ITN-2025-GN-12 - Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) for for Service Desk Management Software for Miami Dade College (FINAL DRAFT).pdf

MIAMI DADE COLLEGE

ITN # 2025-GN-12

Invitation to Negotiate (ITN)No. 2025-GN-12

Service Desk Management Software for Miami Dade College

OPENING: May 15, 2025, at 3:00pm

All prospective proposers that would be interested in providing a response to this ITN are invited to download the bid document for your perusal. All College solicitations can be downloaded from BidNet Direct which as part of the Florida Purchasing Group. All

College issued solicitations will be posted on the Florida BidNet Direct website for suppliers to access. Suppliers will have the ability to download the bid document as well as any Addendums or other supporting bid documents. In addition, suppliers will be able to upload their bid response to the College via the BidNet portal. You must register with

BidNet Direct in order to view the official solicitation documents. There are free and paid registration options available.

https://www.bidnetdirect.com/florida/miamidadecollege

All proposal responses MUST be unloaded to the BidNet site by 3:00 P.M. EST, on May

15, 2025. Proposers that attempt to upload responses after the due date and time will not be able to submit their response and deemed non-responsive.

Purchasing Director:

GABY NEWSOME, Assistant Purchasing Director

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 INTRODUCTION AND FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS

1.1 Introduction and System Overview

1.2 Functional Requirements

1.2.1 User Management

1.2.2 Ticket Management

1.2.3 Knowledge Base

1.2.4 Reporting and Analytics

1.2.5 Asset Management

1.3 additional System Features

1.4 Integration Requirements

1.4.1 Salesforce Integration

1.4.2 API Integration

1.5 Non-Functional Requirements

1.5.1 Scalability

1.5.2 Security

1.5.3 Performance

1.5.4 Support and Maintenance

1.6 Training and Documentation

1.7 Implementation Plan

1.8 Terms

2.0 BACKGROUND

3.0 TIMELINE

4.0 PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

4.1 Form of Vendor Response

4.2 Contact with College Personnel

4.3 Rules, Regulations and Requirement

4.4 Change of Proposal

4.5 Withdrawal of Proposal

4.6 Modifications of Proposal

4.7 Proposer’s Acknowledgement to all Terms and Conditions of this ITN

5.0 EVALUATION PROCESS

5.1 Evaluation Committee Meetings

5.2 Evaluation Committee Contact

5.3 ITN Evaluation Process

5.4 Selection Criteria

5.5 Acceptance/Rejection of Proposals

5.6 Protest of Intended Decision

5.7 Contract Requirement

5.8 Public Record

5.9 Option to extend ITN and Agreement to other governmental entities

6.0 REQUIRED INFORMATION

6.1 Requested Forms to Submit with Proposal Response

6.1.1 Proposal Cover Sheet

6.1.2 Addendum Acknowledgement

6.1.3 Non-Collusion Affidavit

6.1.4 Conflict of Interest Form

6.1.5 Non-Discrimination in Employment Form

6.1.6 Public Entity Crimes Form

6.1.7 Affidavit Regarding Unauthorized Aliens Under 448.095, Florida

Statutes

6.1.8 Required Affidavit Regarding the Use of Coercion for Labor and

Services as per State Statute 787.06(13)

6.2 Executive Summary

6.3 Company Information

6.4 Proposed Project Personnel

6.5 Subcontractors (If applicable)

6.6 References and Performance Evaluation Surveys

6.7 Price Proposal Structure

6.8 Small/Local Business Enterprise

6.9 Florida Department of Education (FLDOE), Equity and Civil Rights Compliance

6.10 Legal Issues

6.11 Indemnification Agreement

6.12 Request to Waive Requirement

7.0 PRICE PROPOSAL

8.0 GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

8.1 Contract

8.1 Insurance

8.2 Modification of the Contract

8.3 Assignment of the Contract

8.4 Paragraph Headings

8.5 Applicable Law

8.6 Contractor’s Relationship to the College Support

8.6.1 Contractor as Independent Contractor

8.6.2 College Representative(s)

8.7 Termination

8.7.1 Termination Without Cause

8.7.2 Termination with Cause

8.7.3 Suspension

8.7.4 Default

8.7.5 Non-Appropriations

8.8 Specification Deviations

8.9 Publicity Release

8.10 Contract Terms

8.11 Invoicing for Services

8.12 Bankruptcy

8.13 Official Notices

9.0 FORMS

9.1 Proposal Cover Sheet

9.2 Acknowledgement of Addenda

9.3 Non-Collusion Affidavit

9.4 Conflict of Interest Form

9.5 Non-Discrimination in Employment Form

9.6 Sworn Statement Pursuant to Section 287.133(3)(A), Florida Statutes, on Public

Entity Crimes

9.7 Affidavit Regarding Unauthorized Aliens under 448.095, Florida Statutes

9.8 Required Affidavit Regarding the Use of Coercion for Labor and Services as per

State Statute 787.06(13)

9.9 Performance Evaluation Survey

10.0 FEDERAL GRANT PROVISIONS

1.0 INTRODUCTION AND FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS

1.1. Introduction and System Overview

Miami Dade College (MDC) is seeking to replace our existing service desk system. The goal is to procure, implement, and configure a robust cloud-based system to streamline the management of support requests and enhance user experience within our organization, as well as to enhance efficiency, and streamline overall helpdesk support processes.

