Response to Offeror Questions document.pdf

25RFP12707 HNAR Responses to questions Page 1 of 4

South Dakota Department of Transportation 700 E. Broadway Ave.

Pierre, SD 57501

Highway Needs and Analysis Report Tool Request for Proposals

PROPOSALS ARE DUE NO LATER THAN MARCH 6, 5:00PM CST

RFP #: 25RFP12707 STATE POC: Phil Clements EMAIL: SDDOT_HNAR_RFP@state.sd.us

Below are all the questions submitted by vendors and our response. Similar questions are grouped and answered together.

The requirements spreadsheet posted on https://postingboard.esmsolutions.com/ for this RFP has the requirements spreadsheet for the recent HPMS Reporting tool RFP.

(SDDOT_HPMS_Requirements_24RFP11610.xlsx) Is there another requirements spreadsheet that we should be using for this RFP?

Can you explain the relationship between this project and the HPMS Requirements?

This seems like a document for a different project.

The publication of SDDOT_HPMS_Requirements_24RFP11610.xlsx was in error. You will find that SDDOT_HNAR_25RFP12707_Requirements.xlsx is now listed instead.

Should bidders respond to all questions in the scope starting from 3.1. System Features & Functionalities through 5. Project Deliverables/Approach/Methodology, or should the responses follow the order in the SDDOT_HPMS_Requirements_24RFP11610 Excel file?

You should follow the order in the RFP document.

Keep in mind as mentioned above that publication of SDDOT_HPMS_Requirements_24RFP11610.xlsx was in error. You will find that SDDOT_HNAR_25RFP12707_Requirements.xlsx is now listed instead

Under Item 6 - Format of Submission, at the bottom of that page (page 28), the RFP provides an order for the content of our proposals, but the sections below that "Statement of Understanding of the Project", "Corporate Qualifications", etc. are in a different order. Is there a preference for how our proposal should be ordered?

Our apologies for not catching that. Use the listing as provided on page 28/29 Statement of Understanding of Project

Deliverables/Scope of Work Response. (This should be no more than 50 pages) Non-standard Software and/or Hardware (Section 6.6, may not apply) Project Plan System Diagram (If not a separate document) Security and Vendor Questions (If not a separate document) Response to the State’s contract terms Corporate Qualifications Project Experience Team Organization

25RFP12707 HNAR Responses to questions Page 2 of 4

Staffing Costs

Should all of the information requested in Section 5 - Project Deliverables/Approach/Methodology be included in the "Deliverables/Scope of Work Response" section of our proposal?

We recommend that you list your response in its own section listed Section 5 - Project Deliverables/Approach/Methodology.

SDDOT is requesting a very detailed proposal and some of our projects are large, span many years, and are very complex. Providing a "Description of All Changes to the Original Plan or Contract that Were Requested" and a "Description of All Changes to the Original Plan or Contract that the Offeror Completed" will be very burdensome. Can SDDOT possibly reduce the extensive information being requested for each project reference?

You can give a thumbnail sketch. What we are looking for here is your ability to respond to changing conditions. For example, budget cuts narrowing the scope of work. Or unexpected grants increasing the scope. Despite the language, we are NOT looking for every single change order. This may mean that in some cases you have nothing to report because there were no major changes.

On page 28 of the RFP SD requests a copy of the project plan in MS Project with the proposal submission. On page32 of the RFP, SD requests a copy of the project plan in MS Excel with the proposal submission. In which format would you like to receive the Project Plan with our proposal response?

This was our mistake. You can use either format depending on which tool your company uses.

Would the State consider extending the RFP Written Inquiries Due date to allow bidders sufficient time to react to the answers thoroughly?

We currently have time constraints for obligations of funding that will not allow to extend the dates.

Can SDDOT ensure that we have at least 4-5 weeks following the release of answers to questions before proposals are due?

As said above, we are under time constraints with funding. No proposal can be accepted after March 6th.

