ESBD_File_332042_TRS000429_ServiceNow_Addendum_2_Final.pdf

Addendum #2 Solicitation No.: TRS000429

Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)

September 1, 2023

ADDENDUM NUMBER 2

TO

SOLICITATION NO.: TRS000429

FOR

ServiceNow Consulting and Technical Services

SOLICITATION DUE DATE: September 22, 2023, @ 3:00 p.m., Central time

LISTED BELOW ARE THE CHANGES/ADDITIONS TO THIS SOLICITATION.

ISSUED BY:

Spencer Cummings, CTCM, CTCD

Date

NOTE: VENDORS ARE REQUESTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF THIS ADDENDUM BY SIGNING AND DATING BELOW AND INCLUDING WITH SUBMITTED RESPONSE. RESPONSE MAY BE CONSIDERED NON‐

RESPONSIVE IF THIS COVER PAGE IS NOT SIGNED AND RETURNED.

RESPONDENT SIGNATURE DATE

9/1/2023

ADDENDUM No 2 **** Important Notice to Vendors ****

SOLICITATION NO.: TRS000429

FOR

ServiceNow Consulting and Technical Services

SOLICITATION DUE DATE: September 22, 2023, @ 3:00 p.m., Central time

Addendum Announcement # 1:

This Addendum is issued to provide instructions on how to register and submit proposals through PAVES (Procurement and Vendor E‐ System). Please see the accompanying PowerPoint slides.

Addendum Announcement #2:

Question 1: Can you provide more details about the specific ServiceNow modules or areas of expertise that are required for this project?

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. TRS is seeking expertise on ITSM applications (Incident, Service Catalog Request, Change, CMDB, Asset, Knowledge) and SPM (Portfolio, Project, Agile, Resource, Demand). TRS anticipates the first Work Order to focus on Agile with consideration of Unified Backlog, Defects, Enhancements and Resource.

Question 2: Are there any specific integration requirements with other systems that we should be aware of?

Answer: TRS currently integrates with Active Directory, SolarWinds, SCCM and K2 in addition to one‐time import from LeanIX. Additionally, data will be exported from ALM, Jira and TeamForge.

Question 3: Can you provide more information about the deliverables and milestones that are expected for this project?

Answer: See Section II Scope of Work, Subsection 2.B (Implementation and Maintenance Services) and Subsection 5. (Procedure for Work Orders), Article 3, Work Order Deliverables

Question 4: What is the expected duration of the project, and are there any specific deadlines that we need to meet?

Answer: This is a Master Services Agreement with an initial contract term through August 31,2024, with three (3) one‐year optional renewal terms.

Question 5: Can you provide more information about the scope of work for each of the key personnel roles listed in the Price Form?

Answer: Key personnel roles align with industry standards. Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM.

Question 7: Can you provide more information about the evaluation criteria for the Respondent History and Experience, Respondent Client References, and Sample Work Plan sections?

Answer: No additional information to be provided. Please see the PAVES solicitation module in TRS000429_ServiceNow Consulting and Technical Services_Initial Bidding Round or Section V. Evaluation Process of the RFP that lists the evaluation criteria for this RFP.

Question 8: Is there a preferred format or template for the Sample Work Plan that we need to follow?

Answer: No preferred format.

Question 6: Are there any specific security or compliance requirements that we need to adhere to while working on this project?

Answer: TRS adheres to NIST 800‐53r5 security control framework. TRS also must adhere to various federal and state regulatory requirements including HIPAA/HITECH and TX‐Ramp. TRS' ServiceNow

GovCloud environment is FedRAMP High certified.

Question 9: Can you provide more information about the insurance coverages required and any specific insurance providers that we should consider?

Answer: No additional information to be provided. Please refer to Section IV. Insurance Section and the PAVES solicitation module for information on the required insurance coverages.

Question 10: Will the presentations/interviews/demonstrations (if applicable) be conducted in person or virtually, and what topics or aspects should we focus on during these sessions?

Answer: Please see Section I. Summary, item 15. Respondent Presentations or Interviews. In addition, please see Section V. Evaluation Process, subsection B. Interviews or Presentations Round.

Question 11: Can you provide more information about the evaluation criteria for the Best and Final Offer (BAFO) round, if it is required?

Answer: No additional information to be provided. Please see Section V. Evaluation Process, subsection C. Best and Final Offer (BAFO) Round.

Question 12: Can you clarify the process for setting up a PAVES account and submitting our response through the electronic procurement system?

Answer: Please see the additional PAVES Help slides in this addendum for information on setting up a PAVES account and submitting a response through the electronic procurement system. In addition, please refer to the Job Aides for Suppliers located on the PAVES page of the TRS external webpage.

Question 13: What things were implemented in ITSM module?

Answer: Incident, Service Catalog Request, Change, CMDB, Asset, On‐Call, Mobile

Question 14: If offeror need to offer services for ITSM modules also then please provide how many catalog items are there and what are their complexity levels?

