FWC 23.24-04 RFP - Final.pdf

FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION

1875 ORANGE AVENUE E

TALLAHASSEE, FL 32311-6160

(850) 488-6551

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

FWC 23/24-04

CORAL REEF DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM

RESPONDENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM

Purpose: The intent of this RFP is to obtain competitive responses for the development of a collaborative decision support system for coral reef conservation in southeast Florida, per the specifications contained herein. Only responsive and responsible Respondents will be considered for award of this RFP.

Responsive: To be responsive, a response must constitute a definite, firm, unqualified and unconditional offer to meet all the material terms of this RFP. Material terms are those that could affect the price, quantity, quality, or delivery.

Also included as material terms are those which are clearly identified in this RFP and which, for reasons of policy, must be complied with at risk of response rejection for non-responsiveness.

Non-Responsive: Any submission that does not comply with this RFP in any way, does not contain all the properly signed forms, supplements or deviates from the RFP requirements or has an incomplete Cost Sheet may be considered nonresponsive at the discretion of Procurement Manager.

Responsible Companies: The Commission shall only consider responsible companies. Responsible companies are those that have, in the sole judgment of the Commission, the financial ability, experience, resources, skills, capability, reliability and business integrity necessary to perform the requirements of the contract. The Commission may also consider references and quality to determine the responsibility of the Respondent. The Commission reserves the right to use any information, whether supplied through the Respondent’s submission or otherwise obtained, in determining responsibility.

Rejection of Reponses: The Commission reserves the right to reject any and all responses and to waive any minor irregularity in the submissions received in response to this RFP. The Commission reserves the right to consider all information, whether submitted or otherwise, to determine responsiveness and responsibility and to reject responses accordingly.

Name of Business: ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Contact Person Name: ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Business Address: _______________________________________________________________________________________________

City: __________________________ State: ____________________________ Zip code: ____________________________________

Phone: __________________________ Fax: _____________________________ Email: ____________________________________

Federal Employer Identification Number: __________________ DUNS or UEI Number:______________________________________

I certify that this RFP response is submitted without prior understanding, agreement, or connection with any corporation, firm, or person submitting a response for the same professional services and is in all respects fair and without collusion or fraud. I agree to abide by all conditions of this RFP and certify that I am authorized to si gn thi s acknowl edgement fo r the Respondent.

Authorized Signature (Manual): ___________________________________________________________________________________

Authorized Signature Name (Typed) and Title: ______________________________________________________________________

Date: _______________________________________

Request for Proposal – Revised 3.23.2023 FWC 23/24-04, Page 2 of 34

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

FWC 23/24-04

SCHEDULE DUE DATE METHOD

RFP Advertised January 16, 2024 Posted on the Vendor Information Portal (VIP)

Mandatory Pre-Proposal Conference Call

January 30, 2024 @ 11:00 AM ET See Pre-Proposal Conference Clause

Deadline for Questions Must be received

PRIOR to:

February 2, 2024

@ 5:00 PM ET

See Deadline for Questions Clause

Anticipated date for Responses to Written Questions February 9, 2024 Posted on the Vendor Information Portal (VIP)

SEALED RESPONSE DUE

(REMEMBER: RFP number should be clearly marked on envelope)

Must be received PRIOR to:

February 20, 2024

@ 2:00 PM ET

Mailing Address:

Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission Attn: Purchasing 1875 Orange Ave E Tallahassee, Florida 32311-6160

Submissions are due BEFORE the date and time of the public opening.

Public Response Opening February 20, 2024

@ 2:00 PM ET

Public Opening Location:

1875 Orange Ave E Tallahassee, FL 32311-6160

-Teleconference- Conference call phone number: 1.888.585.9008 Conference room number: 218-721-199

Evaluation Period From

February 26, 2024 to

March 11, 2024

Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission

Anticipated Date of Intended Award March 19, 2024 Posted on the Vendor Information Portal (VIP) https://vendor.myfloridamarketplace.com/ https://vendor.myfloridamarketplace.com/

Request for Proposal – Revised 3.23.2023 FWC 23/24-04, Page 3 of 34

GENERAL CONDITIONS

FWC 23/24-04

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC or Commission) mission is to manage fish and wildlife resources for their long-term well-being and the benefit of people. The Commission administers six (6) major programs including habitat and species conservation, freshwater fisheries management, law enforcement, marine fisheries management, hunting and game management and fish and wildlife research.

A Respondent submitting a response shall be registered in the MyFloridaMarketPlace (MFMP) system and, where required, the Sunbiz system prior to the RFP opening. Business entities which must be on file with Sunbiz include the following foreign and domestic entities: Corporations for and not for profit, Limited Liability Companies (LLC), Limited Partnerships (LP) including Limited Liability Limited Partnerships (LLLP), and organizations doing business under a fictitious name (DBA). A Respondent may not be considered for an award if not registered in the MFMP and Sunbiz system. The Respondent’s registration address and federal employer identification (FEID) number should match the Respondent’s address and FEID number listed on the Respondent Acknowledgment form (page 1).

