FDOR RFP 24-25-37.pdf

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

CONTRACTUAL SERVICES – Acknowledgement

Form pages

SUBMIT PROPOSAL TO:

Department of Revenue Procurement Office, Building 2 Suite 1600 2450 Shumard Oak Boulevard Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0100

AGENCY RELEASE DATE:

September 10, 2024

SOLICITATION TITLE: SOLICITATION NO:

S/4HANA and BW/4HANA Upgrade Implementation Services FDOR RFP #24/25-37

PROPOSALS WILL BE OPENED: October 28, 2024 @ 3:00 PM and may not be withdrawn until execution of a contract.

VENDOR NAME:

VENDOR MAILING ADDRESS:

CITY – STATE – ZIP: *AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE (MANUAL)

PHONE NUMBER:

T. FREE NUMBER:

FAX NUMBER: *AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE (TYPED), TITLE

EMAIL ADDRESS:

FEID NO.: *This individual must have the authority to bind the respondent.

TYPE OF BUSINESS ENTITY (Corporation, LLC, partnership, etc.):

I certify that this Proposal is made without prior understanding, agreement, or connection with any corporation, firm, or person submitting a proposal for the same materials, supplies or equipment, and is in all respects fair and without collusion or fraud. I agree to abide by all conditions of this Proposal and certify that I am authorized to sign this Proposal for the Proposer and that the Proposer is in compliance with all requirements of the Request for Proposal, including but not limited to, certification requirements. In submitting a Proposal to an agency for the State of Florida, the Proposer offers and agrees that if the Proposal is accepted, the Proposer will convey, sell, assign or transfer to the State of Florida all rights, title and interest in and to all causes of action it may now or hereafter acquire under the Anti-trust laws of the United States and the State of Florida for price fixing relating to the particular commodities or services purchased or acquired by the State of Florida.

At the State’s discretion, such assignment shall be made and become effective at the time the purchasing agency tenders final payment to the Proposer.

RESPONDENT CONTACTS: Please provide the name, title, address, telephone number and e-mail address of the official contact and an alternate, if available. These individuals shall be available to be contacted by telephone or attend meetings as may be appropriate regarding the solicitation schedule.

PRIMARY CONTACT:

SECONDARY CONTACT:

NAME, TITLE: NAME, TITLE:

ADDRESS: ADDRESS:

PHONE NUMBER: PHONE NUMBER:

FAX NUMBER: FAX NUMBER:

EMAIL ADDRESS: EMAIL ADDRESS:

Contents Section 1: DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS

1.1 Defined Terms

1.2 Abbreviations

Section 2: INTRODUCTION

2.1 PROCUREMENT OFFICER

2.2 PURPOSE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

2.3 BACKGROUND

2.4 RESTRICTION ON COMMUNICATIONS

2.5 PROCUREMENT OVERVIEW

2.6 DEFINITION OF REQUIREMENTS

2.7 VENDOR ADMONISHMENTS

2.8 RESERVED RIGHTS

Section 3: PROCUREMENT PROCESS, SCHEDULE AND CONSTRAINTS

3.1 PROCUREMENT PROCESS

3.2 PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE

3.3 PROCUREMENT CONSTRAINTS

Section 4: STANDARD RESPONSE INFORMATION

4.1 SUBMISSION OF REPLIES

4.2 VENDOR CERTIFICATIONS

4.3 DISCLOSURE OF PROPOSALS

4.4 AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE

4.5 PROPOSAL DURATION

4.6 VENDOR EXPENSES

4.7 WORK LOCATION & SITE

4.8 CONFIDENTIALITY OF INFORMATION AND BACKGROUND CHECKS

4.9 SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

4.10 SUBCONTRACTS & JOINT VENTURES

4.11 GENERAL CONTRACT PROVISIONS

4.12 WITHDRAWAL OF A PROPOSAL

Section 5: STANDARD CONTRACT INFORMATION

5.1 TYPE OF CONTRACT

5.2 CONTRACTOR

5.3 CONTRACT APPROVAL AND TERM

5.4 RENEWALS

5.5 CONTRACT FUNDING

5.6 PAYMENT PROCEDURES

5.7 DELIVERABLE REVIEW, ACCEPTANCE AND PAYMENT

5.8 UNKNOWN, UNANTICIPATED, UNSPECIFIED TASKS

5.9 CHANGE ORDERS

5.10 RESPONSE AS PART OF THE CONTRACT

5.11 CONTRACT PERSONNEL

5.12 UNAUTHORIZED EMPLOYMENT OF ALIEN WORKERS

5.13 ASSIGNMENT

5.14 LAWS AND PERMITS

5.15 STANDARD CONTRACT PROVISIONS

5.16 SEVERABILITY

5.17 INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

5.18 BOND REQUIREMENTS

5.19 ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS DUE TO FEDERAL FUNDING

