Request for Proposals

Purchasing &

Contracting Department

1117 Eisenhower Drive, Suite C, Savannah, Georgia 31406

(912) 790-1618

INVITATION TO SUBMIT

PROPOSAL

RFP NO. 23-0056-5

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLATFORM FOR THE

CHATHAM COUNTY PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE

FUNDED BY THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (ARPA)

PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE: 2:00 P.M., MAY 16, 2023

PROPOSALS RECEIVED BY: 5:00 P.M., JUNE 6, 2023

CHATHAM COUNTY, GEORGIA

OFFICE OF THE PURCHASING DIRECTOR

1117 EISENHOWER DRIVE, SUITE C

SAVANNAH, GEORGIA 31406

(912) 790-1619

DATE: May 3, 2023 RFP NO.: 23-0056-5

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

This is an invitation to submit a proposal to supply Chatham County with services as indicated herein. Proposals shall be submitted on-line on the County’s procurement portal https://chathamcountyga.bonfirehub.com/projects up to 5:00 P.M., JUNE 6, 2023. The

Purchasing Director reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive formalities.

Instructions for preparation and submission of a qualification proposal are contained in the Request for Proposal package. Please note that specific forms for submission of a proposal are required.

Any changes to the conditions and specifications must be in the form of a written addendum to be valid; therefore, the Purchasing Director will issue a written addendum to document approved changes.

This project is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

A pre-proposal conference has been scheduled for 2:00 P.M., May 16, 2023, located at 1117

Eisenhower Drive, Suite C, Savannah, Ga, to discuss the specifications and resolve any questions and/or misunderstanding that may arise. Participants attending remotely are asked to mute phones when not speaking, in consideration of others. You are encouraged to attend. If you cannot attend in person, you can call in (Audio Only) dial 1-888-585-9008 and then punch in the conference room number: 743-636-882 #.

Chatham County has an equal opportunity procurement policy. Chatham County seeks to ensure that all segments of the business community have access to providing services needed by County programs. The County affirmatively works to encourage utilization of disadvantaged and minority business enterprises in our procurement activities. The County provides equal opportunity for all businesses and does not discriminate against any persons or businesses regardless of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin or handicap. The County expects its consultants to make maximum feasible use of minority businesses and qualified minority employees. The terms "disadvantaged business", "minority business enterprise", and "minority person" are more specifically defined and explained in the Chatham County Purchasing Ordinance.

SECTION I

INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS

1.1 PURPOSE: The purpose of this document is to provide general and specific information https://chathamcountyga.bonfirehub.com/projects for use in submitting a qualification proposal to supply Chatham County with services as described herein. All proposals are governed by the Code of Chatham County, Chapter 4, Article IV, and the laws of the State of Georgia.

1.2 HOW TO PREPARE PROPOSALS: All proposals shall be:

A. 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.

1.3 HOW TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS: All proposals shall be:

A. Submitted on-line on the County’s procurement portal at:

https://chathamcountyga.bonfirehub.com/projects.

** In submitting their proposal, the proposer certifies that he/she has carefully read all related Request for

Proposal documents and agrees to comply with all provisions.

B. If a proposer is unable to submit their proposal on-line, they should notify the procurement contact for the solicitation at least one week prior to proposals being due to receive instructions. The County is seeking to conduct all solicitations on-line. The phone number for Purchasing and Contracting is 912-790-1618.

1.4 HOW TO SUBMIT AN OBJECTION: Objections from Offerors to this Request for

Proposals and/or these specifications should be brought to the attention of the County

Purchasing Director in the following manner:

A. When a pre-proposal conference is scheduled, the Proposer may object in writing any time prior to or at the pre-proposal conference.

B. When a pre-proposal conference is not scheduled, the Proposer shall object in writing not less than five (5) days prior to the Date for submission.

C. The objections contemplated must pertain to both form and substance of the

Request for Proposal documents. Failure to object in accordance with the above procedure will constitute a waiver on the part of the business to protest this Request for Proposal.

1.5 ERRORS IN PROPOSALS: Proposers or their authorized representatives are expected to fully inform themselves as to the conditions, requirements, and specifications before submitting proposals. Failure to do so will be at the Proposer's own risk.

