# QUESTION LCI'S RESPONSE

1 Do you have an incumbent? Yes. The current contractor supporting the Adaptation Clearinghouse platform is the University of California, Berkeley.

2 Which company is currently providing support for this project? The current contractor supporting the Adaptation Clearinghouse platform is the University of California, Berkeley.

3 Do we need CMAS labor rates assigned to the proposed roles? Yes. For each proposed staff role, the Offeror must identify the applicable CMAS job title and corresponding CMAS labor rate.

The proposed hourly rate cannot exceed the approved CMAS rate for that labor category.

4 What is the approximate volume of content for this site? How many webpages are currently included in the website: resilientca.org?

Much of the content is content complete, and the CMS system in place allows for LCI staff to modify existing pages. We typically add a one to two dozen case studies each year as projects are completed. We also update site content using the CMS as new repots, reserach, and other relevant resources are developed.

5 Who is the current vendor supporting and hosting the Adaptation Clearinghouse platform?

The current contractor supporting the Adaptation Clearinghouse platform is the University of California, Berkeley.

6 Will the current vendor be eligible to respond to this RFO? The current contractor supporting the Adaptation Clearinghouse platform is the University of California, Berkeley. The University of California, Berkeley is not eligible to submit an offer under this CMAS solicitation.

7 Is the current AWS environment owned directly by the State, or by the incumbent vendor?

The current AWS environment is owned and managed by the current contractor. The current contractor has developed a transition approach that will support transfer of the environment, associated assets, and operational knowledge to the Contractor selected through this RFO, as directed by LCI.

Additional transition planning and coordination details will be provided during project initiation and transition activities.

8 Would LCI consider accepting offers from qualified vendors that do not currently hold an IT CMAS but possess all ther required qualifications and experience?

This solicitation requires that all Offerors hold a current Information Technology (IT) California Multiple Award Schedule (CMAS) agreement at the time of submission.

9 The solicitaiton states Contractor must have "successfully completed" at least one project similar in scope and complexity to the services described in this RFO. Would LCI consider offers from vendors currently performing substantially similar work for a California State agency under an active contract, where the project is ongoing but not yet completed?

LCI will only accept projects that have been fully delivered and for which successful outcomes can be verified. Vendors may reference ongoing work as part of their broader experience;

however, for purposes of meeting MQ 3.0, only fully completed projects qualify.

RFO 25-004 ADAPTATION CLEARINGHOUSE MODERNIZATION SERVICES

QUESTIONS AND LCI'S RESPONSES

# LCI - Public

10 The solicitation requires a minimum of 5 years of demonstrated experience. Would LCI consider offers from vendors certified as a California Small Business that have 3 years of directly relevant experience in lieu of the 5 years specified? If so, would LCI consider applying the Small Business preference provisions to allow for this experience substitution?

The solicitation’s requirement for a minimum of five (5) years of demonstrated experience is a mandatory qualification that applies to all Offerors and cannot be reduced or substituted.

Small Business certification does not alter or waive minimum experience thresholds.

11 Is there a current incumbent providing this or similar services? If so, please specify he name of the company, the natuure of the services being provided, and the duraction of their engagement.

LCI currently utilizes a contractor to support operation and maintenance of the existing Adaptation Clearinghouse platform environment. The current contractor is the University of California, Berkeley. The existing platform is hosted within Amazon Web Services (AWS) and operates within a custom Django-based application environment.

12 Can the Deparment confirm that the resources will be engaged on an as-needed basis and are not expected to work full-time (FTE)?

The Department does not anticipate that proposed resources will be required on a full-time (FTE) basis for the duration of the Agreement. Offerors are expected to propose an appropriate staffing approach and level of effort necessary to successfully perform the services, tasks, and activities identified in the RFO.

The selected Contractor shall ensure that sufficient qualified resources are available to meet project requirements, deliverables, schedules, and operational needs throughout the Agreement term.

13 The Cost Worksheet instructions state that hosting, infrastructure, software, licensing, and monitoring costs shall be included within the Offeror’s proposed hourly rates. Can LCI share the current approximate monthly hosting spend for the Adaptation Clearinghouse on AWS (including compute, storage, CDN, SSL, monitoring, and related services) to enable Offerors to accurately price infrastructure costs within their proposed rates and the $250,000 NTE?

LCI estimates that the current hosting environment costs approximately $500 per month, inclusive of AWS infrastructure and related hosting services. Site traffic is generally stable and not particularly high, and LCI does not currently anticipate significant traffic increases that would materially affect hosting costs during the Agreement term.

This estimate is provided for informational purposes only.

Offerors are responsible for evaluating the hosting, infrastructure, software, licensing, monitoring, security, backup, and operational requirements identified in the RFO and proposing pricing based on their own hosting architecture, service model, and technical approach.

