RFR_DCR Touchless fee Collection_Revenue App_Final.docx

THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Department of Conservation and Recreation

251 Causeway Street, Suite 600, Boston, Massachusetts 02114

Request for Response (RFR)

Document Title: Contactless Parking Revenue Collection Application COMMBUYS Bid#:

Agency Document Number: DCR 841

03/08/21

Please Note: This is a single document associated with a complete Bid (also referred to as Solicitation) that can be found on COMMBUYS (www.COMMBUYS.com). All Vendors are responsible for reviewing and adhering to all information, forms and requirements for the entire Bid, which are all incorporated into the Bid. Vendors may also contact the COMMBUYS Helpdesk at COMMBUYS@state.ma.us or the COMMBUYS Helpline at 1-888-MA-STATE. The Helpline is staffed from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday Eastern Standard or Daylight time, as applicable, except on federal, state and Suffolk county holidays.

Document Sensitivity Level: High during development; Low once published.

Revised: March 08, 2021

APPENDIX7 Glossary Table of Contents Page iv Document Sensitivity Level: High during development; Low once published.

RFR Introduction and General Description Procurement Scope and Description

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (hereinafter “DCR”) is soliciting proposals for implementation of a fully developed, hosted and maintained Software as a Service (SaaS) system/solution as described in further detail in DCR description of needs.

Specifically, DCR is looking for vendors to submit proposals for: implementing a virtual parking fee collection system to be implemented at fifty-three (53) agency facilities that collect parking fees with the possibility of adding additional sites; provide customer service for staff or patrons using the system; and provide visitation and revenue data remotely through a secure system. The system, at a minimum, must include the ability for a visitor to pay virtually. The scope of the project does not include metered on-street parking in the metropolitan area.

Background Information A. Overview of DCR (The Department of Conservation and Recreation) DCR exists to “promote, protect, and enhance our commonwealth of natural, cultural and recreational resources.” DCR stewards more than 450,000 acres of parkland and forest in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is the 9th largest park system in the United States. For information about the DCR please visit www.mass.gov/dcr.

B. Historic Revenue Collection Overview

1. Fifty-three (53) parks currently collect parking revenue.

2. Approximately 500,000 day-use parking passes were sold in 2019.

C. Current Parking System DCR sells three types of parking passes: Day Use, Annual Passes, Senior Passes.

1. Day Use parking passes are paper tickets are that may be purchased using cash or credit card via hand readers or pay and display kiosks at parks that charge for parking.

2. Annual parking passes are hang tags issued to a specific license plate number that may be purchased via pay and display kiosks at parks: (purchaser receives a receipt to redeem for hangtag at park administrative office) or online via Reserve America website: (purchaser receives hangtag mailed to them via DCR staff)

3. Senior parking passes, which are available to Massachusetts residents aged 65 or older, are hangtags, valid for the life of the purchaser, may be purchased by mail (purchaser sends check, proof of age and proof of residency to regional office which sends hangtag to purchaser)

4. There is no parking fee for vehicles displaying the following.

a) Handicapped accessible license plate or placard

b) Purple heart recipient license plate or placard

c) Disabled veteran license plate or placard

d) Library park pass: a hang tag that can be checked out of local libraries

D. Effort to Modernize Business Processes Contactless Fee Collection: DCR is looking for alternative methods of collecting revenue in an effort to modernize business processes. Specifically, DCR is looking for a SaaS that can:

a) Eliminate person to person contact during fee collection

b) Minimize the number of touch points in the fee collection process

c) Allow visitors to pay parking fees via a virtual process

d) Manage facility capacity

e) Provide visitation statistics

f) Provide visitation and revenue data in a format suitable for upload or automatic update to the agency’s data access application

g) Allow visitors to reserve a parking space in advance of visiting a park

Applicable Procurement Law This procurement is issued under the following law(s):

· MGL c. 7, § 22; c. 30, § 51, § 52; and 801 CMR 21.00 (Goods and Services) https://www.mass.gov/regulations/801-CMR-21-procurement-of-commodities-or-services-including-human-and-social-services

Number of Awards The DCR intends to award one contract under this procurement.

Eligible Entities

Limited User Contract – Restricted to Use by Defined Entities Only. Any Contract(s) resulting from this Bid will be open for use by the issuing Purchasing Department and the following other entities:

· Any contract resulting from this Bid will be open for use to the Issuing Entity Only.

