RFQ-27-05699 Accela Software Solution and Support Questions and Answers~1.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 25 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- BD-27-1060-ITD00-ITD00-133949
- Issued by
- Suffolk County, Massachusetts
About this file
This is a Question and Answers document for RFQ-27-05699 issued by the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS) for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts regarding Accela Software Solution and Support services. The RFQ seeks bidders qualified on either the ITS86 Software and Service Category 1 or ITS81 Project Services and GIS statewide contracts to provide implementation, integration, and maintenance services for the Accela system. The contract is anticipated to commence on January 1st, 2027, following the Commonwealth's projected transition to Accela's SaaS offering on December 7th of the preceding year. The initial term is six months, with anticipated one-year renewal periods thereafter, governed by the maximum term provisions of the applicable statewide contract. Bidders may respond under either of two separate COMMBUYS bid numbers (BD-27-1060-ITD00-ITD00-133948 for ITS81 and BD-27-1060-ITD00-ITD00-133949 for ITS86 Category 1), and responses will be evaluated together in a single competition. The RFQ requires demonstration of experience managing Accela implementations, integrations, and maintenance for comparable organizations, and bidders may satisfy experience requirements through named subcontractors, though only the primary bidder must hold the requisite statewide contract registration.
Pricing shall be submitted as a separate vendor quote document containing the required contact information and a minimum 90-day validity period. Bidders must provide fixed pricing for both the six-month initial term and a one-year term, with fixed-price support and maintenance structured as recurring monthly deliverables. All professional services rates must be inclusive of expenses, with the Commonwealth expecting 100 percent remote work and zero onsite work. Items 8 and 12 of the 16 listed Accela integration services are excluded from the fixed-price support and maintenance scope and will be handled via task order; all remaining items fall under the fixed-price scope. Key personnel functions to be covered include System Administrator, Project Manager, Business Analyst, and Developer roles. While Form 1 expresses a strong preference for U.S.-based personnel, the Commonwealth will consider non-U.S. personnel subject to review and approval. The business and technical response is limited to a maximum of 12 pages, and references, resumes, and staff biographies are optional but acceptable.
View the file
Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| RFQ-27-05699 Accela Software Solution and Support~1.docx | DOCX document |
On GovTribe
Work with this file
- Download the original file
- Contacts named in this file
- Similar government files
- Ask GovTribe AI about this file
Text version
Q&A
| EOTSS RFQ-27-05699 Accela Software Solution and Support | |||
| Question # | Topic | Question | EOTSS Response |
| 1 | Eligibility | The RFQ is restricted to Bidders on ITS86 Software and Service Category 1 or ITS81 Project Services and GIS, and COMMBUYS lists a separate bid number for each (BD-27-1060-ITD00-ITD00-133948 for ITS81 and BD-27-1060-ITD00-ITD00-133949 for ITS86 Category 1). Will responses submitted under the two bid numbers be evaluated together in a single competition? | Yes, bid responses submitted under the two bid numbers will be evaluated together. |
| 2 | Eligibility | Section I.B lists "ITS81 Project Services and GIS" as an eligible Statewide Contract without naming categories. Which ITS81 categories are eligible to respond to this RFQ? | All vendors on ITS81 are eligible to respond to this RFQ. |
| 3 | Teaming | Section II.C.1 states that the "Bidder must have demonstrated experience in managing Accela implementations, integrations, and maintenance for customers of similar size as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." May a Bidder meet this requirement through the documented experience of a named subcontractor? | Yes |
| 4 | Teaming | Section II.C.2 states that the "Bidder must have experience with the entire Accela Suite," including Accela Automation, Accela Citizen Access, and Accela Mobile Office or Mobile Application. May a Bidder meet this requirement through the combined experience of its proposed team, including subcontractors? | Yes |
| 5 | Teaming | Warranties in Section VI.J make the Bidder responsible for subcontractor performance. Must a subcontractor proposed under this RFQ also hold ITS81 or ITS86 Category 1? | Only bidders submitting the bid response must be on ITS81 or ITS86 category 1. |
The subcontractor does not need to be on ITS81 or ITS86 Category 1.