Page 34 of the RFP says that offerors may submit multiple cost proposals. Are you looking potentially for fixed cost and T&M proposals. Or are you open to implementation cost options?

The cost proposal states that, "Offerors may submit multiple cost proposals." Is this to allow for hosted and non-hosted approaches? If so, would we also submit multiple versions of the vendor questions? If not, what would be the circumstances for multiple cost proposals?

Essentially, answer the cost questions as you see fit. Whether a vendor has a fixed cost every year or has separate implementation costs we will consider equally. In the same vein if you wish to propose hosted vs non hosted solutions you can make that distinction.

Is remote work acceptable?

Yes

25RFP12707 HNAR Responses to questions Page 3 of 4

How much onsite participation will be required?

At a minimum, it would be good to have an onsite presence for a

1) kickoff meeting,

2) “go-live” time and training.

Are all GIS data Esri-based?

Yes

Will they be on-prem and in the cloud?

The GIS data is all hosted on-prem by the State of South Dakota.

Does the State have a preference for COTS or a custom-built solution?

We are open to any system that will meet the RFP requirements.

Will South Dakota DOT provide an expected project budget range?

No

What are the expected start and end dates for the project?

The RFP states in section 3.3 “Deliver and Configure the Needs Book Software for operational use during the SDDOT Pavement Management annual data reporting and analysis period of 2025 data beginning April 1 of 2026.”

Based on this, we expect the project to begin in 2025 once the contract is signed.

To provide a public facing experience, is SDDOT looking for a single system that could be used by SDDOT staff and the public, or could a vendor propose a standalone public facing application as well as an internal SDDOT application?

We are open to an admin and input side for the update and maintenance of the data in the application. At the same time having the public facing side.

Are all required SDDOT datasets available over the internet (with or without authentication)?

I.e., could a remotely hosted solution access all required data sources, or are some data sources only available over SDDOT’s internal intranet?

The data can be set up for internet access. It is currently not available, but accommodations can be made.

If only available internally, will SDDOT allow copying the data sources to a hosted environment?

It is currently not, but we can do that.

To clarify, the vendor solution will provide the map and table PDFs to the Needs Book, but it will not be responsible for providing the written narrative or generating any descriptive text found in the Needs Book?

Correct. The Appendices and narratives will be provided and updated by SDDOT.

Will the selected vendor be given access to the current software application’s source code?

This can be arranged once a contract is signed.

Can the State share the scoring/weighting of the evaluation process?

While we do not share the weights, the evaluation criteria listed in Sections 8.1.1 through 8.1.8 are listed from most important, 8.1.1, to least important.

How many internal and external users will need access to the new solution?

25RFP12707 HNAR Responses to questions Page 4 of 4

Internal may be 5-10 people for admin purposes External would be open to the web, so it would be unlimited.

How much data (GBs, records, documents, number of years) must be migrated, and from which systems?

This is just a download of a snapshot of current data that is compiled within the pavement management system. There is no historic data to migrate.

Does the State intend to replace the Needs Book currently available on the website?

Yes

Has the State received any demonstrations related to this project in the last two years? If so, from whom?

There have been demonstrations, but they were used to get an idea on how to write this RFP. DOT does not have a preferred vendor in mind. We are equally open to all proposals.

What challenges is the State facing with the current system?

The current system does not work.

Is ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS portal federated with SDDOT authentication method (single sign on)?

We are federated with ArcGIS Portal, but not with ArcGIS Online. Arc Online does not use single sign on.

Can SDDOT provide an example of the security scans being requested in item S under Corporate Qualifications or could this proposal requirement be eliminated? If our company does not conduct post-project security scans, how should we respond to this request?

While we do not have a sample, we are referring to industry standard checks such as penetration testing or vulnerability scanning.

If you do not have these preformed that will NOT disqualify your company. Simply state that scans are not done in response to this.