The new Service Desk should:

• Align with ITIL framework and standards.

• Allow MDC to streamline our current support workflows across the different ticket types (incidents, new work, change, knowledge, service level management, etc.)

• Function as Software/Platform as a Service (SaaS/PaaS) solution for scalability and flexibility.

• Ensure ease of use, automation, and self-service capabilities.

• Support integration with a third-party CRM (Salesforce) and other systems.

• Enhance reporting and analytics.

1.2 Functional Requirements

For each section below, please confirm that your proposed system meets these requirements. Provide any additional information as deemed necessary to better gauge the capabilities of your system.

1.2.1 User Management

• User Roles and Permissions: The system should support multiple user roles (e.g., admin, agent, customer) with configurable permissions.

• Single Sign-On (SSO): Integration with SSO providers to allow seamless login for users. In particular, the system must support user authentication against Microsoft Entra ID.

• Audit Logging: The system must offer detailed audit logs including the ability to audit user historical access and behavior as well as other system related logs

1.2.2 Ticket Management

Ticket Creation and Assignment: The system should allow users to create support tickets through multiple channels, including email, web forms, and chat. Tickets should be automatically assigned to the appropriate agent or team based on predefined rules and criteria.

Automated Workflows: The system should support automated workflows to route tickets based on predefined rules. For example, tickets related to billing issues should be routed to the billing department, while technical issues should be routed to the IT support team. Workflows should be customizable to meet the specific needs of the organization.

Customization Options: Support custom fields, forms, and templates for different request types. Allow for custom ticket statuses based on department or category, ticket types, and unique workflows per department.

Ticket Categories: Support for categorizing tickets to organize and prioritize support requests effectively. Category Levels: The ability to have multiple levels of categories provides flexibility in structuring ticket classifications. Also, the ability to create specific categories for different queues/departments/units using the platform.

Request Approvals: Support different levels of approvals through email.

Approvers should not need a license or have to log on to approve tickets.

Escalation procedures: Support ticket escalation for unresolved or high-priority requests to ensure timely resolution and customer satisfaction.

Ticket Prioritization: The system should allow tickets to be prioritized based on their urgency and impact. High-priority tickets should be addressed before lower-priority ones. The system should also support manual prioritization by agents and managers.

Ticket Status Tracking: The system should provide real-time tracking of ticket status, allowing users to see the status of their tickets at any time.

Collaboration and Communication: The system should support collaboration and communication between agents and customers. Agents should be able to add internal notes to tickets, communicate with customers through the system, and collaborate with other agents to resolve complex issues.

Email Attachments: the user must be able to receive any relevant attachments along with the email updates without the need to log in to access these files.

Multi-Team & Multi-Department: the platform must allow for department/role segmentation. Agents can only see tickets on the Service

Desk(s) that they belong to.

Service Level Agreements (SLAs): The system should support configurable SLAs to ensure timely resolution of tickets. SLAs should define the maximum response and resolution times for different types of tickets. The system should automatically escalate tickets that are approaching or exceeding their SLA deadlines.

Knowledge Base Integration: The system should integrate with the knowledge base to provide agents with relevant articles and solutions while working on tickets. This integration should help agents resolve issues more quickly and efficiently.

Reporting and Analytics: The system should provide detailed reports and analytics on ticket management. Reports should include metrics such as ticket volume, average response and resolution times, SLA compliance, and agent performance. These reports should help managers identify trends and areas for improvement. The system should support the ability to schedule automated distribution of reports through email.

Intuitive UI/UX: Navigation: Easy-to-use interface with logical navigation. Consistency: Maintain a consistent design across modules.

Integration with Microsoft 365 Tools and Azure Services: Support integration with tools such as Power Automate for workflow automation and Azure for monitoring, and AI-driven enhancements.

Separate Testing/Development Environments: the system must offer an additional testing/development environment separate than Production.

This must be available to evaluate system changes, updates, and new features before deployment to production, maintaining system stability and minimizing disruption.

1.2.3 Knowledge Base

• Article Management: Ability to create, edit, and publish knowledge base articles.

• Search Functionality: Advanced search capabilities to help users find relevant articles quickly. Support for keywords, filters, and possibly AI-based article suggestions.

• Feedback & Ratings: Allow users and agents to rate articles and provide feedback for continuous improvement.

• Multi-Format Support: Support embedded multimedia (images, videos) within articles.

1.2.4 Reporting and Analytics

• Dashboard: Customizable dashboards to provide an overview of key metrics with drill-down capabilities. Support different dashboard views for agents, managers, or executives.

• Reports: Predefined and custom reports on key metrics (ticket volume, SLA compliance, agent productivity, asset status, etc.).

Ability to export to CSV, PDF, or integrate with business intelligence tools. Automatic scheduling and distribution of reports.

1.2.5 Asset Management

• Asset Inventory Management: The system should maintain a comprehensive inventory of all assets, including hardware, software, and other IT resources. Each asset should have a unique identifier and detailed information such as asset type, manufacturer, model, serial number, purchase date, warranty status, and location.

• Asset Lifecycle Management: The system should support the entire lifecycle of assets, from procurement to disposal. This includes tracking asset acquisition, deployment, maintenance, and retirement.