| 6 | Service Levels | Section II.D.6 asks Bidders to provide estimated turnaround times and any service level commitments. Will the service levels a Bidder proposes under Section II.D.6 become the contract service levels? | This can be discussed during the drafting of the SOW. |
| 7 | Platform | What is the anticipated start date of the contract resulting from this RFQ? | January 1st, 2027 |
| 8 | Scope | Section II.B lists 16 Accela integration services, and item 12 alone refers to work "as defined in a Task Order." Which of the 16 services does EOTSS consider part of the fixed-price support and maintenance scope? | All items fall under Fixed-Price Support and Maintenence scope with the exception of 8 and 12 which would be handled via Task Order. |
| 9 | Pricing | Form 1 requires Bidders to "provide a total fixed price cost for all deliverables and tasks," and Form 2 Table 1 pays deliverables on acceptance. Should fixed-price support and maintenance be structured in Form 2 Table 1 as recurring monthly deliverables? | Yes. Bidders may structure fixed-price support and maintenance in Form 2, Table 1 as recurring monthly deliverables with the applicable fixed monthly price. |
| 10 | Pricing | Section III sets an initial term of six months. Should the total fixed price in the Cost Response cover only the six-month initial term? | Please include the Fixed Price for the 6-Month term and a Fixed price for a 1 year term. |
| 11 | Pricing | Section III states that the contract "may be renewed or extended upon written agreement" and that the maximum Term is governed by the applicable Statewide Contract. What renewal period length does EOTSS anticipate after the six-month initial term? | 1 year renewal |
| 12 | Pricing | Section VI.J requires that any system the Bidder creates or modifies operate in conformance with specifications for six months after acceptance, at no charge. Does this Warranty Period apply separately to each ticket resolution delivered under fixed-price support and maintenance? | No. The six (6)-month Warranty Period applies to the accepted system or modification and does not apply separately to each ticket resolution. Ticket resolutions, replacements, or error corrections do not restart or extend the original Warranty Period. |
| 13 | Pricing | Should pricing be submitted in a separate COMMBUYS attachment from the Business and Technical Response? | Attach a valid quote that can be used to issue a purchase order. The quote must include address and contact information for the person to whom the quote can be sent. All quotes must be valid for a minimum of ninety (90) days after the date of submission. |
| 14 | Personnel | Form 1 states that "EOTSS strongly prefers that the services be provided by resources located in the United States," while Form 2 Section 6.3 states that "All services shall be performed exclusively by personnel who are physically located and operating in the United States." Which of these two provisions will govern the resulting Statement of Work? | Form 1 reflects EOTSS’s intent. EOTSS strongly prefers that services be performed by personnel located in the United States. Personnel located outside the United States may be considered, subject to EOTSS review and approval. If approved, Form 2, Section 6.3 will be revised accordingly. |
| 15 | Perconnel | Form 2 Section 5 states that "All meetings shall be held on-premises at the address of Agency, unless agreed to otherwise by the Project Managers." Will EOTSS accept remote meetings as the default arrangement? | Remote meetings are actually the preference. |
We will accept remote meeting as the default arrangement.
| 16 | Personnel | Does EOTSS require any specific roles to be designated as Key Personnel in the Statement of Work? | System Administrator, Project Manager, Business Analyst, and Developer are the functions that the staff should be covering. The role title is less important as long as those functions are captured across the proposed staffing model. |
| 17 | Response Format | Does EOTSS have page limits for the Business and Technical Response? | The maxiumum number of pages for the Business and Technical Response should be 12. |
| 18 | Response Format | The References section of Form 1 applies "If marked" and is not marked. Are Bidders required to submit references for this RFQ? | Bidders are not required to submit references, but they may do so if they would like. |
| 19 | Response | If EOTSS schedules Bidder demonstrations under Section VI.F, what format does EOTSS anticipate for the demonstrations? | EOTSS will provide the demonstration format and any applicable instructions if and when selected Bidders are contacted to schedule their demonstrations. |
| 20 | Security | Section VI.I asks Bidders to indicate the system audits or assessments, such as a Service Organization Control 2 (SOC 2) report, "pertaining to the quoted products or services." For a services-only response supporting a Commonwealth-licensed Accela SaaS product, should Bidders describe audits of their own internal systems? | Yes. For a services-only response, Bidders should identify any applicable system audits or assessments pertaining to the Bidder’s systems and services that will be used to provide services under this RFQ. If applicable, bidders should provide documentation. |
