IMIS RFP 12-22 Final (002).pdf

Request for Proposal For

Software Development and Maintenance December 22, 2023

Office of Inspector General Legal Services Corporation

3333 K St, NW Washington, DC 20007 https://www.oig.lsc.gov/

Inquiries should be directed to:

Alison Ottenbreit Operations Program Analyst aottenbreit@oig.lsc.gov https://www.oig.lsc.gov/ mailto:aottenbreit@oig.lsc.gov

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

I. PURPOSE

II. BACKGROUND

III. STATEMENT OF WORK

IV. PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

V. PROPOSAL DELIVERY

VI. PROPOSAL EVALUATION

VII. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

VIII. OPTION YEARS

IX. CONFIDENTIALITY

X. LSC OIG’s RIGHTS

XI. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

XII. CONTRACT NEGOTIATION

XIII. CERTIFICATIONS

I. PURPOSE

The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP), issued by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), is to select an organization to support and maintain our organization's custom web application, which utilizes Adobe ColdFusion, Microsoft SQL Server, Internet Information Services, and Windows Server.

II. BACKGROUND

LSC is an independent nonprofit established by Congress in 1974 to fund civil legal aid for low-income Americans. LSC promotes equal access to justice by providing Congressionally appropriated grant funds to 131 independent non-profit legal aid programs in every state, the District of Columbia, and U.S. Territories. LSC distributes about 95 percent of its total funding to grantees with more than 900 offices that serve hundreds of thousands of low-income individuals and families.

The LSC Office of Inspector General operates under the Inspector General Act. The OIG has two principal missions: to assist management in identifying ways to promote efficiency and effectiveness in the activities and operations of LSC and its grantees; and to prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse. Within their different statutory roles, the OIG and LSC Management share a common commitment to improving the federal legal services program and increasing the availability of legal services to the poor.

OIG Investigations carries out a comprehensive nationwide program to deter and detect illegal, improper, and prohibited activities involving LSC programs, operations, and personnel. It conducts investigations of potential criminal and regulatory violations and works closely with federal, state, and local prosecutors to seek legal remedies as warranted. The unit also conducts fraud prevention reviews to assist grantees in the prevention and detection of fraud. Additionally, the investigative unit issues proactive advisories of fraud issues and conducts fraud awareness briefings and field visits focused on educating grant recipients on how to detect and prevent frauds in their programs.

Our organization has developed a custom web application, the Investigative Management Information System (IMIS), that relies on Adobe ColdFusion, Microsoft SQL Server, Internet Information Services and Windows Server, making it crucial to our investigation’s operations. We are seeking a qualified vendor to provide ongoing support and maintenance services to ensure the application remains secure, efficient, and up to date.

III. STATEMENT OF WORK

The selected Offeror will be expected to perform the following tasks in support of IMIS.

A. Software Design and Development

1. Implement code changes and enhancements as needed and requested.

2. Promptly respond to and resolve any reported bugs, errors, or issues within predefined service level agreements (SLAs).

3. Conduct thorough testing and validation after bug fixes or code changes.

4. Document all code changes and enhancements.

B. Application Monitoring and Performance Optimization

1. Regularly monitor the IMIS application’s performance and codebase (hosted on premise)

2. Regularly monitor the environment, web application, and database, that is, the front and back-end of the IMIS application.

3. Identify and address performance bottlenecks within Microsoft Windows, Adobe

ColdFusion, and Windows SQL Server.

4. Implement caching mechanisms as necessary to enhance application performance.

C. Software and System Security Maintenance

1. Perform regular IT security audits, application, and vulnerability assessments for the IMIS Application

2. Provide assessment documentation to LSC OIG staff (to include the Assistant

Inspector General for Investigations and the IT Manager and Cybersecurity Specialist).

3. Remediate security vulnerabilities by patches and updates recommended by CISA :

Critical findings within 15 calendar days, and High, Medium, and Low findings within 30 calendar days.

4. Implement IT security best practices and NIST recommendations to safeguard sensitive data in Microsoft Windows, Adobe ColdFusion, and Microsoft SQL Server.

5. Ensure codebase integrity and consistency.

6. Document all code changes, including updates and enhancements.

D. Database Management

1. Manage and optimize Microsoft SQL Server databases used by the IMIS application.

2. Perform regular backups and implement disaster recovery procedures.

3. Ensure data integrity and consistency.

E. Technical Support

1. Provide technical support for Windows Server, Internet Information Services, Adobe ColdFusion, and Microsoft SQL Server to end-users and internal staff as needed.

