IT RFP 2026-IT-01 R1.pdf

RESPONSES DUE TO:

EARLY LEARNING COALITION OF BREVARD COUNTY

ATTN: PROCUREMENT

RE: RFP #2026-IT-01

HEADQUARTERS: 1018 FLORIDA AVE S. SUITE D | ROCKLEDGE, FL 32955

MAILING ADDRESS: 2671 W EAU GALLIE BLVD SUITE 102 | MELBOURNE, FL 32935

ANY ALTERATION OF THE LANGUAGE OF THIS RFP OR ANY REPRESENTATION OF MODIFIED LANGUAGE AS THE OFFICIALLY RELEASED RFP WILL NOT BE PERMITTED AND WILL BE SUFFICIENT CAUSE FOR REJECTION OF A PROPOSAL. IN CASE OF ANY DISPUTE CONCERNING THE TERMS OR LANGUAGE IN THIS DOCUMENT, THE COALITION PRINTED FILE COPY OF THIS RFP WILL PREVAIL. PLEASE REFER TO RFP #2026-IT-01.

RFP # 2026-IT-01

Request for Proposals for:

HOSTED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND SUPPORT SERVICES

ISSUED ON MAY 5, 2026

SERVICES STARTING JULY 1, 2026 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2029

RESPONSES DUE BY: MAY 25, 2026

NO LATER THAN 2:00 P.M. MAY 25, 2026 COALITION TIME

Early Learning Coalition of Brevard County Request for Proposals (RFP) to Provide Hosted Information Technology and Support

Services

I. INTRODUCTION

The EARLY LEARNING COALITION OF BREVARD COUNTY (Coalition) located at 2671 W Eau Gallie Blvd, Suite 102 Melbourne, FL 32935 will accept Proposals for hosted information technology and support services from qualified firms. Please consider this communication a formal Request for Proposals (RFP), responses to which will be used to determine the best-qualified firm for these services and will be the basis for negotiating a contract.

The Coalition is a not-for-profit corporation organized under the laws of the state of Florida and has been determined exempt by the Internal Revenue Service under the provisions of IRS Code, Section 501(c)(3). The Florida Office of Early Learning has certified the Coalition as a local early learning coalition for the purposes of implementing programs authorized by Florida Statute Chapter 411.01 and part V of Chapter 1002. Our principal function is the provision of oversight, and policy guidance to the early childhood School Readiness and Voluntary Prekindergarten Education systems in Brevard County, Florida.

Services are estimated to begin July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029 with two (2) possible renewals.

Renewal: Any contract resulting from this RFP will be based on an initial contract. Renewals shall be contingent upon the availability of funds, satisfactory performance evaluations by the Coalition, and at the discretion of the Coalition. Renewal must be in writing and is subject to the same terms and conditions set forth in the initial contract and any written amendments signed by the parties. The price of the commodity or contractual service to be renewed must be specified in the bid, proposal, or reply, except that an agency may negotiate lower pricing. A renewal contract may not include any compensation for costs associated with the renewal.

II. STATEMENT OF WORK

The Coalition funding sources for fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, were $34,475,246 Federal Awards and $114,848,191 State Financial Assistance. As a grantee of federal financial assistance exceeding $750,000, we are subject to the single audit requirements of 2 CFR §200.501 (OMB Uniform Guidance).

The following are the services to be provided by a qualified Information Technology Support Service Consultant for the Coalition:

Summary of Services

In Summary, the contractor will serve as the fully functional remote management information technology support and managed services provider. Contractor will be required to fulfill at duties that fall under a network administrator and help desk staff.

The proposer will be responsible for labor and tools to include Microsoft Office 365 Cloud backup with unlimited storage, Microsoft 365 Business Premium Non-Profit Licenses for up to 50 users, anti-spam/URL filtering for up to 50 users, cyber security training for users, IT support and troubleshooting services, and managed security services for endpoints. The expectation for managed IT services include managed endpoint detection and response

(MDR), Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR), Microsoft anti-virus, advanced email threat protection, cyber security training, Microsoft Security Patch Management, remote support for desktops, duo multi-factor authentication, 24/7 Cloud MDR SOC/SIEM Log Ingestion, MFA remote access to Work PC, secure password management. Should additional users need to be added, a contract amendment will be obtained to increase the cost per user for licenses.

In addition, IT support must include assistance in managing VOIP phone services. Our current IT service provider manages our 3CX VOIP hosted phone system management Software.

The current 3CX contract is renewed through 1/31/2027 as a separate contract. Coordination with this contractor will be a critical part of the IT service and support.

The Coalition requests fixed fee schedule with cost per user/data usage pricing.

General services requirements and scope of work are detailed in Section 3: Service Requirements.

Users:

The Coalition on average employs 50 full-time staff.

Connectivity Information:

All Coalition controlled staff locations have a minimum 100/10MB coax cable connection.

Devices:

All Coalition controlled primary staff devices (desktops, laptops) run on Windows 11 OS.