Certified Minority-owned, Woman-owned and Service-Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises, as certified by the State of Florida Office of Supplier Diversity, are encouraged by the Commission to participate in the bidding process.

Response from Respondent shall include all necessary equipment to complete the job. The Respondent is required to supply all specified documentation when submitting a response for this project.

Please note:

• The terms “Contract,” “Agreement” and “Purchase Order” are used interchangeably in the document.

• The terms “Commodities” and “Goods” are used interchangeably in the document.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

PUR 1000 and PUR1001 are hereby incorporated by reference. PUR1000 and PUR1001 can be found at the Department of Management Services website at the following link:

https://www.dms.myflorida.com/business_operations/state_purchasing/state_agency_resources/state_purc hasing_pur_forms

The following terms and conditions take precedence over the PUR1001 and PUR1000 forms where applicable. The Commission objects to and shall not consider any additional terms or conditions submitted by a Respondent or Contractor, including any appearing in documents attached as part of a Respondent’s response. In signing and submitting its response, a Respondent agrees that any additional terms or conditions, whether submitted intentionally or inadvertently, shall have no force or effect. Failure to comply with terms and conditions, including those specifying information that must be submitted with a response, shall be grounds for rejecting a response.

The terms and conditions of the Sample Contract, Attachment A, are hereby incorporated into this solicitation. Any contract resulting from this solicitation will include the terms and conditions of this solicitation and the terms and conditions contained in Attachment A.

https://www.dms.myflorida.com/business_operations/state_purchasing/state_agency_resources/state_purchasing_pur_forms https://www.dms.myflorida.com/business_operations/state_purchasing/state_agency_resources/state_purchasing_pur_forms

Request for Proposal – Revised 3.23.2023 FWC 23/24-04, Page 4 of 34

PROCUREMENT MANAGER

Ruth Heggen Ruth.Heggen@myfwc.com

TERM

The contract will be effective for a period of five (5) years from Contract execution.

If circumstances constituting Force Majeure have occurred, or if anything occurs beyond the Contractor’s control, the Contractor may request in writing an extension of Completion Date. The Project Manager and Contract Manager will review the extension request and if they determine it is justified, will forward to the Bid Request Inbox (bidrequest@myfwc.com) for procurement review and approval/disapproval.

RENEWAL

The Commission has the option to renew this Contract on a yearly basis for a period up to five (5) years after the initial Contract period upon the same terms and conditions contained herein. Pursuant to Sections 287.057(1)(a)2., and 287.057(1)(a)3., Florida Statutes, each Contractor shall supply a price for each year that a contract may be renewed. Evaluation of responses shall include consideration of the total cost of the contract, including the total cost for each renewal year, as submitted by the Contractor.

Exercise of the renewal option is at the Commission’s sole discretion and shall be conditioned, at a minimum, on the Contractor’s satisfactory performance of this Contract and is subject to the availability of funds. The Contractor, if it desires to exercise this renewal option, will provide written notice to the Commission no later than thirty (30) days prior to the Contract expiration date. The renewal term shall require written approval from the Commission’s Procurement Manager.

SUBCONTRACTS

Subcontracting IS permitted pursuant to the Terms and Conditions of the Contract. The Subcontractor Status Report (Attachment B) shall be submitted with each invoice for payment. The List of Subcontractors (Attachment C) shall be included with response submission.

DIVERSITY

The Commission is committed to supporting Florida’s diverse business industry and population through ensuring participation by minority, women, and veteran-owned business enterprises in the economic life of the state. The State of Florida Mentor Protégé Program connects minority, women, and veteran-owned business enterprises with private corporations for business development mentoring. We strongly encourage contractors doing business with the State of Florida to consider this initiative. For more information on the Mentor Protégé Program, please contact the Office of Supplier Diversity at (850) 487-0915 or osdinfo@dms.myflorida.com.

FWC encourages diversity in its procurement program and requests that all subcontracting opportunities afforded by this solicitation enthusiastically embrace diversity. The award of subcontracts should reflect the vast array of citizens in the State of Florida. Respondents can visit the Office of Supplier Diversity website for information on certified business enterprises that may be considered for subcontracting opportunities.

MANDATORY PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE CALL

A mandatory pre-proposal conference call will be held on the date and time specified in the Calendar of Events (Page 2). The purpose of the pre-proposal conference is to discuss the contents of this RFP and to mailto:bidrequest@myfwc.com?subject=Extension%20Request https://www.dms.myflorida.com/agency_administration/office_of_supplier_diversity_osd/mentor_protege_program mailto:osdinfo@dms.myflorida.com https://www.dms.myflorida.com/agency_administration/office_of_supplier_diversity_osd/mentor_protege_program https://www.dms.myflorida.com/agency_administration/office_of_supplier_diversity_osd/mentor_protege_program

Request for Proposal – Revised 3.23.2023 FWC 23/24-04, Page 5 of 34 accept verbal questions from Respondents concerning the project. Respondents must attend this pre-proposal conference call as a requirement of response responsiveness. Failure to attend the entire conference call, from the time it is called to order to the time it is adjourned, shall disqualify a potential respondent. The Commission will make a reasonable effort to answer verbal questions asked at the pre-proposal conference call, however, Respondents should clearly understand that verbal discussions held at the pre-proposal conference call shall not be binding on the Commission, and the Commission will only issue an official written response to verbal questions subsequently submitted in writing in accordance with the Deadline for Questions clause below.

