DCF RFI 2627 008 - RFI INSTRUCTIONS.pdf

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

RFI SOLICITATION INSTRUCTIONS

PMT-07 1 Rev. May 19, 2025

SECTION 1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 TITLE

Digital Privacy Protection Services

1.2 RFI NUMBER

DCF RFI 2627 008

1.3 The Department of Children and Families (Department) is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) seeking information from interested parties who can provide digital privacy protection and online personal information removal services for Department personnel occupying high-risk or sensitive positions.

The goal of this RFI is to gather information regarding available service models, operational capabilities, privacy protection methodologies, reporting capabilities, staffing approaches, pricing structures, and implementation considerations related to online exposure mitigation services.

This is an RFI as defined in §287.012(22), Florida Statutes (F.S.), for planning purposes only. This is not a solicitation for offers. The information gathered from this RFI may be used to develop a future competitive solicitation. It is the responsibility of the Respondent to check for any changes or notices on the Vendor Information Portal (VIP).

SECTION 2. PURPOSE

Rule 60A-1.042, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.), provides that an agency may request information by issuing a written RFI. Agencies are authorized to use an RFI in circumstances including, but not limited to, determining whether or not to competitively procure particular commodities or contractual services; determining what solicitation process to use for a particular need; or researching general, special, and/or technical specifications for a solicitation. A Vendor’s response to an RFI is not an offer and the agency may not use the Vendor’s submission to justify a contract with that Vendor without otherwise complying with chapter 287, F.S. and Rule 60A-1.042, F.A.C. Vendors submitting a response to an agency’s RFI are not prohibited from responding to any related subsequent solicitation(s).

Any future purchase of the services will be conducted in accordance with chapter 287, F.S. The Department may use responses from this RFI to prepare one or more competitive solicitations and as the basis for any subsequent Vendor meetings. Any request for cost information is for budgetary purposes only.

SECTION 3. PROCUREMENT OFFICER

The Procurement Officer is the sole contact point for communication (which will only be accepted in writing), and the only permitted means of contact is through email.

Sally Johns sally.johns@myflfamilies.com and CC: hqw.procurement.team.activities@myflfamilies.com

All emails to the Procurement Officer shall contain the RFI number in the subject line of the email.

SECTION 4. BACKGROUND

Department personnel may face elevated personal safety and privacy risks due to the nature of their duties. Publicly available personal information, including residential addresses, telephone numbers, family associations, photographs, social media references, and other identifying information may be https://vendor.myfloridamarketplace.com/ mailto:sally.johns@myflfamilies.com mailto:hqw.procurement.team.activities@myflfamilies.com

PMT-07 2 Rev. May 19, 2025 accessible through search engines, people-search websites, data brokers, and similar online sources.

The Department is researching commercially available services that assist with identifying, monitoring, suppressing, and/or removing publicly accessible personal information from online sources to reduce privacy and safety risks for personnel and their families.

SECTION 5. RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS

5.1 SUBMISSION LAYOUT

Please organize your responses to this RFI as follows

TAB 1 INTRODUCTION

TAB 2 DETAILS

TAB 3 PRICING

TAB 4 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

5.2 REQUESTED INFORMATION

5.2.1 TAB 1: INTRODUCTION

Please provide a cover letter with the name of the Respondent and the primary point of contact. The cover sheet must reference the RFI number and title. Include a brief summary of your organization, its history and experience with information requested in this RFI.

5.2.2 TAB 2: DETAILS

The Department requests that Respondents provide information on the following areas to support a full evaluation of potential approaches:

5.2.2.1 Functional Capabilities:

Respondents are encouraged to describe the identity protection and online privacy services available that provide a full range of identity protection features, including online personal information removal, data broker opt-out management, people-search website suppression, social media exposure mitigation, impersonation monitoring, search engine result reduction, and digital privacy monitoring. Describe any limitations associated with removing or suppressing information from third-party social media platforms and user-controlled accounts. Describe any experience providing services to:

• child protective investigators,

• law enforcement personnel,

• public sector investigators,

• attorneys,

• judges,

• or other high-risk government employees

5.2.2.2 System Architecture:

PMT-07 3 Rev. May 19, 2025

Respondents are encouraged to describe a staffing model and whether services are performed within the United States. Describe any dashboards, reporting tools, alerts, or case management capabilities available to customers. Describe how your organization measures service effectiveness.

Describe customer support availability and escalation procedures for urgent safety concerns.

5.2.2.3 System Security:

Respondents are encouraged to describe how confidential personnel information is secured, stored, transmitted, and protected. Respondents are encouraged to provide their system security framework(s), controls, and practices to ensure the protection of sensitive and regulated information.

This includes data protection measures such as encryption in transit and at rest, compliance with applicable federal and state security standards, multi-factor authentication (MFA) and access controls, audit logging and monitoring, incident response procedures, and capabilities for data backup, redundancy, disaster recovery, and business continuity. Respondents may also identify any security certifications, third-party audits, independent assessments, or compliance with recognized security frameworks associated with their solution, including but not limited to SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST Cybersecurity Framework, FedRAMP, CJIS, or comparable standards.

