PO22-260A Question and Answer Final v3.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 37 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- 22-418DCFS-PROCU-B-28568
- Issued by
- St. Clair County, Illinois
About this file
This document is a Question and Answer (Q&A) worksheet related to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) IT Project Services - Work Service Management Request for Proposal (RFP) DCFS PO22-260A. The RFP seeks to establish a 24-month contract to provide hourly professional service resources to expand the DCFS Jira implementation to include Jira Service Management and Work Management. The project will involve four major areas: implementing Jira Service Management to replace the current custom-built .Net helpdesk system, integrating the Service Management with the State's ServiceNow system, expanding Jira Software to cover future software development practices, and automating workflows not included in the case management solutions. The Q&A worksheet provides responses to questions related to the project length, contract term, location of services, subcontracting, pricing, key personnel, and other administrative details.
The RFP does not have a specific budget allocated, and there is no incumbent vendor. Subcontracting is allowed with a 28% Business Enterprise Program (BEP) goal, which can be self-fulfilled if the prime vendor is BEP certified. The pricing must be submitted as fully-loaded hourly rates inclusive of all costs, and remote work will be allowed to the extent possible. The contract will be awarded to a single vendor, and DCFS reserves the right to not extend the due date for the RFP response despite requests for an extension.
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Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| DCFS BEP Goal Facilitation ADDENDUM B28568.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Forms B Section V.20.1~14.docx | DOCX document | |
| Prebid Webex Chat.docx | DOCX document | |
| FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST -Procured Additional Steps_10.pdf | ||
| DCFS PO22-260A - Attachment C - CMS Registered BEP Vendors List.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| DCFS PO22-260A - Attachment B - Diversity Plan ~1.docx | DOCX document | |
| Prebid Attendee List ~2.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| DCFS PO22-260A - Attachment D - Question and Answer Template~1.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| BEP Utilization Plan v21.0.pdf | ||
| Forms A Section V.18.1~26.docx | DOCX document | |
| DCFS PO22-260A - Attachment A - Narrative~1.docx | DOCX document | |
| DCFS B28568 Notice of Award Form.pdf | ||
| BEP Guidance Videos.docx | DOCX document | |
| DCFS PO22-260A - IT Project Services RFP Final v3.docx | DOCX document | |
| Notice of Electronic Submission Only~1.pdf | ||
| Vendor Instruction for RFPs~1.docx | DOCX document | |
| Pre-Submission Conference Sign-in Sheet~4.pdf |
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Worksheet Information
STATE OF ILLINOIS
ATTACHMENT D: Question and Answer Template Worksheet Information
| Tabs in this Worksheet | |
| Worksheet Information | This tab includes the information about the contents of this worksheet. |
| Questions and Answers | Please use this tab in this format to submit questions on the solicitation. The Department will post answers in the same format and an Addendum on BidBuy. |
| Columns in the Questions and Answers Tab | |
| Question ID | DCFS assigned # to track Questions and Answers. |
| RFP or Attachment Section | The DCFS RFP Section Number, such as Section 1 A.7., or please name a specific Attachment and the Section Number of the Attachment. |
| Page Number | This is the page number of the RFP or Attachment. |
| Topic | This is a general topic of the question. Please limit topics to the following; Offer Submittal, BEP Goal, Terms and Conditions, Technical Response, Commitment to Diversity, Pricing Table, Mandatory Requirements, Evaluation, Form A or Form B. |
| Specific Questions/Inquiry | Please enter your question here. |
| Department Answers | The Department will respond in this section on the dates identified in Section 1 A.6. of the RFP via an Addendum to the solicitation on the Bulletin. |
DCFS PO19-164 CCWIS Attachment U Questions and Answers Page &P of &N
Questions and Answers
STATE OF ILLINOIS
ATTACHMENT D: Questions and Answers Illinois Department of Children and Family Services IT Project Services - Work Service Management RFP DCFS PO22-260A – BidBuy #22-418DCFS-PROCU-B-28568
