RP041-21 RFP

October 27, 2021

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

RP041-21

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners is soliciting competitive sealed proposals from qualified service providers for the Provision and Implementation of a Grants Management Software Solution on an Annual Contract with Four (4) Options to Renew for the Department of Information Technology Services (DoITS).

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 12, 2021 at the Gwinnett County Financial Services - Purchasing Division – 2nd Floor, 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.

A WebEx pre-proposal conference is scheduled for 10:00 A.M. local time on November 4, 2021. To access, dial 408-418-9388, enter Access Code 23370703129##. All consultants are urged to attend. Questions regarding proposals should be directed to Dana Garland, CPPB at dana.garland@gwinnettcounty.com or by calling 770-822- 8723 no later than 3:00 p.m. on November 5, 2021. Proposals are legal and binding upon the proposer when submitted. One unbound single sided original, six (6) bound copies, and one (1) electronic copy on a flash drive should be submitted.

The Proposal package can be accessed through the County’s website on the Bids and RFPs section of the Purchasing Page.

Successful service provider 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-5 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.

Dana Garland, CPPB, NIGP-CPP Purchasing Associate III http://www.gwinnettcounty.com/ mailto:dana.garland@gwinnettcounty.com http://www.gwinnettcounty.com/

REQUEST FOR

PROPOSAL

RP041-21

Provision and Implementation of

Grants Management Software Solution

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA

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INTRODUCTION

The intent of this Request for Proposal is for the Gwinnett County Department of Financial Services (DoFS), located in Gwinnett County (County), Georgia to obtain proposals from service providers offering a cloud-based software solution to track and manage all Gwinnett County grants in a central location that will provide necessary information for proper accounting and reporting of grant awards.

The solution is required to be a commercial off-the-shelf (COTs) solution that will meet the functional requirements and criteria as described in this request for proposal.

DoFS is interested in solutions that have a proven track record of providing grants management software solutions as described by this proposal to other government jurisdictions of the same size and complexity as Gwinnett County. The proposed solution should meet the requirements outlined in the proposal and the vendor 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 exclude offering service providers from submitting optional proposals that may utilize emerging technology whether on-premise, 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 in its entirety. 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 proposal. The full cost of proposal preparation and interview presentation (if required) is to be borne by the proposing service provider.

Proposals must be signed in ink by a company official who has the authority to commit company resources. In light of ongoing challenges related to COVID-19, if original signatures are not possible, we will accept an electronic signature through DocuSign or a similar program. Proposers submitting electronically signed documents must also submit a letter on company letterhead stating that, due to COVID-19, original signatures cannot be provided. This exception applies only to signatures and notary seals; we cannot accept an electronic version only in lieu of the required hard copies as specified in the proposal.

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 existing Exhibit A - Security Requirements for Purchases provided in the solicitation.

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BACKGROUND AND CURRENT ENVIRONMENT

This Section of the proposal provides background on Gwinnett County, DoFS, DoITS, relevant systems in operation in the current environment, as well as the planned future environment.

Demographics

According to estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau in May 2021, Gwinnett County’s population was estimated at 942,627 in 2020. Gwinnett’s talented labor force, premier schools, rich cultural diversity, award-winning parks, and recreation facilities, and affordable real estate continue to attract many businesses, newcomers, and visitors to the area. Gwinnett added an estimated 5,228 residents from July 1, 2019, to July 1, 2020, a growth rate of approximately 0.6 percent. According to estimates by Woods & Poole released in June 2021, the County’s population is expected to reach one million by the year 2023. The County has experienced double and triple-digit population growth every Census since the 1950’s and is ranked as one of the fastest growing counties in the U.S., as well as being the second largest county in Georgia.

The Gwinnett County Government takes a business approach to running the County and continuously strives to improve the services the County provides to County agencies, businesses, and residents. The importance of this mission increases as technology becomes ever more tightly integrated into all facets of operating the County. Through the implementation of a grant management software solution, the County will be able to take more of a strategic approach to grant research and application submissions increasing our grant revenue and enhancing programs and services County-wide.