Firewalls:

3.1 HOSTED SERVER/PLATFORM AND NETWORK REQUIREMENTS:

3.1.1 The Contractor will provide Cloud management for 50 full-time staff.

3.1.2 The Contractor will:

3.1.2.1 Offer guaranteed uptime/downtime credit and financial remediation

3.1.2.2 Notify ELCB of all predetermined maintenance schedules

3.1.3 The Contractor is responsible for all applicable server licensing, hardware, physical infrastructure and platform security for all Contractor owned/Coalition accessed servers.

Contractor owned/Coalition accessed servers are required to:

3.1.3.1 Be located in a secure data center.

3.1.3.1.1 Maintain industry standard certifications (SAS70, PCI DSS etc.)

3.1.3.1.2 Implement policies for physical and personnel security

3.1.3.2 Maintain Antivirus/Antimalware monitoring

3.1.3.3 Utilize Intrusion Detection Systems

3.1.3.4 Be Monitored 24/7/365

3.1.3.5 Be provisioned for redundancy and failover contingencies

3.1.4 The Contractor will provide ELCB Administrator access to :

3.1.4.1 Server/Cloud Services Management (inclusive of designated server roles, Azure AD group and group policy creation/maintenance)

3.1.5.2 Data Application Management (inclusive of all shared and user drives, files, folders)

3.2 EMAIL REQUIREMENTS

3.2.1 The Contractor will provide Microsoft 365 Exchange Management for:

3.2.1.1 50 mailbox users

3.2.1.2 10-15 generic shared mailboxes

3.2.1.3 Public Calendar and Folder Management

3.2.1.4 Outlook Web App

3.2.2 Antivirus/Antimalware/Antispam Protection:

All Coalition users and general mailboxes must have email accounts protected with antivirus/antimalware/antispam services including URL filtering. The Contractor must have a mechanism for protecting and monitoring coalition email communications in place at all times.

Coalition Users must have availability to spam and quarantine folders at all times.

3.2.3 Archiving:

Email communications made or received by Coalition members or staff may be considered public records that must be retained and upon request made available to the public and media. Applicable emails as defined by retention policies must be retained for five years. The Contractor must have a mechanism in place for archiving emails. Coalition users and ELCB Administrator must have archive access at all times.

3.2.4 The Contractor will provide ELCB Administrator access to EMC and Shell Application Management inclusive of transport rules and data protection policy creation.

3.3 DATA BACKUP AND DISASTER RECOVERY

3.3.1 Backups of all Coalition files and data must be performed at least once daily and retained in an incremental format for a minimum of five years.

3.3.2 Verification of back-up testing must be completed at least monthly.

3.4 DESKTOP SUPPORT

3.4.1 For identified devices the contractor will provide:

3.4.1.1 Software installation and troubleshooting

3.4.1.2 Centrally managed Desktop patch management

3.4.1.3 Centrally managed Antivirus/Antimalware endpoint protection

3.4.2 The Contractor will provide ELCB Administrator access to endpoint protection systems for installation and remote capabilities.

3.5 HELP DESK SUPPORT

3.5.1 The Contractor will provide Help Desk support only as it relates directly to contracted service requirements and scope of work and to ensure there is NO significant downtime stemming from Contractor owned server or network systems failure during normal working hours generally defined as 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday through Friday.

3.5.2 The Contractor will provide an automated helpdesk ticketing portal.

3.6 Firewall Security Services for Sonicwalls must be configured/maintained/renewed as needed.

3.7 SERVICES NOT INCLUDED

3.7.1 The Contractor will not be responsible for maintaining or servicing any local network or desktop issues or applications other that what is specifically required to connect to Contractor Owned/Coalition Accessed servers/services.

3.8 STAFFING LEVELS

3.8.1 The staff should have previous experience supporting mid-size organizations located across multiple sites. The vendor should have staff with demonstrated experience and proficiency in:

• Windows Server Administration

• Microsoft 365/Exchange Server Administration

• Firewall Administration for Sonicwall Appliances

3.8.2 The Proposer shall furnish, to the Coalition, an organizational chart listing positions, lines of authority and an explanation of how the position relates to the entire agency operation.

3.9 SUBCONTRACTORS

3.9.1 Services under the resulting Contract to this RFP may be subcontracted as provided in this Section 3.10 and as set forth in the resulting Contract. The Contractor shall remain fully responsible for service delivery, monitoring and quality assurance of all subcontracts entered into under this Contract. The Contractor shall develop written procedures for monitoring of subcontracts. Monitoring of subcontractors by the Contractor must occur annually at a minimum.

3.9.2 The Contractor may, only with the prior consent of the Coalition, enter into written subcontract(s). Subcontractors known at the time of proposal submission and the amount of the subcontract shall be identified in the Contractor’s response to this RFP.

Subcontracts shall be approved in writing by the Coalition’s Contract Coordinator prior to the effective date of any subcontract. No subcontract, which the Contractor enters into with respect to performance under the Contract resulting from this RFP, shall in any way relieve the Contractor of any responsibility for performance of its duties.

Payments to subcontractors shall be made by the Contractor. No payments to the Contractor, with the respect to subcontracts, will be processed until all subcontracts are approved, in writing, by the Coalition.

III. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS AND DEADLINES*

All times listed reflect Eastern Standard Time (EST)-Coalition’s Clock.

ACTIVITY

DATE

TIME

ADDRESS/METHOD

Request for Proposal Released

Monday, May 5, NA Headquarters:1018 Florida Ave S Suite D, Rockledge FL 32955 State Vendor Bid System, Coalition website:

www.elcbrevard.org

Signed “Notice of Intent to Submit a Proposal” due no later than

N/A 4:00 pm 2671 W Eau Gallie Blvd Suite 102 Melbourne, FL 32935 Or emailed to: smoffit@elcbrevard.org

Last day to submit written 3.5.2 The Contractor will provide an automated helpdesk ticketing portal.

3.6 SERVICES NOT-

INCLUDED

3.6.1 The

Contractor will not be responsible for maintaining or servicing any local network or desktop issues or applications other that what is specifically required to connect to Contractor Owned/Coalition Accessed servers/services.

May 20, 2026 Noon 2671 W Eau Gallie Blvd Suite 102 Melbourne, FL 32935 Or emailed to: smoffit@elcbrevard.org

Coalition posts answers to written inquiries on the website

N/A 4:00 pm www.elcbrevard.org

Sealed Proposals must be received by the Coalition

Monday, May 25, 2:00 pm 2671 W Eau Gallie Blvd, Suite 102 Melbourne, FL 32935

Opening of Proposals TBD No later than

4:00PM

2671 W Eau Gallie Blvd, Suite 102 Melbourne, FL 32935 http://www.elcoc.org/

Meeting of Procurement Committee (as their availability allows)

TBD TBD 2671 W Eau Gallie Blvd, Suite 102 Melbourne, FL 32935

Posting/Protest Period (72 hours)

Within 24 hours after decision is reached

TBD 2671 W Eau Gallie Blvd, Suite 102 Melbourne, FL 32935 www.elcbrevard.org Please do not email or call for decision information, it will be posted on the website noted above.

*Coalition Board Approval of Contract

TBD N/A 2671 W Eau Gallie Blvd, Suite 102 Melbourne, FL 32935

*Anticipated effective date of Contract

July 1, 2026 N/A N/A

* Times and locations are subject to change. Applicants who have submitted a “Notice of Intent to Submit” will be notified of any changes made to the Schedule of Events. Changes will be posted at www.elcbrevard.org.

Point of Contact:

The sole point of contact for purposes of this RFP is:

Sondra Moffit, Finance Director Email: smoffit@elcbrevard.org

INFORMATION WILL NOT BE PROVIDED BY TELEPHONE. Any information received through oral communication shall not be binding on the Coalition and shall not be relied upon by any respondent.

mailto:smoffit@elcbrevard.org

IV. SOLICITATION PROCESS

Should you be interested in providing these services, please include the following information in your response:

A. Notice of Intent to Submit a Proposal As a condition of submitting a proposal, vendors are required to submit a Notice of Intent to Submit a Proposal form (Exhibit 1) which shall set forth the name and address of the firm participating in this solicitation and which bears the original signature of an authorized agent of the Proposer no later than the date specified on Section III to the Point of Contact and address listed in Section III. The submission of the Notice of Intent is mandatory and will provide the Coalition with the address and contact person for each Proposer so that any notices of action can be forwarded appropriately. Failure to submit a Notice of Intent by the deadline may preclude a prospective Proposer from submitting a response for this solicitation and will render the proposer’s reply non-responsive and will result in rejection of the respondent’s proposal.

B. Firm Philosophy in Providing Services to Early Learning Coalitions

1. Provide the address of the office from which the service contract will be conducted.

2. Describe the engagements your firm currently has in the school readiness and/or with non-profit entities similar in size and complexity to the Coalition. If partners or other employees serve in an advisory capacity on any school readiness coalition or other non-profit groups, please list such positions.

3. Describe your firm’s hiring philosophy and the levels of individuals who will be assigned to this engagement. Specifically explain how your firm can provide continuity of staff on our contract.

4. Describe your firm’s basic approach to performing Hosted Technology Support and Services, which will benefit our organization.

C. Service Approach

1. Provide information regarding your understanding of the work to be performed and indicate the organizational strategy for the execution of the agreement.

D. Scheduling and Staffing of Engagement

1. Identify the engagement team which will be performing the duties of the scope of work included in this solicitation.

2. Comment on the impact of transition on our organization and any additional charges for startup.

3. Indicate the expected timing and completion of the transition and the expected initial delivery of services.

E. Fees

1. Provide information regarding costs for services outlined herein, along with annual budget details for each of the anticipated three years of the subsequent agreement.

2. If you are able to provide your services for a fixed fee, state the fee and services included.

3. Must provide the costs for each year; a separate cumulative budget for the initial contract;

and budgets for renewals for the 2nd and 3rd year.

F. References

1. Provide a list of clients of similar size and purpose as our organization.

2. Provide a list of a minimum of three clients we may contact. Clients listed should be of similar size and nature to our organization. Please include specific contact name and telephone number with address.