Answer: TRS does not anticipate significant updates to Service Catalog items, however 108 items were initially implemented. Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM.

Question 15: What kind of services are needed for catalog items, incident, change management processes?

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM.

Question 16: This project is mainly seeking technical services to SPM only?

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM.

Question 17: In SPM which sub‐module looking for mainly like APM, PPM etc.?

Answer: See answer to Question 1.

Question 18: User stories that are going to develop are based on what kind of projects?

Answer: TRS operates Waterfall, Hybrid and Agile projects.

Question 19: What is the user base and how many people access ITSM and SPM modules?

Answer: This information is not needed to respond to the RFP

Question 20: Could you please give some information about external applications that are there for integration?

Answer: See answer to Question 2

Question 21: Offeror responsibility is to create only execution plan or implementation also part of scope?

Answer: Offeror will be responsible for execution and implementation as deemed appropriate by TRS, as outlined in Section II Scope of Work, Subsection 2 Description of Work.

Question 22: We understand from the pre‐proposal conference that TRS is currently utilizing the Demand and Project Modules of SPM but not currently utilizing Agile. Is TRS in need of work or enablement (or both) in other areas of SPM besides Agile? If so, which areas?

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM.

Question 23: Can you please advise which modules within ITSM TRS is looking for assistance with?

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM.

Question 24: Please confirm 1099 Contractors are not permitted to work on this project.

Answer: 1099 Contractors are permitted to work on this project, subject to the subcontracting requirements in the solicitation.

Question 25: What is the current ServiceNow version?

Answer: Utah

Question 26: What is the total user volume?

Answer: This information is not needed to respond to the RFP

Question 27: Number of ITIL users and approvers?

Answer: This information is not needed to respond to the RFP

Question 28: Number of Service requests items that need to be implemented or customized?

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM.

Question 29: Is the Employee Service Centre implemented?

Answer: No

Question 30: Level of customization done on top of existing ITSM applications?

Answer: This information is not needed to respond to the RFP

Question 31: What is the current ticket volume?

Answer: This information is not needed to respond to the RFP

Question 32: Do you need custom dashboard or reporting requirements to provide reporting on SLAs, OLAs, CI’s, KPIs?

master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM

Question 33: Are there any requirements for tickets to be monitored, updated, reopened via the Self‐ Service Portal?

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM

Question 34: Are there automations (Business process and Event management) in scope?

Answer: Yes. Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM

Question 35: Any Monitoring tools that need to be implemented for auto ticket creation?

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM

Question 36: Do you need SLA implementation for different types of tickets?

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM

Question 37: Number of Licenses(they mentioned 15 teams) for Agile Development modules?

Answer: This is not needed to respond to the RFP

Question 38: What are the reporting requirements?

Question 39: Current method of tracking progress boards, burndown, and velocity charts?

Answer: Yes, to all listed.

Question 40: What tools do the current Agile team use?

Answer: Teamforge, JIRA, ALM, Excel, MS Project

Question 41: Which SAfe (Scaled Agile) configuration is TRS currently practicing or aiming for? (e.g.

Essential, Large Solution, Portfolio, or Full)

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. Currently, we use Scrum of Scrums for scaling but may look to mature that by incorporating elements of Safe in a future work order.

Question 42: Which legacy systems are you migrating from for this implementation (e.g. MS Excel, JIRA, Azure DevOps, Microsoft Project, Monday.com, Smartsheets, Aha!, etc.)?

master services contract. See Answer to Question 40 for current Agile toolset.

Question 43: Which existing or new systems/tools are you wanting to integrate with this implementation? (e.g. Jira, Azure DevOps, Salesforce, SAP, DocuSign, Oracle, OKTA, Microsoft, etc.)

master services contract. See Answer to Question 40 for current Agile toolset.

Question 44: Can we add additional positions with associated rate and information to the price form listed on page 26?

Answer: Yes

Question 45: Which documents listed on page 27 ‐ VII Contract Documents List are required to be submitted along with our proposal by 8/12?

Answer: Please see the Initial Round, Questionnaire, for the required documents under this solicitation.

Question 46: Can you provide a copy of the TRS General Terms and Conditions listed on page 27 prior to proposal submission?

Answer: These are available in the Initial Bidding Round, under Round Documents.

Question 47: As per point a) of the Major focus area under the scope of work, ServiceNow ITSM and SPM are already configured, could you please tell us what all modules have been implemented?

Answer: See answer to Question 13. For SPM: Portfolio, Project, Demand and Resource.

Question 48: Please let us know what all modules have to be reassessed.

master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM. The first projected work order will be around reassessment of the Agile module.

Question 49: For ITSM, do we need to Implement Incident, Change, Problem, Knowledge, and Service Request?

Answer: Incident, Change and Service Request are implemented. Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM.