14 Is the $250,000 NTE exclusively for the base 12-month term (June 30, 2026 – June 29, 2027)? If LCI exercises the optional one-year extensions under §3.0, will each extension year carry a separate NTE of up to $250,000, or will extensions be funded at a different ceiling?

The $250,000 not-to-exceed amount applies to the initial 12-month Agreement term. If LCI elects to exercise an optional one-year extension, the extension amount will be based on the Contractor’s proposed costs and level of effort for the applicable extension period and shall not exceed the annual not-to-exceed amount established in the resulting Agreement.

15 Is there a percentage cap on reallocation of hours, funding, or level of effort between Service Areas without a formal amendment? For example, could the full 10% Unanticipated Tasks allocation be redirected to Service Area 2.0 if migration effort exceeds initial estimates?

The RFO does not establish a specific percentage cap on the reallocation of hours, funding, or level of effort between Service Areas. Offerors should propose a staffing approach and level of effort that supports successful performance of the services identified in the RFO. LCI recognizes that actual effort may vary across Service Areas based on project needs and priorities.

The Unanticipated Tasks allocation may be utilized to support authorized work within the identified Service Areas, including Service Area 2.0 – Platform Hosting, Migration, and Infrastructure Support, if additional effort is required. Any such adjustments shall remain within the total Agreement not-to-exceed amount and be coordinated with and approved by LCI.

16 What is LCI’s expected invoice cadence and payment terms (Net 30, Net 45, Net 60)? Are invoices submitted monthly against actual hours worked, or against deliverable milestones?

Invoices shall be submitted monthly in arrears for actual hours worked and authorized costs incurred in accordance with the rates and cost structure identified in Exhibit B and B-1. Payment terms are Net 45.

17 Please confirm that all hours—including overtime, evening, weekend, and holiday hours—are compensated at the standard hourly rate specified in Exhibit B-1, with no overtime premium payable

Yes. As identified in the Sample Agreement, hours worked in excess of eight (8) hours in a day, as well as evening, weekend, and holiday hours, will be compensated at the hourly rates specified in the Cost Breakdown, Exhibit B-1. No separate overtime premium rate applies under this Agreement.

18 If LCI requires periodic onsite presence at 1400 Tenth Street, Sacramento, will travel and lodging expenses for personnel based outside Sacramento be reimbursable outside the $250,000 NTE, or must they be absorbed within the proposed hourly rates?

As stated in the RFO, the Contractor is responsible for all travel costs incurred while providing the services identified in the Agreement. Travel, lodging, per diem, and other related expenses are not separately reimbursable and must be included within the Contractor’s proposed rates and total cost. Any onsite participation requirements should be accounted for in the Offeror’s proposed pricing.

19 Are DVBE participation, Small Business preference, or local-business preferences evaluated in the award decision for this RFO? If so, what minimum percentage or participation level is required, and how are preference points applied under the 60/40 Best Value methodology?

This is not a bid transaction, so the small business preference, DVBE incentives, protest language, intent to award, evaluation criteria, advertising, Administrative and Technical Requirements, etc. are not applicable. (SCM Volume 2, Section 1603).

20 Will LCI consider approving a primarily remote delivery model with scheduled onsite visits (e.g., weekly or biweekly) for status meetings and stakeholder engagement, or is continuous physical presence at 1400 Tenth Street required for the full Agreement term? This directly impacts staffing feasibility within the $250,000 budget.

The RFO designates 1400 Tenth Street, Sacramento, California as the official work location; however, the Contract Manager may approve hybrid or remote work schedules. LCI anticipates that much of the work can be performed remotely and does not require continuous onsite presence for the full Agreement term.

Onsite participation may be requested for project kickoff meetings, stakeholder meetings, technical coordination activities, transition activities, or other project needs as determined by LCI.

21 Will LCI permit supporting technical resources operating from secure, compliant environments in different time zones, subject to the data safeguard requirements in Exhibit D, §6.0? If so, are there specific restrictions on remote access to systems or data?

LCI does not prohibit the use of qualified Contractor personnel operating from secure, compliant work environments within the United States, regardless of time zone. The selected Contractor is responsible for ensuring that staffing availability, communication, coordination, and response times are sufficient to support project requirements and timely completion of all services and deliverables.

Use of personnel located outside of the United States is not prohibited; however, any such arrangements will require review and approval by the LCI Chief Information Officer (CIO) on a case-by-case basis. Any remote access to State systems, data, or environments will remain subject to applicable security requirements, access controls, and approval processes established by LCI.

22 Section 10.0 states that one individual may perform multiple functional roles if qualified. Is there a minimum number of distinct individuals LCI expects assigned, or could a single highly qualified individual fulfill all five roles (IT Technical Lead, Systems Engineer, Security Analyst, Business Analyst, Project Manager)?