2. Offer assistance with user training and documentation updates.

The Offeror should provide predefined Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for response times, issue resolution, and other critical metrics to which the Offeror will adhere as a part of this contract. Specific SLAs for both the software developer and system administrator roles may be negotiated and included in the final contract.

Project Management The Offeror should discuss its approach to project management and quality control to ensure all tasks and activities are completed on time, on budget, and are of the highest quality. The Offeror should provide a detailed Project Management Approach (PMA) section describing how it will manage communications with the OIG, maintain quality standards detailed in the SLAs, and deal with risks and issues that may arise during the course of the contract. At a minimum, the Offeror should provide monthly status reports/emails and hold regular status meetings with the OIG.

IV. PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

Proposals shall be submitted on the most favorable terms, from both technical and price standpoints, that the Offeror can propose. The Offeror’s proposal should be no more than six pages long with no less than 10-point font. At a minimum, proposals should include the following:

A. Technical Qualifications:

1. Statement of Work: The Offeror shall describe in detail its understanding of the work to be performed and all activities required to support and maintain IMIS and manage the testing environment. The Offeror shall also provide a description of project management activities it will implement to ensure effective coordination with the OIG.

2. Past Performance and References: The Offeror shall describe its prior experience supporting and maintaining custom web applications similar to IMIS that rely on Adobe ColdFusion, Microsoft SQL Server, Internet Information Services, and Windows Server. The Offeror shall provide the current name, address, contact information, and a project description for up to three client references with whom the Offeror has worked in the past three years. Preferably, the staff proposed for this project will have worked with these references, and the work completed will be similar to that required for this RFP.

3. Staff Qualifications: The Offeror shall describe the qualifications, certifications, and relevant experience of staff to be assigned to this contract. The Offeror shall submit key and representative resumes (as appendices) of staff who will work on this project. Resumes should include descriptions of education, certifications, position in the firm, years with the firm, and years and types of relevant experience.

The proposal shall demonstrate that the proposed staff have the knowledge and prior experience necessary to update the OIG system.

B. Price: The OIG estimates the annual total cost of this contract will be capped at

$30,000.

The price proposal shall be submitted separately from the technical proposal. The Offeror will provide a time and materials proposal for IMIS support and maintenance, and test environment management. The price proposal/estimate shall indicate, at a minimum, the estimated number of hours by professional classification, hourly rates by professional classification, total cost by professional classification, and total costs for the project. Any anticipated out-of-pocket or other expenses beyond labor should also be indicated. The Offeror is expected to provide the best estimate based on the information available. The Offeror will also identify any conditions that might increase or reduce the cost of the proposed services.

C. Interview: At the OIG’s discretion the Offerors’ Partner/Principal and Manager/

Supervisor on the proposal will be available for an introductory presentation and interview during the procurement evaluation.

V. PROPOSAL DELIVERY

A. Submission: Proposals must be received no later than 5 PM, Eastern Time, January 24, 2023. The LSC OIG reserves the right to exclude late proposals from consideration. Each Offeror will submit an electronic copy of their proposal to Alison Ottenbreit at aottenbreit@oig.lsc.gov.

B. Inquiries: Inquiries concerning this RFP should be submitted by January 10, 2023 and directed to Alison Ottenbreit (telephone: 202-295-1629; email: aottenbreit@oig.lsc.gov).

As it deems appropriate, the OIG will answer questions related to the RFP by email and will copy all prospective Offerors.

C. Conditions of Proposal: All costs incurred in the preparation of a proposal responding to this RFP will be the responsibility of the Offeror and will not be reimbursed by the LSC

OIG.

D. Right to Reject: The OIG reserves the right to reject any and all proposals received in mailto:aottenbreit@oig.lsc.gov response to this RFP.

E. Notification of Award: Upon conclusion of final contract negotiations with the selected

Offeror, all Offerors will be notified electronically.

VI. PROPOSAL EVALUATION

Non-responsive Proposals: Proposals may be judged non-responsive and removed from further consideration if any of the following occur:

A. The proposal is not received timely;

B. The proposal does not follow the specified format;

C. The proposal does not include the Certifications; or D. The proposal is not adequate for the reviewers to form a judgment that the proposed activities/price are sufficient to complete the work.