| 21 | Security | Section VI.L states that "Contractor solutions should support migration to post-quantum cryptographic standards." Does this provision apply to a Bidder that provides services only and does not supply the Accela software? | This provision applies only to the extent applicable to the solutions or services provided by the Bidder. A Bidder providing services only is not responsible for the post-quantum cryptographic capabilities of Accela software that it does not provide. |
| 22 | security | Form 2 Appendix A requires independent application review of Deliverables that include software code or script before implementation or acceptance. Does this independent review requirement apply to routine Accela configuration and script changes made under support and maintenance? | No. The requirement does not apply to routine Accela configuration and script changes. EOTSS may require independent review based on the nature or risk of the change. |
| 23 | Gen AI | Section V.B states that the Contractor "shall not use GenAI to fulfill any obligations under the contract" unless the contract includes the RFQ's GenAI terms. May the Contractor use GenAI tools for internal tasks, such as drafting documentation, when no Agency Data is entered into those tools? | Yes, provided such use complies with the GenAI requirements in Section V.B and no Agency Data is entered into the GenAI tool without EOTSS’s prior written consent. |
| 24 | Instructions | May bidders expand and reformat Form 1 for readability, provided all original questions, certifications, and required content remain intact and in the same order? | Yes |
| 25 | Instructions | Should the valid quote required by Form 1, Section XI.B be a separate vendor quote document, or may the pricing section of the proposal serve as the quote if it contains the required address, contact information, and 90-day validity period? | Bidders should provide a separate vendor quote document that includes the required address, contact information, and a minimum 90-day validity period. |
| 26 | Instructions | Are resumes or staff biographies desired as part of the response, or should bidder qualifications be limited to the narrative, certifications, and personnel information expressly requested in keeping with Form 1's request to avoid "additional components"? | Resumes and stafff biographies are not required but will be accepted. |
| 27 | Instructions | May bidders include standard proposal-navigation elements such as a cover page, table of contents, acronym list, section dividers, and headers/footers, provided these elements are concise and do not constitute "additional components" as referenced in Form 1? May bidders include standard proposal-navigation elements such as a cover page, table of contents, acronym list, section dividers, and headers/footers, provided these elements are concise and do not constitute "additional components" as referenced in Form 1? | Yes |
| 28 | Configuration and Implementation | 1. Does the Agency have any additional information on "new configuration implementation". Is this referring to the "possibility of agencies being added to the ePLACE system"? Do existing agencies have enhancements or modernizations they are looking to implement? | New configuration implementation refers to creating new record types, for example, for an already existing agency. Configuration is not limited to just record types, but typically that is where new configuration starts. |
New agencies wanting to utilize Accela would be a larger project governed by a Task Order.
29 Timeline 2. Does the Commonwealth have a timeline or estimate for moving to Accela's SaaS offering? The projected go-live for moving to SaaS is December 7th.
We expect this to be complete before the start of this contract.
| 30 | Travel | 3. As the Commonwealth has requested hourly rates for professional services inclusive of expenses, can you provide the expected level of onsite vs. remote work? | 100% remote work is preferable. 0% onsite work is expected. |
| 31 | Reference Form | Kindly confirm that the attached references form is correct. | References are not required for this RFQ. |
Sheet1
| Eligibility | The RFQ is restricted to Bidders on ITS86 Software and Service Category 1 or ITS81 Project Services and GIS, and COMMBUYS lists a separate bid number for each (BD-27-1060-ITD00-ITD00-133948 for ITS81 and BD-27-1060-ITD00-ITD00-133949 for ITS86 Category 1). Will responses submitted under the two bid numbers be evaluated together in a single competition? |
| Eligibility | Section I.B lists "ITS81 Project Services and GIS" as an eligible Statewide Contract without naming categories. Which ITS81 categories are eligible to respond to this RFQ? |
| Teaming | Section II.C.1 states that the "Bidder must have demonstrated experience in managing Accela implementations, integrations, and maintenance for customers of similar size as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." May a Bidder meet this requirement through the documented experience of a named subcontractor? |
| Teaming | Section II.C.2 states that the "Bidder must have experience with the entire Accela Suite," including Accela Automation, Accela Citizen Access, and Accela Mobile Office or Mobile Application. May a Bidder meet this requirement through the combined experience of its proposed team, including subcontractors? |
| Teaming | Warranties in Section VI.J make the Bidder responsible for subcontractor performance. Must a subcontractor proposed under this RFQ also hold ITS81 or ITS86 Category 1? |
| Service Levels | Section II.D.6 asks Bidders to provide estimated turnaround times and any service level commitments. Will the service levels a Bidder proposes under Section II.D.6 become the contract service levels? |
