RP035_25 INV.pdf

The files

October 22, 2025

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

RP035-25

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners is soliciting competitive sealed proposals from qualified service providers for the Provision and Implementation of a Laboratory Information Management System on a Multi-Year Contract for the Department of Water Resources.

Proposals must be returned in a sealed container marked on the outside with the Request for Proposal number and Company Name. Proposals will be received until 2:50 P.M. local time on November 19, 2025 at the Gwinnett County Financial Services - Purchasing Division – 4th Floor - Nash Building, 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30046. Any proposal received after this date and time will not be accepted. Proposals will be publicly opened and only names of submitting firms will be read at 3:00 P.M. A list of firms submitting proposals will be available the following business day on our website www.gwinnettcounty.com.

Questions regarding proposals should be directed to Bethany White, Purchasing Associate II at Bethany.White@GwinnettCounty.com or by calling 770-822-5149, no later than November 7, 2025. Proposals are legal and binding upon the vendor when submitted. One single sided unbound original, six (6) copies, and one (1) electronic copy on a flash drive should be submitted.

Successful service providers will be required to meet insurance requirements. The Insurance Company should be authorized to do business in Georgia by the Georgia Insurance Department and must have an A.M. Best rating of A-10 or higher.

Gwinnett County does not discriminate on the basis of disability in the admission or access to its programs or activities. Any requests for reasonable accommodations required by individuals to fully participate in any open meeting, program or activity of Gwinnett County Government should be directed to the ADA Coordinator at the Gwinnett County Justice and Administration Center, 770-822-8165.

The written proposal documents supersede any verbal or written prior communications between the parties.

Selection criteria are outlined in the request for proposal documents. Gwinnett County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals to waive technicalities, and to make an award deemed in its best interest.

Award notification will be posted after award on the County website, www.gwinnettcounty.com and companies submitting a proposal will be notified via email.

We look forward to your proposal and appreciate your interest in Gwinnett County.

Bethany White Purchasing Associate II http://www.gwinnettcounty.com/ http://www.gwinnettcounty.com/

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1.0 Introduction

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners (County) is soliciting competitive sealed proposals from qualified service providers for the Provision and Implementation of a comprehensive Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) on a Multi-Year Contract for the Gwinnett County Water Resources Department. The solution will enhance the County’s Water Resources Laboratory (WRL) management capabilities and grow with its needs.

The WRL is interested in either an on premise, or Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) a Software as a Service (SaaS/Cloud) solution. Cloud base systems must have a proven track record of providing a cloud base solution to include workflows, and quality control queues as described by this proposal to businesses and/or other government jurisdictions of the same size and complexity as the County’s Water Resources Laboratory. The proposed solution should meet the requirements outlined in the proposal and the service provider should be prepared to demonstrate those capabilities, should they be asked to do so before award. Note, commercial production systems or systems that are undergoing major functional changes or upgrades are not acceptable for industry-standard systems sought in this solicitation. Although the County is interested in implementing systems with a proven track record and implementation history, that does not preclude service providers from submitting optional proposals that may utilize emerging technology whether on-premises, hosted, or cloud-based solutions, to provide the best result for Gwinnett County.

The County intends to award a contract for this proposal to one (1) service provider. There are no expressed or implied obligations for the County to reimburse responding service providers for any expenses incurred in preparing proposals in response to this solicitation. The full cost of proposal preparation and interview presentation (if required) is to be borne by the proposing service provider.

Proposals must be signed by a company official who has the authority to commit company resources.

The request for proposal and the successful proposal will become part of a written contract between the County and the proposing service provider. The contract shall be on forms supplied by the County.

A sample contract has been included for review by the proposer’s legal counsel.

Finally, all proposed solutions must comply with the Security Requirements Standards provided in the solicitation with any exceptions being itemized and explained.

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2.0 Background and Current Environment

This Section of the proposal provides background on the County, the Water Resources Laboratory, and relevant systems in operation in the current environment, as well as the planned future environment.

2.1 County Background Gwinnett County, Georgia is a suburban county, located approximately 30 miles northeast of Atlanta, Georgia. The County has an estimated population of approximately 1,020,157.

Currently, the County has a total of 6,105 authorized positions, including appointed and elected officials.

The governing authority of the County consists of a five-person Board of Commissioners, including a full-time chairman elected at large and four Commissioners elected on a district basis. The County operates under the County Administrator form of management and has thirteen operating departments.

The County Administrator reports directly to the Board and oversees the activities of the appointed County department heads. In addition, the County Administrator's Office also acts as a liaison for the Board with other elected officials.