Question 50: Approximately how many Service Catalog items you are looking for to be created?

Answer: See Answer to question #14

Question 51: How would you populate CMDB for the Incident and Change management?

Answer: This question is not relevant to the RFP

Question 52: Do you need any data import from any existing or legacy software?

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM. The first work order will, most likely, involve the assessment and implementation of the Agile module, which could include legacy data migration. See answer to Question 40 for current agile toolset.

Question 53: What all 3rd party tools, do you have to be integrated with ServiceNow?

Answer: See answer to Question 2

Question 54: Do you have your process documents available with you?

master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM. Any relevant process documents will be shared as appropriate with awarded vendor.

Question 55: Do you have any limitations with respect to the location of the implementation team?

Answer: TRS’ Service Now GovCloud environment is FedRAMP High certified environment and must adhere to appropriate restrictions on off‐shore personnel. In addition, it is TRS’ expectation that all personnel working under the awarded contract are available during TRS business hours (8am to 5pm CST M‐F) for project related meetings.

Question 56: Please define business goals and strategic objectives associated with ITSM and SPM Work Order projects

Answer: This is not needed for the response. Appropriate materials will be provided to the awarded vendor at each work order engagement.

Question 57: Along with product references to ITSM and SPM, does TX TRS hold additional entitlements such at AI seach, Virtual Agent, Performance Analytics, etc.? This can be found on the SNOW Order Form in the product details section.

Answer: TRS has access to AI Search, Virtual Agent and Performance Analytics as part of ITSM Pro and AI Search Starter; however, we do not hold additional entitlements.

Question 58: Are current licenses for ITSM and SPM for Standard, Pro or Enterprise?

Answer: ITSM Pro and SPM Pro.

Question 59: Please confirm TRS is seeking Firm Fixed (deliverables based) pricing.

Answer: TRS is seeking both Hourly and Fixed (Deliverables based) pricing under this contract depending on the Work Order.

Question 60: Is there a standard form or template for Work Orders?

Answer: Please see Exhibit 1 (Example Work Order) of RFP for the work order template.

Question 61: Section II. 5. Work Order 3 (deliverables), article i. references i. Fixed/deliverables‐based fees AND/OR ii. Cost estimates for Time & Materials. Role rates vary between the two options. Should pricing submission be based on Fixed‐price deliverable or T&M?

Answer: TRS is seeking both Hourly and Fixed (Deliverables based) pricing under this contract depending on the Work Order.

Question 62: What are TRS vendor onboarding requirements and general approval timeframes?

Answer: Please refer to the Non‐TRS Workers Policy, TRS Background Check Policy, and the Solicitation Document for information on the TRS onboarding requirements. No timeframe for approval will be given as they are evaluated on a case‐by‐case basis. Please also see the last two paragraphs of Subsection 11 (Contractor Staffing) of RFP for more information regarding on‐boarding.

Question 63: Based on the RFP – it looks like TRS is interested in obtaining Agile training from selected partner – is that correct?

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM. TRS is not interested in general Agile training apart from how to best implement and use the ServiceNow Agile module.

Question 64: How many Agile teams will be involved?

Answer: TRS currently has 15 agile teams, but that number may grow.

Question 65: Are the Agile teams dedicated to an Agile product or are they cross org/function?

Answer: Both team structures exist.

Question 66: Do you currently have a set of KPIs (Balanced Scorecard that your rollout will adhere to? If not, are you open to us suggesting these KPIs as a best practice for continuous improvement in our process and / or governance/roadmap phase?

Answer: We do not currently have a standard set of KPI’s across all products lines. We would be open to suggestions.

Question 67: Does TRS expect a need for historical data to be migrated from legacy/other systems? Is there any idea on the type and volume of data needed to be migrated?

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM. An individual work order may require historical data migration, see answer to Question 2.

Question 68: Are the solutions that need to be integrated with on premise or SaaS? Can TRS provide more information on the type of data it is expecting to exchange with the proposed solution? Can you please specify if the integrations are to be uni or bi‐directional? Do the systems to be integrated have open APIs available for integration purposes?

master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM.

Question 69: What is the expected duration of vendor provided support post go‐live?

Answer: This will be negotiated on a per work order basis.

Question 70: Can you please clarify if you have an integration service bus or existing mid servers that can be leveraged for integration related needs?

Question 71: Please describe TRS's planned governance structure for status, decisions, escalation, visibility, etc?

Answer: This isn’t needed for the RFP response. Governance structure and processes will be shared with the awarded vendor.

Question 72: Can Contractor’s project team include resources that are not based in the United States?

Answer: TRS’ ServiceNow GovCloud environment is FedRAMP High certified and must adhere to all applicable restrictions. In addition, it is TRS’ expectation that all personnel working under the awarded contract are available during TRS business hours (8am to 5pm CST M‐F) for project related meetings.