Acquisition Method(s) The acquisition method(s) to acquire goods and/or services from this RFP are Fee for Service.

Performance and Payment Time Frames Which Continue Beyond Duration of the Contract DCR requires ability to receive system data information from selected vendor even after contract expires as well as integrate system information into any DCR revenue collection system for seamless transition.

All term leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for services entered into during the duration of this contract and whose performance and payment time frames extend beyond the duration of this contract shall remain in effect for performance and payment purposes no longer than 3 months after final contract end date. No new leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for services may be executed after the contract has expired. Any contract termination or suspension pursuant to this section shall not automatically terminate any leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for services already in place unless DCR also terminates said leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for service, which were executed pursuant to the main contract.

Contract Duration The expected duration of this contract is as follows:

Initial Duration

3 years

Total Maximum Contract Duration

5 years

No goods may be ordered and no new leases, rentals, maintenance, or other agreements for services may be executed after the Contract has expired.

Estimated Procurement Calendar

Times are Eastern Standard/Daylight Savings (US), as displayed on the COMMBUYS system clock displayed to Vendors after logging in. If there is a conflict between the dates in this Procurement Calendar and dates in the Bid’s Header, the dates in the Bid’s Header on COMMBUYS shall prevail. Vendors are responsible for checking the Bid record, including Bid Q&A, on COMMBUYS for Procurement Calendar updates.

System implementation required within (60) calendar days following the executed contract.

Written Questions via the Bid Q&A on COMMBUYS The “Bid Q&A” provides the opportunity for Vendors to ask written questions and receive written answers from the SST regarding this Bid. All Vendors’ questions must be submitted through the Bid Q&A found on COMMBUYS (see below for instructions). Questions may be asked only prior to the Deadline for Submission of Questions stated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar. The issuing department reserves the right not to respond to questions submitted after this date. It is the Vendor’s responsibility to verify receipt of questions.

Please note that any questions submitted to the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Strategic Sourcing Team (SST) using any other medium (including those that are sent by mail, fax, email or voicemail, etc.) will not be answered. To reduce the number of redundant or duplicate questions, Vendors are asked to review all questions previously submitted to determine whether the Vendor’s question has already been posted.

Vendors are responsible for entering content suitable for public viewing, since all of the questions are accessible to the public. Vendors must not include any information that could be considered personal, security sensitive, inflammatory, incorrect, collusory, or otherwise objectionable, including information about the Vendor’s company or other companies. The SST reserves the right to edit or delete any submitted questions that raise any of these issues or that are not in the best interest of the Commonwealth or this Bid.

All answers are final when posted. Any subsequent revisions to previously provided answers will be dated.

It is the responsibility of the prospective Vendor and awarded Vendor to maintain an active registration in COMMBUYS and to keep current the email address of the Vendor’s contact person and prospective contract manager, if awarded a contract, and to monitor that email inbox for communications from the Purchasing Department, including requests for clarification. The Purchasing Department and the Commonwealth assume no responsibility if a prospective Vendor’s/awarded Vendor’s designated email address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with the prospective Vendor’s/awarded Vendor’s computer, network or internet service provider (ISP) cause email communications sent to/from the prospective Vendor/Awarded Vendor and the Purchasing Department to be lost or rejected by any means including email or spam filtering.

Locating Bid Q&A Log into COMMBUYS, locate the Bid, acknowledge receipt of the Bid, and scroll down to the bottom of the Bid Header page. The “Bid Q&A” button allows Vendors access to the Bid Q&A page.

Amendment Deadline The SST reserves the right to make amendments to the Bid after initial publication. It is each Vendor’s responsibility to check COMMBUYS for any amendments, addenda or modifications to this Bid, and any Bid Q&A records related to this Bid. The SST and the Commonwealth accepts no responsibility and will provide no accommodation to Vendors who submit a Quote based on an out-of-date Bid or on information received from a source other than COMMBUYS.

Oral Presentations/Product Demonstrations Selected Vendors who are asked to participate in Oral Presentations / Product Demonstrations will be expected to prioritize this in their schedules. The SST will make every effort to find a mutually convenient time for the Vendor and the SST. However, failure to appear at the scheduled time of the presentation/demonstration may result in disqualification, reduction of points or other action that the SST deems appropriate.

