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STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) RFP

(Bureau of Information and Technology

700 Governors Drive Pierre, SD 57501

Mainframe Disaster Recovery Services 2026

PROPOSALS ARE DUE NO LATER THAN July 31, 2026 23:59 CDT

RFP #: 26RFP19861 STATE POC: BIT EPI EMAIL: BITMainframeDRRFP@state.sd.us

READ CAREFULLY

FIRM NAME: AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE:

ADDRESS: TYPE OR PRINT NAME:

CITY/STATE: TELEPHONE NO:

ZIP (9 DIGITS): FAX NO:

E-MAIL:

PRIMARY CONTACT INFORMATION

CONTACT NAME: Scott Kromarek

TELEPHONE NO: 605-773-6351

FAX NO: 605-773-4378 E-MAIL: scott.kromarek@state.sd.us

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1 General Information

1.1 Purpose of Request for Proposal (RFP)

1.1.1 Background:

The State of South Dakota intends to partner with a qualified vendor capable of delivering modern, resilient, and secure mainframe disaster recovery services.

The State is seeking a vendor that can offer a hosting environment engineered for high availability, robust physical and environmental protections, and the performance needed to support mission-critical government services. The selected provider will play a key role in enabling improved continuity of operations and enhanced cybersecurity alignment as statewide technology demands evolve.

Vendors will be asked to demonstrate the maturity of their facilities, infrastructure, security capabilities, and operational procedures, as well as their ability to meet clearly defined resiliency, compliance, service delivery, and other State requirements as outlined in the RFP.

The State looks forward to engaging with vendors that can provide reliable and scalable facility-based solutions aligned with its long-term infrastructure strategy. By participating in this RFP, vendors will have the opportunity to contribute directly to strengthening the State’s technology foundation and supporting essential services for residents statewide.

1.1.2 Goals and Objectives:

The State of South Dakota is issuing this Request for Proposals (RFP) to identify a qualified vendor capable of supporting a secure and resilient mainframe disaster recovery environment for critical government systems. The goals and objectives below reflect the State’s procurement direction and strategic intent.

1.1.2.1 Strengthen Infrastructure Resiliency and Service Continuity

A primary objective is to ensure that essential state services are recovered quickly and effectively in the event of a disaster involving the state mainframe. The State seeks a facility-based solution engineered to support high availability, minimize downtime, and provide robust recovery capabilities with high-speed redundant networking access.

1.1.2.2 Enhance Recovery and Continuity Capabilities

The State is pursuing an environment that can rapidly restore operations after a disaster. This includes facility‑level safeguards and

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operational processes that help ensure consistent delivery of government services.

1.1.2.3 Advance Security and Compliance Standards

This RFP requests that vendors demonstrate strong security practices, including the ability to align with recognized cybersecurity and risk‑management frameworks such as NIST 800‑53 Rev. 5, as well as clearly defined incident‑response and reporting expectations.

Vendors must also demonstrate the ability to abide by federal data protection standards.

1.2 Issuing Office and RFP Reference Number

The Bureau of Information and Technology (“Agency”) is the issuing office for this document and all subsequent addenda relating to it, on behalf of the State of South Dakota (“State”). The reference number for this transaction is RFP#26RFP19861. This reference number must be referred to on all proposals, correspondence, and documentation relating to this RFP. For purposes of this RFP, the State’s centralized IT agency, the Bureau of Information and Technology (“BIT”), must approve all IT related purchases.

1.3 Schedule of Activities (Subject to Change)

All deadlines in the Schedule of Activities are due by 11:59 p.m. CST. The Schedule of Activities for this RFP is as follows:

RFP Publication June 25, 2026 Deadline for Submission of Written Inquiries July 13, 2026 Deadline for Responses to offeror Questions July 17, 2026 Deadline for Proposal Submission July 31, 2026 Discussions / Technical Review August 28, 2026 Proposal Revisions (if required) September 11, 2026 Anticipated Award Decision/Contract Negotiation September 18, 2026

1.4 Submitting a Proposal

All proposals must be completed and received by the Agency by the date and time indicated in Section 1.3 Schedule of Activities.

Proposals received after the Deadline for Proposal Submission will be late and ineligible for consideration.

All proposals must be signed, in ink or electronically, by a representative of the offeror who is legally authorized to bind the offeror to the proposal. Proposals that are not properly signed may be rejected. The offeror’s proposal must be prepared pursuant to the requirements of Section 6 Proposal Submission Requirements of this RFP.

The State will only accept electronic proposals via email.

Each offeror must provide an electronic version of the proposal.

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The electronic version should be provided in MS Word or in PDF format to BITMainframeDRRFP@state.sd.us The email, including attachments, must be limited to 20MB in size.