G. Other Information

1. Include any additional information not already requested that you consider essential to your response. If there is no additional information to include, in a blank sheet of paper write “There is no additional information we wish to present.”

2. Please note that either party may cancel the engagement for the second and/or third year by written notice to the other party no later than February 1 of the applicable year.

3. Bidders should note that the issuance of this solicitation does not require the Coalition to enter into an agreement with any party. Further, the Coalition reserves the right to withdraw or change this Request for Proposal at any time when doing so is in the best interest of the Coalition.

H. Format and Submission

1. Respondent(s) shall submit to the Coalition one (1) original and six (6) copies of the response each in a sealed envelope, as well as one (1) electronic copy of the response submitted on a compact disk/flash drive as PDF Files viewable in Adobe Acrobat Reader. The original and the application (Attachment A) and supporting documents should have the name of the respondent, and the designation "Original" clearly marked on the outside cover. Copies should be marked accordingly. The seven (7) envelopes should then be securely sealed in an envelope or other container and clearly labeled:

"RFP 2026-IT-01 -Proposal for Hosted Information Technology and Support

Services."

2. The original response must contain original signatures in blue ink on the required forms. The original signature must be of the designated agent officially authorized to act as the contractual agent for the organization or collaborative partnership.

3. To be considered for evaluation, a respondent's Proposal must conform to the content and format requirements described herein. Responses must be at least 1.0 line-spaced or larger, use an eleven (11) point font type or larger, on 8.5 x11 white paper, with tabbed sections and in sealed envelopes. All supporting documentation or Exhibits shall be bound separately and clearly referenced. Only one original copy of the signed certifications and affidavits is needed. To conserve the environment, double-sided documents are permitted.

4. All supporting documents must directly relate to the Application being submitted.

Proposals may not exceed 18 pages (excluding the budget pages and mandated signed documents and/or certifications).

5. Please submit your response to this RFP (by US Mail, courier, or hand delivery) no later than 2:00 pm on May 25, 2026. Responses received after 2:00PM on this date will not be considered. Submissions by email or facsimile will not be considered.

Attn. Procurement

Mailing Address: 2671 W Eau Gallie Blvd. Suite 102, Melbourne, FL 32935

6. Application cover page (Attachment A) and all attachments and certifications

(Attachments C-F) must be completed, signed and attached to the Proposal.

I. Inquiries

1. All inquiries regarding this solicitation must be made in writing electronically (e-mail). Facsimiles will not be accepted. Inquiries must be received by the date on the Schedule of Events section. Any information received through oral communication shall not be binding on the Coalition and shall not be relied upon by any respondent.

Responses to questions will be posted on the Coalition’s website:

http://www.elcbrevard.org.

2. Links to the location of replies may be emailed to the vendors who submitted an “Intent to Submit a Proposal” form, if requested. No further questions or requests for clarification regarding this RFP will be entertained after 2 pm (EST) on the last day for receipt of written inquiries set forth in Section III.

3. 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 Coalition posting the notice of intended award, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and state holidays, any employee or Board Member concerning any aspect of this solicitation, except in writing to the sole Point of Contact or as provided in the solicitation documents. Violation of this provision may be grounds for rejecting a response.

J. Cost of Preparation of Proposal The Coalition is not liable for any costs incurred by a Respondent in replying to this RFP.

K. Insurance. The Respondent is required to maintain commercial insurance of such a type and with such terms and limits as may be reasonable associated with the resulting contract.

L. Licenses, Permits and Taxes. The Proposer shall pay for all licenses, permits, and taxes required for this project. In addition, the Proposer shall comply with all federal, state and local codes, laws, ordinances, regulations and other requirements applicable to the work specified in this solicitation at no additional cost to the Coalition.

M. Special Provisions

1. Immigration and Nationalization Act. The Coalition shall consider the employment by any

Respondent of unauthorized aliens a violation of section 274A (e) of the Immigration and Nationalization Act. If the contractor knowingly employs unauthorized aliens, such violation shall be cause for rejection of the proposal or, if subsequently discovered, for unilateral cancellation of the Contract.

2. Warranty of Authority. Each person signing the attachments and subsequent contract(s) warrants that he or she is duly authorized to do so and bind the respective party to the contract.

3. Convicted Vendors. In accordance with s.287.133 F.S. A person or affiliate placed on the convicted vendor list following a conviction for a public entity crime is prohibited from doing http://www.elcbrevard.org/ any of the following for a period of 36 months from the date of being placed on the convicted vendor list:

• submitting a bid on a contract to provide any goods or services to a public entity;

• submitting a bid on a contract with a public entity for the construction or repair of a public building or public work;

• submitting bids on leases of real property to a public entity;

• being awarded or performing work as a contractor, supplier, subcontractor, or consultant under a contract with any public entity; and

• transacting business with any public entity in excess of the Category Two threshold amount ($25,000) provided in section 287.017 of the Florida Statutes.

• any proposal received from a person or affiliate who has been placed on the convicted vendor list shall be rejected by the Coalition as an unresponsive proposal and shall not be further evaluated.