Site Inspection Site Inspections are not required prior to submitting a proposal; however, vendors are encouraged to conduct site visits at any fee-based park to gain an understanding of parking operations; however, Vendors are prohibited from speaking to and/or interviewing on-site personnel.

See attachment 2021 Parking Rev Collection Schedule for fee collection locations and rate structure.

Specifications Additional required terms appear in the Appendices to this RFR.

Vendor Qualifications Company Experience DCR aims to partner with a vendor that has extensive experience with the delivery and deployment of contactless payment solutions within the parking sector. At a minimum, vendors shall have 5 years’ experience providing mobile payment services to organizations similar in size to DCR. Vendor shall have similar years of experience developing strategies to maximize revenue for public entities.

Vendors shall provide details on business background, year’s in business, organization chart; and total volume of transactions processed for each of the calendar years 2018 & 2019.

Vendor’s Project Team and Key Personnel Vendors must provide the following information regarding their proposed project team, including the specific key personnel to be assigned to work on the Contract.

Project Team Vendors must describe—in greater detail than in the Vendor Identification component of the response—their proposed Project Team, including each Joint Venture Partner and Subcontractor, and the specific roles and related level of effort of such team members.

Key Personnel Vendors must identify the specific individuals who will constitute the key personnel assigned to perform the work under the Contract, as well as specify who will serve as the Project Manager and point of contact under the Contract. The Project Manager is the person to be assigned exclusive and primary responsibility for working with Commonwealth representatives to ensure the successful and timely implementation of the Contract. Vendors must provide and otherwise demonstrate assurance that the Project Manager is authorized to commit the Vendor’s resources towards full performance of the services covered under this RFR.

For everyone named as key personnel, the Vendor must include that person’s resume and specify their role and level of effort under the Contract. The Vendor must also certify that all key personnel named in the response shall actually work on the Contract in the manner and at the level of effort described in the response.

No changes, substitution, additions, or deletions shall be made unless approved in advance by DCR; such approval shall not be unreasonably withheld. In addition, these individuals must continue for the duration of the Contract, except in the event of resignation or death. The replacement of key personnel, as approved by DCR, must be made as soon as practicable, but not later than thirty (30) days. Any such replacement of key personnel must be with personnel of equal ability and qualifications, as agreed to by DCR.

More specifically, Vendors must provide a detailed staffing plan for key personnel that includes the following information:

· Management and subcontractor personnel who will be involved in developing, operating, or managing any part of the Program—names and titles of key personnel along with a comprehensive description of their roles, responsibilities, qualifications, and work experience

· Whether Vendor has a dedicated UX (user experience) or marketing team

· The percentage of work time that each key person will allocate to the project

· The locations at which key persons will primarily work

Vendors must explain how the proposed roles and time commitments of key personnel will remain unaffected by any other existing or potential contract obligations, or by any other major business commitment(s) of the Vendor, including commitments of a parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of the Vendor. Vendors also must provide an analysis concerning how they plan to allocate the necessary time and resources to the project to meet the performance and schedule requirements of the Contract.

Vendors must also describe the roles, responsibilities, and reporting relationships of personnel performing work under the Contract and include the following information:

· A description of the control system designed to identify and avoid potential and actual conflicts of interest that may arise under the Contract

· An explanation of the roles of the program management structure and the balance of the Vendor’s organizational structure

· A description, with organizational charts, of the Vendor’s management structure, systems, organization, and communications channels, highlighting contract management and identifying the persons who will coordinate activities with the Commonwealth

· Resumes for each management personnel identified in the description—DCR reserves the right to approve the final staffing plan prior to executing the Contract

· A description of the management and tracking systems the Vendor proposes to implement to ensure Contract performance

In conformance with Conditions 8 and 9 in the Commonwealth’s Terms and Conditions, the selected Vendor will not be allowed to assign, delegate, or otherwise transfer its responsibilities under the Contract, or utilize subcontractors without the advance approval of DCR. Moreover, during the course of the Contract, DCR reserves the right to approve or disapprove the selected Vendor’s or any Subcontractor’s staff assigned to the Contract, to approve or disapprove any proposed changes in staff, or to require the removal or reassignment of any Vendor employee or subcontractor employee found unacceptable by DCR.