The system should also provide alerts for upcoming maintenance and warranty expirations.

• Asset Tracking: The system should enable real-time tracking of assets, allowing users to locate assets quickly and efficiently. This includes tracking asset movements, assignments to users or departments, and changes in asset status.

• Integration with Service Desk: The asset management module should be integrated with the service desk system to provide a unified view of assets and related support tickets. This integration should help agents quickly identify and resolve issues related to specific assets.

• Reporting and Analytics: The system should provide detailed reports and analytics on asset management. Reports should include metrics such as asset utilization, maintenance history, and total cost of ownership. These reports should help managers make informed decisions about asset procurement and management.

1.3 Additional System Features

The Proposer must provide a list of all the relevant additional features that their

Service Desk system offers. Below is a list of some of the additional features that

MDC is currently interested in. Provide any additional information as deemed necessary to better gauge the capabilities of your system.

• Time Tracking: Ability to track time spent on each ticket for accurate reporting and billing purposes.

• Collaboration Features: Group chats, video conferencing within tickets for troubleshooting complex incident.

• Mobile Application Support: Native or responsive web apps for on-the-go agent productivity and end-user accessibility. Ensure core features are accessible via mobile apps.

• User Satisfaction Surveys: Offer automated surveys following ticket completion to measure user satisfaction.

• Data Ownership: Ensure data ownership rights, allowing organizations to access and export their data as needed. Enabling organizations to maintain full control over their data, if required.

• User Portals: Customizable user interfaces for authenticated users to submit and track tickets.

• Advanced Self-Service Capabilities: Service catalog, chatbots, password reset, or virtual agents.

o Self-Service Password Reset: Allow users to reset their account password

(Microsoft AD or Entra ID) through a self-service tool.

o Chatbot Integration: Ability to integrate with chatbot platforms for enhanced customer support and automated ticket creation.

• AI Tools and Functionality: Please describe all AI-driven features and capabilities of your system.

1.4 Integration Requirements

1.4.1 Salesforce Integration

• Data Synchronization: Real-time synchronization of customer data between the service desk system and Salesforce CRM.

• Case Management: Ability to create and update Salesforce cases from within the service desk system.

• Contact Management: Integration with Salesforce contacts to provide a unified view of customer interactions.

1.4.2 API Integration

• APIs: Support for RESTful APIs to enable integration with other third-party systems and data sources. Including, Active Directory for user information, room inventory databases, and more. Support secure authentication methods (OAuth, API keys, etc.)

• Webhooks: Ability to trigger webhooks based on specific events within the service desk system for real-time data sharing with other external systems.

1.5 Non-Functional Requirements

1.5.1 Scalability

• Scalability: Initially, the system is expected to have 200 agents distributed among multiple workflows or queues. However, the system should be able to scale elastically to handle varying loads.

• Elastic Capacity: Provide performance benchmarks or references to confirm the system can handle peak usage without degradation.

1.5.2 Security

• Data Encryption: All data should be encrypted both in transit and at rest.

• Access Control: Role-based access control with granular permission to ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive data Option for multi-factor authentication (MFA) for higher-privilege roles (MDC uses Microsoft MFA).

• Compliance: Demonstrate compliance with relevant regulations (e.g., FERPA, HIPAA, PCI) if applicable. Provide documentation on SOC2, ISO 27001, or other security certifications.

• Audit & Logging: Comprehensive, tamper-proof audit logs for system events, administrator actions, and data access.

• Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity: Provide details on backup frequency, retention policies, failover capabilities, and Recovery Time

Objectives (RTO)/Recovery Point Objectives (RPO).

1.5.3 Performance

• Response Time: The system should have a response time of less than

2 seconds for most operations.

• Uptime: The system should have an uptime of 99.99% or higher.

Describe the compensation or remediation measures if uptime falls below SLA thresholds.

• Maintenance Windows: the vendor must provide proactive communications for scheduled maintenance windows and ensure minimal disruption to core business hours.

1.5.4 Support and Maintenance

• Maintenance & Upgrades: Vendor to handle all updates and upgrades as part of the cloud offering. Provide clear release notes and backward compatibility information. Describe the standard communication channels and process for scheduled system updates and maintenance.

• Support Tiers & Escalation: Outline available support tiers (24/7, priority support, etc.), guaranteed response times, and escalation procedures.

• Incident Notifications: Describe real-time communication channels

(email, text, dashboard alerts) for major incidents/outages.

1.6 Training and Documentation

The Proposer must provide technical and functional trainings. The College prefers the Train-the-Trainer model for functional training. The Proposer must provide comprehensive functional and technical documentation and training that is complete, clear and accurate. Documentation must be available at the start of each relevant milestone of the project.

• Comprehensive training materials for administrators and support agents.

• User documentation and guides for self-service and troubleshooting.

• Describe Proposer’s strategy and training plan and services for training

College employees on the product.

• Differentiate between technical and functional training, indicating the timeframe and method associated with each type of training, including Train-the-Trainer.

1.7 Implementation Plan

The Proposer must work with MDC and include all services and support required to configure, build, and implement at least three core workflows, along with their specific request types and any special requirements such as custom fields, dedicated code, or entry forms.