1.6 STANDARDS FOR ACCEPTANCE OF PROPOSERS FOR CONTRACT AWARD:

The County reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals and to waive any irregularities or technicalities in Proposals received whenever such rejection or waiver is in the best interest of the County. The County reserves the right to reject the Offer of a Proposer who has previously failed to perform properly or complete on time contracts of a similar nature, whom investigation shows is not in a position to perform the contract.

1.7 PROPOSER: Whenever the term "Proposer" is used, it shall encompass the "person", "business", "firm", or other party submitting a proposal to Chatham County in such capacity before a contract has been entered into between such party and the County.

1.8 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 statute, ordinances and rules during the performance of any contract between the Proposer and the County.

Any such requirement specifically set forth in any contract document between the Proposer and the County shall be supplementary to this section and not in substitution thereof.

1.9 CONSULTANT: Consultant or subconsultant means any person, firm, or business having a contract with Chatham County. The Consultant certifies that the firm will follow equal employment opportunity practices in connection with the awarded contract as more fully specified in the contract documents.

1.10 NOT USED.

1.11 DEBARRED FIRMS AND PENDING LITIGATION: Any potential proposer/firm listed on the Federal or State of Georgia Excluded Parties Listing (Barred from doing business) will not be considered for contract award. It is the proposer’s responsibility to inform the County should the proposer/firm be placed on the Federal or State of Georgia

Excluded Parties Listing during the proposal process. Proposers shall disclose any record of pending criminal violations (Indictment) and/or convictions, pending lawsuits, etc., and any actions that may be a conflict of interest occurring within the past five (5) years. Any proposer/firm previously defaulting or terminating a contract with the County will not be considered. Successful proposers with whom the County enters into a contract with for goods or services will notify the County if they become debarred during the course of the contract.

** All bidders or proposers are to read and complete the Disclosure of Responsibility

Statement. Failure to do so may result in your solicitation response being rejected as non-responsive.

Bidder acknowledges that in performing contract work for the Board, bidder shall not utilize any firms that have been a party to any of the above actions. If bidder has engaged any firm to work on this contract or project that is later debarred, Bidder shall sever its relationship with that firm with respect to Board contract.

1.12 PERFORMANCE EVALUATION: On April 11, 2008, the Chatham County Board of

Commissioners approved a change to the County Purchasing Ordinance requiring

Contractor/Consultant Performance Evaluations, at a minimum, annually, prior to contract anniversary date.

Should Contractor/Consultant performance be unsatisfactory, the appointed County

Project Manager for the contract may prepare a Contractor/Consultant Complaint Form or a Performance Evaluation to the County Purchasing Director.

SECTION II

PROPOSAL CONDITIONS

2.1 SPECIFICATIONS: Any obvious error or omission in specifications shall not inure to the benefit of the bidder but shall put the Proposer on notice to inquire of or identify the same to the County.

2.2 MULTIPLE PROPOSALS: No Proposer will be allowed to submit more than one offer.

Any alternate proposals must be brought to the Purchasing Director's attention during the

Pre-proposal Conference or submitted in writing at least five (5) days preceding the date for submission of proposals.

2.3 OFFERS TO BE FIRM: The Proposer warrants that terms and conditions quoted in his offer will be firm for acceptance for a period of sixty (60) days from bid date submitted, unless otherwise stated in the proposal. When requested to provide a fee proposal, fees quoted must also be firm for a sixty day period.

2.4 COMPLETENESS: All information required by the Request for Proposals must be completed and submitted to constitute a proper proposal.

2.5 LIABILITY PROVISIONS: Where Proposers are required to enter or go into Chatham

County property to take measurements or gather other information in order to prepare the proposal as requested by the County, the Proposer shall be liable for any injury, damage or loss occasioned by negligence of the Proposer, his agent, or any person the Proposer has designated to prepare the Offer and shall indemnify and hold harmless Chatham County from any liability arising therefrom. The contract document specifies the liability provisions required of the successful Proposer in order to be awarded a contract with

Chatham County.

2.6 CERTIFICATION OF INDEPENDENT PRICE DETERMINATION: By submission of this Offer, the Proposer certifies, and in the case of a joint offer, each party thereto certifies as to its own organization, that in connection with this procurement:

(1) The prices in this offer have 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 other competitor;

(2) Unless otherwise required by law, the prices which have been quoted in this offer have 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 competitor; and

(3) No attempt has been made or will be made by the Proposer to induce any other person or firm to submit or not submit an offer for the purpose of restricting competition.

