigabits. The core of STAGEnet consists of a 100 Gigabit Ethernet ring between Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, and Minot. STAGEnet also provides both 802.1x authenticated Wi-Fi as well as open guest Wi-Fi in many locations throughout the state.

Additionally, STAGEnet provides full layer 7 IDS/IPS capabilities, including malware detection, sandbox detonation, and various other network-based security defenses. All user traffic passes through an IDS/IPS gateway before communicating with any other site in STAGEnet or the internet.

The STAGEnet datacenters are built using zero trust methodology, in that no server can communicate with any other device without an explicit security policy in place to allow it. ITD uses a combination of cloud-hosted and on-premises datacenters.

Directory Services/Authentication ITD provides a single Microsoft Active Directory network domain that provides agencies with a single network sign-on. All agency computers utilizing the State’s Active Directory are members of the state forest, NDGOV. Each agency comprises an Organizational Unit (OU) within NDGOV. ITD provides the necessary Domain controllers and Global Catalog servers for authentication services. State user accounts are synchronized with an Azure Active Directory (AAD) instance providing a centralized identity provider service for State users and supports OpenID Connect, OAuth2, and SAML integrations. ITD also utilizes Microsoft conditional access with multi-factor, utilizing smartphone-based authentication where possible.

In addition, for public user authentication ITD provides a federated identity provider service backed by Azure B2C. The service provides public users the ability to create and maintain their own identities and supports single sign on (SSO) across State services via the standard OpenID Connect integrations.

Hosting Services Most state agencies receive hosting services from ITD. ITD utilizes both MS Windows server as well as Red Hat Linux server operating systems. MS SQL server is the preferred database platform, with limited Oracle and MySQL DB deployments also available.

ITD in addition to on-premises hosting, ITD utilizes Microsoft Azure Commercial and Microsoft Azure Government services.

Productivity/Unified Communications Environment The State of North Dakota leverages all components of the Microsoft productivity suite, including but not limited to Exchange online, Teams voice, SharePoint, Power BI, and OneDrive.

SECTION THREE – SCOPE OF WORK

Scope of Work The STATE is soliciting proposals for

· the creation and management of a website for the North Dakota Legacy Fund that will provide information about the fund and dynamic investment holdings data and associated attributes to the public; and

· investment holdings data aggregation, transformation, and validation for the website.

As part of the RFP process, the STATE expects multiple offerors and service providers may be necessary to support the data management and website creation/management.

As a result, the STATE has determined the most efficient method to obtain a comprehensive solution is to divide the RFP into two categories: Category A – Website Creation/Management and Category B - Data Management. Offerors can submit proposals for one or both categories A and B. See instructions in Section Four of this proposal.

Below is a summary of the RFP proposal categories with a high-level overview of functionality that the STATE would expect within each proposal. A more detailed list of requirements can be found in the Attachment 1 – Scope of Work. Vendors/offerors are expected to provide detailed responses to the requirements in the Requirements Matrix.

CATEGORY A

Website Creation/Management

· Publicly accessible website, available 24/7

· Multiple RIO users with defined user roles

· Multiple webpages utilizing North Dakota State Brand Guidelines (Attachment 5)

· Dynamic investment holdings data with advanced filtering, mapping, and visualizations and ability to download holdings data reports

· Ensure integrity and security of data available on the site

· Feedback options for site visitors

CATEGORY B

Data Management

· Aggregate and transform investment holdings data through automated processing steps (see Attachment 6 Investment holdings data sample)

· Define data aggregation rules to ensure accuracy

· Security, Governance and Approval surrounding the data deemed as confidential, ensuring that certain data is not published or displayed on the website.

· Ability to provide approved data to the website automatically in a format appropriate for website structure.

The STATE anticipates the full implementation of the website by September 30, 2026 (with data as of June 30, 2026). During implementation, data from June 30, 2025, will be used to develop the data management process, create the website, and test the website functionality.

Currently, the STATE intends to update the investment holdings data annually, utilizing fiscal year end (June 30) information. The STATE plans to procure an updated accounting system in the coming years. Once implemented, the data management process may need to be updated, and the STATE will consider updating the website quarterly.

Applicable Directives This information technology project is subject to the following:

· N.D.C.C. § 54-10-28 related to the state auditor’s authority to conduct information technology compliance reviews.