Access Phone Number: 1-888-585-9008 Conference Room Number: 218-721-199

VERBAL INSTRUCTION PROCEDURE

Respondents may not consider any verbal instructions as binding upon the Commission. No negotiations, discussions, or actions shall be initiated or executed by the Respondent as a result of any discussion with any Commission employee. Only those communications from the Commission that are in writing may be considered as a duly authorized expression on behalf of the Commission.

SOLICITATION QUESTIONS

Any questions from Respondents that require an official FWC answer concerning this project shall be submitted in writing to the Procurement Manager. This includes specification inquiries, such as questions or requests for additional or altered terms and conditions. Questions to the Procurement Manager shall not constitute formal protest of the specifications or of the solicitation. Questions must be received no later than the date and time specified in the Calendar of Events (Page 2). Questions may be sent via email with the solicitation number in the subject line. It is the responsibility of the Respondent to confirm receipt of questions if needed.

If questions are received, an addendum will be issued and shall be posted on the Vendor Information Portal.

LIMITATION ON RESPONDENT CONTACT DURING SOLICITATION PERIOD

Respondents to this solicitation or persons acting on their behalf may not contact, between the release of the solicitation and the end of the 72-hour period following the agency posting the notice of intended award, (note the 72-hour posting period excludes 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 Manager or as provided in the solicitation documents. Violation of this provision may be grounds for rejecting a response.

RESPONDENT SPECIFICATION INQUIRIES

Any protest concerning the specifications of this solicitation shall be made in accordance with PUR1001, paragraph 20, “Protests”. A notice of protest of the solicitation documents shall be made within seventy-two hours after the posting of the solicitation. Failure to file a protest within the time prescribed in Section 120.57(3)(b), F.S., shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under Chapter 120, F.S.

ADDENDUMS

If the Commission finds it necessary to supplement, modify or interpret any portion of the specifications or documents or answer any Respondent questions during the solicitation period, an addendum shall be posted on the Vendor Information Portal website. Each Respondent is responsible for monitoring the Vendor Information Portal for new or changing information relative to this procurement. The Commission bears no https://vendor.myfloridamarketplace.com/

Request for Proposal – Revised 3.23.2023 FWC 23/24-04, Page 6 of 34 responsibility for any delays, or resulting impacts, associated with a Respondent’s failure to obtain the information made available through the Vendor Information Portal.

SPECIFICATIONS FOR RESPONSE PRESENTATION

Each response shall be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise delineation of Respondent’s capabilities to satisfy the requirements of this RFP. Elaborate binding, colored displays, and promotional materials are not required. However, examples of services provided may be included as attachments to the response. Emphasis in each response must be on completeness and clarity of content.

To expedite the evaluation of responses, it is essential that Respondents follow the format and instructions contained herein and do not alter or recreate forms. All costs associated with preparing a response to this RFP is the sole responsibility of the Respondent.

RESPONDENT ACKNOWLEDGMENT

For this response to be considered responsive, the Respondent Acknowledgement Form (page 1) must be completed in its entirety, signed by the Respondent and returned as part of the response. Otherwise, the response will be deemed non-responsive. By affixing your signature to the Respondent Acknowledgement Form, the Respondent hereby states that the Respondent has read all response specifications and conditions and agrees to all terms, conditions, provisions, specifications, and is currently licensed to do business within the State of Florida, if required by State or Federal Law, for the services or commodities the Respondent will provide the Commission under these response specifications.

MANDATORY RESPONSIVENESS REQUIREMENTS FOR RESPONSE SUBMISSION

Response submission should be organized as follows:

TAB A. Respondent Acknowledgment Form (Mandatory) The Respondent shall complete and submit the Respondent Acknowledgment Form (page 1) in its entirety and return the form as part of the RFP response or the response shall be deemed non-responsive.

TAB B. List of Subcontractors (Mandatory) — Attachment C The Respondent shall complete and submit the List of Subcontractors in its entirety and return the form as part of the RFP response or the response shall be deemed non-responsive. The Respondent shall mark the form with “N/A” if subcontractors are not being used, TAB C. References (Mandatory) — Attachment D The Respondent shall complete and submit the References form enclosed herein, to provide a minimum of three (3) references for similar projects completed. Current contact names, phone numbers and email addresses shall be given. This information shall be provided on the Reference Form, enclosed herein, and submitted with the response. The References form shall be completed in its entirety and returned as part of the RFP response or the response shall be deemed non-responsive.

TAB D. Executive Summary (Mandatory) The Respondent shall present a high-level summary of the proposed project, including the reasoning behind the proposed approach of the implementation. The Executive Summary shall be submitted as part of the RFP response or the response shall be deemed non-responsive.