Proposal Evaluation: The OIG will make an award to the Offeror whose proposal conforms to the solicitation and provides the best value – the most advantageous balance of price, quality, and performance. In addition, evaluation of each proposal will include the following criteria, which may not be weighted equally.

A. Technical Qualifications:

1. Project Plan and Approach: The OIG will assess the Offeror’s understanding of the work to be performed as demonstrated by the description of the approach to support and maintain IMIS. The OIG will also evaluate that the Offeror provides a complete work plan, appropriate staffing, and realistic schedule estimates.

2. Past Performance: The OIG will assess the Offerors’ past performance, including:

a. Relevant experience in providing similar services to similar organizations;

b. Performance: After the OIG has made a preliminary determination regarding an

Offeror with whom it may contract, the OIG will contact and assess the references of that firm. Past performance may include the opinion of the LSC OIG and others that have knowledge of the Offeror’s performance.

3. Staff: The OIG will evaluate the qualifications of the staff to be assigned to this contract based on resumes submitted. Evaluation criteria will include education, position in the firm, years, and types of experience, continuing professional education, certifications, and applicability of prior project work. Additionally, the OIG will assess the mix of staff assigned to the contract.

B. Price Evaluation (to be separately submitted): The OIG will evaluate the total price proposed for the overall project, the hourly rates for each professional classification, the number of hours estimated to complete the project, and any additional direct or indirect costs proposed.

C. Interview: Should interviews be conducted, the OIG will assess the Offerors’ senior staff introductory presentation and interview.

VII. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The majority of the work will be conducted at the Offeror’s offices or virtually as determined by the Offeror. Some meetings may occur at LSC offices (3333 K St., NW, Washington, DC 20007) or virtually as agreed upon by the Offeror and the OIG.

VIII. OPTION YEARS

The LSC OIG intends to enter into a one-year contract for the work described in this RFP, with up to three option years, for performance of IMIS support and maintenance. The decision to exercise yearly options will be solely within the LSC OIG’s discretion.

IX. CONFIDENTIALITY

As part of the ensuing contract with the OIG, a successful Offeror will be required to enter into a confidentiality agreement, requiring information related to this contract to be kept in strict confidence. Any such agreement will not limit certain lawful reporting of fraud, waste, or abuse.

X. LSC OIG’s RIGHTS Notwithstanding any other statement in this RFP or otherwise, the LSC OIG reserves the right to:

A. Accept or reject any or all proposals, or any part thereof; Waive any informalities or technicalities contained in any proposal received.

B. Conduct discussions with respondents and accept revisions of proposals after the closing date.

C. Make an award based upon various selection criteria.

D. Request clarification from any respondents on any or all aspects of its proposals;

E. Cancel or re-issue this RFP at any time.

F. Retain all proposals submitted in response to this RFP; and, G. Invite some, all, or none of the respondents for interviews, demonstrations, presentations, and further discussion.

XI. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and associated LSC regulations may require the LSC OIG to disclose certain documents to the public, including portions of your proposal. Generally, we will not release any documents that would cause Offerors competitive harm. You are encouraged, however, to label any confidential information contained in your proposal to facilitate our ability to withhold it from disclosure.

XII. CONTRACT NEGOTIATION

The selected Offeror will be invited to enter into contract negotiations with the OIG.

XIII. CERTIFICATIONS

A. The individual signing certifies that he/she is authorized to contract on behalf of the

Offeror and to make these certifications.

B. The individual signing certifies that the prices quoted in this proposal have been arrived at independently, without consultation, communication, or agreement for the purposes of restricting competition.

C. The individual signing certifies that the Offeror, including any individuals to be assigned to this contract, does not have a record of substandard work and has not been debarred or suspended from doing work with any Federal, state, or local government. (If the Offeror or any individual assigned to this work has been found in violation of any state or professional standards, this information must be disclosed).

D. The individual signing certifies on behalf of the Offeror that the Offeror will not subcontract any portion of the work.

E. The individual signing certifies that the Offeror carries professional liability insurance, sometimes called errors and omissions insurance (E&O insurance) as well as general liability insurance.

F. The individual signing certifies that the Offeror is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in hiring, employment, or activities because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Dated: ________________________________

Offeror's Firm Name: ____________________________________________

Signature of Offeror's Representative: ___________________________________

Printed Name & Title of Individual Signing: _____________________________________