No proposal will be accepted from, or no contract or purchase order will be awarded to, any person, firm, or corporation that is in arrears upon any obligations to the State of South Dakota, or that otherwise may be deemed irresponsible or unreliable by the State of South Dakota.

1.5 Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility, and Voluntary

Exclusion – Lower Tier Covered Transactions

By signing and submitting this proposal, the offeror certifies that neither it nor its principals is presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation, by any Federal department or agency, from transactions involving the use of Federal funds. Where the offeror is unable to certify to any of the statements in this certification, the offeror shall attach an explanation to its offer.

1.6 Non-Discrimination Statement

The State of South Dakota requires that all contractors, vendors, and suppliers doing business with any State agency, department, or institution, provide a statement of non-discrimination. By signing and submitting their proposal, the offeror certifies they do not discriminate in their employment practices with regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, sex, ancestry, national origin, or disability.

1.7 Restriction of Boycott of Israel

For contractors, vendors, suppliers, or subcontractors with five (5) or more employees who enter into a contract with the State of South Dakota that involves the expenditure of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) or more, by submitting a response to this solicitation or agreeing to contract with the State, the bidder or offeror certifies and agrees that the following information is correct:

The bidder or offeror, in preparing its response or offer or in considering proposals submitted from qualified, potential vendors, suppliers, and subcontractors, or in the solicitation, selection, or commercial treatment of any vendor, supplier, or subcontractor, has not refused to transact business activities, has not terminated business activities, and has not taken other similar actions intended to limit its commercial relations, related to the subject matter of the bid or offer, with a person or entity on the basis of Israeli national origin, or residence or incorporation in Israel or its territories, with the specific intent to accomplish a boycott or divestment of Israel in a discriminatory manner. It is understood and agreed that, if this certification is false, such false certification will constitute grounds for the State to reject the bid or response submitted by the bidder or offeror on this project and terminate any contract awarded based on the bid or response. The successful bidder or offeror further agrees to provide immediate written notice to the contracting executive branch agency if during the term of the contract it no longer complies with this certification and agrees such noncompliance may be grounds for contract termination.

1.8 Certification Relating to Prohibited Entity

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For contractors, vendors, suppliers, or subcontractors who enter into a contract with the State of South Dakota by submitting a response to this solicitation or agreeing to contract with the State, the bidder or offeror certifies and agrees that the following information is correct:

The bidder or offeror, in preparing its response or offer or in considering proposals submitted from qualified, potential vendors, suppliers, and subcontractors, or in the solicitation, selection, or commercial treatment of any vendor, supplier, or subcontractor, is not a prohibited entity, regardless of its principal place of business, that is ultimately owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by a foreign national, a foreign parent entity, or foreign government from China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Cuba, or Venezuela, as defined by South Dakota Codified Law § 5-18A. It is understood and agreed that, if this certification is false, such false certification will constitute grounds for the State to reject the bid or response submitted by the bidder or offeror on this project and terminate any contract awarded based on the bid or response. The successful bidder or offeror further agrees to provide immediate written notice to the contracting executive branch agency if during the term of the contract it no longer complies with this certification and agrees such noncompliance may be grounds for contract termination and would be cause to suspend and debar a business under SDCL § 5-18D-12.

1.9 Modification or Withdrawal of Proposals

Proposals may be modified or withdrawn by the offeror prior to the established due date and time.

No oral, telephonic, telegraphic or facsimile responses or modifications to informal, formal bids, or Request for Proposals will be considered.

1.10 Questions Regarding RFP

All written questions should be sent to: BITMainframeDRRFP@state.sd.us only emailed questions will be accepted.

Each offeror may submit questions via email concerning this RFP to obtain clarification of requirements. No questions will be accepted after the date and time indicated in the above schedule of activities. Email questions to the email address listed above with the subject line “RFP#26RFP19861”. The questions and their answers will be sent to all offerors that submitted Letters of Intent, submitted questions, or requested the questions and answers via email before the proposal submittal date and will be sent by the date and time indicated in the above calendar of events. Offeror may not rely on any other statements, either of a written or oral nature, that alter any specification or other term or condition of this RFP that have not originated from the SD RFP Project Contact. Offerors will be notified in the same manner as indicated above regarding any modifications to this RFP. Offerors and their agents may not contact any state employee other than the buyer of record regarding any of these matters during the solicitation and evaluation process.

Inappropriate contacts are grounds for suspension and exclusion from specific procurements.

1.11 Proprietary Information

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The proposal of the successful offeror(s) becomes public information. Proprietary information can be protected under limited circumstances such as client lists and non-public financial statements. An entire proposal may not be marked as proprietary.

