RFP 83389 Microfiche Digitization Project.pdf

RFP#: 83389 - Microfiche Digitization Project

UTAH RETIREMENT SYSTEMS

PEHP HEALTH & BENEFITS

Request for Proposal

RFP Name: Microfiche Digitization Project

RFP#: 83389

Contact Information:

Email Address:

Sherrie Crouch

Managing Purchasing Agent Sherrie.Crouch@urs.org

801-366-7735

Requested By: Tara Newman - IMAGING INTERIOR OFFICE SPACE SUPERVISOR

RFP#: 83389 - Microfiche Digitization Project

This Request for Proposals (RFP) is issued and conducted by Office Purchasing to seek competitive proposals for:

The vendor will securely collect and transport approximately 130,000 microfiche jackets to their facility and then convert them to digital images. The digital images will then be transferred to our system.

The successful respondent will work primarily with Shared Services IT however, other departments may be asked to provide input and be able to give input to utilize the services of the goods/services on an as needed basis.

“Office” means the Utah State Retirement Office and includes the Utah Retirement Systems, PEHP Health and Benefits, and their subsidiaries.

The Office provides a mechanism for the State of Utah and its political subdivisions to fund and administer group benefits for its employees. URS was created by state statute and operates under the direction of the Utah State Retirement Board (Board).

PEHP Health and Benefits is a non-profit, self-funded trust managed by the Utah State Retirement Board.

Additional information can be accessed by visiting the URS web site http://www.urs.org and the PEHP website http://www.pehp.org.

URS’ administrative headquarters are located at:

540 East 200 South, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84102.

Delivery or Completion Date for goods or services: 11/1/2025. The contract will be for the project timeframe and any applicable warranties.

All proposals must be submitted to the Office Purchasing Agent according to the schedule below.

The Office reserves the right to alter these dates. All bidders will be notified of changes.

Any proposal received after the deadline will not be accepted/considered.

RFP Schedule

Activity Due Date

RFP Issued/Posted

Pre-bid Site Visit

Deadline for Intent to Respond

Deadline for Vendor Questions

Office Answers

Deadline for Proposals / Bids

Vendor Interviews/Presentations

Selection Date

Start of Work

During the evaluation process, the RFP Review Committee may, at their discretion, request additional information or a presentation from any one or all vendors. Such presentations will provide firms with an opportunity to answer any questions on a vendor’s

Introduction

Project Department

Office Background

Term of Contract

Scheduling

12/06/2024

12/13/2024

01/03/2025

01/17/2025

01/31/2025

02/14/2025

03/21/2025 proposal. Not all vendors may be asked for additional information or presentations.

All contact for the RFP must be through the Purchasing Agent via the RFP mailbox to ensure the integrity of the RFP process. After the date this RFP is released there shall be no discussion of any aspect of this RFP between any employee of Office, a member of the Utah Retirement Board or any member of the RFP Review Committee and any individual or firm responding to this RFP until such time as the bid process is completed. Failure to comply with this rule may result in dis-qualification and removal from the RFP process.

The only communication method for questions is through email. If a bidder has questions specifically relating to the goods/services to be provided such questions shall be made in writing by emailing the Office Purchasing Agent prior to the bidder’s inquiry deadline.

RFP Mailbox:

Sherrie Crouch

Managing Purchasing Agent sherrie.crouch@urs.org

DO NOT POST QUESTIONS ON BIDSYNC (they will not be accepted).

Answers to all submitted supplier questions will be sent to all bidders by return e-mail.

The Response method is through email.

All Proposals and the Attachments must be submitted to the Office Purchasing Agent prior to the proposal submission deadline.

RFP Mailbox:

Sherrie Crouch

Managing Purchasing Agent sherrie.crouch@urs.org

DO NOT POST PROPOSALS ON BIDSYNC (they will not be accepted).

Proposals should be signed by a binding agent for the Company and be received in pdf format. Pertinent supplemental information should be referenced and included as attachments.

If a vendor cannot submit their proposal by email contact Purchasing Agent for alternate instructions.

A complete and responsive Proposal will contain all required elements detailed in this Request for Proposals (RFP). The contract will be procured using best value as a basis of selection, taking into consideration the price and evaluation criteria identified herein.

For ease of review, each requirement should be addressed in a separate section.

The proposal should be formatted on consecutively numbered pages.

The proposal must include the attachments listed below.

The information provided in this RFP is intended to assist bidders in the preparation of their response. The RFP is designed to provide sufficient basic information to submit proposals, but is not intended to limit content or exclude relevant or essential data from a proposal. Bidders are encouraged to expand beyond the minimum requirements to evidence goods or service capability.

Please view the attachment(s) named RFP Questions for Microfiche conversion project.xlsx for a list of questions relating to the RFP.

