Recording RFR.docx

REQUEST FOR RESPONSE

ELECTRONIC RECORDING VENDOR SERVICES

RFR # DCP26001_ / COMMBUYS Bid# _ BD-26-1019-DCP03-OFA01-119335

ISSUE DATE: July 29, 2025

1. Description or Purpose of Procurement:

The Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) Office of Leasing and State Office Planning (OLSOP) records leasing agreements and other instruments at Registries of Deeds across the Commonwealth. OLSOP is seeking proposals from qualified vendors that have been authorized by the Secretary of the Commonwealth (SOC) to electronically file instruments to be recorded at all Registries of Deeds in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

2. Applicable Procurement Law

Executive Branch Goods and Services

3. Acquisition Method:

4. Whether Single or Multiple Contractors are Required for Contract:

Check One (“X”):

a. Estimated Number of Awards The target maximum number of Contractors is 1. The Purchasing Department may award more or fewer contracts, if it is in the best interests of the Commonwealth to do so.

b. Adding Contractors after initial Contract Award If, over the life of the contract, the Purchasing Department determines that additional Contractors may be added, these may be drawn from qualified companies that responded to this Solicitation and not awarded Contracts. If necessary to meet the requirements of the Commonwealth, the Solicitation may be reopened to obtain additional Bids.

5. Entities Eligible to Use the Resulting Contract

· n/a

6. Expected Duration of Contract (Initial Duration and any Options to Renew):

Initial Duration

24 months

Total Maximum Contract Duration

Six (6) years (72 months)

7. Anticipated Expenditures, Funding, or Compensation:

Estimated Value of Procurement: $5000/yr

8. Contract Performance and Business Specifications:

The selected vendor will be responsible for providing a comprehensive eRecording system to handle the submission of state leasing documents and other instruments to all the Registries of Deeds within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for official recording. The scope of services will include, but is not limited to, the following:

1. Electronic Submission and Recording:

· Vendor must provide a secure, user-friendly system for submitting state lease documents electronically to Registries of Deeds.

· The system must support the submission of various lease document types, including but not limited to lease agreements, Notices of Lease, and other documents.

· The system should be compatible with different document formats, including PDF, and other commonly accepted formats.

· Ensure real-time electronic submission and confirmation of receipt by the Registry of Deeds.

2. Integration with Commonwealth’s Registry of Deeds Systems:

· The eRecording system should integrate seamlessly with the Commonwealth’s existing document management and land record systems.

· Ensure compatibility with the Commonwealth’s registry requirements, including file format, data fields, and metadata.

· Ability to automate the retrieval of lease metadata and other key data points for accurate record-keeping.

3. Compliance with Legal and Regulatory Requirements:

· Ensure that the eRecording solution complies with all relevant state and federal laws, including data privacy laws and electronic signature standards.

· Adhere to all legal standards set forth by the SOC and Registries of Deeds, including document formatting, recording procedures, and metadata requirements.

· Ensure compliance with accessibility standards for users with disabilities.

4. Security and Authentication:

· The system must provide secure, encrypted transmission of lease documents to protect sensitive data during submission and recording.

· Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for users submitting records.

· Provide secure user access management.

5. Document Verification and Validation:

· Provide a method for verifying document accuracy before submission, ensuring that documents meet the formatting and metadata requirements specified by each Registry of Deeds.

· Implement automatic validation checks for document completeness, proper signatures, and any other legal requirements before submission.

6. Audit Trails and Reporting:

· Include an audit trail feature that records and stores information on each transaction (e.g., submission date, user, document type, etc.) for tracking and compliance purposes.

· Provide regular reporting capabilities, including the ability to track submitted, recorded, and rejected documents.

· Ability to generate reports of all submitted Commonwealth leases and their status (e.g., pending, recorded, rejected).

7. Support and Training:

· Vendor must provide training for state agency personnel on how to use the eRecording system, including how to submit documents, review submissions, and troubleshoot any issues.

· Provide ongoing support services, including a helpdesk, system updates, and troubleshooting for any issues related to electronic submissions.

· Ensure that support is available during standard business hours.