· N.D.C.C. § 54-59 related to the Information Technology Department.

· N.D.C.C. §§ 54-35-15.2, 54-35-15.3, and 54-35-15.4 related reporting to and review by the Legislative Council Information Technology Committee.

Laws Impacting Major Information Technology Projects This IT Project is a major information technology project subject to the following state of North Dakota laws:

N.D.C.C. § 54-59-23. Information technology projects – Reports.

1. An executive, legislative, or judicial branch agency, except for institutions under the control of the state board of higher education, shall report to the Information Technology Department before September 1st of each even-numbered year regarding the plan for and status of any information technology project that is estimated to cost more than five hundred thousand dollars.

2. During the life of the project, the agency shall notify the Information Technology Department if:

a. At a project milestone, the amount expended on project costs exceeds the planned budget for that milestone by twenty percent or more; or

b. At a project milestone, the project schedule extends beyond the planned schedule to attain that milestone by twenty percent or more.

3. A report under subsection 2 must specify corrective measures being undertaken to address any cost or time of completion issue. If the agency has not taken adequate corrective measures within ninety days after the report, the agency shall submit a report to the legislative management's information technology committee regarding the project.

4. Upon completion of the project, the agency shall notify the Information Technology Department if:

a. The budget for the project exceeded the original budget by twenty percent or more; or

b. The final project completion date extended beyond the original project scheduled completion date by twenty percent or more.

N.D.C.C § 54-59-32. Major information technology projects – Oversight.

1. An executive branch state agency, excluding institutions under the control of the state board of higher education, proposing to conduct a major information technology project, the department, and the office of management and budget, in consultation with the attorney general, shall collaborate on the procurement, contract negotiation, and contract administration of the project. The agency, the department, and the office of management and budget, in consultation with the attorney general, shall approve the solicitation, contract, or agreement, and any amendments relating to the project before submission to the oversight committee as provided in subsection 3.

2. The procurement officer and primary project manager for a major information technology project must meet the qualifications established by the department and the office of management and budget.

3. An oversight committee must be appointed to oversee a major information technology project. The chief information officer shall appoint a chairman of the committee. The oversight committee may include the director of the office of management and budget or a designee of the director, the chief information officer or a designee of the officer, the head of the agency contracting for the project or a designee, the project sponsor, and a large project oversight analyst designated by the chief information officer. The oversight committee shall monitor the overall status of the project and make recommendations to the head of the agency contracting for the project or a designee, and the project sponsor, regarding project decisions, negotiation and execution of contracts, approval of project budgets, implementation of project schedules, assessment of project quality, and consideration of scope changes.

4. An agreement or contract, including an amendment, revision, or scope change, for a major information technology project may not be entered unless signed by the head of the contracting agency or a designee and the chief information officer or a designee of the officer.

Information Technology Solution Review the referenced tabs below to ensure they match the Scope of Work file. The STATE has developed Information Technology Solution Specifications in Attachment 1 - Scope of Work listed in the tab labeled 3.3 IT Solution to describe the specifications for the proposed solution.

enterprise specifications The STATE has developed Enterprise Specifications in Attachment 1 - Scope of Work listed in the tab labeled 3.4 Enterprise Specs to describe the enterprise specifications for the proposed solution.

Product Support The STATE has developed Product Support specifications in Attachment 1 - Scope of Work listed in the tab labeled 3.5 Prod Support to describe the specifications for the proposed solution.

Experience and Qualifications The STATE has developed Experience and Qualifications specifications in Attachment 1 - Scope of Work listed in the tab labeled 3.6 Offeror Exp & Qual to describe the specifications for the proposed solution.

SECTION FOUR – PROPOSAL

Proposal Preparation The STATE discourages overly lengthy and costly proposals. An offeror must prepare its proposal using the prescribed proposal format and provide all the requested information; this will enable the proposal to be evaluated fairly and completely. If an offeror submits more than one proposal, each proposal must be prepared in accordance with these instructions. Offerors can submit proposals for one or both categories A and B.

