S000000036 Bidders Conference.pdf

S000000036

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT

BIDDERS CONFERENCE

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSFORMATION AND SHARED SERVICES OFFICE OF STATE PROCUREMENT

TSS OSP CONTACT INFORMATION

Tanya Freeman Statewide Procurement Coordinator Email: Tanya.Freeman@Arkansas.gov Office: 501-324-9316

RFP GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Deliver a comprehensive, state-of-the-art, UI IT system that replaces the current UI IT system in its entirety

Create fully integrated components for UI benefits, tax, and appeals, as those terms are commonly used related to UI programs, as well as comprehensive and tailorable report generation and performance measurement capability, and interfaces with related stakeholder systems

Provide long term system operation, maintenance, and updates in a SaaS-type model

RFP SCHEDULE

ACTIVITY DATE

RFP Release to Prospective Contractors August 16, 2021

Bidders Conference August 19, 2021

Deadline for Prospective Contractor Questions August 23, 2021

Answers to Questions Posted to ARBuy* August 30, 2021

Proposal Due Date September 13, 2021, 2:00 PM, Central Time

Initial Proposal Evaluation* September 14, 2021

Interviews* September 20, 2021

Final Proposal Evaluation* September 20, 2021

Discussions Kick Off Meeting* September 27, 2021

Finalize Discussions* October 27, 2021

Post Anticipation to Award* October 27, 2021

Award Contract* November 22, 2021

MOST ADVANTAGEOUS PROPOSAL OVERVIEW

The State seeks the most advantageous proposal (the “MAP”) to reach its objectives. The State is relying on the expertise of the Prospective Contractors to put together the MAP, which needs to:

Clearly outline the best way to achieve the State’s objectives, considering cost and the evaluation factors identified in the RFP

Use demonstrable and observable metrics to make its business case Identify known and anticipated risks, along with how to manage, mitigate, or avoid those risks

The proposal should be easy for a non-technical person to read and understand.

The State expects to discuss the finer details and technical points of the project or service delivery with the Prospective Contractor who provides the MAP.

PHASES OF THE RFP PROCESS

Preparation

• Develop and release RFP

• Bidders conference

Selection

• Cost check

• Initial evaluation

• Interviews

• Final evaluation

Discussions

• Kick off meeting

• Final meeting

Execution

• Award

• Implementation

• Progress reporting

PHASE II OF THE RFP PROCESS - SELECTION

The TSS OSP will conduct the following tasks:

Review technical proposal packets for submission requirements

Perform initial cost check to review the competitive range of cost proposals submitted The average cost submitted will be used as the baseline for the competitive range.

Prospective Contractors whose proposed costs fall outside of the competitive range (see RFP) may justify their cost.

Prospective Contractors who do not adequately justify their cost may be rejected.

Evaluators will conduct the following tasks:

Review and score technical proposal packets and interview Prospective Contractors who meet RFP submission requirements

Review cost proposals to determine if highest ranked proposal is the MAP for the State

Recommend Prospective Contractor submitting the MAP to move into the discussion phase with the State

PHASE II OF THE RFP PROCESS – SELECTION

Prospective Contractors provide the following information in their technical proposal packets:

Experience

Solution

Risk

Recommended Options

Cost Proposal Should not include cost to cover risk contingences or recommended option items

Experience, Risk, and Recommended Options evaluation criteria submittals must be no more than 2 pages each and the Solution submittal is limited to 15 pages (21 pages total).

Technical proposals should focus on the merits of the proposed approach and not the identity or reputation of the Prospective Contractor.

The Prospective Contractor must not be identified in the technical proposal.

Proposals should be simple, non-technical, project specific, and supported by metrics.

Metrics should objectively demonstrate the soundness of the approach (high likelihood of success and little to no risk of failure).

Metrics should show the capability of the Prospective Contractor and minimize the room for uncertainty and subjectivity in the evaluation process.

Examples of demonstrable and verifiable experience metrics:

Claim of Expertise We provide an experienced implementation team to deliver the services requested in the RFP.