Offerors must clearly identify in the Executive Summary and mark in the body of the proposal any specific proprietary information they are requesting to be protected. The Executive Summary must contain specific justification explaining why the information is to be protected. Proposals may be reviewed and evaluated by any person at the discretion of the State. All materials submitted become the property of the State of South Dakota and may be returned only at the State's option.

1.12 Length of Contract

The length of the contract will be for a term of three years. Options will be available to renew the contract at the end of the initial term.

1.13 Governing Law

This RFP will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of South Dakota. Any lawsuit pertaining to or affecting this RFP will be venued in Circuit Court, Sixth Judicial Circuit, Hughes County, South Dakota.

1.14 Presentations/Demonstrations

At the State’s discretion, the State may require a presentation or demonstration by an offeror to clarify a proposal. However, the State may award a contract based on the initial proposals received without a presentation or demonstration by the offeror. If presentations or demonstrations are required, they will be scheduled after the submission of proposals. Presentations and demonstrations will be made at the offeror’s expense.

1.15 Discussions

At the State’s discretion, the offeror may or may not be invited to have discussions with the State. The discussions can be before or after the RFP has been submitted.

Discussions will be made at the offeror’s expense.

1.16 Technical Review

At the State’s discretion, the State may require a technical review of the offeror based on the offeror’s proposal and response to the Security and Vendor Questionnaire.

1.17 Negotiations

This process is a Request for Proposal/Competitive Negotiation process. Each proposal will be evaluated, and each respondent will be available for negotiation meetings at the State’s request. The State reserves the right to negotiate on any component of every proposal submitted. From the time the proposals are submitted until the formal award of a contract, each proposal is considered a working document and as such, will be kept confidential. The negotiation discussions will also be held as confidential until such time as the award is completed.

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2 Standard Contract Terms and Conditions

Any contract or agreement resulting from this RFP will include the State’s standard terms and conditions as listed below, the State’s standard Information Technology (“IT”) contract terms listed in Appendix A, and any additional terms and conditions as negotiated by the parties. The offeror must indicate in its response any issues it has with specific contract terms. If the offeror does not indicate that there is an issue with a specific contract term, then the offeror will be deemed to have accepted the contract terms as written.

2.1 The Contractor will perform those services described in the Scope of Work, attached hereto as Section 3 of the RFP and by this reference incorporated herein.

2.2 The Contractor’s services under this Agreement will start on , and end on

, unless terminated sooner pursuant to the terms of the Agreement.

2.3 The Contractor will not use State equipment, supplies, or facilities. The Contractor will provide the State with its Employer Identification Number, Federal Tax Identification Number, or Social Security Number upon execution of this Agreement.

2.4 The State will make payment for services upon satisfactory completion of the services.

The TOTAL CONTRACT AMOUNT is an amount not to exceed $ . The State will not pay Contractor's expenses as a separate item. Payment will be made pursuant to itemized invoices submitted with a signed state voucher. Payment will be made consistent with SDCL chapter 5-26.

2.5 The Contractor agrees to indemnify the State of South Dakota, its officers, agents, and employees, from and against all claims or proceedings for actions, suits, damages, liabilities, other losses or equitable relief that may arise at least in part as a result of an act or omission in performing services under this Agreement. The Contractor will defend the State of South Dakota, its officers, agents, and employees against any claim, including any claim, action, suit, or other proceeding related to the claim. The Contractor’s obligation to indemnify includes the payment of attorney fees and other costs of defense.

In defending the State of South Dakota, its officers, agents, and employees, the Contractor will engage other professionals, subject to the written approval of the State which will not be unreasonably withheld. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the State may, in its sole discretion and at the expense of the Contractor, engage attorneys and other professionals to defend the State of South Dakota, its officers, agents, and employees, or to assist the Contractor in the defense. This section does not require the Contractor to be responsible for or defend against claims or proceedings for damages, liabilities, losses, or equitable relief arising solely from errors or omissions of the State, its officers, agents, or employees.

2.6 During the term of this Agreement, the Contractor will obtain and maintain in force insurance coverage of the types and with the limits as follows:

2.6.1 Commercial General Liability Insurance:

The Contractor will maintain occurrence based commercial general liability insurance or equivalent form with a limit of not less than $1 million for each occurrence. If such insurance contains a general aggregate limit it will apply separately to this Agreement or be no less than two times the occurrence limit.

The insurance policy will name the State of South Dakota, its officers and

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employees, as additional insureds, but liability coverage is limited to claims not barred by sovereign immunity. The State of South Dakota, its officers and employees do not hereby waive sovereign immunity for discretionary conduct as provided by law.

2.6.2 Professional Liability Insurance or Miscellaneous Professional Liability Insurance:

The Contractor will procure and maintain professional liability insurance or miscellaneous professional liability insurance with a limit not less than $1 million.

