eBids RFP~1.docx

Illinois Department of Transportation Request for Proposal Electronic Bidding System (eBids) RFP BidBuy Bid Number 24-494DOT-FINAD-B-38479

Section A. SCOPE OF WORK

A.1. OVERVIEW AND PURPOSE

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), Bureau of Design and Environment seeks to procure a commercial off-the-shelf Software as a Service (SaaS) hosted solution for the replacement of the current electronic bidding system (eBids). The current eBids solution was implemented over ten years ago and the Agency is due to procure another solution.

A major goal of the Agency is to deliver transportation improvement projects to the public. Electronic bidding software streamlines the bidding process, providing transportation agencies with control over the bid letting process while facilitating bid submittal for contractors. This software enables IDOT to reduce the time and expense associated with data entry, bid revisions, bid tabulations, and finalization. Contractors are given the ability to receive proposal item schedules and to submit and withdraw item bids in a secure electronic environment.

IDOT intends to procure a Commercial Off the Shelf solution that meets the business and technical needs specified in this Request for Proposal (RFP). The successful Offeror will also assist IDOT in the implementation of the solution, data conversion from the legacy system, and integration of the solution with existing IDOT applications.

A.2. DESIRED OUTCOMES OF THIS PROJECT/ENGAGEMENT

IDOT seeks to procure a web-based solution that will interface with IDOT applications to receive construction project proposal details (pay item schedules, certifications, special provisions, etc.) and provide authorized contractors with an interface to complete and submit bids electronically. The solution will securely store completed bid information and release them to IDOT (via a system interface) at the designated letting date and time. The solution will have the capability to receive addendums (via interface) if any material changes are made to a project after being submitted to the electronic bidding system.

The successful Offeror will customize and implement the solution based on the project requirements, convert data from the legacy system(s), integrate the solution with existing IDOT applications and provide hosting services as outlined in this RFP and attachments.

A.2.1. Functional Deliverables - Below are descriptions of some of the most significant business functionality needed in this solution.

· Administrative Capabilities

· Ability to configure/modify internal and external user access (roles)

· Ability to upload contract specific documents to be viewed by approved vendors

· Ability to configure proposal eForms

· Ability to execute jobs which transfer data to internal systems

· Application and User Interface

· Ability to search historical data, including keyword search capabilities

· Ability to utilize hyperlinks to documents/screens for easier navigation

· Ability to incorporate validations to help eliminate incomplete or incorrect bid submissions

· Ability to display errors and warnings based on IDOT business rules

· Ability for users to upload and download documents and data

· Ability to send user notifications

· Bidding Functionality

· Ability to provide the user with a “letting dashboard” which includes the user’s approved proposals

· Ability to provide the user with a “bidding homepage” which includes all proposal components required to submit a bid

· Ability to utilize eForms for proposal components (Certifications, Special Provisions, etc.) based on IDOT specifications

· Ability for users to electronically sign/acknowledge eForms based on IDOT specifications

· Ability to provide the user with a bid guarantee interface

· Ability for users to view, modify, download and import pay item detail

· Ability to receive addendums to in-progress bids

· Ability for users to modify and submit bids up until the designated letting date

· Ability for users to withdraw bids up until the designated letting date

· Ability for users to preview and export bids

· Data Conversion

· The selected vendor will create a data migration plan in collaboration with IDOT personnel

· The selected vendor will convert data from legacy systems

· Reporting

· The system will include user, admin and audit related system reports based on IDOT specifications

· The system will include Ad-hoc reporting capabilities

· Interfaces and Integrations

· Ability to integrate with the department’s internal application for authentication management across all modules of the solution

· Ability to integrate with IDOT applications to receive letting & proposal details, addendums, bid authorizations, combination bids, vendor company information, notification recipients & contact details and user roles

· Ability to send completed bid information to integrated IDOT applications

· Ability to integrate with electronic surety bond providers

· Security

· Ability to secure bid data until the designated letting date and time

· Ability to allow authorized users to modify and/or submit bids up until the designated letting date and time

A.2.2. Project Documentation Deliverables – The offeror should include the following deliverables as part of the project. See Attachment A for a full description of mandatories and desirables the Agency is seeking.

· Project plan

· Implementation plan

· Data migration/conversion plan

· Interface/integration plan

· Testing plan

· Training plan

· Change management plan

· Defect management plan

· Risk and issue management plan

A.2.3. Offeror and Staff Specifications The offeror should include the following deliverables as part of the project. See Attachment A for a full description of mandatories and desirables the Agency is seeking.

· Profile and history

· Experience in software space

· Client information

· Implementation team

A.2.4. Support and Service Level Agreement (SLA) - See Attachment A and Attachment F for a full description of mandatories and desirables of the SLA the Agency is seeking.