Financial Stability: Bankruptcy, Litigation, Contract Defaults

Vendor must identify any past, pending, or threatened litigation or administrative proceedings, such as state ethics or professional board proceedings, to which the Vendor or any staff member who will be engaged in this project for DCR is or may be a party, and which would either materially impair the ability of the Vendor or staff member to perform the services described herein or materially affect the financial condition of the staff member or the Vendor.

· Last bankruptcy and/or current/pending litigation.

· Defaults on contracts.

References and Reference Information and/or Requirements

Vendors shall provide references for at least three (3) contracts similar in scope. Vendors to include:

· Largest customers in MA if applicable

· Largest state government customers if applicable

Identification of the Vendor’s point of contact (POC) if awarded this contract, and a description of the POC’s authority for committing Vendor resources and staff to the project as required.

A description of subcontractors the Vendor is proposing in connection with performing the RFR services specified in this solicitation. The Vendor must provide (1) the name of the subcontractor firm(s); (2) the address and contact information (including email); and (3) the role the subcontractor(s) will perform with respect to the implementation of the contract requirements, and including a narrative that addresses and responds to the requirements of RFR.

Vendors are free to propose a phased approach to accomplish the tasks referenced in APPENDIX 1 – SCOPE OF SERVICES AND DELIVERABLES. DCR reserves the ability to negotiate a final scope of work, which includes a phased approach based on tasks.

Employee Requirements Vendor will provide the following information:

· Employee technical/business experience, certifications, licenses

· Resumes

· Background

3.1.5 Innovation

DCR is interested in contracting with a Vendor who expects that their SaaS solution will continue to evolve in response to changes in the market and emerging business needs at DCR. Vendors must describe how they have developed successful innovation strategies that allow for continuous product development. Additionally, Vendors shall submit a strategic roadmap for the solution being offered, along with an explanation of how future milestones may be relevant to strategic goals at DCR. Finally, Vendors shall describe how they will work with DCR to maximize the value of the proposed solution and their processes for identifying and deploying new services and functionality.

Vendors shall provide references for at least one (1) and up to three (3) contracts similar in scope.

Vendors are free to propose a phased approach to accomplish the tasks referenced in APPENDIX 1 – SCOPE OF SERVICES AND DELIVERABLES. DCR reserves the ability to negotiate a final scope of work, which includes a phased approach based on tasks.

Cost Estimates The Vendor will provide a detailed estimate of prices and costs for each task, including sub-task itemizations, described in the 3.3.9 STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW) REQUIREMENTS.

Compensation Structure/Pricing This is a fee for service contract. The payment procedure for this project is a fee for services based upon DCR’s acceptance of all deliverables from the Vendor during the contractual period. The Vendor will be responsible for the timely completion of the requirements described in the detailed APPENDIX 1 – SCOPE OF SERVICES AND DELIVERABLES and as directed by DCR. The Vendor must assume overall responsibility for coordinating and completing all deliverables contained in the resultant contract. Pricing for continued service through the length of the contract should be presented with all available options including but not limited to: per transaction, volume discounts/tiers, monthly flat rate options, applicable data costs, hardware costs with installation and maintenance, customization costs, marketing and signage costs, monthly support costs, as well as options for fees commonly passed to customers.

All-inclusive hourly rate for each Vendor-provided staff person that will perform work under the Contract will remain in effect for the duration of the Contract, including but not limited to application/software customization, site visits and testing for connectivity, etc and any increases for after hours or extended schedule services All reimbursements will be agreed upon by DCR as part of the final Scope of Work. The Vendor will be required to submit monthly invoices, broken down by sub-task, staff, and hours. Advance payments shall not be made. Commuting expenses will not be reimbursed. Payments are subject to Comptroller office bill payment policies.

After Contract award, DCR reserves the right to further negotiate all labor rates and performance specifications with the Vendor within the scope of this RFR during the period of the contract(s).

Service Specifications The main goal of this project is to transition from a hardware-based environment, where pay and display kiosks serve as the primary method to process parking fees to a mobile or contactless environment. The new technology shall allow customers to:

· Pay parking fees by various methods, including but not limited to, native mobile application, secure mobile or desktop browser, IVR system.

· Optional: pay by text, QR Code, or tap to pay.

· Pay through Point-of-sale (POS) interface on-site (through staff, not a public use kiosk) as a backup method when primary contactless methods cannot be completed.

· Create an account or bypass account registration to pay parking fees.

· Reserve parking session in advance.

