RFI 25.26-33 Mass Notification System.pdf

RFI # 25/26-33

RFI# Page 1 of 16 Florida Department of Revenue

State of Florida Department of Revenue Request for Information

Emergency Mass Notification System

RFI# 25/26-33 Mass Notification System

1. INTRODUCTION

This is a Request for Information (RFI) as defined in section 287.012(22), Florida Statutes, for informational and planning purposes only. This RFI is issued by the State of Florida, Department of Revenue (Department), to solicit information regarding the products and services described herein.

The Department is seeking information from vendors who can provide a vendor hosted, software as a service (SaaS) emergency mass notification system that ensures clear, rapid communication with employees during a natural disaster or emergency incident.

All interested vendors and implementation partners are invited to participate by submitting a written response to the RFI in accordance with Section 8, RFI Submission.

2. BACKGROUND

The Department has more than 4,500 employees and staff augmentation contractors in more than 40 offices across Florida and in four other states. We require a system that can send rapid notifications to employees’ personal and Department-issued contact methods during emergencies and other incidents, such as network outages.

The Department currently uses a third-party mass notification system that is managed in-house with vendor-provided technical support as needed (DOR Alert), which has been in place since 2017. DOR Alert is managed by the Department’s Office of Communications with support from the Department’s emergency coordinating officer, Office of Workforce Management (OWM), and Information Services Program (ISP). DOR Alert rapidly notifies and updates employees about events that affect Department operations, such as emergency situations, facility updates and office closures.

DOR Alert sends notifications to employees via contact methods they enter into the system. Most DOR Alerts will request a confirmation from the employee, while some may have a polling feature. Departmentwide tests of the system occur periodically throughout the year.

DOR Alert accounts are automatically created for new Department employees through a daily data upload from People First, the State of Florida’s Human Resource system, which is the sole source of accurate data for DOR Alert. DOR Alert accounts prepopulate with only Department employee names, work email addresses, and office locations. All employees, including new employees, must log in to DOR Alert to add or update work and personal contact methods. Adding

RFI# Page 2 of 16 Florida Department of Revenue contact methods ensures employees receive important employee notifications timely through the contact method of their choice.

3. PURPOSE OF AN RFI

3.1 Rule

Per Rule 60A-1.042, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.), agencies are authorized to use a Request for Information (RFI) for research to determine any or all of the following:

• Whether to competitively procure particular commodities or contractual services

• Which solicitation process to use for a particular need

• General, special, or technical specifications to be included in a solicitation

An RFI is not a solicitation. An agency issuing an RFI is not required to utilize any information gathered from the RFI, nor is a vendor who responds to an RFI excluded from participating in any resulting solicitation.

Agencies must use the Vendor Information Portal (VIP) for issuing an RFI. A vendor does not need to be registered in MFMP in order to respond to an RFI but must be registered to be awarded a contract based on a solicitation. See Rule 60A-1.033, F.A.C., for MFMP vendor registration.

3.2 Constraints

This RFI is being released strictly for the purpose of gaining knowledge of services available on the market for the provision of these services, related services, and desirable options.

This RFI should not be construed as an intent, commitment, or promise to acquire or purchase the proposed services presented by vendors.

The Department will not be obligated to any vendor as a result of this RFI. The Department is not obligated for any costs incurred by vendors in the preparation of their response to this RFI.

The Department will not pay for any information herein requested nor be liable for any costs incurred by the vendor.

From the responses to this RFI, the Department will review all options related to the services specified, related services, and desired options.

4. QUALFICATIONS

There are no qualifications for vendors to respond to this RFI. Should a formal solicitation be released after analysis of product availability in the marketplace, there will be qualifications required for any vendor to be awarded a contract, including:

(i) Vendors must be registered with the State of Florida, Department of Management Services, through the MyFloridaMarketPlace e-procurement system.

(ii) Vendors must be registered with the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Corporations, to do business in Florida.