Scope of Work:

1. Configure core workflows:

• Standard IT Help Desk (Incident Management, Service Requests)

Department/Main Unit Area/Group

IT Help Desk and Campus IT

• IT Help Desk

• Campus IT

Systems & Infrastructure • Telecom & Operations

• Client Systems

• System Management

• Network Management

• Database Operations

• Linux Operations

Information Security

Business Solutions • Enterprise Applications

• Business intelligence

• Change Management (Changes to IT infrastructure)

Systems & Infrastructure • Telecom & Operations

• Client Systems

• System Management

• Network Management

• Database Operations

• Linux Operations

• ERP (Service Requests and ERP System Changes)

ERP Support

• Financials

• HCM

• Campus Solutions

• ELM

ERP Security • Financials

• HCM

• Campus Solutions

• ELM

2. System Customization & Integration

• Define user roles and permissions.

• Implement custom fields, categories, and dedicated code as needed.

• Design entry forms for specific request types.

• Establish automation rules and escalation policies.

Please provide a detailed proposed system implementation plan inclusive of project phases, milestones and timeline including training. If possible, provide dedicated support for an agreed period after launch to quickly resolve issues.

Note that, although integration with Salesforce is required, this will not be implemented as part of the initial deployment. Therefore, the proposed implementation plan should not include any Salesforce components.

• Project Phases and Milestones

• Timeline

1.8 Terms

It is anticipated that an agreement will be issued to the selected vendor under his

ITN for Service Desk Management Software for Miami Dade College. It is anticipated that an initial agreement may be issued on or about August 1, 2025 and will end on June 30, 2026.

Upon completion of the initial term agreement, the College may renew the contract related to this ITN for an additional five (5) additional one-year terms at the

College’s discretion. Upon completion of the 5-year periods, the College may opt, as per Florida Administrative Rule, to continue with the same support/service provider and negotiate the best pricing for the services for additional periods, as required.

2.0 BACKGROUND

Miami Dade College (MDC) is a publicly supported State College which serves the populous metropolitan Miami-Dade County through various campuses and a number of off-campus centers. The campuses are North Campus, Kendall Campus, Wolfson

Campus, Medical Campus, Padron Campus, Homestead Campus (including Tamiami

Airport and MIA satellite locations), Hialeah Campus, West and the Carrie Meek

Entrepreneurial Center. The number and locations may extend during the term of this contract.

MDC is one of 28 Colleges in the Florida College System and is a political subdivision of the State of Florida. The District Board of Trustees of Miami Dade College consists of seven appointed members that work directly with the College President in all matters pertaining to the governance and operation of the College. The District Board is responsible to the State Board of Education and the State Commissioner of Education.

Through its open-door policy, the College provides educational opportunities to all, regardless of sex, race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, and veteran status. The instructional program is designed to prepare students for the upper division of senior Colleges and universities, or for immediate job entry into career fields. Courses are also offered to meet students' personal interests or to upgrade their occupational skills.

The mission of Miami Dade College is to change lives through the opportunity of education. MDC provides high quality teaching and learning experiences that are accessible and affordable to meet the needs of our diverse students and prepare them to be responsible global citizens and successful lifelong learners. The College embraces its responsibility to serve as an economic, cultural and civic beacon in our community.

As a political subdivision of the State of Florida, the College is exempt from all Federal

Excise Taxes and State Sales Tax.

For more information on Miami Dade College, its students and unique educational environment, visit its website at www.mdc.edu http://www.mdc.edu/

3.0 TIMELINE

The following timeline is a general guideline for the issuance, evaluation, recommendation for award of this ITN and the issuance of the contract for this service.

The College may change tasks or dates of the timeline as required.

DATE EVENT

4/11/2025 ITN Issuance

4/14/2025 Legal Advertisement

4/28/2025 Last date to present written questions

5/2/2025 Answers to Questions Posted

5/15/2024 Deadline for submittal of proposals (Proposals due prior to 3:00 p.m. EST)

5/16/2025 Deadline for receipt of Performance Evaluation Surveys

5/29/2025 Public Evaluation Committee Meeting (Shortlist)

6/5/2025 Presentation, Demos and Q&A Sessions (Optional)

Week of June 9th Negotiation Meetings

6/19/2025 Best and Final Offer Submission

6/24/2025 Award Recommendation

7/15/2025 Award recommendation presented to MDC Board of Trustees

8/1/2025 Contract Commences

The above timeline may be amended as required. Evaluation Committee Meetings related to this

ITN are all open to the public. All scheduled meetings will be announced with sufficient time to allow the public full access to the scheduled meetings as per State of Florida Sunshine Laws.

Meetings may be scheduled remotely via Zoom or may be scheduled at any of MDC’s College

Campuses physically. All scheduled meetings will be announced and posted on the College

Purchasing website as well as on BidNet under the communications tab of the bid solicitation.

4.0 PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

4.1 Form of Vendor Response

Proposals shall be submitted electronically to the College’s Purchasing

Department via BidNet. All proposals submittals must be submitted in a pdf file format and shall be one file for all the documentation that will submitted.

Prospective proposers must register with BidNet at the following link:

Registration thru Bidnet is free and there are free and paid subscriptions.

Proposal submittals will be received through this BidNet’s upload link before May

15, 2025, at 3:00pm. Proposals will be unable to be received by the College after

3:00 p.m. EST on May 15, 2025, late proposals will be not be considered and will be deemed non-responsive. The time of receipt of the proposal will be based on the time stamp provided by the BidNet uplink portal application. Proposals are to be labeled ITN#2025-GN-12.