4. Discriminatory Vendors. An entity or affiliate placed on the discriminatory vendor list pursuant to section 287.134 of the Florida Statutes may not:

i. submit a bid on a contract to provide any goods or services to a public entity;

ii. submit a bid on a contract with a public entity for the construction or repair of a public building or public work;

iii. submit bids on leases of real property to a public entity;

iv. be awarded or perform work as a contractor, supplier, sub-contractor, or consultant under a contract with any public entity; or

v. transact business with any public entity.

5. Failure to Perform Prior Contracts. Failure to have performed any contractual obligations with the Coalition in a manner satisfactory to the Coalition will be a sufficient cause for disqualification. To be disqualified as a Proposer under this provision, the Proposer must have:

i. Previously failed to satisfactorily perform in a contract with the Coalition, been notified by the Coalition of the unsatisfactory performance, and failed to correct the unsatisfactory performance to the satisfaction of the Coalition; or,

ii. Had a contract terminated for cause by the Coalition, by any agency of the State of Florida, or by any Children’s Services Council.

iii. The Proposer or any of its staff have participated in the development and review of the RFP documents for this Solicitation.

6. Respondent’s Representation and Authorization. In submitting a response, each respondent understands, represents, and acknowledges the following (if the respondent cannot so certify to any of following, the respondent shall submit with its response a written explanation of why it cannot do so):

i. The respondent is not currently under suspension or debarment by the State or any other governmental authority.

ii. To the best of the knowledge of the person signing the response, the respondent, its affiliates, subsidiaries, directors, officers, and employees are not currently under investigation by any governmental authority and have not in the last ten (10) years been convicted or found liable for any act prohibited by law in any jurisdiction, involving conspiracy or collusion with respect to bidding on any public contract.

iii. Respondent currently has no delinquent obligations to the State, including a claim by the State for liquidated damages under any other contract.

iv. The submission is made in good faith, prices and amounts -actual or approximate- have been arrived at independently and not pursuant to any consultation, agreement or discussion with, or inducement from, or disclosed to, any firm or person to submit a complementary or other noncompetitive response. Nor they will be disclosed before the opening of the proposals.

v. The respondent has made a diligent inquiry of its employees and agents responsible for preparing, approving, or submitting the response, and has been advised by each of them that he or she has not participated in any communication, consultation, discussion, agreement, collusion, act or other conduct inconsistent with any of the statements and representations made in the response.

vi. The respondent has fully informed the Coalition in writing of all convictions of the firm, its affiliates (as defined in section 287.133(1)(a) of the Florida Statutes), and all directors, officers, and employees of the firm and its affiliates for violation of state or federal antitrust laws with respect to a public contract for violation of any state or federal law involving fraud, bribery, collusion, conspiracy or material misrepresentation with respect to a public contract. This includes disclosure of the names of current employees who were convicted of contract crimes while in the employ of another company.

vii. Neither the respondent nor any person associated with it in the capacity of owner, partner, director, officer, principal, investigator, project director, manager, auditor, or position involving the administration of federal funds has:

o within the preceding three years been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against them or is presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged for: commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a federal, state, or local government transaction or public contract; violation of federal or state antitrust statutes; or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, or receiving stolen property; or o within a three-year period preceding this certification had one or more federal, state, or local government contracts terminated for cause or default.

viii. The product or service offered by the respondent will conform to the specifications without exception.

ix. The respondent has read and understands the terms and conditions, and the submission is made in conformance with those terms and conditions.

x. If an award is made to the respondent, the respondent agrees that it intends to be legally bound to the Contract that is formed with the Coalition.

xi. The respondent shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Coalition and its employees against any cost, damage, or expense which may be incurred or be caused by any error in the respondent’s preparation of its bid.

xii. All information provided by, and representations made by, the respondent are material and important and will be relied upon by the Coalition in awarding the Contract. Any misstatement shall be treated as fraudulent concealment from the Respondent of the true facts relating to submission of the bid. A misrepresentation shall be punishable under law, including, but not limited to, Chapter 817 of the Florida Statutes.

7. Electronic Posting of Notice of Intended Award. Based on the evaluation, on the date indicated on the Schedule of Events, the Coalition shall electronically post a notice of intended award at http://www.elcbrevard.org. If the notice of award is delayed, in lieu of posting the notice of intended award the Coalition shall post a notice of the delay and a revised date for posting the notice of intended award. Any person who is adversely affected by the decision shall file with the Coalition a notice of protest within 72 hours after the electronic posting. The Coalition shall not provide tabulations or notices of award by telephone. Failure to file a protest within the time prescribed in section 120.58(3), Florida http://www.elcbrevard.org/

Statutes (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.

(Ss. 120.57(3)(a), and Ss. 287.042(2), F.S.).

8. Minor Irregularities/Right to Reject. The Coalition reserves the right to waive any minor irregularity, technicality, or omission and to accept or reject any and all bids, or separable portions thereof, if the Coalition determines that doing so will serve the State’s best interests. The Coalition has, at its sole discretion, the absolute right to cancel, amend, modify, supplement or clarify this RFP solicitation at any time. The Coalition may reject any response not submitted in the manner specified by the solicitation documents.