· Access parking history; view past transactions

· Store multiple vehicle license plates under one account

· Manage account profile – customers must be able to update account details without the assistance of customer service or DCR staff.

All proposed solutions must be ADA compliant. Reserve ahead options must be fully configurable, DCR reserves the right to decide how many days in advance parking is available for purchase and what portion of spaces can be reserved in advance.

Emergency Response Plans/Preparedness In a declared state of emergency where the safety and well-being of Commonwealth citizens are at risk, Vendors may be asked to supply the Commonwealth with the commodities and/or services under the Contract on a priority basis.

The Vendor has a business continuity plan (BCP) and/or disaster recovery plan (DRP) sufficient to ensure 24/7 availability of the solution and to prevent the unintended destruction or loss of Customer Data (as defined in the 3.3.9 STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW) REQUIREMENTS, which will be part of any resulting Contract). Vendors shall describe how they review and test these plans.

Requirements:

· Review and test the BCP at least twice annually and submit a summary of results to DCR.

· Any update to the BCP or DRP are submitted to DCR each time a change is made.

· Back up Customer Data no less than twice daily in an off-site, hardened facility located within the continental United States.

· In the event of system failure, the Vendor will restore the software solution, including Customer Data, with no loss of Customer Data and transactions prior to the failure, or as detailed in a mutually agreed upon disaster recovery plan.

Vendor Response:

· Provide a written Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) that describes how the company will continue to do business in case of an emergency.

· Describe how the business continuity or disaster recovery plan (or both) will be implemented, reviewed, and tested.

· A list of emergency contact information including name, position/title, phone, email and cell phone

· A list of the Vendor’s building location(s) that would be available to serve the Commonwealth during an emergency.

· A description of the areas of Massachusetts that the Vendor could supply in the event of an emergency (e.g., Entire State, Specific City or Region)

Design requirements

The agency aims to make the transition to a modernized payment environment as frictionless as possible for visitors. Therefore, the application must have an intuitive user interface for ease of use. Additionally, the application must:

· Be compatible with Android and iOS devices

· Browser responsive design.

· Allow multiple payment options, including Amex, Discover, Mastercard, Visa,

· Ability to accept contactless payment options, including mobile wallet payments.

· Allow users the ability to review payment before submission

· Park capacity notifications

· Prevent transactions on days specified by DCR

· Support different hours of operation, rate codes and time restrictions

· Transparent booking fee

· ADA compliant Reporting:

Vendor will supply DCR with a robust back-end parking analytics tool that will allow the agency to drill down on a per transaction level and to monitor transactions in real-time. The reporting tool shall be accessible to authorized personnel from any web-based device. Reporting requirements include:

· Parking Data

· Number of transactions, organized by rate structure

· Total parking revenue

· Demand statistics and utilization rate

· Historical data

· Vehicle counts

· Customer transactions report

· Report should include date, time, duration, primary location, and form of payment

· Repeat customer data

· Ability to filter data based on location, hour, day, transaction amount

· Ability to export reports to multiple file formats: excel, pdf, csv, etc.

· Ad-hoc reporting Cost Proposal:

Vendors shall submit a separate cost proposal outlining all costs associated with a successful implementation. Costs to include but not limited to:

· Initial set-up

· Hours and rate of staff assigned to project

· Signs and decals; installation

· Marketing and public awareness campaign

· Training

· Software license

· Maintenance and support service levels

· Warranty

· On-going monthly costs

· Proposed hardware solution Credit card and Debit card Processing:

To gain an understanding of the various credit card fee structures offered, vendors shall list any and all fees associated with credit and debit card processing. Vendors shall clearly identify merchant processing rates and shall note whether rates are based on a flat fee structure or a percentage of sales.

Please provide an example using the table below of fees associated with a parking transaction of $8.00. Fees will be based on the following:

a. Vendor provides credit card processing and gateway services

b. Agency serves as Merchant of Record using agency’s credit processor & vendor serves as gateway provider.

c. List booking fees that can be passed on to customers

(+) Customer booking fee (c)

Total parking fee paid by customer

(-) Credit card processing fee

(-) Gateway fees

(-) Misc. fees

Revenue received by DCR

Revenue received by Vendor

Administrative Permissions Hierarchy Vendor shall provide a solution with robust, customizable administrative user permission settings. Access levels must be customizable to the individual user level. Access levels shall be customizable each location within a user profile, with the capability to select multiple locations in any configuration.