Gwinnett County government provides a wide array of services to its residents including "traditional" county government functions such as construction and maintenance of roads and court-related activities, as well as municipal functions such as police, fire, recreation, emergency services and water/waste services. The County Organizational Chart is shown below.

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2.2 Gwinnett County Water Resources

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) distribution system contains 4,110 miles of water pipe, 282,447 meters and serves approximately 900,000 residents. It is the goal of the DWR to utilize a secure formal management system to wholistically track, report, and maintain data for permit-related requirements. This goal can be threatened by the increasing volume and complexity of work as the County expands, coupled with the attrition of knowledgeable staff. The reliance on manual tools and processes for work organization also poses increased risks to efficient workflow and data integrity. In pursuit of the County’s missions and goals, it is necessary to expand the use of technology to outpace the current threats faced.

2.3 Gwinnett County Department of Information Technology Architecture and Environment

The County’s network is managed by the County Department of Information Technology Services. The network supports all County Departments, including public safety. The County’s existing network topology consists of a logical layer operating over a physical layer. The logical layer is firewalled between members but operates in a relatively open manner so that if there is physical connectivity, there is also a logical path to that node. The physical layer is a hub-and-spoke architecture with links provided by Gwinnett County-owned fiber, as well as metered connections from a network vendor.

The County network core consists of two primary sites, Gwinnett County Justice and Administration Center (GJAC) and Gwinnett County Police Department (GCPD) Annex, which have dual high-speed connections to each site. The remote nodes have redundant connections to the core. The County is establishing a disaster recovery (DR) location and Alternate 9-1-1 Center at the Bay Creek District Office.

If applicable, the County requires Cisco network switches for any connectivity between the proposed infrastructure and the County’s network. In addition, the County preference is for hyper-converged (HCI) fully virtualized environments. As a result, the proposer should consider this type of architecture when proposing the infrastructure required for the proposed solution.

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The current Gwinnett County ecosystem that includes the relevant technologies for this proposal shown in the table below:

Technology Type Current Technology On-premises Email Gateway Proofpoint Security Current Technology Data Loss Prevention Microsoft DLP Network Current Technology Cloud Email Gateway Proofpoint Multi Factor Authentication Microsoft Azure Cloud Protocols Current Technology Directory Services Standard LDAP, Active Directory (AD), AzureAD Hardware Server(physical) HP DL380P Current Gen (G12) Server(virtual) VMWare Server 2022 Software Current Technology Productivity Microsoft 365/Windows 11 ERP (Before July 2026) Oracle Fusion Cloud for Financials

SAP for Human Resources Capital ERP (After July 2026) Oracle Fusion Cloud (Financials & HR) Database Microsoft SQL 2022 Document Repository FileNet, SharePoint Email Communications Platform Microsoft Exchange Online Internet Browser Microsoft Edge Document digitization and workflow DocuSign Mobile Device Management Microsoft Intune

Table 1 – Technology Ecosystem

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3.0 Scope of Services

3.1 Project Overview

The County operates and maintains the Water Resources Laboratory (WRL) for analyzing water, wastewater, and stormwater samples. Daily, the WRL conducts chemical analyses and microbial testing.

Annually, the WRL performs over 44,000 analyses, totaling over half a million data entry points. This testing is being conducted to comply with the various regulatory laws, such as the Clean Water Act (specifically, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)) and the Safe Drinking Water Act

(SDWA).

The WRL staff include scientists, analysts, interns, quality assurance/quality control staff, and management, totaling nineteen (19) employees. The WRL has a state-accredited water microbiological lab and employs fifteen (15) state-licensed Water Laboratory Analysts. The WRL’s wastewater lab is served by sixteen (16) state-licensed Wastewater Laboratory Analysts. The County currently utilizes an on-premises version of a LIMS, Accelerated Technology Laboratories Sample Master, Version 10 (v10.5.0.2). This application is critical for the management of daily operations such as work scheduling, inventory, calculations, QA/QC, data entry, archival data, trend analysis, sample preparation logs, sample preparation labels, unique data identifications, audit trail, and instrument management. The application maintains compliance data and must exceed requirements for data storage, controlled access, and security. Accelerated Technology Laboratories Sample Master is administered by a Water Resources on-site support team designated to assist in minimal support tasks.

Existing System Configuration:

Application Server — VMware Virtual Machine Server 2019 and SQL 2019

Development Server — VMware Virtual Machine Server 2019 and SQL 2019

LIMS Software Application — Accelerated Technology Laboratories Sample Master Version 10 (v10.5.0.2)

The County invites qualified service providers to submit proposals for a comprehensive Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). The County’s desire and expectation is that the proposed solution enhances accuracy and productivity for the Water Resources Laboratory. The County anticipates selecting a processing solution that meets the optimal number of its functional specifications with standard system functionality at the best value for the County

The LIMS must be fully capable of immediate (out-of-box) implementation with full functionality except for configuration items. The system should not require service provider customization.