| ID | RFP or Attachment Section Number | Page Number | Topic | Specific Question/Inquiry | Department Answer |
| QaA.001 | A.23 | 13 | BEP Codes | What are the codes for this bid? | See Section A.23 |
The following NIGP Codes were used to determine the BEP goal for this procurement:
95877: Project Management Services 92040: Programming Services, Computer, Including Mobile Device Applications 92065: System Requirements Quality Assurance Review 92091: Training, Computer Based, Software Supported
| QaA.002 | D.1. /F1 | 22 | Project Length / Contract Term | Can you provide more information regarding the IDIQ aspect of the project? With so many unknown aspects of the work at this time, might the contract be extended to accommodate the workload that might exceed the planned timeframe. | No. Per RFP Section D.1: During the discovery phase the project team will be expected to identify processes which would be good candidates to implement on Jira Work Management and include these in the proposed project schedule. Per Section F.1 Contract term is 24 months with no renewals. |
| QaA.003 | D.6 | 26 | Where Services are to be Performed | Will the Agency be providing office space for all contracted staff? | Yes, hoteling cubes will be provided as needed. |
| QaA.004 | Attachment B | 4-Feb | Guidance | Is a DEI plan required? If so, what are you seeking to see in these plans? | Yes, Please see attachment B, each question has guidance listed in orange text. |
| QaA.005 | B.1 | 15 | Selection of Vendor | Could a vendor bid as a prime on RFP and subcontractor on the other three | Offerors are welcome to bid as a Prime and submit as a sub on the other three. However, a choice will need to be made if the offer is accepted. See Section B.1: Subcontractors performing work on any of the four contracts are prohibited from being awarded any one of these four Contracts as the prime vendor. |
| QaA.006 | N/A | N/A | Budget | Is there any budget allocated for this contract? If yes, can you please let us know the same? | No the Agency has not allocated a specific dollar amount to this project. |
| QaA.007 | D.5 / A.3 | 25/ 13 | Subcontracting | Is Subcontracting allowed for this opportunity, if so, are there any specific participation goals to be met? | See Section D.5.1 Yes Subcontracting is allowed. Per Section A.23 There is a BEP goal of 28%, however this can be self fulfilled if the Prime vendor is BEP Certified. |
| QaA.008 | N/A | N/A | Incumbent | Is there an incumbent on the contract? If yes, could you please let us know the incumbent name and spending done on contract so far? | There is no incumbent, this is a new project. |
| QaA.009 | N/A | N/A | Incumbent | What is the total number of resources who are currently working on this project? Please let us know their position name and hourly rate? | See QaA.008 |
| QaA.010 | D.3 | 24 | Staff Replacements | Considering the current COVID-19 pandemic situation, if the proposed candidates are not available at the time of award, will the agency allow us to provide replacement personnel with similar or more skill sets? | Per Section D.3.2: Key Personnel submitted to DCFS for a project shall not be replaced for the term of the awarded contract unless no longer employed by the offeror. Additionally, any replacement of Personnel shall only be with staff of the same or similar credentials and only with the written approval of DCFS. |
| QaA.011 | Attachment A | 6 | Key Personnel | Is there any limitation on providing resumes of the personnel, i.e., if the requirement is for two candidates; do we need to submit only two resumes or can we propose resumes of more than two candidates for agency's consideration? | Offerors are asked to provide a cover letter and resume for each of the Key Personnel they are proposing. Please only submit the candidates you wish to be evaluated as part of your proposal. |
| QaA.012 | E.1 | 27 | Pricing | Are hourly rate ranges acceptable for proposed personnel including key? | No, an hourly rate for each resource is required. |
See section E.1.2: Pricing shall be submitted electronically in BidBuy under Bid number 22-418DCFS-PROCU-B-28568, in the Items Tab, using the following format: The total cost per hour stated for each resource be a fully-loaded hourly rate inclusive of, salary, benefits, insurance, labor, travel, materials, deliverables, tools, equipment, supplies, expenses, overhead, insurance, fuel, freight, transportation, and any other ordinary cost of conducting the Offeror’s daily business.