2.6.3 Business Automobile Liability Insurance:

The Contractor will maintain business automobile liability insurance or equivalent form with a limit of not less than $1 million for each accident. Such insurance will include coverage for owned, hired, and non-owned vehicles.

2.6.4 Workers’ Compensation Insurance:

The Contractor will procure and maintain workers’ compensation and employers’ liability insurance as required by South Dakota or federal law.

Before beginning work under this Agreement, Contractor will furnish the State with properly executed Certificates of Insurance which will clearly evidence all insurance required in this Agreement. In the event a substantial change in insurance, issuance of a new policy, cancellation, or nonrenewal of the policy, the Contractor agrees to provide immediate notice to the State and provide a new certificate of insurance showing continuous coverage in the amounts required. Contractor will furnish copies of insurance policies if requested by the State.

2.7 While performing services under this Agreement, the Contractor is an independent contractor and not an officer, agent, or employee of the State of South Dakota.

2.8 The Contractor agrees to report to the State any event encountered in the course of performance of this Agreement which results in injury to the person or property of third parties, or which may otherwise subject Contractor or the State to liability. The Contractor will report any such event to the State immediately upon discovery.

The Contractor's obligation under this section will only be to report the occurrence of any event to the State and to make any other report provided for by their duties or applicable law. The Contractor’s obligation to report will not require disclosure of any information subject to privilege or confidentiality under law (e.g., attorney-client communications).

Reporting to the State under this section will not excuse or satisfy any obligation of the Contractor to report any event to law enforcement or other entities under the requirements of any applicable law.

2.9 This Agreement may be terminated by either party hereto upon thirty (30) days’ written notice. In the event the Contractor breaches any of the terms or conditions of this Agreement, this Agreement may be terminated by the State at any time with or without notice. If termination for a breach is affected by the State, any payments due to the Contractor at the time of termination may be adjusted to cover any additional costs to the State because of the Contractor's breach. Upon termination the State may take over the work and may award another party an agreement to complete the work under this Agreement. If after the State terminates for a breach by the Contractor it is determined that the Contractor was not at fault, then the Contractor will be paid for eligible services

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rendered and expenses incurred up to the date of termination.

2.10 This Agreement depends upon the continued availability of appropriated funds and expenditure authority from the Legislature for this purpose. If for any reason the Legislature fails to appropriate funds or grant expenditure authority, or funds become unavailable by operation of law or federal funds reductions, this Agreement will be terminated by the State upon five (5) business days’ written notice. The Contractor agrees that termination for any of these reasons is not a default by the State nor does it give rise to a claim against the State or any officer, agent, or employee of the State, and the Contractor waives any claim against the same.

2.11 This Agreement may not be assigned without the express prior written consent of the

State. This Agreement may not be amended except in writing, which writing will be expressly identified as a part of this Agreement and be signed by an authorized representative of each of the parties to this Agreement.

2.12 This Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the

State of South Dakota, without regard to any conflicts of law principles, decisional law, or statutory provision which would require or permit the application of another jurisdiction’s substantive law. Venue for any lawsuit pertaining to or affecting this Agreement will be in Circuit Court, Sixth Judicial Circuit, Hughes County, South Dakota.

2.13 The Contractor will comply with all federal, tribal, state, and local laws, regulations, ordinances, guidelines, permits, requirements, and other standards applicable to providing services pursuant to this Agreement and will be solely responsible for obtaining current information on such requirements. Nothing herein will constitute a waiver by the State to any defense to jurisdiction nor will anything under this Agreement constitute an acknowledgement by the State that any tribe has or exercises any jurisdiction over this Agreement or the parties.

2.14 The Contractor may not use subcontractors to perform the services described in this

Agreement without the express prior written consent of the State. The Contractor will include provisions in its subcontracts requiring its subcontractors to comply with the applicable provisions of this Agreement, to indemnify the State, and to provide insurance coverage for the benefit of the State in a manner consistent with this Agreement. The Contractor will cause its subcontractors, agents, and employees to comply with applicable federal, tribal, state, and local laws, regulations, ordinances, guidelines, permits, and other standards and will adopt such review and inspection procedures as are necessary to assure such compliance. The State, at its option, may require the vetting of any subcontractors. The Contractor will assist in the vetting process.

2.15 The State reserves the right to reject any person from performing services under this

Agreement who the State believes would be detrimental to the services, presents insufficient skills, presents inappropriate behavior, or is considered by the State to be a security risk.