The selected solution will consist of at least the following.

1. All software for a complete and operable system

2. Installation, on-site testing, and startup

3. Warranties, maintenance contracts, and support services

4. Training

5. Project Management

6. Data Migration

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7. Instrument Parsing Setup and Support

8. Electronic integration with Hach WIMS, ARCGIS, and CMMS.

9. Geofencing capability to tag distribution system sampling locations within a 15-meter radius.

The successful solution will include not only the software solution, support and technical services, but also the maintenance, professional services, training, project management, implementation, and support as described in this request for proposal.

Conceptually, the proposed solution should include, but not be limited to, the capabilities/ components listed above. The functions listed throughout this proposal should all work together to provide a comprehensive, well-integrated and scalable solution for the WRL.

3.2 Component Systems

The County expects the service provider to provide all the components necessary for a fully functioning solution for each solution component and the collective solution of all those components working together as a single solution. The service provider is responsible for providing a single solution response that is complete and meets all requirements. The level of integration between major system components will be a proposal evaluation factor. The County anticipates that in a proposed solution with components from different sources, the service provider will act as the system integrator and be responsible for overall implementation, any internal interfaces required, testing, training, and maintenance support of the complete solution.

The County anticipates selecting a processing solution that meets the optimal number of its functional specifications with standard system functionality.

The service provider shall provide support and technical services that meet the specific minimum requirements.

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4.0 Proposal Requirements

The proposal response shall provide information necessary for the County to evaluate the qualifications, experience, and expertise of the service provider to provide the requested functionality and services.

The service provider is to make a written proposal that presents an understanding of the work to be performed. The proposal is to demonstrate and provide evidence that the service provider has the capabilities, professional expertise, and experience to provide the necessary services as described in this solicitation. The service provider is to ensure that all information required herein is submitted with the proposal. An authorized representative of the service provider shall sign the proposal. All information provided is to be verifiable by documentation and demonstration requested by Gwinnett County.

To enhance the evaluation process and provide each service provider with an equal opportunity for consideration, all service providers should adhere to a standardized technical proposal format outlined in this proposal. Responses are to be as thorough and detailed as possible so that the County may properly evaluate the service provider’s capabilities to provide the required services. Responses must be received in both electronic and written formats. Submit all electronic files on a virus-free USB drive.

Elaborate brochures or presentations beyond what is needed for a complete and effective proposal will not be considered and are discouraged. Elaborate artwork, expensive paper, visual and other presentation aids are not required. Service providers are to respond clearly and concisely to all questions without referring to preprinted materials (unless the proposal specifically requests the service provider to do so) as a response.

Service providers are encouraged to submit clear and concise responses, and excessive length or extraneous information is discouraged. To help us evaluate and select a service provider, please address the specific issues requested in this solicitation. Submission of excessive “boiler plate” information, including sales brochures, is discouraged. Proposers should not submit website links in lieu of written responses. Website links and any information contained within may not be reviewed or considered by the County.

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5.0 Proposal Evaluation Process

The County’s evaluation process will use the criteria outlined below to identify the solution that best meets the County’s business and operational needs, is offered at the best value, and is submitted by a service provider with expertise and a proven implementation track record for delivering successful systems. The County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, in whole or in part, to negotiate changes in the scope of services and to waive any technicalities as deemed in its best interest.

For any sections that have required questions to answer, please label the question with the corresponding number, re-state the question, and then answer it.

5.1 Selection Criteria

Selection of the successful service provider will be based upon submission of proposals meeting the selection criteria. Proposal evaluations will be based on assigned evaluation points using the following minimum selection criteria.

Part I Responsiveness

Responsiveness: The service provider’s ability to follow the proposal preparation instructions outlined in this solicitation including the failure to return required pages, missing signatures, missing documents, etc.

A. This section of the proposal response should be identified as “SECTION 1 – RESPONSIVENESS” and include the items listed below in the order indicated below.

a. Cover Sheet, first page of the proposal response, to include the following at a minimum:

i. Request for Proposal Number and Name.

ii. The company submitting the proposal response (service provider).

iii. Date of Submission.

iv. Point of Contact (service provider).

b. Table of Contents that includes all major response headings and page numbers. Note:

all pages in the proposal response should be uniquely numbered.

c. Cover Letter/Executive Summary, to meet the following at a minimum:

i. On company letterhead.

ii. Signed by a person with the corporate authority to enter into any contract which results from the proposal.

d. Executive Summary, to meet the following at a minimum:

i. Overview of service provider company and all partners that make up the proposed solution.

ii. List of products/modules that make up the complete proposed solution.

e. Acknowledgement that service provider has reviewed and understands Background and Current Environment.

f. Acknowledgement that service provider has reviewed and understands Background and Current Environment. Gwinnett County IT Security Requirements.

