ESBD_473712_1764970855953_RFP301-26-06088 Solicitation - Part_A .pdf

STATE OF TEXAS

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

OFFICE OF FEDERAL AND STATE RELATIONS

for

SOFTWARE DATABASE FOR FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE TRACKING

Solicitation No. 301-26-06088

NIGP CLASS ITEMS

956-35 208-37

Response Date and Due Time: December 19, 2025 no later than 10:00 am CT

Point of Contact

Jeffrey Duhon

CTPM No. 1900017129

Procurement and Contract Manager

Office of the Governor of Texas

Financial Services Department

P.O. Box 12428

Austin, TX 78711-2878

(512) 936-9503

Jeffrey.Duhon@gov.texas.gov

PART A: SPECIFIC TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Solicitation No. 301-26-06088 - Part A

1. STRUCTURE OF SOLICITATION

This Solicitation is composed of three parts:

Part A: Specific Terms and Conditions, including exhibits and other attachments and appendices, if any;

Part B: Standard Terms and Conditions; and

Part C: Provisions Governing the Solicitation Process.

Resolution of Conflicting Provisions. In the event an instruction or term in Part A conflicts with an instruction or term in Part B or Part C, the instruction or term in Part A prevails. Any addenda or amendment to Part A, Part B, or Part C control over their original versions, respectively.

2. GENERAL INFORMATION

Purpose of Procurement.

The Office of the Governor’s (OOG) Office of Federal and State Relations (OSFR) seeks written proposals from qualified Respondents in accordance with the specifications contained in this RFP for a firm that provides commercial-off-the-shelf web-based subscription service that provides

Federal and State legislative tracking. Under the terms of this RFP, the OOG intends to select one or more qualified firms to provide the OOG with commercial-off-the-shelf web-based subscription service that provides Federal and State legislative tracking. Such services are intended to be utilized by all divisions of the Office.

Procurement Authority

The solicitation and contract are authorized by Texas Government Code Title 10, Subtitle D (the

“Purchasing Act”). The solicitation and contract are subject to all applicable requirements of the

Purchasing Act, in particular Chapters 2151 (General Provisions), 2155 (Purchasing: General

Rules and Procedures); and 2157 (Purchasing: Purchase of Automated Information Systems) of the Texas Government Code; those requirements established by rule of the CPA, Statewide

Procurement Division, as contained in Title 34, Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 20; and to other applicable Federal and State statutes and rules herein cited.

Term of Contract

2.3.1. Primary Term

The primary term of any Contract awarded as the result of this Solicitation shall commence on January 01, 2026 (“Effective Date”), and shall terminate on 08/31/2026, unless terminated earlier pursuant to the terms of the Contract. The primary term plus any renewal terms or extensions, if any, shall constitute the “Contract Term.”

2.3.2. Renewal Term

The OOG shall have the right to renew the term of the Contract for up to 3 additional

12 month periods through 08/31/2029 with consideration to Contractor performance.

The OOG shall provide the Contractor with written notice of its intention to renew the term of the Contract in writing at least thirty days prior to the Contract termination date.

2.3.3. Optional Extension

Upon the exhaustion of any and all renewal terms, the OOG may, in its sole discretion, extend the term of the Contract in any increment of months for up to six months if the

OOG determines that an extension is necessary to facilitate a transition to a new vendor.

The OOG shall provide the Contractor with written notice of its intention to extend the term of the Contract in writing at least thirty days prior to the Contract termination date.

Any compensation to the Contractor for this extension period would be based upon negotiated rates between the OOG and the Contractor and/or the reimbursement for actual expenses.

Office of the Governor’s Point of Contact Information. The mailing address of the

OOG for all notices is:

Jeffrey Duhon

CTPM No. 1900017129

Procurement and Contract Manager

Office of the Governor of Texas

Financial Services Department

P.O. Box 12428

Austin, TX 78711-2878

(512) 936-9503

Jeffrey.Duhon@gov.texas.gov

Captions and Headings

The captions to the sections of this Solicitation are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction or interpretation of the Solicitation’s substantive terms.