2.7 AWARD OF CONTRACT: The contract, if awarded, will be awarded to that responsible Proposer whose proposal will be most advantageous to Chatham County, price and other factors considered. The Board of Commissioners will make the determination as to which proposal best serves the interest of Chatham County.

2.8 PROCUREMENT PROTESTS: Objections and protests to any portion of the procurement process or actions of the County staff may be filed with the Purchasing

Director for review and resolution. The Chatham County Purchasing Ordinance – Part 9

– Vendor Disputes shall govern the review and resolution of all protests.

2.9 QUALIFICATION OF BUSINESS (RESPONSIBLE PROPOSER): A responsible

Proposer is defined as one who meets, or by the date of the acceptance can meet, all requirements for licensing, insurance, and service contained within this Request for

Proposals. Chatham County has the right to require any or all Proposers to submit documentation of the ability to perform the service requested.

Chatham County has the right to disqualify the proposal of any Proposer as being unresponsive or unresponsible whenever such Proposer cannot document the ability to deliver the requested service.

2.10 COUNTY TAX CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENT: A current Chatham County or municipal business license (within the State of Georgia) is required unless otherwise specified. A firm need not have a Chatham County Business License prior to submitting a proposal. However, a license must be obtained by the successful vendor prior to award of contract.

Please contact the Chatham County Department of Building Safety and Regulatory Services at (912) 201-4300 for additional information.

NOTE: No contract shall be awarded unless all real and personal property taxes have been paid by the successful consultant and/or subconsultant as adopted by the Board of

Commissioners on 8 April 1994.

2.11 INSURANCE PROVISIONS, GENERAL: The selected CONSULTANT shall be required to procure and maintain for the duration of the contract insurance against claims for injuries to persons or damages to property, which may arise from or in connection with the performance of the work, hereunder by the Consultant, his agents, representatives, employees or subconsultants. The cost of such insurance shall be included in the Bid.

It is every Consultant’s responsibility to provide the County Purchasing and Contracting

Division current and up-to-date Certificates of Insurance and Declaration Sheets for multiple year contracts before the end of each term. Failure to do so may be cause for termination of contract.

2.11.1 General Information that shall appear on a Certificate of Insurance:

I. Name of the Producer (Consultant’s insurance Broker/Agent).

II. Companies affording coverage (there may be several).

III. Name and Address of the Insured (this should be the Company or Parent of the firm Chatham County is contracting with).

IV. Summary of all current insurance for the insured (includes effective dates of coverage).

V. A brief description of the operations to be performed, the specific job to be performed, or contract number.

VI. Certificate Holder (This is to always include Chatham County).

Chatham County as an “Additional Insured”: Chatham County invokes the defense of “sovereign immunity.” In order not to jeopardize the use of this defense, the County is not to be included as an “Additional Insured” on insurance contracts.

2.11.2 Minimum Limits of Insurance to be maintained for the duration of the contract:

A. Commercial General Liability: Provides protection against bodily injury and property damage claims arising from operations of a Consultant or Tenant. This policy coverage includes: premises and operations, use of independent consultants, products/completed operations, personal injury, contractual, broad form property damage, and underground, explosion and collapse hazards. Minimum limits: $1,000,000 bodily injury and property damage per occurrence and annual aggregate.

B. Worker's Compensation and Employer’s Liability: Provides statutory protection against bodily injury, sickness or disease sustained by employees of the Consultant while performing within the scope of their duties.

Employer’s Liability coverage is usually included in Worker’s

Compensation policies, and insures common law claims of injured employees made in lieu of or in addition to a Worker’s Compensation claim.

Minimum limits: $500,000 for each accident, disease policy limit, each employee and Statutory Worker’s Compensation limit.

C. Business Automobile Liability: Coverage insures against liability claims arising out of the Consultant’s use of automobiles. Minimum limit:

$1,000,000 combined single limit per accident for bodily injury and property damage. Coverage should be written on an “Any Auto” basis.

2.11.3 Special Requirements:

Claims-Made Coverage: The limits of liability shall remain the same as the occurrence basis, however, the Retroactive date shall be prior to the coincident with the date of any contract, and the Certificate of Insurance shall state the coverage is claims-made. The Retroactive date shall also be specifically stated on the

Certificate of Insurance.