Each proposal will include a Technical Proposal and a Cost Proposal prepared in accordance with these instructions. The Technical Proposal and a Cost Proposal must be submitted as separate documents, clearly labeled with the name of the Offeror, and marked “Technical Proposal” and “Cost Proposal.” Costs must not be revealed in the Technical Proposal. Options may be discussed in the technical proposal, but all cost information must be in the Cost Proposal only. DO NOT submit documents that are embedded into proposal documents or that contain links to documents on an external website.

Proposal submission instructions

UPLOAD RESPONSE THROUGH THE STATE PROCUREMENT ONLINE SYSTEM (SPO ONLINE)

Offeror must electronically submit proposals through the State Procurement Office Online system (SPO Online) by the Solicitation Closing deadline.

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE “LAST MINUTE” TO SUBMIT A RESPONSE. Recommend uploading response 24 hours prior to the Solicitation Closing deadline.

Offeror must begin the electronic submission process well in advance of the Solicitation Closing deadline to allow for transmission and resolution of any technical difficulties. Be advised that the STATE is not responsible for an Offeror’s failure to timely submit a proposal due to any technical difficulties. If you experience any technical difficulties contact the Procurement Officer or the State Procurement Office at infospo@nd.gov or 701.328.2740.

If documents are in the process of being uploaded when the Solicitation Closing deadline occurs, the upload process will stop. The attempted submission will not be uploaded successfully and is ineligible for consideration. The STATE takes no responsibility for electronic submissions that are captured, blocked, filtered, quarantined, or otherwise prevented from uploading by any anti-virus or other security software.

1. This solicitation is posted on SPO Online at: https://apps.nd.gov/csd/spo/services/bidder/main.htm

2. Select “Recent Solicitations” and find this solicitation. Solicitations are listed by close date.

3. Use “Upload Response” to upload a maximum of five (5), clearly labeled documents before the Solicitation Closing deadline provided in the RFP Schedule.

4. Offeror must upload their Technical Proposal and Cost Proposal in separate files.

5. The maximum file size allowed is 50mb per file.

6. There is a 50 character file name limitation for the document being uploaded.

7. There is 75 character limit in the TITLE field within SPO Online.

8. All SPO Online field entries must be alphanumeric. Dashes and underscores are allowed; however, the system DOES NOT accept other special characters such as apostrophe, & symbol, quotation marks, etc.

9. DO NOT submit documents that are embedded (zip files), movies, wmp, encrypted, or mp3 files.

10. Offeror will receive an email confirmation from infospo@nd.gov that the upload response was received including the “File Description” for the uploaded files. Review this email to ensure all files were successfully uploaded. If Offeror DOES NOT receive an email confirmation, the upload was NOT successful, and the files will need to be uploaded again. If Offeror does not receive an email confirmation after the reattempt, contact the Procurement Officer or the State Procurement Office at infospo@nd.gov or 701.328.2740.

Visit https://www.omb.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/doing-business-with-the-state/procurement/spo-electronic-response-external-job-aid.pdf for the SPO Electronic Response Job Aid which describes how to submit an electronic response.

proposal format Prepare the technical proposal and cost proposal in accordance with these instructions. Each file must be submitted as separate documents, clearly labeled with the name of the Offeror and marked “Technical Proposal” and “Cost Proposal”.

Technical Proposal – Format the proposal with the following labeled sections (see Section 4.3 below):

Section 1 – Cover Letter Section 2 – RFP Amendments Section 3 – Contract Provisions Section 4 – Open Records and Confidentiality Section 5 – Supporting Documentation

Do not embed files in the document.

Attachment 1 Scope of Work Response (Excel) – Format this attachment following the RFP instructions below in Section 4.4.

Cost Proposal – The Cost Proposal must be a separate document. Format the cost proposal following the RFP instructions below in Section 4.5.

Technical Proposal Section 1 – Cover Letter Proposals shall include a cover letter signed by an individual with authority to bind the offeror that includes the following:

1. The name of the offeror, name of the person to contact regarding the proposal, email address, telephone number, and mailing address.

2. A statement that the offeror has read and agrees to comply with the requirements stated in this Request for Proposal.

3. A statement that the offeror’s proposal accurately describes the information technology solution and services being offered to the STATE.