Question 73: Can the provider assume a single standardized agile delivery processes or will be adopted by departments/business units in‐scope or will each department/business unit have its own customized process? Can you provide additional information regarding potential # of departments/business units?

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. The first projected work order may be to assess and implement the Agile application. The preference is to have a standardized agile delivery process, but that will have to be determined in the assessment phase of the work order.

Question 74: Does TRS have a OCM organization internally that can provide support/resources for change strategy/communication and support for the execution of communications and training material development?

Answer: TRS has an internal OCM organization. Work to be completed will be determined on a work order basis and may include vendor developing and delivering training materials.

Question 75: Does TRS require KPMG to provide training development and delivery support? If so can you please provide the estimated # of roles in‐scope of resources in‐scope for training?

‐ Scrum Masters ‐ Delivery Team members ‐ Release managers

Answer: Specific scopes of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM and could include a variety of services.

Question 76: Can TRS outline its current delivery ecosystem toolsets that would be considered for integrations and/or to migrate from to ServiceNow SPM? These tools could include other agile work management tools, enterprise architecture toolsets.

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM. TRS currently integrates with Active Directory, SolarWinds, SCCM and K2 in addition to one‐time import from LeanIX.

Additionally, data will be exported from ALM, Jira and TeamForge.

Question 77: Can TRS confirm the scope of work for the first work order from both a process and implementation scope of ServiceNow applications is as follows:

Process:

‐ Agile delivery ‐ Srum and Scaled Agile Framework (Confirm Safe is in Scope?)

‐ Release Management

Implementation scope of ServiceNow Applications:

‐ Agile Development 2.0 ‐> Scrum program boards

‐> Agile dashboards ‐> Unified Backlog ‐> Sprint Tracking ‐> Agile Board ‐> Agile team planning

Answer: The first work order will be negotiated with the awarded vendor.

Question 78: Can TRS confirm implementation of SAFE is not in‐scope? SAFE was mentioned in supplier call but is not outlined in RFP.

master services contract.

Question 79: Could you please provide insights into the number of resources you are envisioning to require for the successful execution of this project?

master services contract. Number of resources needed will be determined on a work order basis.

Question 80: Could you provide guidance on the recommended format or template for submitting the RFP? Furthermore, could you outline the necessary details and content to include in the sections for 'Respondent History and Experience,' 'Respondent Client References,' 'Respondent’s Key Personnel,' 'Sample Work Plan,' and 'Respondent’s ServiceNow Services Scope and Offerings'?

Answer: No recommended format. Please refer to the PAVES Solicitation module for more information on the Evaluation Criteria.

Question 81: What pricing structure would you prefer for the project? Is the pricing model based on resource allocation, or the estimated time needed for the entire work order completion, along with a consideration of materials‐based aspects?

Answer: TRS is seeking both Hourly and Fixed (Deliverables based) pricing under this contract depending on the Work Order.

Question 82: Could you provide the estimated project start date?

Answer: Not at this time.

Question 83: Does the TRS have a defined budget for this project? If there is not a defined budget, please provide a budget range?

Question 84: We are teaming up with another firm and will be leveraging the combined resources of both organizations. Given this context, in reference to page number 3, point 5 'Must be the principal vendor utilizing staff resources. TRS will not consider a Proposal that leverages sub‐contractors for implementation and/or client support. A Contractor may not use a subcontractor on this Contract without first receiving written approval from TRS regarding the proposed sub‐contractor', how might this collaboration impact the overall execution of the project?

Answer: Awarded contractor will be responsible for all services performed under the contract. When you fill out the HUB Subcontracting Plan form, any subcontractor(s) must be listed therein. Please refer to Section III (HUB Subcontracting Plan Information) of the RFP for more information.

Question 85: In this RFP page number 11 you mentioned "Integration with any third‐party or TRS‐ designated platforms or applications". Can you please list the different systems and applications you would like to integrate with and expand on what your desired integration would look like?

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. Work orders could pertain to any components within ITSM or SPM.

TRS currently integrates with Active Directory, SolarWinds, SCCM and K2 in addition to one‐time import from LeanIX. Additionally, data will be exported from ALM, Jira and TeamForge.

Question 86: Do you have data migration needs for this project? If data migration is required, could you provide an estimate of the volume of data that needs to be migrated?

Question 86: What is the total number of people that just need fulfiller rights to the ITSM system?

Answer: This is not relevant to the RFP

Question 86: What is the total number of ITSM administrators that you need for the ITSM system?

Answer: This is not relevant to the RFP

Question 87: What is the total number of portal users that need access to the ITSM system?

Answer: This is not relevant to the RFP.

Question 88: Do we have any Security or Compliance issues?

Answer: This question is too vague to answer

Question 89: Do you have any intent to use CSDM?

Answer: Not at this time, but specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract.

Question 90: Do you have any intent to use Service Graph Connector?

