LCSS RFP 2024_22 School Safety Software.pdf

School Safety Software

RFP#2024-22

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

The Board of Public Education for the City of Hinesville and the County of Liberty (hereinafter referred to as "the Board") is soliciting sealed proposals for School Safety Software as specified in this Request for Proposal (RFP). The successful proposer(s) (hereinafter referred to as "the proposer") shall meet the terms and conditions set forth in this document and all attachments.

I. Standard Terms and Conditions of Proposal

A. Pricing

No charge will be allowed for those federal, state or local sales and excise taxes where the Board is exempt by state and Federal law. A tax exemption certificate will be furnished by the Board to the successful bidder upon request.

B. Terms of Payment & Invoicing

All invoices should be mailed to:

Liberty Co. Board of Public Education Attn.:

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE

200 Bradwell Street

Hinesville, Georgia, 31313

C. General Specifications/Scope of Work

Specifications/Scope of Work for items/services to be purchased are detailed in the attached Specifications Sheet/Scope of Work "Attachment A" following Section III.

Any obvious error or omission in specifications shall not inure to the benefit of the proposer but shall put the proposer on notice to inquire of or identify the same from the Board.

D. Submittal of Objections

Objections from proposers to this Request for Proposal and/or these specifications should be brought to the attention of the Board, Facilities Coordinator. The proposer shall submit any objections in writing not less than (7) days prior to the opening of the proposal. The objections contemplated may pertain to the form and/or substance of the RFP documents and specifications. Failure to object in accordance with this procedure will constitute a waiver on the part of the proposer to protest this Request for Proposal.

E. RFP Interpretations/Addenda

If any questions should arise pertaining to the RFP documents, the proposer may mail or email a written request for interpretation to:

Liberty County School System

Attn.: Arnold Jackson

Chief Operations Officer

200 Bradwell Street

Hinesville, GA 31313

Email: ajackson@liberty.k12.ga.us

Any interpretation of documents shall be made by an addendum to the RFP.

All requests for interpretation must be submitted on or before 12pm, July 12th. The Board shall not be responsible for any other explanation of questions submitted after this date. The Board shall post on the District website all addenda prior to the close of business on July 15th.

Any addenda issued during the time of the RFP shall be covered in submitted proposal, and in closing the contract shall become a part thereof.

F. Errors in Proposals

Proposers or their authorized representatives are expected to fully inform themselves as to conditions, requirements, and specifications before submitting proposals. Failure to do so will be at the proposer’s own risk. The proposer may withdraw a proposal prior to the proposal opening date and time by requesting to do so in writing

G. Standards of Acceptance of Bid Proposal for Contract Award

The Board reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive any irregularities or technicalities in proposals received whenever such rejection or waiver is in the best interest of the Board. The Board has the right to disqualify a proposal of any proposer as being unresponsive when such proposer cannot document its ability to deliver requested services or when investigation shows it is not in a position to perform the contract.

H. Compliance with Laws

The proposer shall obtain and maintain all licenses, permits, liability insurance, workman's compensation insurance and comply with any and all other standards or regulations required by Federal, State, or County statutes, ordinances and rules during the performance of any contract between the Board and the proposer. Any such requirement specifically set forth in any contract document between the proposer and the Board shall be supplementary to this section and not in substitution thereof.

I. Indemnity Provisions

Where proposer is required to enter or go onto property to provide services or gather information, the proposer shall be liable for any injury (including death), damage or loss occasioned by negligence of the proposer, his/her agent, or any person the proposer has designated to visit Board property and shall indemnify and hold harmless the Board, its officers, employees, agents and volunteers from any liability arising therefrom. Offerors should not include an indemnity or hold harmless agreement from the Board in any proposal. The Board will not be bound by any such agreement.

J. Cancellation/Default of Contract

In the event the successful proposer, through any cause, should fail to fulfill the agreed upon obligations in an effective and timely manner, the Board shall have the right to terminate its contract by specifying the date of termination in a written notice to the selected vendor at least thirty (30) days before that termination date. The Board also reserves the right to procure the articles or services from other sources and hold the defaulting vendor responsible for any excess cost incurred.

K. Certification of Independent Price Determination

By submission of this proposal, the proposer certifies, and in the case of a joint proposal each party thereto certifies as to its own organization, that in connection with this Request for Proposal:

a. The pricing structure in this proposal has been arrived at independently, without consultation, communication, or agreement, for the purpose of restricting competition, as to any matter relating to such prices with any proposer or with any competitor;

b. The pricing structure which has been quoted in this proposal has not been knowingly disclosed by the proposer and will not knowingly be disclosed by the proposer prior to opening, directly or indirectly to any other proposer or to any competitor; and

c. No attempt has been made or will be made by the proposer to induce any other person or firm to submit or not to submit a proposal for the purpose of restricting competition.