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Part II Experience & Qualifications

This section of the proposal response should be identified as “SECTION 2 – EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS ” and include the items listed below in the order indicated below.

Experience: (Past performance) Experience as evidenced in the response. This includes, but is not limited to, experience providing similar services to similar municipal customers. Experience and performance of the service provider and proposed personnel on applications similar or larger in size and complexity, including such factors as quality of work, control of cost and ability to meet time requirements and ability to meet the objectives of the project.

Qualifications: (Ability to provide the solution) Specific information on the service provider’s resources and ability to deliver the required services, providing specific approach/plans (implementation, data conversion, testing, training, cutover) to be used to perform the services.

Background on the service provider such as the number of years in business and past major projects completed.

The service provider and all partners that make up the proposed solution will use the response to this section to share information related to their experience and qualifications that will be used to evaluate their ability and willingness to provide the proposed solution in the manner required by the County. The service provider is encouraged to provide any additional information to help supplement their response provided it is directly related to this subject and not marketing or sale material or content.

Identification information

The service provider must submit a solution that meets the functional requirements and other criteria outlined in this request for proposal.

Identify the prime service provider information and explain if there are any subcontractors, partners, and parties that are part of the proposed solution. This should include the information listed below at a minimum.

1. Service provider’s full company name.

2. Service provider’s organizational structure (individual, partnership, or corporation; private or public; profit or non-profit).

3. Service providers headquarters location address and telephone number (must be US-based).

4. Service provider’s location address that will be directly responsible for delivery of the proposed solution

5. Month, day, and year founded. Name of parent firm (if any) and name of affiliates or subsidiaries (if any) that may be involved in providing the services.

6. The service provider shall demonstrate the ability, including staff, resources, and project experience, to facilitate LIMS, including upgrades and integrations with other County systems listed within one year of the project start date.

7. Total number of technical personnel. List professional qualifications and specialized experience of team implementing solutions of similar scope and magnitude (e.g., specifically with respect to large organizations and government agencies).

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Past performance information

The service provider and all partners that make up the proposed solution will use the response to this section to share information related to their experience and qualifications that will be used to evaluate the service provider’s ability and willingness to provide the proposed solution in the manner required by the County. The service provider is encouraged to provide any additional information to help supplement this response provided it is directly related to this subject and not marketing or sale material or content.

1. Provide a summary of the service provider’s company history. This should include the information listed below at a minimum.

a. Dates of inception to present

b. Timelines associated with all acquisitions and changes.

2. Provide the following information regarding the service provider’s size.

a. The total number of full-time employees. (Include a breakdown of how many at the location serving this project and how many elsewhere.)

3. The total number of locations. (Include a breakdown of US versus non-US.)

4. If the service provider had a contract terminated for default during the past three (3) years, please disclose it along with the service provider’s position on the matter(s). If the service provider has experienced no such terminations for default in the past, indicate as such.

5. Has the service provider’s company ever been party to a buy-out, merger, or company acquisition? If so, explain.

6. Has the service provider’s or any service provider employee ever been named in litigation and/or arbitration related to the service provider’s products, services, or for any security breaches? If so, explain.

7. Are there any current or past lawsuits against the service provider’s company by current or former clients?

The service provider shall be a manufacturer of the major items of the proposed LIMS product. The LIMS must be an established system, which has been in use for a minimum of five years but is not near the end of its functional life. Ideally, the system must have been installed and operated in at least 5 laboratories comparable to the WRL for at least 3 years. The service provider must have experience in, and provide evidence of, the successful completion of at least three projects of similar size and scope since the inception of the current version of the software

The service provider must produce required deliverables as demonstrated by examples of previous works in three past municipal installations and submit project documentation and examples for clients of a similar size and complexity that meet the requirements of scope and service including the capacity to achieve the project goals, objectives, and vision.

Financial condition & bank references

The service provider must submit evidence of their financial condition through bank references, financial statements, and other verifiable means. The information in this section provides basic required service provider information.

1. Provide a copy of the service provider’s latest audited financial statements. If audited financial statements are not disclosable, then include information that can be used to get a clear and realistic understanding of the service provider’s financial standing.

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Service provider’s customers

The service provider must include a list of the service provider’s current customers within the United States that are using the proposed solution. Include the customer’s name, size of the implementation and years in service.