At a minimum, permission levels shall include:

· View Only (Anonymized data)

· Park Operations (front gate staff, primary POS users)

· Park Supervisor

· Ranger/Enforcement Staff

· Administrative – Financial Data

· Administrative – Business Operations (includes customer data reports)

· Full Administrative

Installation Vendor shall provide installation details based on the following:

· Timeline to acquire required hardware

· Time requirements for on-site staff for system installation needs

· System documentation or manuals

· Anticipated service disruption

Post-installation Vendor shall provide post-installation instructions.

· Clean-up

· Recycling of packaging

Training & Training Materials

Vendor shall provide full training to the agency’s staff via in person and web-based sessions. Number of sessions will be based on the agency’s needs. The vendor is required to provide additional training as needed due to software changes and updates. Vendor is also required to notify the agency of system updates within a reasonable time frame as determined by agency. DCR requires the following:

· Initial implementation trainings for rangers, park operations, finance, business operations, IT and any additional staff DCR identifies after contract awarded.

· Train the trainer sessions as deemed necessary by DCR.

· Annual trainings for year-round and seasonal staff.

· One-on-one trainings as requested.

The vendor will provide the agency with both electronic and hard copies of system manuals.

Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

Software (include mobile payment system and administrative system access) shall not be inoperable for more than three (3) hours on any given day due to system failure.

Requirements:

· All components of the solution are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

· The solution is operational and available nearly 100% (99.9% up time) of the time with minimal downtime.

· Routine maintenance and updates must be scheduled during non-operational hours, 12:00am – 5:00am Eastern Standard Time.

· Automatic failover process to ensure there is no loss of data or workflow in the event of a primary system failure.

Vendor Response:

· Provide response time guarantee.

· Describe in detail how up time guarantee, including redundancy in facilities and services, geographic separation of physical facilities, and other approaches.

· Describe maintenance and update process specifying any required downtime for routine maintenance and upgrade, and planned hours in Eastern Standard Time.

· Describe all tools used to monitor solution availability as well as ways that incident tracking, notifications, and resolutions are managed.

· Vendors shall outline continuity plan in the event application/payment service is inoperable due to a system wide outage.

Quality:

· Vendor to provide access to a live customer service representative 24 hours a day and seven days a week to handle complaints and aid with customer transactions.

SLA Penalties:

· Commonwealth retains the right to withhold compensation proportional to service disruption in the event the contracted terms are not met.

See 3.4.3 SECURITY AND PRIVACY for specific service and data security requirements.

Geographic Service and Delivery Areas

Service areas to include a minimum of 53 parks statewide with the possibility to expand to other parks within DCR’s portfolio.

Several locations within the agency’s portfolio have limited cellular coverage which may hinder mobile payment operation. For these areas, Vendors shall provide solutions on how to facilitate payment whether through the use of specific hardware or software capabilities.

Disposal Services Vendor to provide summary of disposal service to be provided at termination or end of contract.

· Data translation and/or transfer

· Data erasure

· e-Recycling and/or other hardware end of life requirements including DCR purchase potential of any loaned hardware.

Statement of Work (SOW) Requirements

The following Statement of Work is not inclusive of all requirements.

The agency is seeking to implement a modernized contactless payment system for its paid parking portfolio which consist of fifty-three (53) locations throughout the state, with the possibility of expanding to other parks. The agency aims to provide a first-class visitor experience by offering a safe and convenient method to purchase daily parking passes and annual parking permits through the use of a mobile device. Additionally, the agency seeks to reduce congestion at park entrances during peak hours.

Mobile Payment: The vendor shall provide a robust mobile payment system. The system will provide users the ability to purchase parking passes directly from their smartphone or mobile device. Users will have the option to pay through various methods, such as, native application, web-based browser, interactive voice response system, QR Code or text to pay.

Key features:

· Intuitive user interface

· iOS and Android compatible

· Real Time Payment

· Real-time notifications

· Allows multiple vehicles and credit cards under one account

· Accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover credit and debit cards

· Multiple language support

· Responsive Design On-Site POS Interface: The vendor shall provide an on-site POS interface that is integrated with the mobile application and online system for staff use at the parks. The system is required to have customizable permission/access levels, individual unique credentials, automated timeout during inactivity, time-stamped audit trail & remote lockout.