No physical deliveries and mail in’s will be accepted, it is the sole responsibility of the Proposer to assure that the proposal is unloaded to BidNet’s upload portal according to the terms of this section. No copies of the response to this ITN shall be submitted to any other office or department at the College.

Please be advised that it takes 30 minutes plus, at a minimum, to upload a bid to

BidNet. Please do not attempt to upload an ITN response with less than 30 minutes of anticipation, as you will be risking that your response may not be uploaded within the required time and your bid may be deemed non-responsive. Also, note that you should allow some troubleshooting time just in case you have any difficulty in uploading your bid. Troubleshooting issues on BidNet may be addressed by calling BidNet's Support Team at 800-835-4603 option 2 if you need any assistance.

Provide one (1), all inclusive, digital pdf copy of your ITN proposal response.

4.2 Contact with College Personnel

Questions concerning this ITN shall be directed to Gaby Newsome, Assistant

Purchasing Director, by email at gnewsome@mdc.edu and to no other person or department at the College. Questions and requests must be in writing and must be received no later than April 28, 2024, before 5:00 p.m. EST. The email should contain the following information: ITN #2025-GN-12, company name, address, phone number, facsimile number, the requestor’s name, the number of pages being faxed or attached to the email and specific questions.

mailto:rmartin9@mdc.edu

Please be advised that this formal solicitation is in compliance with the “Cone of

Silence” College Procedure 6600 which reads as follows:

ANY VENDOR, OR ANY PERSONS OR ENTITIES ACTING ON THE

BEHALF OF ANY VENDOR, MAY NOT CONTACT THE COLLEGE

PRESIDENT, ANY COLLEGE TRUSTEE, ANY EMPLOYEE OF THE

COLLEGE OR ANY EMPLOYEE OF ANY COLLEGE TRUSTEE

CONCERNING ANY ASPECT OF A SOLICITATION, FROM THE

RELEASE OF THE SOLICITATION THROUGH THE END OF THE 72-

HOUR PERIOD, AS PROVIDED FOR IN SECTION 120.57(3), FLA.

STAT., FOLLOWING THE ACTION ON THE RECOMMENDED

AWARD BY THE COLLEGE’S DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE SPECIFICALLY PROVIDED FOR BY THE

SOLICITATION, ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO THE COLLEGE

CONCERNING ANY ASPECT OF THE SOLICITATION DURING THE

FOREGOING TIME PERIOD MUST BE MADE IN WRITING AND ONLY

TO THE COLLEGE’S ASSIGNED PURCHASING DEPARTMENT

OFFICER OR THE COLLEGE’S OFFICE OF LEGAL AFFAIRS. IT IS

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE VENDOR TO ADVISE ANY PERSON

OR ENTITY AUTHORIZED TO ACT ON ITS BEHALF OF THIS

REQUIREMENT. A VIOLATION OF THIS PROVISION SHALL BE

GROUNDS FOR REJECTING A RESPONSE.

THIS PROVISION SHALL BE REFERRED TO AS THE “CONE OF

SILENCE”.

4.3 Rules, Regulations, and Requirement

All Proposers shall comply with all laws, ordinances, and regulations of any

Federal, State of Florida, Miami-Dade County, or city government applicable to submitting a response to this ITN and to providing the services described herein.

4.4 Change of Proposal

Should a Proposer desire to change their proposal, the Proposer must do so in writing. Any request for changes must be received prior to the date and hour of the proposal submission deadline. The Proposer name and the ITN#2025-GN-12 must appear on the envelope.

4.5 Withdrawal of Proposal

A proposal may be withdrawn prior to proposal submission date of May 15, 2025.

Any proposal not so withdrawn shall, upon opening, constitute an irrevocable offer for a period of ninety (90) days after the date of the proposal opening, to provide the proposed services.

4.6 Modifications of Proposal

No unsolicited modifications to proposals will be permitted after the proposal submission deadline of May 15, 2025.

4.7 Proposer’s Acknowledgement to all Terms and Conditions of this ITN

Proposer shall acknowledge all terms and conditions included in this ITN solicitation. Proposer understands these terms and conditions will be required of the selected vendor(s) and incorporated into the contract awarded as a result of this solicitation. Any requested waivers or changes by the proposer to the terms and conditions must be submitted in writing no later than 7 calendar days after posting and sent to the attention of Gaby Newsome, Asst. Purchasing Director at gnewsome@mdc.edu

The College will provide its response within 10 calendar days of the submission deadline.

5.0 EVALUATION PROCESS

5.1 Evaluation Committee Meetings

An Evaluation Committee (“the Committee”) will review all responsive and responsible proposals and will make a recommendation of award to the College

President. The recommendation of the Evaluation Committee will be based on an evaluation of the proposals submitted based on the criteria outlined in Section 5.4.

The President will review the recommendation by the committee, and as result of the President’s review and due diligence, the President or Provost will provide the final recommendation of award to the College‘s Board of Trustees.

The Evaluation Committee has the option to rank all proposers and determine a shortlist of finalists as part of this ITN procurement process. Shortlist proposers may be invited to provide a presentation to the evaluation committee. The committee has the prerogative to shortlist again and determine the finalists that will move to negotiation.