Section 6: SCOPE OF WORK/SERVICES

6.1 PROJECT SCOPE

6.2 WORK REQUIREMENTS

6.2.1 Implement Updated Technologies

6.2.2 General

6.2.3 Platforms

6.2.4 User and Access Management

6.2.5. Data

6.2.6 Software Development and Configuration

6.2.7 Named Positions

6.2.8 Project Management

6.2.9 Quality Management

6.2.10 Organizational Change Management and Communication Plan, Training

6.2.11 Knowledge Transfer

6.2.12 Pre Go-Live

6.2.13 GO-LIVE AND POST GO-LIVE

6.2.14 Independent Verification & Validation

6.3 SECURITY AND SUPPORTING INFORMATION

6.4 PROJECT DELIVERABLES

6.5 PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES

6.6 INFORMATIONAL EXHIBITS

7.1 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPONDENTS

7.2 DELIVERY

7.3 PROPOSAL VERSIONS

7.4 GENERAL FORMATTING INSTRUCTIONS

7.5 Format, Content, Quality and Media

7.5.1 Volume I: Administrative

7.5.2 Volume II: Technical

7.5.3 Volume III: Cost Data

Section 8: EVALUATION

8.1 Evaluation Process

8.2. Select Mandatory Compliance Items Review

8.3 Technical Evaluation

8.4 Cost Evaluation

8.5 Aggregate Score (Technical + Cost)

Section 9: SUBMITTALS and ATTACHMENTS

9.1 Submittal Checklist

ATTACHMENT A: CERTIFICATION OF DRUG FREE WORKPLACE

ATTACHMENT B: VENDOR CERTIFICATION FORM – PUR 7801

ATTACHMENT C: NOTICE OF NO CONFLICT OF INTEREST

ATTACHMENT D: STATEMENT OF NO INVOLVEMENT

ATTACHMENT E: ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST CERTIFICATION

ATTACHMENT F: VENDOR RESPONSIBILITY DISCLOSURE

ATTACHMENT G AGREEMENT TO MAINTAIN THE SECURITY OF CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION . 129

ATTACHMENT H: SECURITY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

ATTACHMENT I: CUSTOMER REFERENCE FORM

ATTACHMENT J: PROPOSER REFERENCE FORM

ATTACHMENT K: SUBCONTRACTOR FORM

ATTACHMENT L: COST SHEET

ATTACHMENT M: PERFORMANCE BOND

EXHIBIT 1: Standard Contract

EXHIBIT 2 PUR 1000

EXHIBIT 3: PUR 1001

EXHIBIT 4: EVALUATOR SCORE SHEET

EXHIBIT 5: PROJECT DELIVERABLE GROUPS

EXHIBIT 6 PROJECT DELIVERABLES

INFORMATIONAL EXHIBIT A: SAP Architecture

INFORMATIONAL EXHIBIT B: Integrations Diagrams(Penn Wire Diagram)

INFORMATIONAL EXHIBIT C: BW Object Inventory

INFORMATIONAL EXHIBIT D: ERP Landscape Architecture Roadmap

INFORMATIONAL EXHIBIT E: SAP: Readiness and Sizing CRM, ECC, BW

INFORMATIONAL EXHIBIT F: SAP BW/4HANA Readiness Check

INFORMATIONAL EXHIBIT G: Custom SAP Security Guidelines

INFORMATIONAL EXHIBIT H: Release Approach

INFORMATIONAL EXHIBIT I: Custom Listings : Clone Finder and ATC Checks - CRM, ECC, BW

INFORMATIONAL EXHIBIT J: Integrations/Bolt/Third Party Tools

INFORMATIONAL EXHIBIT K: Middleware Object Inventory

INFORMATIONAL EXHIBIT L: Deliverable Categories, Diagram of Parts, Groups and Deliverables

Section 1: DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS

1.1 Defined Terms

Throughout this Request for Proposal (RFP), the terms “Bidder”, “Contractor”, “Proposer”, “System Integrator”, “SI”, “selected Proposer” and “Vendor” are used interchangeably.

For purposes of this RFP, the use of the terms “shall”, “must”, and “will” are used interchangeably when describing the Contractor’s/Bidder’s duties.

Term Definition

Best Value The best overall value to the State based on objective factors that include, but are not limited to, price, quality, design, and workmanship.

Best Practice

The exercise of skill, care, due diligence, prudence, foresight, and judgment that would be expected from an expert provider of work similar to one or more components of the work that the Selected Proposer is providing under this Request for Proposal (RFP).

Breach of Contract The condition of the relationship between the Department and the Contractor that exists when the Contractor fails to perform under the terms and conditions of the Contract that may result from this RFP.

Business Days A day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or federal or State of Florida holiday.

BW/4HANA SAP BW/4HANA is a packaged data warehouse based on SAP HANA

CAMS ERP All SAP Components used by CAMS – CRM, BW, ECC, Enterprise Portal, ADS, GRC, RCS UI Logging, and Business Objects.

Child Support Program The Florida Department of Revenue Child Support Program

Code Review

The process where an authorized Department employee or designee reviews the coding and configuration changes for technical soundness and policy, procedure, and standards compliance. Must be performed before any changes can be implemented into the Quality Assurance Environment.

Continental United States All states within the United States of America except Alaska and Hawaii.

Contract The agreement that may result from this RFP between the selected vendor and the Department.

Contractor

The organization or individual providing commodities and/or services to the Department in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Contract that may result from this RFP. The term “Contractor” shall include all employees, agents, volunteers, and anyone acting on behalf of, in the interest of, or for, the Contractor.

Continuity of Operations

An effort within individual executive departments and agencies to ensure that primary mission essential functions … continue to be performed during a wide range of emergencies, including localized acts of nature, accidents and technological or attack-related emergencies.

Day Unless specified otherwise, “day” shall be interpreted to mean calendar day, not working day.

Department The Florida Department of Revenue, referred to in this RFP as “Department” or “FDOR.”

Department’s Hybrid Model

An on-premises install of SAP applications hosted on servers in a hybrid environment. The Department will use the SAP on-premises licensing model.

Development Environment

Software environment named Development or DEV.

Disaster Recovery Software environment outside of other environments that minimizes the effects of the disaster and return to normal operations as quickly as possible.

Downtime The amount of time where a computer system is unusable.

Enhancement Pack A term provided by SAP indicating an implemented software level.