The RFO does not establish a minimum number of distinct individuals that must be assigned to perform the identified roles.

As stated in Section 10.0, a proposed resource may perform multiple roles provided the individual meets the minimum qualifications and possesses the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to successfully perform the associated responsibilities.

Offerors are responsible for proposing a staffing approach that provides sufficient capacity and expertise to perform all required services, meet project schedules, and support ongoing operational needs. LCI will evaluate proposed staffing based on the qualifications, experience, and ability of the proposed team to successfully perform the scope of work identified in the RFO.

23 Are part-time or shared resources acceptable across the five required roles, or does LCI expect a minimum number of full-time dedicated resources for the duration of the Agreement?

Part-time or shared resources are acceptable. LCI does not require a minimum number of full-time dedicated resources for the duration of the Agreement. Offerors are responsible for proposing a staffing approach and level of effort that provides sufficient capacity, expertise, and availability to successfully perform the required services, meet project schedules, and support ongoing operational needs throughout the Agreement term.

Proposed staff may perform multiple roles, provided they meet the applicable qualification requirements and can effectively fulfill the responsibilities associated with those roles.

24 Are background checks, fingerprinting, or citizenship/residency requirements applicable to Contractor personnel accessing the platform or LCI systems? If so, will LCI sponsor and reimburse the cost, or must the Contractor absorb it within the NTE?

The RFO does not establish background check, fingerprinting, citizenship, or residency requirements for Contractor personnel.

Contractors are responsible for ensuring that personnel assigned to the Agreement comply with all applicable security, confidentiality, and access requirements identified in the Agreement.

25 Does the five-page limit for the Technical Response apply to the combined response to Question 1 and Question 2, or does each question carry its own five-page allowance (10 pages total)? Are supporting diagrams, charts, and tables counted within the page limit?

The five-page limit applies to the entire Technical Response submitted as Attachment 11 and includes responses to both Question 1 and Question 2. The Technical Response may not exceed five (5) single-sided pages in total.

Any supporting diagrams, charts, tables, graphics, or similar content included within the Technical Response are considered part of the response and count toward the five-page limit.

26 Will LCI facilitate a structured technical handover from UC Berkeley Geospatial Innovation Facility, including transfer of: (a) architecture and deployment documentation, (b) codebase and repository access,

(c) database schemas and data dictionaries, (d) all credentials and administrative access, (e) DNS and domain registration details, and (f) existing monitoring and alerting configurations? What cooperation level and availability duration is the outgoing vendor committed to?

Yes. LCI anticipates a transition and overlap period with the current contractor and expects the information and resources necessary to support an orderly transfer of operations to be available. This is expected to include system architecture and deployment information, source code and repository access, application and hosting environment documentation, administrative access information, and other materials necessary to support transition of the platform. The specific scope, timing, and level of participation by the current contractor during transition activities will be coordinated by LCI as part of transition planning and implementation.

27 Will LCI provide a defined parallel-run or overlap period during which both the outgoing vendor and the incoming Contractor have concurrent access to the existing AWS environment for validation and testing? If so, what duration is anticipated? A parallel-run period is essential to validate migration integrity and minimise risk of service interruption to this public-facing state platform.

Yes. LCI anticipates a parallel-run and transition period during which the current contractor and the selected Contractor will coordinate migration, knowledge-transfer, testing, validation, and transition activities. LCI is planning for cooperative handoff activities to support continuity of operations and minimize service disruption. The specific duration and transition schedule will be finalized in coordination with the selected Contractor and the current contractor during transition planning activities.

28 Please clarify the expected migration approach: (a) will the existing AWS account be transferred to the Contractor’s management, or (b) must the Contractor provision a completely new AWS account and migrate all services, data, and configurations? This distinction materially affects scope, cost, and timeline.

The selected Contractor will be responsible for provisioning and managing its own hosting environment. LCI anticipates that the existing application, data, and supporting assets will be migrated from the current contractor-managed AWS environment to a Contractor-managed environment as part of the transition process. LCI does not anticipate transferring ownership of the existing AWS account to the selected Contractor.

The Contractor-hosted environment must comply with all applicable State of California information technology, security, privacy, accessibility, California Department of Technology (CDT), California CloudSmart, and other applicable LCI requirements identified in the RFO and resulting Agreement. Any proposed hosting environment or infrastructure changes will be subject to LCI review and approval.

29 Does comprehensive technical documentation currently exist for the platform (architecture diagrams, runbooks, deployment guides, data models)? If not, is the creation of initial documentation expected as part of the mobilisation phase and included in Service Area 1.0 or 2.0?