2.16 The Contractor hereby acknowledges and agrees that all reports, plans, specifications, technical data, miscellaneous drawings, software system programs and documentation, procedures, or files, operating instructions and procedures, source code(s) and documentation, including those necessary to upgrade and maintain the software program, and all information contained therein provided to the State by the Contractor in

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connection with its performance of services under this Agreement will belong to and is the property of the State and will not be used in any way by the Contractor without the written consent of the State. Papers, reports, forms, software programs, source code(s), and other material which are a part of the work under this Agreement will not be copyrighted without written approval of the State.

2.17 The Contractor certifies that neither Contractor nor its principals are presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment or suspension, or declared ineligible from participating in transactions by the federal government or any state or local government department or agency. Contractor further agrees that it will immediately notify the State if during the term of this Agreement Contractor or its principals become subject to debarment, suspension, or ineligibility from participating in transactions by the federal government, or by any state or local government department or agency.

2.18 By signing this Agreement, the Contractor certifies and agrees that is has not refused to transact business activities, have not terminated business activities, and have not taken other similar actions intended to limit its commercial relations, related to the subject matter of this Agreement, with a person or entity that is either the State of Israel, or a company doing business in or with Israel or authorized by, licensed by, or organized under the laws of the State of Israel to do business, or doing business in the State of Israel, with the specific intent to accomplish a boycott or divestment of Israel in a discriminatory manner. It is understood and agreed that, if this certification is false, such false certification will constitute grounds for the State to terminate this Agreement. During the term of this Agreement, if the Contractor no longer complies with this certification, the Contractor agrees to provide immediate written notice to the State and agrees such noncompliance may be grounds for termination of this Agreement.

2.19 Pursuant to South Dakota Codified Law § 5-18A, by entering into this Agreement with the

State of South Dakota, the Contractor certifies and warrants that the Contractor is not a prohibited entity, regardless of its principal place of business, that is ultimately owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by a foreign national, a foreign parent entity, or foreign government from China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Cuba, or Venezuela, as defined by South Dakota Codified Law § 5-18A.

The Contractor agrees that if this certification is false, the State may terminate this Agreement with no further liability to the State. The Contractor further agrees to provide immediate written notice to the State if during the term of the contract it no longer complies with this certification, and the Contractor agrees such noncompliance may be grounds for contract termination and would be cause to suspend and debar a business under SDCL § 5-18D-12.

2.20 Any notice or other communication required under this Agreement will be in writing and sent to the address set forth above. Notices will be given by and to on behalf of the State, and by and to , on behalf of the Contractor, or such authorized designees as either party may from time to time designate in writing. Notices or communications to or between the parties will be deemed to have been delivered when mailed by first class mail, provided that notice of default or termination will be sent by registered or certified mail, or, if personally delivered, when received by such party.

2.21 In the event that any court of competent jurisdiction will hold any provision of this

Agreement unenforceable or invalid, such holding will not invalidate or render

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unenforceable any other provision of this Agreement.

2.22 All other prior discussions, communications, and representations concerning the subject matter of this Agreement are superseded by the terms of this Agreement, and except as specifically provided in this Agreement, this Agreement constitutes the entire agreement with respect to the subject matter.

2.23 The waiver by either party of a breach or violation of any provisions of this Agreement will not operate as, or be construed to be, a waiver of any subsequent breach of the same or other provision of this Agreement.

2.24 Nothing in this Agreement is intended to constitute a waiver of sovereign immunity by or on behalf of the State of South Dakota, its agencies, officers, or employees.

2.25 Neither party will disclose the contents of the Agreement except as required by applicable law or as necessary to carry out the terms of the Agreement or to enforce that party’s rights under this Agreement. The Contractor acknowledges that the State of South Dakota and its agencies are public entities and thus are bound by South Dakota open meetings and open records laws. It is therefore not a breach of this Agreement for the State to take any action that the State reasonably believes is necessary to comply with the South Dakota open records or open meetings laws, including, without limitation, posting this Agreement on the website pursuant to SDCL § 1-27-46.

3 Scope of Work

3.1 All proposals must include the ability for the State of SD to collocate state-owned equipment at the same vendor location as the hot site specified in the proposal. This equipment will consist of:

Quantity Item

1 Luminex VTS MVTi 2 Fortigate Firewalls 1 Juniper Network Switch

3.2 Data Center Space proposed to host this equipment must, at a minimum, include the following controls:

Item

Fire Detection and Suppression Generator Backup Power UPS Backup Power Automated Power Transfer Environmental controls including humidity and temperature Water Detection System Access Control/Security Video Monitoring and Recording 24X7 Staffing

3.3 The proposal must include one dedicated vendor provided server cabinet with a minimum of 24u free space. This cabinet will be used to rack the state-owned equipment, and at a minimum, this cabinet must include:

Quantity Item Description 2 Power Feeds 208V/30Amp Single Phase A&B Power

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Feeds 2 PDU One to A and one to B Side Power 1 Locking Mechanism Mechanical or Electronic with Access

Logging 2 Single-mode FICON Fiber Connections Fiber must run between the rack and the vendor provided recovery equipment and will be used to restore the client data to the vendor DASD in the event of a disaster or test.