Upon completion of any negotiations, the finalists will be requested to submit a

“Best and Final Offer” (BAFO) which will incorporate the total cost of the Service

Desk Management Software. The Evaluation Committee may convene a final time for final award recommendation.

5.2 Evaluation Committee Contact

Contacting members of the Evaluation Committee will result in disqualification of the ITN proposer. All communications related to this ITN must be provided thru

Gaby Newsome, Assistant Purchasing Director at gnewsome@mdc.edu The

Purchasing Department will determine whether an addendum should be issued as a result of any questions or other matters that are raised. If issued, the addendum will be incorporated into the ITN and will become part of the final negotiated agreement with awarded proposer.

5.3 ITN Evaluation Process

Upon the Purchasing Department reviewing all proposals received by the College, as a result of this ITN, and upon determination that the proposals received are responsive, proposals will be provided to the Committee for their review.

A preliminary public Evaluation Committee meeting will be scheduled whereby the Committee will discuss each proposal and may rank proposers based on the

Evaluation Criteria found on Section 5.4. As a result of this meeting, the

Committee has the prerogative to rank the proposers and may determine a shortlist of finalists.

Finalists may be invited to presentations, demos and Q& A sessions. Since pricing is a factor in the valuation of proposals, the Committee may also negotiate with each finalist. Negotiations is the prerogative of the committee, and the committee may determine the finalist(s) they negotiate with.

Upon completion of all presentations and Q&A sessions and negotiations with the finalists, the Committee may request a “Best and Final offer” (BAFO) to be submitted to the College. The Evaluation Committee will review the “BAFO’s” and a final meeting may be scheduled for the final recommendation of award by the Committee.

Please note the evaluation committee may receive feedback and support from

Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) in the areas of IT, Legal Affairs, Purchasing, and

Business Affairs and some others as deemed necessary. The SME’s will provide feedback to the Evaluation Committee as needed. SME’s are none voting, they are support facilitators of the ITN process that will only provide feedback to the committee as per the functionality of the proposed product.

5.4 Selection Criteria

In the evaluation of the responses to this ITN and in making a recommendation for award, the Evaluation Committee will consider a number of factors. These factors will include, but may not be limited to, the criteria as listed in this section.

Information submitted in response to the Scope of Work, Section 1.2, Section 6.0, and agreement with all General Terms and Conditions on Section 7, as well as information obtained from references and/or interviews with the Proposers (if required) will be used during the evaluation process.

The Evaluation Criteria are comprised of ten (10) items which facilitate the initial evaluation process and provide the Evaluation Committee with a method to score each proposal received as part of this solicitation process. An additional criteria related to Finalist(s) Presentation, Q&A Session is provide to facilitate the scoring of any requested presentations or demos. Weighted numerical scores are assigned to each criterion based on each Proposer’s response to the proposal requirements as outlined in this solicitation. The identified points for each criterion is the maximum score allowed for each criterion item. The Evaluation Committee will utilize a scale from 0 – 5 with 0 indicating the lowest and 5 indicating the highest score. The table below depicting the scoring scale will be utilized by the

Evaluation Committee:

Scoring Scale

Score Competency

Significantly exceeds requirements; achievable; applies best practices; clearly and concisely presented; logically organized; well-integrated.

Somewhat exceeds requirements; achievable; applies best practices;

clearly and concisely presented; logically organized; well-integrated.

Meets requirements; achievable; suitable; acceptably presented;

organized; integrated

Somewhat less than meeting requirements; achievable; somewhat suitable; less than acceptably presented; somewhat unorganized;

somewhat integrated

Significantly less than requirements; not fully achievable, suitable or addressed

0 Not addressed or failed to answer question appropriately

Evaluation Criteria Points

1. Proposer’s compliance to the functional requirements 15

2. Proposer’s knowledge base 5

3. Proposer’s reporting and analytics capabilities 10

4. Proposer’s asset management capabilities 10

5. Additional system features offered by proposer 5

6. Ability of proposer o meet integration requirements 10

7. Proposer’s ability to provide scalability, security, performance, support and maintenance

8. Proposer’s ability to provide training and documentation

9. Proposer’s implementation plan 10

10. Cost and value 15

Total 100

11. Finalist(s) Presentation, Q&A Session 20

Total Maximum Points 120

The Evaluation Committee has the prerogative to determine what scoring methodology to utilize. There are two types of scoring methodologies, one is subjective scoring whereby each member of the committee provides their individual score, for each criteria, for each proposal reviewed. The other is a consensus methodology scoring; this method allows for the committee to discuss each criteria for each proposal and have open and detailed discussions related to each criteria for each of the proposers. After all discussions are completed the

Evaluation Committee may assign a score based on the consensus agreement by all Evaluation Committee members. This consensus score must be unanimous. If the committee does not arrive at a unanimous decision they will continue discussing of the criteria until a consensus is reached.

5.5 Acceptance/Rejection of Proposals

The College may, at its sole and absolute discretion, reject any and all proposals;

re-advertise this ITN; postpone or cancel this ITN process at any time; or waive any minor irregularities in the ITN or in the proposals received as a result of this

ITN. Also, the determination of the criteria and process whereby proposals are evaluated, the decision as to a recommendation for the award, or whether or not an award shall ever be made as a result of this ITN, shall be at the sole and absolute discretion of the College. In no event will any successful challenger of these determinations or decisions be automatically entitled to a contract for the services described in the ITN. The submittal of a proposal will be considered by the

College as constituting an offer by the Proposer to perform the required service at the stated fees.