Request for Proposal – Revised 3.23.2023 FWC 23/24-04, Page 7 of 34

TAB E. Respondent Background (Mandatory) The Respondent shall present a summary of the firm’s experience, including the experience with similar projects, engagements, and technical areas. Specific experience to be addressed in this section includes:

1. A brief history of the Respondent company; and,

2. experience implementing and providing decision support systems for similar state and research organizations.

TAB F. Project Team Qualifications & Experience and Approach (Mandatory) The Respondent shall present a summary of experience, including the experience of the proposed project staff. Specific experience to be addressed in this section includes:

1. team technical expertise; and,

2. experience implementing and providing decision support systems for similar state and research organizations.

This section shall also present the Respondent’s approach to the project:

1. methodologies to be used for implementation; and,

2. testing of the system;

TAB G. Mandatory System Requirements Matrix (Mandatory) – Attachment E The Respondent shall address each of the mandatory requirements listed in Attachment E, providing comments and explanations on how the Respondent will handle each of the functions listed. Supporting documentation for this section may be included as an Appendix to the RFP. The Appendix may not exceed thirty (30) pages (15 double-sided pages).

TAB H. Cost (Mandatory) For purposes of the evaluation of the Cost element of the proposals, Respondents shall provide a detailed budget and total cost for the following sample task:

Sample Task

Develop a query tool for the CRDSS that meets the requirements of the Mandatory System Requirements Matrix. A maximum of ten (10) months may be used to complete a Beta test version of the query tool.

For purposes of this sample task the query tool will include designing and building a basic, but extendable, user interface, data access to a local database, map viewing with zoom, pan, distance measure functions, and the ability to query one or more maps simultaneously for values at points selected by the cursor.

Note that while all the items in the mandatory system requirements matrix are relevant to the CRDSS, they may not all be addressed in this sample task.

The Respondent shall itemize, by category/classification, all hourly rates of personnel anticipated to be used and the anticipated number of hours necessary for the task (respondent may not need all ten

(10) months). The Respondent shall itemize any other expenses anticipated to be incurred during this project (e.g., materials, supplies, computer/software licensing, maintenance, and storage fees, as well as percentages for the application of overhead, fringe benefits, general and administrative expenses, and fees.) The Respondent shall total all itemized expenses for the task and provide a total cost to complete the sample task described above.

Request for Proposal – Revised 3.23.2023 FWC 23/24-04, Page 8 of 34

**NOTE: Labor rates used in the budget for the Sample Task will be considered part of the resulting contract for the awarded Respondent and shall be in effect for the first twelve (12) months of the executed contract.

After this time-period the Contractor may request a price increase, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), but not to exceed five (5) percent. The request can be made for each year after the initial year of the Contract and for each approved renewal year. The request must be made in writing and submitted to the Commission’s Contract Manager within sixty (60) calendar days prior to the anniversary date of the Contract. Submittals after the sixty (60) day period shall not be considered for review. The request must be supported by a detailed justification which warrants the requested increase percentage.

The Commission or the Contractor may also request a decrease in rates after the first twelve (12) months of the Contract, including the possible renewal period(s). Either party may request a rate decrease in writing to the other party, supported by justification warranting the decrease.

Note: Anniversary date is the last date of all required signatures after contract has been fully executed.

CONFIDENTIALITY/PUBLIC RECORDS LAW

Respondents are cautioned that Florida law generously defines what constitutes a public record and grants broad rights of public access to those records (e.g., section 119.07, F.S.). If a Respondent considers any portion of the documents, data or records submitted in their Response to this solicitation to be confidential, proprietary, trade secret or otherwise not subject to disclosure pursuant to Chapter 119, F.S., the Florida Constitution or other authority, the Respondent must mark the document as “Confidential.” The Respondent shall also provide the Commission with a separate PDF redacted copy of its Response and briefly describe in writing the grounds and specific legal citations for claiming exemption from public records law. This redacted copy shall contain the Commission’s solicitation name, number and the Respondent’s name on the cover and shall be clearly titled “Redacted Copy.” The Redacted Copy should only redact those portions of material that the Respondent claims is confidential, proprietary, trade secret or otherwise not subject to public disclosure pursuant to Chapter 119, F.S., the Florida Constitution or other authority. If after the notice of intended decision or thirty (30) days after response opening, whichever is earlier, the Commission receives a public record request related to the solicitation, the Commission will provide the Redacted Copy to the requestor. If the Respondent fails to properly indicate any material enclosed in their Response is confidential, the Commission is authorized to produce documents, data or records in their entirety as submitted to the Commission in answer to a public records request. The Commission will endeavor to provide notice to the Respondent of all public records requests received related to documents provided by the Respondent that were marked pursuant to this paragraph. In no event shall the Respondent hold the Commission or any of its employees or agents liable for disclosing, or otherwise failing to protect the confidentiality of information submitted in response to this solicitation.