Bidder Communication Rules

Rules for Inquiry

RFP Response Instructions

Proposal Format/Content

Questions

Qualifications and References

Required References and Qualifications:

This section should constitute the major portion of the proposal and must contain at least the following information:

Details to be addressed in the proposal response:

Required Technical information:

Any additional information considered essential to the proposal should be included in this section. If there is no additional information to present, state "There is no additional information we wish to present.". The bidder may include any descriptive material, which indicates to Office that they clearly understand the work to be performed, and what makes them uniquely qualified for the service.

The RFP Review Committee will evaluate the merit of each proposal received in accordance with the general criteria defined herein, the information gathered during any RFQ process, adequacy, and completeness of the proposal about the information specified in the RFP, i.e., compliance with terms, conditions, and other provisions contained in the RFP.

The object of the RFP Review Committee will be to select the vendor whose proposal is the best value to meet Office needs.

EVALUATION CRITERIA to be used for the RFP:

The Office assumes that your submitted proposal is complete. Proposals must be presented in the format outlined in this RFP. All questions should be answered and all instructions followed. Deviations from the instructions must be clearly identified and are submitted at the risk of the proposal being ruled invalid. Office reserves the right to grant variances from the original format.

Any errors or omissions are the sole responsibility of the respondent. No revisions are permitted to your proposal once it is submitted unless those revisions are requested by Office. The Vendor will be required to indemnify Office from all costs, losses, or damages

Please respond to each item below.

Explain if your company is currently involved in any litigation, reorganization, mergers, or other action, which would have an impact on your financial position. If so, describe the nature of the action.

Explain previous experience with similar Projects, Provide (3) three references who have received similar goods or services. Include: Business Name - Contact Name - Phone - email

Detailed Discussion

Please respond to each item below.

The proposal should state the firm’s qualifications in performing similar projects/service.

Include a work plan including the methodology to be followed in performing the services or completing the project.

Identify all resources necessary to meet the requirements of this RFP.

Describe how & where Subcontractor services be used.

Give the location of the office from which the work is to be completed. Include the number of professional staff employed at that office.

Technical

Please respond to each item below.

Describe where the Office’s data will be housed and how it will be safeguarded.

Describe how the Office’s data can be transmitted to you and returned to us (e.g., data format, transportation medium).

Briefly describe your data security policies and your disaster recovery plans.

What is your protocol when there is a data breach?

Additional Information

Evaluation Criteria

Failure of the vendor to provide information requested in this RFP may result in disqualification of the proposal and shall be the responsibility of the bidding firm.

Ability to meet specifications

Ability to meet security needs as listed.

Firm qualifications and qualification of staff, including specialists and consultants to be assigned to the project.

Quality

References

Time and manner of delivery

Completeness arising out of the Vendors acts and omissions.mThe Vendor will be required to provide evidence of insurance coverage for its potential liabilities under the contract.

This RFP does not commit Office to award a contract, to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a bid submitted in response to this request, or to procure or contract for services or supplies. All response costs, including but not limited to, proposal preparation and presentation, system demonstrations, documentation, site visits, in-depth briefing of Office, and negotiation meetings, are entirely the responsibility of the vendor and shall not be chargeable in any manner to Office.

Office reserves the right to accept or reject, in part or in its entirety, any or all bids received because of this RFP. Proposals will be evaluated on all merits as indicated and the lowest cost proposal will not necessarily be selected

No legally binding agreement shall be created between Office and the successful vendor until a Purchase Order is entered, finalized, and approved. All vendor agreements, contracts and addendums must go through Office Legal review and be signed by both parties.

All material submitted becomes the property of Office upon receipt and will not be returned to the vendor.

The Office shall have the right to use all ideas, or adaptations of these ideas, contained in any proposal received in response to this RFP. Selection or rejection of the proposal will not affect this right.

If the vendor intends to submit confidential or proprietary information as part of the proposal, any limits on the use or distribution of that material should be clearly delineated in writing or attached to the response. Proprietary information should be so identified in your proposal.

If it becomes necessary to revise any part of this RFP, an amendment to this RFP will be provided to each prospective vendor. Office reserves the right to issue amendments to this RFP prior to the proposal submission deadline. Failure to acknowledge receipt of amendments in accordance with the instruction in the RFP amendment transmittal letter may result in proposals not being considered.

Office reserves the right to award the contract to the best value responsive bidder who meets the requirements and criteria set forth in this RFP. The RFP Review Committee may use discretion to award the bid to a bidder that is not the lowest cost based on selection criteria. No response will be evaluated for any requirements or criteria that are not disclosed in this RFP.

The RFP or responses thereto, may be cancelled or rejected, in whole or in part, when the RFP Review Committee determines that such action is in the best interest of Office.

No information will be released after the closing date for submission of proposals until the final selection and award has been made.

Office will notify any unsuccessful firms after the award. No information will be released after the RFP response deadline until an award has been made.

Office does not disclose to unsuccessful bidder’s information concerning other bidder’s responses or information indicating why another bid was selected. Office considers all proposals proprietary.

All of the terms and conditions of this RFP are incorporated in the “contract” between Office and the Vendor(s) selected.