LCI does not maintain comprehensive technical documentation for the current platform environment. The technical information currently available to LCI is limited to transition and architecture information provided by the current contractor. Available transition materials and technical information will be provided to the selected Contractor during onboarding and transition activities, as appropriate.

The selected Contractor should be prepared to assess the existing environment and develop or update technical documentation as necessary to support migration, hosting, operations, maintenance, security, and long-term sustainability of the platform. Such activities may be performed as part of the services authorized under Service Area 1.0 – Project Management and Technical Coordination and Service Area 2.0 – Platform Hosting, Migration, and Infrastructure Support.

30 Can LCI share the current application architecture specifics: Django version, Python version, frontend frameworks or libraries, exposed APIs, and the authentication framework in use?

LCI is not providing detailed technical specifications regarding the current application architecture, including software versions, frameworks, libraries, APIs, authentication mechanisms, or other implementation details, as part of this solicitation. Offerors should base their proposals on the information provided in the RFO and assume responsibility for evaluating the existing environment during transition, discovery, and onboarding activities.

Additional technical information necessary to support transition and implementation activities will be provided to the selected Contractor, as appropriate.

31 Is the Contractor required to maintain the existing Django/Python technology stack and custom CMS throughout the Agreement term, or is LCI open to proposals that include platform re-architecture, framework modernisation, or migration to an alternative technology stack as part of the modernisation scope?

LCI does not require the selected Contractor to maintain the existing Django/Python technology stack or custom content management system for the duration of the Agreement. LCI is open to platform modernization, re-architecture, framework upgrades, or migration to an alternative technology stack, provided the proposed approach supports the functional requirements of the Adaptation Clearinghouse and aligns with applicable State technology, security, accessibility, and operational requirements.

Any proposed modernization approach must preserve or enhance the platform’s ability to support the existing library of adaptation resources and associated content types, including case studies, guidance documents, reports, tools, and other climate adaptation resources. Proposed architectural or technology changes should support long-term sustainability, maintainability, scalability, accessibility, and continuity of operations.

32 LCI’s strategic platform is Microsoft Azure. What is the expected timeline for the Azure transition: (a) within the base 12-month term, (b) in a subsequent extension year, or (c) is the base-year expectation limited to designing for Azure portability with actual migration deferred? Two full migrations (incumbent → Contractor AWS, then AWS → Azure) within 12 months and $250,000 would be extremely challenging.

LCI has not established a required timeline for migration to Microsoft Azure as part of this Agreement. The Agreement requires the Contractor to provide a secure Contractor-managed hosting environment that complies with applicable State requirements, including CDT and California CloudSmart requirements, as applicable.

The primary objective of this Agreement is to support the successful transition, hosting, operation, maintenance, security, accessibility, and long-term sustainability of the Adaptation Clearinghouse. The Contractor may propose hosting the platform within AWS, Microsoft Azure, or another State-compliant cloud environment, provided the proposed environment satisfies the requirements of the Agreement and supports a successful transition from the current contractor-managed environment.

33 Has LCI determined whether the Adaptation Clearinghouse is classified as a “long-term investment” requiring a transferable standalone AWS account, or as a “short-term / pilot” system subject to Exhibit D decommissioning requirements? This classification affects the AWS account architecture, cost model, and transition planning approach.

The Adaptation Clearinghouse is a long-term programmatic platform established pursuant to State law and serves as a core component of California’s climate adaptation and resilience planning infrastructure. LCI does not anticipate decommissioning the Adaptation Clearinghouse absent future statutory or programmatic changes.

Offerors should assume that the selected hosting and transition approach will support the long-term operation, maintenance, sustainability, and transferability of the platform. The Contractor shall maintain all Project-related documentation, configurations, credentials, source code, and technical materials necessary to support continuity of services and future transition activities in accordance with the Agreement.

34 Section 1.B states the platform has experienced “service interruptions and degraded performance.” Can LCI provide a summary of recent service interruptions—approximate monthly downtime hours and primary root causes (infrastructure failures, traffic spikes, application errors)—to support realistic service-level targets in the Initial Project Assessment?

LCI has experienced periodic service interruptions and performance degradation associated primarily with unusually high volumes of automated bot traffic and web scraping activity directed at the platform. In some instances, this activity resulted in conditions similar to a denial-of-service event, affecting system responsiveness and availability.

LCI does not maintain a formal summary of downtime hours by month for purposes of this solicitation. Recent mitigation measures implemented by the current contractor, including rate limiting, geographic filtering, and other infrastructure and traffic-management controls, have substantially improved platform stability and reduced the frequency and severity of these issues.

One objective of this Agreement is to ensure continued monitoring, maintenance, security, and infrastructure management to support long-term platform reliability, performance, and operational continuity.'