Gwinnett County Department of Financial Services

The Department of Financial Services Grants Management Division is tasked with researching grant opportunities, submitting successful applications, providing grant-related technical assistance to department liaisons, and administratively managing federal and state grants awarded to the County.

The division is challenged by the use of antiquated resource tools and limited reporting functions which are cumbersome and absorb significant amounts of staffing time. This prevents sufficient organizational and fiscal growth which limits our capacity to grow and enhance grant-funded programs.

Through the introduction of a cloud-based grant management software solution the goal is to introduce new automation to the entire grant process while reducing manual processes and following industry best practices. This implementation would benefit more than the Grants Management Division. The implementation of this tool would be a valuable resource to departments managing grant-funded projects as well as subrecipient agencies. Reporting functionality and workflow processes will allow the division to improve transparency and the quality of reporting data to senior leadership as well as the general public.

The Grants Management Division staffing is comprised of a Grants Director, Grants Manager, Program Analyst, and eight (8) Financial Analysts all of which are full-time employees. At this time an additional staff of temporary employees (7-12) have been engaged to manage the financial administration of Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds. The County is in year 2 of a 3-year contract with W. Frank Newton, Inc., dba WFN Consulting, an external program management service provider that is providing HUD Management Services to administer the County’s grant programs awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This team operates the County’s Community Development Program office and is staffed by a team of 11.

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Statistics are provided below to assist in defining the value and workload of our grant management services.

• Total annual grant revenue managed by Gwinnett County o $396,342,953 (2020 Actual, includes COVID-19 funding) o $152,409,498 (2021 Current, 1.1.2021 – 8.31.2021)

• Number of grant programs currently being managed o 197 Active Grants (Federal/State) as of 8.31.2021

• Pass through dollars to subrecipients o In 2020, the County expended over $196 million in federal and state grant funds of which almost $80 million was subrecipient expenditures.

o Pre-COVID data, on average the County expended $30 - $45 million on an annual basis with about 27% expended by subrecipients

Gwinnett Department of Information Technology Services

The Department of Information Technology Services is responsible for leading the technology evaluation of the solutions presented as a part of this solicitation as well as providing support and delivery of technology solutions and innovations throughout the Gwinnett County Government. The department is made up of over 150 business and technology professionals that deliver innovations and services to all Gwinnett County departments.

Gwinnett 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 location and Alternate 9-1-1 Center at the Bay Creek District Office.

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

Software Current Technology

Productivity Microsoft 365

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ERP SharePoint

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

The Gwinnett County current requirements related to infrastructure and information security can be found in Exhibit A - Security Requirements for Purchases of this Request for Proposal. As indicated in the response requirements, all service providers are required to comment on their adherence to those requirements and callout specifically any, and all exceptions or clarifications to that end.

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SCOPE OF SERVICES

Project overview

The County is procuring a turn-key cloud-based software solution to track and manage all Gwinnett County grants in a central location that will provide necessary information for proper accounting and reporting of grant awards. The successful service provider will provide a cloud-based solution, professional services, training, project management, implementation, and support as described in this proposal.

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 solution provided can include components from multiple manufacturers and providers, however, 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.

As outlined in this proposal, the County’s desire and expectation is that the proposed solution, including any subcontractor applications, partners, and others delivering elements of the solution will be best-of-breed and highly configurable. Gwinnett County anticipates selecting the grants management solution that meets the optimal number of its functional specifications with standard system functionality at the best value for the County.

While a grant management software solution is not mandated by law nor defined under an existing contract, it will allow the County to maintain compliance with the Federal rules and regulations that govern grant administration defined in 2 CFR Part 200 as well as the state and federal regulatory requirements tied to each grant funding source.

Objectives:

• Maximize grant funding with more effective and user-friendly grant research tools.

• Improve compliance with 2 CFR Part 200 with more robust process controls.

• Improved accessibility of grant budgets and performance goals to better track spending and accomplishments assisting departments and subrecipient agencies with grants management.

• Better management of the entire grant process from research to post-award functions and monitoring via automation and enhanced management reporting (i.e., win rates, grants by agency, grants by the funder, etc.).

• Greatly reduce the risk of human error in performing billing calculations and compiling data for reporting in accordance with 2 CFR Part 200’s compliance elements.