1 1 Gbps or higher Internet Connection with a block of up to 36 IP addresses as justified

Will be used to establish a 24X7 VPN connection between the rack and the State of SD home network.

8 Annual hours of vendor provided “hands-on” 24X7X365 Equipment Support

To be used on an “as-needed” basis as part of the base agreement.

3.4 The recovery services portion of all proposals must include ability to provide the following services:

Quantity Item Description

1 Base Client Subscription Ability to declare a disaster and restore mainframe services at the vendor location.

1 Recovery Site Access Maximum 15-seat on-site configuration for managing recovery

48 Hours of annual test time 1 24X7 Test Support Vendor support for the duration of the annual disaster recovery test and for the duration of any disaster declaration.

1 Remote Console Support To allow client testing to occur from the client home location rather than the recovery site.

3.5 The recovery services portion of all proposals must include ability to provision the following equipment during tests or in the event of a disaster declaration:

Quantity Item Description 1 24-port non-POE Network switch If needed to connect the recovery site mainframe OSA to the State of SD’s Firewall hosted on site and included in Section 3.1 of this RFP

1 VM or zOS Starter System with a minimum of 1GB connected DASD

Will need to be temporarily connected to the State of SD’s VTS hosted on site and included in Section 3.1 of this RFP to copy a PDS from the VTS to the Starter System DASD. JCL within the PDS will then be used to restore the State of SD’s mainframe partition(s). This system will also be used by the State of SD to security-erase (FDRErase) the disaster recovery system allocated DASD storage after a test or at the end of a disaster declaration.

1 Base IBM z15 or higher mainframe with one zIIP providing 184 MIPS

Vendor must agree to be able to provide base hardware capable of running all supported versions of zOS for the duration of the agreement.

64 GB Memory On Base IBM Mainframe 2 1 Gb OSA Express Ports On Base IBM Mainframe 8 FICON Ports On Base IBM Mainframe 2 Guest LPARs To be used to restore the State of SD’s partitions during

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a test or following a disaster declaration 5 TB IBM DS8XXX DASD With Encryption 1 9074 Secure Communications

Controller

26 Desktop VDI Virtual Machines with 3270 Emulation Software

4 Project Deliverables/Approach/Methodology

The offeror must describe in detail how its proposed deliverables will meet the needs of the State as described in Section 3. At its sole discretion, the State may consider a solution that includes any of these deliverables or consider deliverables not originally listed.

An offeror must highlight any requirement in Section 3 or Section 4 that the offeror’s proposed deliverables cannot comply with, and the offeror must provide any suggested “work-around” to the requirement in question or a future date that the offeror will be able to comply with the requirement.

4.1 GENERAL IT REQUIREMENTS

4.1.1 Banned Entity Requirement

The offeror’s proposed deliverables cannot include any hardware or hardware components manufactured by Huawei Technologies Company, Nuctech, or ZTE Corporation or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities. This includes hardware going on the State’s network as well as the offeror’s network if the offeror’s network is accessing the State’s network or accessing State data. This includes Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, or Software as a Service situations. Any company that is considered to be a security risk by the government of the United States of America under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, in a United States appropriation bill, an Executive Order, or listed on the US Department of Commerce’s Entity List will be included in this ban.

4.2 VENDOR HOSTED SOLUTION REQUIREMENTS

4.2.1 General Vendor Hosted Requirements

In the offeror’s proposal, the offeror must describe its:

• Data loss prevention methodology;

• Data sanitization methodology and procedures;

• Identity and access management;

• Security intelligence;

• Annual security training and awareness;

• Manual procedures and controls for security;

• Perimeter controls;

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• Security certifications and audits.

5 Proposal Submission Requirements

The offeror’s proposal should be prepared simply and economically and provide a direct, concise explanation of the offeror’s proposal and qualifications. Elaborate brochures, sales literature, and other presentations unnecessary to a complete an effective proposal should not be submitted.

The offeror is cautioned that it is the offeror's sole responsibility to submit information related to the evaluation categories. The State of South Dakota is under no obligation to solicit any information that is not included with the proposal. The offeror's failure to submit all requested information in this RFP may cause an adverse impact on the evaluation of the offeror’s proposal. The offeror should respond to each point in Sections 3 and 4 in the order they were presented.