35 Can LCI provide baseline traffic and incident data: (a) current monthly traffic volumes (legitimate vs. bot), (b) frequency and nature of bot-related service disruptions, and (c) any existing WAF, CDN, or bot mitigation tools currently deployed?

LCI does not maintain detailed traffic analytics or incident reporting metrics for purposes of this solicitation and is not providing baseline traffic volume data, bot traffic statistics, or detailed information regarding specific security tools and configurations.

Historically, the platform has experienced performance degradation associated with unusually high volumes of automated bot traffic and web scraping activity. The site is not a high-traffic platform from a legitimate user perspective;

however, automated traffic volumes have at times been sufficient to affect performance and availability. Recent mitigation measures implemented by the current contractor have substantially reduced these issues and improved overall platform stability.

One objective of this Agreement is to provide ongoing monitoring, maintenance, security, and infrastructure management necessary to support reliable platform operations and mitigate future disruptions caused by automated or malicious traffic.

36 Can LCI share current platform metrics: (a) database size and engine (PostgreSQL, MySQL, other), (b) total number of pages and indexed content items, (c) document and file repository size, (d) peak concurrent users, and (e) average monthly unique visitors?

LCI does not maintain or possess comprehensive platform metrics regarding database size, content inventory counts, document repository size, peak concurrent users, or monthly unique visitor statistics for purposes of this solicitation.

The technical information currently available to LCI regarding the existing platform environment is limited. Offerors should base their Offers on the information provided in the RFO and associated procurement materials. The selected Contractor will be expected to assess the existing environment during transition and onboarding activities and may develop baseline operational, infrastructure, performance, and content-management metrics as part of ongoing platform management and support activities.

37 Please share an overview of the current AWS environment: AWS services in use (EC2, RDS, S3, CloudFront, Route 53, etc.), presence of separate Dev/Test/Prod environments, and any existing CI/CD pipelines or build tooling.

LCI is not providing additional detailed information regarding the current AWS environment, including AWS services, environment configurations, development or testing environments, CI/CD pipelines, build tooling, or other implementation details, as part of this solicitation.

Offerors should base their Offers on the information provided in the RFO and associated procurement materials. Additional technical information and transition materials available to LCI will be provided to the selected Contractor during transition and onboarding activities, as appropriate.

38 The platform includes geospatial functionality originally built by UC Berkeley GIF. Are GIS layers hosted internally (e.g., PostGIS, GeoServer on the AWS account) or consumed from external services (ESRI ArcGIS Online, Mapbox, etc.)? Are any paid GIS licences or API keys expected to transfer to the Contractor?

Based on the technical information available to LCI, the existing platform utilizes SQLite with SpatialLite and Leaflet to support geospatial functionality. LCI does not have additional information regarding the current implementation, hosting, licensing, or configuration of GIS layers, geospatial services, API integrations, or related third-party tools and services.

Accordingly, LCI is unable to confirm whether GIS data and functionality are hosted entirely within the existing platform environment or consumed from external services.

LCI is not aware of any GIS licenses, subscriptions, API keys, or similar paid services that are expected to transfer to the selected Contractor. Any technical information and transition materials available to LCI will be provided to the selected Contractor during transition and onboarding activities, as appropriate.

39 What third-party integrations are currently active (authentication providers, email/notification services, analytics platforms, CMS plugins, external data feeds)? Will all integration credentials, API keys, and service contracts transfer at handover?

LCI does not have detailed information regarding the current use or configuration of third-party integrations, including authentication providers, email or notification services, analytics platforms, plugins, external data feeds, APIs, or other integrated services. Accordingly, LCI is unable to provide a comprehensive inventory of active integrations as part of this solicitation.

To the extent that integration credentials, API keys, licenses, service accounts, contracts, or other technical materials are available and necessary to support continued operation of the platform, LCI anticipates that such information will be addressed as part of transition and onboarding activities with the selected Contractor. The selected Contractor should be prepared to assess the existing environment and identify any dependencies, integrations, or services necessary to support ongoing operations.

40 What monitoring, logging, and alerting tools are currently deployed (CloudWatch, Datadog, New Relic, Splunk, custom)? Will existing licences and configurations transfer to the Contractor, or must the Contractor stand up new tooling?

LCI does not have detailed information regarding the current monitoring, logging, alerting, observability, or operational support tools deployed within the existing platform environment.

Accordingly, LCI is unable to confirm the use of specific products, services, licenses, configurations, or monitoring architectures as part of this solicitation.

The selected Contractor will be responsible for providing the monitoring, logging, alerting, operational support, and infrastructure management capabilities necessary to support the requirements of the Agreement. Any technical information and transition materials available to LCI will be provided to the selected Contractor during transition and onboarding activities, as appropriate.

41 What analytics and reporting tools are currently deployed (Google Analytics, GA4, Adobe Analytics, Matomo, custom dashboards) for tracking site usage, content engagement, and operational health?