A. Extended Reporting Periods: The Consultant shall provide the County with a notice of the election to initiate any Supplemental Extended

Reporting Period and the reason(s) for invoking this option.

B. Reporting Provisions: Any failure to comply with reporting provisions of the policies shall not affect coverage provided in relation to this request.

C. Cancellation: Each insurance policy that applies to this request shall be endorsed to state that it shall not be suspended, voided, or canceled, except after thirty (30) days prior to written notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, has been given to the County.

D. Proof of Insurance: Chatham County shall be furnished with certificates of insurance and with original endorsements affecting coverage required by this request. The certificates and endorsements are to be signed by a person authorized by the insurer to bind coverage on its behalf. All certificates of insurance are to be submitted prior to, and approved by, the County before services are rendered. The Consultant must ensure Certificate of Insurance are updated for the entire term of the County.

E. Insurer Acceptability: Insurance is to be placed with an insurer having an

A.M. Best’s rating of A and a five (5) year average financial rating of not less than V. If an insurer does not qualify for averaging on a five year basis, the current total Best’s rating will be used to evaluate insurer acceptability.

F. Lapse in Coverage: A lapse in coverage shall constitute grounds for contract termination by the Chatham County Board of Commissioners.

G. Deductibles and Self-Insured Retention: Any deductibles or self-insured retention must be declared to, and approved by, the County. At the option of the County, either: the insurer shall reduce or eliminate such deductibles or self-insured retention as related to the County, its officials, officers, employees, and volunteers; or the Consultant shall procure a bond guaranteeing payment of related suits, losses, claims, and related investigation, claim administration and defense expenses.

2.12 INDEMNIFICATION: The PROPOSER agrees to protect, defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Chatham County, Georgia, its commissioners, officers, agents, and employees from and against any and all liability, damages, claims, suits, liens, and judgments, of whatever nature, including claims for contribution and/or indemnification, for injuries to or death of any person or persons, or damage to the property or other rights of any person or persons caused by the PROPOSER or its subproposers. The PROPOSER’s obligation to protect, defend, indemnify, and hold harmless, as set forth herein above shall include, but not be limited to, any matter arising out of any actual or alleged infringement of any patent, trademark, copyright, or service mark, or any actual or alleged unfair competition, disparagement of product or service, or other business tort of any type whatsoever, or any actual or alleged violation of trade regulations. PROPOSER further agrees to investigate, handle, respond to, provide defense for, and to protect, defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Chatham County, Georgia, at his sole expense, and agrees to bear all other costs and expenses related thereto, even if such claims, suits, etc., are groundless, false, or fraudulent, including any and all claims or liability for compensation under the Worker's

Compensation Act arising out of injuries sustained by any employee of the PROPOSER or his subconsultant or anyone directly or indirectly employed by any of them.

The PROPOSER’s obligation to indemnify Chatham County under this Section shall not be limited in any way by the agreed-upon contract price, or to the scope and amount of coverage provided by any insurance maintained by the PROPOSER.

2.13 COMPLIANCE WITH SPECIFICATION - TERMS AND CONDITIONS: The

Request for Proposals, Legal Advertisement, General Conditions and Instructions to

Proposers, Specifications, Special Conditions, Proposers Offer, Addendum, and/or any other pertinent documents form a part of the Offeror's proposal and by reference are made a part hereof.

2.14 SIGNED RESPONSE CONSIDERED AN OFFER: The submitted Response shall be considered an offer on the part of the Proposer, which offer shall be deemed accepted upon approval by the Chatham County Board of Commissioners, Purchasing Director or his designee. In case of a default on the part of the Proponent after such acceptance, Chatham

County may take such action, as it deems appropriate, including legal action for damages or lack of required performance.

2.15 NOTICE TO PROCEED: The successful proposer shall not commence work under this

Request for Proposal until a written contract is awarded and the Purchasing Director or his designee issues a Notice to Proceed. If the successful Proposer does commence any work or deliver items prior to receiving official notification, he does so at his own risk.

2.16 PAYMENT TO CONSULTANT: Instructions for invoicing the County for service delivered to the County are specified in the contract document.

A. Questions regarding payment may be directed to the Finance Department at (912)

652-7905 or the County’s Project Manager as specified in the contract documents.

B. Consultant will be paid the agreed upon compensation upon satisfactory progress or completion of the work as more fully described in the contract document.