3. STATEMENT OF WORK – SERVICE REQUIREMENTS

Deliverables

Deliverables shall include, but are not limited to, the requirements contained in this Solicitation.

Deliverables set forth that contain the words “must” or “shall” are mandatory and must be provided as specified with no alteration, modification, or exception. Deliverables set forth that contain the words “may” or “can” allow Respondents to offer alternatives to the manner in which the

Deliverables are provided.

3.1.1. Objectives

The Office of the Governor’s objective is to procure a commercial-off-the-shelf web-based platform subscription service that provides Federal and State legislative tracking; Congressional tracking; Congressional staff directories for Member, personal staff, committee staff, leadership staff and caucus rosters; Federal Agency staff directories; Breaking news across 35,000 world-wide sources; Congressional Press Releases; Lobbying Reports; Federal and State regulations tracking; Congressional Hearings and Markups Schedules; Congressional Hearing Reports and

Transcripts; Source Documents; DC Calendar of Events for the Legislative and Executive branches; Exclusive coverage of all major federal policy areas; Lobbying Disclosures; and mobile application capabilities in addition to other available services.

3.1.2. Required Deliverables

Federal Legislative Tracking

This deliverable shall include bill searching and tracking capabilities for bills at the Federal level. Allows users to save search criteria for legislation based on Sponsors and Cosponsors, Keywords, Congressional Research Service Subject Terms, referred to Committees and Subcommittees, originating Chamber, and legislation types (bills, resolutions, joint resolutions, concurrent resolutions) going back to the 97th Congress. Tracks legislation via emailed alerts or mobile application notifications, and allows users to research and track legislation using desktop computers, laptops, tablets and mobile application. Allows clients to monitor new actions on bills using centralized folders, receive emailed updates on newly introduced legislation, and access a list of legislation that is relevant to bills being monitored.

Federal legislative tracking feature should include coverage of all open markups, Committee votes and Floor votes. Floor Watchers alert provides users with real-time updates on House and

Senate Floor remarks and actions.

Congressional Staff Directories

This deliverable shall provide a best in class Congressional staff directory. Updated daily directory to provide contact information (phone, email, and office location) that will enable The

OOG users to sort staffers by Member offices, job titles, issue areas, chamber, Committees/Subcommittees, caucus, state, party, educational history and location (DC vs

District). Search criteria for Congressional staff can be saved on the platform and staff lists can be exported into useful Excel documents to help make outreach more efficient and improve the ability to connect with key influencers on Capitol Hill. Each Congressional staffer has a dedicated biographical profile page and platform to show only congressional staffers who have changed jobs in the past two months along with their former office and title and distinguish whether they came from within or outside of Congress.

Caucus, Committee Roster & Directories

The platform should include pages dedicated to caucuses and committees, with listings of the Members along with links to each Member’s biographical page and staff contacts.

Federal Agency Directories

The platform should include a directory for Federal Agency staff, allowing OOG users to search by Agency, name, job title or appointee status. The platform Federal Agency

Directory should also provide an organizational chart that drills down to staff in the various bureaus and offices within Federal Agencies. Search criteria for Federal Agency staff can be saved, and lists can be exported as Excel documents.

Breaking News

The platform should allow OOG users to be alerted via email or mobile application notification on breaking news by issue. The platform should allow OOG users to create instant customizable breaking news alerts based on people, keywords and/or topics from world-wide publications.

Congressional Press Releases

The platform should deliver OOG users press releases by Congressional

Members, Leadership and Congressional Committees, as well as floor remarks and speeches made by Members of Congress. Congressional press releases should be delivered via emailed alert or mobile application notification as press releases hit the news wires in real-time, and can be read using the desktop platform.

Lobbying Reports

The platform should allow OOG users to access lobbying disclosures as required by the

Lobbying Disclosure Act. The platform provides lobbying reports for registrations and lobbying activities, and this information is updated daily. Texas OOG users can set emailed alerts for LDA filings by saving search criteria based on keywords, issue, company/organization, registrant name or contract amount.