1. List Governments/Agencies that are using the proposed solution.

2. How many government agencies with more than 500,000 residents are using the proposed solution?

3. How many government agencies in the state of Georgia are using the proposed solution?

Provide a list of agencies utilizing the solution that are located within a 50-mile radius of Atlanta, Georgia.

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Part III Water Resources Laboratory System Requirements

Service providers shall indicate how the service provider can satisfy the County’s business needs, system requirements, and identify the capabilities available in the proposed solution as defined in this section. This section of the proposal response should be identified as “SECTION 3 – WATER RESOURCES LABORATORY SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS” and include the items listed below in the order indicated below.

In this section, provide specific information including how the features and functions work, the architecture, supportability, and overall robustness of the solution, as well as an overview of the complexity and flexibility of the solution and how scalable it is.

The service provider must clearly demonstrate an understanding of the County’s objectives and vision in the proposed solution and the ability to meet the County’s requirements.

The WRL system requirements of the LIMS are the basic functions of aspects that the software application should be capable of performing. Functionality is outlined in the following sections, 3.1-3.11.

For each of the items listed below, the service provider should respond as “Fully or Partially Compliant” to a requirement along with an explanation, or it will be scored as “Not Available”. Service providers are encouraged to provide as much detail as possible if alternative functionality/capabilities are available that partially or alternatively meet the identified functional requirement.

The service provider should indicate to what level the proposed solution provides the functionality, feature, and use indicated. Service providers should indicate one of the options listed below for each requirement. Failure to do so will result in that requirement being scored as though it is “No – Does not meet”.

• YES – Fully meets – the service provider’s solution will provide the described functionality in the system delivered to the County if the service provider’s solution is selected.

• YES – Partially meets – the service provider takes exception to the specification and must explain the reason for the exception as directed in the column Response Notes.

• NO – Does not meet – the service provider’s current production system is not capable of performing the function as listed in the requirement and will not be delivered in a system if the service provider’s solution is selected.

• The service providers requirement responses must coordinate requirement numbering.

3.1 Laboratory Operations – The requirements associated with laboratory operations include, at a minimum:

• Processing sample requests

• Sample collection

• Sample receipt

• Unique Sample identification

• Solution creation and control

• Sample tracking and related information

• Sample analysis

• Chemical and equipment maintenance and calibration

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3.2 Offsite/Field Operations – The requirements specific to Distribution (ZONE, Water Quality Parameter, etc.) sampling include, at a minimum:

• Secured off-site sample data entry

• Geofencing within 15 meters of site locations

• Integration with mapping applications (ARCGIS, CentralSquare EAM, etc.)

• Configurable bench sheet creation

3.3 Quality Control – The requirements specific to confirm QA/QC parameters specified by EPA/ EPD and Standard Methods to address the following areas:

• Legally defensible data

• Control chart creation

• Data Qualifiers

• Method detection limit monitoring

• Corrective action creation and documentation

• Standard operating procedures

• Branded bench sheet creation

3.4 Laboratory Management – The requirements specifically related to the following:

• Sample scheduling

• Labels for samples and solutions

• Chain of Custody- Creation and storage

• Personnel scheduling and resource planning

• Assessing productivity

• Instrument data entry

• Electronic bench sheet (upload and print)

• Batch data upload

• Completeness of results

• Supply Inventory

• Personnel training/certification

3.5 Monitoring and Control – The requirements specific to monitoring and control require a LIMS to address the following areas:

• Sample tracking and status

• Data validation and approval

• Analytical batch requirements

• Result parameters defined by site and test

• Data archival

3.6 Reporting and Communication – Information is used for regulatory compliance, trending, scientific support, and comparative analysis. The reporting requirements include access to reliable data and communicating information in written, graphical, and electronic formats.

• The service provider should provide report configuration and report training for the WRL via Crystal Reports/Power BI or a similar application.

• Hach WIMS and CentralSquare EAM will need to access data remotely on set at scheduled times.

• Outsourced analyses will require batch uploading.

• Optional: Email of report to clients post final data approval.

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• The software must have the ability to hold historical or archive information and allow users to retrieve within a certain timeline.

3.7 Data Capture - The LIMS must be capable of the methods of data capture listed below and be capable of being interfaced with the WRL's current instrumentation (listed below). The service provider must describe how future instrument acquisitions by the WRL are interfaced with the

LIMS.