• Provide reporting capabilities that do not exist in Excel spreadsheets.

• Ensure accountability by providing an audit trail for every change to each grant and a workflow process with multiple levels of approval.

• Provide a significantly more efficient process than spreadsheets can provide as the current process is individualized based on the terms of the individual grant award.

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• Provide a cloud-based solution eliminating the need for County server capacity and the capacity to securely interface with non-County partners.

• Provide a system that performs necessary evaluation and reporting based on each grant’s terms.

• Provide a solution that could still be utilized by departments but would keep all grant information in one centralized location making the data accessible for accounting and reporting.

• Provide centralized information for auditor testing.

• Provide a mechanism in which to notify department liaisons of grant-related actions (i.e., grant research, application, expenditure timelines, grant period end dates or renewals, etc.).

• Provide a central repository for all grant contracts – documents can be uploaded for each award.

• Provide the ability to upload journal entries into the County’s financial system.

• Eliminate the possibility of files being accidentally deleted or inadvertently moved.

• The solution must be able to track all grant information in one place.

• The solution must have effective administration tools for data entry, workflow capabilities, and document management.

• The Solution should enable the County to organize grant details efficiently and effectively.

• The solution should be compatible with and adhere to all Gwinnett County requirements and infrastructure.

• The solution must include integrations to common ERP systems included in the

Functional Requirements.

• The solution must have the ability to provide export sets of data in a common format for import into other software applications.

• The solution must have the ability to accept import sets of formatted data for upload into the solution.

• The solution must be such that all data is housed within the continental United States.

Conceptually, the proposed solution will include the following capabilities/components that all work together with no integrations, interfaces or development required by either Gwinnett County or the service provider(s):

• Grant Research o Solution uses a customizable search engine to identify funding opportunities.

• Grant Application Management o Ability to track and report on all grant application statuses.

• Grant Budgeting, Activity and Performance Tracking o Ability to track all expenditure, activity, and performance data

• Subrecipient Management and Application Platform o Ability to manage and release grant application cycles for passthrough funding

• eWorkflow and Conditional Workflow o Automated electronic conditional workflows that can be setup by users but can also include non-users

• eForms (i.e., Grant Applications, Contracts, Forms, Letters, Reporting Forms) o Interactive fillable forms that can be set up by users and filled out (including, but not limited to) by users and non-users as part of an eWorkflow and stand-alone.

• Portal and Dashboard / Analytics and Reports o Portal and Dashboards refer to the hub of information available to users and non-users through a browser.

RP041-21 Page 9 of 76 o Analytics refers to the statistics that are reported and analysis available through the portal/dashboard and other reporting means. The selected vendor will closely partner with Gwinnett County to provide and implement a cloud-based grants management software solution that will store all relevant information for Gwinnett County grants and provide appropriate accounting entries and disclosures to comply with General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and the Federal rules and regulations that govern grant administration defined in 2 CFR Part 200 as well as the state and federal regulatory requirements tied to each grant funding source. Proposers must state clearly whether or not their solution meets each of these requirements. See attached list in Exhibit B.

Information security protection

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 in Exhibit B – Functional Requirements Response Workbook, and agree to adhere to the requirements and policies outlined in Exhibit A - Security Requirements for Purchases. Finally, the proposed solution(s) must be able to comply and work with the end-point protection and other security requirements of Gwinnett County.

System software and hardware

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 includes a turnkey system configuration necessary to meet the functional and operational requirements of this proposal consisting of items as outlined in the response at a minimal:

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

• 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.

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.

Implementation and support

The service provider, with appropriate involvement from Gwinnett County employees, must perform all tasks required to install, and implement the proposed system, including all hardware/software installation, service provider-configuration, instruction, professional services, and guidance on user-configuration, testing, training, and construction of interfaces and support for system cutover.

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Phased implementation

Gwinnett County seeks to implement a cloud-based grant management software solution that automates the County’s grant management process, improving grant research capacity, reporting functionality, and workflow processes to allow the County to improve transparency and compliance. Gwinnett County is anticipating a phased approach to automation efforts.

Implementation of the base software package, customization as professional services as needed, migration of all existing data into the application for go-live, and delivery of training.