Answer: Yes, but specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract.

Question 91: Would you kindly provide the existing vendor's information? Additionally, could you shed light on the factors that prompted the transition to a new vendor?

Answer: No

Question 92: Will there by any on‐site requirements under this Contract?

Answer: Onsite requirements are not intended at this time but could be required in the future depending on the scope of work for individual work orders. In addition, it is TRS’ expectation that all personnel working under the awarded contract are available during TRS business hours (8am to 5pm CST M‐F) for project related meetings.

Question 93: We understand that you men oned in the RFP that a single or mul ple vendors will be selected. What is an ideal scenario for TRS regarding the number of vendors you'll select?

Answer: TRS will determine number of vendors awarded at response evaluation.

Question 94: Is the incumbent provider also responding to this RFP?

Answer: TRS is not answering this question.

Question 95: Assuming mul ple vendors, how will the Work Orders be assigned? Will each Work Order be compe ve?

Answer: TRS reserves the right to make a single award or multiple awards. All contract(s) awarded, if any, shall be indefinite quantity contracts with no minimum guarantees or any purchases. Contracts awarded under this solicitation, if any, are separate contracts. Work orders will be created on an as‐ needed basis. TRS has sole discretion how work orders are assigned.

Question 96: What roles will TRS be providing to each of the 15 Scrum teams?

Answer: This is not needed for the RFP response.

Question 97: What are you currently licensed for in ServiceNow?

Answer: ITSM Pro, SPM Pro, Business Stakeholder, ITOM Discovery, AI Search Starter, Integration Hub Starter, FedRAMP High certified environments.

Question 98: Of that, what is currently implemented?

Answer: See Question 13 and Question 47.

Question 99: When did you first launch ServiceNow? What version was that?

Answer: TRS went live on July 31, 2023 on Utah.

Question 100: How often do you upgrade versions?

Answer: At a minimum N‐1.

Question 101: What is your current version and what is the next version you will upgrade to and when?

Answer: Utah is our current version, and we will upgrade per minimum N‐1.

Question 102: What is the makeup of the team that currently supports ServiceNow? System Administrators? Developers? What FTE do you have of each role?

Answer: Five (5) ServiceNow Admin/Developers. More information will be provided to the awarded vendor.

Question 103: What are your current challenges in maintaining the system?

Answer: More information will be provided to the awarded vendor.

Question 104: What, if any integrations, do you currently have configured in ServiceNow?

Answer: TRS currently integrates with Active Directory, SolarWinds, SCCM and K2 in addition to one‐time import from LeanIX. Additionally, data will be exported from ALM, Jira and TeamForge.

Question 105: What are your current challenges in maintaining the system?

Answer: More information will be provided to the awarded vendor.

Question 106: What, if any integrations, do you currently have configured in ServiceNow?

Answer: TRS currently integrates with Active Directory, SolarWinds, SCCM and K2 in addition to one‐time import from LeanIX. Additionally, data will be exported from ALM, Jira and TeamForge.

Question 107: Are you currently using ServiceNow Service Portal or Employee Center?

Answer: Service Portal.

Question 108: Do you use any catalog items to submit SPM ideas for application enhancement requests?

Answer: No, but interested in finding out more.

Question 109: How many SPM ideas or tickets do you receive per month?

Answer: Ten to Fifteen Demands.

Question 110: Are you using automated assignment or intelligent routing to get work to the right teams?

Answer: In some cases, but interested in learning more.

Question 111: Do you plan on using change management with agile 2.0? Have you built change models for application development changes?

Answer: Yes.

Question 112: Do you plan on using Release Management as part of your desired future state?

Question 113: What is the goal of using SPM? Are you using it for Idea, demand and resources management with Agile 2.0? Are you also looking into application portfolio management (APM) which has to deal with Visualization, Reduction of Applications, Road‐mapping, etc?

Answer: Goals will be discussed with the awarded vendor. We are using SPM for Demand and will be implementing resource management.

Question 114: Do you have a program in place that reviews Ideas coming in from customers and turns them into Demands and then once validated they are prioritized and made into projects?

Answer: We do not use idea. We use Demands and turn them into projects and in the future enhancements, epics, or stories as appropriate.

Question 115: Once the projects are in place do you use the Agile module? Or are you just using the agile model for Product implementations?

Answer: We do not currently use the Agile module. When implemented we will use Agile for Product enhancement efforts as well as project work.

Question 116: Are you using all of the product categorizations on the agile module? If not, which structures are you using; PRODUCT ‐ something (physical or not) that is created through a process and that provides benefits to the organization. , THEME ‐ large focus areas (Processes and Applications) within a Product. , EPIC‐ overarching functionality or high‐level requirement. STORIES – detailed enhancements built for releases?

Answer: The intent is to use all categories you have outlined.

Question 117: Do you have a defined agile process in place?