MAILING INSTRUCTIONS

The Contractor shall submit one (1) original and one (1) separate electronic copy (on a flash drive) of their response in a SEALED ENVELOPE addressed to:

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Attn: Purchasing 1875 Orange Avenue East Tallahassee, Florida 32301

The envelope shall be plainly marked on the outside with: SOLICITATION NUMBER, DATE AND TIME

OF THE RESPONSE OPENING.

Request for Proposal – Revised 3.23.2023 FWC 23/24-04, Page 9 of 34

THE COMMISSION IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OPENING OF ANY ENVELOPES THAT ARE NOT PROPERLY

MARKED.

PLEASE NOTE: The Commission’s official business hours of operation are 8:00 AM–5:00 PM ET, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays and state holidays. Selecting delivery services, such as next day first delivery, may result in attempted delivery prior to opening or closing, and the Commission will not be available to accept those deliveries. THE COMMISSION IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR LATE SUBMISSIONS DUE TO COMPLICATIONS

RELATED TO SELECTED DELIVERY SERVICES.

SOLICIATION PUBLIC OPENING

The public opening of this RFP will be conducted at the date, time and method specified in the Calendar of Events (Page 2). RESPONSES RECEIVED AFTER THE SPECIFIED DATE AND TIME WILL BE

REJECTED.

Any person with a qualified disability shall not be denied equal access and effective communication regarding any response documents or the attendance at any related meeting or response opening. If accommodations are needed because of a disability, please contact the Purchasing Section at (850) 488-6551 at least three (3) workdays prior to the opening.

SELECTION AND EVALUATION OF RESPONSES

An evaluation committee consisting of three (3) Commission representatives with collective knowledge and experience related to the solicitation’s program area will independently evaluate and score each Respondent’s response. The Evaluation Criteria Scoring Sheet (Attachment F) will be used by the evaluation committee to assign scores to all evaluated responses designated as responsive.

Scores will be averaged for all evaluation committee members and ranked by the highest to lowest average score.

GENERAL EVALUATION CRITERIA

General evaluation criteria include the following:

1. The Commission reserves the right to accept or reject any or all responses received and reserves the right to make an award without further discussion of the responses submitted. Therefore, responses should be initially submitted as outlined in the Mandatory Responsiveness Requirements for Response Submission and Economy of Presentation sections.

2. Non-responsive responses shall include, but are not limited to, those that:

a. are irregular or are not in conformance with the requirements and instructions contained herein;

b. fail to utilize or complete prescribed forms; or

c. have improper or undated signatures.

3. The Commission may waive minor irregularities in the responses received that are merely a matter of form and not substance, and the corrections of which are not prejudicial to other respondents.

A NON-RESPONSIVE RESPONSE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

Request for Proposal – Revised 3.23.2023 FWC 23/24-04, Page 10 of 34

EVALUATION SCORING FACTORS

Scoring criteria include:

The following is a summary of evaluation factors with point value assigned to each. These, along with the general requirements, will be used in the evaluation of Respondent responses.

EVALUATION FACTOR MAXIMUM POINTS AVAILABLE

Executive Summary 2 Respondent Background 8 Project Team Qualifications &Experience and Approach 35 Technical and Functional Requirements Matrix 35 Cost 20

TOTAL: 100

Points will be awarded on the basis of the following evaluation factors:

1. Executive Summary (2 points) High‐level synopsis of the response will be evaluated based on clarity.

2. Respondent Background (8 points) Experience will be evaluated based upon experience with projects, engagements, and technical areas.

3. Project Team Qualifications & Experience and Approach (35 points) Project Team Qualifications and Experience will be evaluated based on team member qualifications and experience presented in the response.

4. Technical and Functional Requirements Matrix (35 points) The matrix will be evaluated based on the proposed systems ability to meet all required technical and functional elements.

5. Cost (20 points) The evaluation of each Respondent’s cost proposal will be conducted in two (2) parts:

Part 1 – the cost will be evaluated based on the reasonableness of the proposed budget for completion of the sample task (10 points).

Part 2 of the cost evaluation (10 points) will be based on the cost formula below.

The Respondent submitting the lowest total cost for the sample task will receive the maximum points for Part 2 of the cost element of the evaluation. The other respondent's scores will be based on a relative percentage of the dollar amount higher than the lowest cost or price submitted by the lowest priced Respondent.

Request for Proposal – Revised 3.23.2023 FWC 23/24-04, Page 11 of 34

Formula for Cost Factor:

𝐴𝐴 ÷ 𝑁𝑁× (𝐵𝐵) = 𝐶𝐶

A = Lowest total proposed cost (including renewals) N = Proposed cost for Respondent under review B = Number of maximum points awarded for lowest response C = Score awarded to next lowest cost

NOTE: Each evaluator independently chooses the score based on their own judgment. Failure of the Respondent to provide any of the information required in their RFP response should result in a score of zero (0) for that element of the evaluation.

POSTING OF RESPONSE TABULATION

Response Tabulation, with recommended award, will be posted electronically as Agency Decisions on the Department of Management Services Vendor Information Portal as a Public Notice. The Agency Decision may be viewed on the Vendor Information Portal, and will remain posted for a period of 72 hours. Failure to file a protest within the time prescribed in Section 120.57(3)(b), Florida Statutes, shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under Chapter 120, Florida Statutes.