Documented performance

• Implemented successfully in 5 states

• Average implementation time of 6 months

• Average customer satisfaction rating 9.8 out of 10

Claim of Expertise Our proposed project manager is very experienced and capable.

Documented performance

• Implemented 6 projects in the last 5 years

• Average cost per project is $4 million

• Average project duration is 5 months

• Average cost deviation is 0.1%

• Average time deviation is 1.0%

Solution

High-level overview of the Prospective Contractor’s proposed solution

Should be non-technical and should include the Prospective Contractor’s best solution for meeting the requirements of the RFP

Additional service options and recommendations above and beyond the required scope of services should be included in the Recommended Options section

Examples of demonstrable and verifiable risk mitigation metrics:

Risk Description State personnel do not attend training sessions regarding the use of the solution

Solution Contractor will assign full-time personnel to continually reach out to State personnel regarding training sessions. Contractor will also have a 24/7 toll free number to assist personnel.

Documented performance Contractor has implemented this strategy on the last 4 projects, and client complaints and issues have decreased by 30%. Client satisfaction on this mitigation strategy is 10/10

Examples of demonstrable and verifiable recommended options metrics:

Item Description All accounts can be created, managed, tracked, and modified through an on-line card system.

How will this add value?

Enables customers to create and make changes to accounts 10x faster. Minimize required resources from the bank by 50%.

Documented performance Have provided to last 10 clients with a 10/10 customer satisfaction score. More than 77% of our clients utilize these services regularly.

Impact Cost: Increase rebate by 0.5% Schedule: N/A

Interviews Prospective Contractors meeting the RFP submission requirements will be invited to attend an interview.

The primary project manager or key person for the project will generally be the only individual attending the interview.

If the prospective contractor thinks additional personnel are needed during the interview, the Prospective

Contractor can submit the reason and request approval from the State to bring additional personnel.

Each Prospective Contractor will be provided a list of questions that will be asked during the interview.

Follow up questions may be asked during the interview.

Evaluators will follow the rating system below:

Score Description

10 The response provides metrics clearly establishing that the Prospective Contractor is reliable and capable of fully performing the required services.

5 The response provides some information suggesting that the Prospective Contractor’s level of performance may be acceptable, but it does not clearly establish that the Prospective Contractor is reliable and capable of fully performing the required services.

0 The response provides performance metrics clearly establishing that the Prospective Contractor is unreliable and incapable of fully performing the required services.

Scoring criteria and corresponding weighted percentages

Criteria Weighted Percentage

Experience 25%

Solution 21%

Risk 21%

Recommended Options 15%

Interview 18%

Consensus Technical and cost scores will be added together to determine the Grand Total Score for each proposal to determine the top ranked proposal.

Evaluators will determine if the top ranked proposal is the MAP for the State and submit their recommendation to TSS OSP.

PHASE III OF THE RFP PROCESS – DISCUSSIONS

TSS OSP will begin the discussions phase with the responsive and responsible Prospective Contractor submitting the MAP recommended by the Evaluators.

Prospective Contractor will be invited to lead the discussion phase.

No work should be done during this phase, but all planning should be completed.

Discussions check points

Kickoff meeting

Refinement

Finalization

Kickoff meeting

Prospective Contractor prepares the following documents:

Plan and schedule to finalize discussion and contract documents

Scope of work

Financial summary including a proposed payment schedule

Detailed milestone schedule

Risk mitigation plan

Performance metrics

Proposed Progress/Risk Report template

Prospective Contractor schedules kickoff meeting with all applicable State personnel

Refinement Prospective Contractor adjusts proposed scope, schedule, and plan (where needed) based on State feedback

Prospective Contractor collaborates with the State to finalize documents

Finalization Prospective Contractor prepares final documents for State review during final meeting with stakeholders

PHASE IV OF THE RFP PROCESS - EXECUTION

During the execution phase of the project, the Contractor will periodically submit a Progress/Risk Report (PRR) to the State as requested by the State.

The PRR is used to:

Create transparency and document performance

Track progress against milestone schedule

Measure any deviations from the Contractor’s initial plan

Clearly state risks that may affect the outcome and how the Contractor proposes to address them