Question 118: Are all teams planning on using the agile 2.0 module?

Answer: Yes.

Question 119: Do you have any teams using other agile tools like Jira or Azure Dev Ops?

Answer: Yes, but once implemented the supported Agile tool for TRS will be ServiceNow.

Question 120: Has the company decided that ServiceNow is the current tool for Agile development? What is your strategy to get there?

Answer: See answer to Question 119.

Question 121: Do you have any integrations with other tools for your software development lifecycle (SDLC)? For example, are you using GitHub as a code repository or Jenkins for continuous testing and deployment?

master services contract. We do use both GitHub and Jenkins and would consider future integrations.

Question 122: What do you mean by Data mapping and migration services, and transition plan execution? Are there existing tools like those mentioned above that need to have their information moved to ServiceNow?

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. TRS currently integrates with Active Directory, SolarWinds, SCCM and K2 in addition to one‐time import from LeanIX. Additionally, data will be exported from ALM, Jira and

TeamForge.

Question 123: Are you integrating your agile process with change management? Do you have an existing change model built for application development changes?

Answer: Yes, and TRS uses a change model at the release level for application changes.

Question 124: Did you have these initial product dashboards created? Agile dashboards, Unified Backlog, Sprint Tracking, Agile board, Agile team planning. Do you need assistance creating these for other Products?

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. Some dashboards were not finalized in the previous implementation effort and will need to be reassessed.

Question 125: How are Business Apps stored now? Do you associate them to Business Services and infrastructure CIs in the CMDB?

Answer: This is not relevant to the RFP response.

Question 126: Do you have owners of the applications? Are there approvers/oversight boards (i.e.

Governance)?

Answer: This is not relevant to the RFP response. TRS has governance in place and the appropriate processes will be shared with the awarded vendor.

Question 127: Are you tracking what the applications are being used for? Is there any formal governance around prioritizing, planning, and managing portfolios?

Answer: TRS has governance in place and the appropriate processes will be shared with the awarded vendor.

Question 128: What metrics and reports (for CIO?)

Answer: This question is unclear.

Question 129: What is the goal of using APM (Visualization, Reduction of Apps, Road‐mapping, etc)?

Answer: This is not relevant to the RFP response.

Question 130: How is Application Strategy defined today?

Answer: This is not relevant to the RFP response.

Question 131: How are Applications grouped? By their organization culturally?

Answer: This is not relevant to the RFP response.

Question 132: Do you track and group applications by versions?

Answer: This is not relevant to the RFP response.

Question 133: How are applications stored currently?

Answer: This is not relevant to the RFP response.

Question 134: Are the business applications being tracked in other applications (e.g. Change)

Answer: This is not relevant to the RFP response.

Question 135: Is offshoring an option? From a pricing perspective, being on or offshore will dictate two different price points.

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. TRS’ ServiceNow GovCloud environment is FedRAMP High certified and must adhere to the appropriate restrictions on off‐shore personnel. Most, if not all work, can be done remotely but this will be determined on a work order basis. It is expected that all personnel assigned to an individual work order be available as needed for meetings or work sessions 8am to 5pm CST M‐F.

Question 136: Is the team required to be on‐site or local verse 100% remote for the duration of this engagement?

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. TRS’ ServiceNow GovCloud environment is FedRAMP High certified and must adhere to the appropriate restrictions on off‐shore personnel. Most, if not all work, can be done remotely but this will be determined on a work order basis. It is expected that all personnel assigned to an individual work order be available as needed for meetings or work sessions 8am to 5pm CST M‐F.

Question 137: Who, if any, are the incumbent providers to date? If so, who? In what capacity are they being leveraged? Will they be involved in this initiative?

Answer: This is not relevant to the RFP response.

Question 138: What is the internal comprised of? How many dedicated resources support this team, currently and what are their roles/skill sets?

Answer: Five (5) ServiceNow Admin/Developers. More information will be provided to the awarded vendor.

Question 139: How long has ServiceNow been implemented for? What modules are being leveraged;

out of the box or customized?

Answer: See answers to Question 1 and Question 99. Implementation was out of the box as much as possible with some customization/configuration.

Question 140: Will m/wbe impact the decision even though it is stated that it is not weighted? If we have a vendor that has m/wbe would it be advantageous to list?

Answer: Being a minority/women owned business will not impact the decision and is not listed as an evaluation criteria. TRS will evaluate the evaluation criteria listed in the solicitation.

Question 141: Can consultants be subbed out to another vendor, from the onset, pending they are equally qualified as those portrayed in the response resumes?

Answer: A Contractor may not use a subcontractor on this Contract without first receiving written approval from TRS regarding the proposed subcontractor.

Question 142: How does a vendor go about obtaining approval to utilize a subcontractor?

Answer: Please refer to Section I Summary and Section III. HUB Subcontracting Plan Information.