| Platform | What is the anticipated start date of the contract resulting from this RFQ? |
| Scope | Section II.B lists 16 Accela integration services, and item 12 alone refers to work "as defined in a Task Order." Which of the 16 services does EOTSS consider part of the fixed-price support and maintenance scope? |
| Pricing | Form 1 requires Bidders to "provide a total fixed price cost for all deliverables and tasks," and Form 2 Table 1 pays deliverables on acceptance. Should fixed-price support and maintenance be structured in Form 2 Table 1 as recurring monthly deliverables? |
| Pricing | Section III sets an initial term of six months. Should the total fixed price in the Cost Response cover only the six-month initial term? |
| Pricing | Section III states that the contract "may be renewed or extended upon written agreement" and that the maximum Term is governed by the applicable Statewide Contract. What renewal period length does EOTSS anticipate after the six-month initial term? |
| Pricing | Section VI.J requires that any system the Bidder creates or modifies operate in conformance with specifications for six months after acceptance, at no charge. Does this Warranty Period apply separately to each ticket resolution delivered under fixed-price support and maintenance? |
| Pricing | Should pricing be submitted in a separate COMMBUYS attachment from the Business and Technical Response? |
| Personnel | Form 1 states that "EOTSS strongly prefers that the services be provided by resources located in the United States," while Form 2 Section 6.3 states that "All services shall be performed exclusively by personnel who are physically located and operating in the United States." Which of these two provisions will govern the resulting Statement of Work? |
| Perconnel | Form 2 Section 5 states that "All meetings shall be held on-premises at the address of Agency, unless agreed to otherwise by the Project Managers." Will EOTSS accept remote meetings as the default arrangement? |
| Personnel | Does EOTSS require any specific roles to be designated as Key Personnel in the Statement of Work? |
| Response Format | Does EOTSS have page limits for the Business and Technical Response? |
| Response Format | The References section of Form 1 applies "If marked" and is not marked. Are Bidders required to submit references for this RFQ? |
| Response | If EOTSS schedules Bidder demonstrations under Section VI.F, what format does EOTSS anticipate for the demonstrations? |
| Security | Section VI.I asks Bidders to indicate the system audits or assessments, such as a Service Organization Control 2 (SOC 2) report, "pertaining to the quoted products or services." For a services-only response supporting a Commonwealth-licensed Accela SaaS product, should Bidders describe audits of their own internal systems? |
| Security | Section VI.L states that "Contractor solutions should support migration to post-quantum cryptographic standards." Does this provision apply to a Bidder that provides services only and does not supply the Accela software? |
| security | Form 2 Appendix A requires independent application review of Deliverables that include software code or script before implementation or acceptance. Does this independent review requirement apply to routine Accela configuration and script changes made under support and maintenance? |
| Gen AI | Section V.B states that the Contractor "shall not use GenAI to fulfill any obligations under the contract" unless the contract includes the RFQ's GenAI terms. May the Contractor use GenAI tools for internal tasks, such as drafting documentation, when no Agency Data is entered into those tools? |
| Instructions | May bidders expand and reformat Form 1 for readability, provided all original questions, certifications, and required content remain intact and in the same order? |
| Instructions | Should the valid quote required by Form 1, Section XI.B be a separate vendor quote document, or may the pricing section of the proposal serve as the quote if it contains the required address, contact information, and 90-day validity period? |
| Instructions | Are resumes or staff biographies desired as part of the response, or should bidder qualifications be limited to the narrative, certifications, and personnel information expressly requested in keeping with Form 1's request to avoid "additional components"? |
| Instructions | May bidders include standard proposal-navigation elements such as a cover page, table of contents, acronym list, section dividers, and headers/footers, provided these elements are concise and do not constitute "additional components" as referenced in Form 1? May bidders include standard proposal-navigation elements such as a cover page, table of contents, acronym list, section dividers, and headers/footers, provided these elements are concise and do not constitute "additional components" as referenced in Form 1? |
| Configuration and Implementation | 1. Does the Agency have any additional information on "new configuration implementation". Is this referring to the "possibility of agencies being added to the ePLACE system"? Do existing agencies have enhancements or modernizations they are looking to implement? |
| Timeline | 2. Does the Commonwealth have a timeline or estimate for moving to Accela's SaaS offering? |
| Travel | 3. As the Commonwealth has requested hourly rates for professional services inclusive of expenses, can you provide the expected level of onsite vs. remote work? |
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .