S000000182 Bidders Conference.pdf

S000000182

OPERATIONS, MAINTENANCE, SUPPORT, AND ENHANCEMENT OF ARCSIS

BIDDERS CONFERENCE

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSFORMATION AND SHARED SERVICES OFFICE OF STATE PROCUREMENT

TSS OSP CONTACT INFORMATION

Tiffany Bilon Statewide Procurement Specialist Email: Tiffany.Maddox@Arkansas.gov Office: 501-324-9320

RFP GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

This Request for Proposal (RFP) is issued by the TSS Office of State Procurement (TSS OSP) for the Department of Finance and Administration Office of Child Support Enforcement (DFA OCSE) to obtain pricing and a contract for the operations, maintenance, support, and enhancement of the Arkansas Child Support Information System (ARCSIS).

The Contract awarded will be made to the Prospective Contractor determined to have submitted the proposal that is the most advantageous to the State. This RFP will follow requirements of 45 CFR

75.326 and 45 CFR 75.328.

RFP SCHEDULE

Activity Date RFP Release to Prospective Contractors November 29, 2022 Bidders Conference December 2, 2022, 10:00 am Deadline for Questions December 7, 2022, 5:00 pm Answers to Questions December 15, 2022 Proposal Due Date December 22, 2022, 2:00 pm Initial Proposal Evaluation* January 4, 2023 Interviews* January 12, 2023 Final Proposal Evaluation* January 12, 2023 Discussions Kick Off Meeting* January 18, 2023 Finalize Discussions* January 25, 2023 Post Anticipation to Award* January 26, 2023 Award Contract* July 1, 2023

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

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 (20 Pages or Less)

Solution (20 Pages or Less)

Risk (2 Pages or Less)

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

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 Form

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

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 30%

Solution 35%

Risk 15%

Interview 20%

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

Proposals that do not receive a minimum Total Technical Score of 350 will not be subject to further consideration in the solicitation process; pricing for those proposals will not be scored.

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 participate in 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:

Detailed scope of work, including milestone schedule and performance standards

Risk management plan

Financial summary including a proposed payment schedule and recommended options

Proposed project management and reporting templates

Prospective Contractor presents the documents during to 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

S000000182

OPERATIONS, MAINTENANCE, SUPPORT,

AND ENHANCEMENT OF ARCSIS

BIDDERS CONFERENCE

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSFORMATION AND SHARED SERVICES OFFICE OF

STATE PROCUREMENT