8. System Scalability and Performance:

· The eRecording system should be scalable to handle the expected volume of lease documents submitted annually, with the capacity to grow as the number of records increases. Currently, based on data from 2023-2024, the vendor is expected to be responsible for electronically recording approximately 50 documents per year. Please note that this number is an estimate and may fluctuate based on DCAMM’s needs.

· The system should provide fast processing times, ideally with near-instantaneous submission and recording confirmation.

· Ensure that system uptime is maximized, with detailed service level agreements (SLAs) for system availability.

9. Cost Structure and Payment:

· Provide a clear cost breakdown for the eRecording services, including any setup fees, subscription fees, per-record fees, and any other relevant charges.

· Detail any annual and transaction fees (considering government-to-government discount pricing) for recording documents and the handling of any rejected or resubmitted documents.

10. Data Retention and Backup:

· Describe the data retention policies for the eRecording system, including how long submitted records will be stored.

· Outline backup procedures to ensure the safety and integrity of submitted records, with a disaster recovery plan in case of system failures.

11. Testing and Implementation:

· Detail the implementation plan for the eRecording system, including testing, timelines, and key milestones.

· Provide a timeline for the full deployment of the system, including any pilot testing and feedback periods.

· Ensure the ability to perform test transactions before going live to ensure smooth implementation.

Fiscal Terms:

· The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is Tax Exempt. A certificate of exemption will be provided upon award.

· Prompt Payment Discounts are highly encouraged

· Bills are payable in accordance with Comptroller’s Bill Payment Policy- with a standard 45-day payment cycle via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), unless a prompt payment discount is offered.

9. Small Business Purchasing Program Program Background The Massachusetts Small Business Purchasing Program (SBPP) was established pursuant to Executive Order 599to increase state contracting opportunities with small businesses having their principal place of business within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Pursuant to the SBPP, it is the intention of the issuing department to award this Small Procurement to one or more SBPP participating business(es) as described below.

SBPP Award Preference While all businesses, no matter the size or principal place of business, may submit responses to this solicitation, should an SBPP participant respond and meet the best value criteria as described in this solicitation, the SBPP participant shall be awarded the contract. The Strategic Sourcing Services Team (SSST) will not evaluate submissions from non-SBPP participants unless no SBPP Bidder meets the SSST’s best value evaluation criteria.

SBPP Participation Eligibility To be eligible to participate in this procurement as an SBPP participant, an entity must meet the following criteria, and be marked as an SBPP-registered business in COMMBUYS:

1. Have its principal place of business in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts;

2. Been in business for at least one year;

3. Employ a combined total of 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees in all locations, or employees work less than a combined total of 26,000 hours per quarter; and

4. Have gross revenues, as reported on appropriate tax forms, of $15 million or less, based on a three-year average.

Non-profit firms also must be registered as a non-profit or charitable organization with the MA Attorney General’s Office and be up to date with all filings required by that office and be tax exempt under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code.

SBPP Compliance Requirements It is the responsibility of the Bidder to ensure that their SBPP status is current at the time of submitting a response and throughout the life of any resulting contract. Misrepresentation of SBPP status will result in disqualification from consideration, and may result in debarment, contract termination, and other actions. To learn more about the SBPP, including how to apply, visit the SBPP Webpage.

Program Resources and Assistance Bidders and Contractors seeking assistance regarding SBPP may visit the SBPP webpage, http://www.mass.gov/sbpp, or contact the SBPP Help Desk at sbpp@mass.gov.

10. Environmentally Preferable Products Products and services purchased by state agencies must be in compliance with Executive Order 515, issued October 27, 2009. Under this Executive Order, Executive Departments are required to reduce their impact on the environment and enhance public health by procuring environmentally preferable products and services (EPPs) whenever such products and services perform to satisfactory standards and represent best value, consistent with 801 CMR 21.00. In line with this directive, all Contracts, whether departmental or statewide, must comply with the specifications and guidelines established by OSD and the EPP Program. EPPs are products and services that help to conserve natural resources, reduce waste, protect public health and the environment, and promote the use of clean technologies, recycled materials, and less toxic products. Bid responses must identify how a contractor meets these goals.

11. Evaluation Criteria Contractors must submit responses that meet all the submission requirements of the RFR. Only responsive proposals that meet the submission requirements will be evaluated, scored, and ranked by the evaluation team according to the evaluation criteria.