Enterprise Systems Support Process

The Department work group name within Child Support Program responsible for Child Support enterprise application support

Environment Workstation or server (host) and its operating system, peripherals, and applications. [Source: NIST Glossary]. This can represent a grouping of hosts working together to provide computing services.

Go-Live The time and series of events that places the new S/4HANA or BW/4HANA system into full operation and the corresponding legacy SAP system(s) are no longer used by the Department.

HANA High-performance Analytic Appliance: a multi-model database that stores data in its memory instead of keeping it on a disk. Product Name – a software package from SAP

Hypercare A period of intensive and focused support that immediately follows the Go-Live event(s). This has a limited time and shorter than the time designated as Post Go- Live support.

Incident Term indicating an IT service or equipment is not working as expected.

These are captured, tracked, and measured within the Department’s system.

Incident Ticket The record that contains the details around one or more service disruptions.

Integration

Integration, in the context of technology or software, refers to the process of combining or merging different systems, components, or applications to work together seamlessly and exchange information or functionality. Integrations enable the interoperability and smooth communication between disparate systems, allowing them to share data and perform coordinated actions. Also known as bolt-Ons.

Key Personnel Contractor’s staff identified in the Proposal as essential to complete the Project.

Mandatory Responsiveness

Requirements

Mandatory responsiveness requirements are terms, conditions or requirements that must be met by the bidder to be responsive to this RFP. Failure to meet these mandatory requirements will cause rejection of a proposal.

Material Deviation

A deviation is material if, in the Department’s sole discretion, the deficient response is not in substantial accord with this RFP requirements, provides an advantage to one bidder over other bidders, has a potentially significant effect on the quantity or quality of items bid, or on the cost to the Department or otherwise adversely impacts the Department’s interest.

Minor Irregularity

Variations from the Request for Proposal terms and conditions that do not affect the price of the Proposal or give the vendor an advantage or benefit not enjoyed by the other vendors or do not adversely impact the interests of the State.

Mock Run

A practice conversion where the full set of data is fully processed from an existing system into the new system or version and thorough verification and validation is completed. The purpose is to act as a rehearsal of the implementation with the objective of reducing risk and impact to the Department.

Non-PROD See Non-Production.

Non-Production Any computer environment that is not designated as Production. This typically includes, but is not limited to Sandbox, Development, Testing, and Pre-Production Environments.

Non-Production Environment See Non-Production.

Out-of-the-Box The software configurations and programming as it is delivered from the manufacturer.

This is without any custom programming or coding.

P-Card The State of Florida’s purchasing card program, using the Visa platform.

Performance Measure

Criteria used to determine if a deliverable is acceptable to the Department.

Project The total work to be completed under the Contract.

Project Coordinator

The Department’s authorized representative who leads the Project team and serves as the primary contact with the Contractor.

Project Team The Department’s team established to provide Project oversight and manage the interface between the Contractor and the other working units within the Department.

Project Manager The Contractor’s authorized representative who directs and manages all Contractor personnel and activities.

Term Definition

Knowledge Transfer

Providing all aspects of technical training and documentation related to the implementation details provided by the selected Proposer to the Department’s support teams.

Proposal A competitive sealed response to this RFP.

Program The Florida Department of Revenue Child Support Program

Post Go-Live The period from the moment the scope of functionality is implemented. into Production.

Post Go-Live Support

A defined period of focused support that immediately follows the Hypercare period.

Pre-Go-Live The period from the beginning of the project or enhancement work through the moment the functionality is implemented.

Problem

An ITIL term indicating an IT service or equipment is not working as expected. A Problem means there are multiple common reported Incidents, and they can be worked together or there is a major system failure that requires special attention to restore service.

PROD Environment A term used mostly by developers to describe the setting where software and other products are actually put into operation for their intended uses by end users [Source: Techopedia.com].

Production See PROD Environment.

Production Environment See PROD Environment.

Project The project associated with this RFP and resulting agreement.

Proposer The entity that submits materials to the Buyer in accordance with the instructions contained herein.

QA

Environment

The setting where software and other products are tested for quality and operability. A computer environment where User Acceptance Testing (as defined in RFP) is performed.

Root Cause Analysis

A forensic type of review of any system or application failures. This is documented in a Root Cause Analysis report, which will include sections such as:

Timeline of events.

Description of the failure or event.

Time details for any outage times.

A description of the activity or component failure that caused the event.

A description of contributing factors and events.

A list of activities recommended to implement to avoid this type of event in the future or to lessen the impact on the stakeholders.

SAP ERP

Environment or

SAP ERP System

All SAP Components used by CAMS – CRM, BW, ECC, Enterprise Portal, ADS, GRC, RCS UI Logging and Business Objects.

SAP S/4HANA Branded modular ERP system.

Selected Proposer The company chosen by the Department to provide the services detailed within this RFP and its resulting Contract.

SOW Statement of Work

Upgrade To implement a new version of hardware and software that includes migrating functionality and data as required to have a fully functioning application operating the newer software version.

Vendor Any firm, entity, or person who may submit a Proposal to the Department in response to this RFP. The entity identified as the vendor in the Proposal will be the entity contracted with, should the entity become the successful vendor.

Winning or Successful Vendor

The business or entity awarded the Contract under this RFP.

END OF SECTION

1.2 Abbreviations

Abbreviation Detail

ABAP Advanced Business Application Programming

ACH Automated Clearing House (A form for electronic funds transfer)

AD Active Directory

ADO Azure Dev Ops

AKA Also Known As

AP Accounts Payables

API Application Programming Interface

APPs Applications

AR Accounts Receivables

BW/4HANA SAP BW/4HANA is a packaged data warehouse based on SAP HANA

BADI (SAP) Business Add-In

BAPI (SAP) Business Applications Programming Interface

BI Business Intelligence

BW Business Warehouse or Warehousing

CAMS Child Support Automated Management System

CIO Chief Information Officer

CMDB Configuration Management Database

CMBE Certified Minority Business Enterprise.