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5. OBJECTIVE

The Department’s objective with this RFI is to determine if there are vendors who can provide a vendor-hosted SaaS emergency mass notification system that ensures clear, rapid communication with employees during a natural disaster or emergency incident that:

• Seamlessly receives automated daily uploads from the Department’s People First human resources system

• Allows for routine manual uploads of staff augmentation contractors without compromising the daily HR file upload

• Functions from its own authoritative identity store to ensure interruptions in communication with People First do not disrupt system functionality

• Ensures system availability during a disaster and is not dependent on a single region or singe data center

• Functions continuously when external systems, such as People First or the Department’s internal network, are unavailable

• Allows non-admin users to easily add personal contact information and prioritize methods to contact them. The daily HR file upload must not overwrite these preferences and personal information.

• Allows for tiered management. The Department will determine admin rights and how many admin roles there will be.

• Allows for templated and ad hoc messaging options

• Allows for at least 450 characters in a single SMS notification. SMS notifications must not be truncated. A supplemental web link to the full message is not sufficient.

• Has a contact list creation feature. The Department will create contact lists with membership generated automatically from a Department-specified data field in the daily upload (e.g., location, program).

• Includes a polling feature to poll all contacts or select groups

• Provides exportable, detailed metrics for each sent message, including time-stamped response data at the individual employee level

• Allows categorization of messages under specific event names to track data across incidents

• Includes a scheduling feature for outgoing messages

• Provides live support staff who are available by phone to remedy technical issues and assist in deploying messaging when internet is unavailable

• Includes an option to disable any embedded AI features

• Provides multiple methods of multifactor authentication in case the primary method fails

• Provides a simple interface that admin users can access and navigate quickly

The preferred system would include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following features:

• An archive that retains all sent messages within the system and allows admin users to search, locate, filter, and export sent messages easily

• Message categories that can be edited after the message is sent

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• Capability for automated uploads of contracted staff augmentation employees on a monthly schedule, at a minimum

• A preview mode that displays an alert as it will appear as both a text message and an email before sending, as well as an at-a-glance list of the contact groups that will receive the message

• Ability to interface with the Department’s existing panic buttons or a new panic button system so that employees at a given location automatically receive a notification when their office’s panic button is activated

6. VENDOR QUESTIONS/INQUIRIES

Written questions/inquiries concerning this RFI will be accepted only if submitted in writing via email to the Department’s procurement officer identified in Section 8 and if received on or before the date and time specified in the Calendar of Events (Section 7).

Interested parties shall examine the Department’s requirements to determine if they are clearly stated. The Department also wishes to determine if any requirements are restrictive to competition. The party claiming that there is a restrictive requirement should identify and describe the difficulty in meeting the Department’s requirement.

Responses to all questions received will be made available, in writing, and posted on the Vendor Information Portal on or about the anticipated date referenced in the Calendar of Events.

7. CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Listed below are the important actions and the dates and times by which the actions must be taken or completed. If the Department finds it necessary to change any of these dates/times, it will be accomplished by addendum and posted on the VIP. All listed times are local time in Tallahassee, Florida.

DATE TIME ACTION

11/10/25 (on or about) Release of RFI on VIP

11/19/25 3:00 PM ET Deadline for submittal of vendor questions and inquiries 11/25/25 (on or about) Anticipated date that written responses to vendor questions and inquiries will be posted to the VIP 12/8/25 3:00 PM ET Vendor response due date

8. RFI SUBMISSION

Utilize the System Requirements and General Questions Matrix in Attachment 1 to submit your response. Copies of these are attached and available in Microsoft Excel format by request to the procurement officer identified below. Documentation supporting responses to the services requested in this RFI may be added to the response.

Provide the Cost Methodology Information listed in Attachment 2.

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You may provide suggestions for other functionality and provide input as it relates to the Department’s anticipated needs in Attachment 3 - Additional Information – Industry Trends, Innovations, Products, Services, or Best Practices.

Vendors should submit their responses to the RFI, along with any additional documentation via email to:

Ed Valla, Procurement Officer Florida Department of Revenue Phone: (850) 717-7567 Email: edwin.valla@floridarevenue.com

Include “RFI # 25/26-33 Mass Notification System” in the subject line of the email.