Respondent must be the principal vendor utilizing staff resources. TRS will not consider a proposal that leverages subcontractors for implementation and/or client support. A Contractor may not use a subcontractor on this Contract without first receiving written approval from TRS regarding the proposed subcontractor.

Question 143: Does the State have an estimated number of people required to complete the requirements per the RFP?

Question 144: Who are the major stakeholders we would be working alongside and with to complete these assessments?

Answer: Deputy CIO for Enterprise Service Delivery, Deputy CIO for Operations and Development, Director of Project Management Office, Director of Quality Assurance & Testing, Director of Business Relationship Management and multiple teams depending on the specific work order.

Question 145: Is their preference to local vendors?

Answer: No

Question 146: How many vendors will be awarded?

Answer: See answer to question 95

Question 147: How many positions (contractual resources) does the enterprise usually fill using temporary labor each year?

Answer: This is not relevant

Question 148: Are there any terms for buyout included? For instance, if the institution wanted to hire a temporary employee after 3 months, would their employer receive a buyout fee?

Answer: No.

Question 149: Can companies add in additional benefits they offer even if it is not asked for?

Answer: Yes

Question 150: Will awarded companies be able to speak with employees directly when gathering information on open positions and upcoming positions?

Answer: This is not a staff augmentation contract

Question 151: Please share the modules subscribed from ServiceNow, Like ITSM STD Or ITSM Pro or ITSM enterprise.

Answer: ITSM Pro, SPM Pro, ITOM Discovery

Question 152: Is there any data migration in scope? If yes, please share the details of data and the sources.

master services contract. See answer to Question 2.

Question 153: Are there integrations identified for this project? If yes, please share the details master services contract. See answer to Question 2.

Question 154: What are the current challenges in organization which need to be resolved using the tools? Success criteria for this project

Answer: This will be shared with the awarded vendor

Question 155: Is Virtual agent/ Chatbot in scope for this project?

Question 156: Is there data for CI’s to be populated as part of CMDB? If yes, how many CI’s and type of CI’s to be loaded

Question 157: For SPM, which sub modules need to be configured? Idea, Demand, Resource, Tasks, Finance? Are all these parts of implementation?

master services contract. See answer to Question 1.

Question 158: Are we looking for an Agile module to be configured only or options open for other methodology as well.

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract.

Question 159: Do we include OCM (Organization Change management) as part of the scope or will this be handled by TRS?

Answer: Change Management and communication will be handled by TRS.

Question 160: Which roles does TRS already have to be considered as part of this project?

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract.

Question 161: Is the team required to be on‐site or local verse 100% remote for the duration of this engagement?

Answer: Specific scope of work for engagements will be determined on a work order basis under the master services contract. TRS’ ServiceNow GovCloud environment is FedRAMP High certified and must adhere to the appropriate restrictions on off‐shore personnel. Most, if not all work, can be done remotely but this will be determined on a work order basis. It is expected that all personnel assigned to an individual work order be available as needed for meetings or work sessions 8am to 5pm CST M‐F.

Question 162: Is the work to be done in CST time zone only or is TRS present across US?

Answer: It is expected that all personnel assigned to an individual work order be available as needed for meetings or work sessions 8am to 5pm CST M‐F.

Question 163: Will TRS share the evaluation scorecard each vendor receives?

Answer: This will be subject to Public Information Request.

Question 164: What format would they like exceptions to be listed?

Answer: This question is not clear

Question 165: Are contractors able to add labor categories to this opportunity?

Answer: Yes

Question 166: Will the contract for RFP TRS000429 be awarded through the TX‐DIR contract? i.e. Do bidders need to be on the TX‐DIR contract to be able to bid? Or is the RFP the contract vehicle for procurement?

Answer: No, this is not through a DIR Contract. This is an RFP open to all Respondents.

ACCOUNT ACTIVATION

Overview

ACTIVATE YOUR ACCOUNT IF YOU

ARE ALREADY A SUPPLIER

SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL

MANAGING YOUR ACCOUNT

Managing Your Account

1.

MANAGING YOUR CONTRACT

HUB REQUIREMENTS

INVOICING – INCLUDING UPLOADING

PAR FORM WITH INVOICE

UPLOADING OTHER DOCUMENTS

How to Respond to a Solicitation as a Supplier

Respondents are required to submit their Responses to this solicitation through the TRS electronic procurement system called PAVES (Procurement and Vendor E-System). If awarded a TRS contract, the Vendor will be required to set up a PAVES account which requires:

2-factor authentication with a cell phone A separate login and password to be created for all Vendor contacts, including the Vendor’s accounting department All invoices and deliverables must be submitted through the PAVES system

A. PAVES

Potential Respondents can find information about PAVES on the TRS website at:

https://www.trs.texas.gov/Pages/procurement_PAVES.aspx

The following instructions have been developed to assist Respondents in creating and maintaining a PAVES account:

PAVES Basic Navigation for Suppliers New Supplier Registration How to Activate Supplier Profile (if awarded a contract)

B. Creating a PAVES Account and becoming a Confirmed Bidder

To submit a proposal, all Respondents must either log into their current PAVES account or create an account as a Confirmed Bidder. To become a Confirmed Bidder in PAVES, you must complete the New Supplier Registration. By submitting your company’s information, login credentials will be generated, by which you can access PAVES. You will then be able to add additional company contacts, edit your profile, and bid on TRS solicitations.