9. Addendum. Any changes to the RFP will be done by addendum. Any proposal that fails to incorporate all addenda will be deemed non-responsive. The Coalition has the absolute right to cancel, amend, modify, supplement, or clarify this solicitation at any time at its sole discretion. If any solicitation revisions become necessary or appropriate, as determined by the Coalition, the Coalition will email a notice to those Proposers who submitted a Notice of Intent to Submit a Proposal to the Coalition. Any additions to this document issued by the Coalition will be posted in the Coalition’s website. Proposers are responsible for checking the Coalition website and contacting the Coalition’s Point of Contact for this solicitation before the RFP deadline to ascertain whether any addenda have been issued.

10. Withdrawal of Proposal. A written request for withdrawal, signed by the Proposer, may be considered if received by the Coalition within 72 hours after the Proposal opening time and date indicated in the Calendar of Events. A request received in accordance with this provision may be granted by the Coalition upon proof of the impossibility to perform based upon an obvious error on the part of the Proposer.

11. Notice of Contract Award. The Contract(s) shall be awarded to the Proposer whose Proposal is determined to be the most advantageous to the Coalition, taking into consideration price and technical merits. The Coalition will post a Notice of its Intended Award at the Coalition’s website following the selection of the Successful Proposer. If the notice of award is delayed, in lieu of posting the notice of intended award, the Coalition will post a notice of the delay and a revised date for posting the notice of intended award.

12. Public Records/Proposer Trade Secrets. Article 1, Section 24 of the Florida Constitution and Chapter 119, F.S., guarantees every person access to all public records. All information contained within each Proposal submitted to the Coalition pursuant to this RFP is part of the public domain after the Contract is awarded. Proposers must invoke the exemptions to disclosure provided by law, in their Proposals by providing the specific statutory authority for the claimed exemption, identifying the data or other materials to be protected, and state the reason, in writing, why the exclusion from public disclosure is necessary. Such claimed exempt information shall be segregated from the remainder of the Proposal. Proposer agrees that no right or remedy for damages shall be had against the Coalition that arises from any disclosure made by Coalition herein, in good faith.

Further, Proposer agrees that it shall indemnify, defend and hold the Coalition harmless from and against any losses, expenses, liabilities, costs, (including court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees and costs), claims or actions by a third party that relates to Proposer’s claimed exemptions herein.

13. No Discrimination/Identical or Tie Responses. The Coalition, in accordance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ensures that in any Contract entered into pursuant to this solicitation, minority business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit

Proposals and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration of award. The Coalition will follow the laws set forth in §287.057, F.S., when evaluating identical responses from multiple Proposers. If two equal responses to an RFP are received and only one response is from a certified minority business enterprise, the Contract shall be awarded to the certified minority business enterprise pursuant to § 287.057(12), F.S.

14. Protests and Disputes. Any unsuccessful Proposer who is adversely affected by the Coalition’s decision concerning a procurement solicitation or Contract award under this RFP may protest such decision by filing a protest in compliance with Section 120.57(3), F.S. The protest must be filed in writing within 72 hours after the posting of the notice of decision (or intended decision) and my file a formal written protest within 10 days after the date the notice of protest is filed as required by s. 120.57(3), F.S. Failure to file a protest within the time prescribed in Section 120.57(3), Florida Statutes, shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under Chapter 120, Florida Statutes. Any Applicant who desires to file a formal protest to this RFP, must accompany that protest with a bond payable to the Coalition in an amount equal to one percent (1%) of the Coalition estimate of the total volume of the Contract amount in accordance with s. 287.042(2)(C), F.S. The bond shall be conditioned upon the payments of all costs which may be adjudged against the Proposer in any administrative hearing in which the action is brought and in any subsequent appellate court proceedings. In lieu of a bond, the Coalition may accept a cashier’s check or a money order in the amount of the bond. Failure to file the proper bond at the time of filing the formal protest will result in a denial of the protest. The notice of protest must be submitted to the Coalition’s CEO at 2671 W Eau Gallie Blvd, Suite 102, Melbourne, Florida, 32935 in writing within 72 hours of the Notification of Intent to Award.

The formal written protest must be submitted within ten (10) days after the date of the notice of protest is filed and must fully identify the facts resulting in the contested issues.

The protest procedure shall be governed by s. 120.57(3), F.S.

Exhibit 1

Notice of Intent to Submit a Proposal Form

Title of Proposal: RFP 2026-IT-01- HOSTED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND SUPPORT SERVICES

Proposer Name

Services to be provided

Proposer FEID No. ______________________________________

Proposer Contact Person’s Name and Title

Proposer Address

Telephone Number | Fax Number | Email Address | Website

Ph: _______________ Fax __________________ Email:_____________________________________

Website: _______________________________________________

Name and email of Proposer’s Project Director (if different from above)

Signature of Authorized Official*

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

Name of Coalition Representative Receiving “INTENT TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL” Form:

Date Received: ____________________________________ Time Received: _______________

Delivery Method: ___Hand delivered to Coalition ____ Received by US Mail/Fed Ex/UPS

_____ Emailed

*An authorized official is an officer of the Proposer's organization who has legal authority to bind the Proposer to the provisions of the Proposal. This usually is the President, Chairman of the Board, or Owner of the entity. A document establishing delegated authority must be included with the Proposal if signed by other than the president, chairman, or owner.