A.3. TERM – USE 10 YEARS FOR INITIAL TERM

A.3.1. TERM OF THIS CONTRACT: The contract resulting from this procurement will have an initial term of 10 years. If a start date is not identified, then the term shall commence upon the last dated signature of the Parties. In no event will the total term of the contract, including the initial term, any renewal terms, and any extensions, exceed ten (10) years. Vendor shall not commence billable work in furtherance of the contract prior to final execution of the contract except when permitted pursuant to 30 ILCS 500/20-80.

A.3.2. RENEWAL: Subject to the maximum total term identified above, the State has the option to renew for the following term(s): N/A – There are no renewal terms for this contract.

Section B. CURRENT CONDITIONS

B.1. OVERVIEW & BACKGROUND

IDOT has been using electronic bidding software for approximately ten years and is due to issue another procurement.

B.2. VOLUMES & QUANTITIES

The department conducts approximately eight scheduled lettings per year, resulting in over 3500 bids and 1000 contracts valued at over $3 billion.

B.3. STRENGTHS

The primary strength of the current electronic bidding solution is the efficiency and cost savings the department has realized versus paper bidding. In addition, the current solution is integrated with key internal applications as pictured in the diagram below.

B.4. FIGURES, DIAGRAMS, & REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

Pictured below is Attachment G – Context Diagram, which shows how the current solution is integrated with other IDOT applications.

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

C.1. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS TO COMPLETE AND SUBMIT

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

· Vendor Disclosure or IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure

· Offer to State (Including Subcontractor Disclosure and Where Services are to be Performed, found in BidBuy Attachments.)

· Technical response

· Commitment to Diversity

· References

· Pricing

· BEP Utilization Plan (1% BEP goal) Blank documents may be found on the Chief Procurement Officer for General Service’s website at https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/solicitation-and-contract-templates.html and on the BidBuy posting under “File Attachments:”. Business Enterprise Program/Veterans Small Business Program Utilization Plan may be downloaded from the Commission on Equity and Inclusion’s website at https://cei.illinois.gov/business-enterprise-program/compliance.html.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

OFFEROR INSTRUCTIONS TO SUBMIT IN BIDBUY

Create Quote:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

C.4. PUBLISHED PROCUREMENT INFORMATION

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

C.5. INFORMATION CONTACT

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

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

C.6. OFFEROR QUESTIONS AND AGENCY RESPONSE

All questions, other than questions raised at the Pre-Submission Conference, pertaining to this solicitation must be submitted in writing to the Information Contact no later than 4:30 p.m. CST Wednesday, March 27, 2024. Questions received and Agency responses may be posted as a Bid Amendment to the original solicitation on BidBuy; only these posted answers to questions shall be binding on the State. Offeror is responsible for monitoring BidBuy and BidBuy email notifications.

C.7. PRE-SUBMISSION CONFERENCE

The Agency is not conducting a pre-Submission Conference for this procurement.

C.8. SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE

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

C.9. BUSINESS ENTERPRISE FOR MINORITIES, WOMEN, AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES ACT PARTICIPATION AND UTILIZATION PLAN

The BidBuy posting indicates whether this solicitation contains a goal to include businesses owned and controlled by minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. If this solicitation contains a goal, then failure to complete and submit a Utilization Plan, including documentation demonstrating good faith efforts when requesting a waiver, shall render the Offer non-responsive. 30 ILCS 575/4(e). All questions regarding the subcontracting goal must be directed to the Information Contact indicated in BidBuy no later than 4:30 p.m. CST Wednesday, March 27, 2024. See the Utilization Plan for NIGP codes used to establish this goal.

BEP Goal: 1% Go to https://cei.illinois.gov/business-enterprise-program.html for complete requirements for BEP certification. Go to State of Illinois Commission on Equity and Inclusion at https://ceibep.diversitysoftware.com/ to search for certified BEP vendors.

C.10. SECURITY

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

C.11. TERMS AND CONDITIONS

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

D.1. EVALUATION PROCESS

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

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

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

D.2. RESPONSIVENESS

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

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

D.2.2. Subcontractor Disclosure: If the Offer includes any subcontractors, then Offeror shall complete the Subcontractor Disclosure section of the Offer to the State of Illinois.

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

· Active Illinois Procurement Gateway registration # with expiration date

· Certifications timely to this solicitation

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

· Disclosure of pending and current contracts

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

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

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

D.3. EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

The Technical Requirements are described in Attachment A. The State evaluates the Technical Requirements without consideration of price.

D.3.1. Total Number of Points Available for Technical Requirements is: 2,019.