The first step is to log into the PAVES supplier portal and follow the instructions for New Supplier Registration.

If, after submitting your registration, you receive an e-mail stating that your registration has been rejected, this is most likely because your company is already registered in PAVES. The registration request will only be rejected if the Tax ID Number that is submitted already exists in PAVES. In this case, please contact the PAVES help desk at: PAVESHelp@trs.texas.gov.

C. PAVES Solicitation Overview

If you choose to participate in a solicitation, you may see various Rounds associated with each solicitation. Rounds are used in PAVES and by TRS to gather information throughout the solicitation process.

1. Initial Round

This round is used for a Respondent to submit their initial proposal

Occasionally, potential Respondents may receive email notifications that a round is ‘On Hold’. This occurs when TRS makes changes to the solicitation and/or posts an addendum.

2. Question and Answer (Q&A) Round

This round is used for a Respondent to submit questions to TRS during the Q&A period.

Once the Q&A period ends, TRS will provide responses to submitted questions with an addendum. The addendum will be uploaded into the Overview tab within the Initial Round. An email notification will be sent out when the addendum is posted.

3. Subsequent Rounds

Subsequent rounds may be used by TRS to gather additional information. Such information may include:

o Presentations o Interviews oDemonstrations o Site Visits oClarification Questions o Best and Final Offers (BAFO) oOthers as needed

D. Submitting a Proposal in PAVES

You may have been sent an email notifying you of a solicitation or you may have seen the solicitation on the ESBD or PAVES and wish to participate. Steps 1a and 1b below outline how to locate the solicitation in both scenarios:

Step 1a: To participate in a solicitation and did not receive an email notification

i. Log into the PAVES Supplier portal and select Solicitation and Show public request for proposals.

ii. Click the pencil icon next to the name of the solicitation you wish to respond to

iii. Click Participate in RFx

Step 1b: To participate in a solicitation and did receive an email notification

i. Log into PAVES Supplier portal and select Solicitation and Manage Proposals.

ii. The Proposal Progress column should read Awaiting Acknowledgement for the round selected if it is your first time opening that Round.

iii. Select the desired Round by viewing the Round Name column.

Step 2: Acknowledge the RFx

i. You may be requested to acknowledge receipt of the RFx by clicking I acknowledge receipt of this RFx

ii. Select if you will bid or not bid and click Submit

Step 3: Complete the Proposal Information

i. Enter a Label and Description for the proposal

ii. If required, add any Supplier Documents, such as an NDA

iii. For each round Label, copy and paste the name of the Round into the Label field and click Save

Step 4: Complete My Team Section

i. In the My Team tab, select a Supplier contact from the drop-down menu

ii. If necessary, add more contacts by clicking Create a new contact

iii. Enter the information for the new Supplier contact

iv. Click Save & Close

Step 5: Solicitation Overview

i. The Overview tab includes the Round General Information and the Round Documents

ii. Click the Round Links or use the corresponding tabs to navigate to the Questionnaire and

Item sections

• The Questionnaire is where most of the Respondent’s Proposal will be completed

• The Item (or Quotation Form) is the Price Form

Step 6: Complete the Questionnaire

i. In the Questionnaire tab, click Access Questionnaire to complete it

ii. If necessary, select ‘Download in Excel’ to complete the questionnaire offline

iii. Click on a section name to go to that specific section. Answers will automatically save in the

Questionnaire. This will be marked by green check marks in the box.

iv. Please note: Throughout the Questionnaire, Responses will be provided by either entering information into a text box, selecting a preset answer by radio button or drop-down menu, selecting a date from a date-picker, uploading an attachment, or a combination of these.

Step 7: Enter Item Details

i. In the Item tab, enter a Unit Price and a Delivery date for each item

ii. If necessary, select “Download in Excel” to complete the quotation form offline

iii. Click the pencil icon to review any listed items

iv. If necessary, click the plus icon to add an item

v. Click Save

Step 8: Review Solicitation History

i. The History tab is an information tab. It shows all proposals that have been submitted, are in progress, or have been cancelled. No action is required.

Step 9: Submit a Proposal

i. When you are ready to submit your proposal to TRS, click Validate & Submit Proposal

ii. You will receive a pop-up message asking you to confirm submission. Click Submit my proposal to submit your Response to TRS. Click Cancel to make any additional edits.