5.6 Protest of Intended Decision

A Notice of Intended Decision to recommend or reject proposals will be posted in the Purchasing Department and at the Purchasing website. In the event an unsuccessful Proposer desires to protest the College’s notice of intended decision to award or reject a proposal, that Proposer shall be required to comply with the

Miami Dade College Bid Protest Procedures 6010 (a copy of which is available from the Purchasing Director at Miami Dade College, including, without limitation, filing a notice of protest with the Director of Purchasing, in writing, within seventy-two (72) hours after receipt of the notice or posting of the intended decision, and filing a formal written protest within ten (10) calendar days after the date the notice of protest is filed.

Failure to file a protest that complies with Section 120.53(5), Florida Statutes, within the time prescribed herein shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under chapter 120, Florida Statutes.

5.7 Contract Requirement

The successful Proposer may be required to sign a contract within 60 days after the approval of the recommendation to award by the District Board of Trustees for

Miami Dade College or approval by the College Provost, based on the terms, conditions and services described in the ITN and the Proposer’s response, the terms of which are acceptable to the College. In the event that a contract cannot be executed within sixty (60) days after the award recommendation is approved by the Board or College Provost, the College may give notice to such Proposer of intent to award the contract to the next most qualified Proposer or to call for new proposals, and may proceed to act accordingly.

5.8 Public Record

Unless specifically exempted by law, all information supplied to the College is subject to disclosure by the College under the State of Florida Public Records Law, Florida Statutes Chapter 119.07 (“Public Records Law”). The College shall permit public access to all documents, papers, letters or other material submitted in connection with this ITN and the Contract to be executed for this ITN, subject to the provisions of Chapter 119.07 of the Florida Statutes.

If a Proposer submits any documents or other information to the College which the Proposer claims is confidential information and exempt from Florida Statutes

Chapter 119.07 (“Pubic Records Law”), the Proposer shall clearly designate that it is confidential information and that it is asserting that the document or information is exempt. The Proposer must specifically identify the exemption being claimed under Florida Statutes 119.07.

The College shall notify the Proposer within three (3) business days of receiving a request in writing from another party for disclosure of any documents or other information provided by the Proposer to the College and designated as confidential information. The Proposer shall thereafter notify the College within seven (7) days after the date of written notification as to whether the Proposer intends to have the

College continue to treat the information requested for disclosure as confidential information and pursue its claim of exemption from the Public Records Law in accordance with the process outlined below. The College may release the requested documents or other information to the requesting party within three (3) business days after the above reference seven (7) day period has elapsed or earlier, if required by law; unless (i) the Proposer states in its written response to the

College that the Proposer shall, at its own cost and expense, immediately undertake all necessary legal actions, including the filing of any necessary papers with a court or other tribunal, to establish or protect the confidential information and the claimed exception under the Public Records Law and to stay any requirement of the College to release the documents or other information. The

Proposer must provide the college with evidence that the required documentation has been filed; (ii) the Proposer must provide written confirmation to the College that the Proposer shall indemnify and hold harmless the College and its trustees, officers, employees and agents, individually and collectively, from and against any and all loss, damages, expenses, demands, claims, liabilities or obligations

(including interest, penalties, court costs, costs of preparation and investigation, reasonable attorney’s fees and associated costs, whether suit is instituted or not and if instituted, at all tribunal levels); and (iii) the Proposer shall undertake no action that would expose the College, its trustees, officers, employees and agents to any civil or criminal liability. If at any time the Proposer determines to release such documents or other information previously claimed to be confidential information and exempt, or otherwise not to prosecute any action to make such a claim, the Proposer shall immediately notify the College in writing thereof.

Notwithstanding the above provision, the college may disclose confidential information to the extent required by law or regulation, or any validly issued subpoena or court order within the required time frame even if it is less time than that outlined above. Also, the College may release the Proposer confidential information if the Proposer fails to strictly comply with any or all of the requirements outlined above.

5.9 Option to extend ITN and Agreement to other governmental entities

Included as part of this ITN solicitation, any vendor responding to this solicitation has the option to extend its offer to other government entities under the same terms and conditions and contract price(s), if agreeable by the bidder and the government agency. Each agency interested in utilizing this ITN and subsequent agreement must verify that they are allowed by state statute, or entity policy and procedure that they have vested authority to be able to utilize this ITN and subsequent issued agreement.

Other government agencies to include, but are not limited to, the State of Florida, its agencies, political subdivisions, counties, and cities. All government agencies allowed by the vendor to use this contract shall do so independent of any other governmental entity.

Each agency shall be responsible for its own purchases and shall be liable only for goods or services ordered, received, and accepted by such agency. Each agency that utilizes this ITN and subsequent issued agreement should provide a section via issued Amendment within their agreement that provides all the terms and conditions for the user agency.

6.0 REQUESTED INFORMATION

6.1 Requested Forms to Submit with Proposal Response

It is recommended that prospective proposers to this ITN submit as much information as necessary to fully and completely respond to all sections of this

ITN. The College understands that responding to this ITN solicitation includes providing requested forms and/or information to be evaluated. In the event proposer does not include all requested information in its submission, the College reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to request such information from proposer.