Site preparation and bandwidth requirements assessment

As part of the proposal response, the service provider shall state the minimum and maximum bandwidth requirements, as well as other permitted ranges of environmental variations, necessary for the satisfactory operation of the proposed solution. The service provider should describe any environment requirements for all recommended and/or proposed components of the proposed solution. This would include the following (if required):

• The latency between Gwinnett County and the service provider’s cloud solution

• Transactional response time ranges that may be tied to service level agreements (SLAs) or invocation of support related tickets

• Documented connection speeds up and down, from the service provider’s cloud solution

Project management

The service provider will be responsible for applying sound project management methodologies in the areas of:

• Project planning

• Risk management

• Resource management

• Project monitoring and reporting

• Production control

• Configuration management

• Quality assurance

• Test planning and execution

• Training

• Implementation methodology

• Post-implementation support

• Adherence to Gwinnett County Change Management processes

• Documentation (technical and non-technical)

The service provider will provide Gwinnett County with a project manager who will be the single point of contact throughout the service provider’s relationship with the County. The County reserves the right to request a change in the project manager if it feels the relationship is not progressing smoothly. The service provider’s project manager will work with a Gwinnett County-provided project manager who will liaise with internal Gwinnett County teams and resources for the delivery of Gwinnett County-owned project tasks.

Change management.

Managing process changes associated with implementing the new systems will be a critical component of project success. The County expects the service provider to work with Gwinnett

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County’s Project Team and agency Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to identify process changes, provide guidance on implementation strategies that provide maximum benefit to the Department, as well as develop training tools and materials to facilitate the transition to the new systems using new business processes.

Documentation

Documentation must be provided to support the software, as well as County agency 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, the service provider shall provide Gwinnett 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 support call escalation process.

• Disaster recovery documentation.

Configuration/Training environment

The service provider is to provide a combination configuration (test) / training environment for the proposed solution. A “sandbox” environment where new features, changes, workflow, forms, etc. can be tried without impacting the test, training, production, or other environments.

Acceptance tests

The implementation must include adequate provisions for functional, performance and reliability testing. The County requires service provider involvement in the development and execution of test plans to assure that the systems deliver the expected results. Satisfactory completion of a mutually agreed-upon Acceptance Test for each stage of the implementation is required, as is a Final Acceptance Test in a fully integrated environment, to ensure components work together as intended. The Acceptance Test will include a confirmation of each functional requirement identified as provided in the service provider’s proposal, in addition to required performance and reliability acceptance procedures that the County may require.

The County requires three types of acceptance tests: functional, performance, and reliability.

The proposed acceptance test strategy must address all three types of acceptance tests.

Acceptance tests will be conducted first on each system component, including all applicable interfaces, independently. Upon acceptance of all systems, a final set of Functional, Performance, and Reliability Acceptance Tests will be performed on the integrated Solution to ensure that all systems work together as intended and at the contracted performance levels.

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The County will notify the selected service provider of the successful completion of each test in accordance with task completion requirements in the Statement of Work (SOW).

Functional acceptance testing requirements

The service provider is to include in the proposal response the plan they would use for Acceptance Testing for their solution should they be selected. The service provider is affirming that the final Solution design, Acceptance Test Plan, and System Documentation includes each proposed solicitation requirement, by marking a “Yes” response in the Functional Requirements Response Matrix.

The County will confirm all Solution functionality prior to System Acceptance. Each specific system function agreed to as part of the final Contract will be tested and tracked from original documentation, e.g., from proposal to Contract, then to Acceptance Testing, by the Selected service provider.

During the Functional Acceptance Test, the selected service provider will demonstrate the operation of each proposed feature, function, and interface simulating a live environment based on the test plan that will be approved by the County no less than 14-days prior to the start of functional testing.

Performance/Stress testing requirements

The purpose of the Performance Test is to demonstrate and document, as necessary, the selected service provider’s performance requirements. The Performance Test will be conducted at the successful implementation of each system and again when all systems have been successfully implemented.

To pass the Performance Test, the proposed solution or system must, for 30 consecutive calendar days, perform successfully, in accordance with the performance requirements stated in this proposal.