C. Upon completion of the work, the Consultant will provide the County with an affidavit certifying all suppliers, persons or businesses employed by the Consultant for the work performed for the County have been paid in full.

D. Chatham County is a tax-exempt entity. Every consultant, vendor, business or person under contract with Chatham County is required by Georgia law to pay State sales or use taxes for products purchased in Georgia or transported into Georgia and sold to Chatham County by contract. Please consult the State of Georgia, Department of Revenue, Sales and Use Tax Unit in Atlanta (404) 656-4065 for additional information.

2.17 LICENSES, PERMITS, AND TAXES: The price or prices for the service shall include full compensation for all fees that the proponent is or may be required to pay. Chatham

County is Tax Exempt. The Purchasing & Contracting Office upon request (912) 790-

1623 will provide a Tax Exemption Certificate.

2.18 MINORITY – WOMEN BUSINESS ENTERPRISE PARTICIPATION: It is the desire of the County Board of Commissioners to increase the participation of minority (MBE) and women-owned (WBE) business in its contracting and procurement programs.

The County is committed to a policy of equitable participation for these firms by setting goals for each contract. Bidder/proposers are requested to include in their proposals a narrative describing their past accomplishments and intended actions in this area. If bidder/proposers are considering minority or women owned enterprise participation in their proposal, those firms, and their specific duties must be identified in their proposal along with the percentage(s) and dollar amount awarded to the M/WBE firm. Proposers may also provide demographic information regarding their employees to show their commitment to equal opportunity. If a bidder/proposer is considered for award, he/she will be asked to meet with the County Staff so that the intended MBE/WBE participation goals can be formalized and included in the subsequent contact.

If the awarded consultant is claiming minority status, the consultant shall apply for certification by Chatham County, Georgia to the Office of Minority Business Coordinator.

The Minority Business Coordinator will provide documentation of application status once approved or disapproved by Chatham County. Certification by any other government entity is acceptable if current copy of the certification is provided with this solicitation. For additional information concerning Chatham County’s MBE/WBE Coordinator, please contact Connell Heyward, at (912) 652-7860 or cheyward@chathamcounty.org.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

GENERAL CONDITIONS

SECTION III

3.1 DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES: Chatham County Board of Commissioners is seeking a qualified vendor to provide a Community Engagement Platform for the

Chatham County Public Information Office. This project is funded by the American

Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The County presents this “Requests for Proposals” to describe its needs and those criteria which will be used to determine selection of services.

3.2 METHODOLOGY: The procurement described herein may be conducted in a two-step process.

STEP ONE- ACCEPTANCE AND EVALUATION OF QUALIFICATION

PROPOSALS: All technical requirements, unless otherwise specified, must be met by the proponent or such proposal may be disqualified as being non-responsive. Proposals that are deemed incomplete as to substance and content may be returned without consideration. A shortlist of qualified firms will be developed and ranked.

STEP TWO-INTERVIEWS: The evaluation committee may request an interview with short-listed firms. If interviews are conducted, they will be scored. It will be at the discretion of the evaluation committee on the number of firms that will interview/present.

3.3 PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE: A pre-proposal conference has been scheduled for

2:00 P.M., MAY 16, 2023, located at 1117 Eisenhower Drive, Suite C, Savannah, GA, to discuss the specifications and resolve any questions and/or misunderstanding that may arise. Participants attending remotely are asked to mute phones when not speaking, in consideration of others. You are encouraged to attend. If you cannot attend in person, you can call in (Audio Only) dial 1-888-585-9008 and then punch in the conference room number: 743-636-882 #.

3.4 PROPOSAL DEADLINE: The response to this ‘Request for Proposal” must be received on-line by the Purchasing Division no later than 5:00 P.M., JUNE 6, 2023.

For good and sufficient reason, up to 24 hours before the advertised deadline, the County may extend the response schedule. An addendum will be issued setting forth the new date and time.

mailto:cheyward@chathamcounty.org

3.5 CONFIDENTIALITY OF DOCUMENTS: Upon receipt of a proposal by the County, the proposal shall become the property of the County without compensation to the proponent, for disposition or usage by the County at its discretion (except for as provided by Georgia law for proprietary information). The details of the proposal documents will remain confidential until final award or rejection of proposals and/or protected under the restraints of law. Only final points and ranking of proposals will be openly disclosed prior to approval by the Board of Commissioners. Proponent shall have no contact with any

Department Representative or Evaluation Committee Member during and after the evaluation process. Any information contained in the proposal that is considered by the

Proponent as “proprietary” to remain confidential shall be clearly identified and justified.