LCI does not have detailed information regarding the current analytics, reporting, usage monitoring, content engagement tracking, or operational reporting tools deployed within the existing platform environment. Accordingly, LCI is unable to confirm the use of specific analytics products, dashboards, configurations, or reporting capabilities as part of this solicitation.

The selected Contractor may be required to support analytics, monitoring, reporting, and operational visibility capabilities necessary to support platform management, performance monitoring, content administration, and other requirements identified in the Agreement. Any technical information and transition materials available to LCI will be provided to the selected Contractor during transition and onboarding activities, as appropriate.

42 Is a self-attestation (Exhibit H) acceptable for the initial Agreement year, or does LCI require a SOC 3 report from the outset? If a SOC 3 report is required, Offerors will need to factor the cost of an independent audit ($30,000–$50,000) into their proposed rates. Does the attestation cover only the Contractor’s internal security posture, or must it also cover the hosted platform environment?

Offerors must comply with the requirements identified in Exhibit H and all other applicable provisions of the Agreement. LCI does not require submission of a SOC 3 report as part of the Offer unless otherwise expressly required by the Agreement or applicable State requirements.

A completed Exhibit H self-attestation is acceptable for purposes of Offer submission and Agreement execution. Any future security, compliance, audit, or documentation requirements will be governed by the terms of the resulting Agreement and applicable State policies.

The requirements of Exhibit H apply to the Contractor and the environment used to provide services under the Agreement, including any hosted platform environment managed by the Contractor.

43 Does the FIPS 140-3 encryption requirement apply to the entire AWS hosting environment (requiring FIPS-validated encryption modules for all at-rest and in-transit data), or is it limited to Contractor-held portable devices and media as described in SAM 5305.8? Full FIPS 140- 3 validation for the AWS environment requires specific instance types and configurations that materially impact hosting costs.

Offerors should comply with the requirements identified in the Agreement, including Exhibit D and all applicable State security requirements, including CDT and California CloudSmart requirements, as applicable. Contractors are responsible for ensuring that encryption, security controls, and hosting environments comply with applicable State requirements, including any applicable CDT, California CloudSmart, and security requirements identified in the Agreement. Offerors should develop their cost assumptions based on their proposed approach to satisfying those requirements.

44 Will Contractor staff receive direct AWS administrative access (IAM credentials)? Are VPN, multi-factor authentication, or LCI/CDT-managed devices required for Contractor personnel accessing the platform or LCI systems?

The selected Contractor will be responsible for provisioning and managing the hosting environment used to support the Adaptation Clearinghouse. Any access to State systems, networks, applications, data, or other resources will be subject to applicable security requirements, access controls, authentication requirements, and approval processes established by LCI and other authorized State stakeholders.

45 Does the Adaptation Clearinghouse platform contain sensitive, confidential, or regulated data (PII, PHI, CJIS) beyond publicly available climate resources, which would trigger additional compliance requirements under SAM 5305 or HIPAA?

No. The Adaptation Clearinghouse does not contain protected health information (PHI), Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) data, or other sensitive regulated data types. The platform primarily serves as a public-facing repository of climate adaptation resources, guidance documents, tools, case studies, and related information.

46 Does the accessibility remediation scope include PDFs, downloadable documents, reports, archived content, and case studies hosted on the platform, or is it limited to website/application-level (HTML/CSS/JS) remediation only?

The Agreement requires the Contractor to support compliance with applicable accessibility requirements for the Adaptation Clearinghouse and associated Project content. Accessibility considerations are not limited solely to website or application code and may include content, documents, resources, and materials made available through the platform.

The specific scope and prioritization of any accessibility review, remediation, or improvement activities will be determined in coordination with LCI based on Project needs, available resources, and authorized work activities.

47 If document remediation is included within the accessibility scope, can LCI provide the approximate document count, estimated page volume, and document formats (PDF, DOCX, etc.) currently hosted within the platform?

LCI's primary expectation regarding accessibility is that the selected Contractor will support accessibility compliance for the website, application, user interface, and platform functionality.

LCI does not currently anticipate a large-scale remediation effort involving existing documents, reports, or other content hosted on the platform.

Documents and content published by LCI are expected to comply with applicable State accessibility requirements prior to publication. Accordingly, accessibility activities under this Agreement are expected to focus primarily on website and application-level accessibility, including platform functionality, templates, navigation, user experience, and related technical components.

LCI has not developed an inventory of document counts, page volumes, or file formats for purposes of this solicitation.

48 What search and indexing technology is currently in use (Elasticsearch, Solr, Algolia, AWS OpenSearch, native Django search, other)? Is content migration, metadata normalisation, taxonomy restructure, or information-architecture redesign included within Service Area 4.0?