5.1 Use of State Seal Restriction

The offeror’s proposal should refrain from using the State of South Dakota State Seal in its proposal. Offerors are cautioned that use of the State Seal in any of its documents is illegal as per South Dakota Codified Law § 1-6-3.1. Use of seal or facsimile without authorization prohibited--Violation as misdemeanor. No person may reproduce, duplicate, or otherwise use the official seal of the State of South Dakota, or its facsimile, adopted and described in §§ 1-6-1 and 1-6-2 for any for-profit, commercial purpose without specific authorization from the secretary of state. A violation of this section is a Class 1 misdemeanor.

5.2 Format of Proposal

5.2.1 The offeror’s proposal must be submitted pursuant to the requirements of Section

4 of this RFP.

5.2.2 The offeror’s proposal should be page numbered and should have an index or a table of contents referencing the appropriate page number. Each of the sections listed in Section 5.2.3 should be tabbed or bookmarked.

5.2.3 The offeror’s proposal should be prepared using the following headings and, in the order that they are presented below. Please reference the section for details on what should be included in your proposal.

• Statement of Understanding of the Project

• Deliverables

• Security and Vendor Questionnaire (If not a separate document)

• Response to the State’s Contract Terms

• Corporate Qualifications

• Project Experience and References

• Team Organization and Staff Resumes

• Background Investigations

• Cost (If not a separate document)

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• Audited Financial Statement (Upon request)

5.3 Statement of Understanding of the Project

The offeror’s proposal must summarize the offeror’s understanding of the State’s needs as enumerated in Section 3 and the work required to meet those needs (“Executive Summary”). The Executive Summary should include, but not be limited to, the offeror’s understanding of the purpose and scope of the project, critical success factors and potential problems related to the project, and the offeror’s understanding of the deliverables. The offeror must include their specialized expertise, capabilities, and technical competence as demonstrated by the proposed approach and methodology to meet the project requirements. The Executive Summary should be limited to no more than two pages.

5.4 Deliverables

The offeror’s proposal must include a Deliverables section which constitutes the major portion of the work to be performed. The offeror’s Deliverables section must include a complete narrative detailing the assessment of the work to be performed, approach and methods to provide the requirements of this RFP, the offeror’s ability to fulfill the requirements of this RFP, the offeror’s approach, the resources necessary to fulfill the requirements, project management techniques, specialized services, availability to the project locale, familiarity with the project locale, and a description of any options or alternatives proposed. The offeror’s Deliverables section should address each evaluation requirement enumerated in Section 7. If the offeror has an alternative methodology or deliverable it would like to propose to meet the needs of the State, please include a detailed description of the alternative methodology or deliverables and how the alternative options will meet or exceed the requirements of this RFP.

5.5 Security and Vendor Questionnaire

The offeror must submit a completed Security and Vendor Questionnaire, which is attached to this RFP as Appendix B, for each proposed deliverable. The offeror must complete a Security and Vendor Questionnaire for each hosting option proposal. The Security and Vendor Questionnaire will be used in the proposal evaluation. The offeror must complete the Security and Vendor Questionnaire in the Microsoft Word format as it is provided to the offeror.

5.6 Response to the State’s Contract Terms

The offeror’s proposal must indicate any issues the offeror has with specific contract terms found in Section 2 and Appendix A. If the offeror does not indicate that there is an issue with a specific contract term, then the offeror will be deemed to have accepted the contract terms as written.

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5.7 Corporate Qualifications

5.7.1 Offeror Company Information

The offeror’s proposal must include responses to each of the following questions:

• What year was your firm established?

• What is your firm’s website?

• Has your firm ever done business under a different name and if so, what was the name?

• How many employees does your firm have?

• How many employees in your firm are involved in this type of project?

• How many of those employees are involved in on-site project work?

• Has your firm ever done business with other governmental agencies? If so, please provide references.

• Has your firm ever done business with the State of South Dakota? If so, please provide references.

• Has your firm ever done projects that are exactly like or similar to this project?

• How many clients are currently using your proposed solution? How many of those clients are public sector: local, state, and federal?

5.7.2 Offeror Parent Company

If the offeror has a parent company, the offeror’s proposal must include responses to the following questions:

• What is the name of your parent company?

• What year was your parent company established?

• What is your parent company’s website?

• What is the business of your parent company?

• What is the total number of employees in the parent company?

• What are the total revenues of your parent company?

• How many employees of your parent company have the skill set to support this effort?

• How many of those employees are accessible to your organization for active support?

• What percent of your parent company’s revenue (if applicable), is produced by your firm?

5.8 Project Experience and References

The offeror’s proposal must provide details about the four most recent projects that the offeror was awarded and managed through to completion. If the offeror cannot provide four examples, the offeror must explain why it cannot provide four examples and must provide as many examples as possible. These most recent projects will serve as references.