3.6 CONE OF SILENCE: Lobbying of Procurement Evaluation Committee members, County Government employees, and elected officials regarding this product or service solicitation, Invitation to Bid (ITB) or Request for Proposal (RFP) or contract by any member of a proposer’s staff, or those people employed by any legal entity affiliated with an organization that is responding to the solicitation is strictly prohibited. Negative campaigning through the mass media about the current service delivery is strictly prohibited. Such actions may cause your proposal to be rejected.

3.7 COMPENSATION: The County has attempted in SECTION V to provide as much information about the project as possible to enable firms to structure their offer.

3.8 REJECTING PROPOSALS: The County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and is not bound to accept any proposal if that proposal is contrary to the best interest of Chatham County. Similarly, the County is not bound to accept the lowest dollar proposal if the offer is not considered in the County's best interest.

3.9 COST TO PREPARE RESPONSES: The County assumes no responsibility or obligation to the respondents and will make no payment for any costs associated with the preparation or submission of the proposal.

3.10 INQUIRIES: Direct any questions related to this RFP to Ms. Jean Fleming, Senior

Procurement Specialist, and submit all questions through the County’s procurement portal https://chathamcountyga.bonfirehub.com/projects Q&A section. Include the RFP number, page, and paragraph number as a reference to each question. DEADLINE FOR ALL

QUESTIONS IS one week after the pre-proposal conference prior to due date.

THE ONLY OFFICIAL ANSWER OR POSITION OF CHATHAM COUNTY WILL BE

THE ONE STATED IN WRITING.

3.11 METHOD OF SOURCE SELECTION: Chatham County is using the Competitive

Sealed Proposal method of source selection, as authorized by Part 3 of the Chatham

County Purchasing Ordinance for this procurement.

An award, if made, will be made to the responsible offeror whose proposal is most advantageous to Chatham County, taking into consideration price and other factors set forth in this Request for Proposal (RFP). The County will not use any other factors or criteria in the evaluation of the proposals received.

3.12 EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: During the performance of this contract, the COMPANY agrees as follows:

The COMPANY will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, creed, color, sex, age, national origin, place of birth, physical handicap, or marital status.

SECTION IV

SPECIAL CONDITIONS

4.1 PENDING LITIGATION: Proposals will not be accepted from any company, firm, person, or party, parent subsidiary, against which Chatham County has an outstanding claim, or a financial dispute relating to prior contract performance. If the County, at any time, discovers such a dispute during any point of evaluation, the proposal will not be considered further.

4.2 EVALUATION FACTORS: Factors such as proponents overall capability, specialized experience, reputation, past performance on similar projects, technical competence, financial stability, ability to meet program goals, delivery under the contract terms, and fee schedule will be considered in the award recommendation. Commitment in the level of MBE/WBE firms, consultants and employees will also be considered in the evaluation of proposals.

4.3 SELECTION PROCESS: Proposals will be evaluated initially on the basis of the written document. Thus, the proposal must be complete, concise and clear as to the intent of the respondent. Further evaluation may include an oral presentation, which will be scheduled after receipt of the written proposal and approval of the shortlist.

4.4 CONTRACT: The successful respondent will be expected to execute a contract within

30 days of notice of award.

4.5 PROPOSALS MUST BE RESPONSIVE TO:

4.5.1 INTRODUCTION/COVER LETTER (SECTION A): You should provide no more than a two (2) page letter of introduction. The letter should highlight or summarize whatever information you deem appropriate as a cover letter, as a minimum, this section should include the name, address, email address, telephone number of one (1) contact to whom any correspondence should be directed. This section should include a clear statement of the Proposer’s understanding of this RFP and the contract requirements, and how the Proposer intends to meet the RFP requirements.

4.5.2 EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS - TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS: 25:

A. Provide a summary of your firm’s experience and qualifications to perform the requested services. Detail how many years of experience the firm has in supporting a solution similar to the scope of services with other municipalities.

B. Provide a brief summary of the qualification of those individuals who will serve as the County’s project team and state what role each team member will play.

C. Provide a list of similar projects performed in the last five years with a brief narrative of each project, client, services provided by the consultant, value of services, current status on date of completion, project management, client’s project manager’s contact information.