Attachment A

APPLICATION COVER SHEET

RFP #2026-IT-01 | Hosted Information Technology and Support Services |

# of Pages included: _________ (no more than 18 for response not including attachments)

Date ____________________________________

Name:

Street Address:

City:________________________ State: Zip Code: ____________

Mailing Address (if different): ___________________________________ City:_________________ State: ______ Zip Code: _________

Telephone: _____________ __________ Fax Number: ______________

Email Address: _______________________________________________

Website Address: ________________________________

Date Entity/Business Established (Mo/Year) ____________________________ Fiscal Year End (month):__________________

Type of Business:

Private, For-Profit ___ Private, Not-for-Profit ___ Public/Government _______

Other_________________________________ Federal I.D. #: _______________________

Cost Summary:

Total Amount Quoted- First year: $_______________________

Total Amount Quoted Year 2: $______________________ Total Amount Quoted Year 3: $__________________

Name/Position of Person Completing Application:

Email Address: ______________________________________________________

ATTACHMENT B

NON-COLLUSIVE AFFIDAVIT

State of Florida

County of _______________________

______________________________________ being first duly sworn deposes and says that:

1. He/she is the (Owner, Partner, Officer, Representative or Agent) of the Respondent that has submitted the attached Proposal;

2. He/she is fully informed respecting the preparation and contents of the attached Proposal and of all pertinent circumstances respecting such Proposal;

3. Such Proposal is genuine and is not a collusive or sham Proposal;

4. Neither the said Vendor nor any of its officers, partners, owners, agents, representatives, employees or parties in interest, including this affiant, have in any way colluded, conspired, connived or agreed, directly or indirectly with any other Respondent, firm, or person to submit a collusive of sham Proposal in connection with the Work for which the attached Proposal has been submitted; or to refrain from bidding in connection with such Work; or have in any manner, directly or indirectly, sought by agreement or collusion or communication, or conference with any Respondent, firm or person to fix the price or prices in the attached Proposal or any other Respondent or to fix any overhead, profit, or cost elements of the Proposal price or the Quote price of any other Respondent, or to secure through any collusion, connivance, or unlawful agreement any advantage against (Recipient), or any person interested in the proposed work;

5. The price or prices quoted in the attached response are fair and proper and are not tainted by any collusion, conspiracy, connivance, or unlawful agreement on the part of the Respondent or any other of its agents, representatives, owners, employees or parties in interest, including this affiant.

On this the _____day of _______________, 20____, before me, the undersigned Notary Public of the State of Florida, personally appeared ________________________________________ Enter name of individual(s) who appeared before notary and whose name(s) is/are subscribed to within the instrument and he/she/they acknowledge that he/she/they executed it.

Sworn to and subscribed before me this _______ day of _______________ 20____.

Personally known _______ or produced identification __________________________

Notary Signature: __________________________________

My commission expires: ______________

(Seal)

ATTACHMENT C

STATEMENTS OF NO INVOLVEMENT and AUTHORIZATION

RFP #2026-IT-01

I, ______________________________________________________, as an authorized (Name and Title) representative of ______________________________________________, certify that no (Name of Firm) member of this firm nor any person having interest or ownership in this firm has:

1. Been awarded a Contract by the Early Learning Coalition of Brevard County, Inc. on a noncompetitive basis to perform a perform a feasibility study concerning the scope of work contained in this Solicitation; or

2. Participated in drafting this Solicitation; or

3. Developed a program for future implementation with specific subject matter contained in this Solicitation.

Furthermore, I attest that:

1. As signatory on this Proposal, I hereby certify that I have the authority to submit this application. I agree to abide by all conditions of this Solicitation and I certify that I have the authority to execute this Solicitation.

2. I further certify that the response is in compliance with the requirements of the RFP including, but not limited to, the certification requirements.

3. I further acknowledge that I know I had the right to object to the form of the RFP but I have submitted without objection.

Print Name of Authorized Official:

Title: _____________________________________________

Signature of Authorized Official:

Date: _____________________________________________

ATTACHMENT D

CERTIFICATIONS AND ASSURANCES

The Coalition will not award a Contract where the prospective Contractor has failed to review and sign the CERTIFICATIONS contained in this section. In performing its responsibilities under this Contract, the Contractor hereby certifies the following:

A. Debarment and Suspension Certification (29 CFR Part 95 and 45 CFR Part 74) B. Certification Regarding Lobbying (29 CFR Part 93 and 45 CFR Part 93) C. Drug free Workplace Certification (29 CFR Part 98 and 45 CFR Part 82) D. Nondiscrimination & Equal Opportunity Assurance (29 CFR Part 37 and 45 CFR Part 80) E. Certification Regarding Public Entity Crimes, section 287.133, F.S.