LCI does not have detailed information regarding the current search and indexing architecture and is therefore unable to confirm the use of specific search technologies, services, platforms, or configurations as part of this solicitation.

Service Area 4.0 includes platform enhancement, modernization, usability, functionality, content management, and related improvement activities authorized by LCI.

Depending on project needs and authorized work, such activities may include content migration support, metadata enhancements, taxonomy refinements, information architecture improvements, search-related enhancements, and other measures intended to improve usability, discoverability, maintainability, and long-term sustainability of the Adaptation Clearinghouse.

49 Please clarify the acceptance criteria and sign-off process for: (a) UX improvements, (b) accessibility remediation, (c) modernisation activities, and (d) platform enhancements—including who holds sign-off authority and what evidence or artifacts are required for deliverable acceptance?

Acceptance of all services, deliverables, remediation activities, modernization efforts, enhancements, and other work performed under the Agreement shall be determined by LCI. The LCI Contract Manager, Technical Lead, or other authorized LCI representative(s) designated by LCI will be responsible for reviewing and accepting deliverables and completed work.

The specific review, acceptance, testing, documentation, and validation requirements, if any, will depend on the nature of the authorized work being performed. Acceptance will be based on the Contractor’s satisfactory completion of the applicable services, tasks, deliverables, and requirements identified in the Agreement and any authorized Project activities approved by

LCI.

50 Are modernisation expectations primarily focused on operational stabilisation, infrastructure hardening, and compliance remediation, or does LCI also expect significant UI redesign, new feature development, and major content integration within the base 12-month term?

LCI's primary objective is to ensure the continued operation, maintenance, hosting, security, accessibility, compliance, and long-term sustainability of the Adaptation Clearinghouse. The existing platform primarily serves as a repository of climate adaptation resources, guidance documents, case studies, tools, and related content that is updated on an ongoing basis.

LCI does not currently prescribe a specific modernization approach, redesign effort, or rearchitecture strategy as part of the Agreement. The selected Contractor will be expected to assess the existing environment and identify any operational, infrastructure, security, accessibility, compliance, maintainability, or sustainability issues that may require remediation or improvement.

Depending on the results of that assessment and LCI's priorities, authorized activities may range from operational stabilization, infrastructure improvements, and compliance remediation to more significant modernization, redesign, rearchitecture, content integration, or platform enhancement activities.

51 What are LCI’s expected Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO) for the platform, and what backup or disaster-recovery posture is currently in place?

LCI has not established specific Recovery Point Objective (RPO) or Recovery Time Objective (RTO) requirements as part of this solicitation.

As identified in Service Area 2.0 of the Agreement, the selected Contractor will be responsible for implementing and maintaining backup, recovery, disaster recovery, and business continuity capabilities appropriate for the hosted environment and services provided under the Agreement.

LCI does not have detailed information regarding the current backup, disaster recovery, or business continuity configuration of the existing platform environment.

52 Are there specific production deployment windows (e.g., off-peak hours, no-deploy weeks) or change-management approval gates (LCI ITD, CDT Change Advisory Board) that govern releases to the Adaptation Clearinghouse?

LCI has not established specific production deployment windows, blackout periods, no-deploy weeks, or formal change-management approval processes for the Adaptation Clearinghouse as part of this solicitation.

The selected Contractor will be expected to coordinate planned maintenance, releases, upgrades, and other production changes with LCI to minimize operational disruption and maintain continuity of services. Additional change-management, scheduling, review, approval, or coordination requirements may be established by LCI based on the nature of the proposed activity, associated risks, and any applicable State requirements.

53 What is LCI’s expected release and deployment cadence during the Agreement term (e.g., bi-weekly sprints, monthly releases, quarterly updates)?

LCI has not established a required release or deployment cadence as part of this solicitation. The Adaptation Clearinghouse is not anticipated to operate under a rapid development or sprint-based delivery model and primarily serves as a long-term repository of climate adaptation resources and related content.

LCI anticipates regular project coordination activities, including approximately monthly coordination meetings and periodic review of platform priorities, maintenance activities, enhancements, and deployment objectives. Deployment schedules and release frequency will be determined based on operational needs, authorized work activities, and coordination between LCI and the selected Contractor.

54 The Transition & Sustainability Plan is due 120 calendar days before the Agreement End Date (effectively month 8 of 12). If LCI intends to exercise a one-year extension, will the Contractor be notified of the extension decision sufficiently in advance (e.g., 120+ days before the End Date) to avoid initiating transition activities unnecessarily?

LCI intends to provide notice regarding the exercise of any optional extension period as far in advance as reasonably practicable. However, LCI cannot guarantee that an extension decision will be made or communicated a specific number of days before the Agreement End Date.