QaA.013 D.6 26 Where Services are to be Performed Is it entirely onsite work or can it be done remotely to some extent / Does the services need to be delivered onsite or is there a possibility for remote operations and performance. Per section D.6.3: Location where services will be performed: 1 N Old State Capitol Plaza, Springfield, IL 62701 However, the Agency will allow remote work to the extent that it is possible and in the best interest of the Agency.
| QaA.014 | A.8 | 7 | Offer Due Date | Will there be a Due Date Extension | There is no extension planned at this time. |
| QaA.015 | D.6 | 26 | Where Services are to be Performed | Are you flexible on where the work will be performed? | See QaA.013 |
| QaA.016 | N/A | N/A | Incumbent | Is there an incumbent? | See QaA.008 |
| QaA.017 | C.15.1 | 20 | PREFERENCES | If the vendor is achieving the BEP subcontracting goal of 28%, is the prime vendor eligible to get the preference as mentioned in section C.15.1? | No |
| QaA.018 | D.1 | 22 | Contract | What type of contract is this? Complete Implementation or Resources | See Section D.1 of the RFP -This is a project specific contract, services shall be provided in the form of hourly professional service resources. The Project team will be expected to complete this project from Discovery to Implementation. The project team shall complete the Discovery phase and present a project schedule in the first 30 days of the resulting contract term. |
| QaA.019 | B.1 | 15 | Selection of Vendor | How many vendors do you intend to award for this contract? | Only one Vendor will be awarded the resulting contract. |
| QaA.020 | N/A | N/A | Budget | Can you please provide us with an estimated or NTE budget allocated for this contract? | See QaA.006 |
| QaA.021 | D.6 | 26 | Where Services are to be Performed | What is the place of performance of the candidate? | See QaA.013 |
| QaA.022 | N/A | N/A | Incumbent | Is this a new contract or are there any incumbents? If there is an incumbent, could you please let us know the incumbent name? | See QaA.008 |
| QaA.023 | N/A | N/A | Incumbent | If there is an incumbent for this contract, is the incumbent eligible to submit the proposal again? | See QaA.008 |
| QaA.024 | N/A | N/A | Incumbent | Are there any pain points or issues with the current vendor(s)? | See QaA.008 |
| QaA.025 | N/A | N/A | Incumbent | Is this re-compete or new requirement? | See QaA.008 |
| QaA.026 | N/A | N/A | Incumbent | Could you please share the previous spending on this contract, if any? | See QaA.008 |
| QaA.027 | D.5 / A.3 | 25/ 13 | Subcontracting | Is there any mandatory subcontracting requirement for this contract? If yes, is there any specific goal for the subcontracting? | QaA.007 |
| QaA.028 | N/A | N/A | Incumbent | What is the total number of resources who are currently working on this project? Please let us know their position name and hourly rate? | See QaA.008 |
| QaA.029 | D.6 | 26 | Where Services are to be Performed | Is it entirely onsite work or can it be done remotely to some extent / Does the services need to be delivered onsite or is there a possibility for remote operations and performance? | See QaA.013 |
| QaA.030 | B.5/ B.6 | 15 | Selection of Vendor | What will be the mode of interview if conducted, via virtual or in-person? | The evaluation of all Offers will follow the process outlined in Section B.5 and evaluation points will assigned as described in section B.6 |
| QaA.031 | Attachment A | 6 | Key Personnel | Do we need to submit the actual resumes for proposed candidates or can we submit the sample resumes? | Actual Resumes are required for Key Personnel as part of packet 1. See attachment A, page 6 |
See section D.4.1.: Awarded Vendor shall provide the names and resumes for Key Personnel with their proposal and they shall make them available within ten (10) calendar days of Contract execution, all remaining resources outlined above shall be provided within thirty (30) calendar days of Contract execution.
| QaA.032 | N/A | N/A | Incumbent | How many people are currently working onsite and offsite? | See QaA.008 |
| QaA.033 | N/A | N/A | Holidays | Could you please provide the list of holidays? | https://www2.illinois.gov/cms/personnel/employeeresources/Documents/state-holidays.pdf |
| QaA.034 | N/A | N/A | Paid Time Off | Are there any mandated Paid Time Off, Vacation, etc.? | No this is a project based contract that is billed at an hourly rate. |
| QaA.035 | A.8 | 7 | Offer Due Date | Is there any possibility to extend the Due Date for this RFP? | See QaA.014 |
| QaA.036 | Attachment A | 6 | Key Personnel | Could you please clarify, do we need to submit our internal Key employee resumes, or do you need the resumes of the candidates who may actually handle your project? | See QaA.031 |
| QaA.037 | Could you please clarify the Attachment A- Narrative and Section 4 D. Staffing | There are the following 4 questions in Section 4 D: |
{Quantify the number of resources currently employed by the organization and how additional resources are recruited on an as needed basis. Please explain the vetting process of potential candidates.} With this question, the Agency is seeking to evaluate the vendor's ability to provide the resources.