The POS device will allow staff to:

· Sell parking passes in person for use cases when the mobile payment option is not available. (Acceptance of cash, credit card, and mobile pay options).

· Provide customer support through user account creation, editing, and resetting.

· Initiate system adjustments for the specific location such as: capacity adjustments, temporary closures, pass/account lookup, check-in of reserve ahead passes, refunding, & transferring passes.

Responsibilities of the User

Booking Fee: The selected vendor may charge the agency’s customers a booking fee for utilizing the service, however, the fee must be deemed reasonable by the agency. Booking fees must be clearly communicated during the transaction process. Increases in booking fees must be approved by the agency.

Responsibilities of the Vendor

Hardware: DCR will provide tablets and smartphones for field staff at fee locations as necessary. The vendor will provide any other hardware deemed necessary on a site basis.

Annual Permits: The vendor shall offer a digital permit system for purchasing annual passes, including specialty passes such as life-long senior passes, and fee-free passes. The digital permit system will eliminate the need for physical permits and shall be license plate based. Integration with enforcement solutions listed below to confirm permit validity is required. Vendor must provide a method for visual validation of passes and electronic validation; both methods may need to be in use simultaneously across the state.

Online Reservations: The vendor shall offer an initiative reservation system that will allow customers to reserve parking spaces in advance. The system shall give DCR staff the ability to control parking inventory in real-time and with minimum effort.

Enforcement: Enforcement is primarily conducted by Park Rangers who use a mix of manual tickets and a limited number of Two Technologies N5Z1 handheld units to issue parking violations. The agency utilizes Passport Labs, Inc. as the backend citation system. Selected vendor must be able to integrate with Passport Labs, Inc and shall provide a digital enforcement solution to complement current operations.

Reporting: Reporting is integral to the overall success of the mobile payment system. Vendor shall provide a comprehensive reporting tool that will allow the agency access to real-time and historical data. Minimum reporting requirements include:

· Daily revenue segmented by location

· Transaction details

· Inventory utilization

· Exception reports – failed transactions, etc.

Training: The vendor will conduct separate training sessions prior to system launch for administrative and operational staff. Number of training sessions will be based on the agency’s needs. Vendor will provide training materials for future reference and will allow the agency the right to reproduce materials as needed.

Customer Service: The agency requires a highly professional customer service support response during operating hours, 7 days a week. Vendor will field all technical questions or concerns from visitors relating to the payment system via a toll-free number and a support email. Vendor will provide a guaranteed response time for requests and an alternative should the primary support system become unavailable.

Use of customer data: Vendor shall not engage in unsolicited communications with customers and are prohibited from selling customer data.

Maintenance: The vendor will be responsible for all maintenance, security patches and upgrades to the system. The agency requires written notice at least 24-hours in advance of critical system upgrades. The agency requires an uptime of 99.9%.

Marketing/Signage: Marketing is vital to raise awareness to the agency’s new system. Therefore, the vendor shall create a marketing plan outlining community engagement. All marketing and signage, including decals and flyers must be approved by agency. Vendor will provide signage, decals and flyers at no or minimal cost to agency. Vendor shall install signage; however, agency reserves the right to use third party installation service.

Work Schedules and Performance Dates

The agency aims to implement the new payment system in late spring or summer of 2021. Vendor shall outline execution strategy to meet objectives based on the following:

Data Collection Phase: Vendor will analyze the agency’s operations. Agency to provide details of each location- space counts, sample reports, etc.

Set-up Phase: System Development; create naming convention for each location Testing Phase: Vendor to conduct necessary system testing; identify and correct possible issues Training Phase: Vendor to provide training for administrative and operational staff prior to launch Launch: April, 2021

Implementation Plan: Although DCR would like to implement the new system throughout its portfolio concurrently, the agency recognizes that a phased approach maybe required. Implementation will be based on a tiered approach where the top revenue generating locations will be part of the first rollout. All other locations will be phased according to DCR specifications and timeline. DCR reserves the right to alter implementation plan based on operational requirements.

Proposed Phase 1 locations Phase 1

Borderland State Park

Implementation Schedule Bidder shall provide a summary schedule for implementation and trainings. Schedule must include an estimated time frame for completion in hours, days, or weeks as applicable. Schedule shall include the following processes at a minimum, bidders are welcome to include additional processes in their plan if they desire.