DEV Development Software Environment

DR Disaster Recovery

DFS Florida Department of Financial Services.

DMS Florida Department of Management Services.

ECC ERP Central Component

EHP Enhancement Pack

EFT Electronic Funds Transfer.

ERP Enterprise Resource Planning

FEIN Federal Employer Identification Number.

FFP Firm Fixed Price.

FRICE

An SAP acronym for Forms, Reports, Interfaces, Conversions and Enhancements. This term is a legacy term that SAP has standardized.

See new acronym “WFRICE”

GL General Ledger

GRC Governance, Risk, Controls

GUI Graphical User Interface

HTTPS Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure

IRS Internal Revenue Service.

IT Information Technologies

Abbreviation Detail

ITIL Information Technologies Infrastructure Library

IV&V Independent Verification and Validation

IVR Interactive Voice Recognition

KT Knowledge Transfer

MBE Minority Business Enterprise.

MS Microsoft

N/A Not Applicable

OCM Organizational Change Management

OS Operating System

PDF Portable Document Format

PROD Production Software Environment

QA Quality Assurance

RAID Risk, Actions, Issues, Decisions

RCA Root Cause Analysis

REST Representational State Transfer

RFP Request for Proposal

SAP

Name of the Software Manufacturer (NYSE: SAP)

SDLC

Software Development Life Cycle

SFTP

Secure File Transfer Protocol

SI

System Integrator

SLA

Service Level Agreement

SME

Subject Matter Expert

SOD

Segmentation of Duties

SOW

Statement of Work.

SP

Service Pack

SPOC

Single Point of Contact

SQL

Structured Query Language

TLS

Transport Layer Security

UAT

User Acceptance Test

VPN

Virtual Private Network

WBS

Work Breakdown Structure

WRICEF

Workflow, Reports, Interfaces, Conversions, Enhancements, and Forms in SAP

SDLC

Software Development Life Cycle

SFTP

Secure File Transfer Protocol

Section 2: INTRODUCTION

2.1 PROCUREMENT OFFICER

The Procurement Officer assigned to this solicitation is:

John Kinneer, Purchasing Director Florida Department of Revenue Capital Circle Office Center (CCOC) 2450 Shumard Oak Blvd., Bldg. 2-1600 Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0100 Work Phone: (850) 717-6435 E-mail: John.Kinneer@floridarevenue.com

2.2 PURPOSE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

The Florida Department of Revenue Child Support Program (Program) is embarking on a large and highly technical transformation activity requiring an experienced SAP Software Integrator (SI). The project is to upgrade the existing CAMS (Child Support Automated Management System) system, an SAP ECC, CRM, and BW based ERP to SAP S/4HANA and BW/4HANA. The selected vendor must become fully versed in the current business environment, assess, and identify gaps, upgrade ECC and Move CRM (functionality, functional and technical objects, configuration, code, and data) to S/4HANA, ensuring that existing custom code is adopted in the completed project, upgrade BW to BW/4HANA, and ensure existing third-party applications continue to function properly post-upgrade. The project will consist of two parts: Part 1, implementation of S/4HANA for CRM and ECC and Part 2, implementation of BW/4HANA for BW.

2.3 BACKGROUND

The System is an SAP CRM and BW based ERP system implemented in 2006, with ECC added in 2012. The Program has been upgrading, enhancing, and providing ERP functionality within CAMS since that time. The CAMS databases have been converted to SAP HANA databases.

The CAMS automated system serves internal and external customers and suppliers of the Child Support Program using SAP software. CAMS is used for all case and business partner processing and must meet specific state and federal requirements.

The CAMS core includes three applications with databases to house information: one for Financials (ECC), one for the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and one for the Business Warehouse (BW) reporting component. Additionally, CAMS uses Enterprise Portal, GRC, RCS UI Logging, ADS and Business Objects (DQXI/DS and WebIntelligence). Conversion to the HANA databases was completed in December 2023.

IMPORTANT NOTE: CAMS CRM is the data source for ECC. All leads and intakes are first generated in CRM and then migrated to ECC. BW receives data from ECC and CRM.

2.4 RESTRICTION ON COMMUNICATIONS

Vendors responding to this solicitation or person acting on their behalf may not contact, between the release of this solicitation and the end of the seventy-two (72) hour period following the agency posting the notice of intended award, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and state holidays, any employee or officer of the executive or legislative branch concerning any aspect of this solicitation, except in writing to the procurement officer named above. Violation of this provision may be grounds for rejecting a proposal.

2.5 PROCUREMENT OVERVIEW

This procurement is released as a “Request for Proposals” (RFP). The procurement process is described in Section 3. Solicitation related documentation will be available on the Florida Department of Management Services’ (DMS) Vendor Information Portal (VIP), and vendors are responsible for monitoring the site for new or updated information. Information available on the VIP includes but is not limited to the Request for Proposals, amendments, and questions/answers. Accessing the VIP is described in Section 3.1.1.

Proposals are to be submitted to the Florida Department of Revenue (FDOR) as specified in Section

7. FDOR will review and score the technical proposals, score the cost proposals submitted by vendors, score all qualified proposals, then select the vendor with the highest cumulative technical and cost points. Award and continuation of the contract is contingent upon the availability of funds. To be awarded a contract, a vendor must be registered with DMS on MyFloridaMarketPlace, and with the Florida Department of State Division of Corporations, if applicable.