D.3.2. Offeror shall complete and return Attachment A

D.3.3. Relative Weight in Point Format

RFP Mandatory Elements

RFP Desirable Elements

Quality of Product – Functionality Administrative Functionality General Application/Usability/User Interface Reporting Bidding Functionality

Quality of Product – Technical Infrastructure Audit & Security

Implementation Services Project Deliverables Data Conversion/Migration Training Testing

Vendor Information Company Profile & Experience Skills and Experience - Implementation Team

References Reference 1 Questionnaire Responses Reference 2 Questionnaire Responses Reference 3 Questionnaire Responses

Product Demonstration

Product Functionality Administrative Functionality Bidding Functionality Search Online Help Reporting Audit

Product Usability Visual Appeal/Navigation/Ease of Use

Vendor Handling Quality of demo Adherence to script

D.4. COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY ELEMENTS

Sections 20-15 and 35-30 of the Illinois Procurement Code (30 ILCS 500/) require offerors to be evaluated on their commitment to diversity. The points available for Commitment to Diversity are described in Section F.5. and are equivalent to 20% of the Technical Requirements points. The State evaluates Commitment to Diversity without consideration of price.

D.4.1. The total number of points for Commitment to Diversity is 405.

D.4.2. Offeror shall complete and return the forms referenced in Section F.5 Commitment to Diversity

D.4.3. Commitment to Diversity Categories Commitment to Diversity Categories

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

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

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

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

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

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

% of individuals in management /supervisor positions out of all staff who identify as women, minorities or person with disabilities.

% of total staff who identify as women, minorities or person with disabilities.

D.5. DEMONSTRATIONS

The demonstration must be provided at the Offeror’s expense. Offeror will be allowed up to four (4) hours to deliver the oral/product demonstrations. Demonstrations are targeted to be within forty-five (45) days of the bid submittal deadline. See Attachment D for a script which outlines vendor expectations for which scoring will be based.

Oral/product demonstrations are expected to only use generally available software that is currently available in the marketplace. Offerors shall not use beta software or software versions still in development that have not been approved for production availability in the marketplace.

Offerors who are unable to provide an oral/product demonstration within the dates identified by the Department will receive a score of zero (0) and as a result, will not be considered further in the evaluation process.

Offerors are asked to provide an electronic copy of their presentation on or before the scheduled presentation/demonstration date. The presentation will be shared with the evaluation committee to aid in their scoring of Offeror’s oral presentation/product demonstration.

D.6. MINIMUM REQUIRED POINTS

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

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

D.6.1. The total number of available points for Technical RFP Desirable Elements and Commitment to Diversity is 1,674.

D.6.2. RFP responses will be scored first. A minimum of 817 of the available (Technical RFP Desirable Elements and Commitment to Diversity) points is required to be eligible for demonstrations.

D.7. PRICE

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

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

D.7.1. The total number of points for Price is 485.

D.7.2. The State will determine Price points using the following formula:

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

D.8. MAXIMUM AVAILABLE POINTS

The maximum number of points is 2,019 (Technical) + 405 (Commitment to Diversity) + 485 (Price) = 2,909 maximum available points.

Section E. ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS

E.1. GOVERNING LAW AND FORUM

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

E.2. PUBLIC RECORDS AND REQUESTS FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT

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

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

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

E.3. MINORITY CONTRACTOR INITIATIVE

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

E.4. FEDERAL FUNDS

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

E.5. EMPLOYMENT TAX CREDIT

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

E.6. RESERVATIONS

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

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

E.7. AWARD

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

E.8. INVOICING ADDRESS

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

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

E.9. PROTEST REVIEW OFFICE

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

Chief Procurement Office Attn: Protest Review Office 300 West Jefferson Suite 128 Springfield, IL 62702 Email: cpogs.pro@illinois.gov

E.10. RESPONSIBILITY

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

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

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

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

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

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

E.10.5. BidBuy Terminology and Guidance: BidBuy is an online e-procurement system. There may be some difference between the procurement terminology used in this solicitation and the terms used in BidBuy. Please learn more about BidBuy by accessing the online resources found here:

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

Section F. PROPOSAL FORMS Offeror must complete and return:

· Technical Requirements: Mandatory Requirements without Evidence, Mandatory Requirements with Evidence, and Proposed Technical Solution (Attachment A)

· Commitment to Diversity (Section F.5)

· Pricing Spreadsheet (Attachment B)

· Offer to the State of Illinois Please read and follow each instruction carefully.

F.1. MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS WITHOUT EVIDENCE

Please read each item carefully and check “Agree” indicating acceptance for each mandatory without evidence requirement in Attachment A. An Offeror that does not check “Agree” will be disqualified and the rest of the proposal will not be scored. These Mandatory Requirements shall be included in any contract resulting from this solicitation.

F.2. MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS WITH EVIDENCE

Please check “Met” for each of the mandatory requirements with evidence for the proposed solution within Attachment A. An Offeror that does not provide substantiating evidence for each requirement will be disqualified and the rest of the proposal will not be scored.