5.9 Background Investigations

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The offeror must include the following statement in its proposal:

(Company name here) acknowledges and affirms that it understands that the (company name here) employees who have access to production Personally Identifiable Information (PII), data protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Protected Health Information (PHI), Federal Tax Information (FTI), any information defined under state or federal statute as confidential or have access to secure facilities will have fingerprint-based background investigations. These background investigations will be used to check the criminal history records of the State as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s records. (Company name here) acknowledges and affirms that this requirement will extend to include any subcontractors, agents, assigns, and affiliated entities.

5.10 Cost

In this subsection, the offeror’s proposal must provide the requested information in Section 6 Cost Proposal.

5.11 Audited Financial Statements

Upon the State’s request, the offeror may be required to submit a copy of its most recent audited financial statements.

6 Cost Proposal

Cost will be evaluated independently from the technical proposal. Each of the offeror’s proposals must include all costs related to the required services, including all third-party software licenses the State is expected to pay.

The offeror must submit a statement in the offeror’s proposal that attests the offeror’s willingness and ability to perform the work described in this RFP for the price being offered.

If, as part of the project, the State will be acquiring the right to use vendor or third-party software, the offeror’s proposal must clearly state if the software license is perpetual or a term

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license. If both are options, the offeror’s proposal should clearly say so and state the costs of each type of license separately.

Costs associated with each proposal must be listed as shown in the table below:

Item Description One-time Set-up Fee Any onboarding, installation, and initial set-up fees associated with the implementation of the proposed solution

Monthly Hosting Fee Monthly fee for hosting the state-owned equipment listed in Section 3, Scope of Work

Monthly Recovery Services Fee Monthly fee associated with the ability of the State of SD to restore mainframe services at the vendor location utilizing equipment specified in Section 3, Scope of Work

Initial Recovery Charge Any one-time charge to be incurred in the event of a disaster declaration

Daily Recovery Charge Daily fees to be charged in addition to the monthly fees for the duration of a disaster declaration.

“Hands-on” Support Hourly Fee Hourly charges for client-requested vendor support of hosted state-owned equipment if the state requests more than the eight hours listed in the SOW.

7 Proposal Evaluation and Award Process

7.1 After determining that a proposal satisfies the mandatory requirements stated in this RFP, the State will use subjective judgment in conducting a comparative assessment of all qualified proposals by considering each of the following criteria:

7.1.1 Specialized expertise, capabilities, and technical competence as demonstrated by the proposed approach and methodology to meet the project requirements;

7.1.2 Ability of the offeror and the offeror’s deliverables to meet all applicable IT requirements, as outlined in Section 4;

7.1.3 Resources available to perform the work, including any specialized services, within the specified time limits for the project;

7.1.4 Record of past performance, including price and cost data from previous projects, quality of work, ability to meet schedules, cost control, and contract administration;

7.1.5 Availability to the project locale;

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7.1.6 Familiarity with the project locale;

7.1.7 Proposed project management techniques;

7.1.8 Ability and proven history in handling special project constraints;

7.1.9 Approval by BIT, who provides an “approved” or “disapproved” assessment of an offeror’s proposal; and

7.1.10 Cost.

7.2 Experience and reliability of the offeror's organization are considered subjectively in the evaluation process. Therefore, the offeror is advised to submit any information which documents successful and reliable experience in past performances, especially those performances related to the requirements of this RFP.

7.3 The State reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, waive technicalities, and make award(s) as deemed to be in the best interest of the State of South Dakota.

7.4 Award. The State and the highest ranked offeror shall mutually discuss and refine the scope of services for the project and shall negotiate terms, including compensation and performance schedule.

7.4.1 If the State and the highest ranked offeror are unable for any reason to negotiate a contract at a compensation level that is reasonable and fair to the State, the State shall, either orally or in writing, terminate negotiations with the offeror. The State may then negotiate with the next highest ranked offeror.

7.4.2 The negotiation process may continue through successive offerors, according to agency ranking, until an agreement is reached, or the agency terminates the contracting process.

8 Best and Final Offers

The State reserves the right to request best and final offers; best and final offers cannot be initiated by an offeror. Best and final offers may not be necessary if the State is satisfied with the proposals received.

If best and final offers are sought, the State will document which offerors will be notified and provide them an opportunity to submit best and final offers. Requests for best and final offers will be sent stating any specific areas to be covered and the date and time in which the best and final offer must be returned. Conditions, terms, or price of the proposal may be altered or otherwise changed, provided the changes are within the scope of the RFP and instructions contained in the request for best and final offer. If an offeror does not submit a best and final offer or a notice of withdrawal, the offeror's previous proposal will be considered that offeror's best and final offer. After best and final offers are received, final evaluations will be conducted.

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Appendix A – Included I/T Contract Terms and Conditions

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Appendix B – Security and Vendor Questions