• Manual data entry

• Batch upload entry

• Automated instrument entry

• Electronic data imported from external systems

• Contract laboratory data

• Excel spreadsheets

• Barcode scanners and barcodes

• Optical scanner

• QR code scanner

Equipment Type Manufacturer and Model

Analytical Balance Mettler PC2000 balance

Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Shimadzu L CSH

Ion Chromatography Metrohm 930 Compact IC Flex

Benchtop Nephelometer Hach TU5200

Spectrophotometer Hach 6000 and Hach 3900 Fluorometer Turner Designs Trilogy Discrete Analyzer Thermo Fisher Scientific Gallery Biochemical Oxygen Demand Skalar BOD Model#21088905-01

Total Phosphorus Spectrophotometer Shimadzu UV-2600i UV-Vis

Microscope Nikon Eclipse Ci Incubator Walk in unit

Table 1–Existing Water Resources Laboratory Instruments

3.8 Data Export – To facilitate data modeling, manipulation, and reporting, the system shall include the following features:

• A means for exporting data into an SQL database

• A means for exporting data into Microsoft Excel

• Provisions for fixed format exporting of laboratory analytical results

• Provide the ability to export data in standard file formats (i.e. PDF, CSV, MS Excel, etc.)

3.9 Calculations – The LIMS should include provisions for the definition of mathematically derived fields as test results, and within reports. Additionally, the LIMS must:

• Provide a library of mathematical functions, including advanced functions

• Provide an advanced statistical tool

• Allow user-defined functions/calculations

• Allow the manipulation of computations through event triggers

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• Provide for trigger for data below the detection level

3.10 Data Verification – The LIMS should be capable of multiple levels of data validation. Specifically, the WRL desires electronic validation of data by the analyst or sample collector for each sample batch. In addition, LIMS should provide electronic validation of data by supervisory staff for batches of test results and completed samples. This validation would include:

• Multiple verification statuses (e.g., Pass/Fail, Valid/Invalid, Approved/Not Approved, Questionable, and Arabic numeral). Statuses may be combined for differing scenarios and may be automatically assigned upon data entry

• Multiple Limits checking up to ten classifications or ranges

• Changeable limits with maintenance of historical values

• Compliance with laboratory procedures

• Manual annotation and flagging of questioned data and subsequent resolution by analyst or laboratory management

• Automated sample rescheduling

• Communication of verification status to external systems (e.g., automated exception reports)

• Provide the ability to review data before it downloads

3.11 Data Population – The service provider should assist in data population by analyzing the WRL’s historical data, identifying LIMS data formats, and providing direction in reformatting or additional data population

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Part IV Technical System Requirements

This section of the proposal response should be identified as “SECTION 4 –TECHNICAL SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS” and include the items listed below in the order indicated below.

Technical System Requirements: The service provider is to specify how the features and functions work, the architecture, supportability, and overall robustness of the solution, as well as an overview of the complexity and flexibility of the solution and how scalable it is.

The service provider is to clearly demonstrate an understanding of the County’s objectives and vision in the proposed solution and the ability to meet the County’s technical requirements.

The service provide is to provide examples of previous works that meet the requirements of scope and service including the capacity to achieve the project goals, objectives, and vision.

If the service provider is proposing a cloud solution, they should have a minimum of five years’ experience in providing cloud hosting and implementation services and provide appropriate supporting documentation to support this.

For each of the items listed below, the service provider should respond as “Fully or Partially Compliant” to a requirement along with an explanation, or it will be scored as “Not Available”. Service providers are encouraged to provide as much detail as possible if alternative functionality/capabilities are available that partially or alternatively meet the identified functional requirement.

The service provider should indicate to what level the proposed solution provides the functionality, feature, and use indicated. Service providers should indicate one of the options listed below for each requirement. Failure to do so will result in that requirement being scored as though it is “No – Does not meet”.

• YES – Fully meets – the service provider’s solution will provide the described functionality in the system delivered to the County if the service provider’s solution is selected.

• YES – Partially meets – the service provider takes exception to the specification and must explain the reason for the exception as directed in the column Response Notes.

• NO – Does not meet – the service provider’s current production system is not capable of performing the function as listed in the requirement and will not be delivered in a system if the service provider’s solution is selected.

• The service providers requirement responses must coordinate requirement numbering.

The service providers requirement responses must coordinate with requirement numbering

The service provider will propose all necessary hardware and software to ensure that the proposed solution provided by the service provider will perform at its optimum capabilities for the users and those that interact with the system.

The County requires that service provider’s response to this proposal include a turnkey system configuration necessary to meet the functional and operational requirements of this proposal consisting of items as outlined below:

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• Completed solution component diagram and how it will connect the user and County to the cloud-based solution. – if applicable.

• Databases and database management.

• Operating system software required (device, browser, internet speeds, etc.)

• Servers and backend equipment – if applicable.

• Specifications in size, power consumption, etc. The application must have been developed utilizing standard commercial products.

• Authentication credentials or sensitive data are not allowed to be stored in the service providers code.

4.1 Technical Architecture

• Describe the technical architecture of the solution and how it would be accessible to

County users (through a County computer and mobile devices) and by external users or non-users who are interacting with the solution. This must include any, and all bandwidth assumptions and requirements.

• The solution is expected to be browser agnostic and backward compatible to all actively supported browser versions. The service provider must ensure that the solution is upgraded and maintained to this specification during its lifetime. Include a description as to how many versions backward from current is supported.

• Provide a complete solution component diagram that shows solution components.

4.2 Database The service provider is also expected to supply database backup and recovery procedures and to provide a mechanism for archiving data to external off-site storage on an annual basis.

System interfaces and integrations

4.3 Third Party interfaces

• Custom Integration Flows: Ability to create custom integration flows to automate business processes and data synchronization between different systems

• Scalability and Flexibility: Support for scalable and flexible integrations to meet evolving business needs.

• Geofencing capability to tag distribution system sampling locations within a 15-meter radius

• Integrations with o WIMS o ArcGIS o CentralSquare EAM o Instruments (see Table 1 – Existing Water Resources Laboratory Instruments)

4.4 Application Programming Interfaces (APIs): Ensure robust API capabilities to facilitate seamless integration with third-party applications, providing comprehensive documentation, REST and SOAP support, secure authentication and authorization, real-time data exchange, error handling and logging, API rate limiting, and versioning. Any cost associated with an API must be listed in the cost proposal.

• Describe what APIs are available for integration with third-party tools or internal systems

• Describe how plug-ins or modular add-ons are supported for extending functionality

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4.5 Custom Integration Flows: Ability to create custom integration flows to automate business processes and data synchronization between different systems.

4.6 Standard Integration flows List all existing standard interfaces and integrations that are included with the proposed solutions and other productivity tools such as Microsoft Outlook, content management solutions, ERPs, electronic signature solutions etc. Also indicate if the integrations support single or bi-directional data sharing.

4.7 Mobile Accessibility Ability for users to interact with the solution via mobile devices.

4.8 Documentation The service provider must provide documentation to support the software, as well as the WRL business processes pertaining to the software. Any solution tools or utilities that are desirable to tune, test, maintain, or support the systems must be specified in the documentation.

Any tailoring or configuring must be documented and delivered to the County. At a minimum, as applicable, the service provider shall provide the County with the following:

• User documentation.

• Configuration documentation.

• Interface documentation.

• System Administration manuals.

• Application software tutorial.

• Database setup and maintenance.

• System documentation.

• Documentation for web service/interface definitions.

• First level triaging/trouble shooting for agency helpdesk.

• Helpdesk supports call escalation process.

• Disaster recovery documentation.

• Planned system maintenance and upgrade schedules

4.9 Dashboards Describe the dashboarding capabilities for a basic user. This should include:

• What is presented on a default dashboard upon a user logging in.

• Any customization options available to the user at what permission level.

• What is presented on a default dashboard for an established team.

• How does the dashboard integrate and function with existing work tools such as

Microsoft Office 365 and Outlook, etc.

• How does the dashboard utilize user created workflows

• Describe the current configuration options that exist for dashboards

4.10 Reports The service provider must provide reports to support the WRL business processes pertaining to the software. Reports must adhere to County branding guidelines.

• Describe what standard and configurable reports are available within the proposed solution

• Describe how reports can be shared with non-users of the proposed solution.

• Describe the out-of-the-box reports provided by the solution. This should include:

o All information available within the report.

o How the user would export the report, including formats and file types.

• Describe the process for a user to run a custom, ad-hoc report or the process to request a custom report to be built with the options to run the report i.e. on-demand, scheduled, etc.

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4.11 Analytics Describe the data analysis capabilities, if any, provided by the solution.

• Explain how users can create visualizations such as timelines, link charts, trend graphs and maps from ingested data.

• Does the solution support automated generation of visualization from structured data?

• Describe the support for automated link analysis and explain how linkages update dynamically as new data is added.

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Part V Security and Compliance Requirements

This section of the proposal response should be identified as “SECTION 5 –SECURITY AND COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS” and include the items listed below in the order indicated below.

Security and Compliance Requirements: The ability of the service provider to clearly demonstrate an understanding of the County’s objectives and vision in the proposed solution and the ability to meet the County’s security and compliance requirements. The service provider shall provide a documented and robust Disaster Recovery Strategy. The service provider must include SOC 2 Type II Audits for Cloud based solutions.

The County requires that the service provider proposes a solution that protects against service disruption caused by ransomware, in addition to the traditional Continuity of Business provisions. Such protection could use a tiered replication model where the third-tier synchronization lags behind the near real-time replication of the lower tiers. Alternatively, the approach could also include using an off-line Disaster Recovery model.

The service provider is responsible for providing detailed responses to Interrogatories related to security, respond to all related functional requirements and agree to adhere to the requirements and policies outlined in Section 5 Solution Security and Compliance Requirements. Finally, the proposed solution(s) must be able to comply and work with the end-point protection and other security requirements of Gwinnett County

For each of the items listed below, the service provider should respond as “Fully or Partially Compliant” to a requirement along with an explanation, or it will be scored as “Not Available”. Service providers are encouraged to provide as much detail as possible if alternative functionality/capabilities are available that partially or alternatively meet the identified functional requirement.

The service provider should indicate to what level the proposed solution provides the functionality, feature, and use indicated. Service providers should indicate one of the options listed below for each requirement. Failure to do so will result in that requirement being scored as though it is “No – Does not meet”.

• YES – Fully meets – the service provider’s solution will provide the described functionality in the system delivered to the County if the service provider’s solution is selected.

• YES – Partially meets – the service provider takes exception to the specification and must explain the reason for the exception as directed in the column Response Notes.

• NO – Does not meet – the service provider’s current production system is not capable of performing the function as listed in the requirement and will not be delivered in a system if the service provider’s solution is selected.

• The service providers requirement responses must coordinate requirement numbering.

The system shall incorporate multiple levels of security to allow a supervisory user and several other users with personal profiles. Each user will have privileges based on his/her level of access. At minimum, it is expected that LIMS will provide separable insert, update, delete, and read-only privileges and will restrict access to individual screens, menu items, tables, reports, data validation/approval, and quality control functions. In addition, the system must support the collection of “last user/last updated, date/time stamp” information with every database record. The WRL systems administrator should be able to set security requirements using simple methods.

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5.1 Single Sign-On (SSO)

• SSO Integration: Enable Single Sign-On integration with existing authentication systems using

SAML 2.0, OAuth, or other standard protocols to provide seamless and secure access for users.

• Multifactor Authentication (MFA): Compatible with Microsoft Intra (Azure AD).

5.2 Data Security

• Data Security: Implement robust security measures to protect sensitive data.

• Data Storage: It must be stored in the United States in a Private Cloud or an environment established for Government clients.

• Compliance: Ensure the solution complies with relevant regulations and standards.

• Water Resources Laboratory and Infrastructure Sensitive Data. The service provider must be responsible for securing and protecting the following data:

o Compliance monitoring and research data: Any and all results of monitoring for water quality parameters regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), or state-specific regulations, and any and all results of monitoring for research purposes.

o Critical infrastructure information: Data pertaining to the specific physical locations of water sampling points, treatment facilities, distribution system components (e.g., intakes, pump stations, storage tanks).

o Safety-related analytical results: Data from investigative analyses conducted to monitor for contamination events, waterborne disease outbreaks, or other public health threats.

o Proprietary methods and procedures: Any analytical methods, processes, or data handling protocols developed by or for the Department of Water Resources.

5.3 Disaster Recovery

• Recover Time Objective (RTO) of 12 hours after declaration of a disaster.

• Recover Point Objective (RPO) of 4 hours maximum customer data loss.

5.4 Software Updates and Patches

• Regular application updates and patches to ensure the solution remains secure and up to date.

Ensure application patches, fixes, and upgrades are included in terms of the contract, including disaster recovery with a multi-physical location hosting requirement.

• Transparent communication between the service provider and the county regarding patches, fixes, or upgrades applied to the application before and after installation is complete.

• Service providers must specify their process/method for providing upgrades.

Below are Gwinnett County's current requirements related to infrastructure and information security. All service providers are required to comment on adherence to these requirements and call out specifically all exceptions or clarifications to that end. If no exceptions are stated, it is assumed that the service provider fully agrees to the provisions listed below

On-Premises Solution requirements As part of the proposal response, the service provider may propose an On-Premises solution.

5.5 Operating System Compatibility

• Must be compatible with currently supported versions of Microsoft Windows Server.

• Minimum compatibility must include n-1 version from the latest release.

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5.6 Anti-Virus Compatibility

• Must operate effectively with the County ITS-approved anti-virus solution.

• Heuristic scanning must be enabled with minimal exceptions.

5.7 Vulnerability Scanning Agent Support

• Must function properly with the ITS-approved vulnerability scanning agent installed.

• Agent must be configured for weekly scans.

5.8 Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)

• Service providers must describe secure SDLC practices…