Finance_-_Payroll_System_with_backup_Sept_2025.pdf

This is a Finance and Payroll System procurement document for METRO Regional Transit Authority, a public transit agency operating approximately 127 fixed-route vehicles in Summit County, Ohio. METRO seeks proposals for a modern, integrated Finance, Payroll, and optional Human Resource Information System (HRIS) to replace its fragmented technology infrastructure. The requested deliverables include a cloud-native, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform with comprehensive core finance and payroll functionality, seamless integration with existing systems including CAD/AVL, NeoGov HRIS, and banking partners, an employee self-service portal, and robust reporting and analytics capabilities. Key dates include a Virtual Pre-Proposal Conference on January 21, 2026, a deadline for proposer questions on February 9, 2026, final addendum issuance on February 16, 2026, and proposal submissions due February 26, 2026, at 5:00 PM ET through METRO's OpenGov procurement portal. Oral presentations and system demonstrations are scheduled for the week of March 30, 2026, with contract award anticipated on April 28, 2026. The system must be operational by January 1, 2027, and the contract includes a minimum three-year comprehensive warranty period with optional extension to five years, followed by renewable annual software maintenance and support agreements.

METRO has programmed $350,000 for the finance and payroll systems in its 2025 capital budget. Pricing will be evaluated on a Total Cost of Ownership basis, requiring itemized submissions for one-time costs including software licenses, hardware, and implementation services, as well as annual recurring costs for software maintenance, SaaS subscriptions, and hardware maintenance. The project may receive partial Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funding, which requires completion of federal certifications including lobbying, debarment and suspension, Buy America, and non-collusion affidavits. Proposers must provide minimum three client references for similar implementations at U.S. or Canadian public transit agencies within the prior five years. Evaluation will be conducted in a multi-stage process, with technical merit receiving up to 100 points, system demonstration capability and pricing worth 20 points, and consideration of vendor experience and past performance with comparable transit agencies. The current environment is characterized by manual workarounds, data integrity challenges, poor system performance, and fragmented technology systems including Fleet-Net for finance and payroll, HASTUS for route planning, NeoGov for human resources, and other legacy systems.