D. Describe or list any metrics you have from your clients about their satisfaction or year over year retention.

E. State if your firm has operated under a different name within the past 10 years and provide that name that your firm previously operated under.

F. State if your company employs all company employees physically in the United

States.

G. Provide complete details of any contract that your firm has been fired during the last five (5) years.

4.5.3 FUNCTIONALITY & TECHNICAL APPROACH – TOTAL POSSIBLE

POINTS: 25: The Functionality Worksheet response will be scored as part of this section.

A. In addition to providing an overview of the software solution proposed for the

County, the vendor must present, in detail, the key features and capabilities of the proposed software as it relates to the County. Please see attached Chatham

County IT standards.

B. Hardware Environment: Describe any hardware required to utilize the proposed software. Provide detail of proposed hardware and detail of their functionality.

C. Network Environment: Describe the optimal network environment required to utilize the proposed software. In the event that there is more than one suitable network configuration, list all options, including the relative strengths and weaknesses (if any) of each.

D. Competitive Advantage: Please describe any competitive advantages of your system which would distinguish your system from the competition.

E. Workflow Capabilities: How does workflow (electronic routing of documents) in your system operate? Describe. How are workflow rules established?

How does workflow interface with popular e-mail programs, such as Microsoft

Outlook?

F. Security: What security tools are included with the software? How does your application restrict access to the following: administrative tool access, application access, menu access, record access, field access, and querying/reporting access? What is included in the user security profile? How is the security profile defined? Describe your platform’s authentication service.

Provide any supported authentication protocols for external authentication services.

G. The proposer must provide detail of proposed software training and assistance in configuring the system.

H. Describe the nature of any post-implementation and on-going support provided by the vendor including: a.) on-site, post-implementation support, b.) telephone support (include toll-free support hotline, hours of operation, availability of

24/7/365 hotline etc., help desk, problem reporting and resolution procedures.

I. Include project timelines and schedules for performance of each task and proposed acceptance criteria.

J. As part of this section, proposers shall respond to the following:

1. Is your solution based on an open architecture?

2. Please provide documentation on your API.

3. Are your solutions cloud based?

If your solution is cloud based, provide the following:

• your cloud service platform/vendor

• list of datacenters where any data is stored

Example: AWS – us-east-2

4. What are your disaster recovery plans?

5. What is your latest security accreditation?

6. What is your uptime over the last 24 months?

7. How many redundancies are built?

8. What tier of standards does your hosting facility?

9. Are there storage limitations to the amount of data housed?

10. Are their restrictions to how long data can be stored?

4.5.4 COST PROPOSAL - TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS: 30: Proposers shall use the cost proposal sheet provided with detail of unit pricing broken out as an attachment.

The County reserves the right to request cost and scope clarification at any time throughout the selection and negotiation process.

4.5.5 MBE/WBE PARTICIPATION - TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS: 15:

Commitment in the level of MBE/WBE business/firms, subcontractors, consultants and employees. Approach to meeting and exceeding the MBE/WBE requirements. History of Minority-owned, Women-owned business utilization in the past.

4.5.6 REFERENCES: TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS: 5: Please provide at least three (3) references for clients who you furnish(ed) community engagement platform systems. Please provide the client’s name, address, phone number and the name of a contact person. Chatham County is interested in how long that reference has been your client.

4.5.7 INTERVIEWS/PRESENTATIONS (IF REQUIRED) – TOTAL POSSIBLE

POINTS: 30

4.6 PERFORMANCE AND APPROVAL OF SUB-CONSULTANTS: The proponent will perform the project as an independent contractor and not as an agent or employee of the County. Joint ventures and sub-consultant arrangements are not prohibited;

however, the proponent shall secure written permission from Chatham County before subcontracting any part of this service. Such permission should be obtained during the proposal evaluation stage. Proponents are encouraged to use Minority/Woman Business Enterprises and are reminded of reporting requirements when utilizing these arrangements.

4.7 ASSIGNMENT: The PROPOSER shall not assign or transfer any interest of the contract without prior written consent of the County.

4.8 CONTRACT AWARD:

4.8.1 Successful Proponent will be asked to submit his/her firms’ contractual issues for consideration in the Chatham County contract. Proposals will become part of the contract.