Vendors may submit a separate redacted copy of their response if the response includes proprietary information. Please review Section 10.1 (Proprietary Information) for requirements and submission information.

9. DEMONSTRATIONS

If demonstrations are requested, they will be scheduled directly with only those vendors who respond affirmatively to the ability to meet the mandatory requirements in BOLD text listed in Attachment 1.

Those respondents who are selected for demonstrations will be required to demonstrate how their solution meets the mandatory requirements.

10. DISCLAIMERS

10.1. Proprietary Information

Due regard will be given for the protection of proprietary information contained in all submissions received; however, respondents should be aware that all materials associated with the RFI are subject to the state’s open records law, Chapter 119, Florida Statutes.

If a vendor or implementation partner considers any portion of the answers, supporting documents, data or records submitted in response to this RFI to be confidential, proprietary, trade secret or otherwise not subject to disclosure pursuant to Chapter 119, F.S., the Florida Constitution or other authority, such information shall be clearly marked as “CONFIDENTIAL.”

The vendor or implementation partner must simultaneously provide the Department with a separate, redacted copy of its response. The redacted response shall:

(i) Be provided in an electronic format (preferably PDF.)

(ii) Briefly describe, in writing, the grounds for claiming each exemption from public records law, including the specific statutory citation for such exemption.

(iii) Only exclude, obliterate, or redact those exact portions which are claimed confidential, proprietary, trade secret, or otherwise exempt.

mailto:edwin.valla@floridarevenue.com

RFI# Page 6 of 16 Florida Department of Revenue

The non-redacted response will be distributed, as determined necessary and appropriate by the Department, for the purposes of evaluation.

An entire page or paragraph in which such information appears should not be marked confidential unless the entire page or paragraph consists of such confidential information.

Vendors are to indicate where confidential information begins and ends.

Vendor and implementation partners shall protect, defend, and indemnify the State for any and all claims arising from or relating to the vendor’s determination that the redacted portions of its RFI are confidential, proprietary, trade secret, or otherwise not subject to disclosure.

If the vendor fails to submit a redacted copy of its response to the RFI, vendor agrees that the Department is authorized to produce the entire set of documents, data or records submitted by the vendor in answer to a public records request for these records.

Copyrighted material will be accepted as part of the RFI only if accompanied by a waiver that will allow the Department to make paper and electronic copies necessary for the use of Department staff, agents, and public record requests.

10.2. RFI – Planning Purposes Only

The Department is requesting submissions in response to this RFI for informational and planning purposes only and is not obligated in any way to use any of the information received.

This RFI process is intended to help the Department research a variety of available services so the Department may determine the best strategy for the State. Submissions received in response to this RFI will be used to determine whether a formal solicitation should be issued.

The Department reserves the right to use the information gathered through the RFI process to develop a scope of services which may be incorporated into a solicitation using a statutorily approved method of procurement.

Responses to an RFI are not offers and shall not be accepted by the Department to form a binding contract. Further, the Department is not seeking proposals at this time and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Responding to this RFI will not enhance any respondent’s chances of receiving future work from the State. Similarly, not responding to this RFI will not be a detriment to any respondent when competing for future work. This RFI should not be considered an opportunity to market to the Department or to any entity of the State of Florida.

Respondents are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.

All RFI submissions become the property of the State of Florida. The Department will not be providing feedback regarding the quality or suitability of the respondent’s submission to any subsequent solicitations. The Department may, however, contact individual respondents for clarification of information contained in the submission.