· Software design & creation

· Hardware acquisition (if required)

· On-site installation (if required)

· Custom report creation

· Marketing and signage design

· Training – Primary users (rangers, gate staff, park operations)

· Training – Administrative users (finance, business operations, IT)

Scheduled payments

Payment: All daily revenue collected shall be deposited in the agency’s bank account on a daily basis following industry standards of same day or next day after processing. Vendor shall provide DCR with the means to reconcile transactions for accuracy.

Invoicing: At the start of each month, vendor shall submit an invoice detailing the service fees associated with all valid transactions from the previous month. Vendor shall provide invoice via email and make accessible through a web portal, along with invoicing history. Payments from the Commonwealth are made on a net 45-day basis.

Change Management Procedures

Vendor will collaborate with the agency to acquire necessary information to migrate data from existing vendor. The agency will provide contacts and will serve as liaison between the agency’s current service provider and the new vendor.

Should the agency decide to transition to a different vendor in the future, the current vendor is required to submit a transition plan, and work with the new provider to ensure a smooth changeover. During the process, vendor is required to maintain a consistent level of service so that the agency’s operation is not impacted and provide new provider with all requested data. Vendor will be available to assist the agency post separation.

Intellectual Property Ownership

Any intellectual property developed under the Contract would belong to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

All data and rights of data generated from the system shall be the sole ownership of the agency. The vendor shall provide the agency with data in XML or CSV file format when requested and/or upon contract termination.

Requirements at Contract or Engagement Termination The selected vendor’s full cooperation is required to assure smooth transition, transfer of data to new Vendor, buyout of materials or equipment put in place by selected vendor. There are no restrictions on new Vendor hiring old Vendor’s employees, overlapping of Contract time frames, knowledge transfer, allowing for a rolling transfer approach.

Information Technology Specifications

Accounting and Payments

Accounting Requirements Authorized users to perform basic accounting.

Requirements:

· Basic accounting procedures for tracking fees paid, reconciling fees with license purchases, bank deposits, and fund allocations—in particular, the solution must support Generally Accepted Account Principles (GAAP) to ensure auditability.

· Periodic review of license sales information via all sales channels, including a means to verify proper transfer of revenue to DCR’s bank accounts.

· Authorized users have capability to void licenses, permits, and stamps under certain circumstances within a time period.

· The solution generates an audit trail for all transactions, ensuring the audit information cannot be physically altered or deleted. Financial accuracy throughout the system must be to the nearest penny. Counts and sums of privileges, customers, transaction, etc. must be precise to the whole number. Averages and other mathematical relationships must be accurate to the nearest hundredth.

Vendor Response:

· Describe basic accounting practices of the solution.

· Describe options for making periodic reviews of license sales information.

· Describe transaction audit trail.

Credit Card & Electronic Payment Transactions Credit card, mobile wallet pay, and other electronic payment methods are a secure and authenticated means of payment for all transactions.

Requirements:

· Credit card, mobile wallet pay, and/or alternate secure electronic payment processing for all transactions.

· Secure authentication and validation of payment credentials for MasterCard, Visa, Discover, American Express, mobile pay and/or other electronic payment methods.

· Maintain in accordance with Comptroller electronic payment policies, all payment processing must adhere to Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards.

Protection of Personal Data and Information. The Vendor must comply with Commonwealth Security Standards, available at https://www.macomptroller.org/non-tax-revenue, including the most recent policies regarding PCI compliance, available at https://www.powerdms.com/public/MAComptroller/documents/1779482

· Solution vendor must be PCI compliant and be able to document their PCI compliancy to DCR on an ongoing basis.

Vendor Response:

· Describe options related to credit card processing within the software solution

· Describe options related to mobile pay (iOS & Android) and any alternate electronic payment methods accepted.

· Describe security protocols for credit card & mobile wallet payment processing

Revenue Flow DCR executes EFT transactions through an Automated Clearing House.

Requirements:

· EFT transaction execution through an Automated Clearing House (ACH) on a pre-determined internal schedule Vendor Response:

· Describe how EFT transactions are executed through an ACH

Information Technology and Support The selected Vendor is responsible for configuring, maintaining, and delivering a SaaS solution. The following requirements pertain to solution and data security, solution performance and availability, and application accessibility.

For each requirement listed below, indicate the level of your product’s adherence to the requirement as fully meets requirement, partially meets requirement, or does not meet requirement. Include any additional details to explain how the product meets the requirement.

Data backup…