5.2.2.4 Implementation Considerations:

Respondents are encouraged to describe estimated onboarding timelines and implementation requirements. Describe any staffing or administrative support required from the Department.

Respondents are encouraged to describe how their solution scales to support varying numbers of covered personnel and any factors that may impact implementation or administration at different enrollment levels.

5.2.2.5 Ongoing Maintenance:

Respondents may provide information about how frequently monitored websites and data brokers are re-checked for republished information. Describe the process for recurring or continuous removal requests.

5.2.3 TAB 3: PRICING

Pricing: This RFI is issued for planning and market research purposes only and is not a solicitation for offers. Respondents should not provide binding quotations, proposed contract pricing, or detailed pricing schedules. However, Respondents may provide general pricing information (e.g., price ranges and variable factors that impact the price) including:

• Per-user pricing

• Subscription models

• Tiered service levels

• Enterprise pricing

• Factors impacting cost

• Any optional services available beyond core online information removal

• Whether ongoing monitoring and recurring removal requests are included

5.2.4 TAB 4: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Please provide any additional information deemed necessary for consideration.

5.3 SUBMISSION FORMAT

PMT-07 4 Rev. May 19, 2025

Respondents must submit submissions via email using the contact information in Section 3.

5.4 TRADE SECRET, CONFIDENTIAL, OR PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

5.4.1 Article 1, section 24, Florida Constitution, guarantees every person access to all public records, and §119.011, F.S., provides a broad definition of “public record.” As such, the entirety of the Response is public record and is subject to disclosure unless exempt from disclosure by law. The Department defines “confidential information” as information that is trade secret as defined in §688.002, F.S., or otherwise confidential or exempt from disclosure under Florida or federal law.

5.4.2 If the Vendor considers any portion of the Response to be confidential information, the Vendor shall then submit two copies of the Response. In both copies, any portion of the Response considered confidential information shall be clearly labeled within the text of the Response as “CONFIDENTIAL”. For each portion of the Response that is labeled “CONFIDENTIAL”, the Vendor shall provide a written statement of the basis for exemption applicable to each provision identified by the Vendor as “confidential”, including citation to a protection created by statute, and state with particularity the reasons the provision is confidential.

5.4.3 By submitting a Response, the Vendor agrees to protect, defend, and indemnify the Department for all claims arising from or relating to the Vendor’s determination that the redacted portions of its Response are confidential information. If a Vendor fails to submit a Redacted Copy in accordance with these instructions, the Department is authorized to produce the entire material submitted to the Department in response to a demand for discovery or disclosure of these records or a public records request.

5.5 PRESENTATIONS

After the Department receives responses to this RFI, and at the sole discretion of the Department, one (1) or more Respondents may be selected to demonstrate to the Department the Respondent’s products and services relating to the information submitted in the RFI response. The purpose is to learn about the most current solutions available.

5.5.1 RESPONSE EVALUATION AND PARTICIPATION

Responses to this RFI will be used solely for planning, research, and information-gathering purposes. Responses will not be evaluated for the purpose of contract award, and participation in this RFI is not a prerequisite for participation in any future solicitation issued by the Department.

SECTION 6. TIMELINE

EVENT DATE TIME LOCATION

Release of RFI June 16, https://vendor.myfloridamarketplace.com/

Submission of Questions

June 30, 10:00 a.m. Section 7

Department’s Response to Questions

July 8, Section 7 https://vendor.myfloridamarketplace.com/

PMT-07 5 Rev. May 19, 2025

EVENT DATE TIME LOCATION

Responses Due July 22, 10:00 a.m. Section 3

Presentations, if applicable

TBD TBD

SECTION 7. WRITTEN QUESTIONS

7.1 All questions must be received by the Procurement Officer at the email addresses listed in Section 3, no later than the date and time specified in Section 6, Timeline.

7.2 Vendors are strongly encouraged to review the RFI in its entirety prior to asking questions.

7.3 The Department will not accept questions by telephone, postal mail, hand delivery or fax.

7.4 All questions should be submitted at one, rather than in multiple communications.

7.5 The Department reserves the right to respond to questions received after the written question submission deadline. It is the sole discretion of the Department to consider questions received after the written questions submission deadline.

SECTION 8. CAVEATS

8.1 Vendor Costs

Vendors are responsible for all costs associated with the preparation, submission, and any potential meeting(s) to discuss this RFI. The Department will not be responsible for any Vendor related costs associated with responding to this request.

8.2 Special Accommodations

Any person with a disability requiring special accommodations to participate in the RFI shall contact the Department’s sole point of contact at the email provided in Section 3 at least five (5) working days prior to the event. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact this office by using the Florida Relay Services which can be reached at 1 (800) 955-8771 (TDD). Certified Business Enterprises are encouraged to participate in the RFI process.