Vendors are required to carefully examine this RFP and be thoroughly informed regarding the requirements.

2.6 DEFINITION OF REQUIREMENTS

Within this RFP the use of “shall” or “must” indicates a mandatory requirement or mandatory action.

FDOR may consider failure to meet a mandatory requirement to be a material deficiency, in which case FDOR may reject the Response and not consider it further, or FDOR may have the option to score that requirement with a zero (0).

The use of “should” or “may” indicates a desired requirement. FDOR will not reject a Response just because it fails to meet a desired requirement and may result in a lower score for that requirement.

However, FDOR may score a Response higher if it demonstrates the Vendor’s intent and ability to meet a desired requirement.

2.7 VENDOR ADMONISHMENTS

To submit a successful Response to this RFP, the Vendor must carefully follow all directions in this

RFP.

Vendors are responsible for monitoring the VIP website for new or updated information related to this RFP. The location of the VIP is described in Section 3.1.1.

Vendors are strongly advised to carefully read the entire RFP to fully understand the program and RFP requirements before writing and submitting a proposal.

Vendors must follow the procurement process described in Section 3.

Vendors should submit a Response that fully complies with the required organization, format, and contents specified in Section 7. A Proposal shall be organized exactly as specified. All mandatory items must be addressed, if not, Vendors risk having their Response rejected, OR zero (0) points assigned.

Vendors must carefully review the attached Sample Contract (Exhibit 1). No alteration of Contract will be permitted without prior written approval from FDOR. Be advised that many of the provisions of FDOR’s standard contract are required pursuant to Florida Statutes (F.S.), provisions of the Florida Administrative Code, Federal Regulations, or judicial opinions; therefore, most requested changes will be denied.

Vendors must submit a Proposal to the required location by the required date and time, as described in Section 7: Submission of Proposals. Be aware that the Capital Circle Office Complex (CCOC) buildings, where Proposals are submitted, are secured facilities. Be sure to allow sufficient time to sign in and be escorted when submitting a Proposal. Submitting a Proposal at the last moment risks contending with other Vendors trying to do the same. A Proposal submitted late for any reason will be rejected.

Vendors are required to ensure that cost-related data is presented separately from the technical Proposal. The cost must be separately packaged and clearly labeled. Proposals that include cost information in the technical Proposal will be rejected.

Carefully review the RFP instructions to ensure that all required information is provided as specified in this RFP.

Contractors, subcontractors and their employees having access to confidential information will be required to execute Attachment G: Agreement to Maintain the Security of Confidential Information, as specified in Section 6.3, Security and Supporting Information and Attachment H: Security Acknowledgement.

Confidential, proprietary, trade secret or other protected information submitted in Vendor Proposals shall be properly and clearly identified and labeled as specified in Section 7.32 of this RFP.

2.8 RESERVED RIGHTS

FDOR at its sole discretion reserves the right to:

Amend this RFP.

Conduct a Response Qualification Process to cure deficiencies not directly related to Technical Specifications of the RFP.

Waive minor irregularities in submitted Proposals.

Reject any or all Proposals received in response to this RFP, if FDOR determines such action is in the best interest of the State or due to unavailability of funds.

Request clarifications from Vendors.

Request additional information to assess the Vendor’s capabilities.

Contact any past or current customers of the Vendor for references.

Require any or all Vendor(s) to address services, prices, or conditions offered by any other Vendor.

Use any idea proposed unless otherwise protected by Florida Statute.

Pursue a Contract with one or more vendor(s) for the services encompassed by this solicitation, any addenda thereto.

Pursue the division of Contracts between vendor(s) by type of service or geographic area, or both.

Arrive at an agreement with any Vendor and finalize principal contract terms with such Vendor.

Take any additional administrative steps deemed necessary in determining the final award, including additional fact-finding, evaluation, or negotiation where necessary and consistent with the terms of this RFP.

Section 3: PROCUREMENT PROCESS, SCHEDULE AND CONSTRAINTS

3.1 PROCUREMENT PROCESS

3.1.1 RFP Release

This Request for Proposals (RFP) is posted on the Vendor Information Portal (VIP) web site:

https://vendor.myfloridamarketplace.com/ . To find the RFP or other related information, enter Agency “Department of Revenue” and click on “initiate Search” at the bottom of the web page. If unable to download the document(s), contact FDOR Procurement Officer identified in Section 2.1.

Section 120.57(3)(b), F.S., requires that a notice of protest of the solicitation documents shall be made within seventy-two (72) hours after the posting of the solicitation. Section 120.57(3)(a), F.S., requires the following statement to be included in the solicitation: “Failure to file a protest within the time prescribed in section 120.57(3), F.S., or failure to post the bond or other security required by law within the time allowed for filing a bond shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under Chapter 120, F.S.”

3.1.2 Addenda

FDOR reserves the right to amend this RFP. All addenda will be in writing and will be posted electronically on the VIP web site referenced in Section 3.1.1. If unable to download an RFP addendum, contact the Procurement Officer identified in Section 2.1.

It is the responsibility of the Vendors to monitor the VIP web site, as additional notification may not be provided.

3.1.3 Questions

Questions relevant to this RFP are invited and must be submitted in written form via email to the Procurement Officer. Questions must be received by FDOR Procurement Officer on or before the date and time identified in the Procurement Schedule (Section 3.2). FDOR recommends that Vendors confirm receipt of questions submitted.

Responses to all questions will be posted on the VIP web site in accordance with the Procurement Schedule. The written response posted on the web site is the ONLY official response. Verbal responses are not official nor binding, and those that differ from the written responses must be considered incorrect.

Public record requests submitted as part of the Question period identified above, as well as, identified/marked public record requests will be answered as promptly as possible in the ordinary course of business, but may not be answered as part of the Question and Response process.