L. “Responsive” Proposal Criteria

* Availability of Products/ Services

* Warranties/Guarantees

* Ability to Meet Proposal Conditions

* Documented Quality of Product and Manufacturer

* Service and Support Capability

M. Qualification of Proposer

A responsible proposer is defined as one who meets, or by the date of the proposal acceptance can meet, all requirements for licensing, insurance, and service contained within this Request for Proposal. The Board has the right to require any or all proposers to submit documentation of the ability to perform, provide, or carry out the service requested.

N. Proposal Clarification

The Board reserves the right to request clarification of information submitted and to request additional information from any and all proposers.

O. Compliance with Specification/Terms and Conditions

The Request for Proposal, Legal Advertisement, General Terms and Conditions, Proposal Submittal Instructions, Special Terms and Conditions, Specifications, Attachments to Proposal, Vendor's Proposal, Addendum, and/or any other pertinent documents form a part of the proposer's proposal and by reference are made a part hereof.

P. Award of Contract

The contract, if awarded, will be awarded to responsible proposer submitting the lowest pricing structure. Moreover, the Board will award the contract to the next most qualified proposer if the selected proposer(s) is unable to execute a contract and provide delivery within the time parameters specified in this RFP.

Q. Vendor Performance

The Board will evaluate the successful proposer(s) over the duration of the contract period. Performance will be documented. Poor performance may result in the vendor being disqualified on future proposals.

II. Proposal Submittal Instructions

All proposals must be prepared in the standard format described below in order to facilitate comparison and evaluation. Failure to follow the format or to address an area adequately may cause the proposal to be deemed unresponsive and therefore, be excluded from consideration. Any proposed deviation from the requested item/scope of services must be noted and fully explained

A. Proposal Preparation and Submittal

All proposals shall be:

a. Typewritten or legibly printed in ink and signed by an authorized representative, with all erasures or corrections initiated and dated by the official signing the proposal. ALL SIGNATURE SPACES MUST BE SIGNED. Facsimile, printed, copied or typewritten signatures are not acceptable.

b. Submitted in manila envelope, which is plainly marked with the proposal number and title, and date and time of proposal opening. If proposal materials require additional envelopes, then the proposal package must be combined together with the special envelope on top.

c. Submitted on proposal forms as included in this RFP and in accordance with instructions stated above. Incomplete or illegible proposal submittal forms may invalidate your bid proposal.

d. Mailed or delivered in sufficient time to ensure receipt by the Facilities Coordinator or front desk personnel prior to the Public Proposal Opening date and time. Whether sent by mail or by means of personal delivery, the proposer assumes the risk for having the proposal deposited on time and at the place specified on the first page of this RFP. Late proposals will be returned unopened to the proposer.

e. Proposals submitted by facsimile transmission will not be accepted.

f. Considered an irrevocable offer for a period of thirty (30) days from the date of public proposal opening.

Proposers are encouraged to review carefully all provisions and attachments of this document prior to submission. Each proposal constitutes an offer and may not be withdrawn except as provided herein.

III. Special Terms and Conditions

The Board will award this contract on an "all or nothing" basis or on an item-by-item basis, whichever in the best interest of the Board.

A. Samples/Demonstrations

The Board, at its discretion, may request a demonstration of offered material prior to proposal award. This demonstration shall be at the expense of the proposer.

B. Warranty

The Proposer shall guarantee all products or replacements to be free of defects of material and/or workmanship for a period specified in the scope of work, or a minimum of 12 months if not specified, from the date of delivery.

Any additional warranty offered by the proposer should be so stipulated in the proposal documents. If, during the warranty period, such faults develop, the successful proposer agrees to replace the unit or part affected without cost to the Board

ATTACHMENT "A"

SPECIFICATIONS

RFP #2024-22

All proposal postings on this web site are not intended to be official. This information is provided as a public service. Any information presented here is subject to revisions at any time and is reproduced from official documents of the BOE. In case of errors and/or omissions you are advised to contact the Facilities Coordinator for the current status of any proposal posting. All proposals and RFPs submitted to the BOE must be clearly marked with the Proposal name and number on the outside of the document.

Please Note: the proposal form and Attachment A supersede any information stated in the General Terms and Conditions of this solicitation document

1. GENERAL INTENT:

Liberty County School System is requesting bid proposals to obtain software services for the purpose of improving school and workplace safety, climate and culture, and facility and energy management. Our district desires a software solution for use by all principals, assistant principals, school resource officers, and key district office personnel for the purpose of crowdsourcing and collecting data on a daily basis regarding safety and climate best practices and vulnerabilities on campus.