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. System Capabilities: Ability to meet the functional, technical, and legal requirements.

2. Experience and Qualifications: Vendor’s proven experience and success in delivering similar eRecording solutions, including references.

3. Security and Compliance: Adherence to data privacy laws, security protocols, and compliance with the relevant regulations.

4. Cost: Overall cost-effectiveness, including setup fees, transaction costs, and ongoing maintenance.

5. Support and Training: The quality of support and training services provided

12. Instructions for Submission of Responses:

Only electronic quotes submitted via COMMBUYS will be accepted in response to this RFR. Responses must be sent via the “Create Quote” functionality in COMMBUYS. For instructions concerning how to submit a Quote, please see Appendix B.

Any submission that fails to meet the submission requirements of the RFR will be found non-responsive without further evaluation unless the evaluation team, at its discretion, determines that the non-compliance is insubstantial and may be corrected. In these cases, the evaluation team may allow the vendor to make minor corrections to the submission.

Proposal Submission Requirements:

1. Vendor Qualifications:

· Provide confirmation that the vendor is authorized by the SOC as well as Countycontrolled Registries of Deeds to electronically file instruments to be recorded at all Registries of Deeds in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

· Provide an overview of the vendor’s experience in providing eRecording services, including references from other state or government clients, if applicable.

· Outline the vendor’s technical capabilities and experience in handling electronic document submission and recording systems.

2. System Architecture:

a) Provide a detailed description of the eRecording system architecture, including security protocols, integration capabilities, and data management features.

3. Cost Proposal:

b) Submit a detailed cost proposal that outlines all fees and payment terms for the eRecording services, including setup, licensing, transaction fees, and ongoing maintenance or support costs

4. Implementation Plan:

c) Provide an implementation plan, including a timeline for rollout, milestones, testing, and training schedules.

5. References:

d) Include at least three references from previous clients or organizations that have utilized the vendor’s eRecording services.

13. Estimated Procurement Calendar

Bidders are required to monitor COMMBUYS for changes to the procurement calendar for this Bid.

a. Online Questions (Bid Q&A) Written Questions must be entered using the “Bid Q&A” tab for the Bid in COMMBUYS no later than the “Online Questions Due” date and time indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above). The issuing department reserves the right to not respond to questions submitted after this date. It is the Bidder’s responsibility to verify receipt of questions.

It is the responsibility of the prospective Bidder and awarded Contractor to maintain an active registration in COMMBUYS and to keep current the email address of the Bidder’s contact person and prospective contract manager, if awarded a contract, and to monitor that email inbox for communications from the Purchasing Department, including requests for clarification. The Purchasing Department and the Commonwealth assume no responsibility if a prospective Bidder’s/awarded Contractor’s designated email address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with the prospective Bidder’s/awarded Contractor’s computer, network, or internet service provider (ISP) cause email communications sent to/from the prospective Bidder/Awarded contractor and the Purchasing Department to be lost or rejected by any means including email or spam filtering.

Written Responses to Questions will be released on or about the “Responses to Questions Posted Online” date indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above).

(Written questions and responses will be posted on the Bid Q&A Tab for this Bid in COMMBUYS.)

b. Quotes (Bid Responses) Deadline (Bid Opening Date/Time) See the Quotes (Bid Responses) Deadline (Bid Opening) Date and Time indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above).

c. Estimated Contract Start Date This is the approximate start date. The actual start date will be the Contract Effective Date which is the date the Contract is executed by the parties.

14. Required Forms Responses to this RFR must contain the following documents, OR MUST BE EXECUTED ONCE AWARD HAS BEEN MADE.

The above attachments are available as part of the Bid record on COMMBUYS (WWW.COMMBUYS.COM).

15. RFR Attachments Appendix A: Required Specifications https://www.mass.gov/doc/rfr-required-specifications-of-commodities-and-services Appendix B: Electronic Quote Submission Instructions https://www.mass.gov/doc/instructions-for-vendors-responding-to-bids Appendix C: Required Specifications for Information Technology https://www.mass.gov/doc/rfr-required-specifications-for-information-technology/download