Responses to public record requests may be furnished to the requesting Vendor only.

Vendors are cautioned that questions submitted should not contain cost information. The inclusion of cost information with questions submitted may result in the Vendor’s disqualification.

It is the responsibility of the Vendor to monitor the VIP web site, as no additional notification will be provided when responses to questions are posted.

3.1.4 Errors in RFP

If a Vendor discovers any ambiguity, conflict, discrepancy, omission, or other error in this RFP, the Vendor shall immediately notify FDOR in writing of the error. FDOR will resolve major problems with an addendum. Minor problems will be addressed as a Question and Response, if applicable, or as an addendum, posted on the VIP.

If the RFP contains an error known to the Vendor or an error that reasonably should have been known, the Vendor shall respond at its own risk. If the Vendor fails to notify FDOR of the error prior to Response submission and is awarded a Contract, the Vendor shall not be entitled to additional compensation or time by reason of the error or its later correction.

3.1.5 Proposal Opening

Proposals will be publicly opened at the time and date specified in the Procurement Schedule (Section 3.2). The names of the responding Vendors will be read aloud. The name(s) of Vendors submitting Proposals will be made available to interested parties at the Proposal opening or upon written request to the Procurement Officer listed in Section 2.1.

The contents of proposal submissions are not immediately public records subject to provisions of section 119.07(1), F.S. Per 119.071(1)(b)2, F.S., submissions are exempted until the Agency posts a Notice of Intended Agency Decision, or thirty (30) days after opening the final competitive sealed Proposals, whichever is earlier, and therefore will not be available for immediate review by the public.

3.1.6 Responsiveness Review

The table below outlines the conditions or requirements that must be met in order to have a responsive proposal to this Request for Proposals. FDOR’s Purchasing Officer will perform a review on every Proposal received to validate compliance with the items listed below. This review does not assign any scores but is simply a pass/fail review. Replies that fail one or more of the items listed in the table may be rejected and not considered further.

Item # Mandatory Item Yes/No 1 Did Proposal arrive sealed, on the correct date and time?

2 Confirm that the Vendor is not on the Scrutinized List of Prohibited

Companies

3 Confirm that the Vendor is not on the Suspended Vendor List.

4 Confirm that the Vendor is not on the Convicted Vendor List.

5 Confirm that the Vendor is not on the Discriminatory Vendor List.

6 Confirm that the Vendor is not on the Federal Excluded Parties List.

7 Confirm that the Vendor is not on the Antitrust violator vendor list.

8 Confirm that the Vendor is not on the Forced labor vendor list

9 Confirm that the Vendor Transmittal Letter was submitted, signed and contains affirming statements for all required items per Section 7.5.1.1.

10 Confirm the required Procurement Forms (attachments) listed in Section 9 have been submitted and signed if required.

11 Letter of commitment for a performance bond as described in Section 5.16.

12 Completed customer reference forms timely received

The Responsiveness Review will enable FDOR to determine a vendor’s compliance with the requirements of the RFP not directly related to the Technical Specifications and Cost Data. Certain deficiencies in the response items may be cured as part of the Responsiveness Review Process, at the discretion of FDOR.

Failure of a Vendor to timely respond to follow-up requests from FDOR may result in a determination of non-responsiveness and removal of the Vendor from further consideration.

FDOR reserves the right to determine whether a response meets the responsive requirements of the RFP.

If a Proposal passes all items being reviewed in the table above, FDOR will continue the evaluation as described in the next section(s).

3.1.7 Technical Evaluation

FDOR will evaluate and score the Technical Volume II using a team of at least three (3) persons who collectively have experience and knowledge in the program areas and service requirements called for by the RFP.

The team is herein referred to as the Evaluation Committee. The Evaluation Committee Members will individually evaluate and score the Technical Volume II in accordance with the evaluation criteria as described in Section 8 of this RFP.

3.1.8 Clarification Requests (CR)

Throughout the solicitation process, FDOR may request clarification(s) of uncertainties, or to eliminate confusion concerning the contents of a Proposal, ambiguous or inconsistent information in submitted Proposals, using the following process.

1. If FDOR detects an ambiguity or inconsistency within a Proposal, FDOR Procurement Officer or their designee will request clarification utilizing a CR describing the ambiguity or inconsistency.

Vendors are cautioned FDOR will not generate a CR for an omission, even of a mandatory topic or mandatory requirement. FDOR may reject a Proposal that omits a mandatory topic or requirement or may score with zero (0) points.

2. FDOR Procurement Officer or their designee will coordinate with Vendors a time for all CR to be submitted.

Within twenty-four (24) hours, unless another timeframe is authorized by FDOR Procurement Officer or their designee, of the conclusion of the conference call, meeting or written request, the Vendor shall send to FDOR Procurement Officer or their designee (by e-mail) the written Clarification Request Responses (CRR) with a letter binding the company to the contents of the CRR and signed by an individual authorized to bind the company. The Vendor should confirm receipt. FDOR will ignore verbal discussions, and any written material that does not respond directly to a CR.

3. FDOR will use the written CRR to update the Vendor’s Response. An unresolved CR may result in an Evaluator scoring a Vendor’s Response lower.

FDOR will not generate a Clarification Request for Response omissions; THEREFORE, DO

NOT RELY ON CLARIFICATION REQUESTS TO IDENTIFY DEFICIENCIES.