F. Compliance with Requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 G. Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000

A. CERTIFICATION REGARDING DEBARMENT, SUSPENSION, AND OTHER RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS –

PRIMARY COVERED TRANSACTION.

The undersigned Contractor certifies to the best of its knowledge and belief, that it and its principals:

1. Are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by a Federal department or agency;

2. Have not within a three-year period preceding this Contract been convicted or had a civil judgment rendered against them for commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public (Federal, State, or local) transaction or contract under a public transaction; violation of Federal or State antitrust statutes or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, or receiving stolen property;

3. Are not presently indicted or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a government entity (Federal, State or local) with commission of any of the offenses enumerated in paragraph A.2. of this certification; and/or

4. Have not within a three-year period preceding this application/Proposal had one or more public transactions (Federal, State, or local) terminated for cause of default.

5. Where the Contractor is unable to certify any of the statements in this certification, such Contractor shall attach an explanation to this Contract.

B. CERTIFICATION REGARDING LOBBYING – Certification for Contracts, Grants, Loans, and Cooperative Agreements. The undersigned Contractor certifies, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, that:

1. No Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid, by or on behalf of the undersigned, to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the awarding of any Federal contract, the making of any Federal grant, the making of any Federal loan, the entering into of any cooperative agreement, and the extension, continuation, renewal, amendment or modification of any Federal contract, grant, loan or cooperative agreement.

2. If any funds other than Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employees of Congress, or employee of a Member of Congress in connection with a Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement, the undersigned shall also complete and submit Standard Form – LLL, “Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying,” in accordance with its instructions.

3. The undersigned shall require that language of this certification be included in the documents for all subcontracts at all tiers (including subcontracts, sub-grants and contracts under grants, loans and cooperative agreements) and that all sub-recipients and contractors shall certify and disclose accordingly.

4. This certification is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed when this Contract was made or entered into. Submission of this certification is a prerequisite for making or entering into this Contract imposed by 31 U.S.C. 1352. Any person who fails to file the required certification shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $10,000 and not more than $100,000 for each such failure.

C. CERTIFICATION REGARDING DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE REQUIREMENTS.

Pursuant to the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 and its implementing regulations codified at 29 C.F.R.

98, Subpart F. I, the undersigned Vendor, attest and certify that the Vendor will provide a drug-free workplace by the following actions:

1. Publishing a statement notifying employees that the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensing, possession or use of a controlled substance is prohibited in the Vendor's workplace and specifying the actions that will be taken against employees for violation of such prohibition.

2. Establishing an ongoing drug-free awareness program to inform employees concerning:

a. The dangers of drug abuse in the workplace.

b. The policy of maintaining a drug-free workplace.

c. Any available drug counseling, rehabilitation and employee assistance programs.

d. The penalties that may be imposed upon employees for drug abuse violations occurring in the workplace.

3. Making it a requirement that each employee to be engaged in the performance of the resulting contract be given a copy of the statement required by paragraph C.1 of this certification.

4. Notifying the employee in the statement required by paragraph C.1 of this certification that, as a condition of employment under the contract, the employee will:

a. Abide by the terms of the statement.

b. Notify the employer in writing of his or her conviction for a violation of a criminal drug statute occurring in the workplace no later than five (5) calendar days after such conviction.

5. Notifying the Coalition in writing ten (10) calendar days after receiving notice under subparagraph

4.b. from an employee or otherwise receiving actual notice of such conviction. Provide such notice of convicted employees, including position title, to every Contract officer on whose Contract activity the convicted employee was working. The notice shall include the identification number(s) of each affected Contract.

6. Taking one of the following actions, within thirty (30) calendar days of receiving notice under subparagraph 4.b., with respect to any employee who is so convicted.

a. Taking appropriate personnel action against such an employee, up to and including termination, consistent with the requirements of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.

b. Requiring such employee to participate satisfactorily in a drug abuse assistance or rehabilitation program approved for such purposes by a Federal, State or local, health, law enforcement, or other appropriate agency.

7. Making a good faith effort to continue to maintain a drug-free workplace through implementation of this entire certification. The following are the sites for the performance of work done in connection with the specific contract including street address, city, county, state, and zip code:

Check ( ) if there are workplaces on file that are not identified here.

Check ( ) if an additional page was required for the listing of the workplaces.

The Vendor will inform the Coalition of any changes in work sites within 24 hour of such a change.

D. NON DISCRIMINATION & EQUAL OPPORTUNITY (29 C.F.R. PART 37 AND 45 C.F.R. PART 80).

As a condition of the Contract, the Contractor assures that it will comply fully with the nondiscrimination and equal opportunity provisions of the following laws:

1. Section 188 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), (Pub. L. 105-220), which prohibits discrimination against all individuals in the United States on the basis of race, color, religion, sex national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, or belief, and against beneficiaries on the basis of either citizenship/status as a lawfully admitted immigrant authorized to work in the United States or participation in any WIA Title I-financially assisted program or activity;

2. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Pub. L. 88-352), as amended, and all requirements imposed by or pursuant to the Regulation of the Department of Health and Human Services (45, C.F.R.