System performance and testing requirements

The following performance criteria are provided as a guide in designing the solution and form the basis for acceptance testing of the implemented solution.

• The solution shall conform to the requirements specified in this proposal.

• The solution shall provide all the functional and operational capabilities described as both “Yes-Fully meets” and “Yes-Partially meets” in the Functional Requirements Response, by the service provider in their proposal response to the interrogatory questions and those demonstrated in the product demonstration.

• All inquiry and file maintenance functions shall be performed without adversely affecting system performance and system operations.

• The system shall provide problem-free interoperability for all the hardware and software components specified in this document.

• Users shall not be required to halt system operations during backups or other system administration tasks.

The service provider will not be responsible for the processing time of external systems when such systems are involved in a transaction. It is understood that factors such as network latency, external system responsiveness, the performance of the network, system load, and any external

RP041-21 Page 13 of 76 systems, i.e., queries to state databases, may negatively affect such times and may need to be analyzed as part of the response time determination should an issue with these times occur.

All responding service providers are expected to outline details describing how they will conduct system testing that meets the requirements outlined above. This includes a description of how each of the following system tests are administered and reported upon:

• System response times

• System availability

Reliability testing requirements

The purpose of the Reliability Test, as part of the overall Solution acceptance requirements, is to demonstrate the operational capability and reliability of the solution and system components.

The Reliability Test will be conducted at the successful implementation of each system component and again when all system components have been successfully implemented.

To complete the Reliability Test successfully the following must occur:

• All systems must demonstrate full availability for 30 consecutive days.

• Should any selected service provider-provided hardware component fail three times during the testing phase, the selected service provider will replace the failing hardware component, without charge to the County.

• System performance will continue to meet the functional requirements of the Contract, as tested, or verified by County personnel at any time.

• If the solution or any system component falls below the required availability requirement, the Reliability Test will be stopped. At this time, the selected service provider is to correct any deficiencies in preparation for a retest. If the deficiencies are of such severity that the retest cannot be initiated within 15 days of the initial failure, the selected service provider is to prepare a Correction Plan that details the reason for the failure and proposed correction.

The selected service provider will have three opportunities to complete the Reliability Test over a period of 90 days. All responding service providers are expected to outline details as to how they meet the reliability testing requirements identified above.

Application errors

Upon notification, the selected service provider will promptly correct malfunctions in any of the covered applications/solution components discovered by the County during the term of this agreement, provided (a) the County provides all information regarding such malfunction that may be requested by the selected service provider and reasonably available to the County as defined in the following error reporting section, and (b) the County has provided the selected service provider with remote access to the solution as required by the contract.

All responding service providers are expected to outline details as to how they meet the Application Errors requirements identified above.

Error reporting

The County personnel making such a report will describe to support service staff the malfunction in reasonable detail and the circumstances under which the malfunction occurred or is occurring.

With the assistance of support service staff members, classify the malfunction based on mutually

RP041-21 Page 14 of 76 agreed upon severity levels. The County shall provide all reasonably available information requested by the selected service provider that is necessary to complete its request for technical services. Upon detection of any malfunctions in any of the covered applications, the County shall provide the selected service provider a listing of command input, resulting output, and any other data, including databases and back-up systems, that the selected service provider may reasonably request and is reasonably available to reproduce operating conditions similar to those present when the malfunction occurred.

All responding service providers are expected to outline details as to how they meet the Error Reporting requirements identified above.

Warranty

The entire solution as proposed by the service provider shall include a first-year warranty for service provider-supplied hardware and software for a minimum of twelve (12) months after the formal Final System Acceptance date. The warranty is to include all system and application software updates, enhancements, and refinements, as well as all professional services necessary to support the software. The warranty is to conform to contractually agreed to specifications and protect against any defects or damage caused by manufacturers, service provider, or proposed subcontractors, in the solution’s equipment or software.

Additionally, the service provider will warrant its responses to the functional requirements included in their proposal response and any other element of their proposal and will agree to attach its proposal response to any contract reached with the County.

If the selected service provider is unable to perform under these guidelines, then a separate provider of the County’s choice will be used, and the repair costs passed on to the selected service provider.