4.8.2 No work shall be performed under the contract until a contract has been fully executed by both parties. A notice to proceed will be issued by Chatham County.

SECTION V

SCOPE OF SERVICES

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLATFORM FOR THE CHATHAM COUNTY

PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE

5.0 PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND: The purpose of the request for proposal is to find a qualified vendor to provide a community engagement platform for the Chatham County Public Information Office. Currently the County receives engagement from the community through emails and limited engagement on social media.

The County is looking to proactively engage its 291,000+ residents on specific programs, projects, and events. Chatham County is seeking a government focused engagement platform that will be a user-friendly portal for both staff and residents to engage and provide two-way feedback across multiple languages.

Licensing: The Public Information Office will have six (6) administrators and 10-12 project managers for the workflow.

This project is funded by the American Refund Plan Act (ARPA).

5.1 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:

5.1.1 Increase participation by stakeholders in planning and decision-making process.

5.1.2 Provide multiple mechanisms and opportunities for citizens to participate in the development and implementation for each project.

5.1.3 Ability to survey residents on potential projects.

5.1.4 Ability to ensure ongoing residential engagement.

5.1.5 Allow citizens to learn about projects and provide feedback.

5.1.6 Gain greater insight into public opinion & build community support.

5.1.7 Obtain quantifiable and actionable data.

5.2 MINIMAL REQUIREMENTS:

5.2.1 Software application for ease of use on mobile phone as well as computer.

5.2.2 Onboarding and/or training is available and ready at start of contract.

5.2.3 Includes pre-built engagement survey templates, i.e.:

1. participatory budget allocation preferences;

2. placing markers (pins) on maps by topic to indicate desired amenities or concerns ranking priorities or issues after seeing images and descriptions;

3. image ranking and voting where the public can first visualize nuances and tradeoffs on multiple topics;

4. rating scenarios (preliminary plans) after first being presented with images, descriptions, and pros & cons indicators; and

5. selecting preferred potential alternatives/projects on a map after first seeing locations, attributes, and costs.

5.2.4 Direct online access to standard reports (charts, graphs, map input, etc.).

5.2.5 Ability to import/export data into other formats (e.g. CSV, Excel) to visualize and interpret resident feedback.

5.2.6 Access to software host online training and support with a primary business contact for day-to-day business issues or items.

5.2.7 Supported by multiple browsers.

5.2.8 Compliant with requirements outlined in Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

5.2.9 Social media links built into the interface to promote easy sharing and to leverage public connections and encourage greater participation.

5.2.10 Easily integrated into existing website project page or general engagement platform.

5.2.11 Enables education (information sharing) and comprehensive surveying simultaneously.

5.2.12 Enables quantitative and qualitative input, data collation and reporting provided, including mapping tools, rank ordering, multiple choice, prioritization, images, check boxes, drop downs, numeric, design by logic, open and closed ended questions.

5.2.13 Instant feedback accessible on survey progress and information within the survey.

5.2.14 Timeline feature to track project progress.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLATFORM FOR THE CHATHAM COUNTY

PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE

I have read and understand the requirements of this request for proposal RFP NO. 23-0056-5 and agree to provide the required services in accordance with this proposal and all attachments, exhibits, etc.

YEAR 1

Software/Licenses*

Site License*

Implementation

Training

Total Cost Year One

YEAR 2

Recurring Fees $

Total Cost Year Two $

YEAR 3

Recurring Fees $

Total Cost Year Three $

Maximum cap for future year increase (Must be approved not automatic)

*Licensing cost should be based on the vendor’s approach to the County’s project.

FIRM NAME:

PROPOSER:

SIGNATURE:

ADDRESS:

CITY/STATE/ZIP:

TELEPHONE:

FAX NUMBER:

E-MAIL:

EVALUATION AND AWARD

EVALUATION: Each response to this RFP shall be subject to the same review and assessment process. Proposals will be evaluated and ranked on the basis of points awarded by a technical review panel. A description of the factors which will be analyzed, and the relative weight accorded each factor follows.

STEP 1: PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL (TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS: 100).

Evaluating Factor: Points Possible:

Experience and Qualifications 25

Functionality and Technical Approach 25

Cost Proposal 30

MBE/WBE Participation 15

References 5

STEP 2- INTERVIEWS/PRESENTATIONS- IF REQUIRED (TOTAL POSSIBLE

POINTS: 30)