The College will provide a period for such requested information to be submitted to the College’s Purchasing Department. If the requested information is not submitted by the date and time allotted by the College, then the proposer’s submittal may be deemed “Non-Responsive” and may receive no consideration under this ITN procurement process.

6.1.1 Proposal Cover Sheet

Proposer is to complete all requested information on the Proposal Cover

Sheet.

Label this Response to Section 6.1.1

6.1.2 Addendum Acknowledgement

If any addendums are issued, the Proposer is requested to acknowledge compliance with the addendum by submitting a signed copy of the addendum in this section. This form will be issued as part of the addendum process. If no addendums are issued, this section only needs to be acknowledged as “None Received”. All addendums will be posted on the

Miami Dade College, Purchasing Department Webpage.

Label this Response to Section 6.1.2

6.1.3 Non-Collusion Affidavit

Proposer is to complete all requested information on the Non-Collusion

Affidavit Form and submit completed form with their proposal response.

Label this Response to Section 6.1.3

6.1.4 Conflict of Interest Form

Proposer is to complete all requested information on the Conflict of Interest

Form and submit completed form with their proposal response.

Label this Response to Section 6.1.4

6.1.5 Non-Discrimination in Employment Form.

Proposer is to complete all requested information on the Non-

Discrimination in Employment Form.

Label this Response to Section 6.1.5

6.1.6 Public Entity Crimes

A person or affiliate who has been placed on the convicted vendor list following a conviction for a public entity crime may not submit a bid on a contract to provide any goods or services to a public entity, may not submit a bid on a contract with a public entity for the construction or repair of a public building or public work, may not submit bids on leases of real property to a public entity, may not be awarded or perform work as a contractor, supplier, subcontractor, or consultant under a contract with any entity, and may not transact business with any public entity in excess of

$15,000 for a period of 36 months from the date of being placed on the convicted vendor list as per State of Florida Statute 287-133(2)(a). The contractor’s proposal must contain a statement acknowledging that the

Contractor and the proposal are in compliance with State of Florida Statute

287-133(2)(a) and the intent of the statute.

Label this Response to Section 6.1.6

6.1.7 Affidavit Regarding Unauthorized Aliens Under 448.095, Florida

Statutes

The Affidavit Regarding Unauthorized Aliens under 448.095, Florida

Statutes, requires contractors to ensure subcontractors don't employ, contract with, or subcontract with unauthorized aliens, and to maintain a copy of the subcontractor's affidavit attesting to this. Contractor and the proposal are in compliance with State of Florida Statute 287-133(2)(a) and the intent of the statute. AS a proposer of this ITN, you must provide a completed copy of this form with your proposal response.

Label this Response to Section 6.1.7

6.1.8 Required Affidavit Regarding the Use of Coercion for Labor and

Services as per State Statute 787.06(13)

The "Required Affidavit Regarding the Use of Coercion for Labor and

Services" as per Florida Statute 787.06(13) is a document required from nongovernmental entities (like vendors/proposrs) when executing, renewing, or extending a contract with a governmental entity (like a school board), attesting that they do not use coercion for labor or services, as defined in the statute.

Label this Response to Section 6.1.8

6.2 Executive Summary

Proposer is to provide an Executive Summary that provides detailed information on how they will be providing the Service Desk Management Software for Miami

Dade College. Proposer may provide recent projects that have been provided, preferably for large scale institutional/educational entities. Proposer may use the

Evaluation Criteria on Section 5.4 to address all the items that are being offered by the proposer related to this ITN.

Label this Response to Section 6.2

6.3 Company Information

In order to evaluate the abilities of the Proposer to provide software and/or service related to the Service Desk Management Software for Miami Dade College information about each Company is requested to be submitted to assist the evaluation committee in determining the Company's ability to meet the criteria s outlined on Section 5.4, which are to be considered in the award of this ITN. This section identifies specific information that is requested to be submitted in the proposal response.

Proposer is requested to provide a brief history of the firm/organization submitting the proposal. This history should include:

A. How long the company has been in business under the present management/ownership.

B. Identity and background of the principals, including the position/title of each principal.

C. Name of person(s) authorized to make representations for the Proposer, title, address and phone number.

D. Current number of employees.

E. Description and location of all current facilities operated by proposer.

Label this Response to Section 6.3

6.4 Proposed Project Personnel

Proposer is requested to provide resumes of key personnel working on the project. Biographical descriptions should include:

A. Current job title and responsibilities with the current firm.

B. The role of the individual on the project.

C. Past and current experience providing the same or similar services for higher education or similar institutions.

D. The amount of the individual’s time dedicated to projects for MDC, e.g., 50% level of effort.

E. Proposed work location for each individual.

Label this Response to Section 6.4

6.5 Subcontractors (If applicable)

Proposer shall provide a list of proposed subcontractors, if applicable, including the names and mailing addresses on any/all proposed subcontractors and a description of the scope and scope of work the subcontractors will perform.

Proposer shall also provide biographical resumes of subcontractor personnel including items A-F listed in Section 6.4.

Label this Response to Section 6.5

6.6 References and Performance Evaluation Surveys

All Proposers providing a response to this ITN are to provide a minimum…