Clarification Request Responses are restricted to information that responds directly to a Clarification Request; therefore, Vendors may not submit information that does not respond directly to a CR in the written CRR. If a Vendor does submit new information that does not directly respond to the CR, FDOR will not evaluate it. Clarifications may not result in a material or substantive change to the Vendor’s Proposal

3.1.9 Divergent Score Review

At the conclusion of the Technical Evaluation phase of the solicitation process, a divergent review may take place, at the discretion of FDOR. A divergent review provides all evaluators with the opportunity to re-review any particular evaluation criterion(s) that resulted in a score that is inconsistent of the other scores for that criterion(s). Evaluators are only provided the opportunity to re-review scores; they are not required to change any assigned score.

If after a divergent review, the criterion continues to remain divergent, the solicitation process may continue forward without delay. However, if after the divergent review, the criterion becomes even further divergent, FDOR may, at its sole discretion, determine that a second divergent review is necessary, or continue forward with the solicitation process.

3.1.10 Identical Scoring of Proposals

Whenever two or more bids which are equal with respect to price, quality, and service are received, FDOR shall determine the order of award first in accordance with section 295.187(4), F.S., giving preference to “Veteran Business Enterprise” then to bid responses from vendors that certify the business has implemented a drug-free workplace program in accordance with section 287.087, F.S.

Vendors may execute and return Attachment A, Certification of a Drug Free Workplace, to be considered in the event of identical scoring/exact tie.

3.1.11 Cost Data Volume Opening

Upon completion of the technical evaluation, Volume II:

On the date indicated in the Procurement Schedule (Section 3.2), Cost Data Volume III will be publicly opened. FDOR will publish any changes to the date and time via a Public Meeting Notice on the VIP. Vendors are advised to monitor the VIP for a Public Meeting Notice for any changes to the exact date and time. This meeting will be for FDOR to open and read aloud the Vendor names.

The Cost Data tabulation sheet will be made available to interested parties at the Cost Data opening or upon written request to the Procurement Officer listed in Section 2.1.

The contents of Proposal submissions, including Cost Data Volumes are not public records subject to the provisions of section 119.07(1), F.S., until the Agency posts a Notice of Intended Agency Decision, or until thirty (30) days after opening the final competitive sealed Proposals, whichever is earlier, and therefore will not be available for immediate review by the public.

3.1.12 Cost Data Volume III Review & Scoring

FDOR will check the arithmetic and score cost in accordance with Section 8 of this RFP. Each Vendor’s Cost Data points will be added to their Administrative/Technical score to obtain the Vendor’s aggregate score. The Vendor’s aggregate score will be used to determine contract award.

3.1.13 Notice of Agency Decision

At the conclusion of scoring and approval to award a contract or contracts, FDOR will post a Notice of Intended Agency Decision, as determined to be in the best interest of the State. The Notice will be posted on the VIP for seventy-two (72) hours.

Posting of a Notice of Intended Agency Decision does not guarantee an award of a Contract. An award from this RFP does not guarantee execution of a Contract and execution of a Contract does not guarantee an order for commodities and services from the State.

It is the responsibility of Vendors to monitor the VIP web site, as no additional notifications will be provided.

FDOR reserves the right to reject any or all Replies received in response to the RFP, at its sole discretion, as determined to be in the best interest of FDOR or due to unavailability of funds.

3.1.14 Protest and Protest Filing

Any Vendor or person who desires to protest a solicitation, decision, intended decision, or recommended award must file the following documents with the Agency Clerk in the FDOR’s Office of General Counsel, 2450 Shumard Oak Boulevard, Building 1, Suite 2400 Tallahassee, FL 32399- 0109, and provide copies to the Procurement Officer listed in Section 2.1.

1. A written notice of intent to protest within seventy-two (72) hours (3 business days) after posting of the recommended award in the VIP.

2. A formal written protest by petition within ten (10) calendar days after the date on which the notice of protest is filed.

3. A protest bond within ten (10) calendar days after the date on which the notice of protest is filed.

Failure to file a protest within the time prescribed in section 120.57(3), F.S., or failure to post the bond or other security required by law within the time allowed for filing a bond shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under Chapter 120, F.S.

Any person who files an action protesting a solicitation, decision, intended decision, or recommended award, pursuant to section 120.57(3), F.S., shall post with the FDOR at the time of filing the formal written protest, a bond payable to FDOR in an amount equal to one percent (1%) of the FDOR’s estimate of the total value of the Contract. In lieu of a bond, the FDOR may accept a cashier’s check or money order in the amount of the bond.

The bond shall be conditioned upon the payment of all costs which may be adjudged against the protester in the administrative hearing in which the action is brought and in any subsequent appellate court proceeding.

3.1.15 Right to Inspect Place of Business

The State may conduct on-site visits to evaluate the Vendor’s capacity to perform the contract. A Vendor must agree, at risk of being found nonresponsive and having its proposal rejected, to provide the State reasonable access at reasonable times to relevant portions of its work sites related to the performance of the contract. Any site inspection will be made by individuals designated by the procurement office at the State’s expense.

3.2 PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE

Below is the procurement schedule that represents the FDOR’s best estimate of the schedule that will be followed. If deviations from this schedule occur, the FDOR will publish an addendum on the VIP. No liability to the FDOR will result from such deviations. All required Vendor actions must be completed by the date and time in the schedule. All listed times are local time in Tallahassee, FL.