Support and maintenance

The County expects that a maintenance and support agreement will be offered and that the maintenance and support will be included in the pricing of the solution units. 24 hours per day x 7 days per week x 365 days per year support is required for the proposed solution. The service provider’s proposed support agreement is to be included in the response and designate priority levels for system errors and include a guaranteed response time for each priority level.

Additionally, the support agreement should define the role of the service provider’s helpdesk for support.

Technical support center

As the first level of Support and Maintenance, the service provider shall provide telephone support for operational and technical assistance. The service provider should provide information about their coverage level and hours of operations.

Training

The service provider should provide both a training environment for all solution components, as well as the necessary and sufficient training for County personnel as part of the implementation.

Training for County personnel (system administrators, users, and DoITS support personnel) must be delivered directly by the service provider’s training staff to these target audiences.

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Sufficient training is defined as that level of training that enables the end-user to proficiently perform the duties associated with the utilization of the system or, for system administrators, maintenance of the system.

Personnel requiring training

Gwinnett County DoITS anticipated between 10 and 20 total trainees for this solution. During the implementation process, the County and service provider will work together to define the final numbers.

The proposed solution should use 20 as the number of employees as the basis for user admin and train-the-trainer training.

Training types

The County recognizes that the involvement, understanding, and commitment of employees are essential to the successful implementation of the proposed Solution. As such, Gwinnett County employees will participate in all key process design and configuration decisions. In preparation for that process, the service provider shall provide a foundational level of training for the County. The service provider can propose a “train the trainer” approach, however that must be clearly stated and described in the response to ensure it meets the steps outlined below.

Training materials

All training material is to meet the following requirements:

• Training materials should be provided three (3) weeks before the start of any training course.

• Training materials must be for the version of the solution that will be deployed.

• Training materials should reflect adult learning principles, and all training sessions should include a demonstration of knowledge and skills transferred by the persons being trained.

Additionally, the selected service provider is to provide a configuration/training system that will allow users to simulate live operations for all proposed system components without degrading solution performance.

All responding service providers are expected to outline details as to how their training materials and environment meet the requirements identified above.

Post-cutover support

The selected service provider and its implementation team, with appropriate involvement from Gwinnett County employees, must provide ongoing support for the 30-day reliability test period starting after the date of successful proposed solution implementation in the production environment. Upon completion of the 30- day reliability test period, if there are no outstanding issues, the County will provide formal acceptance of the solution.

All responding service providers are expected to outline details as to how they meet the Post- Cutover support requirements identified above.

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PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE

The County will hold a WebEx pre-proposal conference. This is optional and not to preclude a service provider from submitting a proposal.

Service providers are responsible for submitting all questions in writing. All questions will need to be submitted in accordance with the published deadline. Service providers are encouraged to submit questions prior to the Pre-Proposal Conference. Questions will be answered and published for all to view.

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

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PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

The proposal response shall provide information necessary for Gwinnett 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 requested by Gwinnett County.

To enhance the evaluation process and provide each service provider 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 Gwinnett County may properly evaluate the service provider’s capabilities to provide the required services. This includes the submission of the Functional Requirements Workbook and the Pricing Response Workbook in both electronic (Excel and PDF) formats and written formats. All electronic submissions should be on a virus-free USB drive with the named as outlined in this proposal. Unnecessarily elaborate brochures or other presentations beyond that sufficient to present a complete and effective proposal is not desired. Elaborate artwork, expensive paper, visual and other presentation aids are not required.

Service Providers are encouraged to submit clear and concise responses, and excessive length or extraneous information is discouraged. In an effort to ensure our ability to evaluate and choose a successful service provider, respondents are encouraged to be responsive to the specific range of 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 Gwinnett County.

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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. Gwinnett 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.

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.

Scoring Criteria Description Points

Part I I. 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. This will be considered an indicator of the service provider’s ability to follow instructions should they receive an award for this solicitation.

II. Experience & Qualifications

Experience. (Past performance) Experience as evidenced in the response. This includes, but is not limited to, the experience providing similar services to similar jurisdictions.

Qualifications (Ability to provide the solution).