{Describe the Offerors plan to dedicate inhouse staff or utilize subcontractor agreements to provide all required resources to complete the project.} With this question, the Agency is looking to understand and evaluate how the Offeror will deliver required resources.
{Describe the project team including all required resources listed in D.2. If a resource(s) needs to be recruited, include how the Offeror intends to meet the requirement of providing the project team within 30 calendar days of the contract execution date.} This Agency is looking to determine if project team is currently available or if team members are missing. If team members are missing, if the Offeror has a plan in place to recruit otherwise obtain staff.
{Provide a Cover Letter and Resume for each of Key Personnel} With this question, the Agency is looking to evaluate Key Personnel's experience against the requirements outlined in Section D.2 of the RFP.
| QaA.038 | D.1 | 22 | Contract | What Kind of Contract is this, Complete Implementation or Resources needed? | See QaA.018 |
| QaA.039 | D.6 | 26 | Where Services are to be Performed | what percent of staff work is onsite, will remote work be allowed? | See QaA.021 |
| QaA.040 | D.1 | 22 | Project | Is there a critical path you would like done first? | See Section D.1 This Project will have four major areas; The first will be to implement Jira Service management to replace the current Custom built .Net helpdesk system. Data migration will not be a part of this engagement; however, some reference data may need to be copied into the new solution. The second will be the integration of Service management with the State of Illinois ServiceNow System which is the Helpdesk System used by Department of Innovation Technology (DoIT). The third is the expansion of Jira Software to cover our future software development practices. Additionally, Jira Work Management will be used to implement and automate workflows not included as part of the case management solutions. For example, the New Employee Provisioning Workflow will provide great efficiency by requiring the submission of a single web form to request all equipment, facilities, system roles, training, etc. for newly hired employees. The current process requires the submission of 19 or more forms. The automation of the New Employee Provisioning Workflow is expected to improve new employee impression of DCFS and thus drive better retention of the challenging to hire DCFS workers. DCFS Currently uses the following Jira products; Jira Software , Confluence, Team Center, and TFS4Jira. |
During the discovery phase the project team will be expected to identify processes which would be good candidates to implement on Jira Work Management and include these in the proposed project schedule.
| QaA.041 | D.1 | 22 | Project | Is Jira Cloud based? | Yes |
| QaA.042 | B.1 | 15 | Selection of Vendor | Can we present the same resources on more than one RFP? | Yes but if awarded, See Section B.1: Subcontractors may be utilized for more than one of these Contracts provided they are not reusing dedicated resources across multiple projects….Offeror’s may submit offers on more than one of these four RFPs. However, following posting of a Notice of Intent to Award, regardless of which RFP is awarded first, the awarded Offeror shall withdraw any and all outstanding Offers for the other three related RFPs. |
| QaA.043 | A.9 | 8 | Submission of Offers | The items to be incorporated into Packet 3 are within the RFP. Should we cut out and return the specific sections that comprise Packet 3 or return the full RFP with those sections completed? | Only the applicable pages need to be returned See Section A.9 |
PACKET 3:
| • | Offer to the State of Illinois (Checklist) (Signed) | |||||
| • | Where Services Are to Be Performed | |||||
| • | Exceptions to Solicitation and Contract Terms and Conditions (Signed) | |||||
| • | Subcontractor Disclosure | |||||
| • | Subcontractor Form A or B (Signed) | |||||
| • | Subcontractor DCFS Specific Disclosure (Signed) | |||||
| QaA.044 | N/A | N/A | Digital Signatures | Are digital signatures acceptable, such as adobe, for items requiring signature? | Yes | |
| QaA.045 | A.8 | 7 | Offer Due Date | Based on the holiday/break that is occurring and a large number of key personnel required for this RFP/Bid timeframe, can the due date be extended? | See QaA.014 | |
| QaA.046 | N/A | N/A | Incumbent | Did any vendors already provide POCs related to this work in any way? If so, can they bid on this opportunity? | There are no current vendors providing any proof of concept or exploratory work related to this project. | |
| QaA.047 | A.9 | 8 | ORGANIZATION REQUIRED | There is a discrepancy between the packets' contents table on page A.9 and the packets' contents list in Section C. The table skips Packet 3. Please confirm all packet numbering and contents. | This was corrected in the bid amendment published on 4/14 | |