Awarded Respondents are instructed not to proceed until a Purchase Order, Formal Written Contract, Lease, Notice to Proceed, or some other form of written notice is given to the Contractor by the Commission.

A company or person who proceeds prior to receiving a Purchase Order, Formal Written Contract, Lease, Notice to Proceed, or some other form of written notice from the Commission does so without a contract and at their own risk.

Sealed responses, proposals, or replies received by an agency pursuant to a competitive solicitation are exempt from Section 119.07(1) and Section 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution until such time as the agency provides notice of an intended decision or until thirty (30) days after opening the responses, proposals, or final replies, whichever is earlier.

CONTRACT

The successful Respondent’s response and the Written Agreement shall form the contract between the parties. In the event there is any disagreement between the documents, the parties shall refer first to the Request for Proposal then to Contractor’s response. The Commission reserves the right to revise the Written Agreement as necessary to meet the requirements of this RFP.

SCOPE CHANGES AFTER CONTRACT EXECUTION

The Commission shall provide written notice to the successful Contractor thirty (30) days in advance of any Commission required changes to the technical specifications and/or scope of service that affect the successful Contractor’s ability to provide the service as specified herein. Any changes that are other than purely administrative changes will require a formal contract amendment.

FWC CONTRACT MANAGER

The FWC employee identified as the Contract Manager shall perform the following on behalf of the FWC:

review, verify, and approve receipt of services/deliverables from the Contractor;

• Submit requests for change orders/amendments/renewals, if applicable;

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0100-0199/0119/Sections/0119.07.html

Request for Proposal – Revised 3.23.2023 FWC 23/24-04, Page 12 of 34

• Review, verify, and approve invoices from the Contractor; and, if applicable, complete the Certificate of Contract Completion form; and

• Maintain an official record of all correspondence between the Commission and the Contractor and forward the original correspondence to the Procurement Manager for the official file (e.g., renewal letters, vendor name change letter).

DELIVERABLES

The following services or service tasks are identified as deliverables for the purposes of the subsequent Contract:

a. Performance of all services set forth in the Scope of Work.

b. Submission of all invoicing, supporting documentation, Corrective Action Plans and reports.

LIQUIDATED DAMAGES

If the Contractor fails to complete the work or the conditions of the Contract and/or Amendments by the completion date, the Commission shall have the right to deduct liquidated damages from any amount due and payable to the Contractor. Liquidated damages shall be assessed in the amount of $125.00 per calendar day of delay. Exceptions to this provision may be made if a delay is attributable to circumstances that are clearly beyond the control of the Contractor. The burden of proof of unavoidable delay shall rest with the Contractor and shall be supplied in a written form and submitted to the Contract Manager.

AUTHORIZED COMPENSATION

It is understood and agreed that all compensation under this RFP is specifically limited to the Contractor’s response price accepted by the Commission, and to the specific procedure for payment established in this RFP and the Contract executed pursuant to it. The Commission is not liable for any costs, fees, expenses or any other compensation whatsoever incurred or charged by the Contractor, other than the response price paid for the work specifically described in the Scope of Work, which work is actually accomplished and invoiced by the Contractor subsequent to the Commission’s notice to proceed (or other notice to begin work).

Thus, the Commission is not liable for any costs incurred or charged by the Contractor in anticipation of responding to, or performing work described in, this RFP, including but not limited to equipment or personnel procured by the Contractor in anticipation of such work. The Commission is not responsible to the Contractor for any loss or damages resulting from circumstances unforeseen at the time of publication of this RFP including, but not limited to, those resulting from a “force majeure”.

ADDITIONAL LEGAL REQUIREMENT

All corporations seeking to do business with the State shall, at the time of submitting a response, be on file with the Department of State in accordance with provisions of Chapter 607, Florida Statutes; similarly, partnerships seeking to do business with the State shall, at the time of submitting such response, have complied with the applicable provisions of Chapter 620, Florida Statutes. For further information on required filing and forms, please go to the following sites: http://sunbiz.org or http://dos.myflorida.com.

USE OF CONTRACT BY OTHER STATE AGENCIES AND ELIGIBLE USERS

As provided in Chapter 60A-1.045, F.A.C., and Section 287.042(16) F.S., other State of Florida agencies may purchase from the resulting contract of this RFP, provided that the Department of Management Services has determined the contract’s use is cost effective and in the best interest of the State, and with the Contractor’s consent.

http://www.sunbiz.org/ http://dos.myflorida.com/

Request for Proposal – Revised 3.23.2023 FWC 23/24-04, Page 13 of 34

Other State of Florida governmental entities and eligible users may also request of the Contractor to be able to use this contract. If the Contractor agrees to other entities to utilize this RFP contract, such agencies shall coordinate their use of this contract with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in order to reduce scheduling conflicts.

CONDITIONS AND SPECIFICATIONS

The Respondent is required to examine carefully the conditions and specifications of this RFP and to be thoroughly informed regarding any and all requirements of the conditions and specifications.

REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

Request for Proposal – Revised 3.23.2023 FWC 23/24-04, Page 14 of 34

SCOPE OF WORK

FWC 23/24-04

CORAL REEF DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM

1. PURPOSE

The intent of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to obtain competitive proposals to develop a collaborative decision support system for coral reef conservation in Southeast Florida per specifications contained herein.

2. BACKGROUND

Florida’s Coral Reef extends 350 miles from the St. Lucie Inlet in Martin County to the Dry Tortugas. The reef provides habitat for myriad of species and is an economic engine for South Florida by supporting recreational and commercial fisheries, as a major tourism draw, and protecting the coastline from storms.

Management of the reef is partitioned into 4 sections from north to south; the Kristin Jacobs Coral Reef Ecosystem Conservation Area (managed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Coral Reef Conservation Program) spans from northern St. Lucie Inlet to the northern border of Biscayne National Park; Biscayne National Park managed by the National Park Service; the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (co-managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection) spans the southern boundary of Biscayne National Park through portions of the Dry Tortugas; and Dry Tortugas National Park managed by the National Park Service.

Management seeks to address the multiple threats affecting the health Florida’s Coral Reef including warming ocean temperatures, rising sea level, polluted run-off, physical damage from construction, dredging, fishing/diving and its gear, and recreational misuse. These threats are associated with coral disease and bleaching, reef erosion, loss of threatened coral species like Pillar coral, Acropora sp., and disruptions to coral community assemblages like Diadema loss. Management decisions can be proactive or reactive and focus on threat reduction and response, restoration, and maintenance. Each of these categories will likely involve decisions having multiple alternatives, with varying implications on reef conservation priorities, and with opportunities to learn and improve subsequent decision making.

Hence, coral reef conservation is a complex system that combines structural complexity and associated ecological diversity of the reef; emerging threats; the expertise, status, missions, and motivations of members of the coral reef conservation community; and the socio-political milieu that influences what actions are possible. One way to bring order and transparency to this complex environment is to implement a decision support system.

A decision support system is a computerized program that supports decision making assembling large amounts of data and knowledge, making the data accessible via queries and analyses directed by a user-friendly interface, support collaborations with partners and stakeholders in a participatory process, display data and analysis outcomes in multiple formats, compare alternative decision scenarios to help managers identify a “best” decision, and preserve the history of the decision for reference and learning.

The Our Florida Reefs Marine Planner, the first coral reef decision support tool, will serve as an initial guide for the development of the Coral Reef Decision Support System (CRDSS). It was an online mapping tool designed to engage stakeholders in decision making by visualizing coastal and ocean spatial data, summarizing relevant themes within a user defined area, and preserving the outcomes of these processes for future access. Although the Marine Planner is no longer functioning, it can be viewed at the following website: https://ourfloridareefs.org/ .

https://ourfloridareefs.org/

Request for Proposal – Revised 3.23.2023 FWC 23/24-04, Page 15 of 34

3. SUPPORT OF COMMISSION MISSION/RETURN ON INVESTMENT

The Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) mission is to manage fish and wildlife resources for their long-term well-being and the benefit of people. Given that this project seeks to enhance collaborative decision making and facilitate the integration of knowledge for making better decisions this project both supports the FWC mission and, given its projected relatively low cost, has the potential for a significant return on investment.

4. DEFINITIONS

4.1 Decision Support System: A computerized system that supports organizational decision making in Florida’s Coral Reef for coral reef managers, researchers, and restoration practitioners.

4.2 Open Source: Software that anyone can inspect, modify, enhance, or distribute.

4.3 Complex System: Systems that are difficult to model or operationalize due to multiple components and relationships, emerging properties, and nonlinearity (inputs and outputs are not proportional).

4.4 Geodesign: Concepts and methods used to involve stakeholders in collaborative decision making.

4.5 Resilience Assessment: Concepts that support alternative ways regarding natural resource management practice in socio-ecological systems.

5. GENERAL TERMS

5.1 An award under this Request for Proposals is not a guarantee of work. No minimum quantity of work is guaranteed.

5.2 Work shall only commence upon receipt of executed task assignment(s).

5.3 The work covered by this Scope of Work generally includes the programming of a decision support system for coral reef decision making. This scope of work includes all services that may be needed to complete a functioning decision support system that addresses the needs of managers responsible for decision making for the coral reef tract in Southeast Florida. However, the Scope of Work, while well-defined initially, becomes less determinate over time so that it can respond to changing decision needs of the managers. Regardless, while the focus of a management issue might shift or a new priority might arise, the basic modular structure remains consistent as does the philosophy of code and tool reusability.

5.4 Awarded Respondent (Contractor) responsibilities include programming the CRDSS, providing documentation describing the source code (including commenting in the code adequate for an uninvolved programmer to understand what the code does); assisting partners (FWC, Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), and others) in appropriate testing of the CRDSS as needed; and regularly conferring with FWC project staff via the point of contact identified in the contract to ensure that data access, storage, and display, system functionality and management priorities, user interface look and feel, and public engagement functionality expectations are met.