Specific information on the company’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 company, including the number of years in business and past major projects completed as well as the financial position of the company, should the service provider’s company be awarded the contract. Successful service provider shall have the demonstrated ability to provide project management and administrative support to the County.

III. Solution Description

Solution Description.

Specific information provided by the service provider including, but not limited to how the features and functions work, the architecture, the interoperability, supportability, and overall robustness of the solution.

Complexity & Flexibility The ability to be scalable, interoperable, yet commercial off-the-shelf (COTs).

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Table 2 – Scoring Criteria

Selection process Proposal evaluation

Basis of Short-Listing / Selection

Phase I – Initially, proposals will be evaluated based on their relative responsiveness to the criteria described above and will be scored based on the point values as shown. Please note that references, and subsequent reference checks, are a required component of Phase I scoring.

Phase II – Service providers may be short-listed for further consideration. The Proposal Fee Schedules of the short-listed service providers from Part I will be opened, reviewed, and scored with the lowest cost receiving the most points and the other service providers receiving proportional points based on the differences in proposal costs.

Scoring Criteria Description Points

IV. Functional Requirements

Functional Requirements.

Ability for the proposed solution to provide the required/desired functions based on the responses to Exhibit B – Functional Requirements Response Workbook.

V. Implementation & Project Management

The ability to support a smooth implementation through Project Management Institute (PMI) methods and standards, robust training, and service delivery.

VI. Additional Solutions This optional information on additional products is not scored.

VII. References The quality of the references and their feedback will be taken as further indication as to the service provider’s ability to provide, implement and support the solution they are proposing to the County.

Part II VIII. Pricing Solution pricing will not be the sole deciding factor in the selection process but will be considered as part of the evaluation process. All Pricing should be included only in Exhibit C - Pricing Response Workbook. (To be submitted in a separate sealed envelope.)

Total Points 100 Part III Optional Virtual Interview/Demonstration

The service provider’s solution capabilities and response to oral questions will be considered an indicator of the robustness of the proposed Solution and the service provider’s ability to meet the functional requirements in a manner that is seamless and consistent with the County’s vision, processes, and timelines. At the County’s discretion, product demonstrations prior to making a final selection may be required. If conducted, the demonstrations will follow a County-structured format.

Product demonstrations will be conducted on a currently operational, i.e., in production, version of the total Solution that is being proposed.

Total Points 120

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Phase III – At Gwinnett’s discretion, or as deemed in Gwinnett’s best interest, service providers may be short-listed a second time for the interview and demonstration sessions. At this time, Gwinnett may request further information, explanations, clarifications, presentations, interviews, or meetings with some or all of the remaining service providers.

If interviews/demonstrations are necessary for selection, details on the scoring criteria for interviews will be provided along with notification of the scheduled interview.

All interviews and demonstration sessions will be the sole responsibility of the proposing service providers and at no cost to Gwinnett.

If an agreement with the highest-ranked service provider cannot be reached, Gwinnett may then negotiate with the second-ranked service provider and so on until a satisfactory agreement has been reached.

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PROPOSAL RESPONSE FORMAT

The format of each proposal is to contain the following data and elements organized into separate Sections and Subsections as outlined in the Proposal Compliance Table, Table 3, below. Service providers should clearly label Sections and Subsections in the proposal response as indicated in Column 1 of the Proposal Compliance Table. Modifications, additions, or changes to the terms and conditions of this proposal may be reflected in the score the service provider’s response receives.

For reference, the County has indicated in The Proposal Compliance Table, the general scoring components for each area of the service provider’s proposal response. The list is not all-inclusive;

however, it does provide the general areas of scoring. Service providers are to address each of the interrogatories, i.e., numbered questions in Proposal Response as part of the proposal submittal. For each numbered interrogatory, the response should include the number of the question, the question restated, and then service provider’s response immediately following that question.

Table 3 - Proposal Response Format

Proposal Response Section/ Subsection

Description Included in Proposal

Response (Y/N)

SECTION I PROPOSAL INTRODUCTORY DOCUMENTS

• Cover Sheet

• Table of Contents

• Cover Letter/Executive Summary

• Acknowledgement that the service provider has reviewed and understands…