Time is of the essence.

Failure of the vendor to provide information requested in this RFP may result in disqualification of the proposal and shall be the responsibility of the bidding firm.

Each vendor participating in this RFP warrants that it has no conflict of interest that has not been disclosed in the proposal.

1. CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSALS

a. A purchase order/contract may be awarded based on the initial proposals received, without discussion of such proposals.;

b. It’s not the general practice of Office to include a best and final step in its RFP processes; so, it is very important that proposals are stated in the most cost-effective terms.

Acceptance of Proposal

Use of Response Material

Amendment Or Supplement To Request For Proposal

Awarding the Contract

Legal Notifications

c. The Board has decision-making authority to grant a contract. The Board has appointed an RFP Review Committee to assess the responses and make the selection for a best value award. The Board may then accept, reject, remand, or accept with modifications the recommendation of the RFP Review Committee.

d. The Office / RFP Review Committee will assess the vendor responses. Office reserves the right to make no offer; or to make an offer to one or more vendors, based on the responses received.

e. No legally binding agreement shall be created between Office and the successful vendor until a Purchase Order is entered, finalized, and approved. Any Agreement or Contract resulting from this RFP will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Utah. All agreements, contracts and addendums must go through Office Legal review and be signed by both parties.

2. OFFICE RIGHTS

a. The Office reserves the right to make an award without further discussion of proposals received. Therefore, it is important that the proposal be submitted initially in the most complete terms from both the technical, service and cost standpoint.

b. Office reserves the right to request a presentation from any or all respondents.

c. Office reserves the right to reject all proposals received as a response to this RFP.

d. Office reserves the right to make an award based on the proposals and a combination of information obtained from demonstrations, site visits, third-party evaluations, consultants, and any other information sources.

e. Office may choose to negotiate further with one or more vendors.

f. Office reserves the right to request a best and final offer from any or all respondents.

g. The vendor(s) selected for the award will be chosen based on benefit and value to Office. In the event none of the responses meets all the requirements of the RFP, Office may select the best proposal or combination of proposals or may choose not to proceed with any of the vendors.

3. PRIVACY OF INFORMATION

a. The successful vendor may be required to sign a PEHP Business Associate Agreement or Non-Disclosure Agreement.

b. It is critical that vendors abide by all Office Privacy and Confidential Policies and all State and Federal Privacy Laws.

c. Office maintains the highest standards of confidentiality of personal information for their participants. The successful vendor(s) will be required to maintain the same level of standards.

d. By agreeing to respond to this RFP, the vendor expressly acknowledges that business procedures, ideas, intentions, plans, financial data, contents of this RFP and other information are the sole and exclusive property of Office and the vendor agrees that it will safeguard such information to the same extent as it safeguards its own confidential or proprietary information.

e. The vendor shall not furnish the name of Office as a reference or utilize the name of Office in any advertising or promotional materials without the prior written consent of Office.

4. INSURANCE

a. Vendor will agree to carry insurance coverage for its potential liabilities and provide evidence of such insurance upon request.

5. DISPUTE RESOLUTION

a. Vendor will agree that this RFP and any contract or agreement resulting from the RFP, and any dispute arising there from, will be governed by the laws of the state of Utah, regardless of conflicts of laws or principles, and that disputes will be heard by the courts in Salt Lake City, Utah.

6. CONFIDENTIALITY

a. Office considers all proposals proprietary. Office is not subject to the Governmental Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) or other open access laws/regulations and will not share proposal information between vendors during or after the selection process.

b. Office will make all reasonable efforts to maintain proposals in confidence and will release proposals only to personnel involved in the evaluation of the proposals and implementation of the project.

c. Proprietary information should be so identified in your proposal.

d. Office shall have the right to audit the work and the processes used by the successful vendor.

7. CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS / GOVERNING LAW

a. The vendor must provide sample copies of proposed contracts, consistent with the provisions of this RFP, including suggested modifications or additional provisions along with the vendor’s warranties. The vendor and Office will mutually determine final contracts and warranties.

b. The successful vendor will be required to indemnify Office from all costs, losses, or damages arising out of the vendor’s or their subcontractor’s acts and omissions. The successful vendor will be required to provide evidence of insurance coverage for its potential liabilities under the contract.

c. The vendors agree that any disputes arising out of responses to this RFP and any resulting agreements shall be heard by a state or federal court located in Salt Lake City, Utah and that Utah law shall apply.

8. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

a. Vendors shall refrain from having any contact with Office employees, or Board members other than to submit questions related to the RFP and the services requested therein. *See rules for inquiry in RFP.

b. To ensure the integrity of the RFP process, after the date this RFP is sent, there shall be no discussion of any aspect of this RFP between any employee of Office, a member of the Board or any member of the RFP Review Committee and any individual or firm responding to this RFP.

c. Each vendor participating in this RFP warrants that it has no conflict of interest that has not been disclosed in the proposal.