4. A statement indicating whether the offeror or its employees or subcontractors working on the contract have an apparent or actual conflict of interest. (Offerors are instructed to review the “Conflict of Interest” provisions in the RFP Section 1 “Instructions.”) Section 2 – RFP Amendments Provide signed copies of all Solicitation Amendments issued by the STATE that were required to be acknowledged by offerors.

Section 3 – Contract Provisions

0. Contract Offeror shall review Technology Contract – Attachment 4.

The proposal must include a copy of the Technology Contract - Attachment 4 completed according to the instructions in the attachment.

Offerors are not to submit their own standard terms and conditions with their proposals. Offeror should address the specific language in the attached contract and submit any proposed changes or additional terms and conditions an offeror seeks to present for consideration by the STATE. Offerors are instructed to not include cost information in the Technology Contract.

Proposed Additional Terms If the proposal includes any proposed additional terms and conditions, such as software licensing agreement, maintenance agreement, or third-party agreement, these agreements must be included in the proposal.

Section 4 – Open Records and Confidentiality The state of North Dakota has broad open records laws. Proposals received are exempt from open record requirements until an award is made, in accordance with N.D.C.C. § 54-44.4-10(2). After award, proposals are subject to the North Dakota open records laws. Proposals or portions of proposals may be confidential only if specifically stated in law.

Offerors are instructed not to mark their entire proposal as “confidential.”

Offeror must provide one of the following in their proposal:

· Provide a statement indicating that their proposal does not contain any confidential information; or

· Make a written request to hold confidential any trade secrets and other proprietary data contained in its proposal. Offeror must clearly identify the material considered confidential and explain why the material is confidential. See the North Dakota Office of the Attorney General website for additional information. https://www.legis.nd.gov/cencode/t44c04.pdf and https://attorneygeneral.nd.gov/open-records-meetings If the STATE receives a request for public information, the Procurement Officer, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, shall determine whether the information is an exception to the North Dakota open records laws, and the information shall be processed accordingly.

Section 5 – Supporting Documentation Include any supporting documentation, such as attachments to your proposal response, other documents, samples, etc. in this section.

attachment 1 – scope of work response Offerors must provide a full response to each item number without cross referencing other sections of the proposal. Offerors must use the table format and maintain numbering provided by the STATE to respond to each item number. Attachments, documents, or samples must be clearly referenced where in the response they can be found in the applicable item number.

Be sure to complete each Tab listed below within the Excel file.

3.3 IT Solution Tab

a) Complete Section A. SOLUTION Category A – Website Creation/Management to submit on Category A.

b) Complete Section B. SOLUTION Category B – Data Management to submit on Category B.

c) Complete both Sections A and B to submit on both categories.

d) Sections C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M must be completed regardless of category being submitted. If an offeror submits for both categories and responses vary by category, the Offeror shall clearly identify the specific category to which each respective response applies.

3.4 Enterprise Specs Tab

All sections must be completed regardless of category being submitted. If an Offeror is submitting proposals for both categories and any response varies by category, the Offeror shall clearly identify the specific category to which each respective response applies.

If a question is specific to a category and not applicable to the Offeror’s submission, “N/A” may be entered in the response field.

3.5 Prod Support Tab

All sections must be completed regardless of category being submitted. If an Offeror is submitting proposals for both categories and any response varies by category, the Offeror shall clearly identify the specific category to which each respective response applies.

If a question is specific to a category and not applicable to the Offeror’s submission, “N/A” may be entered in the response field.3.6 Exp and Qual Tab All sections must be completed regardless of category being submitted. If an Offeror is submitting proposals for both categories and any response varies by category, the Offeror shall clearly identify the specific category to which each respective response applies.

If a question is specific to a category and not applicable to the Offeror’s submission, “N/A” may be entered in the response field.

Cost Proposal Offeror must complete the Cost Proposal – Attachment 2 or prepare a cost proposal following the same format clearly indicating the category for which the proposal is being submitted.

Offerors are requested to provide their best price in each individual category as this price will be used for cost points allocation purposes.

If an Offeror submits a proposal for both categories and elects to use a single cost proposal document, the Offeror shall clearly break out and itemize the costs (Deliverables, on-going maintenance & support and hosting etc.) for each category separately. Bundled cost proposals will not be accepted.