| QaA.048 | Attachment A | 6 | Key Personnel | Please describe what you expect to see in the requested cover letter for each of the key resumes. | Cover letters and resumes are requested to demonstrate relevant experience and skillset of the proposed Key Personnel to meet the requirements in section D.2 | |
| QaA.049 | A.8 | 7 | Offer Due Date | As questions are due on April 15 and will not be responded to until April 19, would the IL DCFS consider allowing a two week extension of the due date to provide adequate time to address changes to our solution based on the Q&A response? | See QaA.014 | |
| QaA.050 | D.1 | 22 | ServiceNow | Would the IL DCFS elaborate on the ServiceNow requirements discussed in the Pre-Bid Meeting? Will the awardee be expected to implement ServiceNow or integrate into an existing ServiceNow platform? | See Section D.1: This Project will have four major areas...The second will be the Integration of Service management with the State of Illinois ServiceNow System which is the Helpdesk System used by Department of Innovation Technology (DoIT). | |
| QaA.051 | D.1 | 22 | Framework | Does the State have a defined standard hybrid agile process framework for the Discovery to Implementation phases they would like the project to follow? | No | |
| QaA.052 | D.1 | 22 | Framework | If a defined hybrid agile process framework, are there defined project templates and/or tools included which the project is expected to use? | QaA.051 | |
| QaA.053 | D.1 | 22 | Goal | Please confirm if the project is to begin at the concept or discovery phase for the project. | See Section D.1: The Project team will be expected to complete this project from Discovery to Implementation. | |
| QaA.054 | D.2 | 23 | Goal | What activities and procedures are defined within the Discovery Phase? | See Section D.1: During the discovery phase the project team will be expected to identify processes which would be good candidates to implement on Jira Work Management and include these in the proposed project schedule. | |
| QaA.055 | D.1 | 22 | ServiceNow | What functionality of ServiceNow is currently used? | See Section D.1: This is the Helpdesk System used by Department of Innovation Technology (DoIT). It is currently limited to those functionalities around service request and fulfillment, with expanded capabilities planned for the future. | |
| QaA.056 | D.2 | 23 | Goal | Who will provide the reference data to be copied into the new solution, and in what format? | Any source data will be made available by department IT staff to the awarded vendor however all project work shall be completed by the awarded vendor. The format will be determined during the discovery phase by the awarded vendor. | |
| QaA.057 | D.1/D.4 | Project Plan | Please define expectations for the detailed project plan. | A detailed Project plan shall include all the work that will be done to achieve the four main goals of the project, as well as processes that were identifed to be implemented in Jira, a project schedule including delieverable dates. |
See Section D.1: During the discovery phase the project team will be expected to identify processes which would be good candidates to implement on Jira Work Management and include these in the proposed project schedule.
See Section D.4.2.: A detailed project plan and statement of work (SOW) shall be provided within 30 calendar days of contract execution.
| QaA.058 | D.4.4 | 25 | Deliverables | The RFP requests a Time and Materials Pricing Model. What are the deliverables referred to in D.4.4? | The Awarded Vendor will develop the project plan which will include deliverables and due dates. Unless mutually agreed upon, vendor shall be held to the deliverable dates in the project plan |
| QaA.059 | E.1.2 | 27 | Pricing | Should hourly rates include travel to Springfield, IL? Or is travel to Springfield reimbursable? | See Section E.1.2: The total cost per hour stated for each resource be a fully-loaded hourly rate inclusive of, salary, benefits, insurance, labor, travel, materials, deliverables, tools, equipment, supplies, expenses, overhead, insurance, fuel, freight, transportation, and any other ordinary cost of conducting the Offeror’s daily business. |
| QaA.060 | A.8 | 7 | Offer Due Date | As a Prime vendor attempting to respond to multiple RFP’s, we are trying to coordinate efforts across multiple BEP vendors. Additional time would ensure quality BEP vendor participation, the collection of documents, and time to allot the BEP vendors to propose quality candidates for the response. Additionally, allotting additional time for response would ensure the highest quality response from the vendor community. | This RFP will be extended by 1 week. However, proving time to submit to all four is not in the State's best interest. Rather we recommend Offeror's prioritize their responses to the RFPs most fitting their skill set. |
https://www2.illinois.gov/cms/personnel/employeeresources/Documents/state-holidays.pdf
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