5.5 The Contractor shall perform the work in a proper and satisfactory manner. All labor and materials necessary to complete the work shall be provided by the Contractor. The Contractor shall procure all supplies and pay all charges, fees, taxes, and incidentals that may be required for the completion of this Scope of Work. The Contractor warrants that it has the capability in all respects to fully perform the requirements herein and the integrity and reliability that will assure good-faith performance as a responsible Contractor. The Contractor shall immediately notify FWC in writing if its ability to perform under the Scope of Work is compromised in any manner during the term. FWC shall take appropriate action, including potential termination, in the event the Contractor’s ability to perform work outlined in this Scope of Work becomes compromised.

Request for Proposal – Revised 3.23.2023 FWC 23/24-04, Page 16 of 34

5.6 Payment will not be made for work completed until the required proper documentation, as specified in the Scope of Work or yearly Task Assignment, is not submitted to FWC.

5.7 FWC-Vendor Contract terms and conditions shall apply (see Attachment A).

6. WORK ASSIGNMENT PROCESS

6.1 The contract begins upon execution. At the end of each contract year, the Contractor and the FWC will hold a planning meeting to assemble the upcoming year’s Task Assignments. A task assignment notification form that includes the upcoming year’s tasks will then be routed and executed. On this form will be each task, the cost not to be exceeded for each task, and the task assignment type (i.e., fixed price, cost reimbursement) for each task. Multiple invoices may be accepted.

6.2 The Contractor agrees to provide professional services for each specific designated project as set forth in each individually executed Task Assignment Notification Form (see Exhibit I) hereafter referenced as TA.

6.3 Anticipated deliverables for each yearly Task Assignment:

Year 1 – A display and query tool that will address coral restoration site selection prioritization.

Work will be directed toward the following scales:

Tier 1 Scale: Ecosystem wide/Florida Coral Reef wide Tuer 2 Scale: Regional/Jurisdictional Tuer 3 Scale: Reef/Site

Year 2 – Refine, fill data gaps, and test the work from Year 1. Possible to extend the CDRSS further depending on priorities.

7. SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS AND DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

7.1 This CDSS will be designed to span the entirety of Florida’s Coral Reef; from the Dry Tortugas to St. Lucie Inlet with many different managing entities including the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Park Service, and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

7.2 It should inform decisions at local and reef-wide scales (to be defined).

7.3 Programmed to be nimble to address emerging issues and sufficiently generalized to support a wide variety of decisions efficiently.

7.4 Mobile integration. The CDSS should be mobile optimized to allow users on remote mobile devices running iOS or Android operation systems to interact with the CDSS.

7.5 User-system interactions. Apply topologies that can improve system performance, analytical capabilities, display resolutions, storage and access, and user engagement when possible. This can mean vector-based map rendering, raster cell-values as points, etc.

7.6 Eliminate dependence on proprietary software. Develop as an open source CDSS will likely reduce development and operational costs, facilitate users customizing modules for their needs in the CDSS, increase the availability of analytical processes and languages as needed, have a longer shelf life, and expand the user base that can increase the availability of sharable modules.

7.7 Support transparent, inclusive, participatory, decision support and planning. A geodesign-based approach that makes the CDSS accessible to non-technical stakeholders is one such acceptable example.

7.8 Support for both proprietary (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.) and Open Geospatial Consortium standard map services (e.g., Web Map Service, Web Map Tile Service).

7.9 Incorporate data security to protect sensitive datasets.

Request for Proposal – Revised 3.23.2023 FWC 23/24-04, Page 17 of 34

7.10 Real-time data access. Be able to incorporate access real-time or near real-time data products derived from satellites or other remotely sensed data sources if available. For example, Coral Reef Watch.

7.11 A plan for minimizing hosting costs and system administration time.

7.12 Nimble updating and maintenance using systems like automated continuous deployment as well as rapid dependency management (3rd-party libraries).

7.13 Coral conservation planning tools may include (1) the ability to balance trade-offs among multiple objectives, (2) user-friendly graphical user interface that can be used effectively and efficiently by novices as well as experienced CDSS users, (3) interactive graphics that display consequences of trade-offs among plans or decisions that engage decision makers during the decision process, (4) resilience assessments, other tools as identified.

7.14 The Our Florida Reefs Marine Planner decision support tool provides a reasonable initial template for the development of the CDSS. It includes the primary components; database, user interface, tools to help build a decision, and a way to preserve the decision process. The CDSS will, however, be more complex and utilize current development technologies.

7.15 Likely decision scenarios include coral restoration and restoration site selection, watershed management/water quality runoff, green infrastructure, fishing and recreational uses, climate change adaptation, colonization, permitting (coastal construction, maritime industry, other), response to bleaching events, stony coral tissues loss disease response, and Diadema die-off response/restoration. Other applications might include public outreach to increase awareness of the reefs and its conservation and K-12 education curricula.

7.16 Initial development shall revolve around (1) functionality based on the Our Florida Reefs Marine Planner, including viewing maps,…