2. APPLICATION AND PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL DEADLINE:

In order to be considered, prospective bidders shall submit a written proposal by July 1, 2024, that illustrates how their services meet the requested qualifications and preferred factors (or not) above, item by item. The written proposal shall acknowledge and agree to the “Selection Disclaimer” below.

Each bid proposal shall include specific pricing information such that the district would be able to ascertain the annual pricing for unlimited accounts in the vendor’s software (or provide pricing per account/unit such that the district would be able to ascertain it’s annual pricing commitment).

Select vendors who best meet, in the determination and discretion of [School District], the qualifications and preferred factors above may be given the opportunity to provide a demonstration of their software.

3. PERFORMANCE PERIOD:

This Proposal will establish a contract that will be in effect for two (2) years or until this contract is terminated by The District or Contractor.

4. PERFORMANCE REVIEW:

A performance review will be scheduled periodically with representatives from the BOE. The District reserves the right to schedule a performance review at any time deemed necessary.

5. TAXES:

Nothing in these specifications shall be construed as relieving the Service Provider of his responsibilities in paying all applicable taxes.

6. SAFETY:

a. The safety of the students, faculty, staff and the public must be maintained at all times, therefore, the Service Provider will be required to erect safety barricades and signs during each service visit. Signage shall be the responsibility of the Service Provider. The work shall not have a negative effect upon the daily operation of the school and shall not prohibit visits to the school.

b. The Service Provider will exercise precautions at all times to ensure the protection of all persons and property. All applicable safety provisions, laws, and ordinances shall be strictly observed. Service Provider is required to provide employees with personal safety equipment to include, but not limited to: goggles, gloves, hard hats, ear protection and other safety equipment as normally found in "best practice." and in accordance with OSHA standards.

7. PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE:

The Mandatory Pre-Proposal Conference will be conducted on July 9th, 2024 at 10am at the Liberty County Board of Education Building, located at 200 Bradwell st, Hinesville, Georgia 31313 to answer any questions that may arise and to provide clarifications. bidders are strongly encouraged to attend.

8. PROPOSAL OPENING:

The Proposal Opening will be held on July 18th, 2024 at 10am at the Liberty County Board of Education Building, located at 200 Bradwell st, Hinesville, Georgia 31313.

Proposals received after the stated closing date and time will be returned to the Proposer "unopened" and will not be considered.

9. SCOPE OF SERVICES:

The Services to be provided are School Safety Software. It will further be the Service Provider's responsibility to maintain a commercially acceptable condition in compliance with the Scope of Service requirements.

The Scope of Services for this project shall include the following:

SCOPE OF SERVICES

Cloud-based web application that functions on the following platforms: IOS, Android, and PC.

Designed specifically for use by K-12 institutions.

An all-inclusive software tool that combines all of the features below:

o Awareness Walk Data Tool: Provides the ability for unlimited district users to collect, record, and share observational data on a daily and weekly basis regarding potential vulnerabilities and observed best practices on campus that are observed in the course of their daily duties by district users in the domains of school safety, workplace safety, climate and culture, and facility and energy management. The observation data format must permit both the uploading of photos and text-based data, and this function is desired to be integrated within the software itself.

The software must be versatile out of the box and allow for the daily recording of ANY observational data in the domains below WITHOUT THE

REQUIREMENT OR USE of a proprietary checklist that limits the type of observations collection by the user (built in to the software) or a district-level checklist:

School Safety and Crisis Planning and Prevention

Workplace Safety Practices

Climate and Culture (Support, Interactions, Interventions, Emotional-

Behavioral) o Automated Reports and Data Analysis: Software provides the function of providing automated reports and data analysis tools (filters, graphs, etc.) to obtain actionable insights from the collected observational data.

o Task Management Tool: Provides account users the ability to send and receive tasks and notifications to and from other account users. This functionality would allow users to manage and monitor the progress and/or completion of such tasks that are assigned or received.

o Communications/Notifications Designed to Increase, Motivate, and Incentivize Human

Behaviors Specific to School Safety: Software shall be integrated with primary functions of automated notifications (by email or app notification) and usage data reports for account users that are designed for the purpose to recognize, motivate, remind, and encourage best practices, habits, and efforts related to human vigilance for school-related practices in crisis prevention, school safety, workplace safety, climate and culture, and facility and energy management.

Other Relevant or Preferred Factors for the District’s Consideration:

It is preferred by LCSS that the software be aligned to practices and agencies alluded to by the Georgia

Department of Education and the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency.

It is preferred by LCSS that the software provider assign an agent or employee of the software company who can be physically present for follow-up training, demonstrations and consultations in the offices and schools of the school district at least once per month during the school year (at no extra charge for travel or labor).

10. E-VERIFY REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION

Service Provider is required to complete the Contractor Affidavit Form verifying its compliance with Georgia state law. The State law requires that every public employer and every private employer that contracts for the physical performance of services for all contracts with a county must be registered with and use the E-Verify program.