Cost proposals must be submitted electronically in a separate file (Excel is preferred) from the technical proposal through the SPO Online, refer to Section 4.1 for instructions.

Cost proposals must provide a total proposed cost for completing the requirements of this RFP. Include a detailed itemization of the cost proposal (e.g. breakdown of the implementation costs, post-implementation costs, direct and indirect expenses, total number of hours at various hourly rates, overhead, travel, etc.).

All costs must be stated in U.S. currency. Any commodities being imported must be identified, and the price must include any applicable customs, brokerage agency fees, and duties.

Offeror must provide a firm price for the requested number of years in the Cost Proposal attachment. If selected, all the pricing submitted either in the Cost Proposal or any Best and Final Offer Cost proposal will be added to any resulting contract.

Offeror should describe any discount terms for prompt payment. Discounts for prompt payment will not be considered in evaluating costs.

Provide costs associated with any Value-Added Features included in your proposal response. Provide details related to initial costs, reoccurring costs, and options.

SECTION FIVE – PROPOSAL EVALUATION

Award

The STATE intends to award a contract in each individual category to the responsible offeror whose proposal is determined to be responsive to the requirements of the solicitation and is determined to be most advantageous in consideration the RFP evaluation criteria for each category. This may result in separate contracts for each category or a single contract awarded to the same offeror for both categories. The top-scoring offeror in each category will receive the award. If two separate contracts are issued, the Contractors will be expected to coordinate and implement their respective projects.

Responsiveness All proposals will be evaluated to determine if they are responsive to the requirements of the solicitation. The STATE reserves the right to waive minor informalities in accordance with N.D.A.C. chapter 4-12-10. Minor informalities are insignificant omissions or nonjudgmental mistakes that are matters of form rather than substance, evident from RFP document, with a negligible effect on price, quantity, quality, delivery, or contractual conditions that can be waived or corrected without prejudice to other offerors.

Responsive proposals will be evaluated by the Procurement Officer or evaluation committee using the evaluation criteria stated in the RFP.

Responsibility The STATE may, at any time, may make a supplementary investigation as to the responsibility of any offeror in accordance with N.D.A.C. § 4-12-11-04. This investigation may include, but is not limited to, financial responsibility, performance record, or other matters related to the offeror’s probable ability to deliver if a contract is awarded to the offeror. The STATE reserves the right to contact references, other customers, including state and local government agencies, regarding past experience with the offeror. If it is determined that an offeror appears not to be sufficiently responsible, the proposal will be rejected.

Evaluation Criteria Proposals will be evaluated by category using a 100 point scale. The evaluation committee will award points based on the questions in the Proposal Evaluation Worksheet – Attachment 3. The technical proposal evaluation score and cost proposal evaluation score will be added to determine the total evaluation score. After the initial evaluation, the evaluation committee may determine which proposals are reasonably susceptible for award and short-list the evaluation process to only those offerors. The final evaluation score will consider information received by the STATE, including but not limited to, discussions with offerors, demonstrations, presentations, site visits, reference checks, and best and final offers.

The evaluation criteria and relative weight for each category is as follows:

Technical Proposal Evaluation: 85 Points A. IT Solution – 50 Points B. Enterprise Specifications - 10 Points C. Product Support –10 Points D. Experience and Qualifications –15 Points Minimum Technical Score: Technical proposals must receive at least 55 of the total points available for the Technical Score to be considered responsive to the RFP requirements.

Cost Proposal Evaluation: 15 Points Preference Laws: Any applicable preference laws will be applied. For more information, refer to the Guidelines to Preference Laws.

Cost Proposal evaluations The STATE will calculate evaluation points awarded to cost proposals. Any prompt payment discount terms proposed by the offeror will not be considered in evaluating cost.

The reciprocal preference law, N.D.C.C. § 44-08-01, was repealed effective August 1, 2023.

The cost amount used for evaluation may also be affected by the application of other costs required to implement the proposed solution to determine the total cost of the solution (i.e. cost for ITD to host a State hosted solution).

If the offeror is proposing a solution for which STATE has an enterprise license agreement, STATE reserves the right to utilize the enterprise license agreement pricing in the cost point evaluation. If the offeror is awarded, STATE, at its sole discretion, may:

· give offeror the opportunity to match the pricing and licensing terms of STATE’s…