ANTICIPATED SCHEDULE OF EVENTS DATE AND TIME DUE

Release of the RFP September 10, 2024

Vendor submits questions/inquiries, September 24, 2024, 12 PM ET

FDOR posts responses to questions/inquires on Vendor Information

Portal September 30, 2024

At FDOR’s discretion, second Q & A ‐ Vendor submits questions/inquires

October 4, 2024, 12 PM ET

FDOR posts responses to questions/inquires on Vendor Information

Portal October 11, 2024

Due date for Technical and Cost Proposals and opening time for technical proposals October 28, 2024 3:00 PM ET

Cost opening December 12, 2024

Post Intent to Award on Vendor Information Portal December 16, 2024

Contract Effective Date January 6, 2025

3.3 PROCUREMENT CONSTRAINTS

3.3.1 Prohibition against contracting with Scrutinized Companies In accordance with the requirements of section 287.135(2), F.S., a company is ineligible to, and may not, bid on, submit a proposal or Response for, or enter into or renew a contract with an agency or local governmental entity for goods or services of any amount if, at the time of bidding on, submitting a proposal or Response for, or entering into or renewing such contract, the company is on the Scrutinized Companies that Boycott Israel List, created pursuant to section 215.4725, F.S., or is engaged in a boycott of Israel.

Also, in accordance with the requirements of section 287.135(2), F.S., a company is ineligible to, and may not, bid on, submit a proposal or Response for, or enter into or renew a contract with an agency or local governmental entity for goods or services of one million dollars or more if, at the time of bidding on, submitting a proposal or Response for, or entering into or renewing such contract, the company:

1. Is on the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in Sudan List or the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in the Iran Petroleum Energy Sector List, created pursuant to section 215.473, F.S.; or

2. Is engaged in business operations in Cuba or Syria.

In accordance with the requirements of section 287.135(5), F.S., at the time a company submits a bid or proposal or Response for a contract or before the company enters into or renews a contract with an agency or local governmental entity for goods or services of $1 million or more, the company must certify that the company is not on the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in Sudan List or the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in the Iran Petroleum Energy Sector List and that it does not have business operations in Cuba or Syria.

At the time a company submits a bid or proposal or Response for a contract or before the company enters into or renews a contract with an agency or local governmental entity for goods or services of any amount, the company must certify that the company is not participating in a boycott of Israel.

The State Board of Administration maintains the “Quarterly List of Scrutinized Companies that Boycott Israel” at the following link:

https://www.sbafla.com/fsb/Portals/FSB/Content/Performance/Quarterly/2023_01_17_Web_U pdate_PFIA_Prohibited_List.pdf?ver=2023-01-17-160949-307

Vendors must certify that they are not on the Scrutinized List of Prohibited Companies (collectively) using the Vendor Certification Form (PUR7801 – Attachment B).

3.3.2 Suspended Vendor List

Pursuant to 60A-1.006, Florida Administrative Code, a person or affiliate who has been placed on the Suspended Vendor List for contractual default may be excluded from award of a contract unless the Vendor corrects its failure within the time frame provided by the agency, pays any additional cost incurred by the agency for re-procuring the services, or is legally excused by the agency from default.

Vendors must certify that they are not on the list using the Vendor Certification Form (PUR7801 – Attachment B).

3.3.3 Convicted Vendor List

Pursuant to section 287.133, F.S., a person or affiliate who has been placed on the Convicted Vendor List following a conviction for a public entity crime may not:

submit a bid, proposal, or Response on a contract to provide any goods or services to a public entity;

submit a bid, proposal, or Response on a contract with a public entity for the construction or repair of a public building or public work;

submit bids, proposals, or replies on leases of real property to a public entity;

be awarded or perform work as a contractor, supplier, subcontractor, or consultant under a contract with any public entity; or transact business with any public entity in excess of the threshold amount provided in section 287.017, F.S., for Category Two for a period of thirty-six (36) months following the date of being placed on the convicted contractor list.

Vendors must certify that they are not on the list using the Vendor Certification Form (PUR7801 – Attachment B).

3.3.4 Discriminatory Vendor List

Pursuant to section 287.134, F.S., an entity or affiliate who has been placed on the Discriminatory Vendor List may not:

submit a bid, proposal, or Response on a contract to provide any goods or services to a public entity;

submit a bid, proposal, or Response on a contract with a public entity for the construction or repair of a public building or public work;

submit bids, proposals, or replies on leases of real property to a public entity;

be awarded or perform work as a contractor, supplier, subcontractor, or consultant under a contract with any public entity; and transact business with any public entity.

Vendors must certify that they are not on the Discriminatory Vendor list using the Vendor Certification Form (PUR7801 – Attachment B).

3.3.5 Antitrust violator vendor list

Pursuant to section 287.137, F.S., a person or an affiliate who has been placed on the antitrust violator vendor list following a conviction or being held civilly liable for an antitrust violation may not submit a bid, proposal, or reply for any new contract to provide any goods or services to a public entity; may not submit a bid, proposal, or reply for a new contract with a public entity for the construction or repair of a public building or public work; may not submit a bid, proposal, or reply on new leases of real property to a public entity; may not be awarded or perform work as a contractor, supplier, subcontractor, or consultant under a new contract with a public entity; and may not transact new business with a public entity.

Vendors must certify that they are not on the Antitrust violator vendor list using the Vendor Certification Form (PUR7801 – Attachment B).

3.3.6 Contracting with entities of foreign countries of concern prohibited.

Pursuant to section 287.138, F.S., a governmental entity may not accept a bid on, a proposal for, or a reply to, or enter into, a contract with an entity which would grant the entity access to an individual’s personal identifying information unless the entity provides the governmental entity with an affidavit signed by an officer or representative of the entity under penalty of perjury attesting that the entity does not meet any of the criteria as follows:

A governmental entity may not knowingly enter into a contract with an entity which would give access to an individual’s personal identifying information if:

The entity is owned by the government of a foreign country of concern;

The government of a foreign country of concern has a controlling interest in the entity; or The entity is organized under the laws of or has its principal place of business in a foreign country of concern.

Vendors if having access to an…