These Mandatory Requirements shall be included in any contract resulting from this solicitation.

Please provide substantiating evidence in your Proposed Technical Solution. Use the column on the right to provide an answer and/or indicate the section and page number where your evidence/response to each item may be found. The State will evaluate Offeror’s evidence/response to verify the mandatory requirement is met.

F.3. PROPOSED TECHNICAL SOLUTION – DESIRABLE ELEMENTS

Please explain if your organization meets or will meet each of the desirable elements within Attachment A using the appropriate response code from the “Response Code Description” tab of Attachment A. Use the Vendor Response column to provide a narrative of how the solution meets the requirement and/or indicate the section and page number of your proposal where your response to each item may be found.

The Desirable Requirements and the Offeror’s responses shall be included in any contract resulting from this solicitation.

All references should complete Attachment E – Customer Reference Questionnaire, all of which must currently be using the complete proposed solution in production and must have been using it for at least one (1) year; one (1) of the references must be state governmental; IDOT will review ONLY the first three (3) Customer Reference Questionnaires received.

IMPORTANT NOTE: All references must be provided by the representative on Attachment E - Customer Reference Questionnaire. The completed questionnaire must be submitted via email by the Reference’s email, not the Offeror’s email.

The Offeror is responsible for coordinating the electronic submission of references utilizing the completed Customer Reference Questionnaires. The Offeror is to follow the steps listed below:

1) Send a copy of Attachment E - Customer Reference Questionnaire to each Reference.

b) Submit the completed Customer Reference Questionnaire by deadline. Questionnaires not received or received after the submission deadline will not be accepted and the Offeror will receive zero points for that reference.

c) Customer Reference Questionnaires not submitted on this specific form (Customer Reference Questionnaire - Attachment E) will not be accepted and the Offeror will receive zero points for that reference.

d) Sign and date the completed Customer Reference Questionnaire.

E-Mail the completed Customer Reference Questionnaire directly to:

Attn: Kathryn Shaw Kathryn.Shaw@illionis.gov

Subject: eBids RFP – Customer Reference Questionnaire BidBuy # 24-494DOT-FINAD-B-38479

2) Completion of the Customer Reference Questionnaire must comply with the instructions in Section F.4 REFERENCES and Attachment E - Customer Reference Questionnaire of the RFP. The Offeror should also note the following:

a) IDOT will not accept Customer Reference Questionnaires submitted by any means other than that which is described above;

b) Each Customer Reference Questionnaire submitted must be completed as required;

c) References may be contacted by IDOT to verify responses, and/or to verify Offeror’s ability to provide a solution or perform services.

The Offeror will NOT be deemed non-responsive for not providing references.

F.5. COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY

Commitment to Diversity Vendor Guidance including Vendor Submission Forms are located on the Chief Procurement Officer for General Service’s website at https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/commitment-to-diversity/c2d-guidance.html and on the BidBuy posting under “File Attachments:”

The Offeror must complete the Commitment to Diversity Vendor Answer Form and should reference the Vendor Guidance Packet for instructions.

F.6. PRICING

F.6.1. FORMAT OF PRICING:

F.6.1.1. Offeror shall submit pricing via the attachments tab in BidBuy, utilizing the agency provided form for pricing. Offeror shall upload pricing under the “Required Documents” section of the Attachments tab and check the box "Does the attachment contain any pricing, cost or discount information?" Failure to check this box allows your pricing to be viewed when bids are opened and may result in disqualification of your offer.

F.6.2. TYPE OF PRICING: The Illinois Office of the Comptroller requires the State to indicate whether the contract pricing is firm or estimated at the time it is submitted for obligation. Pricing pursuant to this contract is estimated.

F.6.3. EXPENSES ALLOWED: Expenses are not allowed as follows: N/A

F.6.4. DISCOUNT: The State may receive a Click here to enter text. % discount for payment within Click here to enter text. days of receipt of correct invoice. This discount will not be a factor in making the award.

F.6.5. TAXES: Pricing shall not include any taxes unless accompanied by proof the State is subject to the tax. If necessary, Offeror may request the applicable agency’s Illinois tax exemption number and federal tax exemption information.

F.6.6. OFFEROR’S PRICING OFFER: Enter pricing via Attachment B – Pricing Detail.

Section G. ATTACHMENTS AND EXHIBITS

· Attachment A – Mandatory and Desirable Requirements

· Attachment B – Pricing Detail

· Attachment C – Mandatory Reports Matrix

· Attachment D – Demo Script

· Attachment E – Customer Reference Questionnaire

· Attachment F – Service Level Agreements

· Attachment G – Context Diagram State of Illinois RFP V.24.2 image1.png