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ATTACHMENT 1

State of Florida

Emergency Mass Notification System

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS AND GENERAL QUESTIONS MATRIX

I. System Requirements Matrix

Respondents to this RFI will use the table below to indicate if their solution can or cannot meet the specific requirements listed by marking an “X” in the appropriate box. Note that requirements indicated by BOLD text are mandatory. The Department might not consider respondents that are unable to meet these mandatory requirements for a product demonstration.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS MATRIX

General Requirements

# Requirement Can meet

Cannot meet

1. Fully third-party hosted SaaS system with secure access available 24/7/365 to all users

2. Ability to provide access to and deploy messages to 5,000 contacts

Implementation/Project Management Requirements

# Requirement Can meet

Cannot meet

1. Assignment of a dedicated project manager to oversee the implementation

System Technical Requirements

Requirement

Can meet with current configuration

Can meet with custom programing

Cannot meet

1. Ability to integrate with and receive daily automated uploads from the Department’s human resources information system (People First/SAP/active directory)

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System Technical Requirements with current configuration

Can meet with custom programing

Cannot meet

2. Allows for routine manual uploads of staff augmentation contractors’ contact information without interfering with the daily automated upload from the Department’s human resources information system

3. Functions from its own authoritative identity store to ensure interruptions in communication with People First do not disrupt system functionality

4.

Ensures system availability during a disaster and is not dependent on a single region or singe data center

5. Functions continuously when external systems, such as People First or the Department’s internal network, are unavailable

6. Allows for automated addition of contracted staff augmentation employees on a monthly schedule, at a minimum, without interfering with the daily automated upload from the Department’s human resources information system

7. Single sign-on to the system with Department network credentials

8. Vendor provides ongoing maintenance and technical support for the system

9. Provides backup failover and redundant capabilities to support mission-critical services and disaster response and recovery

System Functional Requirements with current configuration

Can meet with custom programing

Cannot meet

1. Provides a self-registration capability allowing users to enter, prioritize, and maintain contact information and notification preferences

2. Ability to create contact lists with membership generated automatically from a Department-specified data field in the daily human resources information upload (e.g., location, program)

3. Provides multiple options for multifactor authentication in case the primary method fails

RFI# Page 9 of 16 Florida Department of Revenue with current configuration

Can meet with custom programing

Cannot meet

4. Provides rapid (i.e., within seconds) alert and notification to multiple locations using a variety of communication devices (email, landline phone, mobile phone, text, call, etc.)

5. Allows administrators to generate and send from any device (mobile phone, land line, email, etc.) when sending an alert

6. Provides a simple interface that administrators can access and navigate quickly

7. Allows at least 450 characters in a single SMS notification

8. Allows templated and ad hoc messaging

9. Provides a preview mode that displays a draft alert or notification as it will appear in a text and email, including the contact groups selected to receive the message

10. Ability to schedule outgoing messages

11. Provides access for users to view, confirm, and/or respond to active alerts

12. Provides real-time tracking on the progress of active alerts and lists the time-stamped response of each alerted user

13. Provides on-demand, searchable, filterable, and exportable reporting of all sent alerts and notifications, including the time-stamped response of each alerted user

14. Ability to group alerts and notifications under specific event names

15. Allows for editing the name and category of sent alerts and notifications

16. Ability to add ad hoc groups

17. Allows an unlimited number of user groups with multiple levels of permissions to use the system

18. Provides a polling feature

RFI# Page 10 of 16 Florida Department of Revenue with current configuration

Can meet with custom programing

Cannot meet

19. Provides an option to disable embedded artificial intelligence features

20. Interfaces with the Department’s existing panic buttons or a new panic button system

System Non-Functional Requirements with current configuration

Can meet with custom programing

Cannot meet

1. Vendor-provided, production-based training for Department staff during implementation and deployment

2. Vendor-provided training and training materials in electronic format that can be rebranded for the Department (e.g., user manual, guides, technical instructions)

3. Vendor provides a Service Level Agreement guaranteeing system availability and technical support.

SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR/ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS

with current configuration

Can meet with custom programing

Cannot meet

1. Allows for multiple system administrators

2. Provides the administrator the ability to add and delete users

3. Provides the administrator the ability to assign user and other administrator roles

4. Ability to decentralize administration of the system for local use

SYSTEM SECURITY AND COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS

with current configuration

Can meet with custom programing

Cannot meet

1. Includes security measures to protect and secure information exempt from disclosure pursuant to Chapter 119, Florida Statutes.