The Transition and Sustainability Plan requirement is intended to support continuity of operations and prudent transition planning regardless of whether an extension is ultimately exercised.

Submission of the Plan does not, by itself, indicate that transition activities must commence or that the Agreement will not be extended.

55 Does LCI currently maintain a GitHub organisation for receiving repository transfers, or will one need to be established? Is the Contractor expected to use LCI’s GitHub organisation from the outset, or may the Contractor maintain repositories under its own organisation during the Agreement term and transfer at conclusion?

LCI has not established specific requirements regarding source code repository ownership, hosting, or management for purposes of this solicitation. The Contractor shall maintain all Project-related documentation, configurations, credentials, source code, and technical materials necessary to support continuity of services and future transition activities in accordance with the Agreement.

The specific repository management approach, including any repository transfer requirements, will be coordinated with the selected Contractor during transition and onboarding activities.

The Contractor should ensure that source code, documentation, and related technical assets can be transferred to LCI or a successor contractor upon request or at the conclusion of the Agreement.

56 LCI’s responses to clarification questions are scheduled for release on May 29, 2026, leaving only six (6) business days before the Offer Due Date of June 8, 2026. Would LCI consider extending the Offer Due Date by one week to June 15, 2026 (3:00 PM PST) to allow Offerors adequate time to incorporate the clarification responses into a complete and accurate Offer?

LCI is not extending the RFO Offer Submission Due Date and Time at this time. If LCI determines that a schedule revision is necessary at a later date, the change will be communicated through a formal addendum.

57 The RFO describes the current solution as a custom Django-based web application designed for updates and maintenance by non-technical staff through a custom content management structure. Would LCI be open to migrating to a more widely supported content management system such as Drupal, WordPress, or another commercial platform?

Yes. LCI is open to modernization of the existing platform, including migration to a different content management or application platform, where appropriate.

The primary objective of this Agreement is to ensure the continued operation, maintenance, hosting, security, accessibility, compliance, and long-term sustainability of the Adaptation Clearinghouse. Any proposed modernization approach must preserve or enhance the platform's core functionality as a repository of climate adaptation resources and support the existing content types and capabilities provided by the platform, including case studies, guidance documents, reports, tools, and other adaptation resources.

Any proposed platform, architecture, or content management solution must comply with applicable State of California requirements, including accessibility, security, privacy, California Department of Technology (CDT), California CloudSmart, and other requirements identified in the RFO and resulting Agreement.

58 Does LCI have any preferences for the technology stack of the enhanced solution (e.g., continuing with Django, or moving to PHP, .NET, etc.)?

LCI does not prescribe a specific technology stack, platform, framework, or content management solution as part of this solicitation. Any proposed solution must support the functional requirements of the Adaptation Clearinghouse, preserve or enhance the platform's core capabilities, and comply with applicable State of California requirements, including accessibility, security, privacy, California Department of Technology (CDT), California CloudSmart, and other requirements identified in the RFO and resulting Agreement.

59 Does LCI have any preferences or requirements for hosting the enhanced solution?

Any hosting environment used to support the Adaptation Clearinghouse must comply with the requirements identified in the RFO and resulting Agreement, including applicable State of California requirements related to security, privacy, accessibility, California Department of Technology (CDT), and California CloudSmart requirements, as applicable.

The hosting solution must support the operational, security, performance, availability, maintainability, continuity, and long-term sustainability needs of the Adaptation Clearinghouse and support successful transition of the existing platform environment.

60 Is LCI requiring vendors to provide the specific roles listed in the RFO, or can vendors propose alternative roles as long as all responsibilities are adequately covered?

The roles identified in the RFO represent the functional capabilities and areas of expertise required to successfully perform the services described in the Agreement. Offerors may propose alternative staffing structures and role titles, provided the proposed team collectively possesses the qualifications, experience, and expertise necessary to perform all required responsibilities and meet the requirements of the RFO.

As identified in the RFO, a proposed resource may perform multiple roles, provided the individual meets the applicable qualification requirements and can effectively fulfill the associated responsibilities.

61 Is LCI staff currently entering content directly into the system, or is this handled by the existing vendor?

LCI staff update site content via the CMS where this is available.

Some site content is only updatable via site edits. Those were handled via coordination between LCI staff with technical knowledge of web management, and the current contractor.

62 We understand that LCI intends to migrate the new solution to a contractor-managed account, server, or hosting environment. Should the cost of this new hosting environment be included within the $250,000 budget

Yes. As identified in the RFO and Cost Worksheet instructions, costs associated with hosting, infrastructure, software, licensing, monitoring, security, maintenance, and operation of the Contractor-managed environment shall be included within the Contractor's proposed pricing and the applicable Agreement not-to-exceed amount.

63 Is the 10% allocated for unanticipated tasks included in the $250K maximum budget?