PUR7776_Imarcs_Final.pdf

PUR 7776 (Revised 07/2022) Page 1 of 2 Incorporated by Reference: Rule 60a-1.045, F.A.C.

DESCRIPTION OF INTENDED

SINGLE SOURCE PURCHASE

(PUR 7776)

AGENCY: Department of Financial Services

TITLE: Transactional Broadcast Email Services Short description of the commodity or service desired: Delivery of statutorily required communications to insurance licensees on-demand, via email, through the integration of a Transactional Broadcast Email Services application.

CONTACT

Name: Becky Hale Address: 200 East Gaines Street, Larson Building, Room 146, Tallahassee, FL 32399 Telephone: 850-413-2070 Email: DFSPurchasing@myfloridacfo.com

Internal tracking number, if any: 2223-12 SS AA

Date posted: 1/19/2023 Last day for receipt of information: 2/9/2023

This description of commodities or contractual services intended for purchase from a single source is posted in accordance with Sections 120.57(3) and 287.057(3), Florida Statutes (F.S.), and will remain posted for a period of at least 15 business days.

Commodity or Contractual Service Required (commodity or United National Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC), manufacturer, model, and description, as appropriate):

81112102: Electronic Mail Services Provider

Quantity or Term (as appropriate): 12 months

Requestor (division, bureau, office, individual, as appropriate): The Office of Information Technology (OIT), on behalf of the Division of Insurance Agent and Agency Services (Division).

Performance and/or Design Requirements (e.g. intended use, function or application, compatibility, requirements; reference to policy, rule, statute or other act of the Legislature, etc., as appropriate):

The Contractor shall electronically distribute insurance-related newsletters and publications to stakeholders, the media, other state agencies, the applicable divisions and offices within the Department of Financial Services (Department), and the Chief Financial Officer, in accordance with Title XXXVII, Insurance, Florida Statutes, and the rules contained within Division No. 69B, Division of Insurance Agent and Agency Services, of the Florida Administrative Code.

Intended Single Source: IMARCSGROUP.COM, L.L.C. (hereinafter “IMARCSGROUP”)

PUR 7776 (Revised 07/2022) Page 2 of 2 Incorporated by Reference: Rule 60a-1.045, F.A.C.

Estimated Dollar Amount: $24,000.00

Justification for single source acquisition (what is necessary and unique about the product, service or source; steps taken to confirm unavailability of competition, as appropriate):

IMARCSGROUP has developed an email distribution software application, Internet Marketing Analysis Research Communication System (IMARCS) that will allow the Division to send emails to insurance agent and agency applicants and licensees, all of whom are statutorily required to have active email accounts in order to receive communications from the Division.

IMARCSGROUP will also perform reputation monitoring for the Department and distribute emails using practices that prevent the Department’s server, IP, and domain from being blacklisted and will take steps to remedy or reverse the blacklisting action. IMARCSGROUP will also work with the Department to perform SPAM monitoring, which is handled on a case-by-case basis with the individual who marked the message as SPAM.

IMARCSGROUP has represented to the Department that it is the sole developer and distributor for IMARCS, and therefore, another vendor cannot update or modify the IMARCS platform.

Additionally, to the best of the Department’s knowledge, while there are other vendors that are able to provide email distribution services, those vendors would allow the recipients to unsubscribe from the Division’s email and would not offer integration into the Division’s ALIS and DICE applications, which contain the information specific to applicants and licensees for those communications, without additional extensive application development and programming. Based on the foregoing, the Department is pursuing a single source purchase to continue using the email distribution software application that was developed by and is only available from IMARCSGROUP.

Approved By (names & titles, as appropriate, e.g., requestor, requestor management, information systems, budget, purchasing):

Rebecca D. Hale, Government Analyst II, Office of Purchasing and Contractual Services Greg Thomas, Division of Insurance Agent and Agency Services Scott Stewart, Chief Information Officer Scott Fennell, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Operations

Prospective vendors are requested to provide information regarding their ability to supply the commodities or contractual services described. If it is determined in writing by the agency, after reviewing any information received from prospective vendors, that the commodities or contractual services are available only from a single source, the agency shall provide notice of its intended decision to enter a single-source purchase contract in the manner specified in Section Rule 60A-1.045, Florida Administrative Code, and section 120.57(3), F.S.