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/STATUTES/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199/0119/0119ContentsIndex.html&StatuteYear=2024&Title=%2D%3E2024%2D%3EChapter%20119 http://www.leg.state.fl.us/STATUTES/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199/0119/0119ContentsIndex.html&StatuteYear=2024&Title=%2D%3E2024%2D%3EChapter%20119

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SYSTEM SECURITY AND COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS

with current configuration

Can meet with custom programing

Cannot meet

2. Meets the requirements set forth in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 2008 and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

with current configuration

Can meet with custom programing

Cannot meet

1. Provides live technical support/helpdesk services https://www.section508.gov/manage/laws-and-policies/

RFI# Page 12 of 16 Florida Department of Revenue

II. General Questions Matrix

Respondents to this RFI shall utilize the table below to answer the Department’s questions.

DEPARTMENT QUESTIONS MATRIX

Vendor Profile Questions # Department Question Vendor Response

1. Provide a brief description of your company including legal name, main office location and address, and years in operation.

2. What is the name, title, address, phone number, and email address of the primary contact person for this RFI?

3. What is the company’s experience with providing hosted, SaaS emergency mass notification systems for large companies, organizations, or agencies with more than 1,000 positions filled annually?

4. List any industry awards/recognition received, the awarding party, and the date received. Also include any vendor certifications and/or professional associations or organizations.

5. Is the company a reseller or primary developer of the emergency mass notification system?

6. Are the requested services available via an approved State of Florida Term Contract, Alternate Contract Source, GSA MAS Agreement, or other cooperative purchasing contract?

If so, please provide contract number and additional information.

System Technical Questions

# Department Question Vendor Response

1. What other applications can be integrated into the emergency mass notification system?

2. How would service continuity be maintained during and immediately following a disaster?

3. Is the system dependent on a single regional data center, multiple data centers in a single region, or multiple data centers in multiple regions?

System Functional Questions

1. What is the maximum number of characters the system allows per alert message?

RFI# Page 13 of 16 Florida Department of Revenue

System Functional Questions # Department Question Vendor Response

2. What features are included in the administrator dashboard?

3. How many user groups does the system allow?

4. How do administrators create user groups in the system?

5. What method(s) of multifactor authentication does the system require?

6. What standard dashboards are available in the system?

7. What types of reporting and data analytics capabilities does the system have?

System Non-Functional Questions

1. What training services and troubleshooting resources come with the system?

System Administrative Questions

1. How many system administrators can be included in the system?

2. How many administrator roles does the system allow?

3. What variations in administrator roles does the system provide?

4. What type of training is provided to end users and system administrators?

5. What Service Level Agreement is provided to ensure system availability and technical support?

System Security and Compliance Questions

1. What are the company’s policies and procedures for data safeguarding and information security?

RFI# Page 14 of 16 Florida Department of Revenue

System Security and Compliance Questions # Department Question Vendor Response

2. How does the company’s application meet the requirements set forth in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 2008 and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act?

Other Questions

1. Are there any additional features that the system provides that have not yet been addressed in other questions or the System Requirements Matrix?

REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

RFI# Page 15 of 16 Florida Department of Revenue

ATTACHMENT 2

RFI # 25/26-33 Mass Notification System

COST METHODOLOGY INFORMATION

1. Please provide cost methodology for fees. Do not provide actual cost or pricing information.

a. Describe cost structure for a vendor-hosted SaaS emergency mass notification system (for example, flat-rate subscription or other available options.)

b. Describe what services and/or features are included with each plan or package if service features and/or options are tiered.

c. If you have provided similar products and/or services to other organizations with the same or similar requirements as specified in this RFI, please provide the cost for those products and/or services.

2. What additional information and/or features should the Department consider when evaluating costs related to a vendor-hosted SaaS emergency mass notification system and implementation?

RFI# Page 16 of 16 Florida Department of Revenue

ATTACHMENT 3

RFI # 25/26-33 Mass Notification System

Additional Information – Industry Trends, Innovations, Products, Services, or Best Practices

Provide information on any industry trends, innovations, services, best practices, or suggestions for other functionality that you feel may be of interest to the Department in meeting its stated objectives.