Federal Regulation Tracker

The platform should have a searchable full text regulations tracking tool, which gives access to the Federal Register and tracks proposed rules, notices and final rules with updated regulatory comments and docket materials. The OOG users can also access the Code of Federal Regulations. Email alerts should easily be generated if a user wishes to be automatically notified of relevant regulatory developments. Regulation search criteria should include keyword, Regulating Agency, Related Legislation, CFR Affected, and

Citation/Docket/RIN. Public comments should be searchable by keyword, agency, submitting company/organization, document identifier, and date posted. The OOG users should also have the ability to track state regulations.

Hearings Schedules

The platform should inform the OOG users of Congressional hearings schedules and Congress

Tracker Newsletter, which is released each morning Congress is in session. The platform should provide detailed hearings schedules as well as markups. The OOG users should be able to access hearings schedules on Committee pages with the ability to set up hearings alerts for

Committees/Subcommittees. The platform should have the ability to search Hearings by keywords, dates, Committees/Subcommittees or Agencies, and the search criteria can be saved as alerts.

Source Documents

The platform should provide original Congressional, Committee and Agency documents, including Congressional Dear Colleagues, Committee Reports, Congressional

Records, legislation text, House Rules Committee documents, Congressional Budget

Office (CBO) Cost Estimates, Congressional Budget Justifications, Government

Accountability Office (GAO) Reports, Inspectors General (IG) Reports, the President’s

Budget Request, Congressional Research Services (CRS) Reports and more. The OOG users should be able to set up emailed alerts for Source documents.

DC Policy Events Calendar

The platform should utilize a Calendar & Events tool with the ability to search and set alerts for

DC policy events, including Congressional hearings and markups, Executive branch events, policy think-tank events, and other stakeholder events related to policy. The OOG users should have the ability to search for DC policy events by keywords, dates, federal policy issues, Committees/Subcommittees and Agencies.

Coverage of Federal Policy Areas

The platform should provide the OOG coverage of the major Federal policy areas. Coverage includes analysis and bill summaries, Congressional statements and actions in Committees and on the Floors, issues-based newsletters, and alerts for news on federal policy issues. The platform should also track Administration federal policy initiatives and policy issues at Agencies through rules and regulations

Congressional and Lobbying Disclosures

While Congressional Financial Disclosures Reports are not normally provided, upon request, by

OOG users, Congressional Disclosures should be provided to the OOG Account Manager. OOG users should have the ability to access lobbying disclosures, lobbying reports for registrations and lobbying activities. OOG users should have the ability to save an alert via search criteria based on keywords, issue, company/organization, registrant name or contract amount.

Mobile App Capabilities

The platform should have a mobile app that will push news and notifications for alerts set up in their individual accounts. Through the app, users should have the ability to search for legislation and access directories for Members, Congressional and Agency staff, Congressional

Committees, Congressional Caucuses, and Government Affairs Professionals. The mobile app should also include a DC Calendar of Events with hearings and markups schedules as well as general policy-related events in DC.

3.1.3. Contractor’s Relationship to the OOG

The OOG is a part of the executive branch of Texas state government and does not relinquish control over decisions related to the Deliverables specified in Part A of this Solicitation to the Contractor. Rather, the Contractor shall provide all

Deliverables under the Contract with the OOG’s prior approval.

Contracted Account Staff

The Contractor shall dedicate qualified professional staff who have demonstrated experience in providing the Deliverables necessary for the completion of Contract requirements. The Contractor must dedicate an Account Manager to oversee all activities of the Contract including, but not limited to, the management, accounting for the entire Contract, billing and reporting. The Account

Manager will be the OOG’s primary day-to-day contact. The OOG reserves the right to approve and accept key professional staff, including the Account Manager. The Contractor must notify the

OOG in writing if key professional staff cannot continue on the account, and the OOG must approve replacement personnel.

End of Contract Transition

Upon any termination of the Contract, beginning at a time determined solely by the OOG, the

OOG may require the Contractor to provide all necessary work products to ensure account transition, account familiarization, and transfer of work to any new vendor of the OOG. The OOG may, in its sole discretion, maintain concurrent contracts for a limited period in order to facilitate this transition.

4. FINANCIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Maximum Contract Amount

The OOG’s maximum liability to the Contractor, in consideration for the full, satisfactory and timely performance of all its duties, responsibilities and obligations as set forth in the Contract or arising out of any performance as the result of this Solicitation, shall not exceed (amount to be determined at time of Contract award) (“Maximum Contract Amount”) for the initial Performance

Period beginning Effective Date. The Contractor will not be compensated for Deliverables provided before the Effective Date of the Contract. The Contractor shall have no entitlement to payment of the Maximum Contract Amount.

5. TIMELINE FOR SOLICITATION

Calendar of Events

Time is of the essence in the providing the Deliverables required by the Contract. The OOG may require the Contractor to provide Deliverables according to a date-sensitive schedule.

The OOG reserves the right to revise any of the time periods listed below and will post all changes by published Addendum on the ESBD at http://www.txsmartbuy.com/esbd.

Event Date

Solicitation Posting Date December 05, 2025

Deadline for Respondent Submission of Solicitation

Questions

December 10, 2025

The OOG’s Response to Questions Posted on the ESBD December 12, 2025

Deadline for Respondent HSP Courtesy Review Request December 15, 2025

OOG Provides HSP Courtesy Review December 16, 2025

Deadline for Respondent Submission of Response December 19, 2025

Anticipated Start Date January 01, 2026

6. EVALUATION SCORING CRITERIA

Weighted Evaluation Scoring Criteria. The OOG will evaluate Responses using the following weighted scoring criteria, subject to overall best value considerations as authorized by law. The evaluation process and criteria are further described in-depth in

Part C of the Solicitation.

Criteria Weight

Phase I

Company Information and Financial Responsibility 5%

Experience, Qualifications, and References 15%

Response Content and Responsiveness 15%

Proposed Solution 30%

Compensation Sought 35%

Total 100%

Detailed Evaluation Criteria. The OOG will use the following standards:

6.2.1. Company Information and Financial Responsibility. The OOG will review http://www.txsmartbuy.com/esbd company information and Financial Responsibility, as provided in Tab 3 of the

Response, including a review of the Respondent’s demonstrated financial capacity to provide the Deliverables described in Part A of this Solicitation.

6.2.2. Experience, Qualifications and References. The OOG will review the qualifications, experience and resources of each Respondent, and each

Respondent’s past experience in servicing accounts of similar type and scope as required by the OOG, as provided in Tabs 4, 5, and 6 of the Response. This evaluation may include, but is not limited to, demonstrated success in providing similar Deliverables, provided work samples, proposed account personnel, past performance, and each Respondent’s resources and capability to provide the

Deliverables.

6.2.3. Response Content and Responsiveness. The OOG will review the quality and responsiveness to the specifications set forth in the Solicitation. The OOG will examine the comprehensiveness of the Response, including, but not limited to, the extent to which the Response addresses the specifications in the Solicitation, the incorporation of non-negotiable elements, and the feasibility of the Respondent’s response. The OOG will select a Contractor that demonstrates knowledge and experience and compatibility with the goals and objectives of the OOG.

6.2.4. Proposed Solution. The OOG will review the Respondent’s Proposed Solution.

This evaluation may include, but is not limited to, the quality of the Proposed

Solution, as provided in Tab 7, incorporation of non-negotiable elements, the effectiveness of the Proposed Solution, in meeting the Service Requirements specified in Part A of this Solicitation and the financial and time feasibility of the

Proposed Solution.

6.2.5. Compensation. The OOG will review the Cost Proposal from the Respondent.

This evaluation will include consideration of all work and costs to be included in the amount sought. The OOG will more favorably consider those Responses that offer best value to the State of Texas for the compensation sought.

7. HUB SUBCONTRACTING

In addition to the information pertaining to HUBs in Part C of this Solicitation, the

OOG has identified potential subcontracting opportunities under this Solicitation:

CLASS 956-35: Internet Database Subscriptions

CLASS 208-37: Database Software, Microcomputer