Please note that all E-Verify numbers must be four-six-digit numbers. All forms must be notarized and all affidavits are subject to open records.

11. TERMINATION FOR CAUSE/DEFAULT:

In case of failure to deliver the material or services in accordance with the contract terms and conditions, the District, after due oral and written notice, may procure them from other sources and hold the Service Provider responsible for any resulting additional purchase and administrative costs. The remedy shall be in addition to any other remedies, which the District may have. Specifically, if, through any cause, the Service Provider shall fail to fulfill in a timely and proper manner their obligations under this contract, or if the Service Provider violates any of the covenants, agreements, or stipulations of this contract, the District shall thereupon have the right to terminate, specifying the effective date thereof, at least five (5) days before the effective date of such termination. Notwithstanding the above, the Service Provider shall not be relieved of liability to the District for damages sustained by the District by virtue of any breach of contract by the Service Provider. The Board may withhold any payments to the Service Provider for the purpose of set off until such time as the exact number of damages due to the District from the Service Provider is determined.

12. TERMINATION FOR CONVENIENCE:

The District reserves the right to cancel and terminate any resulting contract, in part or in whole, without penalty, whenever the Maintenance Manager or Operations Manager determines that such a termination is in the best interest of the District. Any such termination shall be affected by delivery to the Service Provider, at least five (5) working days prior to the termination date, the Notice of Termination specifying to the extent to which performance shall be terminated and date upon which such termination becomes effective. After receipt of a notice of termination, the Service Provider will cease all work or deliveries under the purchase order/contract on the date and to the extent specified; however, any contract termination notice shall not relieve the Service Providers obligation to deliver and/or perform on all outstanding orders issued prior to the effective date of termination. All equitable adjustments in the contract price shall be made for complete service, but no amount shall be allowed for anticipated profit on unperformed services.

13. TERMINATION FOR LACK OF FUNDING:

Notwithstanding any other provision of the agreement resulting from this solicitation, the parties thereto agree that the charges there under that will be payable to the Service Provider by the Liberty County School System (LCSS) is solely from appropriations received by the Liberty County School System. In the event such appropriations are determined by the Chief of Finance of LCSS to no longer exist or to be insufficient with respect to the charges payable there under, the agreement shall terminate without further obligation of LCSS at the end of any fiscal period (hereinafter referred to as “Event”). In such Event, the Maintenance Operations Manager of LCSS shall certify to the Service Provider the occurrence thereof.

BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION

FOR THE CITY OF HINESVILLE AND THE COUNTY OF LIBERTY

RFP # 2024-02

The undersigned bidder certifies that he/she has carefully read the preceding list of instructions to proposers and all other data applicable hereto and made a part of this Request for Proposal; and further certifies that the proposal submitted is in accordance with all documents contained in this Request for Proposal package, and that any exception taken thereto may disqualify his/her proposal.

This is to certify that I, the undersigned proposer, have read the instructions to the proposer and agree to be bound by the provisions of the same.

This day of , 20 . By

Name (printed)

Title Signature

Company

Address (Street. City, State, Zip)

Phone No. Email

Federal Taxpayer I.D. No. E-Verify No.

Contact Person for This Bid Phone Number

REFERENCES OF AT LEAST THREE ORGANIZATIONS SUPPLIED WITH SIMILAR ITEMS:

1. Company Name:

Contact Person:

Phone Number: Email:

2. Company Name:

3. Company Name:

PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL FORM

PROJECT NAME: School Safety Software To: Liberty County School System

Company/Software Name:

Date:

Bidder: Having carefully examined the Bidding Documents describing RFP-2024-22 Liberty County School System, School Safety Software, including all addendums, bidder hereby proposes to furnish all services, materials, and equipment called for by them for the entire Work, in accordance with the aforesaid documents, for the entire sum of the Work which sum is hereunder called the Bid. Base Bid shall include total annual service cost of all items specified in bid.

Annual School Safety Software cost:

$ (numerical amount)

$ __________________________________________________________________ Dollars (written amount)

Acknowledge Receipt of Addendum(s) # # #

Individual Submitting bid:

Company Name:

Printed Name: Title:

Authorized Signature:

School Safety Software Requirements

Bidders proposed software should have all requested features from the scope of services. Please indicate if the requested features under each category are available with your software and explain how the software meets district’s requirements. Bids will be judged first on accuracy to the scope of services then cost. This form must be answered fully if bid is to be accepted, any categories without explanations will be considered incomplete and bid will not be accepted.

Category: Included (Yes/No):

Provide details explaining compatibility with district requirements:

Cloud Based Web Application

An all-inclusive software tool

Automated Reports and Data Analysis

Task Management Tool

Communications/ Notifications